Vol 6 [Bookmarks + comments]
47. A Twist
Summary
Arrangement for the tower defense:
Karo - Center Tower.
Mogor Empire - Northern Tower.
Rowoon - Southern Tower.
Each tower is assigned with a mage from Karo to assist communication between towers.
During the following days, Cale has Karo's soldiers dig holes into the ground.
The Indomitable Alliance's fleet arrives at the southern shores during sunset. Karo's forces estimate that they'll begin their invasion on the following morning, as disembarking during nighttime would be disadvantageous.
However, the Alliance's ships suddenly start to move onto land. The ships have been modified by the Flame dwarfs to be able to navigate on solid ground as well.
The bear tribe is seen on the ships decks, ready to attack.
Cale sends Choi Han to destroy the ships that were attacking the southern tower.
Some smaller ships with few soldiers on board start rushing towards the towers. Cale notes that the Alliance's forces are unusually weak.
Based on the intel he gained from Clope, Cale knows that the Alliance will try something extreme during this battle, considering their previous defeat.
Cale and Valentino are able to deduce that the small ships are meant to act as bombs filled with dead mana.
Cale sends Raon to take Choi Han out of the battlefield and uses voice amplification magic to warn the other towers about the upcoming attack.
To protect the towers, Cale deploys the Unbreakable Shield, since he has to cover a large area, the shield's power is lower than usual. Raon deploys a four-level shield around it, and they're able to withstand the attack unharmed.
However, the southern shore is now fully contaminated by dead mana, making it impossible for regular soldiers to traverse it by land.
As the bombs are going still going off, the bear tribe warriors start retreating into their ships.
The Alliance's plan was to stage an attack in the southern shores in order to concentrate Karo's forces there. Then fill the ground with dead mana, trapping Karo's army and making it impossible for them to defend the northern shore.
The northern shore barely has any forces stationed and it will surely suffer losses if the Alliance were to attack it while Karo's army was stuck in the southern shore.
Valentino calls for priest with light affinity, as they're able to purify dead mana. He knows about the legend of the path of the sun, a path created by the Church of the Sun God followers in the battle against the last necromancer.
The bishop informs him that it will take them months to purify the dead mana, and that they will not be able to create a path for them in time.
Duke Huten, who's listening via a video communication device tells Valentino that the priests have to suffer greatly when they purify dead mana. Valentino asks the priests if they were willing to suffer just this time in order to save the kingdom, but they refuse.
Cale arrives at the center tower using flight magic in order to bring Valentino up to speed with the current situation.
As the bear tribe was getting ready to set sail, they're attacked by an unknown force.
Valentino sees figures moving through the Land of Death, and recognizes that they're dark elves. He didn't know there where any dark elves remaining in the western continent.
Cale tells him that they're Rowoon's remaining forces and asks for permission to launch an offensive. After receiving Valentino's approval, Cale gives the order to not let them escape.
Tasha leads the attack. In a land filled with dead mana, the dark elves are at their strongest. After covering themselves in dead mana, they go after the docked ships and the bear tribe warriors.
The mages stationed at the towers are able to join the assault, and they assist the dark elves.
Cale also tells Mary to start her own attack. Mary brings out the bones of two wyverns from the ground. It turns out, that's why Cale had asked the soldiers to dig the ground in the previous days.
Mary dips the wyvern's bones into the dead mana in order to reinforce them.
Cale leaves the center tower with Choi Han, each mounting a wyvern. The original plan was for Hilsman and Choi Han to mount a wyvern and attack from the air, but now that the situation has changed, Cale decides to switch tactics.
The new plan is to use the sound of wind to create whirlpools in order to trap the enemy fleet.
Cale is worried about revealing another ancient power, so he plans to hide it by making it seem that it all came from the Unbreakable Shield.
Cale blocks the way to the northern shores by deploying the shield in the middle of the ocean, effectively leaving the enemy fleet trapped in the whirlpools created by him and Raon.
Going by the information provided by Clope, there should be another Red Star mage. According to Clope, this mage is a younger one whose power level doesn't hold a candle to the older mage.
When Choi Han identifies the mage he and Mary go to attack him, however when he sees the mage preparing an attack spell, he senses that something's wrong.
Raon tells Cale that the mage smells familiar. He senses dragon and human blood, making the mage a half-blood dragon.
Cale is able to get Choi Han out of the way before the mage's spell strikes him.
Cursing himself for trusting Clope's intel, now Cale has to find a way to deal with someone as strong as a dragon.
Bookmarks + Comments
(…) At last, a pair of silver wings unfurled, revealing an enormous shield: the same silver shield they'd heard so much about. An additional sheen overlaid the shield. <Don't worry, weak human!> Raon said. <I can create a silver shield too! We can protect everyone!> [p.173]
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The soldiers stationed at the southern tower found themselves remembering what Vice-Captain Hilsmann had said before the battle: “The shield won't break.” [p.174]
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As one might expect, Raon was keeping up a constant stream of chatter in Cale's mind. <Human, I think I am rather great and mighty after all! I made a four-tier silver shield! The dead mana won be able to touch us at all! We'll save everyone!> Cale listened to the six-year-old dragon's bubbly rambling as he activated a faint shield of his own within Raon's formidable barrier. [p.174]
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Dragons really are the best, Cale reflected. Thanks to Raon's four- tiered silver fortification, Cale's shield could shine brighter than ever. [p.175]
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“There you go spouting bullshit again.” [p.181]
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“Those who don't know how to give up can rise again in the darkness, Your Highness.” “Commander…” The concept of stubborn souls without surrender etched deep in the crown prince's heart. All at once, he understood how Cale had emerged victorious in the northeastern battles. “We will catch them.” The voice of the commander who refused to surrender rang across the highest point in the central tower. “We'll bring them down without fail.” [p.183]
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“Rowoon's full forces have finally arrived.” As Cale felt the ground tremble underfoot, he knew it for certain: “The enemy will not escape.” [p.184]
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(…) He was merely amazed by Cale's reach—and by extension, Rowoon's—not to mention their resolve. Over the course of this war, they kept rolling out one loathed entity after another. [p.185]
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Then Cale said, “I don't think I can summon the shield.” (…) “I still have chaos to stir up, after all.” [p.190]
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Choi Han grinned. As long as his life wasn't at risk, the rest didn't matter. [p.198]
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He went still at the sound. Turning his head, he saw the water roiling wildly as a wave burst forth, something else cutting through the water in its wake. It was a towering silver wall. As expected. Choi Han laughed. “Yeah… That's the kind of man he is.” [p.198]
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<Know why that shield won't break, Choi Han?> the six-year-old dragon said in Choi Han's mind. <It's because the kinda sorta great and mighty Raon Mir's shield is in front of it!> Another laugh burst from Choi Han's lips. When he looked down, he saw that the ships veering off-course had yet another problem to contend with. (…) With companions like these, what did Choi Han have to fear? [p.199]
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“That bastard Clope is just a nutcase after all! Totally useless!” “What?" Choi Han turned his head to see Cale, who had dragged him from the wyvern with shaking arms. Then he saw what was behind Cale. “Mr. Cale!” “I know! Damn it!” Cale's wyvern opened its large wings and surged into flight, making a beeline for the shield. At the precise instant Cale and Choi Han moved away from that position… [p.201]
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“I hear that dopey-looking mage's offensive magic doesn't hold a candle to the old mage. Our alliance between Rowoon and Faern will win for sure. No one will be able to get in your way.” So said that bastard Clope. It was Cale's own fault for believing the self-assured ramblings of a lunatic. [p.203]
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I can't decide if Hilsman is like a proud parent showing off their kid, or an overly enthusiastic fan sharing his passion for Cale's shield, but either way, it's endearing seeing him spread the umm… legend. (I blame him for the rapid expansion of Caleism amongst the common folk.)
I was a bit exasperated with the POV soldier from the beginning of the chapter, but then he says that Choi Han looks one or two years older than himself, and… I'm sorry, did he say older? older???
I'm sorry POV soldier, I was too harsh on you😔
But yeah, later Valentino says they had to make an emergency draft and that a lot of the soldiers were younger than sixteen. Karo really needed the assistance from other nations.
I completely forgot about this battle, which I find strange considering it's the introduction of the dragon half-blood.
He's here!!!! One of the best characters is here!!!
Tasha is so cool, it's great to see her in action. I wonder if Albert's mother was anything like her, I wish we could learn more about her. Just give us a flashback author-nim, please. Even a small one will do.
It only dawned on me that LFC loves to turn the tables on typical fantasy stuff.
Here we have the bishop and priests from a light-affinity church being absolute selfish pricks, while the heroes of the battle are a necromancer, dark elves and a sword master with a despair attribute.
Also, also. Not only is Cale leaving his allies out of the loop of his plans, but we the readers are getting excluded as well. (For example, he never mentioned anything about the wyvern bones.)
How dare you, young master 😠/j
I can't believe it's almost time for peak (gorge of death).
+Vocabulary
