"This war! it seems we have lost it!" The Count muttered, succumbing to a profound sense of hopelessness.
The reason for Count Philip, a 5-star aura knight, to exhibit such behavior stems from the formidable weapon known as the Magic Artillery. This colossal machine, typically reserved for wars between large kingdoms and empires, indicated Count Philip's grave intent by being deployed against a mere county. The immense value of Antinia City as a trade hub for the empire underscored the seriousness of the situation.
The Magic Artillery could breach most castle walls with just five attacks, making victory seemingly impossible for the count. Only a mage with exceptional range and attack power could neutralize it before it compromised the defensive walls. While kingdoms and empires had numerous mages in their armies for such defense, the unique circumstances of this war presented a challenge.
In a smaller kingdom like Vradel, a noble of Count rank struggled to secure the services of a mage of sufficient caliber. Elite mages were typically enlisted in the royal army or on the front lines, leaving Count Philip without the means to protect himself from the impending artillery assault.
"Hey Adrian, why the frown? Didn't you used to obliterate that toy with a simple fireball in your past life?" Demios questioned, noticing the concern on Adrian's face.
"I was a grand 11th-rank mage at that time, and now..." Adrian began, "Now, I haven't even reached the 1st rank."
"What? But why? Why haven't you been advancing in mage rank? And can't you achieve at least the 2nd rank in less than an hour if you do it now? With your talent and magical experience, you could probably dismantle that thing with a 2-tier magic easily," Demios voiced his confusion, eager for answers.
"You recall my greatest regret from my past life?" Adrian asked.
"Yes, wasn't it that you..." Demios paused, realizing the underlying reason behind Adrian's choices.
"Yes, my greatest regret was advancing my magic circles too rapidly. When I discovered that a human's heart could be replaced with a dragon's, my biggest remorse was not replacing my heart with a dragon's, especially as I faced death by poison.
If I had a dragon's heart, my mana capacity would have increased significantly, and I wouldn't have succumbed to that poison. The dragon heart would have resisted the poison with the help of mana, and most importantly, my magic would have become even more potent.
So, I decided to first replace my heart with a dragon's and then focus on developing my magic in this life," Adrian explained.
"Alright! Then, Shouldn't we just abandon this count and escape?" Demios suggested.
"No, that won't work. I need his assistance to gain admission to the Nexus Academy," Adrian replied.
"So, do you have any other plan to turn this situation around?" Demios inquired.
"Well, I don't have a plan, but there's someone who can help," a smile crossed Adrian's face as he spoke.
"Huh? Who?" Demios asked, his confusion evident as he had no idea whom Adrian was referring to.
"Raidon! I know you are listening to me. I understand that you have only permitted me to access a fraction of your power, and currently, you don't acknowledge me as your master. I propose a deal. Utilize your power just this once to dismantle that artillery, and I promise to secure another Primordial Origin Elemental Stone within the next year," Adrian shouted, seemingly addressing himself.
"Huh? Who is Raidon, and where is he listening from?" Demios questioned, a mixture of panic and confusion on his face. He hadn't detected anyone eavesdropping on their conversation, and if that individual possessed the ability to conceal themselves from his senses, they must be at least of a demon king's caliber.
While Demios was engrossed in his thoughts, a sound reverberated across the war zone – the ominous rumbling of thunder, a precursor to lightning and rain. The clear sky became shrouded in dark clouds as thunder echoed, and lightning crackled in the heavens. Everyone, bewildered by the abrupt change in the sky, turned their gaze upward as a massive lightning bolt struck the magic artillery, causing visible damage despite the timely activation of magic barriers.
"Thank goodness, the damage isn't too severe. It can still function until the walls are breached," Count Phillip muttered after assessing the artillery's condition.
But However, Count Phillip's gratitude was premature, as two more lightning strikes followed, rendering the artillery completely inoperative. But that was only the start as two additional strikes struck the same spot until nothing remained.
The colossal artillery vaporized before everyone's eyes. Yet, this wasn't the end, as small sparks materialized in the air, electrocuting Count Philip's army. The shock incapacitated troops below the 3-star level, leaving them unconscious and unable to fight for a considerable period. Count Philip's army was reduced to only 300 3-star knights, with the two Vice-captains, the captain, and Count Philip himself left standing.
"W-what just happened?" both Count Nadino and Philip exclaimed, voicing the same question with opposing emotions.
"Which god did they pray to, for this to happen?" Count Philip remarked, finding the situation absurd. He had abruptly shifted from a winning position to a losing one in the war that had seemed easy to conquer moments ago.
"Lord Philip, I don't think we can win now considering they only need to defend against us with a superior number of troops," the captain of Philip's army reported.
"But I can't prolong this war for too long. I've taken a substantial loan from the gold bank to rent that magic artillery, and now all the funds I had will be exhausted to cover it," Count Philip shared, his expression betraying panic.
"Sir, only we know that you can't prolong this war; the enemy doesn't. Therefore, I propose we send them a request to settle the outcome of this war through a 1 vs. 1 duel. They are likely to accept this offer, thinking we can resume attacking them once our soldiers recover," the captain suggested.
"Good Idea!" Count Philip praised before ordering "Send them the request for the duel now! I shall hire a ranker to fight the duel so that my chances of victory can be even better" a conniving smile appeared on the count's face.
On Antinia Castle, there was a cheerful environment contrary to the solemn environment that was on Count Philip's side.
"Looks like god took pity on us and punished those bastards for their greed" A soldier shouted.
"Now we have a chance at defeating those bastards" added another soldier.
"Let's not grow complacent; remain vigilant and prepared for battle. They may launch a surprise attack at full strength," cautioned Tauras, urging everyone to stay on guard.
Amidst the reactions and discussions, the Person responsible for the commotion was gazing at the sky with a contented smile.
"Thank you Raidon! I will uphold my end of the deal!" Adrian muttered as his vision blurred, succumbing to unconsciousness.