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ArabicArknights: I'm Pretty Strong With Minecraft — Chapter 41
Chapter 41: Have You Ever Seen Me At My Peak?
This terrain is perfect for setting an ambush and luring the enemy deep inside, the Doctor noted, his gaze sweeping over the jagged rock formations.
He turned to look at Ivan, who was still entirely engrossed in the glowing screen of his terminal, and called out over the rising wind.
“Stop playing Snake! Come over here quickly, the battle is about to begin!”
“Alright, alright, coming, coming, just a few more minutes…” Ivan muttered, not even bothering to lift his head.
Exusiai squinted toward the distant, darkening horizon. Her vibrant red hair fluttered wildly in the strengthening gales.
“Oh, the wind is getting stronger by the minute, and the visibility is terrible… It looks like a real sandstorm is rolling in.”
“No problem,” the Doctor replied, his tone steady. “The enemy is just a makeshift terrorist organization. They lack formal training and proper coordination. We will rely on our elite strength and suppress them head-on.”
He gestured toward the heavy defender. “Hoshiguma, you lead a detachment of the Special Inspection Team to guard the rear exit. You are responsible for clearing out any remnants who might try to flee the encirclement.”
“Understood.”
“Everyone,” Amiya’s voice crackled through the tactical communicator, clear and resolute. “Please try to efficiently reduce the enemy’s effective numbers. Do not give them any chance to regroup and launch a counterattack. However, please remember, our primary mission is still to safely rescue Miss Misha!”
The Doctor nodded in agreement, then specifically fixed his gaze on the gamer. “Ivan, don’t rush too far ahead later. Pay attention to conserving your stamina.”
Standing by the makeshift command post, the Doctor watched the eager operators readying their weapons. He let out a soft, wistful sigh.
“Actually… I really want to fight on the front lines too…”
“Hmm?” Ivan had just finished his game and caught the end of the Doctor’s murmur. He naturally reached into his pocket, rummaging around in a space that clearly defied the laws of physics.
A moment later, he pulled out a glittering diamond sword and casually tossed it through the air.
“Here, I have a spare one in my inventory. Take it.”
The Doctor clumsily caught the weapon by the hilt. His eyes widened behind his visor, instantly surging with excitement as he gave the blade two experimental swings.
“This sword! Is there something special about it too? Oh oh oh! I feel full of power! I could take on ten of them!”
“No, that is entirely your imagination.”
Ivan mercilessly shattered the illusion.
“That is just the most basic, ordinary kind. I only gave it to you for self-defense.”
The Doctor lowered the blade. “…Hmph.”
Amiya reminded the squad once more, her tone laced with genuine concern. “Everyone, please do your best to ensure your own safety out there!”
“Did you hear that, Brother Ivan?” Franka nudged Ivan with her elbow, a teasing smirk on her lips. “The little rabbit is telling you not to overdo it. Hold back a little.”
“Got it, got it,” Ivan said, waving a hand dismissively. “I won’t overdo it.”
Liskarm adjusted her shield and cast a sidelong glance. “Franka, that reminder applies to you too.”
“Alright, alright, I know.” Franka giggled, tapping the hilt of her rapier.
Just then, a dense mass of figures began to materialize within the distant, swirling sand. The main force of the Reunion Movement had finally arrived.
Looking at the mighty wave of enemies looming in and out of sight through the heavy sandstorm, a very familiar, highly specific scene suddenly flashed through Ivan’s mind.
‘How about… I try it? I have wanted to do this for a long time.’
Ivan murmured to himself, picturing the absolute cinematic absurdity of what was about to unfold. He could not stop a low chuckle from escaping his lips. “Haha…”
His sudden, goofy laughter caused all the surrounding Rhodes Island operators to cast him deeply puzzled glances.
“It is nothing, nothing,” Ivan quickly waved his hands to dismiss their stares. “I just suddenly thought of something really funny. Hahahaha.”
“The enemy has entered the designated engagement area!” The Doctor interrupted, his voice snapping back to absolute tactical seriousness. “Prepare for battle!”
The two sides confronted each other across the barren, wind-swept wasteland. The atmosphere grew heavy with killing intent.
Skullshatterer stepped to the very front of the Reunion vanguard. He raised his heavy grenade launcher toward the darkened sky and fired a single explosive round, the echoing blast symbolizing the start of the slaughter.
“For the Reunion Movement! Charge!” he roared.
“Doctor, let’s begin!” Amiya called out.
The Doctor’s terminal chimed with a sharp notification as the final command was authorized. [Operation Start]
Franka drew her blade, tossing a wink over her shoulder. “Doctor, please command us well from up there.”
However, before either side could officially clash in the center of the valley, a lone figure moved.
Ivan was already standing atop the highest, most prominent boulder on the battlefield. He cleared his throat, took a deep breath, and used every ounce of his lung capacity.
He shouted a single sentence that echoed across the entire warzone.
“Have you ever seen me at my peak?!”
In an instant, the entire battlefield fell eerily silent. For one long, agonizing second, the wind seemed to be the only thing moving.
Whether it was the elite operators of Rhodes Island or the bloodthirsty soldiers of the Reunion Movement, absolutely everyone was stunned into a stupor.
The Rhodes Island personnel exchanged bewildered looks.
“When we discussed the tactical approach just now… I don’t think this part was arranged, was it?” Exusiai whispered, leaning over to Texas.
On the Reunion side, Skullshatterer stood frozen for a moment before his rage boiled over.
“Don’t fall for it! This might be some psychological warfare tactic from Rhodes Island! Ignore him and charge!!!”
“Charge!!!” The Reunion soldiers shook off their confusion, rallying their morale as they surged forward in a tidal wave of rusted blades and Originium arts.
Ivan did not hesitate. He directly jumped off the towering cliff.
“Wait! Mr. Ivan! The plan wasn’t like this!” Amiya cried out, her voice laced with panic.
It was too late. Ivan was already plummeting from the high ground like a meteor.
“Don’t be afraid! There is only one of him! Ahhhhh!”
The Reunion soldier at the very front screamed, trying to embolden himself and his charging comrades as the shadow descended upon them.
In mid-air, Ivan reached into his inventory and pulled out a colossal, pixelated greatsword—the Blade of the God of War. He brought the massive weapon crashing down directly into the center of the enemy formation.
Boom!
This landing was vastly more exaggerated than any stunt he had pulled before. Without the structural constraints of a fragile city environment to hold him back, he let the physics engine run wild.
Accompanied by a deafening, devastating roar, a massive crater with a diameter of fifty meters instantly caved in at Ivan’s feet.
A terrifying, visible circular shockwave ripped outward through the air.
Hundreds of Reunion soldiers at the forefront were violently launched into the sky by the sheer, unadulterated physical force of the blast. Bodies scattered like broken dolls. Even Skullshatterer was thrown backward, his boots skidding wildly across the dirt to keep from falling over.
Ivan stood perfectly still in the dead center of the giant, smoking pit. He held the Blade of the God of War with one hand, its heavy tip resting diagonally against the shattered earth.
He slowly lifted his gaze, surveying the utterly terrified enemies surrounding the crater.
“Come on. Dance for me.”
The Reunion soldiers who were lucky enough to be standing near the back looked at the devastated frontlines as if a natural disaster had just struck Terra. For a long, suffocating moment, no one dared to take a single step forward. Pure fear gripped their throats.
“What… What kind of monster is this?!”
“That power… it isn’t even on the same dimension as us!”
“Oh no! He… he is charging again!”
Ivan’s figure blurred, weaving effortlessly through the broken, chaotic Reunion formation.
Wherever he stepped, Reunion soldiers were sent flying into the air like bowling pins. Row after row collapsed under the sheer kinetic impact of his swings. The entire vanguard was reduced to absolute chaos.
Desperate to turn the tide, a Reunion caster scrambled behind a slab of cover. He secretly condensed a scorching, highly volatile Originium fireball between his palms, attempting to ambush the rampaging monster from behind.
Ivan stopped. He turned around, reached out, and grabbed the caster by the throat, lifting the struggling man entirely off the ground with one hand.
“You want to dance too?”
A high-explosive grenade, trailing a thick line of fire, shot accurately through the air straight toward Ivan’s back.
Ivan did not even bother to look. He simply hurled the caster he was holding directly into the path of the projectile.
Boom!
The grenade detonated on impact. A massive sphere of fire and shrapnel engulfed Ivan entirely, the violent aftershocks tearing up the ground beneath him.
“Did it work?!” Skullshatterer gasped, his heart surging with a desperate, fleeting joy.
The thick black smoke quickly dispersed in the wind.
Standing in the center of the scorch mark was Ivan. He was now completely encased from head to toe in a set of gleaming, impenetrable pure diamond armor. There was not a single scratch on him.
“No… Impossible… This is absolutely impossible!” Skullshatterer muttered, his grip on his launcher trembling as he began to doubt the very fabric of reality. “Damn it! W! Where is the promised support?! Where is she?!”
Up on the ridge, the Rhodes Island personnel watching the massacre could not even close their mouths.
Franka slowly lowered her rapier, her usual teasing demeanor replaced by sheer disbelief. “I say… do we even need to go down there?”
The Doctor silently put down his tactical terminal. He took a step back and simply plopped down onto the dusty ground, crossing his legs.
“Forget it. I give up. Let him perform.”
Far away, in a dimension completely detached from the grim reality of Terra.
Inside the boundless plains of Minecraft, Herobrine and Steve were sitting comfortably, watching everything unfold on the battlefield through a floating, translucent screen.
“Tsk tsk,” Herobrine stroked his chin, his glowing white eyes glinting with deep approval. “The lines this kid came up with are actually quite cool. Next time, I think I will try that one too.”
Steve crossed his blocky arms and nodded in silent, solemn agreement.
“Oh?” Herobrine tilted his head, his gaze shifting to a specific corner of the monitor. “There is a little bug hiding over there. It seems a bit restless.”
He spoke faintly to the empty air beside him.
“Although it poses no real threat to him, you should still go and deal with it. It is a good chance to test how Notch’s analysis of this world’s code is coming along.”
From the dark, pixelated shadows behind them, the towering, imposing figure of the Dreadlord slowly emerged. He bowed respectfully, his voice a low, echoing rumble.
“Understood.”