Chapter 375 - 344: A Disappointing Answer

Chapter 375: Chapter 344: A Disappointing Answer

"We’re almost at Roder."

"So this is Soloma, the so-called world’s greatest power. They’re not so tough."

"What right do these heretics have to stand against the Priest? They’re doomed to fail."

After raiding the Soloma Empire’s border, the cultists of Fahe Country’s Fire Worship Cult were now advancing on Roder, the nearest densely populated city.

Their main target for this attack was this very city.

Though they spoke of Soloma with contempt, the cultists knew it was impossible to defeat the Empire in a single blow.

Their mission was simply to strike Roder and make Soloma pay the price for the earlier assassination.

The cultists drove on, a convoy of over a thousand vehicles advancing along the highway. Before long, they spotted a modern metropolis in the distance, a forest of skyscrapers.

Suddenly, a thunderous roar echoed from the front of the convoy. The vehicles behind saw thick smoke billowing ahead and ground to a halt.

"What’s going on?"

"Are we under attack by the heretics?!"

The cultists climbed out of their vehicles, their eyes widening in shock.

What emerged from the billowing smoke were massive war machines, three to four meters tall and gleaming with a bronze luster!

At first glance, the war machines resembled tanks with their heavy chassis and treads. But mounted on top were not only two large-caliber cannons but also four high-speed rotary cannons, surface-to-air missile silos, and a drone launchpad.

They were even armed with ejectable, chain-linked Steel Spears on their sides. A tracked combat machine integrating so many different forms of attack—both ranged and close-quarters—was like a mobile fortress, the likes of which had never been seen before.

"Wh-what is this?!"

"They look like heavily modified tanks. When did Soloma develop weapons like these?"

"They must be secretly developed weapons of war! And there are more of them?!"

As the smoke from the explosions cleared, more war machines came into view—dozens of them, at least.

Faced with dozens of war machines, each as tall as a two-story building, the cultists were filled with an unavoidable sense of dread.

Just then, the war fortresses spoke in a unified, mechanical voice.

"Humans within range designated as enemy targets. Annihilation mode activated."

A massacre began at once.

A dense web of fire from the rotary cannons instantly cut down the cultists who were too slow to react. The survivors quickly grouped together, using defensive items and abilities to protect themselves.

But their items and abilities were finite. These terrifying war machines, however, were massive enough to carry vast stores of ammunition—more than enough to wear down the cultists’ defenses.

Furthermore, some defensive items wore down quickly under sustained fire, especially when that fire consisted not just of a hail of bullets, but also heavy-caliber cannon shells.

The charred skeletons of the vehicles at the front of the convoy were proof of the cannons’ power.

"BOOM!" "BOOM!" "BOOM!"

Several cannon shells slammed into a protective barrier formed by a dozen cultists. The third shell shattered their defense, and the cultists were instantly blown to smithereens, unable to even scream.

The remaining cultists, terrified, wanted to flee, but a glance behind revealed more war machines rapidly closing in.

’It’s a trap!’ ℴ

Many cultists instantly realized Soloma had deliberately lured them into this ambush, deploying these war machines with the intent to wipe them out completely.

"Counter-attack!"

A cultist in a patterned black robe—a clear sign of a higher rank than those in plain black—shouted the order.

At his command, the cultists unleashed their own abilities and items in an attack.

But the war machines seemed to be made of some special metal; their armor was so strong that most attacks were useless against them.

"Damn it! If we can’t pierce this shell, we’ll kill the person cowering inside!"

A cultist with a metal rod leaped onto one of the war machines. He chugged a potion, and with a roar, used his enhanced strength to tear the top hatch clean off.

He dropped inside, intending to beat the pilot to death, only to find the compartment empty save for ammunition stores and a plethora of electronic screens. There was no one inside.

’This is... pilotless?!’

"How foolish." A screen in the main control area lit up, displaying the face of Dr. Heisen.

He sneered at the cultist. "Ignorant Cultists. Now you’ve witnessed the power of the Annihilator. You thought you could shake the Empire’s rule? You truly overestimate yourselves."

’Annihilator... so that’s what these war machines are called?’

Enraged, the cultist stared at the mocking face on the screen and began smashing everything in sight with his metal rod, trying to destroy all the screens and control systems to paralyze the Annihilator.

"Then you can die with this Annihilator."

The moment Heisen finished speaking, he remotely activated the unit’s self-destruct system.

With a massive explosion, the missiles stored inside the Annihilator detonated, obliterating the machine and the cultist along with it.

In a mere seven or eight minutes, the black-robed cultists had suffered devastating casualties. Against the Annihilators—intelligent war machines—flesh and blood was simply too fragile.

Back in the laboratory, Dr. Heisen wore a smug expression as he watched the battle unfold remotely.

The new weapon he had personally designed was achieving brilliant results on its maiden deployment, more than proving his genius.

However...

A thought occurred to Heisen, and he turned and walked into a separate lab.

In the center of the room, held up by multiple supports, was a unique Intelligent Robot. It was so lifelike as to be nearly indistinguishable from a human being.