When the light of the teleportation faded, Kaito and his party found themselves on the highest floor of the mage tower. The floor shook slightly under the constant thunder of battle. Rows of massive magic cannons stood along the walls, each one glowing with ominous light. Intricate runes were etched across their surfaces, shining in deep gold and silver patterns. Arcane fire swirled within their barrels, and every time a cannon discharged, a column of radiant energy roared out of it and streaked across the sky before exploding far in the distance.
Through the tall, arched windows that lined the tower's walls, the battlefield below stretched endlessly. Kaito and the others saw the Abyssal horde pressing forward in waves. Black gates stood like wounds in the earth, vomiting out new demons without pause. Each gate spewed monsters with massive frames, and the flood of them seemed endless. But each volley from the cannons rained destruction, blasting huge gaps into the demon lines. When a dozen cannons fired at once, the sky shook and the entire battlefield turned into a sea of fire and smoke.
Kaito's eyes narrowed. He recognized the cannons. Each one of these was no ordinary weapon. They were Dark Gold rank engineering devices, crafted at level 200, something far beyond the reach of ordinary Engineers. Only an Engineering Master had the skill and knowledge to even begin building something like this. And just to operate a single cannon required the combined effort of five tier six powerhouses.
That alone would have been terrifying, but these were not basic dark gold cannons. They were the highest level versions, forged specifically for the Abyssal Wars. Their firepower was designed to face demons at level 200 and above and only the high ranking Engineering Grandmasters could make it. In his current time, in the age of Glory where players had started entering, only two or three known Engineering Grandmaster NPC's still existed in the world. During the Abyssal Invasion, countless masters had died building these devices. They were relics of an age when human civilization had thrown everything it had into survival.
Kaito took a long breath as he watched one cannon fire again. The runes flared, the chamber glowed brighter, and a spear of white-gold energy streaked out, blowing apart dozens of Abyssal Demons in an instant. Around each cannon, squads of mages worked frantically. Five to ten people crowded around each weapon, chanting in unison, pouring mana into the cannon's core, keeping its runes glowing. The moment one team grew exhausted, they stepped aside, and another group took over, their hands already glowing as they pushed their energy into the device. It was a constant rotation, a team of Five, fueling while the other five rested and recovered, so the cannons could fire without pause.
Even in the chaos, order ruled. The mages shouted, hands glowing, while their commanders barked commands and checked the firing ranges. Every cannon had its "range lock" engaged. Range locking was a system the engineers had built into these cannons after bitter lessons. When the Abyssal invasion began, human forces often suffered from friendly fire as cannons fired into their own ranks. To prevent that, a cannon could be locked to fire only into preset ranges bypassing their friendly forces, making sure no friendly soldiers would ever be hit. Kaito knew this, and he also knew how to use it.
As he and his group stepped onto the highest floor, one mage approached them. Kaito could sense the man's aura, steadier and stronger than the others. He was likely the leader of the defense squad stationed here. The squad itself was not only for cannon maintenance but also to defend the tower's top if an enemy infiltrator ever made it this far.
Even though the tower was full of magical identification arrays spells that immediately detected whether someone was a human or a demon the humans took no chances. In the early days of the war, demons had used disguise and illusion skills to infiltrate the human flanks, causing disastrous losses. Since then, humans had deployed high-level identification arrays across the battlefield, but even so, squads like this one remained as an extra layer of protection.
The mage leader's eyes swept over Kaito's group. When his gaze fell on Kaito, it stopped. Above Kaito's head, his Viscount title glimmered faintly. The mage straightened at once, his voice respectful.
"Lord Viscount," he said, bowing slightly. "What brings you here?"
Kaito exhaled slowly. He had expected this. In his previous life, he had read of this exact scenario in a hidden guide. He knew the illusion demanded precise words. If he made even a small mistake, the guard would not only deny him entry, but they might even attack and even if they don't this scenario would then shift into a harder path. So Kaito repeated the line word for word, steady and calm.
"I am here by the orders of Lord Deycar," Kaito said.
The mage stiffened at once. That name carried heavy weight. Lord Deycar was a Tier 9 powerhouse, commander of the battlefield, the overseer of this section of the war. His name was feared and respected, one of the pillars of humanity's defense.
In Kaito's past life, it had taken countless attempts by different teams to discover that this was the name that worked here. They had gone through war history again and again, listing the names of every Tier 9 powerhouse known to have commanded a section of the frontline. One by one, teams tried each name.
Every wrong answer brought immediate punishment. The high-level mages stationed here would unleash devastating attacks, cutting the players down on the spot. Not only would they fail the mission, but the final battle against the Queen would also become impossible. And because she had sacrificed her HP to cast the illusion, the power inside it was even greater, and every death carried a harsher penalty. Added to that was the punishment for failing a King-level dungeon, leaving those who tested wrong names devastated.
It was only after long effort that players learned the truth. Saying "Lord Deycar" was the key. Compiling this knowledge into a proper guide had taken a massive team effort. The man who eventually published it had already built a reputation in the community for producing reliable guides. He specialized in this business, leading organized teams to test every possible outcome. When the guide was sold, he shared the profits with all the players who had risked their time and levels to help create it. His reputation was not just with his customers, but also among his employees, because he treated them fairly.
Kaito had even included this man's name had been on the list he once gave to his second uncle an exclusive list of god-level players worth recruiting. Back then, even Kaito had used his guides to clear many difficult missions. And now, here in this moment, once again Kaito relied on that same information.
Kaito continued, his voice firm. "We are on a hidden mission. We only need access to one magic cannon. We will not disturb the others. For your security, you may even lock its range to ensure no friendly forces are harmed."
He paused, letting the words sink in. Range locking was the key. By specifically stating it, he eliminated suspicion. The mage leader would know at once that Kaito understood how the cannons worked. And if he wanted to fire something far behind enemy lines, the lock would not hinder him.
The mage leader bowed again. "As you command, Lord Viscount. We will not interfere." He turned, signaling to the squad stationed at one of the cannons near the edge of the tower. The men nodded and began preparing to yield the weapon.
Kaito gave a final nod. "We will also need a team of five to operate it."
"Yes, my lord," the mage replied. He strode toward the cannon crew, relaying the order. Five mages stepped back, already exhausted, and another five were sent forward. They would be Kaito's operators, bound to his temporary command.
As the arrangements fell into place, Kaito let out a silent breath of relief. Everything had gone exactly as it needed to. The words, the title, the command he had followed the path of the guide perfectly. Now came the next step: using the cannon to pierce the heart of the illusion and end the Queen's trick.