Chapter 1039 - 150: Collapse (Part 4)

Chapter 1039: Chapter 150: Collapse (Part 4)

Sss—! Divine energy has a devastatingly restrictive effect on undead creatures! The Green Knights hit by it, their bronze armor emitting green smoke as if being corroded by strong acid, produced a sharp "sizzling" sound! The soul fire inside the armor let out a silent shriek akin to ice cubes thrown into a furnace, instantly dimming and extinguishing! The knight’s body convulsed violently, then stiffened, rapidly turning dull and disintegrated under the scorching divine energy, finally crumbling into a pile of smoking scrap metal and ashes, sinking into the murky water!

The tide of the battlefield began to reverse in an instant! The divine storm, like an invisible giant hand, pressed the arrogant undead torrent in place, even pushing it backward; while the Hesse Legion, blessed by the Radiance of the Scorching Sun, transformed into divine blades advancing against the storm, with unbreakable defense and deadly counterattacks, starting to mercilessly harvest the chaotic Green Knights! The golden glow of counterattack flickered across the battlefield, and each shine signified the outright demise of an ancient Heroic Spirit!

Meanwhile, the mortars and war car forts, dormant for a while, finally found the scattered shells in the massive stream, dried the soaked ammunition, and joined the counterattack.

"Mortar position! Load hollow high-explosive incendiary rounds! Target, enemy formation center fifty paces back! Cover fire!"

"Cannon division! Solid armor-piercing rounds! Extend fire! Break through their turtle shells!"

The hoarse roar of the Dwarf Artillery Commander pierced through the battlefield clamor. On the artillery positions gradually recovering from chaos, Dwarf Engineers and artillerymen struggled to maneuver the cold steel giants in waist-deep, even chest-deep water.

The heavy cannon breech was pulled open, exposing the steaming cannon chamber. Dwarf Loaders shouted chants, using specially made long rods to vigorously push the heavy shells and propellant packets into the cannon chamber. The cannons were loaded with solid iron cannonballs polished to a shine, specially designed to tackle robust targets; while the short and stubby mortar mouths were stuffed with much larger, heavier custom hollow shells filled with Uzul Holy Fire capable of explosive flame bursts.

"Position stabilized! Loading complete!"

"Target confirmed! Distance corrected!"

"Prepare—"

"Fire!!!"

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The first to strike was the war car forts deployed on slightly elevated temporary floating platforms! Huge cannon mouths sprayed meters of orange-red flame and thick black smoke, the thunderous cannon blasts instantly overshadowing the battlefield skirmishes! Heavy incendiary rounds, with ear-piercing screeches, tore through the sky darkened by water walls, fiercely crashing towards the rear and central regions of the Green Knight Legion’s assault formation!

Rumble—!!!

Violent explosions suddenly bloomed in the dense formations of Green Knights! First came the deafening roar, followed by terrifying shockwaves sweeping the water surface, raising several meters high waves of murky blood! The deadly explosives inside the high-explosive shells unleashed devastating energy, instantly tearing the Bronze Knights and skeleton warhorses at the impact center into flying bronze fragments and pale bone shards! Shockwaves brutally flung and scattered the undead knights within several paces nearby, their ghostly soul fires extinguished like candle flames under the violent energy!

Almost simultaneously as the mortars fired, the cannons deployed on the flanks and slightly rear positions let out sharp roars! Their cannon shots were higher-pitched, more penetrating! Solid armor-piercing rounds, like javelins from the Death God, tore through the air with a speed difficult for the naked eye to follow, shrieking fiercely as they crashed into the Green Knights’ charging torrents!

Thud! Thud! Thud! Crunch!

The solid rounds showcased terrifying kinetic and penetrative power! They easily pierced through the thick bronze breastplates, shattering the soul fire core and supporting skeletal structures within! Cannonballs, undeterred in their momentum, often tore through several knights arranged in a column, leaving bowl-sized holes in their bronze armor. Green Knights hit directly were crushed as if by an invisible giant hammer, their entire upper bodies violently exploding, fragments shooting backward, even injuring comrades charging behind them! Skeleton warhorses hit would instantly turn into a heap of splattering bone fragments. The cannonball trajectories were straight, like invisible plows, forcibly plowing out "death corridors" composed of shattered armor, broken bones, and scattered soul fire in the silent bronze torrent.

The effects of the artillery strike were immediate! The original neat, silent, machine-like advancing formation of the Green Knights was instantly torn into a thousand holes by the dense explosions and terrifying penetrative strikes! The rear formation suffered a devastating blow, halting the forward momentum.

The battlefield on the water turned into Purgatory! The explosion flames flickered intermittently, the burning Green Knights resembling moving bonfires, thick smoke billowing, obscuring the sun. The murky blood water, lifted into higher waves by explosions, mingled with shattered limbs, twisted metal, burning wreckage, and floating corpses. The air was filled with suffocating pungent odors of gunpowder, blood, scorched flesh, burning metal, and alchemical flames. The Green Knights not only had to fend off the overwhelming offensive from the front by humans but constantly guard against the catastrophic artillery fire from the rear, each step on the brink of death, their formation being demolished!