themonasnovels Chapter 127 Completing the Tower Defense
Chapter 127 Completing the Tower Defense
Chapter 126 Completing the Tower Defense
The bugle calls from the city walls were still echoing, but Lorraine did not rush to issue battle orders.
He stood at the edge of the battlements, his gaze sweeping across the vast snowfield, fixed on the approaching black tide in the distance, while his mind raced over another matter.
The Witch's Tower.
"I almost forgot," Lorraine muttered to herself.
He turned to Lyra beside him: "Go and call Ohm and Catherine to the city wall, quickly."
Laila nodded, turned around, and quickly ran down the city wall.
Lorraine wasted no time waiting. He closed his eyes and focused his mental energy inward. The witch's secret book, which only he could see, floated deep within his consciousness, emitting a faint golden glow.
Opening the building panel, a dense array of building icons appears before your eyes.
Lorraine's gaze quickly settled on several key projects.
After Ohm advanced to the fourth rank, the number of Witch Towers she could control jumped from twelve to twenty-four.
But until now, Lorraine has been busy dealing with a mess of city defenses, the economy, coal mines, and so on, and has completely forgotten to complete the remaining twelve towers for Ohm.
Moreover, after Catherine officially joined the Tower of Babel, her twenty-four witch towers were never built.
"There's been so much going on lately—" Lorraine rubbed her temples.
Fortunately, although the territory's magic crystal reserves were insufficient to support a witch's advancement to the fifth rank, the cost of building the Witch's Tower was not nearly as exorbitant.
The remaining magic crystals in the warehouse are enough.
Lorraine opened her eyes, channeled her mental energy into the construction panel of the Witch's Codex, and began to operate it.
First is Ohm.
Lorraine directly selected her original twelve Tier 3 magic-powered heavy artillery turrets and upgraded them all to Tier 4 in one go.
A confirmation prompt popped up on the construction panel, and the number of magic crystals consumed jumped rapidly.
Lorraine confirmed without hesitation.
On the city wall, twelve magic-powered heavy cannon towers, which originally shone with a dark blue light, simultaneously hummed. The rune arrays on the surface of the towers expanded rapidly, and the metal structures reorganized, grew taller, and were reinforced by the power of the world's rules.
The third-tier cannon barrel was replaced by a thicker and longer fourth-tier cannon barrel, and the magic energy focusing crystal at the top of the tower expanded from the size of a fist to the size of a washbasin.
The energy fluctuations emitted were visibly amplified to a higher level.
Upgrade complete.
Next, Lorraine selected the icon for the Tier 4 Magic Cannon Tower on the construction panel, increased the quantity to twelve, and evenly distributed them along the city wall.
confirm.
On the city wall, twelve pillars of light rose up simultaneously from the ground.
The power of world rules has coalesced and taken shape.
Brand new Tier 4 magic-powered heavy artillery turrets sprouted one after another from the city walls, their metal bases embedded in the city wall bricks, their cannons pointing outwards, and the magic-powered crystals on top of the turrets glowing with a cold blue light.
Several soldiers who were preparing for battle on the city wall were startled by the sudden appearance of the buildings. They took a few steps back and stared wide-eyed at the giant turrets that had appeared out of nowhere.
"It's popped up again?!"
"The lord's handiwork is nothing new." An old soldier calmly patted his companion on the shoulder, but his own hand was trembling slightly.
Twenty-four Tier 4 magic-powered heavy artillery turrets were neatly arranged on the city wall.
Each one exuded a deep magical aura, and the energy accumulated in the muzzle caused a slight distortion in the surrounding air.
Lorraine nodded in satisfaction and continued operating the construction panel.
Next up—Catherine.
A fourth-tier Storm Witch, capable of controlling twenty-four Witch Towers.
Lorraine flipped through the panel and found the corresponding Witch Tower type for Catherine—Storm Tower.
The fourth-tier Storm Tower can summon lightning and storms to strike enemies, covering a wide area and having a devastating effect on densely packed enemy formations.
Quantity: Twenty-four.
confirm.
This time, the commotion is even bigger than before.
Twenty-four purple-white beams of light shot into the sky simultaneously, and the snow on the city wall was instantly evaporated by the energy shockwave.
The Storm Tower is completely different in appearance from the Magic Cannon Tower—it is more slender and elongated, and its body is composed of alternating dark gray metal and purple lightning crystals.
The top of the tower is a huge spherical lightning rod structure, which is currently crackling with tiny electric arcs.
The moment each Storm Tower was erected, the air around it filled with the smell of ozone, and the dark clouds overhead seemed to be drawn by some force, slowly gathering towards the top of the tower.
The soldiers on the city wall were completely speechless this time.
They just stood there, watching as towering structures, radiating lightning, rose from the city walls beneath their feet, forming a dense, orderly array.
Finally, there's Lyra.
Lorraine found Lyra's Witch Tower on the panel, which contained her original six Tier 2 Doom Watchtowers.
Lyra has already advanced to the third-tier Fate Witch, and these second-tier Doom Watchtowers should have been upgraded long ago.
Lorraine selected six Tier 2 Doom Watchtowers and upgraded them all to Tier 3 Destiny Watchtowers.
confirm.
The six small watchtowers simultaneously emitted a deep hum, and the previously dim runes on the towers lit up again, their color changing from gray-black to silver-white.
The tower's height nearly doubled, and the crystal ball at the top changed from cloudy to clear and transparent, with fine silver threads faintly visible flowing inside.
Next, Lorraine selected six Tier 3 Destiny Watchtowers on the panel and filled them along the city wall.
confirm.
Six beams of silvery-white light rose, and new watchtowers of destiny took shape one after another.
At this point, all construction work was completed.
Lorraine exited the build panel and let out a long sigh.
He glanced at the entire city wall—
Twenty-four Tier 4 magic-powered heavy artillery turrets, their blue light steady and calm.
Twenty-four fourth-tier Storm Towers, crackling with lightning.
Twenty-four fourth-order entropy towers, time rays poised to unleash their power.
Twelve third-tier Destiny Watchtowers, their silver light shimmering.
Twelve three-tiered thorn towers, with writhing vines.
Nearly a hundred witch towers stood densely packed on the city walls, their various colors of light intertwining, making the entire Frostwolf City wall resemble a luminous fortress.
"My lord!"
Ohm's voice came from below the city wall.
Lorraine looked down and saw a petite girl running up the steps, her short silver hair flying in the wind, her cheeks flushed red from the cold air.
Behind her, Catherine, dressed in a greyish-white nun's robe, walked calmly up the city wall.
Her pale purple eyes beneath the veil were calm and undisturbed, but when her gaze swept over the twenty-four brand-new Storm Towers on the city wall, she visibly paused.
"Big brother!" Ohm ran up to Lorraine, excitedly pointing to the brand-new Tier 4 magic-powered heavy artillery turrets. "Are these for me? Twenty-four of them! All Tier 4!"
Her eyes shone like two stars as she circled the nearest heavy artillery turret, reached out and touched the metallic patterns on the barrel, letting out a satisfied sigh.
"It feels so good—it's a whole size thicker than the previous Tier 3 cannon, and the purity of the magic energy focusing crystal has also increased by at least three levels. The heat dissipation structure on the inner wall of the cannon barrel has been completely redesigned—"
She seemed to be caressing a precious work of art, muttering various technical parameters, completely immersed in her own world.
Lorraine didn't interrupt her, but turned to look at Catherine.
Catherine had reached a Storm Tower and looked up at the spherical lightning rod crackling at the top.
She paused for a few seconds, then slowly extended her right hand, which was gloved with black lace, and gently touched the tower with her fingertips.
A purple arc of electricity leaped from the tower to her fingertips, spread along her arm, and finally dissipated on her shoulder.
Catherine's body trembled slightly.
"—Twenty-four Storm Towers, fourth tier." Her voice was soft, carrying a complex emotion that was hard to conceal.
She turned her head, her pale purple eyes beneath the static-effect veil staring straight at Lorraine.
"You built me twenty-four fourth-tier witch towers."
"You are my witch, isn't that a given?" Lorraine said calmly.
Catherine did not speak.
She lowered her head and looked at her hands, which were covered in black lace gloves—beneath the gloves were scorch marks left from a battle years ago when she had exhausted her life force.
Many years have passed.
Many years ago, when she was still called Katie, she fought desperately for that man, exhausting her life force and burning her foundation, only to be betrayed and hunted down in return.
As a witch who did dirty work in secret and did not guard the city, that man never gave her even a witch's tower.
And now, this young lord has built twenty-four fourth-tier Storm Towers for her in less than a month since she joined the Tower of Babel.
It was not charity, not a transaction, and not even a deliberate attempt to win someone over.
It was just a matter of course.
Catherine took a deep breath and suppressed her surging emotions.
"————Thank you."
Her voice returned to its usual indifference, but Lorraine noticed that the hand she was using to support the tower was trembling slightly.
"Don't thank me, you'll have plenty of opportunities to shine later." Lorraine pointed north.
On the distant snowfield, the black tide had approached to a distance where individuals could be distinguished with the naked eye.
The densely packed monsters covered the sky, and the several huge figures at the forefront emitted fourth-order magical energy fluctuations, making them particularly conspicuous in the army.
Catherine followed Lorraine's finger and looked in the direction she was pointing, her pale purple eyes narrowing slightly.
"Six Tier 4 soldiers," she said calmly, "and tens of thousands of Tier 2 and Tier 3 grunts."
"Did you see clearly?"
"The Storm Witches have a more precise perception of air currents than their sight," Catherine said, withdrawing her gaze. "Their formation is loose, and they're not moving fast; they don't seem to be the Winter Lord's direct forces."
"It shouldn't be." Lorraine nodded, realizing that she hadn't yet asked the Witch's Codex about the origin of the package.
"I killed all of the Winter Lord's three Winter Generals long ago. This batch must be wild fourth-tier outsiders. I don't know where they came from."
"Six wild, fourth-tier monsters acting together?"
Catherine's tone carried a hint of doubt, "This is not normal. Wild fourth-tier monsters have a very strong sense of territory and usually do not travel in groups with other individuals of the same level."
"Whether it's normal or not, who cares?" Lorraine turned around, leaned against the edge of the barricade, and crossed her arms. "To me, this is just a batch of magic crystals delivered to my door."
Catherine glanced at him but said nothing more.
She had already grown accustomed to the young lord's way of doing things; what others saw as a catastrophe was, in his mouth, always just "resources" and "materials."
Ohm finally reluctantly withdrew his hand from the heavy artillery turret and ran back to Lorraine's side.
"Big brother, I just tested the connection, and all twenty-four Tier 4 heavy artillery turrets are now connected! They're ready to fire at any time!"
She clenched her fist, her short, silvery-white hair standing on end slightly with excitement, like a kitten with its fur standing on end.
"The firepower coverage area has increased threefold compared to before, and the power of a single shot has increased four levels. If we fire a volley—" She tilted her head and calculated seriously, "about two shells would be enough to blast a Tier 3 monster into dust."
"What about the fourth tier?"
"At the fourth tier, a volley of fire can probably take down about 30% of its magic shield."
Ohm answered honestly, "But if we keep bombarding it, we can definitely penetrate it within three or four rounds."
Lorraine nodded in satisfaction.
"Catherine, where is your Storm Tower?"
Catherine closed her eyes, and her mental energy instantly spread out, establishing a connection with the twenty-four Storm Towers.
At the same time, the spherical lightning rod at the top of the tower lit up with a purple-white light, and the dark clouds overhead began to churn violently, with muffled thunder rumbling in the clouds.
A few seconds later, Catherine opened her eyes.
"Connection complete." Her voice was calm, but there was a hint of sharpness in her tone. "Twenty-four fourth-tier Storm Towers are enough to create a continuous thunderstorm zone within a three-mile radius outside the city walls. Any monster that enters this area will be subjected to continuous attacks of lightning and storms."
"What about its effect on fourth-tier monsters?"
"A single lightning strike cannot cause fatal damage to a fourth-tier monster, but a continuous thunderstorm can greatly weaken their movement speed and perception."
Catherine paused, then added, "The effect will be much better when combined with Ohm's heavy turrets focusing fire."
Lorraine glanced at Ohm, then at Catherine.
"very good."
He straightened up, walked to the edge of the city wall, and looked down at the approaching army of monsters in the distance.
"Everyone, listen to my command!"
"Prepare for battle!"