Level Up Machine

Chapter 137 Siege of Leopold (2)

The Eastern Alliance, composed of the Ha-nul, Leviathan, and Salvator Guilds, was preparing for a siege against the Abaddon Guild. They had set up a temporary camp and were making final preparations for the siege.

In the meeting room, the guild executives watched Park Si-a with tense expressions.

“Let me give you a final briefing on the operation,” she began in a calm voice.

“First, our forces will be divided into two groups. One group will break through the front with a siege attack. For the siege group, we will use the ‘plan’ proposed by Yeong-sik.”

At her words, everyone’s gaze in the tent shifted to Yeong-sik.

The plan he had suggested.

Whenever they recalled it, they couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief.

“The other group will strike inside once the siege group’s operation is successful, with the aim of assassinating Kim Jae-hyun. This group will naturally consist entirely of rankers.”

Everyone nodded at her words.

Kim Jae-hyun, the guild master of the Abaddon Guild, was a monster rumored to be at level 107. In the East, he was undoubtedly considered invincible.

To find someone who could defeat him, one had to look in the South or the West, or at the eight heroes who were now only mentioned in records.

Fighting such a monster with summoners below the ranker level was meaningless—it would only result in unnecessary sacrifices.

“The members of the assassination team will be me, summoner Kang Ha-rin, Cheon Tae-hwang, Choi Yu-na, Yeong-sik, and Tiria. Yeong-hoon and Seong-hoon, please join the siege team and take command.”

“Hmm… Wouldn’t it be better if Si-a took command while we joined the assassination team?”

“It would be more efficient if the two of you split the command responsibilities. There are simply too many troops participating in the siege for one person to manage alone,” Park Si-a explained, shaking her head.

Bae Yeong-hoon nodded reluctantly at her response. Despite his reservations, he understood her reasoning.

In reality, Park Si-a could naturally command even a large number of troops due to her outstanding leadership abilities.

But the true reason she entrusted them with the command wasn’t hard to imagine.

‘It must be personal resentment.’

In the past, Park Si-a had been defeated by Kim Jae-hyun. It was said that many members of the Leviathan Guild had been killed by him at that time.

Her personal vendetta likely played a part in her decision to directly involve herself in the assassination team.

“Understood. We will take command and ensure the gates are successfully breached,” Bae Yeong-hoon said after a moment of consideration, nodding slowly.

Her words weren’t entirely without merit.

The brothers, Bae Yeong-hoon and Bae Seong-hoon, were excellent commanders, and as she had mentioned, it was feasible to divide the troops and command them more efficiently with two leaders.

“Thank you. Yeong-sik, is the plan fully prepared?”

“Yes. I’ve notified all the summoners participating in the operation.”

Park Si-a nodded at his words.

She stood up sharply, her eyes gleaming.

“Then, the siege will commence at dawn tomorrow as the sun rises.”

It had been ten years since summoners appeared on the Elnote Continent.

This was the first large-scale war between summoners in the eastern part of the continent.

* * *

– Bwoo! –

“All troops, advance!”

Bae Yeong-hoon, with his sword drawn, raised his voice.

His voice, amplified by magic tools, echoed across the battlefield.

With the sound of the horn signaling the start of the war, the Eastern Alliance troops began their advance.

The number of summoners participating in the Leopold siege from the Eastern Alliance was three thousand.

This number might seem insufficient for a grand war like a siege, at least by Earth’s standards.

However, that was only considering Earth’s war standards.

Each summoner participating in the war was powerful enough to belong to the top three guilds.

It would take ten native soldiers, whose average levels were merely 10 to 20, to barely match one summoner. There were three thousand such summoners gathered here.

In practical terms, their combined strength could rival that of a 30,000-strong army.

The summoners of the Eastern Alliance advanced rapidly, leveraging their superior physical abilities.

They charged at an incredible speed, reminiscent of cavalry.

“They’re coming.”

Kim Jae-hyun, looking down from the castle wall, twisted his lips into a smirk as he observed the fast-approaching summoners.

“Ugh…”

A soldier from the Ixis Kingdom beside him shuddered in fear.

Kim Jae-hyun approached him with a smirk.

“What’s wrong? Are you scared?”

“N-no!”

As Kim Jae-hyun approached, the soldier shook his head, his face pale with fear.

Kim Jae-hyun draped his arm around the trembling soldier’s shoulders in a friendly manner.

“It’s okay. It’s abnormal not to be scared after seeing that, right? There might be only three thousand of them, but each one of those guys is no less than a monster.”

The soldier clamped his mouth shut, his expression stiffening at Kim Jae-hyun’s words.

“Come on, admit it. You’re scared, right?”

“Y-yes, I am.”

The soldier nodded, his voice trembling.

It was more abnormal not to be frightened by their insane charging speed.

“Hahaha! Great! Hey guys! This friend here says he’s scared!”

Kim Jae-hyun burst into mad laughter, shouting.

All the surrounding soldiers focused their attention on him.

“Do you know what’s best for getting rid of fear?”

“I-I don’t know.”

Kim Jae-hyun’s mouth twisted into a grin.

A devilish smile spread across his lips.

“It’s showing a greater fear.”

With those words, countless ‘locusts’ poured from Kim Jae-hyun’s hands.

In an instant, swarms of hundreds, thousands of locusts appeared and covered the soldier’s body.

“Aaaaahhhh!”

A horrific scream echoed through the air.

The soldier screamed madly, writhing his body.

The swarm of locusts from Kim Jae-hyun’s hands began to savagely devour the soldier’s flesh.

Chunks of flesh were torn away, spilling dark red entrails. The locusts greedily flapped their wings as they consumed the soldier’s body.

The locusts, having completely devoured the soldier’s body, returned to Kim Jae-hyun.

Having brutally killed a soldier, he turned his head to look around.

“Hmm. Good, good. Now everyone has a proper expression. A warrior going into battle should show that level of malice.”

He laughed as he looked at the soldiers trembling in fear.

The soldiers shivered at his devilish laughter.

“Alright! Now, let’s start the war!”

“Yes!”

Kim Jae-hyun shouted in a cheerful voice, as if nothing had happened.

The soldiers, their faces pale with fear, responded to his call.

“Commence firing!”

At that moment, Lee Doo-young stepped forward and signaled the start of the attack.

The archers stationed on the walls began to unleash a barrage of arrows.

– Swish! –

An overwhelming number of arrows filled the sky, pouring down on the Eastern Alliance troops.

“Tear the scrolls!”

Seeing the attack from the walls, Bae Yeong-hoon shouted.

The alliance troops tore the scrolls prepared for the siege, which contained barrier magic.

– Wooong –

A translucent shield appeared above their heads.

The barrage of arrows struck the barrier, creating a loud clattering sound that echoed across the battlefield.

– Whoosh! –

“Slow down the advance! Tanks, protect the ranged classes and advance slowly!”

As magic spells followed the arrow rain, Bae Yeong-hoon slowed the advance.

The barrier could block arrows, but it couldn’t stop magic.

– Boom! Bang! Boom! –

“Aaaaahhh!”

Amidst the explosions, the screams of summoners echoed.

The greatest advantage held by those in a defensive position was now showing its effects: the preemptive strike was proving effective.

“Don’t panic! Maintain formation and advance!”

Bae Yeong-hoon and Bae Seong-hoon shouted in harsh voices amid the cries that resounded from all around.

Their forces were already at a significant numerical disadvantage; if their formation collapsed, it would be the end.

Forget about the plan—they would be annihilated.

“Charge!”

The Eastern Alliance troops roared, attempting to boost their morale as they charged forward.

Even the Abaddon Alliance troops, safely attacking from the walls, shuddered at the forceful cries.

The Eastern Alliance troops, forming a wedge-like formation, began their charge towards the walls.

“Hold! Mages and archers, prepare to bombard! Warriors, raise your shields and protect the ranged classes!”

The Eastern Alliance, advancing rapidly, halted in place.

They stopped within range of their mages and archers, without directly approaching the walls.

This was entirely different from a typical siege, which involved using ladders or siege weapons to breach the gates.

It was a strategy only summoners could execute.

The mages and archers’ ranged attacks were powerful enough to shatter the walls, enabling such a tactic.

It was similar to battles that occurred when cannons were introduced on Earth.

“Attack!”

– Boom! Boom! Boom! –

The coordinated attack from the mages and archers caused explosions along Leopold’s walls.

The translucent barrier that appeared across the wall absorbed the impact.

On Earth, the concept of walls had disappeared after the invention of cannons because no wall could withstand cannon fire from a distance.

But Elnote was different. They had created magical devices that allowed walls to withstand long-range attacks.

Siege warfare on the Elnote Continent was a battle to see whether the magical barrier of the walls would be breached first, or if the attacking mages and archers could be eliminated quickly.

“Advance slowly during the skill cooldown!”

Bae Yeong-hoon shouted, staring at Leopold’s walls.

During the skill cooldown of the mages—the main force for breaking the walls—the Eastern Alliance troops advanced slowly.

Various spells and arrows rained down on them without pause.

With the enemy forces nearly ten times greater, the attacks poured down relentlessly, giving them no breathing room.

‘So this is the famed wall of Leopold.’

Bae Yeong-hoon frowned at the magical barrier of Leopold’s wall, which showed no signs of breaking easily.

Generally, barriers installed on walls were specialized to block attacks imbued with magic.

Whether it was a skill fired by an archer or a spell cast by a mage, all attacks were based on magic power.

“Just a little more…!”

Bae Yeong-hoon bit his lip as he swung his sword, deflecting the magic flying toward him.

“Kikikik. So desperate.”

Watching leisurely from the wall, Kim Jae-hyun chuckled, clearly enjoying himself. Their desperate attempts to break through the wall seemed pathetic to him.

“People who try hard deserve a gift.”

Kim Jae-hyun twisted his lips into a grin and stretched his arms forward.

– Bwoooong! –

Tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of locusts poured from his hands.

Although they appeared as locusts, they weren’t actually alive. Each one was a summoned creature made of his magic power.

Like a moving black cloud, the swarm of locusts filled the sky and descended upon the Eastern Alliance troops.

– Crunch. Crunch! –

“Aaaaahhhh!”

“Screeeeeam!”

Horrific screams echoed through the air.

In front of Kim Jae-hyun’s summoned creatures, the tanks’ defenses were meaningless.

The swarm of hundreds of thousands of locusts easily broke through the barriers and attacked the Eastern Alliance troops.

“Hahaha! Is this all you’ve got?! What is Park Si-a doing seeing this?! Only she could stop this!”

Kim Jae-hyun laughed maniacally as he shouted.

Without Park Si-a’s water dragon, there was no way to stop his summoned creatures.

“I had some expectations, but you’re all idiots, aren’t you? What are you doing when you should be giving it your all?”

Kim Jae-hyun looked down at the Eastern Alliance troops, who were being attacked one-sidedly, with contempt.

At this level, there was no need to even send out Lucía.

Then, it happened.

“Unleash everything!”

Bae Yeong-hoon’s roar echoed across the battlefield.

At his command, the summoners in the front simultaneously opened their ‘inventories.’

What came out of those inventories were android units made of complex mechanical devices.

“What the… is that…?”

Kim Jae-hyun frowned as he stared at the sudden appearance of the mechanical division.