Chapter 43: Mana Storm’s Fury

The window visible to Senjo Count darkened in an instant.

“What’s happening?”

“I-It seems to be a Mana Storm! The radar’s gone completely white!”

“Mana Storm, my foot. It must be some spell.”

Senjo Count dismissed it without concern.

He himself could easily cast wide-area magic capable of shrouding a Dimension Ship’s field of view.

However, he did not realize this spell covered every Dimension Ship.

Kwarurung!

Lightning burst from the center where mana had gathered, striking outward in all directions and battering the Dimension Ships.

Lightning pierced through the shields, shot through the breached nozzles, and struck the Mana Engine.

Blink, blink.

As the Mana Engine was damaged, the bridge’s lights began to flicker.

The control panels spun out of control, and the gravity magic failed, causing objects to float into the air.

Kwarurung!

Lightning struck the Mana Engine again.

Unable to withstand it, the Mana Engine ceased operation.

The failure of the Mana Engine, which supplied power to the hull, was akin to the heart giving out.

“Mana Engine output won’t increase!”

“Communications are down!”

“Hell Cannon is not operational!”

“Chief Engineer’s report! Mana Engine’s broken and cannot be repaired!”

The bridge crew screamed as if in terror.

“What on earth is going on…?”

Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaang!

Mana Cannons fired in unison.

Shells pierced through shields and armor, exploding on impact.

The already unstable Hell Cannons triggered chain explosions.

Kwaaaang!

Dimension Ships exploded in grand succession.

As fifty ships vanished in the blink of an eye, Senjo Count snapped to attention.

“The cause of the Mana Storm is that thing! Kill it now!”

Senjo Count’s communication magic spread wide.

Demons of Chaos still aboard the Dimension Ships rushed out onto the decks.

The enemy was but a single one.

No matter how mighty it was, with hundreds of Demons of Chaos bombarding it with magic, it could not possibly survive.

Dark mana surged, and chaos magic neared completion.

Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaang!

The Titan and Light Titan descended from above, unleashing a barrage of artillery.

The Cannon Giant sniped at the Demons of Chaos, while the Fighter Giant stormed between the Dimension Ships, disrupting spellcasting.

Kuuung! Kuuung! Kuuung!

As Bio Pods dropped, Senjo Count’s Flagship tilted.

Lutal and the Warriors burst out, and a massacre ensued.

“Leave only Senjo Count alive.”

“Krrk!”

Lutal replied, slicing down three demons.

The Titan Class Apocalid rampaged, smashing apart Dimension Ships with delight.

Kuongi swallowed the smaller ones whole, and for the larger ones, it rammed with its head, splitting them in two before devouring them.

It sprayed Acid Fluid, melting foes, then slurped them up.

Some Demons of Chaos or monsters clambered onto the Titan’s back.

When the shields and armor were breached, revealing flesh and flowing blood, they cheered, thinking they’d finally found a way.

That stress was transmitted to the sleeping Apocalids inside the belly.

The most sensitive, the Central Command Warrior, was the first to awaken.

-Awaken.

The Central Command Warrior roused the other Warriors.

An immune system began to operate, fending off the virus known as Demons of Chaos and monsters.

The Central Command Warrior that headed to the back deployed an Apocalid Field.

Monsters groaned in agony, and the Demons of Chaos were paralyzed by a fear as if facing the Outer Mind, unable to cast their spells.

•Slicing sounds.

Warriors sliced apart the subdued demons and monsters.

Walkers crawled out, moving the chunks of meat into the Soil Pit inside the Titan’s belly.

On Kuongi’s back, thousands of monsters swarmed up, prompting a full-scale battle with Giants deployed.

“In fights like these, the Apocalid has the advantage.”

For other species, a Titan Class was equivalent to both a Dimension Ship and the main base structure.

Thus, more resources went into it, making it stronger and tougher than a Dimension Ship of the same size.

Inside, countless Apocalids slept, making it extremely difficult to take down a Titan Class in a direct assault.

“Thanks to the Prime Battle Muscle, it accelerates and turns well. Maybe I should’ve evolved Kuongi into a Swarm Lord instead of a Maelstrom.”

“Kuong.”

Kuongi replied, indicating any form was fine.

“No. If it were a Claw Devourer or Swarm Lord, the battle would’ve been much tougher.”

It would have been difficult for the ramming-type Claw Devourer to disable two or three hundred Dimension Ships at once.

The Swarm Lord, which scattered small Apocalids, was the same.

In the end, Maelstrom turned out to be the best choice.

Just before Choi Kangjung opened the Gate.

Kang Sungpyo, the Guild Leader, was trying to persuade Iselin.

“Princess, let’s head back. It’s dangerous here.”

“That’s exactly why I came. If my Dimension Ship was intact, I’d have brought that as well.”

Her Dimension Ship, which had returned from the Kraken Sea, was still under repairs.

“No, what I mean is, now is the time to minimize losses and conserve our forces.”

“Are you implying I came here to die?”

“How else am I supposed to see it?”

“I am High Elf Iselin Derrael. You worry about yourself first.” “Princess……”

“At least say hello to this elf. Dielka Nahrromel. She’s a High Dark Elf.”

“A High Dark Elf?”

“A Dark Elf who handles the Death Spirit, on par with the Spirit of Life.”

“The Death Spirit has even been born… As expected, you are amazing, Princess.”

“I’m the one who did it, not her.”

Dielka shot back.

“S-sorry.”

“Anyway, nice to meet you. I’m Dielka.”

“I’m Kang Sungpyo.”

“Let’s fight well together.”

Kang Sungpyo was puzzled by Dielka’s cheerful tone.

Even with three S-Ranks, they were still at a disadvantage, yet she showed no hint of unease in this dangerous place.

Did she have something up her sleeve?

“I’ll take that side.”

“I’ll go that way.”

“I’ll cover over there.”

For the remaining direction, a Guild Leader dispatched to the 6th Dimension Fortress like the Dawn Guild agreed to defend.

Iselin flew up and climbed the fortress wall.

There, she saw Demons of Chaos and swarming monsters.

“Disgusting.”

With a look of contempt, Iselin grabbed the bow slung over her back and drew the string.

As suggested by the evolutionary code ‘telescopic sight,’ elves had far superior vision to humans.

Thus, long-range weapons developed, and the bow—well-suited for working with spirits—remained the weapon elves excelled at.

During her time in the Kraken Sea, she had used up all her arrows and could only fight with sword, magic, and spirits.

The Spirit of Wind guided the arrows’ flight.

The Fire Spirit and Spirit of Lightning imbued them simultaneously, maximizing destructive power.

With Life Essence added, a technique disastrous to monsters was completed.

Pang!

Iselin released the string.

The arrow flew faster than a bullet, piercing through the monster horde.

Every monster within a 50-meter radius of its path collapsed.

The arrow, traveling over five kilometers, embedded itself in the Hydra’s chest.

The mana remaining in the arrow poured into the Hydra.

The Hydra’s three heads roared in agony.

The distance was far, and with its own Regeneration, it didn’t die.

A similar event unfolded where Dielka was.

Elven knights fired their bows.

Using the Spirit of Wind to adjust the arrows’ hang time, a thousand arrows fell to earth simultaneously.

With nowhere to run from the wide-ranging bombardment, thousands of monsters were wiped out at once.

Some Hunters, seeing the elves’ supporting fire, gained hope.

“If it’s only monsters, we could win…”

Kang Sungpyo looked up at the Dimension Sea.

There were still nearly three hundred Dimension Ships floating.

Their instantaneous firepower might be weaker than an A-rank Hunter, but with sustained bombardment, they could exceed even an A-rank Hunter in destructive power.

It was no wonder the shield around the 6th Dimension Fortress had been broken.

“What’s that?”

A Gate opened and something massive appeared.

It looked like a demon, so they thought it was the enemy, but all at once, Hell Cannons and spells fired upon it.

Moments later, a Mana Storm erupted, swallowing Senjo Count’s fleet.

“Could the Princess have anticipated that?”

“Outer-nim has arrived. Why are you just standing there?”

Han Junghwa said.

“Outer-nim?”

“That’s the living Dimension Ship that protected the Sae Byukho. That’s it. It’s gotten much bigger since then, though.”

“I don’t know how it came, but as long as the skies are clear, there’s no reason we can’t win.”

Kang Sungpyo drew his sword.

“Think you can keep up with my speed?”

“Guild Leader, do you know how cringey you sound every time you say that?”

“You always fight harder when you get riled up.”

“I’m already fighting hard!”

“Yunseo, am I right?”

“Guild Leader and Junghwa unni are both right. Ugh, this is so embarrassing.”

Lifting the mood, Kang Sungpyo leapt off the fortress wall.

The monsters screeched as they charged.

Slash.

He swept through the monsters ahead with his long Aura Blade and dashed forward like a bolt.

Without the bombardment from the Dimension Ships, nothing could threaten him, an S-rank Hunter.

Even the giant monster, Hydra, was beneath his feet.

Spells hurled by the Demons of Chaos were intercepted by mages like Choi Yunseo.

As he pressed forward, slaying Demons of Chaos, the Hydra entered striking range before he knew it.

Slash.

He dodged the Acid Breath and severed the middle neck.

The cut bubbled, and a new head sprouted.

“How many times can you regenerate?”

Having slain Hydras countless times before, Kang Sungpyo began to take it apart, step by step.

Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaang!

Shells rained down from above, shattering monsters and tearing up the ground.

It was the supporting fire from the Titan Class Apocalid that had already dealt with Senjo Count’s fleet.

Bio Pods dropped, and Apocalids spilled out.

“Why are those guys coming here?”

As the Giants approached menacingly, Kang Sungpyo asked.

“Looks like they like Hydra meat.”

“Should I grill it for them?”

Han Junghwa and Choi Yunseo answered.

Five Giants swarmed the Hydra.

The Hydra resisted, spraying Acid Breath wildly and thrashing its heads.

The Giants withstood it with rapid Regeneration and Death Resistance, slicing off the Hydra’s necks and splitting open its chest to pierce its heart.

The three watched the clash of beasts with fascination.

When the Hydra was near death, Walkers moved it to the Soil Pit.

The rate of digestion far outpaced regeneration, and the Hydra melted away like cotton candy inside the Soil Pit.

“Should we ask Outer-nim to share some of those guys with us?”

Captivated by the Giants’ brutal fighting, Kang Sungpyo muttered.

“Let’s ask if we can borrow those too.”

Han Junghwa pointed to the Titan Class Apocalid.

She liked how it used the Mana Cannon on its side to sweep away monsters.

Kueeeeeek!

The Hydra struck by the Apocalid Field focused by the Central Command Giant let out a horrific scream.

It writhed in agony as its soul crumbled.

The Central Command Giant lifted the Hydra whole and dropped it into the Soil Pit.

The Central Cannon Giant mashed the Hydra with its shield.

“How can there be so many types of summons?”

Kang Sungpyo couldn’t close his mouth.

Even for a Summoner class, three was the maximum number of summon types one could control.

And even that was rare—two was standard.

Kang Sungpyo tried to understand but soon gave up.

Dielka cast Buffs on the Apocalids.

Seeing them strike down demons and monsters with Abyssal Claw charged with Death Mana, they looked fierce yet also somehow cute.

Iselin, watching Dielka’s familiarity, was burning with jealousy.

Although their culture kept it beneath the surface, elves were in fact a very passionate people.

“Heal those ones.”

The Spirit of Life bounced along, spreading Life Mana.

Apocalid wounds healed at a rapid pace.

Even the Apocalid that had lost its upper chest and survived only by Death Resistance revived.

“Hmm.”

When the Central Command Warrior approached and requested healing, Iselin felt a surge of superiority as she showered Life Mana around.