The Archmage’s Destruction Strategy - Chapter 115

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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#115. Operation Change

With thunderous footsteps shaking the earth, some two hundred steel golems materialized upon the Battlefield, the majority equipped not with close-quarters armaments but with long-range artillery systems.
Most were outfitted with terrifying quantities of fire-support weaponry designed to obliterate every living thing within their target zones without leaving a single ant behind.
Though the steel golems’ armaments operated on principles entirely different from modern weapons—powered by mana propulsion and explosive magic rather than rocket fuel and conventional explosives—their effects were engineered to mirror those of contemporary military hardware.
In other words, they replicated the destructive power and performance of modern weapons while completely circumventing the Corrosion Entities’ characteristic resistance to conventional human armaments.

—Boom! Crash! Boom-boom-crash!—

A golem bearing two massive cannons on its back unleashed ordnance skyward, and the colossal shells traced parabolic arcs before descending upon the Surface below.
Beside it, a steel golem mounted with sixteen vertical missile launchers—eight on each side—spewed long trails of smoke like a tail while ceaselessly firing dozens of ascending vertical missiles.
As though reloading were unnecessary.
When the shells and missiles rained down upon the Corrosion Entities below, the hardened carapaces of high-level creatures that had withstood the Awakened’s assaults shattered into fragments with deafening explosions.
Simultaneously, enchanted ordnance interspersed among the explosive rounds poured lethal chemical compounds through the exposed internal tissues revealed by the fractured armor.
The monsters shrieked, their flesh melting like blood, and as they spewed their liquefied remains, they convulsed with frenzied luminescence like insects doused in pesticide before collapsing where they stood.
Among them were level-six and higher Corrosion Entities that had effortlessly deflected every attack from the U.S. Military’s Awakened.

“Incredible firepower. It’s like witnessing the U.S. Military in its prime.”
“Where did these massive robots even come from?”
“Why bother asking? There’s only one person capable of such sorcery.”

As the steel golems carved a massive cavity through the enemy ranks with overwhelming concentrated bombardment and wedged themselves between the remaining Corrosion Entities and Awakened, the members of the 2nd Assault Team finally found a moment to catch their breath.
They could now leisurely observe the steel giants that had appeared like heroes, obliterating the insectoid monstrosities that had tormented them with a single strike.
As they did, the magnificent armor of the colossal robots—glowing brilliantly with countless magical circles and runic inscriptions—came into view.

“They’re really something. Were they made with magic?”
“Looking closer, it seems like a lot of the components were salvaged from M1 tanks.”
“How can you tell? To me, they just look like impressive robots.”
“If you look carefully, there are manufacturer marks stamped all over the armor.”
“Really? So he actually disassembled the tanks in the Hangar and built these robots in that short time?”
“Rather than disassembled, he probably used magic somehow. Either way, there’s no doubt these robots are on our side, so we push forward with concentrated attacks and break through the encirclement.”

Captain Cooper quickly regrouped the remaining survivors and took the lead in breaching the enemy lines.
And finally, upon linking up with the robot legion, Captain Cooper discovered that U.S. Military personnel were piloting the steel robots.

[Captain! Thank goodness you’re alive!]
“A voice? Could there be U.S. Military personnel piloting this from inside?”
[Yes. This is a golem that Sung-jun modified from a tank using magic. It’s designed to have a pilot operating from within.]

For a moment, the Captain found himself thinking the word “envious” without realizing it, then shook his head to dispel the stray thought.
He then inquired about the progress of the operation and Sung-jun’s whereabouts.

“Is the recovery operation complete? Where is Sung-jun?”
[Sung-jun is currently continuing golem production inside the hangar beneath the Supply Depot Underground. He also asked me to relay a message to you, Captain.]
“What message?”
[He said the 1st Assault Team’s condition has deteriorated, so he plans to dismiss the summoning.]
“The 1st Assault Team?”

The 1st Assault Team Sung-jun mentioned referred to an army of the undead composed of twenty thousand Skeleton Soldiers and five thousand undead spirits.
Despite being commanded by eight Achritch, the 1st Legion—capable of being dismissed remotely according to the user’s will—was suffering catastrophic casualties from the endless onslaught of Corrosion Entities and their relentless assault.
Had they been living soldiers rather than the undead, they would have been annihilated long ago by fear and panic, yet the remaining undead soldiers desperately threw themselves forward, clinging to the enemies’ heels.

[Once we dismiss the 1st Assault Team, all the remaining enemies will pour toward us. We rushed here to rescue the survivors, including you, Captain.]
“What about my Teacher?! When did he say he would join us?”]

At that moment, Seoa came rushing over after sensing the magical aura emanating from the steel golem, shouting toward it as it conversed with the Captain.

[Seoa, I’m relieved you’re safe as well. Sung-jun was quite worried about you.]
“If he’s so worried, he shouldn’t deploy me to the most dangerous battlefield like this. He should protect me himself.”

As Miyu, following behind Seoa, interjected into the conversation, the massive steel golem scratched its head awkwardly and spoke.

[If there’s any resentment, please tell her that he said: “I believed you would be more than capable of handling this.”]
“Teacher….”

Watching Seoa’s eyes glisten with tears of emotion rather than resentment at those words of trust from her Teacher, Miyu let out a deep sigh.

“You become excessively blind whenever you’re involved with Ma Sungjun.”
“Because he’s my Teacher. He’s the strongest, most magnificent, and most admirable person in the world. Look at this beautiful golem. Besides my Teacher, there’s no one else in this world who could create something so magnificent.”

Upon hearing Seoa’s words, the golem turned its head and spoke to her.

[So Seoa calls this thing a golem, does she?]
“Is that strange?”
[We naturally assumed it was a robot.]
“Robots are made by engineers. If a Mage made it, it’s obviously a golem.”

The Operator, hearing Seoa’s explanation, found himself recalling the old saying: like teacher, like student.
He then relayed information about the Teacher to the student who had been worrying about his mentor’s wellbeing.

[Sung-jun is currently in the Hangar mass-producing steel golems while instructing the newly arrived personnel.]
“Newly arrived personnel, you say….”
[I don’t know the details myself, but this person gave off a similar aura to the nobleman and the mounted knight fighting over there. They’re likely another type of Undead summoned being.]

Suddenly, empty air resonated as Argen’s voice echoed through the void.

[Is that truly so?! What’s their appearance?! What does this summoned being look like?!]
“This voice is… Argen? You heard our conversation from such a distance?”
[My power governs the wind, after all. Now answer my question. What is the summoned being’s appearance? Surely it wasn’t female?]
[I don’t believe they’re female…but since I’ve never seen a dwarf female, I can’t say for certain.]
[A dwarf?! Is the being summoned by my liege truly a dwarf?]
[They introduced themselves as a dwarf lord, so it must be true.]

After a brief silence, Argen’s booming laughter erupted through the air.

[Kahahaha! Karcerion! Did you hear?! Barden the Consecrated has joined our forces! My liege is truly incomparable! They’ve drawn the perfect card in this dire situation!]
“Do you know them?”
[An undead dwarf lord and a master of consecration. A spirit that boasts supreme compatibility against large-scale enemy forces. Yet they would have been difficult for my current liege to face…. Ah, so that’s why you created the steel golems? As always, you’re the type who executes only the most unpredictable strategies.]

Having said that, Argen muttered softly without carrying his voice on the wind.

“Well, that’s certainly befitting of a Mage.”

Upon learning of Sung-jun’s actions, Argen immediately grasped the strategy and formulated a new battle plan.
It was entirely different from the strategy established before the operation began.
When Argen conveyed his newly devised plan to Karcerion nearby, an intense reaction burst forth.

“You’re saying we lure the enemies here instead of breaking through and escaping? Argen. Are you in your right mind?”
“The strategy I propose is designed to maximize the efficiency of the new operation my lord has devised. It may be difficult for a brute like you to comprehend.”
“I was once an undefeated general commanding an entire nation’s army.”
“Yet you lost in the end. And you had to watch with your own eyes as the lord you should have protected died. It doesn’t matter if you won ninety-nine battles—losing the final one renders it all meaningless.”
“…Do you wish to die?”
“Don’t let foolish pride cloud your judgment. Simply follow my lead.”

The strategy Argen outlined was elegantly simple.
Deploy the remaining allied forces in a circular formation and deliberately allow the enemy to encircle us.
The original operation called for breaking through the enemy’s encirclement and escaping to the Military Base the moment Sung-jun successfully retrieved the remaining equipment from the base. Argen’s new strategy directly contradicted the previously established plan.

“…Explain your reasoning so I might understand.”
“Very well. First, our initial strategy has already crumbled. The enemy numbers far exceeded our projections, and we anticipated only one Level 8 Corrosion Entity would appear instead of the two we expected—one for the 1st Assault Team and one for the 2nd Assault Team. This means the enemy has yet to reveal all their cards.”

Should we encounter another Level 8 Corrosion Entity while stretched thin in a linear formation attempting escape, our forces would face annihilation with no means of resistance.
This was precisely why Sung-jun altered the original plan and attempted to turn Barden—the Blessed Undead corresponding to the Rook among the five pieces—during the operation.
Had the second Level 8 Corrosion Entity appeared in the direction of the 1st Assault Team, where we could unsummon from a distance according to the original plan, we would simply dismiss the Undead Legion after positioning them far from the battlefield.
But with the enemy’s location unknown, encountering another Level 8 Corrosion Entity is now inevitable.

“If we must fight regardless, it’s advantageous to face them fully prepared on our terms rather than in a chaotic retreat we cannot control. This must be my lord’s judgment, which is why he decided to sacrifice some of our forces and engage Barden.”
“You’re suggesting we conduct a defensive siege rather than a retreat?”
“Precisely. As you know, with Barden’s abilities, we can construct fortress walls of any desired size in moments. Those steel golems are not ‘soldiers’ deployed to protect our forces. They are ‘turrets’ positioned throughout the fortress walls to repel enemy siege attempts. Therefore, we must organize our troops accordingly for a defensive operation.”

As Karcerion listened to Argen’s confident words, he voiced a concern.
If Sung-jun’s new plan didn’t actually exist and the original strategy remained the true objective, wouldn’t Argen’s approach be the worst possible move?
Argen responded with absolute certainty, insisting such a scenario was impossible.

“Such a scenario is impossible.”
“Why are you so certain? You haven’t even spoken directly with my lord.”
“No conversation is necessary. My lord must already be confident that by sending the steel golems, we will follow the new plan he has established.”

A smile graced the lips of Argen, the Count of the Funeral Night, as he envisioned Sung-jun’s face.
It seemed his new master, this man called Sung-jun, possessed a perfect understanding of how to utilize him—the Bishop.
An eternal vampire lord wielding invisible wind blades with absolute mastery. A noble of the night.
The true power of Argen, the Count of the Funeral Night, resided not in physical might, but in the brilliant intellect that once commanded a vast empire as if holding it in the palm of his hand.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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