<h4>Chapter 743</h4>


    The leaders of the Proatine Alliance were bewildered by the strange sound. They rushed out of themand tent and gazed toward where the cow-like cry wasing from.


    At the source of the sound was the fortress of the Zav Kingdom, and atop its walls, a monstrous creature with the head of a bull was wreaking havoc, going on a mad frenzy.


    <i>Mooooo!</i>


    The massive beast, Maranello, went on a rampage,ying waste to the fortress walls and unleashing a massacre. Lamborghini could usually maintain a semnce of self-control even after transforming as Maranello these days, but it was different this time.


    He was forced into a cannon andunched directly into the fortress. The actions had infuriated both him and Maranello, causing the beast to disregard all reason and smash everything in sight, killing indiscriminately just to quell his anger.


    “...”


    Themanders of the Proatine Alliance fell into silence after finally grasping why Siegfried had ordered the soldiers to drag Lamborghini away. Who would have known that he''d use a strategy that requiredunching such a fearsome beast into enemy lines?


    “Let me reiterate. Our strategy for this battle is simple. We will disable the enemy’s anti-air cannons with a small elite force, followed by an aerial bombardment.”


    “With all due respect, Your Majesty, no matter how powerful that beast is, disabling the enemy’s anti-air cannons alone seems impossible,” King Kyrix argued.


    “Don’t worry. You’ll see what I mean soon enough,” Siegfried replied with a smile.


    “Pardon...?”


    “We probably won’t have to do much in this battle. So just sit back, have some tea, and enjoy the show.”


    With that, Siegfried summoned Gringore, who had finished the preparation for his own assault.


    “Sing for me,” Siegfriedmanded.


    “Yes, Your Majesty,” Gringore replied with a bow. Then, he proceeded to sing a song that echoed toward the enemy fortress.


    “<i>G-Gaaaah!”</i>


    “Make it stop! Nooo!”


    “<i>Arghhh!”</i>


    The Zav soldiers clutched their ears in agony after getting assaulted by Gringore’s song. Blood streamed from their ears, noses, and mouths; their muscles convulsed uncontrobly as well.


    Gringore’s area of effect sonic attack was simply terrifying. The soldiers could dodge physical attacks, but there was no way they could defend themselves against sound waves.


    They plugged their ears, but it was to no avail, as the powerful vibrations tore through their flesh and bone to reach their eardrums. In other words, Gringore’s sonic attack was unblockable.


    Maranello ravaged the walls, and Gringore’s sonic attack crippled the Zav soldiers.


    Siegfried only had one thing to do—seize the moment.


    “Shall we go?” Siegfried asked, leading Lohengrin, Nanuqsa, and Beggarius to charge at the fortress.


    <i>Boom! Boom! Swoosh!</i>


    Mortar shells and arrows rained down from above, but Siegfried and the three Masters advanced unscathed. Their speed and power had already reached the realms of superhuman, so they were impervious to such long-range attacks.


    In the blink of an eye, they had reached the fortress.


    ‘<i>They’re above this wall in a straight line,’ </i>Siegfried thought, his eyes glimmering. He transformed his +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp into a saber and unleashed his new skill, Heaven Splitting sh.


    <i>Swish!</i>


    A silver arc shimmered above the wall.


    <i>Thud! Thud! Thud!</i>


    Hundreds of Zav soldiers stationed atop the walls copsed one by one, with their bodies severed in half.


    “...!”


    The three Masters were stunned. Siegfried’s attack seemed to have ignored the distance of more than one hundred meters to sever the enemies at the hip with just a single sh.


    However, Siegfried did not brag about his skill.


    “Now is our chance!” he eximed, taking advantage of the opening and climbing up the wall. Then, he cried out, “Go! Hamchi, I choose you!”


    “<i>Kyuuuuu!”</i>


    Hamchi grew to a colossal size and wreaked havoc along the walls while Siegfried used Eraser Swarm to ughter the Zav soldiers in his path.


    “I’ming too, son-inw!”


    “<i>Hoho! </i>Are you trying to take all the fun away?!”


    “I’ming, too!”


    The three Masters jumped onto the wall as well, disying their overwhelming prowess by ughtering the Zav soldiers.


    However, their main mission was not to ughter the enemy nor to show off.


    <i>Bam! Bam! Bam!</i>


    Siegfried and the Masters destroyed the anti-air cannons installed across the fortress.


    Yes, their main mission was to destroy the enemy’s anti-air defenses instead of ughtering the enemies directly.


    Thirty minutes of chaos within the fortresster, Siegfried shouted, “Hamchi! Let’s get out of here!”


    “<i>Kyuuuu!” </i>


    Siegfried and Hamchi escaped from the fortress, followed closely by the three Masters. They ran with all of their might all the way to the Proatine Alliance’s camp.


    And then—


    <i>Whoosh!</i>


    The Proatine Kingdom’s armada flew overhead the fortress and unleashed a relentless bombardment upon it.


    <i>Boom! Boom! Boom!</i>


    The bombs from the sky triggered countless explosions throughout the fortress, and the once mighty fortress of the Zav Kingdom was quickly engulfed in mes.


    ***


    Thanks to the bombardment of the Proatine Kingdom’s armada, the fortress was seized easily, allowing the Proatine Alliance to move with surprising ease into the Zav Kingdom’s borders.


    The alliancemanders couldn''t help but marvel at Siegfried’s tactical genius.


    “Amazing! Not only is he strong, but he’s a brilliant strategist as well!”


    “As expected of my brother! <i>Hahaha!”</i>


    Siegfried’s tactic had exploited the enemy’s weakness. The absence of the Zav Kingdom’s Iron Fleet meant that they had no air superiority. In other words, disabling their anti-air defenses would render them helpless and exposed to aerial bombardment.


    This was a w that Siegfried had quickly caught on to, and he exploited it by deploying a powerful elite force to focus on disabling the enemy’s anti-air defenses beforemencing bombardment on the fortress.


    Thanks to his brilliant strategy, the Proatine Allianced secured its first offensive victory without suffering a single casualty.


    “A swift and decisive strike always works wonders,” Siegfried muttered under his breath with a grin. Then, he quickly convened a strategy meeting right after capturing the fortress.


    “We must capture as many fortresses as possible and secure advantageous positions before the enemy’s fleet is ready. Time is of the essence in this war,” he said.


    “I shallmand the men to set out after a brief minimal rest,” Oscar replied.


    However, Siegfried was not satisfied with that.


    “Director Nail.”


    “Yes, sire?”


    “I need you to infiltrate the Zav Kingdom’s munitions factories immediately and gather intelligence.”


    Siegfried was determined to keep air superiority until the very end of the war, and destroying the enemy’s munitions factories before the new Iron Fleet waspleted would be crucial to his n.


    If they could dy the production and supply of the Iron Fleet, then this war could perhapse to a decisive end.


    n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Nail, a master of stealth, disguise, and infiltration, found this to be a highly challenging task, but she was confident that she could pull it off.


    “But don’t take unnecessary risks. It’s just a reconnaissance mission, so avoid danger at all costs,” Siegfried said sternly. Then, he added, “I-If anything untoward were to happen to you, I wouldn’t be able to live with it.”


    He perfectly understood the risks of this mission, as the Zav Kingdom was a great power. Infiltrating them, much lessmitting subterfuge by destroying their munitions factories, was anything but easy.


    There was no doubt that the Zav Kingdom would tighten their security around their munitions factories, as they were also aware that the key to the oue of this war depended on thepletion of their new Iron Fleet.


    “D-Do not worry. I am pretty good at taking care of myself,” Nail replied proudly while blushing slightly.


    “Be careful out there,” Siegfried said gently.


    “Yes, sire. I will be back soon bearing good news,” Nail said with a bow. With a flushed face, she hurried toward the Zav Kingdom to destroy their munitions factories.


    ***


    Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the Zav Kingdom was quite grim—no, it was more befitting to say that it was a maelstrom of terror brewing.


    “Look at me, all of you.”


    King Frederick was seated on his throne, and he addressed the ministers and nobles gathered before him.


    There were dozens of lifeless bodies of high-ranking officers and noble officials strewn across the floor, and they were the ones whose contributions to the war had failed to meet his expectations.


    In a fit of rage, King Frederick had executed them, ming them for the recent string of defeats.


    “I said, look at me!” King Frederick roared, his voice reverberating throughout the hall.


    However, the ministers and nobles dared not meet his gaze.


    Why?


    It was all because what they saw had terrified them down to their very core.


    King Frederick’s appearance was nothing short of horrifying. He looked so grotesque and terrifying that his appearance alone struck fear in the hearts of those who dared to look at him, paralyzing them with fear.


    “Raise your heads! Anyone who dares to disobey mymand and not look at me will be executed!” King Frederick shouted in anger.


    Forced toply, the ministers and nobles slowly lifted their heads, and their eyesnded on the twisted form of their once-proud Lion King.


    “Do you see me? Do you see what I’ve be? I''ve be a monster! A beast! <i>Hahaha! Hahahaha!” </i>King Frederick cackled, and his madughter filled the throne.


    The ministers and nobles trembled in fear before their king’s manicughter.


    “Bring Siegfried van Proa before me! Bring that despicable bastard who dared to turn me into this!” King Frederick roared.


    The ministers and nobles prostrated on the floor, vowing to devote everything to capture Siegfried van Proa.


    “We will capture Siegfried van Proa and bring him before Your Majesty!”


    “We will spare no effort in carrying out Your Majesty’smand!”


    “As you wish, sire!”


    The ministers and nobles pledged their utmost efforts in hopes of pacifying their king’s wrath.


    “Mobilize every resource we have against the Proatine Alliance! All of it! Send in our elite forces!” King Frederickmanded. Then, he added, “Ramp up the production of the Iron Fleet! Fortify our munitions factories!”


    “Yes, sire!”


    “Double the number of Ironblood Knights being prepared for battle and...” King Frederick said, his mouth twisting into a sinister smile. Then, he continued, “Deploy the Mercury Knights to the frontlines.”


    The mention of the Mercury Knights caused every minister’s face to tense. These knights were the secret weapon of the Zav Kingdom, as they were the kingdom’s most elite fighters, also known as Sword Demons.


    ***


    Meanwhile, the newly appointed Supreme Commander of the Zav Forces, General Bahamut, reluctantly took upmand. He knew that his promotion was a tant setup that was, at best, a demotion in disguise or a death sentence at worst.


    His suspicions were not baseless, as the current atmosphere within the Zav Kingdom was terrifying. King Frederick’s wrath was merciless, and he executed those he believed were responsible for their defeats so far in this war.


    Moreover, a string of uing defeats was inevitable, as the kingdom’s air forcescked the strength and numbers to hold against the Proatine Kingdom’s armada until the Iron Fleet waspleted.


    Everyone knew that as soon as the inevitable defeats began, Bahamut would be the one held ountable and punished for them. Hisck of influence only worsened his predicament, as he had no powerful allies. His status was also low, and he had a position that was anything but secure.


    He managed to get promoted to general, but he held the lowest rank among his peers.


    The only reason he was named the suprememander of the kingdom’s military was that his so-called seniors had pushed him toward the job as a scapegoat in a desperate bid to save their own skin.


    “I will now begin the strategy meeting,” General Bahamut announced, trying to takemand.


    Unfortunately, his words were met with scoffs and sneers.


    “What’s the point of nning strategies without the Iron Fleet?”


    “No strategy can help us win.”


    “Let’s just go through the formalities and call it a day, shall we?”


    The generals, brigadiers, and lieutenant generals sneered, making their disdain for Bahamut clear. They cared little about him and his orders, as for them, he was nothing more than a scapegoat meant to buy them time until the brand-new Iron Fleet wasplete.


    In other words, he was an offering that would pay the price in their stead.


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