The Sorcerer's Handbook

Chapter 243: The Invincible Hero

This is probably the third time I've had to fight personally, Demilo thought.

A commander was meant to stay at the rear, directing troops, but when an army faced annihilation, it fell to the commander to step onto the battlefield and see the mission through. Even if they fell, the Divine Lord could revive them from memory, carrying over the merits of their previous life.

To the Divine Lord, a capable legion commander was a rare asset. Not every sorcerer projection could ascend to Hero status. Most projections lacked command talent, and even those with skill might not suit their assigned faction. A sorcerer specialized in commanding the undead, for instance, was useless in the Star Hall, which had no undead units at all.

Different sorcerer projections had different specialties in command, but command itself was not recognized by the Virtual World as a sorcery class. In other words, they couldn't rely on the Virtual World's support and had to depend entirely on their own skills to succeed.

Having spent over a hundred years mastering the Logistics Arts[1] specialty, Demilo was not someone the Divine Lord would abandon. The Star Hall had few logistics commanders, and each one could dramatically accelerate resource collection.

Running away wasn't an option. Once commanders realized that dying in battle was the most efficient course, no one chose to flee. Like puppets with memories, programmed for straight-line logic, they couldn't indulge in unnecessary actions. That was until now, when Demilo encountered this group of sorcerers. Since then, he had been issuing commands that weren't strictly necessary.

He glanced at the massive bow in his left hand, a sign that he had assigned himself the Star Archer unit. Like Knowledge Creatures, the soldiers under a commander's control would mutate according to the commander's traits. Thanks to the Miracles Tyrant's Sorrow Bow and Diamond Split Arrow, his Star Archer units now wielded larger bows and fired brighter arrows, far beyond those of ordinary Star Archers.

At the same time, commanders held another crucial advantage over Knowledge Creatures. They could stack multiple units of the same type onto themselves.

Right now, Demilo had stacked all eight Star Archer units he could command onto himself. This didn't increase his damage, but it amplified his armor. Normally, each Star Archer had two layers of armor. Stacked eight times, that became sixteen layers.

The numeric increase was more than just extra points. Each additional layer amplified the damage reduction coefficient, making the outermost layer far harder to penetrate.

If each armor layer had 100 health points and 10% damage reduction, it would take 112 damage[2] to break that layer. With two layers, the outer layer's reduction increased to 14%, requiring 117 damage[3] to break. Each additional layer further boosted the damage reduction.

While the reduction of each layer varied, stacking more layers consistently increased the armor's overall resilience. The coefficient couldn't increase indefinitely, but with sixteen layers of armor, Demilo's outermost layer's damage reduction had risen to nearly 50%. A strike from the steel monster that should have shattered three normal layers only pierced the outermost layer, leaving fifteen layers still intact."

This was why soldiers mattered more than minions. With enough soldiers, even if all the minions fell, a Hero could still stand as an army of one.

During the previous Six Nations Wars, Demilo had once stacked three hundred Star Archer units, dominating the tactical high ground and suppressing multiple enemy legions. He earned the Invincible Hero medal and triple merit rewards from the Divine Lord.

Before his armor began to fail, he had ample time to pick off the sorcerers methodically. He drew his bow to full draw, aiming at the charging steel behemoth.

Hum!

Suddenly, the screech of tires cut through the air. The car braked sharply, drifting before impact and leaving donut-shaped skid marks as it slid teasingly across the battlefield.

Demilo instantly analyzed its intent and weakness. Trying to disrupt my aim, huh? Looks like this steel monster can't withstand a few shots from me...

Just then, the sorcerers did the unexpected and peeked out!

Clang!

Demilo's reflexes were lightning fast, but his opponent seemed to be baiting him. They retreated almost immediately after peeking out, tricking him into firing a shot prematurely. Meanwhile, the car slammed into him again, tearing away his fifteenth armor layer.

What a cunning man.

Demilo adjusted his strategy. He stopped aiming at the sorcerers and focused entirely on destroying the steel behemoth. But as the monster ran in circles again, the Star Shepherd realized he had walked straight into a trap.

Even after leaving the cave, the steel behemoth's rear continued spewing poisonous gas. In open terrain, it dispersed quickly, but after several laps, the dark green fog thickened enough to blur vision.

Shooting from a distance now was unlikely to be effective. Even if he fired three arrows at once, probably only one would hit. Between the beast's speed, its unpredictable movements, and his impaired vision, it was improbable that he could take down the mount before his armor gave way. Only one option remained to improve his accuracy.

Vroom!

The car burst from the thick fog, aiming to crush Demilo. In response, he let the bowstring fly, releasing the shot he had held taut for so long. He waited until the steel behemoth was directly in front of him to ensure every arrow would hit its mark.

In theory, he was right. The monster would be shredded before his armor gave way. That was, if no one got in the way.

In the split second before the blade pushed him aside, several thread-like strands shot out from the car, wrapping around his waist like a gentle embrace.

Then came the harsh tug.

Demilo couldn't break free, nor was he knocked away by the car. The strands held him pressed against the deadly blades. He wasn't alarmed, only slightly surprised. The real danger of the steel behemoth wasn't the blades themselves, but the sheer inertia amplified by its speed.

Being held meant continuous blade contact, but compared to the previous impact, it was as insignificant as a pinch from nail clippers.

Still, being controlled was unacceptable. Demilo tried to sever the strands with a diamond arrow, but the steel behemoth had already pushed him out of the poisonous mist.

Why did it leave the fog? In open terrain, they would have no chance against me. Could it be...

Demilo's intuition sharpened. He looked back, only to find himself pressed against the cave wall!

1. Logistics Arts is a specialized skill that enhances the management of troops, supplies, and battlefield support, turning the crucial work of army coordination into a disciplined and powerful art. ☜

2. 112*0.9=100.8 ☜

3. 117*0.86=100.62 (The Health Points) ☜