Chapter 190. The Hunter and the Trap (7)
The key figures of the Empire who gather daily in the strategy conference room of the Imperial Capital know the objective of this operation as the 'repulsion of the vanguard.'
However, the gist of the operation that I conveyed to the Princess of Blood is slightly different.
Because she is soone who must be right by my side in this operation, and also soone who knows the reason why I must collect the Sacred Relics.
'Operation Sacred Relic Heist'.
That's the na I personally gave this operation.
The tactic of the Eastern Empire's vanguard is to use highly mobile troops and two Sacred Relics to deliver sequential strikes and annihilate the enemy's main force.
In the end, the vanguard's troops are just a 'ans of transportation' and 'ritual subjects,' and their actual military power is not outstanding.
The vanguard's military power is handled by the incarnate bodies of the Outer Gods they descend.
Therefore, the key to this operation was 'how' to deal with the following two Outer Gods.
The Dog that Swallows the Moon.
Winter that Freezes Sumr.
The first Sacred Relic was easy.
Because its power itself was to 'offer all living beings in a certain area as a sacrifice.'
All I had to do was push in with my main body, the Sacred Relic wielder, the mont the sacrificial domain was deployed.
Of course, a little psychological warfare was necessary.
The current Eastern Empire is a tool to 'judge' , who raised an empire as a 'Sacred Relic Guardian.'
Therefore, they know that Count Ash and the Emperor are Sacred Relic Guardians.
The Emperor had a Sacred Relic from the beginning.
Count Ash killed the key mbers of the Church and took their Sacred Relics.
The reason why the vanguard, which easily brought down even the Holds, has not entered the Empire's territory until now and is eliminating surrounding variables while preparing for the final battle, is probably for the sa reason.
They would know that it would be a disaster if a Sacred Relic Guardian was present when the 'Dog that Swallows the Moon' unfolded its sacrificial domain.
Especially since the previous owner of 'Eyeball,' which Count Ash took, was the high priest of the Ratn Technopriest Council, a key mber of the Church.
Strictly speaking, it was William, under Count Ash, who took it.
Anyway, the gist is that Count Ash has obtained the power of spatial movent.
A power that the Guardian of the 'Dog that Swallows the Moon,' the Taoist in the hat, must be most wary of.
So I prepared a play that spanned several layers.
That Count Ash, an honorary paladin and the lord of Kalisto, was taken prisoner by the Princess of Blood.
That the Emperor, taken aback by the sudden vampire invasion, is slow to respond.
And that in the anti, the Princess of Blood intends to respond to the 'peace treaty' previously proposed by the Eastern Empire in exchange for Kalisto and Count Ash.
This play is ultimately a device to show that the two Sacred Relic Guardians have been neutralized.
Count Ash has lost his Sacred Relic, and the Emperor is busy preparing for its recapture in the new Imperial Capital.
A perfect situation for the Eastern Empire's vanguard to intervene.
As expected, they sent the Guardian of the 'Dog that Swallows the Moon,' the Taoist in the hat.
He betrayed and chased away the Princess of Blood, and cornered Count Ash.
He must have been convinced when he saw Count Ash not using the power of the Sacred Relic even at the climax of the battle.
That now is the perfect ti to use the power of the Sacred Relic.
So he used the Sacred Relic, and it was taken by .
Honestly, it wasn't a perfect operation.
It was quite complicated, and it could be broken if one tried.
But I think one would have to use a lot of imagination.
In effect, one would have to write a novel.
A novel where a human necromancer, who lost contact with the Church long ago, is playing dress-up as the Lur Emperor and has the vampires wrapped around his finger, and by chance, that guy is also close to the Emperor and Count Ash and moves almost as one body, or is in fact one body.
“……”
For a fleeting mont.
I organized my thoughts and lowered the arm that had been covering my vision.
The result of the operation to steal the second Sacred Relic is before my eyes.
A city.
No, a place that 'was' a city.
─────
A light that filled my vision.
A crater visible after the flash passed.
There are several craters.
As if bubbles are rising from the ground, several large and small fireballs are soaring up.
After a little ti, the flas that had been radiating in a sphere contracted and distorted, changing into a massive mushroom shape.
A giant pillar of fire stretches out its hand as if to swallow the sky.
And.
KUUUUUUUUUNG──────!!
A vibration like thunder shakes the earth and sky.
Even with a body that has transcended human limits, I can feel a tingling sensation.
After one loud roar, a sound like the growling of a giant beast shook the ground.
I've seen sothing similar to that before.
A nuclear explosion I saw in movies or docuntaries.
An explosive power comparable to the most powerful weapon created by mankind has been recreated before my eyes, borrowing the power of nature and magic.
“…Your Majesty.”
“You're safe.”
“Yes. That……”
The Princess of Blood approached, her words trailing off.
She had run in a different direction from the city, but it seems she also escaped well.
There's a reason why I brought Hebrun, not the Vampire Duke, on this operation.
It's partly because the Church extended a hand to her, but also because the power of the Sacred Relic she possesses makes it easier to escape from that disaster.
“……”
Hebrun, standing beside , said nothing for a while.
She just stared blankly at the city being swallowed by the inferno.
It was only after a long ti that she spoke.
“Your Majesty, that bomb. No, is it not a bomb?”
“It's a trap that uses nature with explosives and spells.”
“Uh, a trap? Anyway. What would have happened if that had exploded just a little, say, an hour earlier?”
She asked in a tone of anxiety, unlike her usual self.
Well, honestly, the city she had been standing on just a mont ago was completely blown away.
How many people could remain calm after seeing that.
Even I, who planned the operation, have goosebumps on my back.
“We would have died.”
I admit it.
It was a life-or-death gamble.
“But we're alive, aren't we?”
What matters is the result.
At least on the battlefield, that's the case.
If you face a stronger enemy and seize victory with minimal investnt, then that is the correct answer.
- ■■■■■■■
A scream is heard.
From the distant land that has beco a sea of fire, a silent cry emitted by a giant being.
The storm of snow and ice that was rampaging through the city is being scattered to pieces, unable to withstand the explosion and heat that blew away the city itself.
I covered my body with a few lines of spells and asked Hebrun.
“I'm going to get the Sacred Relic. Are you coming with ?”
“Uh…? No? Why would I? Don't tell , Your Majesty, do you want to kill ?”
“...I told you. I need the power of your Sacred Relic to find the Sacred Relic.”
“Th-then can't I just give you my Sacred Relic? You can use it on your own, right? I'm leaving.”
“……?”
Hebrun wiped her cold sweat, then really did take out a Sacred Relic from her bosom, put it down, and disappeared.
I was left all alone on the hill.
No, are there two of us, including the Sacred Relic?
I picked it up.
It's a Sacred Relic with an unusually ordinary appearance.
Was it the Sacred Relic of the 'Needle, Thread, and Spinning Wheel'?
As its na suggests, it's a statue in the shape of a spinning wheel.
‘Srr-rr-rr?’
‘?’
‘Srr? Srr-rr-rr!’
But why doesn't this one speak human words?
***
Although I told Hebrun I would go in right away, I actually entered the city after the sun had set.
That is, about twelve hours after the explosion.
Even though it's the middle of the night, the city is bright.
The fire that erupted from the ground is illuminating the entire world.
The whole land is groaning as if it would burst at any mont, spewing blazing flas.
Kurururu…….
Honestly, I wonder if it's okay to go in.
But well, what can I do if I don't go in.
I can't wait forever for the flas to subside.
I must not forget that although the vanguard of the Eastern Empire perished in the explosion along with the incarnate body of the Outer God, the main force of three hundred thousand remains.
“……”
I approached what used to be the city gate, wrapped in all sorts of spells.
There is one thing to retrieve from this hellfire.
The Sacred Relic of 'Winter that Freezes Sumr.'
The incarnate body can be unsummoned, but the Sacred Relic cannot be destroyed.
It is said that the only ti a Sacred Relic is destroyed is when a rule is broken.
So, even though the masters of the Sacred Relics died miserable deaths in the countless 'judgnts' that have been carried out throughout history, the Sacred Relics themselves have been passed down intact until now.
I took out the Sacred Relic.
‘Srr-rr.’
‘?’
‘Srr-rr-rr?’
Anyway, this is the first one that speaks in onomatopoeia, not just mitic words.
Anyway, one of this guy's powers is to 'track' a desired target.
It seems it can even be used on Sacred Relics or their wielders without distinction.
Is it because it's not a power that inflicts harm?
If that's the case, I don't understand why Eyeball's power to teleport others was sealed.
‘It's because you can kill soone by teleporting them underground. Miss Eyeball's class being a bit low is also a factor.’
‘...That's true. If it were Sister Cheolkeogi, she'd be in the top three in terms of class.’
‘Cheolkeogi?’
‘Doesn't the spinning wheel turn with a click-clack sound? So I nad her Miss Cheolkeogi.’
‘Srr-rr-rr.’
‘She says she likes it.’
“……”
Let's stop listening to this mind-numbing conversation.
Anyway, long ago, the reason Hebrun was able to chase all the way to Gunterburk was thanks to this 'tracking power.'
It is said that once it has seen a target, it can track anyone.
Conversely, it is also possible to avoid anyone's tracking.
No matter how high-level a necromancer she is, the reason she could co and go from Gunterburk and Wolfskrig as if it were her own ho was because she had sothing to rely on.
In front of the city gate.
I closed my eyes, thinking of the incarnate body of the Outer God.
‘Srr-rr…!’
When I opened my eyes again, a thread-like, translucent energy was connected to the inside of the city.
“...It's hot.”
Inside the city walls.
I stepped on the ground where the city used to be.
Coming inside, I can definitely feel it.
This place is hell itself.
Chiiii….
Kwaaaaaa-!
Pillars of fire are erupting from all directions.
The already shattered ruins of the city are burning everywhere.
The fact that there are sparsely scattered, half-blown-away remains of buildings is proof of how outstanding the architectural skills of the dwarves who built this city together were.
The problem is that those buildings, now just skeletons, have beco a risk factor that could collapse on my head at any mont.
Gugugugugu… Kwoong!
“……”
I saw the skeleton of a five-story building collapse onto the street right in front of .
I stopped for a mont and, in addition to the necromancy defensive spells I was already wearing, I generously added the spells of the five Magic Towers, spirit magic, and even miracles.
It's a good thing Hebrun left quickly.
Since I'm alone, I can just use spatial movent to escape if things go wrong.
Anyway, a bitter taste lingers in my mouth for no reason.
Kalisto, which disappeared before my eyes, was, for all intents and purposes, the second most prosperous trading city in the south after Wolfskrig.
Well, it couldn't be helped.
The first ti, I exploited a flaw in the simplified advent, but the second ti was a full-scale advent, so a frontal confrontation was the only answer.
It's not that I didn't consider other thods.
I also considered the possibility of suppressing the incarnate body with the Empire's pure firepower.
The calculation resulted in the conclusion that it would be possible only by pouring in the Empire's entire artillery force, led by the tank units, all of the dwarves' decisive battle weapons, including the aerial battleship, the elves' spirit magic, and the power of the five Magic Towers.
The problem is that then there would be no next ti.
After all, I had only defeated the vanguard.
I needed another plan.
I had been racking my brain for a long ti in the ducal castle of Calvenia.
When faced with a difficult problem, it is said that surprisingly, returning to a classical thod works well.
That's right.
The thod I ca up with to make up for the overwhelming lack of firepower was the classical 'utilization of terrain features.'
Pouring arrows down from a high place.
Luring them into a bay with complex waterways for a naval battle.
Blocking a river with a dam and then wiping out a large army with a water attack.
The wisdom of our ancestors who overca differences in military strength was often to use nature itself.
I decided to follow that.
Of course, in a slightly different way, as technology has advanced.
Instead of water, which is commonly used to wipe out enemies, I decided to use fire.
To be precise, to use the flammable gas in the ground.
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