Warfare Paradigm (3)

Like those Blessed by the Goddesses, Aliens, blessed by the Devil, could remain young.

Even the fact that they couldn’t live beyond their lifespan was similar.

Aliens also died young at the end of their lives.

How disappointed was Genovia to find out?

At that time, she thought she could increase her remaining life expectancy if she got the Guideline.

Garhan laughed.

‘Well, even the Aliens didn’t know.’

Aliens, who appeared in Latna, were usually in their 20s and 40s and had a designated lifespan of approximately 90 to 100 years, just like humans in Latna.

The first Alien had appeared in the world more than 40 years ago, but it hadn’t been long enough for people to die at the end of their lives.

There was no way for Aliens to recognize that fact on their own because the Guidelines didn’t tell them.

‘There will be no reason to think of the balance between Omphalos and Latna, so perhaps there is some restriction on the power of endless youth from the very beginning.’

That being said, perhaps the Sword King Pellad was an Alien?

‘It’s mere speculations right now, but… I’ll have to talk to Genovia later.’

It was time to solve the immediate problem.

Garhan looked around the conference room one after the other.

The vassals hadn’t reached a conclusion yet.

“The problem is that the level of the Sword King’s party is too high.”

“The war is controlled only by the Sword King or the Spiritual Boxer…”

“We need a foolproof plan to stop them.”

No, it had already been concluded.

They couldn’t get it out of their mouth.

The method of the Sword King’s party itself was a strategy that had already been used before. Then how would they deal with that trick of the countryside?

It was simple.

They had to invite powerful knights from the center of the continent.

They could solve that problem by putting in asymmetric power, which was as strong as the Sword King’s party.

And there was already such a power in the Kaldris Kingdom.

The Magic Swordsman to ever exist, the Thunder King Garhan!

‘But they can’t bring themselves to tell their lord to fight, so they are trying to turn a blind eye to it.’

Garhan grinned as he looked at his vassals.

Of course, he didn’t mean to follow their will. He still needed to wait for the right time.

“This is the end of the meeting. Aroint thee!”

The vassals looked back at him in embarrassment.

“What?”

“But we still have no solution…”

“A countermeasure came to mind. I’ll tell you the details later.”

“Well, then…”

The servants left the conference room with that hint.

After that meeting, Garhan called his men.

Roacell had been once the heir to the Allendia family but had been turned into a butler of the Kaldris Kingdom.

“Tell the Upper Draconium and Aliens of Akhtarun. It’s time for them to start paying for the meal.”

* * *

Medis Latta, the capital of the millennium kingdom.

over the palace.

They were giant beings over 30 meters long, each carrying a dozen humans on their backs.

They numbered 600, composed of 500 Akhtarun’s Aliens and 100 Kaldris elites.

Forty dragons began to drift away beyond the sky.

Standing on the terrace of the regent palace, watching the scene, Garhan smiled with relief.

“Even if it’s not me, there’s an alternative power that can be used as a replacement.”

Even if they were Ancient Dragons, they couldn’t get the mobility of the Pitch-Black Nightmare. The Wyvern was a monster beyond any common sense.

However, their faction had a far superiority in transportation capacity. Their rides were a lot bigger, after all.

Each dragon could carry nearly a dozen people.

Furthermore, their flying ability was poor due to their level, but they didn’t fall behind in terms of air combats.

If the Pitch-Black Nightmare was the latest fighter, Upper Draconium’s Ancient Dragons were large flying battleships or even aircraft couriers.

Of course, there wouldn’t be an air battle.

Roacell, who was watching from the side, talked about the reason.

“Are you alright, my Lord Garhan? They have the Polymorph Necklace.”

“That won’t be a problem.”

Still, Garhan was nonchalant.

“I’ve tasked them to do that after considering all the factors.”

* * *

The sight of forty giant dragons flying in the sky at once was truly spectacular.

It must’ve been a magnificent sight that would never be seen again in history because a single one alone could terrify the world, yet at that moment, there were dozens of them flying.

“Argh!”

“What’s that?”

“Oh, my Goddess.”

All the Latnains on the flight path saw a flock of flying Ancient Dragons and were shocked, causing their jaws to drop open.

Naturally, Han-bin’s party also came across the information.

“A group of Ancient Dragons from Upper Draconium are heading north for the Allendia 2nd Corps?”

“What are they doing?”

“They must know we have the Polymorph Necklace.”

They were wondering, but they made a sortie.

If they were left alone, the Allendia 2nd Corps would suffer near annihilation.

After a few hours, the Pitch-Black Nightmare appeared in front of the group of flying dragons.

The airborne reptiles muttered.

“Oh, is that it?”

“It’s a real Wyvern, isn’t it?”

“But why is that Wyvern so big and fast?”

They immediately went after Effir with all kinds of magic spells, magic swordsmanship techniques, and Aura skills.

As always, she evaded those.

If she was in the air, even an attack by a dragon wasn’t something to be afraid of!

“I’ll shoot everything down!”

The power of forced human form passed through the ranks of Upper Draconium.

Even the Ancient Dragons showed no different results.

The naked people in the sky fell.

“Argh!”

“As expected, it’s the Polymorph Necklace!”

“That’s what Alejandro used to use, right?”

Nevertheless, most of them remained calm.

They had prepared in advance because they knew that would happen.

The dragons, who became human, immediately summoned garments from their pockets and wrapped themselves first. And they calmly cast magic spells, spiritual arts, and activated magic tools.

“Slow drop, Feather Pole.”

“The wind of Preleu shall levitate my body!”

-Activate, Sky Wings!

The situation was similar for Akhtarun’s Aliens and Kaldris elites, who fell with them.

-Aura Armor!

-Aura Guard!

-Magic Swordsmanship Technique: Heatwave!

The humanized Ancient Dragons were still in the level 70s. The accompanying Kaldris knights were at a similar level.

Akhtarun’s Aliens were in their 80s at the lowest level and over 100 at the highest.

Even if everyone fell from that height, they would be able to recover enough.

Ryu Han-bin, who was watching the scene, unsheathed his Gigant.

“huh! Who’s going to let you do that?”

Effir flew in among the falling enemies.

A red Blade Aura, a spiritual spear, flame magic, and a Wyvern Breath hit them.

No matter how high-level they were, they couldn’t respond properly in the air where their movement was restricted. They just had to put all their energy into defense.

“Ugh!”

“Argh!”

Aliens and Ancient Dragons, who were caught up in the offensive, fell along with their spilling blood.

After a couple more attacks, most of the remaining men finished landing. There were no more enemies left in the air to beat.

Looking at the situation on the ground, Artis clicked his tongue.

“It didn’t do as much damage as I expected.”

Dozens of people were injured, but only five or six died instantly. They were desperate enough to survive.

The grounded Ancient Dragons, Aliens, and Kaldris Knights formed a line and prepared for battle.

Ryu Han-bin frowned.

“It would be dangerous to jump in there, wouldn’t it?”

Leon Hart shrugged.

“You don’t have to. We’ve already achieved our goal.”

Once affected by the Polymorph Necklace, even the Ancient Dragons of Upper Draconium wouldn’t be able to return to their Dragon forms until the next day.

“Let’s go back.”

He turned the rider without hesitation.

Looking back, Han-bin tilted his head.

“Why did they come here?”

* * *

The next day, the news broke again.

The magnificent sight had unfolded once more.

Ryu Han-bin, who was getting ready to make a foray, clicked his tongue.

“Huh, do I have to go there again?”

Originally, they planned to launch an airstrike on the Mado Kingdom along the southern border. But if he didn’t fix that side, his troops would be badly damaged.

“Well, it’s not rocket science.”

He took it lightly and headed east.

He flew off and dropped them.

Once again, the Ancient Dragons became human and fell like rain.

“Argh!”

“Again!”

“Get dressed! Get dressed!”

“Clothes are the problem? Let’s start with a slow drop!”

Yesterday’s situation repeated itself.

With about a dozen casualties left behind, the Upper Draconium, Kaldris Knights, and Aliens from Akhtarun began their maintenance.

And glaringly, they stared at the flying group of Han-bin.

“Just come down!”

Of course, they didn’t even have the slightest intention of going down.

Ryu Han-bin asked on Effir’s back.

“Now, should we head south where we were supposed to go?”

Only then did Leon Hart’s expression solidify.

“It’s too late. We’ve wasted a lot of time.”

No matter how high their level was, Effir’s physical strength wasn’t infinite.

She had already flown in for hours. She was quite tired because she was on the go every day.

“We have to go back and take a rest.”

They could restore her energy with spiritual healing arts for a while, but the underlying fatigue could only be relieved by rest.

Leaving the enemy behind, Han-bin’s party left.

“I see what you’re up to.”

Upon understanding the situation, Leon Hart’s expression became distorted.

“That’s pretty good, Garhan.”

* * *

Dragons from Upper Draconium flew up every day.

And each time, they fell naked.

At first glance, they looked silly, but it was surprisingly effective.

Han-bin’s party had to go out every day to stop them.

After their latest battle, Leon Hart looked gloomy as he returned to his temporary base.

“We’re tied down.”

Unlike ordinary flying monsters, dragons had a very high level, even more than Effir in Wyvern mode.

Their mobility and airspeed might not be able to keep up with her, but their endurance alone was far superior.

If such men were released freely, they would destroy the Southern Allendia Army on the move.

For Allendia, which had relatively few troops, it would be a painful loss.

Therefore, Han-bin’s group set up a separate base near them and flew up from time to time. Thanks to that, Effir’s fatigue decreased significantly.

The problem was, they couldn’t finish hitting the other side of the battlefield since they had themselves chained down.

Looking at the map, Artis shook his head.

“It’s too far.”

That day, the Kaldris and Mado Kingdom armies were heading for Fort Fieldrocks, turning sharply from the north and south, as if birds were spreading their wings.

Meanwhile, the Upper Draconium and Akhtarun Aliens were moving in a straight line from the middle towards the same place.

To hit both sides in that situation, they must first fight the Ancient Dragons in the middle, then fly to the south or the north, and then return before it was too late.

That way, they could prevent enemies from moving the next day again.

“No matter what, Effir, you’ll burn yourself out, right?”

“I’d like to say I’ll hold on with my willpower, but in reality…”

Leon Hart, who was watching the conversation between Ryu Han-bin and Effir, made the decision.

“Let’s bury their feet as we do.”

Regardless, the Allendia army was almost finished gathering. They had achieved enough of their goals.

“There’s a saying that when something is disappointing, it’s time to stop. We don’t have to be too greedy.”

* * *

While Han-bin’s party and the allied detached forces of Ancient Dragons, Kaldris elites, and Aliens tied their feet together, the military movement between the two sides ended.

Seventeen thousand Allendia-Church allies defended Fort Fieldrocks and prepared for a showdown.

Sixty-five thousand Kaldris-Mado Kingdom allies also circled the fort, completing a wide siege.

It was a huge gathering of over 80,000 people.

It was the prelude to a massive battle, rare in Latna’s long history.