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Book 6: Chapter 42:1: Close the Gates, Unleash the Black Hole! Part 1
Returning to the matter at hand, Chen Heng’s eyes widened as he took in the mobile fortress that looked like an enlarged spider.
Word had it that its design originated from an ancient, technologically advanced kingdom’s pressuring its creator to draft a colossal weapon. Out of annoyance, the creator squished a spider with a sheet of paper.
Given the luxury of paper back then, he submitted this “design” with little inspiration and no knowledge of how to build a war machine. To his surprise, it garnered immense acclaim.
On a side note, the mastermind behind this gargantuan mobile fortress was also the creator of the Crimson Demons—-hence, he was Satou Kazuma’s father-in-law.
Not to mention Chen Heng, even the adventurers at the city gates, who had never seen the mobile fortress before, took two steps back in shock at the sight of the gargantuan, spider-shaped mobile fortress.
When comparing the adventurers and the giant robot, they looked like scenes of two different genres.
Putting the adventurers aside, even the main force, Megumin, trembled slightly in fear. On the other hand, Wiz, who was on another tower, did not show any panic.
[TL Note: Wiz is an undead lich, but she is good. She runs a magic item shop in the town. Here is more information about her: /wiki/Wiz.]
Satou Kazuma stood beside Megumin, consoling her.
As the mobile fortress neared the novice village, Aqua, the idiot goddess, gripped her staff.
“Sacred…” With fervor, she swirled her staff, summoning five immense magic circles behind her.
“…Break Spell!” The moment Aqua’s chant concluded, the five immense magic circles behind her shot five colossal golden beams at the Destroyer.
On the opposite side, a barrier as large as the fortress itself materialized, absorbing the brunt of Aqua’s onslaught.
One had to admit that despite Aqua’s typical unreliable antics, she demonstrated divine majesty right then.
The five radiant beams pushed the massive mobile fortress back slightly. Just slightly.
The two stood in a deadlock, neither party yielding.
“Hah!” With Aqua’s intensified roar, Chen Heng noticed her face contorting with exertion. The five beams merged into one, dramatically larger and more powerful than before.
The relentless barrage broke the fortress’s barrier, shattering it.
“Now’s our chance, Megumin! Cast together!” Standing on another tower, Wiz appeared to be in high spirits. However, she did not notice any magical fluctuations coming from the other tower, so she glanced at Megumin.
Wiz discovered Megumin trembling uncontrollably.
Indeed, Megumin’s performance was not embarrassing. Seeing such a massive magical weapon would frighten most adventurers.
However, while others could afford to be afraid, only Megumin could not. Wiz’s explosion magic alone might not destroy the massive Destroyer. The two of them needed to work together to ensure victory.
Furthermore, there was only one opportunity. Explosion magic was extremely, extremely mana-intensive. Even a powerful lich like her could not use explosion magic twice consecutively.
“Hey! Is your love for explosion magic genuine? If Wiz outshines you, it’d be quite embarrassing. Perhaps your explosion magic is just mediocre magic that can’t even break that thing?”
Satou Kazuma had tried coaxing Megumin, but that failed. Left without a choice, he could only agitate her into action.
Somehow, taunting worked wonders. After Satou Kazuma said that, Megumin slowly recovered her composure. Then a gleam flashed in her eyes.
“What did you say? What you said is even more inappropriate than messing up my name!”
Remarkably, Satou Kazuma’s taunting reignited Megumin’s fighting spirit. She brandished her magic staff with fierce determination.
“Prepare to witness true explosion magic…. Darker than black, deeper than darkness, behold my crimson brilliance. The time of awakening is now…”
Observing Megumin’s rekindled spirit, Wiz synchronized her casting pace with Megumin’s to unleash the mighty explosion spell.
The power of this magic was undeniable, truly extremely powerful. Being a prodigious mage and a Crimson Demon, Megumin possessed unparalleled mana, yet she could cast this explosion magic only once a day.
Its mana consumption was high, but its sheer destructive force was superlative. Practically no other magic had higher offensive power than explosion magic.
“Explosion!”
“Explosion!”
After Wiz and Megumin’s chanting ended, two nearly identical red magic circles twenty meters wide appeared above the towers. Then two huge red pillars of fire soared into the sky, shooting toward the Destroyer.
The attacks struck the Destroyer, and their powerful explosive force sent the Destroyer tumbling toward the newbie village.
The massive Destroyer rolled endlessly. Darkness, the closest person to the mobile fortress, stood her ground with a calm expression, not backing away.
Darkness—rather, Dustiness Ford Lalatina—was the daughter of the Dustiness Family, the noble family ruling the region. She was a crusader who protected the citizens. She took pride in her duty, not permitting herself to retreat even a single step before her people.
(Masochistic tendencies!)
Finally…the massive mobile fortress stopped right in front of Darkness—just one step away.
If the Destroyer had crashed into her, even Darkness, despite her extremely impressive defense, would suffer.
When the Destroyer stopped, Megumin, who was on the same watchtower as Chen Heng and Satou Kazuma, fell flat with a thud.