NOVGO.NET Chapter 1322 Impact Craters
Chapter 1322 Impact Craters
Karl pulled rubble away from the first of the safe rooms, and realized that these areas had previously been guarded by a Totem Rank barrier, the best that the Golden Dragon Nation could provide.
They were truly impressive bastions of security by local standards, but the aftermath of the battle had shattered all the barriers, except the final layer inside the bunkers themselves.
It had been just enough to keep them intact, so Karl opted not to force the door open. Instead, he simply tapped the rhythm of the national anthem on the door until the guard inside opened it.
The door opened, and Karl found himself facing Overlord Johann, a paladin from the GDN military who he had met more than once before, just not at the Academy.
“Overlord, it’s good to see you safe. The battle is over, but you will want to steel your stomach before seeing the aftermath.” Karl greeted him quietly.
“How much survived?” The Paladin replied.
“At least some of the bunkers, and the trial tower. The Overlords who were on yard duty ran into the tower for safety at the end.
It got bad.
But if your people are alright, they can come outside. Or you can leave them there for safety and just unlock the door, so they don’t suffocate with the barriers down.” Karl suggested.
The Paladin gave him a grim smile. “That final hit knocked out all the life support systems. They’re buried under the academy, but it’s possible that the blast blew out a transformer.
I have some skills in that department, so I will call for a replacement and check the situation. If we can get power back online, then they’re fine in the bunkers for weeks if needed.”
Karl shook his head. “Come out and you’ll understand.”
A replacement was called for, and the Paladin came out of the bunker to stand atop the pile of rubble that used to be a dorm building.
“Gods, what happened?” Johann gasped as he took in the scene.
He could see it, but it was not an easy thing to accept. However, saving students came first. He would worry about the rest of the details later.
“First, I will check the power relays. Perhaps the other bunkers still have power.”
But when he began walking, his expression only got more concerned.
“This crater, it’s over the access tunnels for the backup generator. I can’t imagine that they survived that. Hopefully, the generator itself wasn’t hit.” Karl followed him through the rubble, then helped pull the remains of a small building off a metal hatch.
Inside, the generator room was scorched and blackened, but as the Paladin started flipping switches, he began to smile.
“The air feed and exhaust were crushed, so the diesel generator stalled. That’s the soot you see inside the room. If we clear the rubble, it should start again. It also looks like the attack blew every circuit breaker, but I’ve reset them again, and they’re not tripping, so the charge should be gone.
Do you know what sort of attack hit this area?” Johann asked.
“Indirect strike from Divine Lightning, similar to Tribulation Lightning. The crater over there was a deflected attack, probably from one of my Golems. Sorry about that. The Academy wasn’t built for a Mythic Rank fist fight.” Johann sighed. “Nothing on this continent is. What happened?”
“A concerted effort to get around Supreme Lady Matilda’s defence of the planet. A group from the Immortal Realms broke through in multiple spots to cause chaos. It looks like we’ve got it back under control, but multiple locations suffered heavy damages.
I don’t know how they’re all doing. Other Myths from the Dragon Isles went to most of the fights to collect bounties on the edible beasts.” Karl explained. “That’s brilliant. Even one of these crabs could cause dozens of breakthroughs once refined into potions.” Johann realized.
“Oh, good point. I’ve gotten so used to thinking at the higher ranks that I forgot for a moment that they’re also medicinal, and not just tasty!” Karl joked.
The Paladin chuckled. “I can only imagine what Mythic Rank crab legs must taste like. Unfortunately, I doubt I’ll make enough in my entire life to afford such a thing.”
Karl laughed. “I will make some before I go. It will do wonders for the Overlords with its dense nutrients and high energy content. But I’ve got the generator’s vents cleared now, go ahead and try to restart the power.”
Johann flipped the switch, then hit the starter button, and nothing.
“Manual start it is. Where is the crank handle? Ah, here.” He muttered.
The starter battery had exploded when the system overloaded, but once he started to crank the motor over with the strength of an Overlord, the generator came right to life.
The light in the generator room was still out, exploded by the residual charge, but Karl could hear the hum of machinery powering up, and the gentle rush of air from the other side of the mostly blocked access tunnel.
“It looks like it didn’t completely collapse. There is still air circulation, and I can hear the climate control systems powering up. The bunkers are active again, so we don’t need to worry too much about everyone suffocating, as long as we can get to them.
Do you want me to use Earth Manipulation to clear the tunnel, and we can just walk to them and check?” Karl offered.
“If you can, that would be perfect. There are actually underground classrooms and other facilities here, a whole backup Academy, in case of attack. However, nobody really expected the complex to take this level of damage.
How far does the destruction extend above ground?” Johann asked.
Karl patted him gently on the shoulder, and the Paladin sighed.
“That bad, is it?”
Karl nodded. “I would say that there isn’t a tree standing within fifty kilometres, but there might be a few lucky ones. The railroad tracks are certainly out of commission, and I seem to recall that the river took a direct hit, so you’ve likely got a new lake in the region.”
“They really didn’t want the Academy to survive.”
Karl shook his head. “They weren’t even aiming at the Academy. That’s just the aftermath of the battle. Missed attacks, deflected skills, and my impact with the
ground.
If they had actually been aiming to destroy the academy, there wouldn’t be
survivors.”