Chapter 263: Battle of the White Bunker (3)

“1st and 2nd Squads! Gather the fallen trees on the left! 3rd and 4th Squads, circle around to the right and lure the enemy! Orders will be given only once!”

Miliana’s voice rang out through the forest.

Boom―!!

Kaboom―!!

Explosions erupted as flames burst from the golems, large tree trunks cracking and snapping under the weight of their massive feet, accompanied by loud crashing sounds.

Miliana glanced back. Out of the ten golems in the Meister unit, only four had followed her forces into the forest after the destruction of the commander’s golem.

“Tsk... Only half of them took the bait.”

The remaining five golems were heading straight toward Karyl’s main forces.

Clicking her tongue in mild frustration, Miliana turned back around.

“He’ll have to deal with the rest. A large-scale battle is imminent. We need to take down these four golems as quickly as possible and rejoin the main forces.”

“Although they’re trained, it’s uncertain how well they can follow this improvised strategy... After all, they’re ordinary soldiers, not knights,” Kinu Mukari explained while tying together a bunch of branches.

“The way Digon hunt dragons is pretty straightforward. First, break their wings so they can’t fly, then cut off their legs so they can’t stand. Not much different from hunting other animals.”

Kinu couldn’t help being impressed with her calm demeanor. She made it sound simple, but in reality, only elite warriors could manage to take down a dragon.

“But as you said, they’re just ordinary soldiers, so no matter how simple my tactics are, it might be challenging for them.”

“Then what should we do...?”

“Besides breaking the wings and cutting the legs, there’s an easier way to subdue a rampaging creature.”

Miliana looked at Kinu with determined eyes and said, “You can’t use this against a dragon, but golems are different. They don’t have wings.”

With that, she raised her sword as if she had been waiting for this moment.

“Light ‘em up!”

At her command, the 1st and 2nd Squads ignited the wood they had been gathering.

Fwoooosh...!!!

The coniferous trees quickly caught fire, and the flames spread rapidly, creating an intense blaze.

“We got lucky. Who would’ve thought we’d find a forest of pinewood here? Pine needles catch fire easily, but more importantly, they make thick smoke.”

As she spoke, the smoke from the burning needles slowly drifted toward them, carried by the wind.

“At the end of the day, those giant golems are controlled by mere humans. If their visibility is obstructed, their movements will naturally slow down.”

“Ah...!”

Kinu finally understood what Miliana meant by using a strategy that worked against golems but not dragons. The golems that had been chasing the 3rd and 4th Squads were indeed slowing down, their steps faltering as the smoke thickened.

“And, on top of blinding the enemy, the smoke will also hide us from their sight.”

With a swift swing of her sword, Miliana cut through the air. Smoke swirled in response, enveloping and hiding her from sight.

“All troops! Attack the golem in the diagonal line!”

“Waaaaaaah―!!!”

“Waaaaaah―!!”

The soldiers’ battle cries echoed through the forest.

“This isn’t my preferred method, but if the regular soldiers manage to bring down a golem, the exhilaration will be unimaginable. Of course, their attacks alone won’t harm the golem. But they’ll soon understand why they’ve set the trees on fire.”

At that, Kinu felt a chill down his spine.

“You plan to use the smoke to deceive our own troops as well.”

She nodded with a sly smile.

“Exactly. Within this smoke, we can move unnoticed by the soldiers. And the sharp-eyed archers of the Wolf-Fox tribe won’t struggle with such a large target just because of some smoke, right?”

“Leave it to me,” Kinu replied, drawing an arrow with a faint smile.

“All units! Attack!”

As she issued the command, Miliana charged toward the staggering golem. Her blade moved so fast that it was impossible to follow.

“Haap...!”

Kinu Mukari held his breath, quickly pulling the bow off his back and drawing an arrow.

Swish―!!!

One, two, three, four, five... Though he drew the bowstring only once, five arrowheads pierced through the smoke, spiraling as they tore through the air and vanished into the smoke.

Zzzzzzit...

.

The blue bow vibrated faintly—its ends were sharply pointed like a serpent’s fangs, and the bow itself was nearly as tall as Kinu. This was the greatbow that Karyl had retrieved from the Elven Treasury.

Resembling the legendary artifact Wind Venom housed in the imperial treasury, this bow shone even brighter in Kinu’s hands. With a tremendous draw, he had aimed and shot all five arrows at once.

As the thin blade slid effortlessly between the seams of the golem’s armor, a faint trickle of fluid leaked out.

How impressive.

Kinu wasn’t marveling at his own archery or the bow’s performance.

Clang—! Clang! Clang, clang—!

Sparks flashed in the smoke, accompanied by a cacophony of metal clashing against metal that echoed through the forest. At that moment, Kinu Mukari couldn’t help being amazed by the sight unfolding before him.

None of the soldiers were aware that it was actually Miliana who had struck.

“The golem has fallen!!”

“Everyone, charge!!”

The sound of trees crashing down filled the air as the golem toppled backward with a heavy thud.

Though Kinu’s arrows had shattered the joints in its legs, it was Miliana’s blow that brought the golem down, leaving him astonished. He was the only one who had witnessed her attack within the smoke.

The soldiers boldly thrust their spears into the smoke.

Clang—! Clang—! Clang—!

The clash of steel echoed all around. Then, Miliana raised a finger, pointing to the second target.

Thunk!

“...”

She brushed past Kinu, dropping the arrow she had retrieved from the fallen golem in front of him.

The battle had already ended with that first thunderous crash. The soldiers, safe within the obscuring smoke, were now merely plunging their spearheads into the already fallen golem.

Clang—! Clang! Clang, clang—!

“Kinu,” Miliana called out, her voice cutting through the clamor. “It seems that we were merely the spark that set off the true battle.”

Miliana thrust her two Mana Blades into the chest armor of the second fallen golem.

Skkk—!

Her

sharp and slender blades slipped through the gap in the golem’s armor.

Drip... Drip...

Like blood, dark oil seeped out from the golem.

At her words, Kinu looked up.

Thud... Thud...

Rumble...

A powerful tremor shook the forest, entirely different from the earlier rush of the Meister’s small golem unit.

“It has begun.”

In that instant, it felt as though the sun had disappeared—or rather, it was as if it had been blotted out. Now, the only light came from the flames consuming the coniferous forest.

Kinu stood there speechless and frozen in place. Sweat trickled down his back. Even when he had faced the colossal Sand Serpent, known as the Lord of the Rolling Hills, he hadn’t felt this way.

“H-How are we supposed to...?”

“Can we really win against that...?”

The soldiers, who had cheered after destroying the first golem, now murmured anxiously, their voices tinged with fear.

“That’s a monster, alright...”

Miliana gazed at the massive golem before her. Even she, who had effortlessly incapacitated the smaller golems of the Meister unit, instinctively knew she would have to get serious in order to bring down Revol.

The presence of the colossal golem was overwhelming, surpassing that of a Sword Master. It truly deserved its title as the gatekeeper of the White Bunker.

“But if we take it down, we’ll be heroes.”

Unlike Kinu, Miliana trembled with excitement, not out of fear. Her eyes glowed with the light of the Infinity Circle.

Hearing the cheers echoing from the distant mountains, Miliana looked around and muttered to herself, “Now I understand why he waited. The forces from the midstream of the Binfredo River will soon join us. There will be even more spectators to witness this epic battle.”

Miliana herself wasn’t sure if her laughter was cynical or one of admiration.

“In the end, we’ve been played again. Our battle was nothing more than a backdrop to make his fight shine.”

But soon, the world will see him standing on top of the fallen giant.

Her heart skipped a beat. She couldn’t deny it.

I want to see that sight.

She lifted her head, her face flushed with anticipation.

Today’s battle will undoubtedly go down in history.

Steadying her racing heart, Miliana charged at the third golem, determined to witness firsthand the start of this unprecedented, colossal battle.

***

“Although I’ve seen it before... That thing is massive.”

Karyl stood on the wall of the White Bunker, his gaze fixed on the gigantic golem shining in the distance.

Rumble...

A sound akin to a beast’s growl echoed as Revol turned its head, and the air seemed to shudder in response.

“Fortunately, it’s still in its first combat mode,” Karyl muttered under his breath as he observed Revol’s armaments.

Revol had three distinct combat modes. After the basic first mode, it could switch to a second, armed with magical artillery for dealing with multiple enemies, and then to a third, designed specifically for hunting large-scale Tarak.

If Revol had fully armed itself into the second mode and targeted the soldiers instead of Karyl, the allied forces would have suffered devastating losses.

Even so, as he gazed at the colossus before him, Karyl couldn’t help but feel a chill down his spine.

I’m lucky. If I had been even a year later, this fight might have been too much.

Karyl tightened his grip on the Freezing Talon once more.

Well, in a year, the principality would have been wiped off the map anyway.

A bitter smile flickered across his face.

[Lucky, huh? I’m impressed you can say that in the face of such a formidable opponent. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a giant golem of this size. Even in the Mythical Era, there weren’t many like this. The fact that humans created this one is truly remarkable.]

So there were more golems like Revol during the Mythical Era?

[Of course, back then, the dwarves were the ones who crafted golems. Each dwarf clan had golems that represented them. Among them, the golems of the Muir family were so powerful that they were almost on par with the Spirit Kings, something even we acknowledged.]

I see. So this Revol was built based on the design of those Enderus golems. The fact that they’ve managed to replicate it to this extent is indeed impressive.

As Karyl thought about it, he licked his lips in contemplation.

Revol is certainly an incredible creation, but Winger Hart and I might be able to create something even greater.

Karyl recalled the incomplete golem design he had obtained on his way to Heim, something he hadn’t managed to accomplish in his past life. In order to complete this other plan in preparation for the Oracle War, he needed Wingel Hart by his side.

CRACK—!!

BOOM—!!!

A sudden bolt of lightning struck down toward Karyl. The wall he was standing on erupted with a deafening crash as the golem charged through the city, leaving Karyl in awe.

The machine, towering over twenty meters, was an overwhelming sight—it was clad in thick armor, and it held a giant axe and a shield with its massive arms.

[...]

The blade of Revol’s axe still crackled with electricity, sparks flying everywhere. With a single swing, the inner walls of the White Bunker crumbled. The sheer power was enough to send shivers down one’s spine, and the soldiers outside the walls, regardless of which side they were on, gazed at the colossal Revol in astonishment.

A heavy silence fell over the battlefield, as though the outcome had already been decided. However, the thunderous onslaught of the colossus did not cease.

BOOM!! BOOM—!!!

The fountain in the square was blown away, and water sprayed out everywhere, raining down on the streets.

“Aaaah...!!”

“Noooo...!!”

The electric water spread across the ground like an unstoppable wave, pooling in the holes of the shattered pavement. Crackling with electricity, the puddles sent waves of energy surging across the soldiers beneath the collapsed walls.

The soldiers convulsed violently as they crawled on the ground, desperate to escape. Soon, black smoke rose from them, and inside their armor, their searing flesh had turned darker than the smoke.

Revol’s condensed Mana Blade seemed far more intense than that of a Sword Master, incinerating hundreds of soldiers in an instant, reducing them to mere cinders.

“Run! Run away!!”

“Get out of the way!!”

Fearing they might fall victim to Revol as well, the remaining soldiers scattered in panic, shouting desperately. In an instant, the situation had turned completely.

“Ugh!”

Wingel Hart grimaced as he looked down at the bodies beneath him. Many had died because of his mistake. Though they were mere corpses, he hesitated to even step on the fallen soldiers, Revol’s movements being more restricted than before.

“...!!”

But that hesitation didn’t last long. Revol recoiled, stepping back in shock, and with every thunderous step, the nearby buildings crumbled, sending plumes of dust into the air.

Red patches of blood burst underfoot like balloons.

"Ahhhh!!"

"Ughhh!!"

Hearing the soldiers’ screams, Wingel instinctively squeezed his eyes shut.

“You really aren’t suited for battle,” a low voice rang out.

Thud—! Thud—!

The others couldn’t see it, but Karyl, who had been where the lightning struck just moments ago, was now darting under Revol, zigzagging between its legs as he swiftly scaled the giant.

Fwoosh—!!

In a flash, Karyl leaped onto Revol’s midsection, climbing rapidly until he was face-to-face with the massive golem.

Whooosh—!!

At that moment, Revol swung its axe horizontally at Karyl. The enormous blade tore through the air with a thunderous roar.

BOOOM—!!!

The electricity from the axe burst out into the air, sparking violently and filling the space with smoke.

“Ugh?!”

“Aaah...!”

The nearby soldiers covered their ears against the deafening noise and collapsed to the ground.

Sizzle...

As the blizzard struck the heated axe, white steam rose into the air. The soldiers who had been fleeing stopped and stared in shock at the scene before them.

“No way...”

Wingel was also watching through the steam, his lips quivering as though he could no longer form the words.

“Death on the battlefield is an inseparable thread, yet here you are, hesitating in fear. It’s almost like giving a fine sword to a coward.”

To Wingel’s astonishment, Karyl stood on the blade of the axe. Despite the blade’s immense power, enough to slice someone in two, Karyl remained calm and composed, as if nothing had happened.

Gulp—

Wingel swallowed hard.

“Wingel, when this battle is over, I’ll teach you how to properly use a golem. So...”

As Karyl’s image was magnified on the screen inside the cockpit, Wingel clearly saw the cold smile forming on his lips.

“...I shall have this giant for myself.”