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The author uses "它 (it)" in Chinese to refer to all the Angels. However, using "it" to refer to the Angels in English feels inappropriate to me, so I've temporarily used "he" to refer to them.
The floating fortress was great, using Titan's own anti-gravity technology. Its advantage was that it wasn't hard to make. But its drawback was that as its size and weight went up, its energy cost went up a lot too.
A regular floating fortress used for patrols needed all of a Royal's energy storage in one day.
The Royal City was way much bigger, so it used as much energy as one hundred floating fortresses.
Adam could improve this technology. His magnetic levitation magic array used better circuits and energy-burning methods, cutting the energy cost by ten times for the same size.
As Adam worked, he asked, "Why didn't you go to the battlefield?"
Lord Svorsi was talking with Adam in person this time, not using a projection. He replied, "They said I was too weak, so they asked me to stay behind to protect the town and you."
"And watch me too?"
Lord Svorsi admitted honestly, "Yes."
Adam didn't mind; this was normal. If it were him, he would do the same.
"Since you're here, help me out. And what do you mean by too weak?" Adam commanded Lord Svorsi without hesitation. His large body and strength made him the best helper, as he could easily move parts of the city, keeping only the needed buildings.
"It means just what it says. I am the weakest of all the lords. I can only fight ten Royal level Metal Eaters at most, while the others can handle over twenty."
This number surprised Adam. Titan had forty-seven Royals before. If the Metal Eaters could suppress them, it meant there were at least a thousand transcendent level Metal Eaters. But, thinking about how Metal Eaters reproduced, Adam felt it wasn't much of a surprise.
Adam finished the last stroke of the magic array and activated it. The streamlined York City rose steadily into the air.
"We were born underground, and all our resources come from underground. Except for The Royal City, no other city floats in the sky. The Royal City has to be high above, because it is a symbol," Lord Svorsi said as he watched the city fly into the sky.
"Hmm?"
Lord Svorsi was silent for a while, then shook his head, saying, "Nothing. What do you need me to do next?"
Adam had no intention of pressing him for answers. He wanted to ask about Svorsi's hometown feelings and future battle plans, but he quickly realized that would be rubbing salt into his wound. So, he simply said, "Take me to the nearest city."
Traveling was necessary. Though teleportation was convenient, only by walking the land could Adam plan the routes for the new floating cities. Teleportation couldn't do that.
After seventeen days of work, most cities were now floating in the sky, running on the program Adam wrote. In the few cities that didn't need to move, teleportation arrays connected them to the frontline, ensuring easy movement of troops and transport of resources.
With the inland cities settled, the Titans had to start abandoning some frontline fortresses. This wasn't easy, as ordering warriors to leave a bloody battlefield would hurt morale. If problems came up, the pressure on the person giving the order would be immense.
After Adam told Lord Svorsi his plan, Svorsi was troubled too. "You know, now is not the right time. If it were before the war..."
"Before the war, could you have imagined so many enemies coming so fast? Even if you had time, would you have agreed?"
These questions left Lord Svorsi speechless, but he still insisted, "Now is really not the right time."
As Adam was about to keep persuading him, a huge shockwave came from the east. A mushroom cloud rose to the sky, and strong winds from the blast kept blowing, making Lord Svorsi's body tremble.
"What happened?"
Lord Svorsi shot into the sky, flames trailing behind him as he flew toward the source of the shock. "Blade City has been destroyed, the frontline is broken, and the Seventh Angel has led an unknown number of Royal level Metal Eaters into the inland!"
Though Adam knew the frontline fortresses would eventually fall, he didn't expect it to happen so quickly.
It had been less than a month since the full-scale war started, and a city had already fallen.
Blade City was near the middle of the frontline. Its destruction meant the entire line was split in two, cutting off the chance for mutual support between the north and south. This was a critical blow, right where it hurt most.
Of course, thanks to the teleportation arrays, the situation for the Titans wasn't as severe as it could have been. However, the danger didn't end there. If the Metal Eaters spread inland, their rapid reproduction would soon fill the area. Then, the Titans would face enemies on all sides, with a grim outcome.
"Can you defeat the Seventh Angel?" Adam asked on the way.
Lord Svorsi replied, "A hundred years ago, I couldn't. Now... I don't know. You should leave first. Your presence won't make much difference in that kind of battle. Your life is more important than mine."
"Don't be reckless. I'm not that easy to kill. In Titania, no one except the Devourer can kill me. But you..."
"Even if I can't win, I have to fight. If I die, I shall take the Seventh Angel down with me. I can't let him stay inland."
"After Blade City was destroyed, what happened to the stationed Titans?"
"All the newborns died, but the high-ranking Titans had minimal losses, thanks to your improved defense shields and teleportation arrays."
"Do you understand battlefield command?"
Lord Svorsi looked puzzled, "Not really. Do you?"
Adam sighed, "I don't know much about it, but I may be better at that than you. When the time comes, give me command. I'll help hold off the regular Metal Eaters. You just focus on the Seventh Angel."
While Adam moved new floating cities toward the battlefield, he said, "I hope there aren't too many."
...
As they got closer to the frontline, a foul smell in the air grew stronger, like sulfur. The energy in the space became more unstable, and strange-colored gases rose to the sky. The ground looked polluted, different from both the inland and the Metal Eaters' territory.
"What's happening?"
"This is the Seventh Angel's power. His tentacles are extremely hot and highly corrosive. Anywhere he is, the environment turns like this. In the last full-scale war, a Royal was ambushed by him."
Adam suddenly interrupted and gave a set of coordinates, "Three hundred meters underground, saturation strike!"
Lord Svorsi executed without hesitation. His chest split open, revealing a giant cannon with a diameter of five hundred meters. Energy flowed from his body, completing the charge in three seconds, and then he fired at the designated spot.
Where the fortress annihilation cannon hit, everything turned to ash. The minerals in the ground didn't even have a chance to melt before they vanished. At that moment, a pillar of red energy shot up from deep underground, colliding with the fortress annihilation cannon.