The Return of the Genius Ranker’s Myth Warehouse - Chapter 349

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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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Chapter 349
Chapter 349
The Imperial Army arrived before the Mechanical City.
With both the Imperial Army and the players riding high on momentum that seemed to pierce the heavens themselves,
“Attack!”
“Bring down the Mechanical City!”
“We’ll end this war with our own hands!!”
The Imperial Army and players immediately launched their assault on the Mechanical City.
They were all confident.
That it was possible now.
That they could topple the Mechanical City and end this war in a single stroke.
But.
Clang!
“How is it this hard?!”
“This goes beyond any mineral!”
“Finally broke it… wait, wait, it’s regenerating?”
“Shape-memory alloy? Impossible, this can’t be real!”
The first obstacle was formidable.
To enter the Mechanical City, they had to breach that iron wall first.
The wall’s defense was far more resilient than anticipated.
Whenever they unleashed powerful attacks and managed to create even a small crack, that section would glow red and slowly seal itself shut.
It was sturdy enough to withstand even the sword strikes of the Red Wolf Knights, the Empire’s greatest swordmasters.
Even bringing siege weapons seemed unlikely to breach that iron wall.
“Then we go skyward!”
“Scale the wall!”
“Prepare the ladders!”
Their second prepared method was to climb over the iron wall.
But this approach had its own problems.
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat!
“Argh!”
“Guns are firing from the wall!”
“Insane, how is this possible?!”
“Bullets are raining down from above!”
Bullets erupted from the openings in the iron wall.
Soldiers positioned atop the wall pulled their triggers downward.
Those attempting to advance through the air using magic and other powers tried to shield themselves from the gunfire, but mechanical flying units blocked their path.
Even with hundreds of thousands charging simultaneously, it was impossible to breach or scale the iron wall.
The Ash Dust Knight Order attempted to infiltrate the Mechanical City,
“…stealth doesn’t work.”
“If even the Ash Dust’s infiltration fails, then other assassins would be impossible as well.”
That was impossible too.
There was no gap for infiltration, and when I tried to slip through the narrow opening I’d barely found, even the Ash Dust Knight Commander was detected by the sensing mechanical devices.
Attacking from a distance to break through the iron wall was ineffective—the Mechanical City’s defense was formidable, and its long-range firepower surpassed ours.
As a result, we sustained casualties without inflicting any damage on the Mechanical City.
“It’s an impregnable fortress.”
Literally, since it was a city built of iron, it was physically an iron fortress.
Metaphorically speaking, the Mechanical City was equally impregnable.
The defense was so perfect that the phrase “unconquerable” came to mind naturally.
This left only two options.
“Without Commander Mir or the Knight Commander of Blue Moon, it seems we’ll struggle.”
“Magic, you mean?”
“Yes, it seems we’ll need either Commander Mir’s colossal magic formation or Raymond Mistborn’s grand magic.”
“Even that will be difficult. The city has quite high magic resistance. If they focus on defense, they could withstand grand magic.”
“To that extent?”
“Yes, we’ve confirmed this through direct magical testing.”
“Then there’s only one way to breach it.”
The moment I heard that even one of those options would be difficult.
The Imperial Army commander could think of only one method.
“We’ll blockade the Mechanical City.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Cut off all supply lines completely. Then, find all the water channels leading to the Mechanical City and sever them.”
“Understood!”
A prolonged siege.
A strategy to starve the Mechanical City’s forces by completely cutting off their supplies.
No matter how powerful the Mechanical City and its mechanical weapons were, if there were people inside, they would need water and food.
Once water and food were cut off, they’d eventually have to abandon their pride and evacuate the Mechanical City.
With that thought, the Imperial Army and the users began surrounding the Mechanical City.
Meanwhile.
Clang, clang.
Inside the Mechanical City.
“Aaaaaaahhhhh!”
“P-please save us! Save me! Save me! Gaaahhh!”
Whiiiiiing—.
“Grrrrgh—.”
“This isn’t right! This can’t be right!”
“Why, why….”
The screams of Cronion soldiers echoed within the thick iron walls, unable to escape outside.
* * *
The repair, control, and modification of the mechanical weapons were complete.
I’m confident that my understanding of mechanical weapons has increased significantly.
Given that, then.
“Let’s get started.”
I immediately began repairs on Hellfire.
I knew exactly which parts needed fixing.
After all, I was the one who created those damaged sections in the first place.
Having faced Hellfire in one-on-one combat, I understood perfectly where and how I’d attacked, and the extent of the destruction I’d inflicted.
“It’s fortunate we have so many materials.”
Hellfire required vast quantities of materials for repairs, befitting its colossal size.
But since I’d brought Cronion’s entire repair facility with me, materials were in abundance.
Even if materials fell short, I could dismantle the scattered mechanical weapons that lay too damaged for repair, yielding more than enough resources.
– Activating skill ‘Crafting’.
I fashioned components from those materials to fill the damaged sections.
– Activating skill ‘Repair’.
Then I proceeded with the repairs.
My understanding of mechanical weapons had deepened considerably, making the repairs themselves far from difficult.
Hellfire’s immense size meant the work took some time, but that was all.
Next.
“Luke, tell me—what’s lacking?”
– First, the wings. Such pathetic wings cannot properly reflect my dignity nor recreate a dragon’s flight. Therefore….
I began customizing Hellfire according to Luke’s specifications.
In truth, this was less modification than pure customization, and I’d intended to satisfy Luke’s aesthetic sensibilities and move on.
‘This is actually working well.’
As I proceeded with customization according to Luke’s demands.
I could see Hellfire’s overall performance steadily increasing.
Which made perfect sense, really.
Hellfire itself was a mechanical weapon designed in imitation of a dragon.
And Luke, a true dragon, was requesting modifications while envisioning his own form.
‘This level of customization should suffice.’
Originally, I’d planned to conduct additional modifications after completing the customization.
But as I proceeded with Luke’s customization specifications, Hellfire’s performance exceeded my expectations.
There seemed no need for me to pursue further modifications.
So now for the next phase.
– I believe I can recreate that roar.
“Really?”
– If you assist me, Master, I need only merge with this counterfeit and unleash the roar. By utilizing the specific frequencies within the counterfeit’s vocal cords….
That roar from Hellfire—the one that had detonated the mechanical weapons I’d hacked.
It seemed possible to recreate that as well.
It was unfortunate that it could only be used in the Black Flame state, but since Luke’s heart would be necessary anyway, in the Black Flame state there’d be no need to extract and transplant the heart separately.
I could simply ride atop Hellfire and rely solely on long-range attacks like magic.
There seemed no major issues with this approach.
The next problem was power.
“Commander Mir! We found magic stones from Cronion’s charging facility!”
“They arrived at precisely the right moment.”
I’d managed to locate them just in time.
Cronion’s charging facility.
Countless magic stones for powering mechanical weapons had been stored there.
I’d retrofitted all the mechanical weapons I’d modified thus far by implanting those magic stones as power sources, but in Hellfire’s case, ordinary magic stones couldn’t provide sufficient energy.
Finally.
[ Premium Magic Stone ]
I’d discovered a premium magic stone, presumably the one originally used to power Hellfire.
Normally, one would connect it via charging cables to link a mechanical weapon’s power source.
“But there’s no need for that.”
I’d already decided to treat Hellfire and the other mechanical weapons as disposable assets.
It would be nice if they could last longer, but Hellfire alone possessed enough destructive force to obliterate my subordinates’ mechanical weapons, didn’t it?
I’d taken precautions against that, but if the purple Evil God appeared, all those measures would likely become meaningless.
So it was easier to think of them as single-use rather than worrying about longevity.
Accordingly, all the mechanical weapons I’d previously modified had their power sources replaced by implanting magic stones.
And.
Whirrrr—.
I decided to replace Hellfire’s power source by implanting the premium magic stone as well.
I embedded the premium magic stone where Luke’s heart had originally been.
With this, it should be able to withstand either the Mechanical City’s collapse or defeating the Evil God—one or the other.
More importantly, it would significantly strengthen the “final move” I’d been planning.
After imbuing Hellfire’s body with various enchantments and completing the work.
[ Repair successful. ]
[ Modification successful. ]
[ Creation successful. ]
[ Enchantment successful. ]
System messages announced the completion of the work.
[ Judgment: Transcendent Success ]
The judgment appeared.
A transcendent success that surpassed even critical success.
My devoted research into mechanical weapons and the repair of Hellfire had been worthwhile.
With the new Hellfire complete, there was no reason to delay further.
“Move.”
Clank-clank-clank-clank—.
Hellfire, responding to my command, began to rise.
Wings larger and more intricate than before.
With those wings spread wide, Hellfire carried me upon its back.
“ROOOOOOOAAAARRR—!!”
With a thunderous roar, it began to ascend toward Cronion.
* * *
The Imperial Army had blockaded the Mechanical City and established an encirclement around it.
One might expect signs of panic, yet even after the encirclement was complete, the Mechanical City showed no response whatsoever.
Not a single shot was fired before they initiated their assault.
But the moment they cautiously approached, bullets invariably erupted from within.
“Do they intend to hold out much longer?”
“They may be preparing something.”
“Our defenses are sufficient. Whatever they attempt will prove futile.”
While establishing the encirclement.
The Imperial Army remained far from idle.
They continued dispatching those with exceptional infiltration abilities, including the Ash Dust Knight Order.
They devised countermeasures by anticipating the desperate attacks Cronion might unleash.
One such example was an extraordinarily powerful shield spell.
Cronion might suddenly gather explosives and launch a tremendous bomb skyward.
All the Sages pooled their power to prepare an ultra-potent shield spell capable of neutralizing such a bomb.
Now only one thing remained.
To wait.
“We’ve severed the water veins, so they cannot draw groundwater. No matter how much food they’ve stockpiled, they won’t endure much longer.”
Victory was assured.
Now it came down to whether Cronion would starve to death or make a final desperate gambit.
One or the other.
Or so they believed.
“The gates are opening!”
“What?”
The iron doors of Cronion, sealed shut until now, began to open.
“Surely they haven’t run out of supplies already?”
“Perhaps they’ve surrendered? After all, remaining here offers no means of obtaining fresh supplies or water.”
“Hmm… that’s plausible. Indeed, from Cronion’s perspective, it would be better to make a desperate stand before time erodes their provisions and strength.”
From the opened gates, Cronion’s soldiers emerged.
A sight they’d grown quite familiar with by now.
The Iron Armor Corps, clad in sturdy iron plating.
The only notable difference was that the armor clung so tightly that no flesh was visible whatsoever.
From a distance, one might mistake them for moving suits of armor rather than men.
“Yet something seems odd.”
“What do you mean?”
“Isn’t it too ordinary? I half-expected them to fire that ‘nuclear bomb’ the adventurers spoke of.”
“A nuclear bomb—that was pure fantasy. A bomb capable of obliterating an entire nation, not merely a city? Cronion could never possess such power, and it was surely nothing more than exaggerated boasting from the adventurers.”
“True enough. In any case, I never expected them to emerge with no strategy whatsoever.”
Currently, the Mechanical City was surrounded by the Imperial Army.
We were losing ground in this war, lacking in troop numbers, morale—everything.
Being surrounded was already a tactical disadvantage.
Yet they opened the iron gates without any real preparation and sent soldiers out?
The commander couldn’t help but wonder if they’d simply given up on the war.
In any case, as soon as the enemy emerged, we maintained our encirclement and began our assault.
“The enemy is far too powerful!”
“What? They’re not mechanical weapons—just ordinary soldiers, aren’t they?”
“They don’t fight like humans! Even with their legs severed, they lie there firing guns. Even with their arms cut off, they advance on one hand, still pulling the trigger!”
Disturbing reports came flooding in.
The Cronion soldiers seemed to feel no pain.
They advanced relentlessly like the undead themselves, pulling their triggers without hesitation.
And there was something else.
We discovered something deeply wrong.
“These things! The armor is fused to their bodies!”
“What are you talking about?”
“Look! The skin is completely merged with the armor! The helmets too—these aren’t human anymore!”
The armor the Cronion soldiers wore was, after all, just armor.
But now it was different.
When we brought down a soldier, the armor clung to their body like skin itself.
Even the guns they held were completely fused with their hands and arms.
This could no longer be called human.
The Cronion soldiers now pouring from the iron gates.
All of them were….
“Mechanical weapons…?”
They were essentially machines.

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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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