Chapter 51 - Alchemy Ban Array

One and a half months have passed by, and the straight efficiency that war drills on its victims was finally notable. The Valkyrie troops had doubled its numbers and The Imperials had nearly Quadrupled.

I had expected near two months of training or more than that, but clearly I had undervalued war. War ignites a sense of urgency inside its hosts, each step could be fatal, but even then the only way out was to face it.

Running from fights is what cowards do and it is not tactic that winners apply. Winners retreat, they do not run and that is where the differences blur, after all many mighty men have fallen just because they wanted to bide their time.

In this regard I agree with the German Blitz strategy, which is a continuous series of attacks being outpoured on the enemy without rest or care. But this strategy needs ample time, resources and infrastructure, which I don't have.

There was also a sense of danger that was gnawing at me, one that I could not understand. You have to know that at my level, even though its toned down, my senses are quite high and good, so was it Amestris or was it the Dwarf, or was it the Ishvalan.

Who could be the threat ???.

I don't really trust the Ishvalan beyond my jurisdiction. Why would I trust dumb people ?. It doesn't mean I wouldn't lend a helping hand to them. I just feel like I will regret even talking to them.

Besides their devoutness and hate for Alchemy, their cultish mindset brings them enough negative points in my view. You have to know transforming my current troops from Cultish Peasants to Holy Warriors was hard enough.

Ishval is a country that has a very high population, I mean they did fight Amestris for seven long years, all the while losing, my camp is just a mere bucket in comparison to that water tanker. But ironically a bucket was able to extinguish fires better than the tanker.

Even thinking about adding intelligence to this ignorant nation step by step makes me have a headache. But enough on that, the fortress I wish to capture is not really a core point or has any strategic value in this war.

But its best vantage would be its distance, which was neither too far nor too near the warzone. With this as a fallback point I can hoard enough resources and infrastructure, after which I can begin a true campaign against Amestris.

Well I will at least stage something like a campaign, in actuality I plan my own small nation. A nation that in no way fears Alchemy. In this world this could be considered the most unique aspect from everyone.

The research on Alchemy has gone a bit awry, now naturally I can't just give them all the answers. That would devalue any sort of achievements they could make and if I really did panter off like an Omnipotent being.

Best case scenario, I get thrown in a pedestal with a staff and a crown forever being held accountable for every little thing. Worstcase scenario the moment I leave, my group would crumble.

But after fumbling in the dark for about a month or two they did give me a pretty solid theory. It is just a theory, but considering the facts, it could very well be the Alchemical Kryptonite.

Now if everybody has seen the series even once, will know that, Alchemists make a circle to channel energy for Transmutation. Now there are many shapes that can be incorporated with Alchemy itself, but a circle is the perfect vessel or in this case, the core in which energy is chanelled for the purpose of all three steps, mainly Understanding, Deconstruction, and Reconstruction.

Even though only the latter two steps require energy, the circle itself is a form of code which performs and completes all of the three steps in one go.

Now since the inside of a circle is already written code and the circle is complementary for actual energy channelling, it creates a sort of rejection for any other coded style.of chanelling energy. So my researcher theorised, if the circle is already considered complete and perfect, then what would happen if another circle was f.o.r.c.i.b.l.y channelled to it before or during Transmutation.

That is to say, you are trying to activate Alchemy inside an already activated and continuosly running Alchemy circle. This disturbs and interferes with the circles energy chanelling property and makes the codes go nuts.

The clear result that I simulated inside my head was rejection of the highest Order. This means that if the theory can be applied practically, then Alchemists will become their own tragedy. Activating their circle would make it explode on themselves like faulty Guns.

With this theory many new options open up, like Array traps specially made for ambushing, pursuing, or slaying Alchemists or already laid down Arrays for defensive fortresses, so many new possibilities have started to appear.

But even then its weaknesses is also clear cut, it cannot stop the Philosopher's Stone, another weakness to it is its size also needs to be blatant and it can be destroyed from the outside.

Its weakness is kinda... let's say its useless against already completed Transmutation. But even then this was a strategic level of information, one that could spark Amestris's complete hatred towards my nation.

For now I will let the researchers fumble around and add few bits of my simulation every now and then to keep the progress fast. Before that I need that fortress to be mine. After all I can tweak this Alchemy Ban Array as much as I want after I am done trying the prototype.

The fortress we planned to capture could not really be considered a fort. It was at most a very well barricaded supply depot. But everyones gotta start somewhere, and this fortress state was perilous.

Like I said its only vantage was that it was neither too far nor too near the warzone. Its main problem for the Amestrians though is that it is too far inside enemy territory, or the Ishvalan side of the warzone, which makes it one of the best and easiest targets for the Rebels.

The only reason why it still hasn't been captured is well, it really does not matter since if Amestris pushes through this point, they will only get dangerously closer to the borders of another nation.

If any idiot actually tries to push this corner, Ishvalans will instead open highways for their graveyard march.

I know Amestris is fighting two nations at once, mainly the North and Ishval right now, and they do have the capability to face all four nations that surrounds its borders. But even they would be hardpressed to hold out all frontiers.

As such no attempt to reclaim it has yet to be made and no attempt to forward through this junction has yet been made. So to say its an abandoned fortress and one that is permanently in a state of a stalemate.

Well we gotta break the stalemate, the perfectionist in me grieves at me to do it. Jokes aside, this will be Damuns first Assignment.

From the very beginning of my groups existence, I have been leading and calling out the shots, only taking the opinions of the leaders of my elite troops, which means to say all responsibility and power lay on me. Now for the first time I was partaking in distributing out responsibility and power.

Enough about that, the fortress won't capture itself and me camping just 40km away from it won't be fine forever.

So I called for a meeting and directly stated "This time Damun calls all the shots and you have to listen to all he says, you are free to express your opinions but as the strategist, the plans have to be finalised by him".

Nobody complained, the last time somebody did, well he died. Hey I am a warlord not some charitable Hero, okay. I am saving their a.s.s everyday, the least they can do is listen to me without expressing talks about blasphemy and what not shit.

Then I turned to Damun and said "This is your test, and unless you cannot handle an Alchemist do not call for me".

Damun was nervous and me handing all responsibility at once did not help to calm him down. It only made him more anxious and jittery.

So I could only helplessly day "Damun look at me". He gazed below him, at me, damn you my short body. My physical stature at times like these, are very inconvenient.

"You are ready, now stop being a p.u.s.s.y and go raise hell". With that done I walked out of the tent to do my thing.

What was I going to do, obviously refine and research the theory of the Alchemy Ban Array. Hey who said it was going to be easy, the first thing I had to do was make it understandable for the Non Superpowered Braniacs under me.

Why was I doing it, when I myself said before that it would suck the achievement out of it. Hey I am making notes to guide them, otherwise this research from my new R&D department could take about 5 to 100 yrs. Its too high level for them right now or even a few centuries later, and I was only going to leave a note every once in a while.

Before that I had to experiment in a few ways to actually make the Array feasible. Now like I said before its main problem lay in how blatant and big it should be. The problem here is I can't miniaturise it, if I did, the Array would not have sufficient coverage to even cause any problem whatsoever.

So I have to structurise it, which means after the Fortress is captured, I have to build an entire city in such a layout that not only would it resemble an Alchemy Circle, but also would leave enough space so that they can develop or enhance it in the future.

Never underestimate a human mind, even if things may look perfect, they will always find a way to make it better, advanced or more feasible.

Such is human adaptation, their greatest trait.

Now the second problem is, it can be destroyed from the outside. Now Alchemist's mind the circle very much and ours is no different. Destroy a circle and you destroy an Alchemists only way to fight.

There are various options to cross this hurdle, one of which is to run this Array on a Philosopher's Stone. This is not at all feasible since the size of the Stone would have to be at least 8 meter tall and 5 meters wide. Such a huge Stone would require an even more steep amount of sacrifices than the ones Amestris has ever done.

The second option is to inlay another circle specifically made to repair the Structure inside it. But as you know unless its complimentary forget Inlaying even making them side by side would be a dangerous issue.

Even if I did make another circle far away to combat this situation, all it would do is delay the inevitable. So the Repairing Circle needs to be inside and not outside or beyond it.

Like I said before, unless its me accelerating this project, there is no way anyone can accomplish the Alchemy Ban Array. Its because you would have to make an entirely new circle based around this Repairing Circle, but the circle also has to function as a banning Array.

Fufufufuffuufufufu I really feel like a mad scientist right now.