Chapter 228

Chapter 228: Aerial Dogfight

The battle between the two sides instantly escalated to its most intense, white-hot state.

There was no room for maneuver or delay.

In traditional warfare, even during decisive Heavy Knight charges, only portions of total troop strength would clash directly. Committing all reserves in chaotic melee meant gambling everything—losing formation and depth spelled near-certain defeat.

But the revolutionary ability of flying changed everything.

The Lord of the Light City merely glanced downward from the sky, instantly pinpointing nearly all Imperial army positions.

Thanks to Midi’s preparations, these positions were scattered—even individual two hundred-man teams maintained loose formations. Laser attacks would’ve been inefficient against such spread-out targets. Though aware of Midi’s scheme, the Lord’s arrogance prevented him from personally crushing these "ants."

Yet his Exiles proved eager substitutes.

Within minutes, over two hundred Exiles descended like meteors before fanning out across the sky. They attacked from the air without landing—even Melee Fighters drew standard steel longbows, firing arrow after arrow like rain.

The Imperial army found themselves pinned down completely.

Fortunately, Midi had foreseen this and prepared countermeasures.

Vanguard ships couldn’t be used—even if provided, lacking pilots would make them mere falling targets.

Instead, Midi taught Imperial troops a crude method adventurers once used against sky beasts in the Sea of Clouds—the drag-down tactic.

They anchored traction devices to rocks and fired barbed harpoons to yank Exiles from the sky, then swarmed the fallen foes. Simple yet effective.

Exiles lacked the Lord’s power—their attack range fell short despite flight capabilities. Longbows, heavy crossbows, and magic required close proximity. Their reach couldn’t match Vanguard ships’ hundred-meter cannon range or high-altitude bomb drops.

This method had flaws.

A single harpoon could be sliced instantly—multiple hooks were needed per target.

Once dragged down, dazed Exiles remained first awakening experts capable of fighting dozens. Midi couldn’t control how troops handled them.

Still, this tactic created temporary stalemate—buying Midi crucial time and space.

Ultimately, victory hinged solely on Midi’s duel with the Lord of the Light City. These two outweighed all other factors, rendering secondary battles mere background noise.

Midi’s situation looked grim.

The Lord overwhelmed him.

After Midi blocked his first casual laser, the Lord realized his former "ant" had secretly achieved awakening—growing far stronger.

This enraged Segarth, self-proclaimed perfect creation of King Bacal of the Tyrant Dragon. How dare this insect escape his notice? Worse—awaken undetected?

This insult to Segarth’s pride burned hotter than any anger toward Midi. Only the human’s complete annihilation could cleanse this shame.

The Lord’s firepower intensified horrifically.

A light sphere coalesced between his palms. When he clapped, hundreds of icy-blue flame serpents erupted like arrows.

The dazzling assault resembled deadly flower petals raining down. Blue fire trails wove an ever-shifting net that tracked Midi’s movements, tightening its mesh to entrap and crush its prey.

If Midi hadn’t mastered his Secret Technique, he might have truly been driven to the brink. Fortunately, he immediately activated his awakening-gained "Sky Sword Dance". The Dragon Sealing Sword within him resonated, merging man and blade into golden-red sword light that darted through the blue net’s gaps, occasionally severing multiple strands of azure flame.

Amidst towering blue flames, the rainbow-like light kept weaving through attacks. Though it seemed he could protect himself, the imbalance was obvious – Midi completely lacked awakened-level long-range attacks. This inherent constraint came from being a melee-focused Demon Swordman. While Asura-type Demon Swordmen possessed skills like "Explosive Flame Wave Sword" and "Ice Blade Wave Sword", these required magic-charging and aura-locking, making them battlefield artillery rather than dueling tools.

Even an Exploding Flame Orb powered by awakened strength moved too slowly to hit opponents like the Lord of the Light City. The seemingly flawless "Sky Sword Dance" remained fundamentally melee – that golden-red glow’s final strike always came from Midi’s physical blade. Directly clashing with Segarth’s lasers would be like charging a cannon muzzle. Though he could suppress the beams, Midi’s White Crystal magic would drain faster.

Groundbound without flight, he’d become easy prey. His only option was evasive maneuvering – staying close enough to occupy the enraged Lord of the Light City, yet avoiding Exiles. Letting the laser-wielding ruler focus on the Imperial army would be catastrophic.

This white-hot battlefield permitted no complex tactics – just raw power clashes. Any broken link meant instant collapse. The sole consolation was this stalemate matching Midi’s predictions.

But soon, victory’s scales tipped irreversibly. The hook-armed Imperial forces buckled under Exile assaults. Meanwhile, the Lord of the Light City’s magic swelled stronger, adding direct lasers and homing light spheres to his blue fire serpents, shockwaves slowing Midi’s golden-red glow.

Laser blades carved glowing scars across the Floating City while fire rains birthed lava lakes. Emerald forests drowned in crimson seas, ground slowly submerging.

Too late? Midi anxiously calculated. Imperial collapse would free Exiles to surround him. Though the prideful Lord of the Light City might avoid ganging up, being forced into frontal combat against Exiles meant disaster.

Even using his trump card now offered little hope. Wait! The starry darkness in Midi’s eyes stilled. A commander who panickily revealed cards would’ve died long ago, reincarnator or not. His plan required waiting until the last moment.

Minutes stretched like centuries. Each second claimed warriors; the trembling frontline nearly broke. Only Midi’s stubborn golden-red dance and Reinhardt’s frontline command prevented Imperial rout.

They endured.

At exhaustion’s edge, brilliant lights pierced the sky – first one, then another, until multiple silver-white beams bloomed in the Floating City’s heights like glorious fireworks.