Foolish Hans stared at Osian with widened eyes.
His appearance had changed so dramatically from just moments ago when he was wearing splendid white armor that he was almost unrecognizable.
The armor's color, form, size, and even its aura were all different.
It was such a sudden transformation that it felt as if his entire existence had changed.
Brilliant sun-yellow armor that was so bright it seemed both white and golden at the same time. It emanated a soft radiance just by itself.
The armor had grown much larger. The gauntlets had become thicker and looked more sturdy.
Conversely, the design seemed to restrict movement to the extreme. Compared to this, the Starlight Armor was relatively easy to move in.
Even its name was Sun Ring Prison Armor.
Using the character for 'imprison,' it was closer to a restraining device than armor in some sense.
Diolan opened her eyes wide in surprise at Osian's transformed appearance. The same was true for Edgar and Alensia.Hans' clever mind worked quickly.
'His appearance changed, and part of the moving candy castle was attacked. Is this a form that maximizes firepower at the cost of mobility?'
Setting aside how this was possible, he accepted what he could see with his eyes.
'The firepower is, though hard to believe even seeing it, incredibly strong. To be able to melt part of the candy castle like that.'
Though the candy castle looked like it could easily break apart since it's made of candy, it was properly a weapon made through a witch's craft.
Its strength was so much greater than actual castles that it would be unfair to compare them.
‘It would be dangerous to let him have the first attack.’
Foolish Hans made a quick judgment.
"He can't move right now! Fire!"
Hans shouted toward the candy castle. The bombardment resumed from the candy castle, which had momentarily hesitated after the unexpected counterattack.
-Kiiiing!
The Sun Ring began to spin as it saw the incoming colorful candy bullets and cupcake shells.
As the Sun Ring spun, it created a rippling barrier around it. The incoming projectiles disintegrated and burned away the moment they touched this barrier.
Osian's counterattack began.
His heavy gauntleted arm reached behind as a sharp blade emerged from the rotating Sun Ring.
It was a straight sword with clean bilateral symmetry, like seeing an ancient bronze sword. Just with the addition of burning yellow flames.
Holding the Sun Ring Sword, Osian took a throwing stance.
What followed was the sun's roar shot toward the sky.
A yellow pillar appeared, stretching from the ground to the candy castle across the sky.
The pillar struck the candy castle again. As if the first missed aim was a mistake, this time it targeted the center of the castle.
-Kwaaang!
Candy debris scattered and fell with a brilliant explosion.
Watching this scene from inside his large helmet, Osian narrowed his yellow eyes.
"More intact than I expected. Seems they won't just sit there and take it either."
What appeared when the explosion's smoke cleared was a half-destroyed cracker.
Much larger and thicker than a regular cracker, it was moving around as if alive, patrolling to protect the castle.
This was the moving candy castle's automatic defense system.
"Then let's increase the firepower a bit more."
The rotating Sun Ring on his back grew larger. It was already big enough to engulf Osian's entire back, but now it reached down to his calves.
Osian felt his body become significantly heavier just from that.
The larger the Sun Ring grew, the more firepower became available, but conversely, the force of the Sun Ring weighing down on the body also increased, this was why mobility decreased.
Though the Sun Ring's power was strong, if not careful, it could consume even its user.
It's fundamentally different from Starlight and Moonlight.
In fact, even the previous Sun Ring Bearer had to put his life on the line to use the Sun Ring's power, a power that burns too hot and rages destructively.
That's why instead of wielding it like a normal sword, it had to be held and thrown like this.
'For now' it couldn't be wielded by hand.
'The reason the Sun Ring Prison Armor is so thick and heavy is because it's designed in the optimal form to withstand the power of the Sun Ring carried on the back.'
The thick leg armor firmly anchored to the ground to stabilize his body.
Thus prepared, he readied to throw the flickering hot Sun Ring Sword toward the candy castle.
But of course, the enemies wouldn't just stand there and take it.
After the previous attack, the candy castle had deemed Osian as its most threatening existence.
The moment they saw him preparing another attack, it was obvious that the candy castle would concentrate its firepower on Osian.
But this time, it didn't rain down candy bullets, cupcake cannons, or biscuit projectiles like before.
Instead, the toy soldiers lined up on the castle walls all jumped down at once, targeting Osian.
-Click click click click click!
The nutcracker soldiers rapidly clicked their mouths up and down.
It was a terrifying sight to see these creatures over 2m tall all doing this at once.
-Bang bang bang bang bang bang!
The toy soldiers shot at Osian as they fell but the incoming bullets disintegrated and evaporated in mid-air from the Sun Ring's power.
The soldiers didn't stop even after seeing this. They continued throwing themselves at Osian to tackle him.
-Chiiik!
One of the leading soldiers that charged in started rapidly burning on its surface when it touched the Sun Ring's power but the fellow didn't fall right away and endured.
The Sun Ring's power that easily blocks projectiles tends to significantly decrease in effectiveness against enemies that approach this close.
Moreover, as beings made with witchcraft, the soldiers possessed abnormal durability.
The charging soldiers approached Osian and thrust their bayonet-mounted rifles.
-Tut-tut-tut-teng!
Countless blades from the soldiers struck Osian's armor but Osian didn't budge an inch from his spot.
The soldiers tilted their heads slightly. Their bayonets that could easily pierce through steel plates weren't having any effect.
"Seems you underestimated me just because I'm not moving."
This armor's form was designed to withstand the Sun Ring's mighty power.
It's not for nothing that the Sun Ring's power symbolizes 'protection.'
The Sun Ring Prison Armor itself possessed the sturdiest and most solid defense among a knight's three characteristics.
The soldiers who determined their attacks weren't working grabbed Osian's arms.
They were willing to throw their bodies to prevent him from throwing the Sun Ring Sword.
Since that's what they wanted, Osian decided to give it to them.
Right there, he made the Sun Ring Sword in his hand explode as a temporary sun manifested on the ground and completely incinerated the soldiers, turning them into piles of ash.
Even Osian, who caused the explosion, wasn't completely fine. The arm that held and exploded the sword was quite numb.
He could feel he was burned even through the armor but this hardly counted as an injury, considering it cleaned up those annoying ones in one go, it was worth it.
"Where do you think!"
That's when Hans aimed and drew his bowstring at Osian.
It was a magic arrow he received as a gift from Gretel. Though uncertain what characteristics it had, given he pulled it out in this situation, it clearly had effects worthy of expectations.
"Where do YOU think!"
But Lorraine interfered with Hans.
Her rapid-fire shots all targeted Hans' vital points as he drew his bowstring.
Solomon Grundy stepped in front of Hans to block. Though Diolan tried to push Solomon Grundy back, Solomon Grundy, now grown into a young man, didn't budge easily.
Despite blood flowing from Diolan's sharp fangs and claws and Lorraine's bullets embedded in his body, he silently protected Hans without complaint.
Just as Hans was about to release the bowstring with a satisfied smile, Alensia, who had been absent from the fight until now, intervened.
A pure white shadow moved quickly and extended its leg, knocking away the bow Hans was holding.
"What!"
Hans glared at Alensia with a frowning face.
Her appearance, which had seemed human until now, had changed into a rabbit-person with pure white fur growing and her already tall height had grown even more.
It was the beast transformation that beast-folk could use.
Though Alensia usually avoided using beast transformation in front of people, now wasn't the time to worry about that.
With the transformation, her legs had changed to reverse joints like a rabbit's.
The Arc Parts she wore on her legs had also transformed to match. Because of this, there wasn't much hindrance to her movement.
After knocking away Hans' bow, Alensia charged in, determined to finish him off this time but the candy castle wouldn't just watch this happen.
-Tu-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta!
Candy bullets rained down.
Alensia, moving much more elastically than before, dodged all the incoming projectiles.
After creating distance, Alensia pondered. She couldn't open the Arc Parts without permission from above.
'Even if it's just 10 percent output.'
That much was allowed for autonomous use. But the aftermath was the problem.
Alensia looked at Osian.
Osian, having swept away the soldiers once, was preparing a new sword but they weren't just sitting still either.
-Jjeok. Kwarurururu!
The lower part of the candy castle opened wide, and an enormous amount of gift boxes poured out.
Alensia's eyes widened because one gift box created a massive explosion when it hit the dock.
The moving candy castle wasn't dangerous for nothing.
That thing was an aerial fortress moving through the sky and one characteristic of fortresses is that they possess firepower beyond imagination.
-Kwagwagwagwagwang!
-Weaeaeaeaeaeaeng!!!
Emergency sirens rang throughout District 34. The falling candy bombs exploded like fireworks, indiscriminately destroying the dock and surrounding area.
That's when Osian stepped up.
The Sun Ring's circle, grown to its limit, began rotating and quickly intercepting the falling gift box bombs.
-Tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu!
Rather than firing one big shot like before, it was rapid-firing small needle-like Sun Ring power but this was enough to intercept the bombs in mid-air.
Colorful explosions and smoke erupted in the air but gift bombs continued falling through the smoke.
Osian frowned. There were too many bombs for him to block alone.
He was just one person, while that was an entire fortress.
Lorraine was also trying to shoot down bombs aimed at the sky, but even that wasn't enough to handle it.
There were still citizens who hadn't managed to evacuate nearby. At this rate, mass casualties would occur.
That's when Alensia's radio crackled to life with static.
[Can you hear me?]
"Emergency communication? Who is this?"
[The District Defense Force will take over from here. Everyone withdraw.]
District Defense Force?
Before she could even understand those words.
-Kwang!
A naval gun shot from somewhere intercepted the moving candy castle as a massive explosion with pitch-black flames greatly shook the castle.
Though the automatic defense crackers blocked the attack, the castle that had been continuously dropping bombs stopped moving.
Simultaneously, three military airships revealed themselves.
Seeing this, one of the guards shouted.
"It's the District Defense Force! The Defense Force has moved!"
The District Defense Force is one of Tirna's guardian corps and powerful forces.
Usually, internal problems are handled by the security force's guards. But when the scale of the problem becomes something that can't be ignored from the city's overall perspective, then things change.
Unlike the federal army operated by the city government, the District Defense Force is an army handled independently by each 'district.'
But saying it's handled independently is just words, as they can't move without permission from above, so the difference from the federal army isn't big.
The only difference is whether the district governor and council members' influence is stronger, or the military's influence is stronger but their power was real.
In District 34, the core of Tirna's transportation and movement, a massive scale terror incident had occurred.
Considering the scale of the moving candy castle, this could be called wartime. It was sufficient cause for the District Defense Force to deploy.
The District Defense Force air force's airships floating in the air fired their naval guns at the candy castle.
The candy castle didn't back down and counterattacked. The toy gun ports turned, and the candy castle's attacks began targeting the airships.
-Jiiiing.
Seeing the incoming bullets, blue light rose from the airships, and a massive barrier spread out.
The attacks that had been mercilessly massacring humans on the ground couldn't penetrate the airships' barriers.
And through the gaps between these airships, one huge shadow passed by fleetingly.
With membrane-covered wings flapping and roaring, it was a creature close to what people commonly call a dragon.
On top of that dragon's head sat a woman holding the reins.
"The Witch's Tea Party has moved too!"
Alice Riddle, the witch riding the flying dragon Jabberwock, charged toward the candy castle holding the 'Vorpal Sword.'