CH243 Furious Trump Card I

***

Alex did not slow down after passing the Fort's gates. He spurred Dread into a full sprint, racing straight toward the central plaza.

That was where his final trump card awaited—one he believed could turn the tide of battle and secure victory for the Fury forces. A weapon, it seemed, only he could wield.

At the plaza lay a massive cluster of interwoven Array Formation circles. Each circle possessed its own unique function, yet also fed into and interacted with the others in intricate ways.

The complexity of their interaction mirrored the delicate interplay of rune circuit components that formed single Array Formation circles—but here, that principle had been scaled up to the level of Array Formations themselves.

Any true Array Master would have stood in awe.

Together, these countless formations formed the components of something far greater.

A Grand Array Formation.

Such a construct stood close to the pinnacle of array mastery. Regardless of its tier, any individual capable of designing one would be recognised across the continent as a true Array Master worthy of deep respect.

If Alex were to publish this design, he would no doubt gain fame and prestige within the Array Master community. Yet none of that mattered to him now. He had no interest in accolades—only in repelling the invaders who threatened his land.

The arrays Alex had handed over to the Fort's resident Array Masters were profoundly complex. So complex, in fact, that even he could not operate them directly.

But he had found a solution. A surprisingly simple, yet ingenious one.

The key lay in the Fort's own Grand Array design.

Every formation across the Fort was tied into and governed by a Central Control Array. Normally, this functioned merely as a hub to centralise control, ensuring higher security and coordination. But there was another use for such a control nexus—one few considered.

In certain circumstances, a Central Control Array could be designed so that even a non-mage could operate it.

For example, palaces and castles belonging to royalty, grand dukes, and dukes were always protected by Grand Array Formations. Yet not every Emperor, King, or Duke was a mage. In many cases, such critical defensive systems could not—and must not—be entrusted to another.

Thus, special control formations were created—designed to allow even those without magical potential or array mastery to wield absolute command over their fortress' defences.

Of course, designing such a Control Formation required an exceptional level of mastery. After all, Array Masters were exclusively mages—yet this formation essentially allowed a non-mage to act as though they were one.

The conditions to make such a system work demanded expertise Alex simply did not possess.

But that didn't matter.

Not exactly.

What was most important was the idea.

Since his own brain, spiritual force, and mana pathways could not possibly shoulder the full load of directly operating the complex formations he had prepared, Alex devised a workaround: a Control Formation that functioned like a bot. It would handle the heavy lifting—the countless precise, complicated procedures—on behalf of the user.

Alex believed this would make the formations accessible not only for him, but also for the Fort's other mages.

He had been wrong.

Now, only he could take command.

Alex stepped onto the glowing nexus at the heart of the Control Formation. As an added measure, he granted OmniRune access and subordinate authority over the array, enabling smoother integration.

Instantly, OmniRune began filtering the endless streams of commands, simplifying them into intuitive mental prompts. All Alex needed to do was think—and OmniRune, his Greater Rune Mage–support AI, would translate those thoughts into precise instructions, passing them seamlessly to the Control Formation. The formation would then manipulate the Grand Array Formation into performing the exact results he desired.

When Alex confirmed everything was working as planned, he let out a deep sigh of relief.

"I'll be vulnerable from this point onward," Alex said gravely to Udara. "My protection will be in your hands."

"I will protect you with my life, Master," Udara replied, her tone heavy with solemn determination.

"You don't need to go that far," Alex answered with a faint smile, trying to lighten the tension. "Just make sure to wake me up if anything happens around us."

Udara turned her face away without replying.

Alex could have sworn he heard a soft "hmph" escape her lips as she did.

'I must be mistaken. Udara wouldn't do that… right?'

Shaking his head, Alex sat himself in a meditative pose, letting his consciousness sink into his mindspace.

'It's all on you now, Senu!'

"Skree!" came the sharp reply, ringing across his mindspace

High above the night sky, Senu became as Alex's eye. Through her shared vision ability, he gained a literal bird's-eye view over the battlefield.

"Let's begin."

--

While Jared was trotting steadily across the battlefield to confront General Vance, a sudden shift swept through the Fury ranks.

All at once, a strange rune flared to life on the forehead of every Fury soldier.

This was no ordinary rune. Its design was foreign, unrecorded, and beyond the knowledge of even seasoned Array Masters or mages. None could decipher its meaning—but all instinctively knew the one responsible.

'Young Master Alex's arrays… they're working?'

From the walls, the Fort Commander's weary eyes darted toward the central plaza. There, on a glowing runic formation, sat a lone figure as if in meditation. Though the commander could not see his face from this distance and angle, the youthful form was unmistakable.

'He actually activated the Spell Formation that even the fort's mages failed to control. So the rumours of him being a genius mage were true…'

A surge of energy coursed through the commander's body. The fatigue from endless combat evaporated in an instant.

And he was not the only one.

Across the battlefield, the effects of the Greater Rune—now branded upon every Fury soldier—manifested in remarkable ways.

Weary soldiers found themselves revitalised, their exhaustion burning away like morning mist.

Wounded men and women watched as their cuts closed and bleeds staunched before their eyes.

Those pressed hardest by enemy blades saw protective energy shields shimmer into existence, forming armour that protected them from the attacks.

A select few saw their attacks enhanced to deal more damage, and their weapons digging deeper into enemy flesh and lines.

The rune's power was adaptive, responding to each soldier's most urgent need at any given moment. Injured troops were healed, surrounded troops were shielded, fatigued troops were invigorated while attacking troops were empowered.

The battlefield shifted instantly.

The Fury soldiers, once battered, now surged forward with a ferocity that bordered on reckless abandon. All fear and hesitation vanished, for in their hearts burned only trust—a trust in their young master who supported them from behind the walls.

The long stalemate, fought desperately across the ramparts and in the bloody no-man's land before the gates, finally began to tilt.

And at that very moment, the Fury's other great trump card on the battlefield began to reveal its might even more.

***

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