The Gradually Perfected Defense System

"Magnetic Storm Coil?"

Blue Lightning knew what it was from the name alone. It was clearly some kind of special defensive tower that used lightning rather than shells... nothing too strange about that. Still, he was curious just how powerful this Magnetic Storm Coil was.

"But I should handle my proper duties first."

With that thought, Blue Lightning led the Element Crystal supply convoy toward the ancient castle.

On the way there, Blue Lightning saw White Folk soldiers handing out free small loaves at a street corner. A sign beside them bore a recruitment notice: adult men willing to obey discipline would be given priority.

"Layan Territory isn't suited for recruiting soldiers. They're all mountain folk—who knows whether they'll turn coat at the critical moment?"

Thinking this, Blue Lightning soon arrived before the ancient castle, now the civic center of Layan Territory.

The ancient castle stood atop a cliff. Looking up from below, one could clearly see the hulking black armored machine on its roof.

Though Cyclops's scarlet electronic eye had not activated, its ruby-like gleam was still intimidating—just as the intelligence reports had said, the armored machine's main weapon, the Prism Cannon, had melted down from overload. But that alchemist lord had built an entirely new one with spare parts.

Other than the barrel's color not matching the body of the armor, it was no different from the original.

White Folk soldiers clad in sturdy armor were currently fiddling with a strange, enormous suit of armor in the camp beneath the cliff.

The armor stood roughly three meters tall and was exceptionally burly. Completely different from ordinary ascended armor, it looked like an iron can. Its headpiece and chest plate were wholly integrated, with only a viewing port resembling that of a diving helmet.

Two excessively thick I-shaped launch