Alarms roared as distant explosions shook the capital.
Below, on the surface, the Crimson Army was causing terror unlike anything seen before. Their swords cut through everything in their path as though it were paper, while their shields blocked every form of magic thrown at them. The Arcane Knights' Pistons were made from highly compressed mana and Ether—the life energy of spirits—yet even they couldn't make a dent.
Compared to their earlier attack, this was completely different.
The Crimson Army was far stronger than before.
Then, they suddenly began releasing their skills.
The soldiers at the front released a barrier that surrounded everything within a three-mile radius. Anyone caught within it would ignite from the inside out, and the Arcane Knights were no exception. The moment they entered the barrier, their bodies were engulfed in flames. Some died instantly, while others remained alive, forced to endure the agony of being burned.
Yet their armor remained completely intact.
Meanwhile, the soldiers at the rear created multiple spears of flame in the sky. Whenever the Arcane Knights attempted to approach the barrier, the soldiers would release one, sending it toward them at incredible speed. Any knight who failed to evade was impaled instantly.
So, the Arcane Knights decided to use the Sky Lancers.
The Sky Lancers were narrow airships with pointed noses, swept-back wings, and angular defense frames.
The Arcane Knights took their positions, and once they received the signal from the forces below, they launched their missiles toward the Crimson Army. Wind magic powered the missiles, allowing them to accelerate rapidly, while the fire magic contained within them spread farther upon impact, increasing their effective range.
Unfortunately, it failed.
As soon as the missiles entered the barrier, they froze in midair.
Then, they turned.
And were fired straight back.
The very missiles meant for the Crimson Army were now being used against the Arcane Knights.
It was a perfect defense.
Anyone who tried to approach the Crimson Army would be killed by the spears or the barrier. Even those who managed to evade the spears would eventually be caught by the flames. And any attack launched from outside the barrier could simply be redirected back at its attackers.
Magic attacks and physical attacks were both rendered useless against them.
When the Arcane Knights realized this, they immediately pulled back.
Attempting another attack without a proper plan would be foolish.
They contacted their commander.
---
Commander Reinhardt watched the battle from the Command Bridge of the Aether Ark.
The Crimson Army's advance was nothing like before.
But it also proved his theory correct.
They truly were sentient.
How else could they coordinate their attacks so effectively?
Yet as he watched their onslaught, another possibility entered his mind.
Not a single one of them had moved before now.
He had assumed they simply wanted to remain still, but he had never considered a much simpler possibility.
One so simple that it should have been obvious from the start.
They were being controlled.
Even if they weren't being directly controlled, they could still be receiving orders from someone.
But the question remained:
Who?
At this point, however, it didn't matter.
Whether they were being controlled or were truly sentient, the result was the same. They were destroying everything in their path.
And Reinhardt knew he had made a mistake.
He had been too reckless.
Too impatient.
As a commander, it was his responsibility to determine the best course of action, yet he had overlooked a single possibility—and that mistake had led to all of this.
Even if the Crimson Army's rampage wasn't caused by him, it was still his fault they were here. He should have destroyed them when he had the chance.
Reinhardt raised his head. With his eyes fixed on the battlefield, he spoke directly to the core of the Aether Ark.
"System Command: Charge Halo Cannon."
The Aether Ark responded. From the back of the ship, a low humming sound could be heard.
---
Magister Julius was quickly leading every civilian he encountered toward the Valkyrie Dropships.
They were airships originally designed to transport cargo, but under the circumstances, they could easily be repurposed to evacuate civilians.
"Save as many people as you can."
Those were the words Commander Reinhardt had given Julius. Of course, Julius intended to do exactly that. But there had been something in Reinhardt's voice that worried him. It was as though the Commander was planning something.
Something big.
Julius pushed the thought aside and continued his evacuation.
He had been given an access key that allowed him to pilot the Valkyrie Dropships remotely, making it much easier to move civilians throughout the capital.
His students were already safely aboard the Aether Ark.
As long as they were there, he could focus entirely on saving everyone else.
More than ten minutes had passed since the Commander gave him his orders.
In that time, Julius had managed to evacuate roughly ninety percent of the population.
Under normal circumstances, evacuating an entire city would have taken days. But thanks to the Crimson Army's attack, only around three thousand people remained.
A tragedy indeed.
One by one, they boarded the Valkyrie Dropships. Once the final civilians were aboard, Julius gave the command.
The engines roared to life.
The Valkyrie Dropships shot into the sky and raced back toward the Aether Ark at lightning speed.
The remainder of the Arcane Knights, along with the pilots of the Sky Lancers, immediately returned to the Aether Ark.
What remained behind was a scorched capital, with an advancing army of crimson marching straight toward them.
Magister Julius wasted no time and hurried back toward the Command Bridge.
Whatever was about to happen, he would rather witness it than be caught in the middle of it.
Once he reached the Gravity Gates—the same gates through which the Sky Lancers and Valkyrie Dropships had been deployed—a blue light began to spread across their surface.
Then, without warning, the gates closed.
---
Across the enormous hull, concealed mechanisms began to unfold. Sections of the Ark's elegant armor separated, revealing a massive circular structure buried deep within its nose.
Blue-white light spread across the ship as enormous quantities of Ether were drawn toward the cannon. The air itself seemed to distort around it, while countless strands of light converged toward a single point at the front of the weapon.
This was the Halo Rail Cannon. The most powerful Spirit weapon to ever exist. Processed Ether did not affect the Crimson Army.
So what about raw, unfiltered Ether?
A colossal magic circle formed before the Ark.
It was unlike any spell ever witnessed in the history of Selene.
Hundreds of runes were floating around. Rearranging themselves to find the perfect sequence.
Once they did, another circle was formed. Layers upon layers of geometric circles were formed, each rotating at a different speed until finally—
"Halo Rail Cannon, Charged!"
The circles completed together, forming one highly compressed magic circle packed to the brim with Ether.
"Halo Rail Cannon, Fire!"
As soon as Commander Reinhardt gave the command, a beam of concentrated Ether was released.
It tore through the sky like a falling star, illuminating the clouds for miles and the compressed Ether made its way towards the Crimson Army.