This is the bonus chapter for reaching 200 Powerstones.
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The Blackstone Fortress drew closer and closer. On the second day, it unleashed a bombardment upon Kasr Kraf.
Inside the walls of Kasr Kraf, every face turned toward the sky, watching the weapon surging with murderous intent.
Illuminated by the cannon fire, the surrounding clouds turned bright, while the falling rain transformed into black asphalt.
Dance stood on the ramparts beside Zeke, facing the colossal beam descending from the sky.
He was reminded of the day he and his father left home; the rain had been just as heavy then.
"We can hold them off, right?" Dance asked, though he didn't know who he was asking.
"Trust the Null Field Matrix," Zeke said, tightening his grip on the blueprint in his hand.
If anything went wrong, he had a backup plan: build a Nether Portal immediately.
He could use the Nether Portal to redirect the bombardment directly into the Nether.
Zeke hadn't tried it before, but there was a high probability it would succeed.
On Dance's chest, a new badge was pinned. In the two days Zeke had been away, Dance had been promoted.
"By the way," Dance mentioned, "you should go see Bela. He's prepared something good for you."
Zeke tried to pry some information out of Dance, but the man's lips were sealed tight; he wouldn't reveal a thing.
"It's a surprise," Dance said, keeping the suspense.
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"Magos Klein, are you certain we can withstand this?" Castellan Creed stood beside Magos Klein, asking the question again and again.
"Trust in the Omnissiah."
"Right, right, trust in the Omnissiah. Of course I believe."
Castellan Creed paced back and forth from one end of the room to the other.
Suddenly, the surroundings went dark. The power in Kasr Kraf was cut. A protective shield rose on the horizon as the Null Field Matrix activated.
The impact of Warp energy exploded above Kasr Kraf, generating a massive cloud of steam, but it failed to penetrate the Null Field Matrix.
"The Null Field Matrix is stable," Magos Klein said, clutching a dataslate. "Though the personnel in the power supply division might feel a bit uncomfortable. Its power consumption is immense."
"Then they'd better get used to it!" Creed shouted excitedly.
"Did you hear that, soldiers? The battle is not over! That cannon could not pierce our defenses! The Despoiler wants to make Cadia kneel—how do we answer him?"
"CADIA STANDS!"
Kell led the shout, and the slogan echoed through every street and alley of the fortress city.
The war had officially begun.
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In the underground strategy room of High Command, Creed leaned over a massive holographic table.
Officers were shouting to one another, the noise incessant.
"The Blackstone Fortress's bombardment failed. The Despoiler will be furious," Creed said, he was now the general commanding the entire board.
"He will send troops to make planetfall. Their primary target will be Kasr Kraf, and they will try every method to destroy our Null Field Matrix."
The hologram displayed the war zone of Kasr Kraf. It was clear enough that even a layman like Zeke could understand it.
There were four directions from which to attack Kasr Kraf: North, South, East, and West.
"The North," an officer spoke up first. "Wolf Lord Bloodhowl's battle-brother, Orven Highfell, is stationed there."
The officers introduced the forces stationed in the four quadrants one by one.
Marshal Amalrich of the Black Templars—the Astartes who had given Zeke the stasis field—was stationed in the East.
Canoness Eleanor was guarding the Shrine of Saint Morrican, incidentally holding the line in the South.
Zeke knew this defense would be arduous, but the victory would definitely belong to them.
In the original lore, Castellan Creed had won this defensive battle through his brilliant command skills.
Now, with Zeke's potions and Golden Apples, this defense would only be easier.
"Castellan Creed, when do you plan to raid the Blackstone Fortress?" This was the only thing Zeke cared about.
"Soon," Castellan Creed replied.
"The more troops the Despoiler deploys to Cadia, the weaker the defenses of the Blackstone Fortress will become. That will be the perfect moment for our all-out attack."
Having received the information he wanted, Zeke turned and left the underground strategy room.
Passing through the underground tunnels, he returned to the camp he had originally built.
Not much had changed; after all, he had only been gone for two or three days.
It was looking more and more like a village, Zeke mused.
Iron Golems patrolled, Cadian soldiers were garrisoned there, and matchbox-style houses and farmland dotted the area.
It was only missing a well to be a carbon copy of an original Minecraft village.
"Hey, isn't that Zeke?" Bela, carrying a crate of cabbages, was the first to recognize him.
Zeke greeted Bela.
After huffing and puffing to move the cabbages to their destination, Bela mysteriously pulled Zeke into a corner.
"So, that Mold Soup I gave you last time—did it come in handy?" Bela asked.
Zeke fell silent. With the Golden Apples, other food items were basically useless to him.
But saying that so bluntly would be a bit too heartbreaking for Bela.
Bela pulled out a jar of yellow, viscous liquid.
"Since you liked the Mold Soup, I figured you must have a special fondness for thick substances. Look, I found another good thing for you."
Zeke took the jar of liquid. It was honey.
Similar to milk, but more specialized—honey could remove the Poison debuff from the body without affecting other status effects.
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Next Goal: 400 Powerstones
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