Chapter 56

At the same time as Selina shouted, a blinding flash of light swept over us.

Perhaps they had decided that it was fine to expend one ultra-small airship in this attack, as there was not a shred of hesitation in the enemy's assault.

The mages were too busy dealing with the medium-sized main cannon to have any leeway.

This meant that it was up to me, Ririsa, and Sergel to deal with the enemies who had boarded the deck.

“Ririsa. Snipe the enemy archers first.”

“Got it!”

“Sergel. You protect Selina.”

“Understood.”

I ran towards the old man and Count Dman.

On the way, an archer aimed and drew his bow at me, but Ririsa's snipe was faster.

Ignoring the archer who fell with an arrow stuck in his head, I cut down the enemy infantry one by one.

Perhaps because the sword had been slightly damaged from the long battle, I could feel that its sharpness had definitely decreased compared to before.

I had to put more force into cutting down the enemies, and as a result, my stamina was being consumed more intensely.

“Hoo….”

I let out a long breath and composed my ragged breathing.

After confirming that there were no more enemies standing around, I shifted my gaze to where the sound of clashing weapons was still ringing.

Sergel was fighting hard against two enemy soldiers.

If I helped, it would be resolved quickly, but although it seemed to be taking some time, it didn't look like he would lose.

As I was grasping the formation in preparation for additional enemy attacks, Selina, who looked several times more exhausted than me, asked for help.

“Rian…. If you have a moment, could you help me up?”

The hand she extended towards me was trembling so much that it seemed she would have difficulty even standing on her own if left alone.

Well, it made sense.

Come to think of it, the mages, who had to squeeze everything they had to the limit, would be several times more exhausted both mentally and physically.

I grabbed Selina's arm and helped her up.

Just as I thought.

She didn't even have the strength to stand on her own, so she hung onto my arm and lowered her head.

“Seriously…. This is the first time I’ve been this tired since becoming a mage. I never want to do a Joint Incantation again.”

“You seem to be the only one who is particularly struggling.”

The other two looked tired as well.

However, they weren't groaning to the point of having trouble standing like Selina.

When I pointed it out, Selina glared at me, full of resentment.

“The old man is an Archmage, so even if he uses the same amount of mana, the amount of stamina consumed is different. And I! Selina Verdin am the center of the Joint Incantation, using magic. Do you know how much of a burden this is in terms of stamina and mana?”

“Is that so?”

“It is.”

I didn't know.

I had some knowledge about Joint Incantations, but I wasn't aware of the fine details.

One more piece of new knowledge was added.

At the same time, a question arose.

“Selina. Isn’t Count Dman better than you in terms of both mana and stamina?”

“That's true.”

Selina agreed with my words without any hint of discomfort.

Count Dman was a noble, but at the same time, he was also a soldier.

Just by looking at his physique and bulging muscles, one could tell how much he usually trained his stamina.

The same went for mana.

Although Selina was a high-ranking noble, it would be a long shot for her to have more mana reserves than Count Dman, the guardian of Ahinlab Fortress.

If the mage in charge of the center of the Joint Incantation had to bear a greater burden in terms of stamina and mana, then it was only right for Count Dman to take that position.

“I told him that too. But Count Dman requested it.”

“He's not the type to be that undiscerning, is he?”

“I don't know the reason, but he must have some deep meaning that I'm not aware of.”

“……”

I looked at Count Dman.

From him, who was glaring fiercely at the enemy camp, I could confirm a strong desire for victory.

That's why I couldn't understand Count Dman's choice.

Regardless of my understanding, the operation, once started, was proceeding steadily without stopping.

“Enemy ship, has entered firing range!”

Someone shouted.

Everyone on board Unit 917's airship stared straight ahead as if possessed by something.

A medium-sized airship boasting a majestic appearance.

When I saw it through the screen, I felt that it wasn't reliable at all, but seeing it with my own eyes, I realized that it was by no means something to be taken lightly.

Ultra-small and small airships had only one weapon, the main cannon on the bow.

On the other hand, from medium-sized and up, they carried one main cannon and at least three auxiliary weapons.

Those three auxiliary weapons were all aimed at Unit 917's airship.

And they all opened fire at once.

Bang! Kaboom!

A series of explosions rang out.

Three defensive barriers unfolded in their respective places and blocked all of the enemy's bombardment.

“Haaa….”

Selina, her eyes glowing blue, let out a weak sound as if she had truly reached her limit.

Now, she didn't even seem to have the strength to hang onto my arm, so I had to half-carry her.

From Selina's rank insignia, a familiar voice was heard.

“All forces, listen! The enemy medium-sized airship has entered firing range!”

At the same time, Count Dman's booming voice overlapped from the front.

At this very moment, his voice would be transmitted to the commanders of all the airships participating in the operation.

It could be said that the moment of the decisive battle had arrived.

Count Dman took a deep breath and shouted with all his might.

“Commence the operation!”

His slightly hoarse cry was fired like a signal flare.

As if everyone had been waiting for this moment, they moved in perfect order, and the airships that had been in a dense formation scattered in all directions.

The small airships moved towards their designated locations at high speed, and only the ultra-small airships were fighting the charging enemy ships.

And Sergel ran to the ultra-small airship carrying the Mana Bomb.

Neither Count Dman nor Sergel.

They didn't spare a single glance at each other.

The airship carrying the Mana Bomb slowly advanced towards the medium-sized airship.

Given the situation, I inevitably used the Eye that Seeks Truth.

It’s here! The airship carrying the bomb is starting to move!

Shoot it down no matter what! Just ram into it!

The enemy mages’ mana must have reached its limit.

If we just block this attack, victory is ours!

The player's chat window became even more active.

They too had been deducing our plan and movements, and they had prepared countermeasures accordingly.

From here on, it was a pure contest of strength.

The medium-sized one should pull back for a moment, and ram with the ultra-small one to break the bomb.

Count Dman found on the lead enemy airship.

His mana must be low. Is the assassination squad ready?

We are ready.

Before that, if the sniping fails, we will send the assassination squad.

Sniping preparation will be complete in 5 seconds, so please secure the right path from our camp's perspective.

“……!”

I pushed Selina, whom I had been supporting, to Ririsa and immediately ran towards Count Dman.

He was looking around the battlefield with sharp eyes and giving detailed instructions, so he didn't seem to have the leeway to look elsewhere.

‘If it’s the right path from the White Hero camp's perspective….’

I shifted my gaze to the left.

I could see the enemy airships moving in an abnormal trajectory, securing space.

And I could confirm a red-painted small airship approaching at high speed.

Something glinted at the bow of the airship.

I stood to the left of Count Dman and raised my shield.

Craaash!

With a tremendous impact, I was sent flying backward and rolled on the floor with Count Dman.

The sky felt like it was spinning, and I couldn't put any strength into my left arm.

An arrow was deeply embedded in the trembling shield.

It wasn't an ordinary arrow.

It was an arrow that contained some kind of authority.

“…You saved my life. If I get the chance, I will definitely repay you.”

Count Dman, who had struggled to his feet, calmly expressed his gratitude.

For someone who had almost died, he was surprisingly unshaken.

If anything, Selina was making more of a fuss than Count Dman, the one who was directly involved.

And one more thing.

The players' reactions were noisy.

Wow, it was blocked? That snipe just now would have been impossible to block even for a Level 3 hero, what's with that guy?

Who is that black-haired guy? Is he a named character?

Wait a minute. I'm identifying him right now…. Come to think of it, if it's Unit 917….

Oh, crazy! That’s him! The hero from the Fenrir Unit who shot down Odin's hero!

I had tried to live a quiet life, but damn it, thanks to Odin, my reputation had been excessively inflated.

A high reputation could instill fear in the enemy, but in a situation like now where the power difference was similar, it often brought about unfavorable things.

If he shot down Odin's hero…. Odin must have put a bounty on him, right?

Definitely.

If it's Odin, they wouldn't have put a measly bounty on him…. Catching him would be a huge jackpot.

A super jackpot among jackpots.

If we just get the bounty, we can advance to Stage 2 at once.

Just by looking at the chat, it felt like I could hear the eyes of players with light pockets, or those who were confident in their skills in this section, turning.

And a short while later.

Along with the red airship that had attempted the snipe, several other airships broke formation and all charged towards Unit 917.

At this very moment.

To them, I was nothing more than a walking treasure chest.

Enemy ships rammed into Unit 917's airship one after another.

There seemed to be at least 3 or 4 of them, and even at this moment, it seemed that word was spreading through the chat window, as numerous enemy ships were flying straight towards us.

There were even some who had been engaged in battle with other Alliance airships and suddenly turned their bows.

“There he is!”

“Black hair and black eyes…. Commander. We have found the target.”

“The commander's growth is the path for the Queen. Do not be afraid to sacrifice for the commander.”

They rushed towards me without a shred of hesitation.

It was almost comical that even though the primary target to be defeated in this war should be the commander, Count Dman, they didn't even spare him a glance.

“Is this the effect of shooting down Odin's hero? It seems you are more popular than me, the commander.”

“…Hah. It seems I’ll have to neglect my escort duties a bit to save my own skin.”

“I’ll make a special exception.”

Now that we had come this far, it was safe to assume that the medium-sized airship's main cannon was sealed.

If they fired the main cannon at this distance, they could easily blow away Unit 917's airship, but the medium-sized airship would also be swept up in the aftermath, leading to mutual destruction.

They wouldn't do something as stupid as blowing up a medium-sized airship to catch one ultra-small one.

Since they no longer had to worry about the Joint Incantation, the mages, including Selina, would be able to protect themselves.

What I had to worry about here was not them, but my own life.

‘About 30 people…. That’s a damn lot.’

I keenly felt the absence of the regeneration ability, which was still unusable due to the side effects.

The consumables of the players, blinded by money, rushed towards me without a care for their own lives.

I didn't know when I was a player. Seeing those who willingly offered their lives to enhance their commander's honor from the opposite side certainly felt abnormal.

“Selina. If you have the chance, use a wide-range gravity magic without damaging the airship. Even just tying up the feet of the Level 1 heroes with that….”

“Get out of the way, you're a hindrance.”

The moment I was about to request magic support from Selina.

A cold voice pierced my ear, and at the same time, a red flower bloomed deep within the enemy lines.