Chapter 24

The battle begins.

The army of the Demon King of 【Tree】 rushes into my dungeon in a single wave.

In a battle between Demon Kings, the one who shatters the 【Crystal】 first is the victor.

Therefore, it is not wrong to attack as quickly as possible.

...However, it is too straightforward.

The Demon Kings in this world may not be accustomed to 【War】.

The Creator said this world was a failed work. And he does not pay attention to or allocate time to failed works.

For Demon Kings, 【War】 is a very high-risk affair, and it rarely occurs unless the Creator intervenes. If the Creator is not playing with our Demon Kings, it is not unreasonable for him to have little experience in 【War】.

In contrast, although I am a young Demon King, I have been thoroughly toyed with by the Creator, making me well-versed in 【War】.

"Lorono, I entrust you with the first spear."

"Got it, I'll give them a special treat. I'll use the purple and crimson of Launz."

Lorono, the world's best blacksmith and an Elder Dwarf, creates golems. Among them, the ones with top-tier performance are called Avalon Lancers.

Furthermore, there are twelve special units among the Avalon Lancers, which have been specialized in their respective fields, disregarding versatility and cost-effectiveness.

Lorono calls these special units the 【Knights of the Round Table】.

For example, red is designed for ultra-heavy armor, ultra-thrust, and ultra-firepower for assault.

For example, white is designed for ultra-light weight, ultra-air performance, and ultra-precision artillery for aerial combat.

For example, black is designed for ultra-mobility, ultra-versatility, and ultra-intelligence for command.

And so on.

"Come, Atomic Scarlet."

At Lorono's command, the crimson Launz activates. It is more than a size larger than other Avalon Lancers, with a stocky build, giving it a massive impression.

A distinctive feature is the giant missile of the same size as itself mounted on its back.

Crimson specializes in wide-area annihilation.

It has the highest instantaneous magic power output among Launz, along with the mechanisms and strength to withstand it, and the ability to fully control and use the overwhelming output without waste.

This massive build and ultra-heavy armor are not for defense against enemy attacks.

They are to enable the overwhelming magic power output and to withstand the aftermath of its own attacks.

In exchange, its mobility is the lowest, its melee combat ability is non-existent, and its overall performance is inferior to the standard Avalon Lancer.

However, its single attack surpasses everything.

It is a machine that has pushed the limits of wide-area annihilation, discarding everything else.

I don't dislike it.

...And to utilize its power, something is necessary.

"Master, data has been transferred from purple. The enemy is moving according to the standard strategy."

"Indeed, the Demon King of 【Tree】 is too straightforward."

In this context, the standard strategy refers to creating a wide, open space with no obstacles or walls in the first layer, first floor, and sending in a large force.

A wide, open space is advantageous for a large army.

It makes sense to crush a small number of enemies entering from the entrance with a pre-prepared large force.

It's not bad.

But I've seen this standard strategy countless times.

Because I've seen it countless times, I have a counter-strategy.

"Lorono, how long will it take to analyze the data?"

"Another twenty seconds... No, it's fine. There are no units with absorption or reflection abilities. Crimson can annihilate them with a single strike. Recall purple."

Dozens of seconds later, in response to Lorono's words, purple seeps out from the empty space and forms into a mechanical humanoid.

A slim, featureless machine.

This is also a Launz, named Invisible Violet.

Purple's specialized mechanism is stealth and information gathering.

It blocks visible light, emits no heat, has no smell, makes no sound, and does not leak magic power. It is a complete stealth unit.

Its stealth performance is so advanced that it can even nullify the 【Presence Sensing】 ability of monsters, and it is equipped with various excellent sensors.

Purple's role is reconnaissance, to infiltrate undetected and bring back information.

As a 【Contracted Monster】 connected to me, Lorono can analyze the types, stats, and skills of the monsters from the data provided by purple, leaving the enemy completely exposed.

While a wide-area annihilation attack against the enemy's large force is not a bad move, there is something to be cautious about.

There is a risk that we could be annihilated if we make a single mistake.

If there are monsters with invalidation skills for physical or magical attacks, it's still manageable. After all, not all monsters have these skills, and we just need to reduce their numbers.

The dangerous part is if there are monsters with reflection or absorption skills.

To safely launch a wide-area annihilation magic, we need to gather information and ensure it is not counterused.

And that is possible with purple.

Lorono issues commands to crimson based on the data received from purple.

"Crimson Launz, Atomic Scarlet. The element to annihilate them is fire. ...Atomic Buster, prepare to launch in Fire Mode."

At Lorono's command, the crimson Launz glows.

An overwhelming magic power light.

The Burst Drive, a feature only available to machines equipped with Twin Golem Cores, such as the Avalon Lancer.

It can temporarily increase the magic power output by several times.

The magic power output during this period surpasses even S-rank monsters.

The reason crimson is larger is not because of the Twin Golem Core but because it has a Triple Golem Core and one more generator.

Of course, a normal machine would not be able to withstand such magic power, and the magic circuits would burn out instantly.

However, this massive body is equipped with special magic circuits to withstand it... although these magic circuits have various issues due to their robustness.

The response is significantly slower, the weight is much higher, the physical size interferes with joint movement, and the lack of flexibility in operation means it can only use a single pre-programmed magic.

Still, if the goal is to annihilate with a single strike, it is not a problem.

"Every time I see it, the power of crimson is overwhelming."

"Yeah, my masterpiece. It's an ambitious work that pursues the complete annihilation of the enemy, and its flaws are compensated by the other units."

All that overwhelming magic power is being absorbed by the giant missile on its back.

This is the ultimate weapon of Atomic Scarlet, the Atomic Buster.

A fusion of science and magic.

The ultra-powerful weapon is enhanced by the power of magic.

The only magic allowed for Atomic Scarlet is the loading of the Atomic Buster.

It elevates the appropriate attribute for a single strike on the spot.

The options are fire, ice, darkness, light, and none.

This time, fire was chosen.

From the data brought back by purple, it is known that many of the monsters of 【Tree】 are weak against fire.

The data from purple enhances the effectiveness of crimson.

A high-pitched sound begins to resonate from the Atomic Buster on crimson's back.

Loading complete.

"Master, your command."

"Sure. Atomic Scarlet, launch."

The machine responds with a mechanical sound and steps into the enemy dungeon.

"Master, do you want to see the video from Atomic Scarlet?"

"Sure, it sounds interesting. Let me see."

If I enter the dungeon with crimson, there would be no need for such trouble, but unfortunately, its attack is too broad.

The first floor of 【Tree】 is about 90,000 square meters.

...In such a narrow space, it is impossible to avoid being caught in the Atomic Buster.

That's the nature of this weapon.

Lorono operates the device in her hand, and a video is projected in the air.

Now, how will the Demon King of 【Tree】 respond to my first move? Will they suffer great damage without any means to counter, or will they have a response? It will be interesting to see.

◇

A steel giant, glowing crimson, advances.

As soon as it steps onto the floor, the monsters of 【Tree】 waiting there launch a coordinated attack.

Druid-type monsters release wooden arrows and magic, and the face trees use their plant manipulation abilities to make the branches of the trees around crimson attack.

Many earth attribute magic users also launch rocks and iron spears.

However, crimson is not intimidated at all.

Of course not.

Crimson is designed to withstand the aftermath of its own attacks. Compared to this, the attacks are like raindrops.

Crimson continues to activate the Burst Drive even after loading.

It circulates all the magic power through the armor, using it for defense.

Otherwise, it would not be able to withstand the disaster it is about to cause.

...And it begins.

The giant missile on crimson's back, the Atomic Buster, is launched. The boosters ignite, and it rises to near the ceiling.

Then, it plummets straight down to the center of the floor.

The monsters of 【Tree】 deploy multiple anti-magic barriers in a coordinated effort.

Probably as a defense against wide-area magic. They seem to have recognized the risk of concentrating a large force in one place and taken precautions.

However, unfortunately, it is a pure weapon at this point, despite the massive magic power it contains. The effectiveness of anti-magic defense is low.

The overwhelming mass and the thrust of the boosters shatter the barriers like glass, and it buries itself halfway into the ground.

The monsters of 【Tree】 look somewhat relieved at this sight, thinking it is a bluff.

But that is a mistake.

The magic power contained in the Atomic Buster swells to the critical point, and a few seconds later, the annihilation begins.

Blazing light covers everything.

Even the monsters that used defensive skills or magic with caution are meaningless in the face of the blazing light.

The energy difference is too great.

Pouring a bucket of water into the sun would be meaningless.

The base of the Atomic Buster is a small nuclear missile.

Atomic Scarlet is a machine designed to operate a nuclear missile.

The strongest weapon in history, the forbidden invention, devours everything.

And a different color mixes with the nuclear light.

It is the light of magic, the magic power loaded by the Triple Golem Core's Burst Drive, which has partially transformed the nuclear light into fire magic.

It is not fully transformed to ensure the annihilation of many monsters.

To achieve simultaneous physical and magical attacks, the magic transformation is deliberately limited to 30%.

There are monsters that are immune to physical attacks and those that are immune to magical attacks, but there are almost none that have both.

In fact, after the light of destruction passes, only Atomic Scarlet remains standing.

"...The destructive power is as strong as ever."

"Yeah, nuclear is powerful."

When Lorono created a nuclear missile, I was troubled about what to do, but in the battles I have fought so far, there were times when I would have lost without it.

So, I am now using it without hesitation.

"How many Atomic Busters are left?"

"Two more. The next one can probably be launched, but the one after that is questionable. No matter how many Atomic Busters there are, Atomic Scarlet cannot withstand it."

The data of Atomic Scarlet is displayed.

Even with its heavy armor and the Triple Golem Core's Burst Drive to protect itself, most of the armor has fallen off, and the internal mechanisms have been damaged.

Atomic Scarlet purges its armor.

It was already assumed that it could not withstand the aftermath of the nuclear explosion. It is designed to change armor after each launch.

The power of the nuclear explosion is beyond the norm.

The damage to the internal mechanisms, which could not be defended, is also significant. Fortunately, the generator and magic circuits are intact, but launching the second one will likely damage one of them. The third one is not possible.

One Atomic Buster remains. I need to choose the right moment to use it carefully.

"Well, let's go. The path is clear."

The enemy's large force has been burned away. We can advance with ease.

And I have shown them this. The Demon King of 【Tree】 cannot concentrate a large force in one place in this war.

After all, they do not know that I can only use the Atomic Buster one more time. They must assume that concentrating a large force will result in immediate annihilation.

This is equivalent to sealing the advantage of numbers.

Revealing a trump card right away is a bit wasteful, but if it can seal the enemy's numerical advantage here, it is worth it.

In battles with small numbers, my 【Contracted Monsters】 and Launz will not fall behind. I can advance while surely defeating them one by one.

This is my standard strategy, the optimal solution I have learned from numerous battles.

"Hey, next it's Quina's turn to shine!"

"Quina, don't forget the plan. Your role is to crush their ace, so you need to conserve your strength."

"Aww, that's a shame."

"The grunts, Lorono and I will take care of. Let's go."

Lorono leads the Launz, walking at the front.

She looks proud, having performed well.

The Launz are not just crimson and purple. There are ten more. Each of them is a masterpiece of Lorono's, with abilities comparable to crimson and purple.

This 【War】 might be decided by the Launz alone.

...By the way, how is the defense?

Ciel is there, so she will probably do well.

She is the disciple of everyone in Avalon.

Having been trained by Duke, her tactics are sharp. That's why I can entrust the defense to her with peace of mind.