kscans

Chapter 217 - The Flames of War Spread

—In the Four Pillar War, it was not uncommon for defensive battles to erupt at each faction's respective bases, sparked by invasions from other factions.

These attacks on enemy bases could be all-out assaults aiming for base capture, simple reconnaissance missions, or even strategic ploys to draw attention through relentless raids, thereby putting a strain on the enemy faction's command structure.

These assaults had become such a regular, exciting part of the event that they could be called a traditional rite. Consequently, each faction typically stationed defensive forces at their own bases, prepared for sudden invasions.

And these defense corps, composed of players skilled in defense, had their own unique characteristics for each faction—or rather, their nature was a direct reflection of the presence, or absence, of a defensive ‘cornerstone’.

Take the Northern Faction, for example. Nortalia, lacking a ranker with a title specialized in defense, focused on buying time through sheer numbers, stationing a large number of regular players.

Even if an unstoppable ranker were to attack, their strategy was to resist with their commander, who was heavily buffed by the war-time effect, and wait for aid from their allied rankers on the field.

It was a passive approach, but it didn't mean that attacking the North was an easy choice. As long as the North and South were allied, the East would be caught in a pincer attack no matter which they invaded.

Therefore, a defense focused on buying time was an extremely rational strategy—and aside from cases where the [Sword Queen] herself was stationed as commander, they were just as difficult to attack as the South.

As for the Southern Faction… in contrast to the North, their defense was typically a one-man operation, relying on a single ranker specialized in defense.

Sotalm’s third-ranked member—[Castle Lord] Mei.

The ‘cornerstone’ of the South was a single being who possessed a defensive power equal to, or even greater than, Nortalia’s hundred-strong defense force.

She was the girl whose Anima held the undisputed number one spot in the armor category of the unofficial rankings.

Her fortitude was so extraordinary that she had once withstood a fierce, hour-long assault by three of Istia's rankers, including [Sword Protector], and led the South-East race for occupation to victory.

So then, who was the ‘cornerstone’ of the remaining Eastern Faction?

It was—

“Noooooooo, not again!!! That idiot Goldow!!!”

“Quiet. Work.”

“I AM working!!!”

In front of Ruvalest, Istia’s strange-looking wartime fortress.

The two small girls fighting with all their might—the ‘Eastern Wings’, Left Wing Mi-na and Right Wing Ri-na—were none other than Istia’s special defensive force.

Layers upon layers of walls built from numbers.

An invincible shield wielded by the strongest individual defender.

Istia’s form of ‘defense’ that could rival those was—a thoroughly offensive defense that annihilated everything that approached.

“Slow. Right. Faster.”

“I’m doing it! I’m trying!! You demon, Ri-na!!”

Small frames, each wielding a slender wand—no, what traced paths in the air were exquisitely crafted pens made of red and blue feathers.

They looked like two small conductors, standing side-by-side.

Or perhaps, like painters collaborating on a single canvas.

Every time the red and blue pens drew a glowing trail of light—

Roaring flames,

currents of water that could pierce rock,

and gale-force winds,

…were born one after another, lawlessly and chaotically, like manifestations of natural disasters, soaring through the sky in search of enemies.

The ‘Eastern Wings’… also known as the ‘Two Little Mages’.

Istia’s special defensive force, and their ultimate weapon against the [Sword Queen].

—And, acknowledged by all, Arcadia’s strongest artillery cannon.

It was beyond the point of being merely ‘hard to attack’; it was, quite literally, ‘approach and you turn to ash’. To mindlessly charge into the endless rain of grand magic from just two players meant instant incineration. Even a well-thought-out charge would likely end with you as ash in seconds.

It was by relying on this outrageous firepower that Istia was able to minimize its defensive forces and maintain a constantly offensive posture. But…

“No, no, no! A hundred opponents is just too much!!”

“It’s not a hundred. About eighty.”

“That’s a rounding error!!!”

Even the strongest artillery cannon has its limits. A magical duel against eighty mages was a different story.

The fact that they were holding their ground at all was already insane, but they couldn't push back, no matter how much they fought. Furthermore, thanks to some idiots who fell right into the enemy's trap, they had no one to act as a wall.

As for where the twenty-or-so members of the defense squad, who were supposed to be protecting Mi-na and the others while they acted as artillery, had gone…

They were beyond the faintly visible crimson veil, past the slowly advancing battalion of mages.

And trapped inside that crimson veil—the deployed [Engage] field—was none other than…

“Ugh, stupid, stupid Goldow!! At least give an order before you charge in!!”

“There was an order, sort of.”

“‘Handle it’ is not an orderrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!”

…the very person Mi-na was currently screaming at in a tearful rage—the [General Commander] himself.