Sword of Dawnbreaker

Chapter 980: Chapter 979: Evening

Andresha did not allow herself to dwell in despondency for too long.

It’s true that Typhon fell behind on the modern battlefield, but that does not mean Typhon’s military strength has fully lagged behind the Cecil Clan—currently, her troops are merely in an unfavorable situation under specific conditions, even forced to defend passively within Winterwolf Fortress; yet even so, it’s not easy for the Cecil Clan to breach this defense line.

Her gaze turned to the distance, to the west side of Winterwolf Fortress, where smoke and dust gradually rose...

...

The heavy treads crushed through the cold, hard wilderness, the low roar of the magic-powered engines and the mechanical grinding noises from gears and linkage rods emanated from all directions, the turret of the "Warhammer" main battle tank stood tall, and ahead of the Steel Legion, the towering walls and gleaming barrier of Winterwolf Fortress could be seen from afar.

The first wave of attack was gradually approaching optimal firing range, the echelon commander was inside the sturdy vehicle, peering through the periscope at the distant view, beyond Winterwolf Fortress, there seemed to be no obstacles set by the enemy visible on the plains—not even the meager wooden barricades, no crisscrossing interception nets, nor were there annoying interception troops.

"It seems they’ve given up trying to block our tanks in the wilderness area," the noise from the machines was loud, the commander raised his voice shouting to the vehicle commander in front, "We are closing in on the firing distance."

"These Typhon folks must realize what kind of trouble they’ve gotten into!" The vehicle commander also raised his voice to shout loudly, "I thought the famed Winterwolf Defense Line would be harder to deal with—this seems easier than fighting the Crystal Cluster Legion at The White City!"

The echelon commander immediately reminded, "Be cautious! Those Typhon people are behaving unusually on the battlefield, be wary of traps..."

Over the past year, the frontline troops along the eastern borders have been expanding and training, no longer consisting solely of members from the original First Legion relocated from the southern borders; some of the veteran soldiers originally stationed at Longwind Fortress, who survived the Crystal Cluster disaster, underwent retraining and have now become part of the new army, and the commander of this echelon was one of these "re-trained veterans."

His rich combat experience and understanding of the Typhon Empire made him a frontline officer, yet now, this commander’s mind was filled with increasing confusion.

The Typhons have never acted so strange—as the side that declared war, they were as hurried and at a loss as the Cecil Clan; as a powerful legion in the border area, they were restrained on the battlefield, many elite troops did not show up, it was heard previously that the Typhons were also reforming their army to enhance the combat power of border troops, yet now... why does Winterwolf Fortress seem even weaker than in the Anzu Era years ago?

The commander rotated the troubling thoughts in his mind while remembering to stay alert and observe the surroundings.

Suddenly, he felt a layer of fine tingling, prickly sensation floating across the surface of his arm.

He looked down and saw his hairs standing on end.

"Beware of magic traps!" The echelon commander immediately realized, he rushed to the communication platform, "Left and right wings disperse, rear team slow down and bypass, front team close-range fire clearing, coordinate infantry for approach preparation—"

The first wave of tanks reacted immediately, amidst the mechanical roar, the heavy steel vehicles began swiftly changing formations, the "Steel Envoy" vehicles advancing in coordination expanded their barriers, preparing for any magical surges, and almost simultaneously, on the entire battlefield in front of the vehicle units, countless fine, lightning-like grid white lights began to emerge—the light network seemed to seep from the soil, within moments sweeping across the battlefield, instantly producing tiny sparks in the machinery cabins, rail cannons, etc.

The power spine suffered severe damage under the magical surge, the magic-powered engine became imbalanced, gears and rods burst out with piercing noise under the dual effects of inertia and engine loss, twisting into a mess, tanks affected stopped one after another, further numbers of vehicles though not fully incapacitated slowed significantly, intermittent explosions sounded from inside the vehicles.

At this moment, a series of deep hums seemed to come from high overhead, the coordination infantry protected by Steel Envoy instinctively looked up, in the fading twilight, they saw the sky ahead suddenly filled with layer upon layer of mirror-like focal points, surging magic power surged in the air, those mirrors quickly turned crimson red...

The vehicles still mobile quickly retreated or scattered to the wings, Steel Envoy entered overload mode, expanding their area-wide barriers to the maximum, infantry hastily sought cover amongst squad vehicles, but in the next second, hundreds and thousands of high-energy beams spilled down...

...

"Confirm Arcane Reactive Force Field is effective! Enemy forces have been restrained!" "Aurora Rain focus complete, full-scale projection underway!" "Second echelon Mages start charging!" "Observing battle results..."

Suddenly, the previously calm defense line seemed to boil over, the humming and explosions from magical focus waves pulsated against the eardrums, a series of messages were quickly gathered before Andresha, she had already retreated into the fortress command room, now observing the situation on the defense line via the Mage-created magic projection—the distant scenery was already shrouded and obscured by overwhelming high-energy beams and explosion clouds.

"It worked," Count Palin Winterhold looked somewhat anxious at the holographic image displayed by the magic projection, it was his first time using his own combat Mages against the Cecil Clan’s mechanical units, "It seems beams of Grade 4 and above can penetrate their barriers."

However, as the highest commander, Andresha frowned, she clearly saw the problem: "...We should have waited until they were closer before activating the reactive force field, the Mages were too hasty. Or, had we two sets of traps, it would be ideal, we could intercept the Cecil Clan entirely within the beam rain’s coverage area..."

"They won’t fall for it a second time," Count Palin Winterhold said in a low voice, "Nevertheless, we have achieved the expected outcome, next comes a direct confrontation of hard power..."

Before the count’s voice could fade, Andresha saw a flash of light in the depths of the smoke on the hologram, a shockwave scattering the smoke left a faint cyan trail in the air.

Soon after, a second and third flash appeared amidst the dust.

Within seconds, massive explosion sounds were heard coming from outside—the city wall area under attack.

The smoke was blown away by the wind, revealing the Cecil Clan’s Steel Legion again—though battered and worn after the high-energy beam rain, nearly a third of their war machines turned into wreckage, many vehicles severely damaged and rendered powerless lay scattered across the battlefield, the survivors using the debris for cover, began shelling the walls of Winterwolf Fortress.

Even in defeat, their aggressive momentum was awe-inspiring.

Meanwhile, Andresha also noticed additional enemies appearing behind those vehicles—some soldiers bearing strange equipment survived the recent onslaught, using the cover of their vehicles and battlefield wreckage, spreading across the terrain, seemingly searching for something.

They were in the process of disabling the buried Arcane Reactive Force Field Generators.

Count Palin Winterhold had a tense expression; it was his first time witnessing a "normal" legion, not only surviving under the strategic spell attacks of the Black Flag Mage Corps but also retaining a certain combat capability. He was not only surprised by the combat power and survivability of those ordinary people equipped, but also by their courage in the face of such large-scale magic attacks.

At this moment, the voice of a communication spell reached the ears of Andresha and Count Winterhold. The magical outpost set up at the height of Winterwolf Fortress conveyed more news of the incoming enemy—

"Enemy war vehicles spotted in the northwest!" "Magic response detected in the southwest!" "Second wave of enemy attack observed at the front lines!"

"You’re right," Andresha looked at Count Winterhold and slowly said, "Next will be a contest of sheer strength..."

...

Behind the main advancing units, the former Winterhold Castle had been temporarily transformed into the frontline command post of the First Legion. Various Magic-Guide Devices transferred from the rear occupied the hall on the first floor of the castle. Numerous personnel in charge of command, liaison, and coordination were bustling in and out, presenting an exceptionally busy scene.

Overseeing the frontline offensive operations was Sir Philip himself.

A subordinate stood before him, reporting the latest situation from the front: "The advancing units encountered setbacks on the west side of Winterwolf Fortress, as the vanguard was hit by legion-level spells from the Typhon Empire, unable to proceed further, and can only slowly weaken the enemy barrier within extreme range. The second, third, and fourth squads are attempting attacks from various directions but have all encountered powerful cluster magic bombardments and traps capable of disrupting the operation of Magic Web Devices."

"It seems the Black Flag Mage Corps has already arrived at Winterwolf Fortress," Sir Philip concluded swiftly, frowning slightly, "Those traps were not in the previous intelligence... It seems the Typhon Empire has some new surprises even we haven’t seen before."

"General, should we deploy the reserve squads?" the subordinate asked, "The Black Flag Mage Corps is already in Winterwolf Fortress, and the ground troops are advancing slowly..."

Sir Philip lifted his head and glanced at the Magic Web Terminal not far away.

"No," he shook his head, "Keep the advancing units at a safe distance, continue to weaken Winterwolf Fortress’ barrier outside the strategic spells’ bombardment range. It’s fine to move slower—as long as we keep the Black Flag Mage Corps occupied, not giving those mages any chance to rest or adjust their deployments."

"Yes, General."

After the subordinate left, Sir Philip let out a slight breath. He returned to the tactical map, reconfirming the terrain around Winterwolf Fortress and the enemy military deployments verified in the last reconnaissance.

Winterwolf Fortress was now in passive defense. The combat power exhibited, though strong, was not beyond expectations, but the armies gathered from various areas within the Typhon borders were undoubtedly converging continuously towards the Winterwolf Defense Line. As time went on, the defenses on Winterwolf Fortress’ side would fully solidify, potentially launching proactive attacks.

However, he did not issue any orders to deploy more squads or alter the advancing units’ strategy of attack.

But as he looked at the tactical map before him and considered the current battlefield situation, a voice suddenly popped into his head—

"Should we attempt a more aggressive offensive? Have the frontline squads launch a massive clustered assault under Winterwolf Fortress’ defensive fire; with so many tanks and Multi-Functional War Vehicles spread across the open battlefield, simultaneous attacks from all directions would make it impossible for even the Black Flag Mage Corps’ strategic spells to cover the entire field...

"The flesh and blood mages have their limits, and strategic spells on such a vast scale must have cooldown periods...

"Compared to another conservative plan, the advancing units might suffer greater casualties, but could attain results faster, and this way, the credit would solely belong to the First Legion, eliminating the need to share honors with others...

"This is the battlefield; sometimes necessary sacrifices are for the sake of necessary achievements..."

Beside Sir Philip, Malm Dunite waited patiently with a gentle and loving smile, awaiting the decision of this young Cecil general.

Sir Philip raised his head, turned to look at Malm Dunite, and suddenly showed a smile.

Malm Dunite’s gentle and loving smile instantly froze, caught in deep astonishment, he instinctively said, "How did you..."

"I once sincerely believed in the War God, and even to this day, this faith might still influence my words and actions, subtly affecting my thoughts and perhaps even my soul—not everyone can break through the mental Steel Stamp with their own will," Sir Philip spoke calmly, "So, do you think that after knowing the hidden dangers of Typhon’s divine disaster, the soldiers of the Cecil Clan would not take any precautions?"

As he spoke, he lifted his left hand, from which a slim chain of pale gold dangled. A small, watch-like device slid down from his sleeve, yet when the "dial" opened, it revealed complex, glowing magic symbols inside, reminiscent of deep-sea creatures.

Seeing that magic symbol, Malm Dunite felt a wave of dizziness, and his body quickly became unstable, flickering violently as if his energy would be cut off!

The next second, the figure of the former War God Pope began to rapidly fade, seeming to plan an escape spell from this place. However, before he could act, Sir Philip had already quickly pressed a button on the nearby Magic Web Terminal—

Some kind of inaudible, yet immensely powerful, low-frequency resonance instantly "echoed" throughout the room, directly subduing Malm Dunite’s spiritual body like a requiem, expelling him from the dimension he intended to escape to.

Nearby officers and civilians heard a non-human wail. They saw a figure appear out of thin air near the general and get thrown back in a sorry state, causing several gasps around.

Malm Dunite felt a piercing pain; after becoming a spiritual body, he thought he could no longer experience such a feeling. However, some invisible force was tearing apart the "Divine Power" he used to maintain his form, threatening to unravel his soul. The successive blows finally enraged this obsessive spirit, he abruptly raised his body, lifting the scepter in his hand high—

A spider’s thread wrapped around his wrist.