Chapter 413 - 395: Trojan Fish (Part 2)

Chapter 413: Chapter 395: Trojan Fish (Part 2)

"Damn it! The frequency isn’t matching!"

"It’s charging too slowly! Increase the input of Magic Crystal Stones!"

"Forget the frequency! Overload it and activate it now! Hurry!"

WHOOM—

A pale golden curtain of light erupted from the tip of the tower, spreading outward like an inverted, wobbling bowl.

But it was too slow.

For the reapers streaking across the sky at high speed, it was like a tortoise trying to block a hailstorm with its shell.

Ola lay prone on Stuka’s back, watching the slowly closing curtain of light below.

’Looks like the master down there is pretty shy, trying to draw the curtains already?’

He laughed maniacally over the public channel.

"All units, don’t go easy on them! Unload the rest of the goods! Before that tortoise shell closes up!"

"SKREEE—!"

Stuka let out a sharp cry, and with a beat of its wings, executed a beautiful barrel roll in the air.

The last few dozen bombs were released.

They slipped through the gap in the still-closing light curtain and slammed into the port’s administrative district.

BOOM!

A clock tower next to the Governor’s Mansion was blown in half. The massive bronze bell whistled as it crashed into the square, rolling a great distance and crushing a fleeing carriage.

Only then did the pale golden magic shield finally close completely.

"THUD!"

A late bomb struck the shield’s surface, creating a ripple before sliding off helplessly and exploding in mid-air outside. The flames were blocked, licking uselessly at the golden film of light.

Ola looked at the enormous dome of light and spat.

"Withdraw! Time to go home and eat!"

"Hey! After flying for so long, I think we deserve some extra fries!"

Stuka added, leading the flock as it climbed, disappearing deep into the clouds.

「Two hours later.」

Robelio stood before the ruins, his silk formal wear blackened by smoke, his once meticulously styled hair now a bird’s nest.

"The losses... have they been tallied?"

His voice was hoarse, as if his throat were full of sand.

"A quarter of the warehouses destroyed, three cranes scrapped, two merchant ships sunk... Casualties are still being counted, but it’s at least over two hundred."

The city defense captain kept his head down, not daring to look at the governor’s face.

Robelio took a deep breath, the acrid smell of burning stinging his lungs.

"Rebuild. Rebuild it all."

He gritted his teeth, squeezing the words out.

"Get every craftsman over here. Bring out all the spare supplies. I want this place back to how it was."

He lifted his head, looking up at the golden curtain of light that was still faintly shimmering.

Though the film of light looked thin, it hadn’t budged an inch during those last few explosions.

’That’s right.’

’This is the true foundation of Black Stone Port’s strength.’

"As long as the shield is up, they can’t do a thing to us."

Robelio clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his palms.

"Relay my orders! Move every last Magic Crystal Stone in the inventory to the tower. Activate the shield at full power! It is not to be shut down for any reason, twenty-four hours a day! I refuse to believe those bastards, who only know how to launch sneak attacks, can tear a hole in the sky!"

"Yes, sir!"

The city defense captain took his leave.

Robelio stared at the gunpowder smoke drifting across the sky, a savage expression on his face.

"Come on... Come back for more... Next time I’ll have you smashing your heads in!"

...

At noon, the sun climbed to its zenith.

Under the scorching sun, repair work was underway. Workers dug through the rubble for survivors while fire crews extinguished the remaining flames.

Just then, that nightmarish sound returned.

"WHIIINE—"

The piercing shriek once again descended from the clouds.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

The alarm bells rang out.

But this time, Robelio didn’t take cover.

He stood on the steps of the Governor’s Mansion, head held high, calmly staring at the sky.

The Magic shield overhead was operating at full power, its golden light twice as bright as before, as thick as a golden city wall.

"Come on!"

Robelio spread his arms as if to welcome a storm, a twisted glee on his face.

"Let’s see what other tricks you have! This is a Level 6 Protective Array! Not even Dragon Breath could possibly—"

The words caught in his throat.

Because he saw something strange.

As the strange birds flew over the shield, they didn’t dive-bomb like last time. They simply circled. Then, a strange pouch opened on their underbellies.

Countless silvery-gray things rained down.

’Is that... fish?’

Robelio rubbed his eyes.

Yes, they were fish.

They were a strange, slender, streamlined type of fish, covered in translucent silver scales. They had no dorsal fin, only a long, wave-like ventral fin that undulated bizarrely in the air.

’What is this? Are they feeding the cats?’

"Those idiots..." Robelio was just about to scoff when, in the next second, the smile froze on his face.

The moment the strange fish touched the golden shield, they weren’t repelled, nor were they burned to a crisp.

In the instant of contact, the silver scales on the fish shuddered, and in a flash, turned the exact same pale gold as the shield!

Like a drop of water merging into the ocean, or a skilled dancer hitting the perfect beat. They passed through the magic curtain—the one said to be able to withstand Dragon Breath—unobstructed, "swimming" through with silky smoothness.

"PLOP."

"SPLAT."

A rain of strange fish passed through the shield, slamming hard onto the ground, onto rooftops, and onto the helmets of the guards who were staring up in a daze.

A "mimic torpedo" landed right at Robelio’s feet.

It was still floundering, its pair of degenerated, pinprick-sized white eyes staring fixedly ahead.

Robelio’s scalp tingled. He subconsciously looked down at the strange fish.

Due to the immense impact from the fall, the fish had been smashed into a bloody pulp. Silver scales and fragments of internal organs were splattered everywhere. And from within its ruptured belly, a cold, black cylinder was starkly visible.

He saw, painted in red on the black cylinder, a grinning skull.

In that instant, Robelio made a terrible connection.

"No..."

Robelio’s mouth fell open, a desperate, gurgling sound escaping his throat.

"Beep."

It was the last sound he ever heard.

Immediately after, a blinding white light blossomed from the strange fish’s belly.

The world went silent.

There was no sound. No pain.

Only a destructive light and heat, which in an instant consumed the Baron who was still trying to comprehend it all, along with the Governor’s Mansion behind him, that symbol of his power.

...

「High above.」

Ola watched the white orb of light suddenly flare up below, followed by the massive mushroom cloud rising within the shield.

The shockwave ravaged the inside of the enclosed shield. With nowhere to vent, the energy stretched the once-indestructible defensive barrier like a balloon about to burst, which only intensified the destructive force within.

"Truly spectacular," he remarked on the public channel.

"That’s scarier than some of the Sea Monsters I’ve seen."

Stuka tilted its head, watching the churning dust and smoke below, a rare trace of awe in its tone.

"Even though those fish are ugly and you can’t eat them... I have to admit, they’re better at slipping through holes than we are."