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Necromancers could not only control dirt and build golems, but also had the ability to take control of undead monsters. All of the skeletons from the block had been taken over in that way and brought to that room, which was why Mira did not encounter a single one.
「Only he could gather such a large number.」
Mira looked up at the person standing atop one of the forts. A man riding on a bicorn with a broken horn. He was the only person in that battlefield, and there were next to no necromancers with such power. Even from afar he looked like the ideal cool and edgy guy a teenager would think of, which overlapped with the figure of Soul Howl that Mira remembered.
She was more than certain that it was him, both his appearance and power were proof enough.
It was a relief to finally find him, but then she looked down again, wondering what to do about the battlefield spreading in front of her.
The cannons fired in a certain direction, the same the skeletons faced. Further ahead there was a figure Mira remembered vividly, Machina Guardian. The mechanical enemy, around fifty meters in length, moved around like a monstrous spider.
Many skeletons shattered every time Machina Guardian swung its limbs. But then the golems would jump onto the limbs to hold them still before bursting into flames. It was a Necromancy Art Mira knew very well, Burial Skill: Ring of Purgatory.
(But that only cracked the outer shell a little. This monster really is on a different level.)
The Burial Skill’s damage scaled with the size of the golem. There were no regular monsters that could survive multiple four meter tall golems using it at once. But it only did some superficial damage to Machina Guardian.
The boss did not pay any attention to that, merely focusing on smashing more skeletons. A moment later the cannons thundered again and multiple cannonballs were shot.
A red line was drawn in the air by them before exploding on hit. They clearly were powerful cannons, and the skeletons and golems cooperated perfectly. It was a really smooth operation overall.
But not even that was enough to contain Machina Guardian, the mechanical limbs continuously swinging against the skeletons and golems through the exploding cannonballs.
The golems, cannons, and skeletons promptly went back to formation and repeated the attacks on Machina Guardian.
Anyone who saw that would think that it was a good strategy to defeat that powerful raid boss solo. But Mira did not think so.
(This isn’t an enemy he can afford to go easy on, why isn’t he using any higher level spells?)
Soul Howl was using four different attacks to fight. One were large golems that blew themselves up, another multiple Cannon Fortress Golems for firepower. Both of them were rebuilt as soon as they fell.
A third spell was the one used to control the hundreds of skeletons, which were a distraction to tank the hits from Machina Guardian.
The fourth one was the fort Soul Howl stood on, which was bigger than the rest, known as the Armored Fortress Golem. It was extremely resilient, and was his last line of defense.
Mira was not a necromancer, but she was familiar with her friend’s spells. That knowledge made her wonder why he was limiting himself to middle level spells.
While it was true that a higher level spell would not instantly defeat the enemy, if used properly they could be more efficient than middle level ones. That involved the right timing and skill, which Soul Howl ought to have as one of the Nine Wisemen.
He already had a distraction to give him an opening, which he used to fire cannons. A higher level skill would certainly cause more damage than a cannonball or a golem blowing itself up, while also saving up in mana.
But somehow Soul Howl continued using middle level skills. The biggest difference between middle and high level skills beside their damage was the need for chanting. That could take some time, leaving the spellcaster open to be attacked, but Soul Howl clearly had the time for that, as he stood atop a fort in the rear lines.
It also could not be a mana issue. As far as Mira could see, Soul Howl had no issue replacing all the countless golems that blew up.
Mira really could not think of any reason why Soul Howl did not use higher level skills.
(I don’t get it. But I also won’t get any answers standing here, so maybe I should ask him directly.)
Higher level skills were more effective against powerful enemies like that. Mira would also choose to summon Isenfald once, rather than having to summon hundreds of Dark Knights.
If he really was trying to wear Machina Guardian down bit by bit, he would take at least one month at that rate. Maybe he actually had a different plan in mind. Maybe Soul Howl already had a different higher level skill ready, and was just waiting for the ideal time to unleash it.
Either way, it was best if she spoke to him directly. But first she felt like she needed to ease things up a bit for him as well.
Mira entered the arena together with the Valkyrie Sisters, then formed four summoning circles and chanted.
Summoning Magic: Emperor Dragon Isenfald
Mira channeled her mana and activated the spell, the magic circle growing in size and glowing brighter. A dragon with silver scales stepped out from within the magic circle.
「This is another large enemy, but good luck, my son.」
「Yes, mother!」
Almost by telepathy, Isenfald quickly understood the current situation, ignoring the golems and skeletons and flying toward Machina Guardian. His first attack was his powerful dragon breath.
A bright light like a sliver of the sun spread from his mouth, ready to sow pure destruction on anything it touched.
It went straight to its mark, focusing on Machina Guardian. All sound vanished for an instant, before a blinding light filled the room together with a thunderous explosion.
「So this is the limit of my power too…」
Once the light faded and the tremors and echoes were gone, Mira muttered in frustration at what she saw.
Summons actually were limited too, which was related to the protective barrier applied to them the moment they stepped through the summoning magic circle.
The barrier’s strength was determined by the type of summon and Mira’s magic power, and if it was broken the summon would be forcibly sent back. It provided safety to summons, but inadvertently also limited their power.
The stronger the summoner became, the stronger the barrier, and in Mira’s case the barrier did not really hinder her summons, but there was an exception.
That was Isenfald. Emperor Dragons were said to have the power of a natural disaster, and Isenfald could not even output half of his power due to Mira’s barrier.
「Alright Alfina, I’d like to talk to that man standing over there. How much time can you buy for me?」
Isenfald would be a good match against Machina Guardian if he could output his full power, but that was not really possible. Mira spoke to Alfina, hoping she would at least get enough time to go talk to Soul Howl.
「Five minutes… no, Lord Isenfald is fighting with us, we should be able to last for ten minutes.」
Alfina narrowed her eyes at her target and thought about it, before replying with a serious voice. She also understood what kind of foe they were facing, seeing Machina Guardian survive Isenfald’s attack.
Even if his power was below its half, Isenfald was still incredibly powerful, and his breath had blown Machina Guardian to a wall of the arena. The boss easily stood up again though, almost like it could not feel the damage.
Even if they had the power to restrain the boss, everyone there knew they did not have the necessary stamina to defeat it in time.
Multiple cannons fired after that, and dozens of golems blew themselves up. They were not as powerful as Isenfald’s breath, but they still offered plenty of focused fire.
Even if it was unexpected, Soul Howl would not waste any openings. He was unfazed by the sudden intruder, using his spells without getting distracted.
「Let’s go!」
That also served as a signal for Alfina and her sisters to dash ahead. They plunged into the smoke from the explosions, assumed a perfect formation, and began attacking Machina Guardian.
「Alright, I’m counting on you.」
Whispering that, Mira rushed toward a nearby fort.
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