Chapter 1138: Interception
Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
In Neverwinter, Graycastle.
Roland received Iron Axe, the Commander-in-Chief of the First Army, and Edith Kant, the Chief of General Staff.
"How did it go? Do you like riding on the 'Seagull'?" Roland asked as he looked at the pair with some interest.
"Your, your Majesty, it's fast, but it's... a little too fast for me," Iron Axe answered with a look of terror. "I didn't feel that way before. However, when I actually sat in there, I noticed that it wobbled pretty badly. I was very scared when the craft went up and down and thought I was going to fall." He then administered a military salute and exclaimed through his teeth, "Of course, I promise that I'll do my best to overcome my fear, Your Majesty!"
It appeared that this seasoned Mojin warrior feared heights. Roland asked, his brows raised, "So, how are you going to overcome the fear?"
"I'll watch more magic movies once this war is over until I'm no longer afraid of it!"
"That's really like what a Sand National would say," Roland thought in amusement, a muscle flinching in his face. He turned to Edith and asked, "What about you?"
The Pearl of the Northern Region moisted her lips and answered quietly after a moment of silence, "Fantastic."
"That's it?"
Roland waited for Edith to elaborate but the latter did not say anything further. Then he noticed a rosy flush fluttered over her cheeks, her eyes glistening.
Roland heaved a sigh. He had to admit that his subordinates all had some unusual personalities. He expected to see them heap praises on his new invention, impressed and shocked. Now it appeared he had overestimated the psychological impact of the aircraft.
Roland rose to his feet and said, "Since you're already here, let's start the meeting. We have to get prepared for the final battle."
...
After six months of construction work, the first main railway was only 60 kilometers away from the Taquila ruin. Once the construction of Tower Station No. 10 was completed, the First Army would be able to directly attack the demons at Taquila. The "Torch" plan had cost much greater manpower and supplies than any of the military operations they had carried out in the past four years. 80% of the iron produced by the Furnace Area were used to build the railway. The sole purpose for this plan was to stop the demons from erecting the Obelisk before the arrival of the Bloody Moon.
Once the Fertile Plains was enveloped by the Red Mist, the demons would be able to invade the interior from the Impassable Mountain Range anytime. By then, not only would the First Army face a bitter battle but the demons would no longer be bounded by distance. Roland definitely did not want to see the battle unfold in this way, considering that human beings were already outnumbered by the demons.
However, if they managed to seize Taquila before the final battle, the demons would have to erect their Obelisk in the other two Holy Cities, the Starfall City and Arrieta. Both two cities were more on the northern end of the plain. Even if the demons built their outposts there, they could not directly threaten the Four Kingdoms. In that case, they would not only have a bigger chance to win the Battle of Divine Will but would also earn another 400 years for human beings to convalesce.
As Graycastle had already entered an Age of Industrialization, Roland was positive that human beings would have much greater achievement in the next 400 years when the survival of the mankind no longer depended on food and basic life necessities. Therefore, the vast plain, in a sense, became their strategic buffing zone as well as their prospective territory for further development.
Men would eventually defeat demons.
Though perhaps this generation might not witness their eventual victory.
This was also why Roland did not explain the reason for this plan in detail.
Unfortunately, the plan did not go as well as he had anticipated. They had planned to exterminate all the demons at Taquila and convert the ruin into their own stronghold. However, the First Army was now only one step away from success.
The appearance of the Magic Slayer had forced them to adjust their initial plan. The power of the curse inflicted by the Magic Slayer appeared to be incurable. Even very minor wounds could lead to morality. Lightning could more or less cure herself, but Leaf's condition was much worse.
Based on Ashes' report, Leaf's health was deteriorating.
Although Leaf did not say anything about her injuries, Ashes could still tell that her health was declining. This indicated that the deterioration of her wound was beyond her self-repairing ability. Like a lesion, the infected area gradually expanded and would finally kill the patient. No matter how long this process might take, Roland could not let Leaf die. He could not accept any loss of the population.
It was time to make a final settlement with the Magic Slayer and Taquila.
The representatives of the witches and the army all gathered in the meeting room to discuss the upcoming battle. A screen spread across the wall and presented the image of the Third Border City. Their sole topic of discussion was how to kill the Magic Slayer that could inflict fatal curses on people.
Edith broke the silence as usual. "First of all, from what the General Staff can tell, when the Magic Slayer see a defeat is inevitable, he would very likely retreat. This is just an assumption. We haven't had much solid evidence to support this theory yet. Judging from the fact that he's still keeping a distance from the encampment, we believe he's exactly the opposite of Kabradhabi."
"I agree," Alethea, who had fought the demons more than anyone else, said. "Gallantry doesn't necessarily mean you have to be a suicidal moron. We agree with the demons on this term. A senior commander plays a far more important role than a Mad Demon. It isn't likely that he would die meaninglessly like his subordinates."
"So, we must be proactive and intercept them when they retreat," Edith continued while nodding. "Fortunately, we know everything about our enemy and have experience in dealing with them." She then cast a look at Andrea Quinn and said, "If the Magic Slayer doesn't notice our plan, a long-distance shot would definitely be the safest and most effective way to kill him."
Andrea brushed her hair away from her face gracefully.
"I have a question," Tilly spoke.
"Please go ahead, Your Highness," the Pearl of the Northern Region said while placing her hand on her chest.
"First of all, we can't guarantee that one bullet would be enough to kill the Magic Slayer. What if he's still alive after the bullet hits him? We won't have a second chance. Second, what if the Magic Slayer has noticed the presence of this weapon with a long shooting range and attempts to avoid a direct confrontation? From our past experience, it's very likely that he'll do so. It seems to me that the enemy learns firearms faster than we desire him to."
"I've thought about these two possibilies," Edith replied. "For the first one, the General Staff has decided to use a God's Stone of Retaliation as the bullet."
"A God's Stone bullet?"
"Correct. Even if we can't kill the Magic Slayer at one shot, we can immoblize him. Of course, the smaller a God's stone is, the softer it will be. A God's stone as small as a bullet can be easily crushed by a hammer, so it'll break before we fire. However, we can probably try Miss Andrea's weapon, as her weapon has a much larger caliber," Edith paused for a second and then went on, "Regarding this point, I've confirmed with Ms. Agatha. A God's Stone made from magic blood will be a lot harder. We can first test that out using the two bottles of magic blood she collected from the demons."
"To use the demons' blood to kill them? I like it," Alethea said smilingly. "You're the second mortal I'm impressed with."
The Pearl of the Northern Region returned her a smile indifferently and said, "As for your second question, I'll need a preserve unit."
"Only Lightning is faster than the Magic Slayer," Wendy answered apprehensively. "However, she can't... stop him."
"No," Edith said while shaking her head. "There's something faster than the Magic Slayer — "
"Something?" Tilly echoed with a look of comprehension.
"Right. That is — a diving 'Seagull'," Edith said slowly.