Chapter 98: Core Overlap

“Gulp.”

Little Donnie swallowed hard, the sound breaking the suffocating silence hanging over the hall. His head was spinning from everything he had learned today. For a boy who had grown up in a small provincial town, all of this was far beyond the limits of his imagination.

“Nolan…” he asked quietly, almost afraid to raise his voice too high, “how exactly are we supposed to fight that thing?”

The image of Yuri endlessly swinging the Fleshrender flashed through his mind. Only this time, the enemy would never tire, never slow down, and never stop. A chill ran down his spine.

Seeing the grim expressions around him, Nolan finally let out a laugh. “I didn’t tell you all this just to scare you out of your wits.” His calm voice pulled the others back from the edge of panic. “What I’m trying to say is this: if the Eagle-Headed Golems were truly invincible, then how did they end up wiped out in the first place? The fact that they fell proves they have weaknesses.”

The tension in the group eased slightly. He was right. No matter how powerful something was, nothing in this world was truly without flaws.

Renee hesitated before speaking, voicing the doubt lingering in everyone’s heart. “But, my lord… none of us possess Origin power.”

Even if the golem had weaknesses, could their strength really matter against a Gold-rank construct?

“Didn’t I already explain?” Nolan said patiently. “This thing has been standing guard here for thousands of years. Deterioration is inevitable. Its internal magic circuits have aged, which is why its combat output has dropped to the Gold rank instead of remaining at its original level.”

He glanced toward the colossal construct.

“More importantly, every golem has a limitation. Its internal energy flow can only support so much at once. That means it cannot maintain maximum offense and perfect defense simultaneously. When it attacks, the magical barrier protecting its body weakens for a brief instant. That,” Nolan said, “is our opening.”

The explanation was calm, logical, and precise. Gradually, the panic draining through the group began to settle.

Then Romina spoke. “Your analysis makes sense.” Her sharp gaze swept across Nolan before briefly flickering toward Vivi and the others. “Five against one. Even if it’s a Gold-rank opponent, I believe we can defeat it. Especially after seeing your abilities along the way.”

She paused.

“But the problem is the cost.” Her tone became colder, more practical. “A battle against something at this level will drain us heavily. If anyone fails to commit fully, the risk to the entire group increases dramatically.”

The implication was obvious. She intended to fight, but even she could not guarantee how much strength she would be able to preserve afterward.

“And there’s another issue,” she continued. “You said this construct is merely a guardian. Which means the thing it guards is likely the true obstacle between us and the Fountain of Potential.” Her eyes narrowed slightly. “If we exhaust ourselves here, how do we deal with whatever comes next?”

Nolan could not help admiring her. No wonder she would one day become a legendary ranger and the leader of her people. Even with entirely unfamiliar information, she had immediately identified the true strategic concern. Her tactical instincts were exceptional.

“You’re absolutely right,” he said without hesitation.

The direct praise softened Romina’s expression ever so slightly.

“Which is exactly why brute force is the worst possible approach. Fighting head-on is inefficient.” A grin spread across Nolan’s face. “My philosophy has always been simple. If there’s a way to win while lying down, why bother standing up?”

Vivi snorted despite herself.

Nolan continued, “I mentioned earlier that the Omnipotence Core absorbs earth-element energy directly from its surroundings. Conveniently enough, I happen to possess extremely high earth-element affinity.” He tapped his chest lightly. “That means I can sense the direction of elemental circulation inside the golem.”

Everyone’s eyes sharpened instantly.

“That circulation must pass through amplification and transmission nodes,” Nolan explained. “If we destroy those nodes, the flow of energy will destabilize. The resulting feedback will overload the magic circuits and temporarily shut the construct down.” Then he spread his hands helplessly. “Unfortunately, I know next to nothing about actual magitech engineering, so I can’t pinpoint the nodes themselves.”

His gaze shifted toward Renee, who had been listening quietly from the beginning.

“So this part depends on you.”

“M-me?” Renee stiffened in surprise.

She looked from Nolan to the towering golem, her fingers tightening nervously against her clothes. Excitement and fear warred visibly across her face.

Twice now, at the most critical moments, Nolan had entrusted her with responsibilities that could determine the entire group’s survival.

“My lord…” she said softly, her voice trembling, “what do you need me to do?”

“It’s simple.” Nolan’s tone became gentler. “Once the golem activates, I’ll track the general flow of earth-element energy inside its body and relay the paths to you. Little Donnie and I will take turns drawing its attention and creating openings.”

Little Donnie blinked. “Wait, why do I suddenly feel like the dangerous part of this plan is mine?”

“No reason,” Nolan replied immediately.

Vivi burst out laughing.

Ignoring them, Nolan continued outlining the strategy, “Renee, your task is to focus entirely on your elemental perception. Follow the pathways I indicate and search for points where the energy fluctuations spike sharply. Those are the magic nodes. The moment you identify one, call out its location.”

Then his eyes shifted toward Vivi and Romina.

“Destroying the nodes falls to the two of you. Vivi, you’re fast enough for close-range strikes. Romina, your precision at long range is unmatched. We need to eliminate every node as quickly as possible. Once enough of them are destroyed, the Omnipotence Core will suffer severe energy reflux and overload.”

Nolan raised two fingers.

“That should give us a few minutes at most.”

His expression grew serious.

“During that window, we rip the core out of the golem. And once the core is separated,” he concluded, “the construct becomes harmless.”

The group quickly understood the structure of the plan.

Nolan would command and track the elemental flow.

Renee would locate the weak points.

Vivi and Romina would destroy them.

Little Donnie…

Little Donnie would apparently serve as bait.

It was a strategy perfectly tailored to their strengths.

Vivi licked her lips, excitement flashing in her amber eyes. Dangerous operations like this were exactly the kind of thing she loved. “Sounds good,” she said. “But what happens if we fail to remove the core in time?”

Nolan’s smile disappeared. He looked directly at her and answered slowly, word by word, “The Omnipotence Core will initiate its self-repair sequence.” He paused. “And if the energy feedback becomes too severe, the core may overload completely and self-destruct.”

Silence fell again.

Then Nolan calmly delivered the rest.

“If that happens…” He swept his gaze across the hall. “This entire chamber goes with it. And so do we.”