"Are you not afraid of losing that firebird of yours?" Spring Crown asked.
"Suzaki is five levels stronger. She is also immortal," Master answered. "No need to concern yourself on her, focus on your task."
"Aye, aye, boss!"
The invader armies continued to approach Mount Sedgebare.
The soldiers on the mountain were ready. Palgrost was not only the richest country, but its military tech was also the most advanced. This came at the cost of their mystic path being behind other countries. But for a siege battle, their advantage in military tech gave them an advantage. They had the advanced mana cannon, which delivered a powerful payload over a very long distance. At this stage, no country's siege weapon could rival the mana cannon's reach.
The mana cannons were situated at several openings on Mount Sedgebare. They started firing once the Liguritudum army came into range.
Master was already aware of Palgrost's siege capability. That's why he didn't bother competing with them on siege weaponry. His guild had also exhausted all their guild siege weapons during the Hydrurond battle. Even with his resources, he couldn't have his guild rebuild all those siege weapons this fast.
The siege weapons he had brought here were the country's normal siege weapons. That's why this time his army invaded at a normal pace, unlike the rush tactic during the Hydrurond war.
He had developed a particular Liguritudum's siege weapon for this war. Liguritudum had a special ballista that was equipped with giant shields. This gave the ballista extra defense and endurance. It was also equipped with larger wheels which gave it faster movement speed than the common ballista.
When Master saw this armored ballista in Liguritudum's military tech, he immediately learned the tech and had it produced. This was because he knew this siege weapon would play a crucial role when he invaded Palgrost. This armored ballista now showcased its use.
Master had produced quite a number of this armored ballista. He had them lined up at the front line and they took the brunt of the damage from the mana cannon.
The armored ballistae couldn't compete with mana cannon's range. They could only defend without being able to retaliate. They served as the Liguritudum army's shields while the army advanced slowly. The soldiers who had defensive skills or spells helped mitigate the damage endured by the armored ballistae, while soldiers with mechanic skills restored the siege weapons' HP while they suffered damage.
As the bombardment continued, one armored ballista separated from the rest. This armored ballista moved faster than the rest. A squad of soldiers also followed it, using defensive skills to boost its defense as it advanced toward Balgadur's sealed main gate.
As this lone armored ballista approached, Palgrost defenders started to focus their attacks on this siege weapon. The cannoneers, Palgrost's special unit which had exceptionally long range, started sending their attacks to this advancing armored ballista.
When this concentrated attack was about to hit, a large glowing shell appeared and blocked all these attacks. If Jack was present, he would recognize this shell. It was Heavenly Shelter, a level 50 skill from the special class, Valiant Paladin.
As the dust settled, the defenders above had a better look at the approaching armored ballista. The Liguritudum ruler was rolling on that ballista!
Sighting the enemy's leader, the defenders immediately called for another barrage of attacks. Almost everyone on the mountain focused their attacks on this approaching armored ballista.
Master who was riding on this ballista cast a spell. An angel appeared above him. This angel cast Soul Link on Master, a Reaver's spell that maintained the same percentage of HP between the target and herself.
Master then used the level 60 skill of his Valiant Paladin class, Ultimate Sacrifice. At its first level, this skill emitted a light that covered allies in his surroundings, which included the armored ballista. Within one minute, all the damage dealt to these allies was transferred to him while being reduced by 50%. It was similar to Coca's Final Sacrifice but covered a larger area and reduced more damage.
Master had maxed level this skill. The damage it reduced at the max level was 80% and it lasted for three minutes.
The armored ballista continued advancing while all the reduced damage was transferred to Master, who shared the damage with his summoned angel. With the significant damage reduction and the angel's high HP sharing the damage, Master tanked all those attacks. He and his angel also cast healing spells to recover the damage they received.
The defenders expected the armored ballista to start shooting its giant bolt when the capital gate came into its range, but it just continued rolling forward.
When the Ultimate Sacrifice's three-minute duration was almost over, the armored ballista was very close to the gate already. Master cast teleportation and he appeared right next to the gate. He then took out a magic scroll.
The magic scroll in his hand was one of the only two in his possession. He already used one when they seized Liguritudum's throne. The one in his hand was the last.
He originally wanted to wait until he got the Book of Creation before using this scroll because he didn't have a sure way of getting another one. This magic scroll was extremely rare, but he decided to let it go for the success of this siege. He couldn't afford to lose too many troops here. He still had three more countries to conquer.
The magic scroll was activated and a nine-rune spell formation was seen. As the spell took effect, the rune diagrams on the surface of Mount Sedgebare started to dim.
The spell contained inside the magic scroll was the Greater Dispel. The defensive rune diagrams continued to dim until they were completely gone. The mountain was now a simple huge chunk of rock.
Linda ordered a full assault then. When the defenders focused most of their attention on Master, the army continued to advance under the bombardment. They were now close enough and had the mountain within the range of their siege weapons. The ballistae, catapults, and trebuchets which they brought from Liguritudum opened fire then.
These siege weapons dealt extra damage to structures. They not only reduced a structure's HP, but they could also alter a structure's physical form in the same way some skills were able to cause wounds to natives. Without the protection of the rune diagrams, the surface of the mountain shattered upon being hit.
