Chapter 55

It was a perilous situation where the entire assembled fleet could be swept away if the timing was off even by a little.

It wasn't just the ones directly involved who were tense and trembling.

I had heard that they had raised the success rate of the Joint Incantation to 96 percent, but the thought that it could still fail with a 4 percent chance made my heart race.

Looking around, some airships couldn't hold back and engaged in rash actions, such as reducing speed or deviating from their normal flight path.

“Unless you plan to desert the battlefield, do not leave your positions. Moving ambiguously will only get you swept up in the enemy's bombardment.”

Despite being extremely tense himself, Count Dman did not neglect his efforts to steady the wavering hearts of each unit's commander.

Perhaps thanks to him, the number of wavering allies noticeably decreased.

And.

“It's coming!”

With Selina's shout, the enemy's main cannon spewed forth a flash of light carrying a strong electric current.

And the three mages simultaneously cast their magic.

A large shield materialized in front of them.

It was lacking in both size and sturdiness to cover the entire fleet.

However, the blue energy gathered around the shield swelled its size several times over, and a black energy reinforced its lacking sturdiness.

Thus, at the center of the completed giant black shield, a roaring black dragon, which the Alliance soldiers revered and took pride in, was engraved.

The shield and the flash of light collided.

Immediately after the world was dyed white.

Crackle…! Roooar!

A thunderous roar belatedly ripped through the heavens and the earth.

Even while frowning and covering my ears with both hands, I checked the state of the shield.

It was shaking against the pouring flash of light, and a crack that started from the outer edge was gradually widening towards the center.

It was a very unsettling sight.

The crew members were already in a panic, having sensed their imminent death.

To the point where I could feel the airship's speed slowing down.

Even the mages who had cast the spell had uncertain expressions, so I was probably the only one with confidence.

Just as there is no endless storm.

The flash of light, which seemed like it would continue forever, gradually subsided.

And the shield safely withstood the bombardment.

“Wah, waaaah!”

The crew members let out shouts of joy.

From a nearby airship, a roar almost like a scream pierced through the engine noise and echoed.

“Charge! Advance at full speed!”

Count Dman's charge order, filled with newfound confidence, was given.

The airships that had been moving half-heartedly until now all pushed their engines to the limit.

The formation was also flawless, with nothing to criticize.

As the main cannon of the medium-sized airship was completely blocked, White Hero showed great bewilderment.

But their hesitation was brief.

They too charged towards the Alliance.

White Hero tried to break the Alliance's formation in two ways.

Mage location found!

Three mages are on board the lead airship.

Confirmed to be the ones who cast the Joint Incantation!

We will divide the units into two.

Unit 1 will target the Mana Bomb first, and Unit 2 will target the lead airship.

If we just find it and make it explode, the Alliance will be annihilated!

Push in deep.

We will provide support.

I thought they were just a disorderly mob, but they were more systematic than I had expected.

Perhaps the player in the central medium-sized airship held the command authority and was giving direct orders.

However, I wasn't worried that the Mana Bomb would explode from the enemy's attack.

The fleet's formation was very solid, and the airship carrying the Mana Bomb was currently being thoroughly protected at the center of the fleet.

To prevent its speed from decreasing due to its weight, three small airships were attached to it, pulling it along.

To reach the ultra-small airship carrying the Mana Bomb, they would first have to break through the ultra-small ships located on the outer edge of the formation, and then win the engagement with the small airships inside.

Only then would they be able to even glimpse the Mana Bomb's exterior.

And one more thing.

I wasn't concerned at all about the enemies flying in to take down the lead airship.

Because the airship with the greatest combat power in the current fleet was none other than Unit 917's.

Boom! Craaash!

Once a certain distance was secured, the airships on both sides began firing their main cannons at each other.

A spectacle of blue barriers spreading over the incoming airships and a brilliant festival of flames embroidering them.

Breaking through that hell, two airships latched on.

“Two enemy airships, approaching.”

“They must think mages are quite the pushovers. It’s a bit of a waste of mana, but one or two spells to gain the upper hand should be fine.”

At Selina’s report, Count Dman loosened his hands.

He wasn't a commander who just sat at a desk and gave orders.

I couldn't even guess how many enemies this man, who was actually pleased by the news of the approaching enemy and switched to a combat stance, had killed so far.

As expected, the enemies attempted a melee attack at the same time as they rammed our airship.

The fighting spirit, born from the conviction that if they just took care of Unit 917's airship, the rest would somehow follow, was clearly visible on the faces of the enemies climbing over the railing.

But it didn't take long for them to realize that it was a misjudgment.

“Uaaaargh!”

The enemies who had charged in boldly fell to their knees with screams.

Selina’s gravity magic had hit its mark.

A golden flash of light struck down from above.

Ruuuumble!

“……”

The enemies struck by the descending lightning lost their lives, turning into black piles of ash without even being able to scream.

Black scorch marks were left on the deck.

“My apologies. For dirtying the ship.”

“The crew will have a hard time.”

To the enemies, those two, who were even having a leisurely conversation with their eyes glowing blue, must have been nothing short of a disaster.

But even for mages, there was a limit to the number of enemies they could deal with simultaneously.

The total number of heroes on the two airships was ten.

Furthermore, it seemed they had left only the minimum number of personnel to maintain the airships' buoyancy, as the number of soldiers was also considerable.

A significant number of enemies were killed by the two's magic combination, but there were still more remaining.

Dealing with them was the role of the escorts, me and Ririsa.

“From now on, we will conserve our mana. We're counting on you for the escort.”

“Understood. Ririsa, backup….”

“I will handle this here. The field commander should conserve his stamina.”

Before I could finish my sentence, Sergel shot out like lightning.

Come to think of it, I had once thought that Sergel’s movements, though not on Selina’s level, were quite systematic and showed signs of training.

Seeing him like this now, I realized it wasn't strange at all.

It was a fresh realization.

“Since I won't have to fight the enemy once the main operation begins anyway. I will engage in the operation after using up as much stamina as possible.”

“Hmm….”

At a glance, it might seem like a very reasonable method.

But that was a method that could only be used when Sergel could easily secure victory against a large number of enemies.

Sergel had not yet completely suppressed the enemies, but time did not wait for him.

The second wave from the medium-sized airship swept in.

Roooar!

A deafening roar and a blinding flash of light poured out, and the three mages who were dealing with the enemies all focused their entire minds on their defensive magic.

Taking advantage of that opening, the enemies rushed towards the three of them.

Sergel fought valiantly, but even so, he couldn't block that many enemies all by himself.

“Ririsa. Focus on sniping the ones who get close.”

“Yes.”

As soon as Ririsa’s arrow was shot, I too kicked off the ground.

Even though the enemy soldiers had reached close proximity, the mages didn't spare them a single glance.

Whether it was because they trusted us, or because they knew that if they turned their magic to self-defense, everyone would die.

There was no wavering in their steadfast eyes.

A swiftly shot arrow pierced the center of the chest of the enemy in the lead.

As he fell backward, he obstructed the path, slightly slowing down the enemies' advance.

In that gap, I closed the distance and plunged my sword into the fallen man's heart.

The next enemy who rushed in swung his sword.

I thought about blocking it with my shield, but judging by their level, it felt like a waste to even use the shield for defense.

Therefore, I aimed for the enemy’s chin and struck with the shield.

Whether his jaw was dislocated or completely shattered, the enemy’s chin, which spun wildly, was abnormally deformed.

With every swing of my sword, the number of enemies decreased.

Occasionally, a Level 1 hero was mixed in among the soldiers, but to me now, there seemed to be no difference between a hero and a soldier.

It was unlikely that the enemies' level had dropped, so it was probably proof that I had become that much stronger.

After dealing with all the enemies who had pushed in deep, I headed towards Sergel, who was struggling against three heroes.

“My apologies, field commander.”

“For what?”

“Because of my inadequacy, I’ve burdened the field commander….”

“What are you talking about? My role is to escort our allies from enemy soldiers in the first place. And that escort duty includes you as well.”

“…I see. I made a misjudgment.”

Leaving the bitterly smiling Sergel behind, I snuffed out the enemies' lives one by one.

It seemed like one of them was trying to use some kind of authority, but it wasn't worth being wary of, so I ignored it and kept slashing.

Soon, four more corpses were added to the surroundings.

I scanned the area.

It didn't feel like I had fought much, but there were no more living, breathing enemies.

I jumped onto the enemy airship and dealt with all the crew members as well.

Once all the personnel to operate the airship were gone, the White Hero’s airship plummeted towards the ground.

Considering the value of an airship, capturing it would be profitable, but right now, when the success of the operation was the top priority, there was no time to drag around an empty airship that would only be a hindrance.

After sinking the two airships like that, the enemy's third bombardment began.

As time passed, the aspect of the battle grew more intense.

The Alliance fleet, maintaining its formation, delved deep into the enemy lines.

White Hero’s airships, endlessly charging in to stop the Alliance's fleet.

And on top of that, the periodic firing of the medium-sized airship's main cannon.

Perhaps from a distance, one could witness a scene like something out of a sci-fi movie, rampant with brilliant explosions and flashes of light.

But as a participant, I was experiencing hell in the deepest, most suffocating place.

Craaash!

“Aaaah!”

With a strong impact, the airship shook violently.

Selina, who was preparing magic in front, fell to the floor.

One of the airships that should have provided an ironclad defense on the right side had made a mistake, allowing an enemy cannon shot through.

Flames erupted from the right wing.

Without any specific orders, the crew rushed over to suppress the fire.

During that time, an enemy airship that had charged from the front rammed its bow into us crudely, and enemy heroes and crew members swarmed in all at once.

Their targets were the mages.

Especially, the number of enemies rushing towards Selina, who had lost her balance and fallen, was overwhelmingly large.

In a normal situation, I would have dealt with it without difficulty, but the problem was that the enemy medium-sized airship's main cannon was fully charged.

I had no idea what level of reward they had been promised, but the players were using everything except for their player character, which was the minimum insurance to avoid a game over, as consumables.

Even their precious airships and heroes.

“Third shot, coming!”