Chapter 305: War of Liberation (4)

Translator: Dreamscribe

Silence fell.

At Leon's sudden intrusion, even the Executioner froze stiff, and the soldiers flinched and backed away.

THUD!

Debris came crashing down onto Test Subject No. 21, which had been smashed into the wall. It was embedded deep in the thick wall, its arms and legs twisted out of shape.

Leon, who had been standing on the railing of the upper floor, lightly jumped down. One knee and one fist touched the floor.

It was a perfect superhero landing straight out of a textbook.

The Heroes had no idea what they were supposed to say to Leon, so they all remained silent with awkward expressions. They merely glanced at one another.

It could only be called a miracle that the fierce battle had come to a halt in an instant.

Leon slowly rose.

As his white robe fluttered, feathers made of light scattered through the air. It was needlessly flashy, to the point that it did not fit this place at all.

"Brave ones!"

SWISH!

Leon struck a pose.

"I know not whence you came, but you possess noble hearts! And from noble hearts, light is destined to bloom!"

It was the kind of pose one would only see in a superhero team show.

It was decent enough in its own way, but it did not suit the current situation in the slightest.

"Fear not, for the Mage of Hope stands with you! I shall hold that pitiful beast back with White Magic, so face the foes before you!"

When Leon stretched out his hand, the steel staff pinning Test Subject No. 21 down flew into his grasp. The Heroes could tell what that steel staff really was.

It was the Holy Sword.

He had disguised it by attaching a massive amount of special alloy to it.

The Heroes blinked.

Leon seemed to have gone to an incredible amount of trouble to disguise himself, but the result was so sloppy that they were dumbfounded.

THUD!

Test Subject No. 21 fell from where it had been embedded in the wall and hit the floor. Its shattered body parts healed in an instant, returning it to perfect condition.

GRAAAAAH!

Test Subject No. 21 roared in fury and began smashing everything around it. Then it turned toward Leon and the Heroes. Saliva dripped from its mouth as though it were about to charge at them at any moment.

SWISH! THUD!

Leon drove the steel staff in his hand into the floor. Perhaps because it was so heavy, the floor cracked and the steel staff sank deep into it.

"White Magic, Second Form, Wand Cutter!"

No one knew what the basic spell Wind Cutter had to do with White Magic, but that was what Leon shouted. Then he swung the edge of his hand through the air at tremendous speed. The air compressed into a blade and shot outward.

SLICE!

Test Subject No. 21's arm was severed and flew into the air. Leon lowered his stance.

"Blink!"

The moment Leon shouted, his body vanished in a blur of afterimages. In an instant, he arrived in front of Test Subject No. 21. It looked as though he had teleported.

Haebyul and the Heroes could barely make out Leon's movements.

'He just moved really fast....'

'...Leon-nim....'

'Well..., he's insanely fast, so I guess you could practically call it teleportation magic.'

If an ordinary Hero rather than a Named Hero had seen it, he had moved fast enough that it truly would have looked like teleportation.

Leon moved at that speed and planted his foot in Test Subject No. 21's chest. Its chest caved in as Test Subject No. 21 was sent flying backward. It smashed through several pillars and only stopped after crashing into the wall again.

Every Hero blinked as they stared at the sight.

"Magic..., Kick!"

When everyone's gaze gathered on him, Leon hesitated for a moment before shouting the activation phrase for the magic he had just used. The name sounded blatantly forced.

"Hmm...."

The Executioner stood there awkwardly for a moment before raising his hammer.

"...Do you know him?"

When he asked that, the Heroes wore awkward expressions.

"I feel like we do, but also like we don't...."

"Well..., technically, this is our first time meeting him looking like that...."

"Haha.... Let's just say we don't know him for now."

The Heroes said that as they raised their weapons.

Somehow, they felt as though they had developed a strange sense of camaraderie with the Executioner, but he was still an enemy they had to defeat.

In any case, the battle began again!

Because Test Subject No. 21 had rampaged through the soldiers, their numbers had fallen dramatically, so they were not much help.

As befitted General Gord's direct subordinate, the Executioner was tremendously strong. With elite soldiers supporting him as well, he was not an easy opponent. However, Haebyul and the Named Heroes had grown stronger while liberating the Dimensional Realm.

"Urgh!"

The Executioner was pushed backward after blocking Haebyul's Spirit Arrow. Heroes appeared in streaks of afterimages and swung Aura-infused weapons, leaving deep gashes in the Executioner's armor.

KRAKAKAKAKAKA!

Magic poured down and blasted the elite soldiers away. When the Executioner slammed his hammer into the floor, the ground split apart and a shockwave swept through the surroundings.

Dimensional Energy poured from the cracks in his armor, making it look as though flames were rising from his body.

Phase two had begun.

"Here he comes!"

"Khh!"

"This guy's no joke!"

The battle against the Executioner was fun.

He was an excellent enemy who showed off just how powerful he was.

The base's walls shattered and the ceiling collapsed. As the base itself crumbled, the war-twisted sky was revealed.

Snow falling because of the cooling system took on the cruel light of distant explosions as it drifted down toward the Heroes and the Executioner.

The fierce battle continued, and under the Heroes' firepower, the Executioner was driven back and forced to his knees. They had won the battle, but the situation had grown even worse.

[A rapid rise in energy has been detected in the Satellite Weapon!]

The entire Satellite Weapon shook violently, and red sparks shot high into the sky. It looked as though they had forcibly activated the Satellite Weapon and sent it out of control.

[If the Satellite Weapon activates, catastrophic damage is expected. You must enter the interior immediately and stop it.]

They were running out of time.

A fierce battle was raging above them.

Many warships had exploded, and transport craft carrying Heroes had pushed their way into the enemy fleet, where battles were now unfolding inside.

GRRRRRRK!

The Satellite Weapon moved, revealing its enormous gun barrel. The operator transmitted footage through the Information Window. The gigantic barrel swiveled sideways and aimed at Arsilan's fleet.

"Heh, hehe! You're finished now!"

The Executioner laughed as he spoke. Then he pulled something from inside his clothes.

It was a self-destruct button.

An enormous amount of energy erupted from the Executioner's body. The Heroes tried to stop him, but they were already too late.

"I'll take you all with me. For the Kalsus Dimensional Empi..., Ghurk?!"

Just as he was about to press the button, Test Subject No. 21 came flying through the air and swept the Executioner away.

"Magic Punch."

Leon landed in front of them and belatedly spoke the activation phrase.

Silence fell for a moment.

"N-Nice!"

"Good job! Le..., no, White!"

"Whoa!"

"A-As expected of White Magic!"

Pinned beneath Test Subject No. 21's body, the Executioner flailed for a while before dying on the spot. Test Subject No. 21's body was a wreck, but it was still alive.

Now all they had to do was finish it off, head downward, and somehow stop the Satellite Weapon from firing. Just as the Heroes were about to smash Test Subject No. 21's head apart,

"Wait!"

HandGenius, who had been thinking about something for a moment, stepped forward and stopped them. The Heroes who had been about to attack halted. Haebyul tilted her head and approached him.

HandGenius looked at Leon.

"Mr. White."

"Brave one! Have you business with me?"

A deep voice.

Leon spoke in a manner that sounded slightly awkward. HandGenius barely managed to maintain his composure as he looked at Leon.

"Um..., could you move that Test Subject aside for a moment?"

"Very well."

Leon stood in front of the Test Subject and chanted a spell.

"O strength, arise! Magic Strength!"

Immediately after saying that, he pushed Test Subject No. 21 aside, and its massive body slid away with ease. HandGenius looked at the mangled Executioner, then searched through his clothes and pulled something out.

It was the device that had been used to issue commands to Test Subject No. 21.

Only then did the Heroes understand HandGenius's intention.

"Ah! With that?"

"Ooh!"

"That'd definitely be useful."

HandGenius examined the device and quickly figured it out. After combining it with the device he had brought with him, he was able to use it.

BEEP!

At the signal tone, Test Subject No. 21 twitched.

"Get up."

At HandGenius's command, Test Subject No. 21 rose to its feet. Its chest and abdomen were torn open, making movement look difficult, but the wounds were healing rapidly.

HandGenius took out the high-performance explosives he had brought and began stuffing them inside Test Subject No. 21. Seeing that, the Heroes joined in and crammed more explosives inside as well.

Test Subject No. 21 ended up packed full of explosives!

Grrr? Grr?

Test Subject No. 21 stood quietly and tilted its head. It did not seem intelligent enough to think about what was happening.

"Break us a path down!"

GRAAAAAH!

At HandGenius's command, Test Subject No. 21 smashed through the door leading downward and began charging ahead. The Heroes marveled at the sight.

Leon raised a thumb toward HandGenius.

"What an exceedingly clever young man!"

"H-Haha..., th-thank you."

"Whence did you come?"

When Leon asked, HandGenius glanced around before answering.

"Um, Arsilan...."

"Hmm! I have heard of it. You must be the Heroes who liberated the southern region of the Dimensional Realm! Well done!"

Leon gave him two thumbs up. Then he turned his head and looked to the side.

"Those in need are calling me! Then we shall meet again!"

Leon pulled a sphere from inside his clothes and threw it to the floor. Smoke billowed up, hiding him from view.

"Teleport!"

With the thunderous activation phrase, Leon vanished in an instant, leaving everyone staring blankly for a moment.

"Haha."

"...Leon-nim...."

"Haah, seriously...."

The Heroes sighed, but in the end, they could not help chuckling.

Haebyul was more worried than amused.

"Leon-nim..., will he be all right?"

At Haebyul's words, silence fell among the Heroes for a moment.

"He's insanely strong, so he should be fine...."

"But unlike us...."

People from Arsilan could not resurrect if they died here.

The words nearly came out, but the Heroes did not say them. It felt as though saying them aloud might jinx him.

Leon had come to help the Heroes prepared to face death. He probably had his reasons for hiding his identity as well, knowing that the Heroes would worry about him.

"Let's wrap this up fast and send him home!"

"Yeah!"

"All right! Let's go!"

The Heroes steeled themselves.

[I will mark the location of the escape craft!]

The operator also marked the location of the escape craft on the Satellite Weapon's surface.

And so Haebyul and the Heroes entered the Satellite Weapon's interior.

***

White, the Mage of Hope, descends!

Jinwoo was surprisingly satisfied.

'This is more fun than I expected.'

White, the Mage of Hope, was an embarrassingly cringey character, but deliberately playing up the cringe was far more fun than he had expected.

After all, it was simply an expanded role based on Leon. Once he thought of it as nothing more than playing a part, there was nothing to be embarrassed about.

'They're fighting hard.'

Jinwoo smiled as he surveyed the battlefield.

Countless fleets, and the Heroes, were fighting the forces of the Kalsus Dimensional Empire with everything they had. Because the war was on such an enormous scale, it looked slow when viewed as a whole, but once someone entered the battlefield itself, everything unfolded at a frantic pace.

Only the personnel of Erosion Headquarters knew the truth behind this entire stage. Even the people of Arsilan were watching through their Information Windows and praying desperately.

[I'm clocking out! I self-destructed spectacularly!]

[Entering combat now.]

[Heroes spotted! I'll give them a decent fight!]

The Crew Members playing the Executioners reported their situations.

Jinwoo intervened appropriately in this enormous stage, adjusting the difficulty so everyone could experience as much of it as possible. The Heroes participating in the war, and the people watching it, were probably losing their minds from the tension.

He spotted Heroes being chased by elite soldiers across the surface of the Satellite Weapon. Jinwoo quickly threw his steel staff and blew away an elite soldier's head.

His white robe fluttered as he landed in front of the Heroes.

"Iron Spear."

He did not forget to say the activation phrase either.

"Magic Kick!"

He kicked an elite soldier away and detached the iron ball attached to the steel staff.

"Iron Ball!"

He threw the iron ball with tremendous force. It slammed into an elite soldier and ricocheted straight toward another one. After making a quick balance adjustment, Jinwoo hurried over to the iron ball that had fallen to the ground and picked it up.

"Always dream of hope! White of the White Wings shall protect you!"

Jinwoo could see the Heroes staring at him blankly.

"Then, Heroes of Arsilan! Until we meet again!"

Jinwoo struck his exit pose and scattered another round of effects.

POOF!

He released another cloud of smoke and slipped away from the area.

If anything, the Heroes' faces had turned redder than Jinwoo's. He even saw some of them covering their faces with their hands. It was a satisfying reaction that made all the effort he had put into the concept worthwhile!

Jinwoo checked on Haebyul and the Heroes who had gone inside.

They had advanced splendidly all the way to the central area and were struggling to stop the Satellite Weapon from firing. However, they would not be able to stop it so easily.

There was a spectacle Jinwoo wanted to show them.

Therefore, the Satellite Weapon had to fire.

[It is pretty fun. Arsilan's in an uproar too.]

A communication came from Ella.

"Well, they don't know it's staged, so I can see why."

[And something feels strange.]

"What?"

[That's what I don't know.]

Jinwoo stretched out his hand and created an Information Window.

Ella appeared on the Information Window.

She seemed to sense something, closing her eyes and concentrating, but she apparently could not identify it at all and tilted her head.

[How should I put it, I feel full? Like I'm completely filled up, but about to burst..., something like that! Anyway, that's what it feels like!]

"You have been eating a lot lately."

[That's got nothing to do with it! That's just what it feels like! Still, it doesn't feel bad. If anything....]

GRRRRRR!

The Satellite Weapon vibrated.

It was almost time to fire.

"Let's talk about it later."

[Okay, got it.]

Jinwoo moved into the interior of the Satellite Weapon.

Test Subject No. 21 exploded spectacularly, wiping out every soldier inside. The Heroes smashed the soldiers in the control room and seized it, but they could not operate the Satellite Weapon.

Since they could not stop it from firing, they were trying to at least change the direction of the barrel.

"The control system is down, so I think we'll have to do it manually! If we turn that gear over there...!"

At HandGenius's instructions, Haebyul and the Heroes crowded around a huge mechanical apparatus. Countless gears were interlocked there, and it controlled the direction of the barrel.

"Push!"

"Uaaaaah!"

"Fuck! It won't move!"

All the Named Heroes joined in and tried to forcibly change its direction, but it only moved slightly. Jinwoo waited until it was down to the wire before making his appearance with dazzling effects.

"Bearers of hope! Are you in need of aid?"

Every Hero turned to Jinwoo.

"Hurry!"

"We have to turn this thing!"

"Quick...!"

Everyone shouted at once.

"I shall show you the power of White Magic."

Jinwoo placed both hands on the manual gear.

"Hrrng! Magic Strength!"

Jinwoo pushed with all his might. The gear began to turn, and the barrel started moving sideways. The Satellite Weapon's enormous gun barrel was shifting at an incredible speed.

As the moving barrel met the atmosphere and the flow of energy, flames surged upward.

"Uaaaaah!"

"More, more!"

"Push! Harder!"

The entire Satellite Weapon shook violently, and then

KRAAAAAAAH!

A red beam composed of overwhelming energy fired.

The red beam stretched across space and, fortunately, did not strike Arsilan's fleet. Instead, it continued sweeping sideways and approached the planet where the Great Gate was located. It looked as though an enormous sword made of pure energy was about to touch the planet.

"S-Stop!"

"I think that's enough!"

Everyone stopped, but once the gear had gained momentum, it kept moving without stopping. Haebyul and the Heroes watched the Great Gate through their Information Windows.

The beam sliced through the planet's atmosphere and struck the surface.

KRAKAKAKA!

It continued straight across the planet, driving onward. Mountain ranges vanished, the land melted, and oceans evaporated.

"Uh...."

"Gasp...."

"My God."

The red beam slowly carved its way across the planet.

Countless soldiers of the Kalsus Dimensional Empire on the planet literally evaporated into nothing, and gigantic flames raged everywhere. The red beam emitted by the Satellite Weapon only weakened and stopped after completely cutting across the planet.

A massive scar appeared across the planet, as though it had been slashed with a knife.

Silence fell for a moment.

All the Heroes were utterly stunned.

Even the operator had nothing to say.

Jinwoo looked at the Heroes and dramatically fluttered his robe.

"Do not lose hope! Heroes! At least that Great Gate is still sa...."

Jinwoo's words echoed through the silence.

KRAAAAAAH!

Every volcano on the planet containing the Great Gate erupted at once, and an enormous earthquake struck.

Because the Satellite Weapon had not been fully charged and had been forcibly fired, the planet itself had survived, but the light of the Great Gate was growing weaker.

"...not safe, actually, but anyway, have we not seized the Satellite Weapon! A great victory indeed!"

KRAAAAH!

Perhaps because it had fired the beam beyond its limits, the Satellite Weapon began exploding.

-Guys, did you see that? That's insane....

-Huh? Th-The floor...! I think it's gonna explode!

-Guys, we're fucked.

-Whoa! It's all blowing up! That's sick!

Communications came in from the Heroes aboard the Satellite Weapon.

Haebyul and the Heroes slowly turned their heads toward Jinwoo.

*****

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