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Crisis creates opportunity, they say, and in extreme circumstances, Violet developed a useful skill.

That skill was none other than the Violet Strategic Map.

As long as the Violet Ward, which acts as a ward, is alive, we can pinpoint the enemy’s location in real-time. The map is continuously zooming in, and the shadows of the battlefield are beginning to clear.

“Ugh! This is too hard!”

It was still too much to fully represent the complex reality.

My head throbbed, so I flattened the map for clarity. A drastically simplified battlefield situation revealed itself before me.

I assigned colors to the enemies for better recognition.

The Violet Team was yellow, friendly forces were blue.

On the flip side, the Magnavis unit was red, the monsters and believers were purple, and finally, the ghouls were green.

“How dreadful!”

“Enemies everywhere…”

The map, born from the power of the Violets, displayed numerous moving dots. This was just the level that had been identified.

The sizes of the dots varied, determined by my subjective sense of danger and perception.

At the top, there was a fallen forward base; reports from infiltrated Violets indicated that most of the believers were gathering near the base.

Following the rear road down to the nearby shopping avenue, a small fountain square marked in white awaited us.

Right now, red dots were descending down the avenue and clashing with yellow dots. We were struggling to fend off a massive red dot in the fountain square.

Going down from the square, a residential complex connected through narrow alleys was formed.

Passing through the housing complex alley, we came across a broken elevator in the poorly developed area where people were stacking barriers to hold their ground.

The team members had also retreated there.

However, countless monsters were scattered throughout the area, roaming between paths. Moreover, small ghoul squads made up of ghouled federal soldiers were wandering around.

But the most significant problem right now was Magnavis’s assault unit.

They were moving this way along the main road. They kept coming down!

We urgently needed to generate more troops. The current numbers were insufficient.

However, we couldn’t do anything just with the map.

Think. What should I do?

Right now, the second platoon was fiercely holding them off.

“Take cover, take cover!”

Violets armed with crossbows dashed inside buildings or found spots to hide as a massive blue flame heated above us.

“Where’s my arm?”

“Uh, look at my hand! It’s burnt to ash!”

In the field, they were anxiously enduring while waiting for us to decide.

“Command Center! We’re holding for now, but we need a strategy. At this rate, we’ll be overwhelmed!”

Calmly, I classified what I could and couldn’t do. The Violets’ minds accelerated rapidly.

“The problem is firepower!”

The clan members’ troop composition is mainly threefold.

Mercenaries. There are both Awakened and Non-Awakened, but at least they can be killed if you shoot them.

Next are the Mages, who barrage us with troublesome spells.

And the worst are those wearing opaque sealed masks. They must be Vanguard operatives.

They had no tanks. No matter how many attacks hit, they wouldn’t break through, and every time they hurled lightning or swung flames, the Violet squad evaporated and the platoon ignited.

Even if we surrounded and beat them with numbers, it didn’t seem like we would certainly win.

“Can’t we bring Levi?”

“He’s healing in the back. He’ll take a few minutes!”

I thought. With explosives and heavy weapons neutralized, there were only a few weapons we could rely on.

“Aim for the head!”

The power of a single bolt fired from a crossbow is incomparable to any bullet in terms of penetration. The magically infused bolt easily pierces armor.

The problem is the rate of fire. Unlike a gun that fires immediately upon pulling the trigger, for crossbows and bows, we must imbue the arrows with magical power and shoot.

The low bolt speed means we could get intercepted. Just like now!

“Ugh! Where’s the logic in this? What on earth is that woman doing?”

The bolt in flight got intercepted before it could reach the target.

In the central area, away from the front, numerous magic circles surrounded some mage, firing beams and dropping arrows.

Due to the recognition-destroying devices, the faces of the Magnavis guys were too blurry to distinguish clearly.

When seeing the slender figure, it looked somewhat female, but that was all.

“That’s a problem too!”

If the Vanguard operatives are a heavily armed battleship with punching power and armor, that one at the center is a missile defense system.

While our attacks are entirely blocked, theirs could be dealt one-sidedly, making them very malicious.

My mind spun quickly to find another way.

“Let’s use the Ether Cannon!”

The Ether Cannon. A close-range energy weapon powered by magic purchased from the weapons merchant Armas. With this, they would surely taste a fiery fate.

“Let’s use the Flame Blade!”

“Use the chains! Let’s bind them with the relic chains. As long as we can drag them through…”

The relics began to appear one by one, preparing to deliver lethal strikes.

In the meantime, an urgently launched hang glider soared above the dark ceiling of the dungeon.

It was the only one among our gliders powered by a battery.

“Damn! If we can’t perform bombings, what use is a flight squad?”

“No! Wingsuit bombs are still valuable!”

Unit 661 reached out while gazing at the dazzling ground exchanged with magic and bolts.

Violet Wingsuit began its descent.

“Here I go!”

With explosives neutralized, overwhelming firepower couldn’t be displayed. However, we could use our bodies as weapons!

During the exchange of fire, a wingsuit Violet with a spear rammed directly into the Vanguard operative’s body. The so-called flying cavalry spear charge.

“Grrr!”

“That hit somewhat!”

The operative quickly got back up but seemed visibly shaken. From the dark, wingsuits raced toward the Magnavis troops.

“Charge!”

“Eek! It’s coming from the sky!”

After succeeding in skewering two more enemy soldiers, we turned our attention to the witch.

“Die! You sneaky thing!”

Unit 127 charged at the witch who was intercepting bolts.

“Not good! It’s a barrier! Kyaaaa!”

**

Lera looked up in surprise. As someone came flying over the darkness, she activated the prepared defensive spell.

With a dull noise, something collided with the barrier and burst.

‘W-What the hell is this?’

The flesh fragments trickling down the barrier confirmed that it had indeed been a person.

‘Are they charging at a magnetic field with their bare bodies?’

What kind of training and brainwashing must one undergo to charge naked into an electromagnetic field? Whatever their true identity, they were undoubtedly crazier than the Unity Cult believers.

Lera felt chills from the unimaginable madness she faced for the first time in her life.

“What kind of crazy people exist like this?”

The Vanguard commander spoke right after roasting one enemy alive.

“Calm down, this is a clone! Look closely at the corpse! Doesn’t it slowly break apart into particles?”

Only after she confirmed the truth could she calm down.

Yet, there was still something unexplained.

“What in the world is that clone user…?”

Although she had thought they were winning completely, somehow it felt like the number was continually increasing.

‘Could it be, there’s more?’

Upon finishing that thought, she felt a chill creeping in. What on earth are they doing?

**

While team members were receiving treatment, a Violet near the elevator declared.

“I’m going to use teleportation magic from now on. Watch closely! And don’t tell anyone! Legion, assemble!”

Instead of smoke bombs, I took out the fire extinguisher and sprayed it. From the thickening white powder, countless soldiers poured out.

For the price of reviving our dormant bodies with magic, countless troops surged and dashed beyond the barricade.

“Attack!”

**

While the troops continually produced and prepared for an attack, I summarized two key points to win this battle.

First, to neutralize the fire-blocking magic making this battlefield chaotic.

Second, to eliminate all dangerous elements within the dungeon.

To resolve the first issue, I had to eliminate the factors causing the fire-blocking magic.

As far as I know, it could be magic or relics. Surely, one of the Magnavis mages is behind this trick.

“Indeed, there’s a truth among them. But how do you plan to catch them? It’s like trying to bell a cat!”

The issue was that I wasn’t an expert in magic. Moreover, I didn’t know much about relics either.

The solution was simple. Just ask an expert. And I knew some experts in magic and relics.

The Command Center, despite the interruption, called the experts.

“Professor Albert! I’m in a hurry, so please answer quickly! What are the characteristics of the fire-blocking magic?”

-What? Suddenly, what kind of nonsense is this?

“Mr. Waverly! It’s me. From the Ariel Group. I am looking for relics with fire-blocking magic functionality! If there’s something recent in the market or something famous, could you send me some pictures?”

-Oh, you needed a relic? It would be better for you to come and take a look… Understood.

While some members of the Command Center gathered information to resolve the first issue, a discussion among transcendent heroes occurred within the Violet Network, transcending time and space.

A Violet wearing a bamboo hat and ao dai slammed a table.

“The answer is guerrilla warfare! The terrain here is complex. We have to maneuver between buildings and conduct guerrilla warfare! If all our forces gather, our numbers will be overwhelming. We need to slowly whittle them down like Dien Bien Phu, like the Tet Offensive!”

A Violet wearing a conical hat, irritated, threw a musket pistol at the Vietnamese Violet.

“Kyah!”

“You fool! The Magnavis aren’t the only enemies. Look at the map. Don’t you see the monsters roaming each alley? What about the ghouls? Moreover, we’re severely lacking in absolute firepower. If we move in small groups, we’ll be cut down in retaliation. We should encircle them until our numbers gather!”

“But this fountain square is far too narrow! Even if we bring in a battalion, it’s impossible to fully utilize those numbers. People are in the back!”

Right, the problem is location.

The fountain square we are in is too narrow to accommodate a battalion-sized force.

Moreover, there are people behind us who took shelter. Students or Non-Awakened, that is.

Just when we were feeling frustrated in the tense debate, the silent General Violet stepped in.

“If that’s the case, let’s move the battlefield to a more favorable location. Look here!”

The fingertip of the Violet moved from right to left. The moment I saw the location at the fingertip, I gained certainty.

At the right end of the map, there was a wide square.

“This square. The entrance is narrow, but inside is vast. If we can lure all the enemies here…”

General Violet clapped her fan.

This place resembled the terrain where the strategy that brought down the arrogant Nanman King unfolded.

“Alright, this is it! Let’s turn this into their reflection curve!”

The General Violet shouted.

“If we can lure them here, we can encircle and annihilate them! Just like the Battle of Hansan!”

Objections flooded in.

“But the problem is how to lure them! There’s no reason for them to follow us willingly, right?”

“The enemies aren’t fools. They must have a motive to break through that long corridor!”

Violet suddenly recalled.

“No, there’s an answer!”

The things our enemies desire most.

In a corner away from the battlefield, a Violet from the relic team waiting jumped up.

“Hey! You’re Ennis, right? This relic. Do you know how to handle it?”

“Prism? So, you had it…”

“Just answer the question! You said you could manipulate it. Can you handle it or not?”

She nodded with a gloomy face. I rushed to ask again.

“Can you activate this relic?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

I quickly conveyed my requirements. After thinking it over, she eventually provided a somewhat satisfactory response.

“Yes, it’s possible. But it will take some time…”

“I can buy some time! Follow me!”

The relic team hurriedly picked up the prism and Ennis and dashed to the far-off square.

Meanwhile, the Command Center obtained several pieces of information.

“Good! We’ve got some information.”

Having been asked questions with no clue, Professor Albert, albeit irritated, explained the magic’s characteristics.

According to what our lifetime professor informed us, although the magic’s waves are weak, due to its continuously unfolding nature, focusing would quickly pinpoint its specifics.

“This is too difficult. What’s next?”

Next, the president of the relic trading company, Waverly, seemed to think we were looking for relics, sending us various expensive relic catalogs and auction advertisements.

While the Command Center reviewed the materials, we hurriedly tried to track the flow of magic.

Violet 1 felt nothing.

Ten Violets felt a mere tickle.

Fifty Violets began to sense an odd flow.

A peculiar form of magic was spread over the entire area like a carpet.

At the same time, the Ward Violet, hidden and observing the Magnavis mages, caught sight of something strange.

“Intercepting Witch! That one’s carrying a strange device on her back!”

It was a relic resembling the image Waverly sent. While it was adorned with complex machinery, it bore similarities to the peculiar design seen in the photo.

“That’s it!”

It was time to gather the team members.