“Activate the Fortress!”

Kim Songcheol shouted, using amplification magic as planned.

The Emperor’s voice echoed throughout the entire Fortress.

Even those who didn’t know the Emperor had come to the Fortress immediately stood up upon hearing his voice.

No one would play a trick in such a critical situation.

This was clearly an order from the Emperor.

“Go down to the magic power core!”

“It’s His Majesty the Emperor’s command!”

The entire Fortress began to bustle.

Everyone had been unaware of the Emperor’s fate.

But now the Emperor had safely arrived at the Fortress.

This was a signal of hope.

The rebels’ ultimate enemy and the Emperor’s ultimate stronghold.

The Emperor’s survival was the turning point that would decide everything.

Not only the mages in charge of the magic power core, but all mages with relevant knowledge headed to the underground magic power core.

Hades Fortress’s reputation wasn’t solely due to its location nestled deep in a mountain valley.

The barrier covering the entire Fortress.

The ‘Perial Shield’ was the key.

In the center of the large underground space, a blue mana stone floated.

Unless another mana stone of this size is discovered on the continent, the Perial Shield would be unique.

Around the magic power core, not only the floor but also the walls and ceiling were all inscribed with magic circles.

It was truly a massive spell.

The mages infused mana into the mana stone while activating various magic circles.

Whoosh!

The light emitted from the mana stone raced through the cracks carved into the walls, and instantly, all the surrounding magic circles were filled.

A blue light emanated from the gigantic mana stone, and from its center, a transparent, colorful sphere expanded.

The sphere continued to extend beyond the ground and towards the sky.

Whoooosh!

A point higher than the tallest tower of the Fortress.

The sphere rose to that height, forming a pentagon at each point.

A large, five-colored sphere made of pentagons enveloped the Fortress.

“Perial Shield activation complete! Adjusting to 70% operational capacity! Report to His Imperial Majesty!”

The project leader of the Perial Shield, a middle-aged Mage, shouted.

He was continuously infusing Mana next to the Mana Stone, controlling the Magic Formula.

Additionally, six more Mages were assisting.

The fuel was this large Magic stone. Their role was to control the output.

The Perial Shield has three effects: magical blocking, physical blocking, and spatial blocking.

Though unseen, the Perial Shield extended underground.

Even if tunnels were dug, one could not enter.

There is only one way to enter the Fortress protected by the Perial Shield.

That is by using the Teleportation Site located in the center of the Fortress.

However, this is truly the heart of the Fortress, and its use is limited to about 10 people.

As it was the only passage, the security was immense, making it easy for even an Emperor entering as an enemy to be overwhelmed by concentrated fire.

Kim Songcheol stood on the High Terrace of Hades Fortress, observing the scene.

There was no railing; it was just a rounded space extended forward.

It was directly connected to the Emperor’s private quarters within the Fortress, a place where both the internal situation of the Fortress and the view outside could be seen at a glance.

The height was about 30 meters from the ground.

It was the height of a 10-story apartment.

“They must have done something by now, right?”

Kim Songcheol, with the Emperor’s appearance and voice, quietly said to Marquis Sigon.

“They would have either sent a message that His Imperial Majesty had arrived, or he would have escaped directly.”

The reason for shouting loudly enough for the entire Fortress to hear was to inform the spies that the Emperor had arrived alive.

Hades Fortress was considered one of the likely candidates for the Emperor’s refuge, so it was assumed there would naturally be spies.

It was a strategy to use this to completely draw the attention of the Rebels to Hades Fortress.

“Command everyone to gather in the Fortress Plaza.”

Duke Dorabin’s instruction came in.

“Those who follow me, come to the Fortress Plaza!”

Following that, the Emperor’s voice once again echoed throughout the entire Fortress.

They emerged from buildings, rose from underground, descended from watchtowers, and appeared from somewhere else.

All the Imperial Mages scattered throughout the Fortress revealed themselves.

Everyone, except for the key personnel operating the Shield, gathered at Kim Songcheol’s feet.

The number was approximately 700.

Compared to the size of the Empire, it was a small number, but it was by no means a force to be underestimated.

As Arcadia is a world of Magic, a 6th Circle is generally the minimum to be considered combat personnel.

Those 700 people were 700 Mages of 6th Circle or higher.

They all looked up at the Emperor with determined eyes.

Their will to fight to the end, their anger towards the Rebels, and their loyalty to the Emperor were all palpable.

“Unqualified individuals have seized the Capital City and are threatening the throne.”

“Unqualified individuals have seized the Capital City and are threatening the throne!”

Kim Songcheol delivered the speech as dictated by Duke Dorabin.

A powerful aura of Sanggis suppressed the audience, and a majestic voice spread throughout.

Then, the Mages, without resisting the Sanggis, one by one, prostrated themselves on the ground.

They knelt, neatly placed their hands together in front of them, and rested their foreheads on the back of their hands.

It was the highest form of respect and a symbol of loyalty.

“Fight! Follow me! I will lead you to the New World!”

Kim Songcheol shouted loudly once, then divided his troops and deployed them throughout the Fortress.

Naturally, this was according to Duke Dorabin’s coaching.

By the Emperor’s command, the Mages climbed the Castle walls and prepared for the impending enemy air raid.

Tension filled the entire Fortress, and the will to fight shimmered visibly.

However.

Despite the Emperor’s powerful speech, the Rebels strangely did not appear by sunset.

Thus, a day passed.

He had earned 25 million Points with just a few words.

‘Isn’t this too easy…?’

Kim Songcheol stood on the High Terrace, feeling rather refreshed in many ways.

To demonstrate the Emperor’s continued vigor and to boost the morale of the troops, the Emperor must constantly appear on this Terrace.

Since it was part of the request, Kim Songcheol stood on the Terrace without complaint, showcasing his powerful Sanggis.

With no enemies appearing, the Fortress was incredibly quiet.

Kim Songcheol subtly lowered his gaze.

The Emperor’s Mages were guarding the Fortress in the same manner as before they went to sleep.

Their determined appearance was reassuring.

‘Their loyalty is quite strong.’

After observing for a day, the loyalty of the Emperor’s Mages to the Emperor was beyond that of a military official relationship.

It felt somewhat like a religion.

When he went on inspection to further boost morale after deploying the troops, there were even Mages who showed loyalty bordering on fanaticism.

This led to a question.

If the Emperor held such a tight grip on the Bormil Empire, why did the rebellion occur?

“The Mages’ loyalty is high.”

Kim Songcheol quietly said to Marquis Sigon and Duke Dorabin, who stood behind him like shadows.

“Yes. His Majesty the Emperor is the light of Bormil.”

Marquis Sigon replied.

“Is there some special meaning to it? It doesn’t seem like ordinary loyalty.”

“That is…”

While Marquis Sigon hesitated for a moment, Duke Dorabin stepped forward.

“The Emperor is the one who interpreted the magic left by the Great Sage and will guide all the Empire’s people to the New World he reached. It is a place without pain or worries.”

“The magic left by the Great Sage?”

“Yes, it is the unique Tenth Circle Magic. If only that is perfected… then all the people of the Bormil Empire will be saved.”

“Tenth Circle Magic…?”

As far as Kim Songcheol knew, Third Tier Magic ended at the Ninth Circle.

However, he couldn’t dismiss Duke Dorabin’s words as nonsense.

At least, traditional Third Tier Magic was Arcadia’s specialty.

‘What is it?’

Kim Songcheol felt a strong premonition along with his curiosity.

If the Rebels succeeded in their rebellion.

That is, if they couldn’t hold out for five days, or if the true Emperor died, there would be no chance to even see Tenth Circle Magic in the future.

And another question arose.

If the Emperor was truly a ‘beacon’ as he said, then what kind of beings were the Rebels?

“Then the Rebels are… hmm?”

It was then.

Beyond the vast open field in front of the Fortress, something twinkled.

It was too far to see clearly, but he could tell that lights were flashing.

“What is that…?”

As Kim Songcheol pointed to the distance.

“Ah, that’s the Rebels’ teleportation. Teleportation is most vulnerable immediately after arrival, so it’s standard practice to arrive far away and then travel by land. Please give the command to prepare for battle.”

Duke Dorabin said quickly.

Kim Songcheol gave the command to prepare for battle, and a loud bell rang throughout the Fortress.

It was the bell announcing the enemy’s attack.

Troops on the castle walls were reinforced, and Mages of Eighth Circle and above went up to the watchtowers separately.

The enemies, clad in defensive magic, slowly approached the Fortress.

The enemy’s numbers were approximately 1,000. It wasn’t as many as expected.

The enemies stopped in the open field in front of the Fortress. The distance from the Fortress was about 300 meters.

It was the moment the enemies moved left and right, widening the distance.

A large light burst from the ground, and something like a large cannon appeared.

The barrel alone, made of metal, looked like it was 10 meters long.

It was a siege weapon that looked like a large pistol stuck in the ground.

“No…?”

The moment Duke Dorabin was flustered by the sight.

A yellow light seemed to gather at the entrance of the siege weapon, and then, with an immense flash of light, a massive beam of light shot towards Hades Fortress.

Kwagagagak!

The Perial Shield and the beam of light collided, and the entire Fortress shook violently.

The entire Perial Shield vibrated wildly, then with a loud crack, a huge fissure appeared.

…Huh?

Kim Songcheol swallowed hard, suppressing the groan that threatened to escape his lips.

To think it would crack in one hit.

Doesn’t that mean it will break soon?

Contrary to Kim Songcheol’s concern, the fissure in the Perial Shield slowly began to repair itself as soon as the beam of light fired from the siege weapon completely dispersed.

They had some countermeasures in place.

Siege weapon Typhon… I’m sure the blueprints were supposed to have been destroyed…?

Duke Dorabin’s trembling voice leaked out.

Typhon was a magic engineering siege weapon designed by the Bormil Empire’s best magic engineer.

However, it was also an ill-fated weapon that was discarded because its power was too immense.

To put it simply, the power of Typhon was simply not needed.

At that time, the Perial Shield was already applied to Hades Fortress, and this Perial Shield was, then as now, the most powerful defensive measure on the continent.

Since the Bormil Empire was the only one with this powerful defensive measure, they could attack other castles with siege weapons of a lower level than Typhon.

So, Typhon was naturally discarded.

There was no need for me to create a spear that could pierce the shield I possessed.

Normally, how do you deal with situations like this?

The distance was a bit too far to exchange magic.

Currently, Typhon was unilaterally striking the Perial Shield.

Even now, Typhon was once again preparing its follow-up attack, emitting a yellow light.

In siege combat methods, the best way to deal with this is to break the opponent’s defensive magic with powerful magic, but…

Duke Dorabin trailed off. Everyone except the mage operating Typhon was currently concentrating on defensive magic.

Normally, in battles without such asymmetrical siege weapons, victory or defeat is determined by factors such as the ratio of defensive magic to offensive magic, or the mages’ capabilities, but now the situation was a bit different.

Everyone was casting defensive magic against just one siege weapon.

A defensive spell cast by 1,000 people was impossible for even Kim Songcheol to break through.

Normally, what about close combat?

Close combat, you say?

Fighting in a tangled mess… something like that.

Such fights are rarely done. Unless it’s a special case.

Is that so? Hmm, I guess I’ll have to earn my keep.

Kim Songcheol secretly went to the back, changed into a normal robe, and used Blink to exit the Fortress.

He couldn’t risk revealing Sanggis, so he simply pulled the robe deeply over his face, keeping his eyes closed.

The rebels were in front of the Fortress, and Kim Songcheol appeared to their side.

Kim Songcheol, with his eyes closed, pinpointed the location using sensory perception, then approached with Blink.

Flash!

The travel distance was short, but the travel speed was considerable.

He quickly closed the distance and appeared near the Mages controlling Typhon.

The Electric Shock of Thunder Control was unleashed in that state.

Rupture crackle crackle crackle!!!

Red Electric Shock spread in all directions, completely incinerating the Mages nearby.

The Rebels’ attention finally concentrated on Typhon.

But Kim Songcheol was no longer there.

He unleashed Electric Shock and tore through everything with incredibly fast Blinks.

Each time he unleashed Electric Shock, dozens of people were swept away.

The Rebels couldn’t keep up with Kim Songcheol’s movements.

From the beginning, the Mages’ dynamic vision wasn’t that good.