The Final Boss Has Returned
Episode 160
If the largest port in the East was Mubeop Harbor, and the largest port in the North was Budong Harbor, then without a doubt, the largest port city in the South could only be called Southwest.
As befitting the largest port city and coastal city in the South, Sin Jeonghyeok had installed various shore denial facilities in Southwest, including numerous coastal strongholds, coastal batteries, and defensive installations.
Although the naval power of the Dark Alliance was said to be the strongest in Ard World, a coastal defense line worthy of being called a "cosmic defense" had been established at Southwest Harbor—a line where even the Dark Alliance navy under heaven would have to shed considerable blood to make a landing.
Therefore, the users who remained as the defense force of Southwest Harbor were not particularly worried, even after receiving intelligence that the grand fleet led by Drakan was heading south.
“Surely he wouldn’t be crazy enough to land here?”
“He’ll go somewhere else.”
The defense line of Southwest Harbor was no different from a fortress equipped with the highest-grade defense system imaginable!
No matter how great a commander Drakan was, as long as he had any sense, he would choose another coastal city instead of Southwest Harbor, where the defense line was thoroughly established—that was what the users remaining as the defense force thought, and their reasoning was quite sound.
It was because, despite the large-scale reinforcement of coastal cities’ defensive facilities under Sin Jeonghyeok’s orders, there definitely existed cities that were relatively weak in defense, and they believed Drakan would target such harbors.
Of course, Southwest was the largest port city in the South, so if it were occupied, one could gain enormous strategic benefits.
But that did not make it a city worth breaking through at the cost of piercing such a dense cosmic defense and incurring massive sacrifices in the very first battle.
In any case, based on such more or less reasonable judgment, Royce, the head of the Southwest branch of Iron Stars and the overall commander of Southwest Harbor’s defense, was also loosely controlling his subordinate guild members.
It so happened that Southwest Harbor was a city with a typical Mediterranean climate, boasting pleasant weather similar to a resort and splendid scenery, so it also provided an environment where guild members could easily loosen up.
In that very moment, while the users were chattering as they gazed at the emerald sea surging before them.
Black shapes began to appear beyond the horizon.
“Huh, what’s that?”
The one who first discovered those shapes was a user in charge of open-sea surveillance at the lighthouse.
The user serving as the lighthouse keeper immediately brought his eyes to the telescope, and soon afterward, an astonishing sight unfolded beyond the lens.
It was because enormous warships had appeared all at once beyond the beautiful emerald sea of the South, as if to blanket the horizon.
And among them, a flag fluttered bearing a black cogwheel engraved with the red skull—the symbol of the Ironblood Alliance.
Drakan.
The fleet of the Dark Alliance that he led had finally arrived in the South.
“Drakan, you say?”
Drakan had appeared in the waters before Southwest Harbor!
It was a fact hard to believe even having seen it, but the user serving as the lighthouse keeper calmly sent a whisper to Royce, the branch manager of Southwest and overall defense commander.
“Branch Manager Royce!”
[What is it?]
“Drakan has appeared!”
Drakan!
He had appeared!
At those words, Royce, who had been enjoying a leisurely sunbath in the city hall garden, sprang up from his sunbed.
“What? Drakan has appeared?”
Drakan.
Why on earth had he come here?
[It’s true. Right now, Drakan’s fleet is gradually approaching Southwest Harbor.]
A smile hung at the corner of Royce’s lips as he heard the lighthouse keeper’s report.
It seemed that Drakan really was coming to the harbor, but Royce was confident.
Southwest Harbor’s mighty defense line!
He was confident that he could conduct a delaying battle with that defense line and hold out until Vice Chairman Sin Jeonghyeok and the reinforcements arrived!
Royce had already heard that the troops headed for the Great Forest were turning back anyway.
If he conducted a delaying battle and tied Drakan down at the harbor until the reinforcements arrived, he might be able to aim for a higher position within the guild after this war ended in victory.
For example, a position like an executive in Simseong Iron Stars.
Royce, his thoughts having reached that point, immediately sent a whisper to Axe King Paul.
[Guild Master Paul, this is Royce. Drakan has appeared at Southwest Harbor. I will do everything in my power to hold him down until you arrive leading the army.]
And Royce’s whisper immediately flowed into the ears of Axe King Paul, who was in the midst of turning back his forces.
Paul smiled upon hearing Royce’s whisper.
Although the Iron Axe Guild and the Shooting Star Guild had been united into one through the capital power of the Simseong Group, that did not mean the past years of tension between the two guilds vying with each other in the South had completely disappeared.
No, rather, because they had been rivals, the Iron Stars Guild was practically no different from being divided into two organizations.
Since two guilds that could never have become one had been merged under capitalism, factions naturally had to split into two, and the competition and checks between factions were bound to be fierce.
And the same was true for the Over Rankers, Axe King Paul and Assassin King Ray.
But neither faction had gained the upper hand over the other.
Because of that, even when the two guilds merged and were reborn as Simseong Iron Stars, it had not ended with either Ray or Paul becoming the sole Guild Master, but concluded in an ambiguous form as co-Guild Masters.
And both Ray and Paul were dissatisfied with their current positions as co-Guild Masters and harbored the desire to become the one and only Guild Master.
In such a situation, the news that Drakan had come to Southwest Harbor was a heaven-sent opportunity, no different from a lifeline descending from the sky, for Paul.
‘I didn’t think he’d come to Southwest, but it’s fortunate that he has. Drakan—he must have come thinking Southwest has high strategic value, but it seems he didn’t consider how dense the defensive facilities there are. A man truly unworthy of the name Conqueror King.’
Paul disparaged Drakan, saying the nickname was wasted on him, but from another perspective, it was no different from a big chance having arrived.
Because Royce was a former member of the Iron Axe Guild and belonged to his faction.
Therefore, if he successfully completed a defensive battle and delaying battle at Southwest Harbor and finished Drakan off there, the merit of this war would undoubtedly go to none other than Axe King Paul himself.
Paul smiled, envisioning himself as the sole Guild Master of Iron Stars, and spoke to Vice Chairman Sin Jeonghyeok beside him.
“Boss.”
“What is it?”
“They say Drakan has appeared at Southwest Harbor. My subordinate is the branch manager there now, and he says he’ll wage a delaying battle until we arrive, so we shouldn’t worry.”
“What?”
Sin Jeonghyeok’s face hardened at Paul’s words.
Drakan.
It was because he had heard the news that Drakan, the target of this war, had finally revealed himself in the South.
But soon, a smile lingered at the corners of Sin Jeonghyeok’s lips as he realized where Drakan had appeared.
“It seems he’s blinded by the strategic value of Southwest. In any case, we’re going to Southwest Harbor. Let’s go kill that bastard.”
At Sin Jeonghyeok’s terse command, the Iron Stars army began heading toward Southwest all at once.
In that very moment when the Southern army was gathering.
Southwest Harbor had already finished its defensive preparations.
Coastal batteries opened, and cannon muzzles were aimed at the enemy fleet.
Additionally, magicians preparing magical bombardment were ready, as were traps and landing obstacles installed along the coast, wyvern units to engage in aerial combat with the enemy wyverns accompanying the aircraft carrier, and ballistae tasked with anti-air defense.
And the numerous soldiers lying in wait at the strongholds were all on standby as well.
‘Just come. I’ll completely crush you.’
In that very moment when Royce was smiling as he looked at the harbor prepared with such thorough readiness.
From afar, on the Steel Wing floating in the waters before Southwest Harbor, Drakan spoke in a low voice.
“Flying battleships, launch.”
At Drakan’s brief command, the sides of some of the many warships lined up along the horizon opened, and soon mechanical devices popped out and began spewing hot blasts of air.
Along with that, the “flying battleships” mixed in with the fleet began to rise from the sea into the sky.
“Wh-what is that?”
The users of Southwest Harbor and the overall defense commander Royce, watching that scene, were all struck with astonishment.
“A ship… is flying in the sky?”
That’s right.
Literally, ships were flying through the sky.
Flying battleships.
One of the legacies of the ancient magitech civilization restored at the sky shipyard in the floating castle Voltaha, following the airship.
An all-weather magitech weapon capable of traversing both sea and air, and the secret trump card Drakan had prepared for the landing battle had finally revealed itself.
[LOL ships are flying in the sky lmao]
[Wow;; that’s insane… lol]
[Hey, all you tryhards who were dissing Lord Drakan for charging in blindly, come out LOL]
[Ah lol the war is crazy fun lol I should’ve gone too lol]
[Are flying battleships for real?]
And of course, since all of this was being broadcast live across all channels, including Drakan’s official channel and the game broadcasting station, the users watching this spectacle were all shocked.
The existence of airships was a familiar concept by now.
It could be said to be a somewhat known concept by now, as not only the Dark Alliance but other users who had changed their class to magitech engineers had attempted designs, and several large guilds had produced airships.
But flying battleships were a different story.
The sight of flying battleships soaring directly from the sea into the sky caused an uproar among the users, but Royce could not sit comfortably.
Battleships flying through the sky!
What in the world kind of nonsensical thing was this!
Royce, who had frozen for a moment at the common sense-defying sight of battleships flying through the sky, quickly came to his senses.
If he let his grip on his sanity loosen like this, a tragedy could truly occur where Southwest Harbor simply fell into the enemy’s hands.
And that meant Royce’s own downfall.
Royce, his thoughts having reached that point, pulled himself together and shouted.
“Wh-what are you doing? H-hurry, attack! I said attack!”
“B-but Branch Manager. H-how do we attack that?”
In response to Royce’s words, the aide looked blankly at the fleet of flying battleships filling the sky and spoke.
“Launch the wyvern units, fire the ballistae, shoot magic! I said drop them all!”
Royce yelled at that aide once more and gave the order, and at the very moment the aide, finally coming to his senses, was about to relay the order to the entire defense force.
The undersides of the flying battleships opened, and mana bombs began to fall toward Southwest Harbor.
And so, the Southwest landing battle finally raised its curtain with Drakan’s preemptive strike.