Chapter 249: War Breaker Array

The stealth jet flew steadily through the dark red sky.

Far behind them, the Southern Wastes were slowly disappearing from view. The endless dunes, the corrupted desert, and Lord Draven’s bone fortress had all been left behind. After another successful mission, Team Soup was finally heading away from the poisoned land.

The atmosphere inside the jet was much more relaxed.

Everyone had spent the past few hours fighting Blood-Ghouls, destroying blood-pumps, and dealing with Draven’s guards. Although Holden had handled most of the dangerous fighting himself, the others were still exhausted from moving through the toxic desert.

Emric sat in one corner of the cabin, writing in his notebook. He had been recording details of their recent missions, from the foundry assault to the battle in the Southern Wastes. The notebook was growing thicker with every mission, and somehow, he still managed to find more things worth writing about.

Renna, on the other hand, was fast asleep.

She had stretched herself across two seats, with her bow resting against her chest and the dining car cup she’d taken during the train mission still tucked beside her. Nobody knew why she continued carrying it around, but at this point, the others had stopped asking.

Lyra sat near the window, her spear resting across her knees. She watched the red landscape disappear beneath the clouds, occasionally glancing toward Holden to make sure he was actually resting after his fight with Draven.

The Twins occupied the rear seats.

Cora was quietly cleaning one of her swords, while Sera leaned back with her eyes closed. Neither spoke much, although both seemed considerably more relaxed now that another Syndicate operative had been eliminated.

Five targets were down.

Only two remained.

Holden sat near the front of the cabin, looking at the Diamond Chest resting on his lap.

He had received it after killing Lord Draven but hadn’t gotten the chance to open it. Now that they were safely aboard the jet, there was no reason to keep waiting.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"Let’s see what we’ve got this time."

He placed his thumb against the seal.

The six crystal petals slowly opened, releasing a strange dark grey light.

The light didn’t spread across the cabin or illuminate the surrounding seats. Instead, it remained close to the chest, giving off a faint metallic glow.

Holden leaned forward to examine its contents.

Resting inside was a small cube.

It was roughly three inches wide, with a smooth, dark grey surface that looked almost black beneath the cabin lights. There were no buttons, markings, or strange symbols covering it.

At first glance, it looked like an ordinary block of metal.

But Holden could sense the energy contained inside.

It was Rank 4 energy, compressed into a small space and held firmly within the cube.

He picked it up.

Despite its size, the object felt unusually heavy in his palm.

A faint vibration passed through his fingers.

Then the System appeared.

[Item Acquired: Rank 4 War-Breaker Array]

[Type: Active Area Disruption Artifact]

[Rank: 4]

[Active Ability: War-Breaker Pulse]

[Effect: Upon activation, the Array releases an invisible energy pulse covering a ten-mile radius.]

[The pulse permanently disables magical communication systems, enchanted shielding arrays, and connected magical energy networks within the affected area.]

[Disruption is immediate and cannot be reversed. Affected systems cannot be restarted or repaired.]

[Limitation: Single Use. The Array is destroyed upon activation.]

[Passive Ability: None.]

[Description: A weapon created to cripple armies rather than destroy individual soldiers. By disabling magical communication, defensive barriers, and connected energy systems, the War-Breaker Array can leave even a powerful military force struggling to coordinate its troops.]

Holden read the description carefully.

Then he read it again.

A ten-mile radius.

Permanent disruption.

Magical communications, shields, and connected energy systems.

And all of it from a single activation.

His eyebrows rose.

"Well, that’s interesting."

He turned the cube over in his hand, studying its smooth surface.

The artifact didn’t appear particularly impressive, especially compared to the Eclipse-Sun Sword or the Echo-Mirror. It couldn’t create a powerful clone or unleash an attack capable of cutting through a Rank 4 cultivator.

But its usefulness was obvious.

A large army depended on more than soldiers and weapons. Commanders needed ways to send orders, defensive positions needed working shields, and many enchanted weapons relied on connected power systems.

Take those things away, and even a well-organized force could run into serious trouble.

That was what made the War-Breaker Array dangerous.

It didn’t need to kill anyone directly.

It simply removed the tools that allowed an army to fight effectively.

Of course, the artifact came with a serious limitation.

Only one use.

Once activated, the cube would be destroyed, and Holden would never be able to use it again.

That meant he couldn’t afford to waste it on an ordinary group of enemies.

He needed a situation where disabling an entire network would make a real difference.

Holden smiled.

"Not bad at all."

He returned the cube to his Inventory, and the empty Diamond Chest disappeared shortly afterward.

The dark grey glow faded, leaving the cabin under its usual soft lighting.

Holden leaned back in his seat.

"Good toy."

He had barely finished speaking when Maeve’s voice came through the cabin speakers.

"Holden, are you busy?"

He looked toward the speaker above his seat.

"Not anymore. What’s up?"

"I’ve finished working on the sixth entry in Vespera’s journal. I think you’ll want to hear this."

Holden sat up.

"Already?"

"Yes. The last two entries were heavily encrypted, but I’ve managed to unlock the information on Commander Zahn."

That immediately caught his attention.

Zahn was the next name on Vespera’s list.

A Rank 4, 2-Star cultivator and one of the remaining members of the Eclipse Syndicate.

"All right. Tell me what you’ve found."

Maeve began explaining.

"Commander Zahn was once the head of the Royal Army’s Strategic Operations Division. He served under the former Emperor for years and was responsible for planning some of the kingdom’s largest military operations."

Holden listened carefully.

"He specialized in battlefield tactics, troop movements, and defensive warfare," Maeve continued. "When the Emperor fell, Zahn disappeared with roughly three thousand soldiers who remained loyal to him."

"Three thousand?"

"That’s right. And he’s recruited more since then."

Holden frowned.

"How many are we talking now?"

"Approximately five thousand soldiers. He also has around two hundred trained war-beasts."

Holden let out a low whistle.

"That’s quite an army."

"Unfortunately, that’s not the worst part."

He raised an eyebrow.

"There’s more?"

"Wait until you see where he’s hiding."

A moment later, a holographic display appeared in the center of the cabin.

The jet’s projector activated, forming a large three-dimensional map above the floor.

Several mountain ranges appeared first.

Then the image moved toward a single enormous peak rising above the surrounding landscape.

It was a steep mountain, with dark rocky cliffs on three sides and a narrow road winding toward the summit.

Maeve enlarged the image.

"Eagle Peak," she announced. "A former Royal Army military base in the northern frontier."

Holden leaned forward.

"That’s where Zahn is?"

"Yes. The base was abandoned during the political transition, but Zahn occupied it about six weeks ago. Since then, he’s turned it into a heavily defended fortress."

The hologram slowly rotated, revealing the mountain from another angle.

The road leading toward the summit was narrow and winding. It climbed in a series of sharp turns, with stone walls and military structures overlooking several sections.

There were watchtowers built into the rock.

Large cannons stood on reinforced platforms.

And near the top of the mountain, a massive fortress had been carved directly into the stone.

The entire place looked difficult to approach.

Maeve highlighted several defensive positions.

"Zahn designed most of the original defenses himself. He’s spent years studying mountain warfare, so he knows exactly how to use the terrain to his advantage."

Holden studied the map.

"Meaning he knows every possible way someone might attack him."

"Exactly."

The hologram changed again.

Three different sections of the mountain began glowing.

"The fortress has three defensive rings. Each one contains its own soldiers, artillery, and command positions. Even if the outer defenses are destroyed, the remaining two sections can continue fighting."

Emric had stopped writing.

He was now staring at the holographic mountain, his notebook still open in his lap.

After a moment, he stood and approached the display.

"Can you enlarge the approach road?" he asked.

"Sure," Maeve replied.

The map shifted, showing the winding road in greater detail.

Emric studied it carefully.

Then he adjusted his glasses.

"This is bad."

Renna stirred in her seat.

"What is?"

Emric didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, he pointed toward the road.

"The only normal way up the mountain is through these turns. There are seven of them, and every single one is covered by artillery."

Holden looked at the highlighted positions.

"How many cannons?"

"Twenty-eight confirmed," Maeve answered. "All Rank 3 enchanted artillery."

Renna opened one eye.

"Did someone just say twenty-eight cannons?"

"Yes," Emric replied.

She slowly sat up.

"Wonderful. And here I was thinking we’d finally get a simple mission."

Emric continued studying the map.

"Those cannons are positioned so they can fire on anyone trying to climb the mountain. Some cover the road directly, while others can attack from above."

He pointed to another section.

"And the worst part is that several positions overlap. Even if we avoid one cannon, another could still hit us."

Holden nodded.

"So the whole road is a trap."

"Pretty much."