Inside, the Copperhaven knights who were preparing to depart fell silent at the sight of the iron Construct in front of the gate. It could be seen that the floor was shattered from it, with some hot steam rising from the holes created. They drew their swords, but before they could strike, Ailord had already leaped high and slammed the garage surface hard enough to make the entire ship tremble violently.
Alarms started ringing accompanied by flashing red lights.
More knights headed towards the hangar, five of them aiming rifles from the upper floor with fingers ready on the triggers. The knights ran towards him, using their skills to create a sword energy that only ended up damaging the hangar even more because Ailord easily dodged each of those attacks. They did not expect that a Construct could move as nimbly as the elves, underestimating it because they had new weapons that had given them victories.
The glowing orange gaze from the iron Construct seemed to say, not today, bastard.
It stepped forward, once again shaking the airship and destroying a row of Homas until a big explosion occurred. Thick smoke filled the room, obstructing the rifle knights' vision. They could only catch glimpses of its movement, but with the smoke and fire making their eyes dry, their reactions were slower, especially since this was their first time using rifles in a battlefield.
The trigger was pulled, creating a new explosion not far below with their comrades' bodies torn into several pieces. But there was no sign of the iron Construct.
They hurriedly reloaded, grabbing ammunition with trembling hands, and just as their rifles were ready to use, Ailord suddenly appeared in front of them. The iron Construct landed, causing the second floor to tilt under its weight, and they lost their balance. One of them accidentally pulled the trigger, blowing a big hole in the hangar ceiling.
Ailord threw them out, letting gravity decide the fate of the five. "First a Construct, second an airship, and now a rifle," Ailord said while observing the rifle that had slipped from one of the knights' hands. He picked it up, examining its shape resembling a bolt-action rifle in dark brown with blue mana visible flowing on the left and right sides, within thick glass with white iron bars.
He dropped it again, looked at the copper door in front, and slammed the door until it crashed into the wall. Several knights were seen there, swords in hand, with faces ready to embrace death.
They shouted, charging at the iron Construct. It didn't take long before the entire room was adorned with splashes of blood.
Ailord jumped, crashing into the control room that appeared quite spacious. Many people were there, running around trying to control the ship. The scene was similar to that inside the Commander's ship. However, upon realizing that the iron Construct was now at the door, they fell silent, no longer making a sound. No one knew what to do, given that they wore no armor, just uniforms, armed with swords at their hips.
If the five provided rifles couldn't stop it, then swords were even more useless against it. All they could do was silently watch the iron Construct leap down with the same tremor occurring again, making them realize that all this time, the tremors had not come from the knights' attacks but from the terrifying figure before them.
Ahead, the kingdom's walls were already visible, where Glok and the others still appeared like tiny creatures. In a few minutes, this airship would arrive, but would it crash into the magic dome or hover in place to deploy troops?
That was what Ailord wanted to know.
"Tell me, where is your Commander's airship?" he asked, turning around, observing the crew who continued to watch him without averting their gaze.
No one answered, remaining silent in place while glancing at a woman in the same uniform but with two white stripes on her sleeves. She sighed deeply, lifted her head, and replied, "We won't tell you. It's far better for you to take our lives than—"
"Than betray Copperhaven," Ailord interrupted. "I already know. So loyal, but so foolish. Risking your lives for a kingdom that will only bring trouble for the human race. While the kingdom itself doesn't care about the lives of its soldiers." He chuckled, walking over to one of the panels, reading the information there, and a grin formed. "Oh, an airship system? Using steam... Magic... Mana Stone?" he said as he continued reading, then typed a few words. "You want to commit suicide, don't you? Go ahead, jump out of the ship or do whatever you want. I can find information about the Commander's ship."
Suddenly, the crew jumped at him, trying to push him away from there. They drew their swords only to find their blades shattering upon hitting the Walker's body. Ailord grabbed them one by one and threw them out the window along with the shards of glass.
"I was just pretending, who would have thought the information was actually on this ship."
Hearing this, the crew no longer held back.
They ran towards him, swords raised high, and attack after attack ensued. Ailord, as usual, dodged them all with ease while killing them until only the woman remained. She looked left and right, finding her crew dead within seconds. The people who were so close and always together since they began training were now lifeless.
"YOU ARE A CONSTRUCT! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS!? WHO IS YOUR MASTER?" she screamed in anger, veins bulging on her forehead as if they would burst out.
"Master?" Ailord chuckled. "I'm not a Construct; I call it an Armored Suit, Walker Version 1. And for your information, I am human." He reached for his helmet, opening it briefly, enjoying the woman's disbelieving face before putting it back on. "Why? Did you think only you had advanced technology?" He approached her, each heavy step making her heart race faster. "Let me tell you, from now on, Copperhaven will face a tougher, harder, and certainly stronger opponent. Say hello to those who meet you in the afterlife."
She screamed, gathering a large amount of mana only to be thrown out of the window like the rest of the crew.
Ailord then approached the control panel again, typing a few words and wondering how he could understand this language he had never studied before. The strange characters seemed like the first language he had learned as a child and used ever since.
He set aside the thought, focusing on finding information that might help them in facing Copperhaven next. He recorded all the information, including data on Constructs, weapons, and their war vehicles. It took more than 30 seconds to record all the data, surprising him because Copperhaven had so much military power that should have come from Earth. He even found some things that would only be found in science fiction stories and seemed impossible to create in a magical world. But somehow, they managed to create them.
If this information is one hundred percent accurate, then the continent is in great danger.
"No wonder Copperhaven is so confident. They've been preparing this for a long time. But the information says they plan to attack within three months from now. What made them change their plans?" Ailord wondered, but realized that he still didn't know much about this world and it was far better to discuss it with the others.
He hurried to the engine room after obtaining the airship's schematics, where a Mana Stone was stored. If they added the Mana Stones from all five Commander's airship, they would have six High Rank Mana Stones, abbreviated as Hi-Stones. Ailord hoped that the Mana Stones in the four airships were not damaged, as losing them would be a significant setback. Not only would Veyrain benefit from it, but his points could also increase.
Inside, the room was already filled with hot steam, causing his slightly numb body to feel painful, especially in the damaged parts. He needed to move quickly before getting burned.
Ailord continued moving forward, approaching a large glass cylinder with thick copper covering the top and bottom. Large pipes spread from it, reaching every part of the ship, which he was sure was to channel mana. Inside the glass cylinder was a large stone formed from clusters of bright blue rectangles. Its height of one and a half meters was proof that this stone was a Hi-Stone, with a deep blue color resembling the ocean.
He shattered the cylinder, pulling out the Mana Stone, which immediately caused the lights on the ship to go out. Instantly, the ship tilted forward, throwing Ailord against the wall. He grimaced in pain, gathered energy in his hand, and smashed through the wall. The sound of strong winds accompanied by a blinding light filled the room before it was replaced by the view of a vast golden forest stretching as far as the eye could see. It was clear from there that the ship was plummeting downward.
Ailord jumped out, clutching the Mana Stone while watching the airship he had just been on continue its descent, drawing closer to the ground. However, before he could see the ship crash, he had already reached the ground first, creating a powerful tremor accompanied by a thick cloud of dust.
The sounds of battle were clearly audible not far ahead, along with the rage of the Elven's Heart still ravaging the land with their roots.
Ailord hurried to higher ground, wanting to see the scene, and fell silent when he found the sight he had always witnessed on screen now clearly visible before his eyes. Within ten seconds, the airship crashed into the magic dome, causing a massive explosion that sent strong winds blowing.