Chapter 50 Part5 (1/2)
<chapter 50.=”” the=”” battle=”” against=”” seagald=”” -=”” 5=”” [end=”” of=”” volume=”” 12]=””>
Three days later, the group safely arrived at the capital. They had pa.s.sed right through the level 4 danger zone, Bayran and then headed straight for the capital! Though he wasn't here with the other heroes, he was still deeply moved.
”Is this... really?”
[Are you surprised?]
”Obviously...”
The Light General was astonished; the outer fortress was completely gone, exposing the inner city within.
”It's the capital, yet there are absolutely no defenses! How are we supposed to take this? Is this really the capital? Is the capital actually inside a hidden subs.p.a.ce?”
[Calm down. It wasn't originally like this. The capital's defensive facilities were all destroyed in a recent battle.]
”What kind of battle would've destroyed all of its defensive facilities?”
The Sun Spear General had been smiling ever since they'd been reunited, but even he was stuck between shock and confusion and didn't know what to do.
But it's not like he could say 'I'm actually the Heaven Defying General and the hero Lee s.h.i.+n Woo. I aimed the cannon the Lich made at the capital and shot light at it!', so Lee s.h.i.+n Woo just remained quiet. The Sun Spear General seemed to come to his own conclusion and patted him on the shoulder.
”Now I get how much you went through.”
[Hmph.]
This 'hmph' was Arema Steelworker's equivalent to 'Thanks for understanding, my friend'. It seemed to get through to them, as the Sun Spear General laughed and the Light General just sighed. Lee s.h.i.+n Woo was suddenly fearful of how effective his acting was.
[I'm sure you already know, but I'll say it again. It's impossible to move covertly within the capital. We need to move as quickly as possible and achieve our goal. Once we do, we have to get out of here as quickly as possible.]
”We know already. That's why we've prepared so much.”
Lee s.h.i.+n Woo saw the Sun Spear General take out three more of the consumable artifact, the 'Dark Red Solar Eclipse' and just nodded his head.
Yeah, he needed to trust them. They were the surface's Four Heavenly Commanders, weren't they? ...Even Arema Steelworker had been one of the Four Heavenly Commanders!
[Then... Let's get going. I can't tell you exactly where Seagald is, so we should send scouts out to look for him.]
”Yeah. You know the capital best, so I'll leave it to you.”
Amazing. Lee s.h.i.+n Woo picked some scouts from the Vampires and golems and sent them off in various directions. Of course, Lee s.h.i.+n Woo already knew where Seagald's current location was, so scouts were unnecessary.
He was just sending them to provoke the Imperial Army. They would also get in Seagald's way, as well as help adjust his timing and start the battle!
Lee s.h.i.+n Woo sent his golems along the safest route, but he'd mostly dispatched them to pick up any more Evil Eye ore that might be laying around. He really hoped that there was at least a little bit left!
[Then let's get a move on. Judika, is the report system secure?]
”Of course. Don't look down on the power of a Vampire.”
'I'm sorry, but I am looking down on it right now', Lee s.h.i.+n Woo was instinctively about to say, but desperately restrained himself from doing so and quickly moved forward. In his place, the Light General snorted, but the Sun Spear General just ignored her.
Lee s.h.i.+n Woo realized something was off 30 minutes later. They marched through the inner city, which had been turned to ash by the cannon, and got closer and closer to the capital. While doing so, the Mana Radar picked up something.
'This is...?'
It was neither Seagald nor the Archmage... It was a mana signature that Lee s.h.i.+n Woo wasn't familiar with. But then, why was the Mana Radar picking it up?
That reason was extremely simple. Currently, the Mana Radar didn't just detect the mana that he was familiar with, but also any mana level 8 or over as well. And at this very moment, there was a presence headed right for them. There were also three level 7 elites around them, as well as hundreds of level 6 soldiers as well.
[...]
”Arema?”
How many level 8 undead remained within the Underground Empire that he wasn't aware of? He couldn't see their face, but he knew who it was. But the issue was: why were they coming towards them right now?
He looked at the Sun Spear General, who had paused and was looking at him strangely, and asked.
[I'll ask just in case, but you guys... No one followed you down from the surface, right?]
”Of course not. We came straight from the palace. There's no way someone followed us. ...But for you to be like that... Are you saying what I think you're saying?”
[It might be tough, but we got to move as quickly as possible. I'll order some of these guys to buy us some time.]
Lee s.h.i.+n Woo split 50 Vampires and 100 golems from his main force and sent them away. He was clearly sending them to their deaths, but the golems always followed orders, and the Vampires were psychopaths that were loyal to a fault, so they left without a single complaint.
The main force marched on even quicker than before. He already knew where Seagald was, so he picked the optimum route while acting appropriately; the aftermath wouldn't matter.
'However...'
Another 30 minutes later, Lee s.h.i.+n Woo inwardly groaned. He knew they wouldn't last long against a level 8 opponent, but this was too much; they were taken out as soon as they met them. They weren't able to buy him any time at all.
'But here's where it starts. Were we able to throw off our enemies even a little? ...Mm, I guess it was too much to hope for. Then that means they have a way of tracking us.'
Their enemy was heading straight for them. Which meant they had a way of tracking them in real-time. He'd said it in pa.s.sing, but perhaps the Archmage really did have a Muninn's Eye! [1]