Chapter 199.1. Royal Guards’ Power

-Gotou’s POV-
The sound of an explosion echoed from a distance. 
Gotou, flying at a low altitude just above the treetops with [Invisible] deployed, furrowed his brow.
“Captain, it seems our predictions were wrong.”
One of his subordinates, running alongside him, delivered the news in an anxious voice.
“Yes, it appears to have been a trap.”
With a bitter tone, Gotou turned his gaze towards a location ten kilometers away, squinting his eyes.
[Mana Sense]
By enhancing his vision with mana, Gotou’s eyes revealed faintly shimmering mana light, resembling capillaries. 
There were clusters of flickering lights in the forest in his line of sight, where the individual mana lights of numerous monsters overlapped, giving the impression of a single living organism.
Their numbers were overwhelming. 
That was on the level of a stampede, not a mere staged act. 
It was a considerably large-scale operation.
Then, Gotou directed his gaze towards the road where Countess Takano was, and to his surprise, she had cleared the forest, providing a clear view.
With that clear ground, they would be able to engage in combat with a large number of monsters. 
Gotou became convinced that the recent explosion was caused by magic that created that clearing, and a stern expression appeared on his face.
“Now, who do you think cast that magic?”
“I’m not sure, but it’s unlikely to be the Royal Guards.”
In response to his subordinate’s perplexed words, Gotou speculated on who might be responsible. 
Based on his perception, it seemed to be wind magic.
And the head of the family specializing in wind magic was there.
“Countess Takano… Just how sharp were the claws she had hidden…”
Although she’s a young girl, but a formidable opponent, causing Gotou to twist his face as if he had bitten a bitter bug.
“Captain, there’s a [Noise] alert! It covers a significant area. We can also see multiple units approaching separately! There are a lot of them: 20 Magic Wyvern Helicopters and 200 soldiers equipped with Nidhogg’s Agito, the magic armor!”
Gotou has subordinate with the [Thousand-Mile Magic Eye], allowing visual recognition of the enemy beyond obstacles, the subordinate reported perturbed, causing Gotou to clench his fist and let out a growl of frustration.
“Nidhogg, huh? Collaborating with Solomon. Damn it, were they prepared to eliminate Princess Sena and the others?”
Gotou accurately deduced the content of this trap. 
It was a strategy to expose a simple trap while concealing the real trap.
He had thought it was a trivial trap, but it was a failure.
“What should we do, Captain? Shall we proceed with the rescue?”
“Hmm…”
As the enemy forces emerged from the forest, Gotou could also see them.
Judging by their appearance, they were Magic Wyvern Helicopters. 
Each unit cost around 3 billion. 
They seemed to be outdated models, but even so, it was impressive that they had managed to gather that many.
Furthermore, numerous soldiers were wearing the renowned magic armor, Agito, used by Nidhogg. 
They must have gathered them with the intention of total annihilation.
Princess Seina and the others would likely die with that number of soldiers and a horde of monsters.
Despite the frustration, Gotou knew there was no choice but to return for reinforcement. 
When he was about to turn around with clenched teeth…
Suddenly, the airborne enemy soldiers disintegrated and fell to pieces.
The enemy soldiers who panicked and scattered also met the same fate, their bodies dismembered.
“What’s going on?”
Upon closer inspection, he managed to glimpse threads sparkling in the air, resembling a spider’s web.
“A thread user? But can they produce enough power to break through magic barriers?”
He sensed a surge of mana within the forest.
They have a vast amount of mana equal to a noble family’s heads at an advanced level, if not surpassing them.
Pointing toward the forest, the enemy soldiers rushed into it. 
They were individuals who possessed an immense amount of mana.
They had discerned the whereabouts of the enemy soldiers.
Explosions of magic and flashes of mana illuminated the scene, indicating a fierce battle.
And the enemy soldiers’ mana was gradually diminishing.
They were a magic user capable of breaking through magic barriers. 
It was likely that threads were spread throughout the forest, creating the territory of a thread user.
“Is it Count Outomo’s reinforcements?”
“No, I haven’t heard that Count Outomo has such powerful magic users among his subordinates, nor would they cause such significant damage to their allies… They’re perhaps who had been secretly hidden by someone.”
Gotou’s subordinate didn’t say it out loud, but he understood who might have prepared it. 
Gotou swallowed hard.
He recalled the image of a girl when who bribed Katou Karen.
It wouldn’t be strange if she had made preparations.
The Wyverns advanced. 
There were also numerous monsters present. Gotou pondered his options, but…
“We will capture the hidden enemy first! Until then, we should be able to withstand even that army. No… Perhaps our reinforcements won’t be necessary. Let’s proceed forward!”
That girl is unfathomably terrifying. Gotou doesn’t know how many cards she has hidden away.
He can feel hid determination to figure something out.
In that case, Gotou, who had absolute confidence in his abilities, decided to capture the mastermind as soon as possible and proceed with the rescue mission.
“Detect the enemy quickly!”
By controlling monsters and predicting their whereabouts, they can concentrate their investigation on several locations and find out quickly.
“Understood! I will confirm immediately.”
By combining [Thousand-Mile Magic Eye] and [Magic Sense], Gotou’s subordinate explores the target location. 
Within a few minutes of waiting, they quickly discover the answer.
“We have detected a strong mana signature at a distance of 18 kilometers! It’s likely our target.”
“Well done. We anticipated that it would be difficult to conceal the mana emissions when controlling monsters, and it seems our prediction was correct. Cancel [Invisible]! All units, move toward the target!”
“Roger that!”
Equipped with the magic armor Benkei, Gotou and his team infuse mana into their armor. The samurai-like armor shines, and their flight speed increases. By emitting particles of mana, Gotou and his team quickly head toward the location where the mana was detected.
After flying at a low altitude above the trees, they found several soldiers emerging from the forest at their destination.