A soldier hurried toward the captain.
He stopped in front of him and immediately raised his hand in salute.
"Captain!"
The captain turned toward him.
"...Report."
The soldier quickly delivered his report.
"...The remaining corrupted civilians in the area have been dealt with."
"...The adventurers handled most of them."
"...Our soldiers assisted with the rest."
The captain nodded.
"...Good."
His gaze shifted toward the battlefield.
"...Then pull the soldiers back."
The soldier blinked.
"...Sir?"
The captain's expression hardened.
"...We can't afford unnecessary casualties."
His eyes remained fixed on the Rift Breakers.
"...The corruption is too dangerous."
"...If their mana comes into contact with the Abyssal mana, they can be corrupted as well."
He paused.
"...We've already confirmed that."
His voice became firm.
"...There's no reason to keep our soldiers in unnecessary danger."
The soldier immediately saluted.
"Yes, Captain!"
He turned and quickly moved away.
As he ran—
he pulled out a communication device.
The device activated with a faint hum.
"...This is the captain's command."
His voice immediately traveled through the communication network.
"...All ground units are to retreat from the immediate combat zone."
"...Repeat."
"...All ground units are to retreat."
His expression became serious.
"...Maintain a safe distance from the Rift Breakers."
"...Do not engage unless absolutely necessary."
Across the battlefield—
soldiers began receiving the order.
One after another—
they started pulling back.
Some lowered their weapons.
Others quickly moved toward the designated defensive positions.
Within moments—
the ground forces had begun withdrawing from the immediate battlefield.
---
High above the city—
inside one of the airships—
an officer stood beside the main cannon controls.
His eyes remained fixed on the glowing indicators.
Then—
he turned toward the captain.
"Sir!"
The captain looked over.
"...Report."
The officer immediately saluted.
"...All cannons are fully charged."
He glanced toward the targeting display.
"...They're aimed and ready."
Outside the vessel—
the massive mana cannons slowly adjusted their positions.
Their enormous barrels rotated downward.
Then—
they locked onto the Rift Breakers below.
The officer took a breath.
"...We're awaiting your command to fire."
The captain remained beside the command console.
His gaze stayed fixed on the battlefield below.
The soldiers were retreating.
The knights had taken their positions.
And the Rift Breakers continued advancing through the ruined district.
The captain's eyes narrowed.
"...Stand by."
"...Don't fire until I give the order."
He paused.
"...Are the knights in position?"
An officer immediately checked the communication channel.
"...Confirmed, sir."
"...The knights have reached their assigned positions."
The captain nodded.
Then—
"...What about the other ships?"
Another officer stepped forward.
"Sir."
"...The cannons on the other ships are fully charged and ready as well."
The captain's expression hardened.
"...Good."
He turned toward the communications officer.
"...Send word to the other captains."
The officer immediately raised the communication device.
"...All ships are cleared to fire."
For several seconds—
only static answered.
Then the responses came through one after another.
"...Confirmed."
"...Standing by."
"...Ready."
The captain looked toward the battlefield one final time.
Five military airships were positioned high above the city.
Their massive mana cannons glowed with concentrated power.
The air around their barrels distorted beneath the pressure.
The officer at the controls slowly raised his hand.
"...Beginning countdown."
**Five.**
The cannons hummed.
Mana began surging through their internal arrays.
**Four.**
The barrels grew brighter.
**Three.**
The surrounding air began to distort violently.
**Two.**
Mana continued accumulating within the cannon chambers.
**One.**
Below—
the Rift Breakers suddenly raised their heads.
Their crimson eyes turned toward the sky.
The captain's eyes narrowed.
"...Fire."
**BOOOOOOOOOOM—!!**
All five airships fired simultaneously.
Enormous beams of condensed mana tore through the sky.
The surrounding clouds were blown apart by the sheer force.
The beams descended toward the battlefield—
straight toward the advancing Rift Breakers.
Then—
they struck.
**BOOOOOOOOOOM—!!**
The entire battlefield disappeared beneath a massive explosion.
The earth shook violently.
Buildings trembled.
Windows shattered throughout the surrounding streets.
A tremendous shock wave spread outward, sending debris and broken stone flying through the air.
Even the nearby rooftops shook beneath the impact.
---
Inside one of the airships—
the captain stared through the viewing window.
"...Are the barriers up?"
An officer immediately checked the instruments.
"Yes, sir."
"...All five ships have deployed their defensive barriers."
The captain nodded.
"...Increase them to full power."
"Yes, sir!"
The defensive barriers surrounding the airships immediately intensified.
Their surfaces became denser as enormous quantities of mana continued flowing through them.
The vessels remained suspended above the battlefield, protected from the violent shock waves below.
---
Below—
the knights remained in position.
None of them moved.
Their eyes remained fixed on the battlefield.
The enormous explosion continued burning.
Smoke and dust covered everything.
The knight commander tightened his grip around his sword.
"...Wait."
The knights remained ready.
Their bodies were tense.
Their mana was already circulating.
Slowly—
the smoke began to clear.
A massive silhouette appeared through the dust.
Then—
another.
The commander narrowed his eyes.
"...They're still standing."
The Rift Breakers were barely holding themselves upright.
Their armored bodies were covered in enormous wounds.
Chunks of their black armor had been blasted away.
Black blood poured from several openings.
One creature had a massive section of its shoulder missing.
Another had half of its chest exposed.
Yet—
they were alive.
And their wounds were already beginning to close.
Flesh slowly knitted together.
Black armor began regrowing over exposed muscle.
The commander immediately noticed.
"...They're healing."
His expression hardened.
"...Don't give them time."
He raised his sword.
"**CHARGE!**"
The knights moved simultaneously.
**BOOM!**
Their feet slammed into the ground as they surged forward.
The distance between them and the Rift Breakers rapidly disappeared.
The knight commander moved at the front.
His eyes remained locked onto the nearest creature.
Its wounds were already knitting together.
He tightened his grip.
"...Not fast enough."
He lowered his stance.
Mana surged through his body.
His sword began glowing with concentrated power.
Then—
he leapt into the air.
His cloak snapped violently behind him.
The blade rose above his head.
Mana gathered around the weapon in increasingly dense layers.
The knight commander's expression became fierce.
"...Great Knight Sword Technique."
The surrounding air trembled.
"...Third Style."
He brought the sword down with all his strength.
"...**Heaven-Splitting Strike!**"
**BOOOOOOM!!**