Chapter 450 The Future of Warfare

While Inevir began pouring its resources into the Sky Citadel, Lucen and Robert were dismantling the two golems captured from its army.

The golems occupied the center of a reinforced workshop. One remained intact, although chains bound its limbs and its mana core had been removed. The other had been taken apart until little remained except separate pieces arranged across several tables.

Lucen stood over the opened torso of the second golem.

Spell formations covered nearly every surface beneath its outer shell. Some gathered and distributed mana, while others carried commands from the central control formation to its limbs. Individually, the formations were not particularly extraordinary. The difficulty came from making hundreds of them function as one.

Fortunately, Robert had already begun unraveling how they connected. Lucen could not follow every magical formula Robert explained, but he understood the purpose behind them.

Everything needed to create a machine capable of imitating the movements of a living body was already in front of him.

'It's only a matter of time. With my past-life knowledge and Robert's genius, we should be able to create our own mechs or mech suits. Maybe something like a true Space Marine or an IS from Infinite Stratos.'

"The structure of this thing is truly astounding. Replicating and creating our own golems should be possible, but I know you want to do something more." Robert spoke and smiled as he looked at Lucen with anticipation plastered on his face.

"You got me. Yes, I was thinking: how about instead of the controllers doing so from a distance, we create armor similar to a golem, and the controller wears the golem-like armor and controls it from the inside."

Hearing Lucen's idea, Robert showed a manic smile and started laughing. "Kahahaha! As expected of my partner, the one who walks towards the future! Such an idea is great! One of the weaknesses of these golems was that once you subdued their controller, they could no longer move. If you place the controller inside the golem that has higher defensive properties, it will protect them better. Still, that comes with a disadvantage as well, as you lose one fighting force, since outside the golem the controller could also fight."

Robert then started babbling on and on as his excitement started growing. "Yet, the pros for placing the controller into the golem overcome the cons. The mana needed if you control it from the inside will lessen greatly, and the movement would become far better than ever before."

"Wait, I think you didn't fully understand what I want. I don't want to hollow out the golem and place someone inside. I just want the ability to move said golem, and instead create armor that could move with greater speed and efficiency. This will be different from my other works that were for ordinary soldiers and those for knights. This one is for mages."

Lucen paused and looked at Robert with a grin. "I want to give the mages a way to remove their weakness in close combat. This armor, which they could move using their mana, would be able to replicate an aura knight's movement and increase their defenses without the need to cast mana barriers themselves. Of course, once we get the hang of it, we could create ones for the knights, and if we're able to, even one for the normal soldiers."

The more Lucen said, the greater the reaction Robert showed as he looked like he was about to burst.

"And in the future, I would want to create a huge armor-like vehicle that is like that giant golem they made, but with a more human-like design, carrying weapons with a more efficient power source."

Robert could no longer hold it in and spoke in excitement. "As expected! To think you have seen so much further than I! I'm ashamed I was not able to walk right beside you as you saw that future. Still, now that I know, I will sprint forward, and together we will make those things a reality!"

Robert immediately swept several dismantled pieces aside and cleared a space upon the nearest table.

"Then there is no reason to waste time discussing possibilities. We should test the difference between controlling it from afar and supplying mana directly."

"You'll have to do that part," Lucen said.

Robert glanced at him before remembering the unusual nature of Lucen's mana. "Yes, your explosive mana would not do well for something so delicate."

Robert nodded his head as he placed one hand against an exposed formation near the golem's shoulder. He closed his eyes and carefully poured mana into it.

The formations along the arm glowed, and then one of its fingers twitched.

Robert increased the flow of mana, and the entire hand slowly closed. The metal fingers curled inward until they formed a fist.

The arm abruptly rose from the table. Its elbow struck the reinforced surface with enough force to crack the wood beneath it. Robert immediately stopped supplying mana, causing the arm to collapse.

Robert started laughing again. "Kahahaha! The response was almost immediate! Now let us begin testing out other things, and we'd better bring those dwarves here, seeing as their rune engravings would make the mana flow better, increasing the efficiency and lessening the mana needed."

While Robert started mumbling to himself while looking at the golem pieces, Lucen called for Durik, who arrived rather quickly.

Durik entered the workshop with soot still covering his hands. His gaze moved from the dismantled golem to the cracked table and finally toward Robert's manic expression.

"What did the two of you come up with this time?"

"We want to create armor for mages," Lucen answered.

Durik looked at the enormous golem arm resting on the table.

"That is a rather large piece of armor."

"We aren't placing a mage inside one of these. We want to use its control formations to create something smaller that can be worn around the body."

Lucen explained how the armor would respond to the wearer's mana, allowing a mage to move with strength and speed they normally lacked. The armor itself would provide protection, leaving the mage free to use their spells rather than constantly maintaining a mana barrier.

The strength provided by the mech suit would also allow the mages to use weapons that normally only knights could, like the mountable Gatling guns, as well as the newly created portable cannons.

Durik listened. When Lucen finished, the dwarf approached the arm and ran his fingers across the formations.

"You want something light enough for a mage to wear, strong enough to move like an aura knight, and sturdy enough to carry a Gatling gun or one of your portable cannons."

"It doesn't need to be light; that's the point. With the spell formation that allows mana to control the limbs, the strength of a mage would not matter; only his mana input."

Durik considered Lucen's explanation again.

"Then weight is not a weakness. It is another weapon."

Lucen nodded. "The mage never carries the armor. The spell formations do. However, anything struck by it still receives the full force of its mass."

Durik looked toward the thick plates covering the captured golem.

"In that case, making it lighter would only weaken it. We should use thicker plates and the strongest metal available. The heavier the armor becomes, the harder it will be for an enemy to damage, move, or knock down."

"It would also absorb the recoil from the heavier weapons," Lucen added.

Robert's manic smile widened. "And with your rune engravings distributing the wearer's mana throughout the frame, its speed would depend entirely upon the mana supplied rather than the weight of the armor."

Durik nodded.

"Then we use the strongest metal available and make the plates thick. An enemy striking this armor will feel its full weight, while the mage inside will feel none of it."

He took a piece of charcoal and drew a figure around the outline of a man. Its shoulders were wide, its limbs thick, and several layers of armor protected its torso.

"I can construct the frame and engrave the runes, but Robert must determine where every control formation will be placed before I begin."

"I will also add a blood-bound formation," Robert said. "Once assigned, the armor will only respond to its wearer. If captured, it will become an immobile shell."

Lucen pointed toward the enlarged shoulder.

"Leave enough space to mount weapons. The first completed suit should carry either a Gatling gun or a portable cannon."

Durik added several lines before rolling up the parchment.

"We begin with one arm. If Robert can control it properly, we continue with the remaining pieces."

Robert placed a hand against his chest. "Naturally, I shall be the first to wear it."

"Good," Durik replied. "Then if it tears your arm off, I will know which rune needs correcting."

"If it is for the great future we envision, what is losing an arm or a leg?" Robert answered.

Durik turned and headed for the door. "Give me one week."

As the dwarf left to gather his craftsmen, Lucen looked at the dismantled golem.

Inevir was preparing to dominate the sky with a fortress. Unaware of that threat, Norvaegard had begun creating the armored mages who would one day challenge it.