Under normal circumstances, a siege battle is an extremely arduous and time-consuming affair.
But for Kriolyov, he knew he only had four days!
That's right. In four days, that steel giant would arrive at Fortress Boen. And once it did, with the overwhelming firepower it had displayed, there would be no possibility of breaking through Boen. Therefore, this four-day window was the only chance!
Kriolyov did not have many good options. Fortunately, although Fortress Boen occupied a position similar to Hulao Pass, it did not possess Hulao Pass's level of fortification. It was merely an ordinary transit military fortress of Herman. Its defensive facilities were insufficient, the walls were neither high nor particularly thick.
Simply put, Boen was more like an upgraded mountain stronghold, still lacking compared to a true border fortress. What Kriolyov had once considered its greatest weakness had now become his only advantage.
If Fortress Boen had been any more formally fortified… then he would have had nothing but despair.
But now, at least there was still a sliver of hope.
"Notify everyone to prepare. From this moment on, I want every unit of the First Legion to launch continuous attacks on Fortress Boen. Do not give them any time to rest. At the same time, detach three thousand men to cross the Cliff Mountain Range and strike from behind, targeting their supply lines! Also, send people to the rear fortress and their—"
At this point, Kriolyov lowered his voice and spoke quietly to Karl for a few more sentences. The adjutant froze for a moment, then nodded.
"I understand, sir."
"Good. Move out."
Time was short and the task urgent, but it was not as though Kriolyov had no plan at all.
Before arriving here, he had studied Fortress Boen in meticulous detail. At that time, he had intended to renovate it to resist the Inquisition. Now that the roles were reversed, that intelligence was still valuable.
First, Fortress Boen itself was small, capable of housing at most 3,000 soldiers. And during this time, the scouts he had sent to the front had not reported any large-scale movement of Fourth Legion troops into Boen. That meant the enemy had likely used a small elite force and some method beyond his imagination to suddenly seize the fortress. Considering that Boen had fallen without even sending out a warning, the attackers must have been highly skilled—but their numbers could not be large!
If that was the case, then use sheer numbers to exhaust them!
Boen's walls were not high. A concentrated barrage of flaming arrows might even set the fortress ablaze outright!
Very quickly, the First Legion began its operation. The first to move were thousands of archers. With flaming arrows in hand, they loosed their volleys toward Fortress Boen. Streaks of fire cut through the sky, arcing toward the fortress!
Kriolyov's thinking was not wrong. The walls of Boen were at most three meters high. They could not withstand large-scale bombardment. If the flaming arrows landed inside and started a massive fire, then no matter how strong the defenders were, they would have no choice but to flee. He did not believe anyone could withstand such an attack!
However…
What happened next left Kriolyov utterly dumbfounded.
He watched the flaming arrows soar into the sky and descend under gravity toward Fortress Boen. And just as they were about to fall—suddenly, above Boen appeared a massive, multicolored, glass-like dome-shaped barrier, blocking the arrows entirely!
"...…???"
Kriolyov stared in confusion, then turned to his adjutant.
"What is that?"
"I think… perhaps magic?"
"Magic can do something like this??"
As Herman's general, Kriolyov was familiar with magic. Mages could indeed cast barrier spells—but their range was limited, and only powerful mages could make them effective. Otherwise, they were useless.
But a barrier covering an entire fortress?
What kind of joke was this?!
"I heard that the Kingdom of Seth sent people to join the Inquisition. Maybe it's their ability?"
"That… seems unlikely. If Seth could do something like this, they wouldn't have nearly been wiped out by the demon army."
Kriolyov shook his head. He had followed Seth's fall a year ago. After all, both were nations directly facing the demon threat. But he was certain Seth had not possessed such capabilities back then. If they had, they would not have suffered such a devastating defeat.
In fact, he was right.
Seth did not have this ability.
But—Manaria did!
As a magical powerhouse, Manaria surpassed Seth by several levels. Indeed, as Kriolyov knew, ordinary mages—even if they could cast barriers—could not create them on a large scale, and they consumed enormous mana. But that limitation applied only to the mages of this world. For Manaria's mages, such protective barriers were basic operations.
When the royal capital of Manaria had once been attacked by the evil dragon Fafnir and slammed headlong into its walls, the barrier had held. That alone showed Manaria's magical mastery.
To put it bluntly, the gap between Manaria and Seth was like that between a full professor and a middle school student.
Seth's mages could rack their brains and never achieve such a barrier. But Anne, Guleya, Hannah, and a few graduates casually put something together—and produced it.
It was only temporary use, after all. Not a permanent installation.
For them, this was about the difficulty of a midterm exam.
But to the people of this world, it was unimaginable.
"I truly can't imagine… that magic could do something like this…"
Standing blankly on the wall, watching the shimmering multicolored barrier above and the flaming arrows stopped outside it, Urzze could not help but sigh. Though she could not use magic herself, as someone from Seth, she understood it well. In Seth, mages were powerful—but they had weaknesses.
Aside from a very few Level 3 mages capable of large-scale attack spells, most could only cast targeted offensive magic, and mostly common spells.
But Manaria's mages had completely overturned Urzze's impression. In their hands, magic was truly ever-changing—like miraculous phenomena beyond comprehension.
And… how should she put it…
Thinking this, Urzze glanced toward the Manaria group nearby.
These mages… well, they were quite individualistic.
"Th-this barrier… is it really okay? Sh-should we r-reinforce it a-a little more…?"
A red-haired girl wearing an enormous witch's hat that nearly swallowed half her body clutched her broom nervously, staring at the battlefield and muttering.
"Relax, Anna."
Beside her, another girl dressed like a stage magician, holding a top hat and cane, giggled.
"It was personally designed by the two princesses. There's definitely no problem."
As she spoke, she flipped her top hat, and a bouquet of flowers popped out, presented to the red-haired witch.
"Here, don't be so nervous. We won't lose!"
"Ah… mm…"
Encouraged, the red-haired girl seemed to relax and nodded.
"No need to worry!"
At that moment, a blonde girl dressed like a noble raised her staff proudly and pointed forward.
"With me, the genius mage Elsa, here! These enemies are nothing before me! If they dare attack, I'll show them how powerful I am!"
"Oh, please."
As the Manaria graduates buzzed with excitement, a blonde woman behind them clapped her hands with a smile.
"This is only the beginning. Don't underestimate the enemy. Don't forget your performance in the last battle wasn't exactly stellar. Don't repeat those mistakes, alright?"
"Ugh… yes, Instructor Milan…"
Meanwhile, realizing arrows were ineffective, Kriolyov knew there was only one option left—
"Advance!"
At the veteran general's command, under covering fire, the First Legion soldiers raised their shields and charged toward the fortress.
Those on the walls naturally saw this.
"Alright then, let's see how long you can hold them off. Who's first?"
"Of course it's me, the genius mage Elsa!"
"Why should you go first? It should be me—Flower Beyond the Heavens—Elena Gloria! Let these people witness my power! Let them know flowers do not bloom only on earth, but shine brilliantly beyond the skies!"
No wonder the girls were so excited. After all, this expedition would be recorded in their graduation evaluations. Who wouldn't want top marks?
Watching their bickering, another girl holding something like a steel flail sighed.
"Whatever you do, please don't damage the fortress again. Repairs are a pain…"
Beside her, several cube-shaped wheeled robots scurried about, patching holes in the walls.
"Sigh…"
Seeing these troublesome students, Milan sighed, then turned to the quiet blonde girl in a silver-gray robe and hood standing nearby.
"You go first. Set an example."
"Yes, Instructor."
The blonde girl nodded and stepped to the edge of the wall. Below, Herman soldiers were already nearing the fortress.
She reached into the basket hanging on her arm and took out a strange box of matches.
The matchboxes were rectangular, each embedded with differently colored gemstones. She took out a single match, gazed at the battlefield ahead, and took a deep breath.
"A perfect illusion can surpass reality… illusions too have life."
As she spoke, she struck the match.
With a flash of flame—
Suddenly, among the advancing Herman army below, countless pitch-black figures appeared!
(End of Chapter)