Unless...

The magically formed earthen mound collapsed with a deafening roar, and the cavalrymen charging up the city fell into the air.

The cavalry behind couldn't stop in time and also crashed into it.

A series of horse accidents.

Then the gas cylinder fell from the sky.

Thrown down by Kang De with great force, it hurtled down with the amplification of multiple powers and the love from the god of the earth.

The heavy iron can, weighing several dozen kilograms, immediately smashed the heads of the two elves, and also shattered the bones of those around them. This thing was almost as bad as a falling rock.

But that's not the real danger.

Kang De stood on the crenellations, gripped his two pistols, aimed them at the city below, and pulled the trigger.

Nine millimeters of justice, the blood and sweat of machine tools, and the fiery, Flame- enchanted bullets.

The gas cylinder, which was wrapped in iron nails and steel and had multiple enchantments, struck the gas canister. A deafening explosion erupted, and the two large explosives exploded instantly. The raging Flame propelled sharp fragments in all directions, and the area below the city was instantly covered in blood, with pieces of flesh, severed limbs, and even bodies flying into the air.

It is a time when science and magic intertwine.

After igniting the big explosion, Kang De didn't stop and continued firing into the flames and explosions. After all, at this distance, shooting from above, with the enemies huddled together, marksmanship was practically nonexistent!

Just fight!

The gas cylinder explosion was already incredibly powerful, but it was further enhanced by Kang De's continuous improvements and multiple enchantments. The elven cavalrymen were huddled together when two large bombs fell from the sky. They were almost directly hit by the raging shockwaves, and their internal organs were severely shaken.

Then comes the damage from the explosion and shrapnel.

The scene was extremely horrific. Amidst the smoke and fire, the screams of elves and war deer mingled together. No one knew exactly how many elves had died in that attack, but one thing was certain.

The mighty army of the world's hegemonic Dusk Moon Dynasty ravaged the Germany, conquering cities and advancing with arrogance and overconfidence. Their surprise attack on Valentan City, with three waves of offensives, each one unexpected, demonstrated a combat power that completely surpassed that of the city, and they almost touched the crown of victory.

Then, they bled for the first time and suffered their first setback.

Unwittingly, Kang De secured the first kill on the elves in this battle to defend the city.

All the elves were stunned.

Because this sudden defeat and casualties came from below the city, most of the defenders on the city walls were either too badly beaten to get up or couldn't see this side, but the elves could see it clearly.

Whether it was the charging archers, the archers continuing to fire, the mages casting spells for cover, the cavalry protecting them, or even the elven commander observing the battle—all the elves watching the cavalry charge into the city saw it.

The earthen mound vanished in an instant, the cavalryman lost his footing and fell, death descending from the sky.

Gunfire erupted. Kang De switched to double speed, emptied his magazine, reloaded, and fired another round.

I'm all better now.

In his first battle, he was overwhelmed by the elves' ranged firepower for two rounds. As a transmigrator, the humiliation and rage he felt were doubled—damn it, I'm an Earthling, and I was suppressed by the natives of this other world for two rounds of firepower! I'm so angry! The most crucial thing is that his pile of civilian supplies was completely ineffective in retaliating, so his rage turned into impotent rage.

When the mages built ramps and the cavalry charged, Kang De knew that his moment of glory was about to arrive, because Extraction supernatural abilities was also effective for magic, or rather, even more effective.

Theoretically speaking, he can dismantle any magic in the world, as long as it is understandable, visible, and accessible, as long as... there is still time.

For example, while a fireball spell can certainly Extraction the Flame Element, if a large fireball were to hurtle towards him at two hundred yards, he could only scramble to dodge it, because his mental reflexes and Extraction speed weren't fast enough—but this earthen mound was right there; couldn't he handle it?

Able.

So the earthen mound collapsed, the cavalrymen fell, and Kang De threw off two large bombs, drawing his gun and detonating them in one smooth motion. All the pent-up frustration and rage he had been suppressing vanished. He even thought his action of standing on the city wall and firing his gun down at the city was quite cool—it would be even better if it were filmed.

Kang De even felt a little regretful; why wasn't he wearing a slightly edgy trench coat today?

With the city on the verge of falling, a hero steps forward. Amidst explosions, flames, and smoke, he stands atop the battlements, the wind carrying blood and fire ruffling the hem of his trench coat, his two pistols crossed, pointed down at the city walls.

--If this were a game, there would definitely be CG here.

Sigh, if only Iron Son were here, he could take a picture and show it to Old Wang.

Kang De's mind wandered for a moment, and the next instant, his expression changed. The hero who had turned the tide practically leaped off the battlements in a panic, grabbed his large shield to shield his side, and shouted, "Run!"

The next moment, the mage squad, the archer squad, and even the cavalry who had not yet lost their fighting strength all made their move!

Spears whistled through the air, spells soared into the sky, and long arrows rained down like a storm.

A dense barrage of attacks rained down on Kang De's location, turning an area of several meters in radius into a pincushion. The dense rain of arrows was blasted away by the subsequent magical attack; otherwise, this round of "borrowing arrows from the stone wall" could be considered a great success.

One can easily imagine how furious the elves were after their initial shock and bewilderment.

If the faction's hatred level could be seen, then Kang De would probably have instantly gone from being an invisible nobody to a red-named individual whom the entire army wanted to kill.

As Kang De fled to the right, the veterans who had been arrayed to fight the elven cavalry to the death reacted. They dropped their spears, grabbed their shields, and without hesitation surrounded Kang De, forming a tortoise-shell formation with one side facing outwards, the other facing the left side of the city wall, and the other facing upwards, protecting Kang De in the center as he retreated, avoiding the elven onslaught.

They were laughing, laughing wildly, their laughter extremely manic and excited; perhaps only they knew how they felt at that moment.

But the elves truly lived up to their reputation as the world's superpower. Their elite forces were not only well-equipped, but their overall military prowess was also terrifying. The three armies focused their fire on that section of the city wall almost simultaneously. After bombarding it for a while, they changed targets and plowed through it inch by inch from right to left.

Kang De and his companions were retreating steadily, and through the gaps in their shields, they could see a rain of arrows, spells, and javelins closing in on them.

Suddenly, someone patted him on the shoulder. It was the vice-captain who had taken over command after the captain's death. The Goth People said, "Leave the city walls, hurry down, Cathayan. You have proven your worth with the blood of the elves. This is not desertion; you shouldn't die here!"

A very correct choice.

Because the veterans all witnessed that scene.

The elven cavalry were about to charge over the wall, having exhausted all other options. They had no choice but to fight to the death. The veterans were prepared to die in battle, but then they saw the Cathayan reach out and touch the wall, causing the treacherous earthen slope to collapse. He then pulled out two large iron cans, shaped like spiked clubs, from a large box and threw them down.

Then it exploded—the deafening roar and the elves' screams were more beautiful than the sounds of women in bed; it was the most moving sound they had ever heard.

Clearly, someone with such skills shouldn't die so easily on the city wall.

The soldiers' logic was simple: human lives have varying degrees of importance, and undoubtedly, after demonstrating the means and value, Kang De's life was more valuable than all of theirs combined.

Therefore, we must spare no effort to ensure his safety.

Upon hearing the suggestion, Kang De neither agreed nor disagreed, but instead shouted, "Hong San! Where is Hong San!"

Hong San fled with him, but the veterans only protected him. As for the other common-looking man from Cathay, he was not considered by the Goth People. Kang De shouted and asked, and a moment later, Hong San snatched him from the inside of the city wall, looking excited.

Kang De said, "I'm fine, you..."

Hong San didn't even glance at him, grabbing a Goth veteran and saying, "Who's the leader now? Go find your superior! The elves have made a mistake! The elves have made a mistake!"

His eyes were wide and bloodshot, and he looked somewhat deranged. He said, "The elves were stunned by those two blows! Their emotions overpowered their reason, and they chose to retaliate immediately instead of adjusting their tactics. Their cavalry, archers, and mages were all firing in this direction. Most importantly, the earthen rampart collapsed, but their cavalry remained below the city walls, not leaving immediately, but staying to hurl spears in revenge!"

Do you understand what I'm saying?

He shouted almost hoarsely, "Elves also have emotions and desires; they are not always calm, wise, and infallible. The mage ranks, in coordination with the war machines, will attack the cavalry below the city. The archers will immediately provide support by firing arrows from the other sections of the city walls. From the cavalry below to the archer squads that are already very close, they will all be under the attack of our ranged forces!"

"If we can inflict some damage on them, we might be able to force the elves to retreat temporarily!"

"Because their surprise attack failed at the last minute, and further casualties would greatly dampen their morale. This time, their risky, lightly armed raid, seemingly swift as lightning, has reached the limit of what this army can withstand. As long as we demonstrate a powerful counterattack, we can make the elven commander think twice!"

"So, hurry and find your boss! Where's Mayor Nick? Go find them!"

A barrage of roars.

This string of words almost left the Goth soldier completely bewildered.

Before the other party could answer, Hong San slumped to the ground, shaking his head and muttering, "It's no use... By the time you report it up, the elven commander will have realized it. Besides, even if Mayor Nick realizes this, he'll have to mobilize troops and coordinate the mage and war sorcerer corps. There won't be enough time, unless..."

Then, a buzzing sound filled the sky.

The familiar sound—the whistling of bowstrings and arrows cutting through the air—was something I had heard many times before. The elves unleashed a rain of arrows, causing the soldiers enveloped in them to tremble.

But the next moment, someone shouted, "Look! In the sky!"

A crack appeared in the shield wall, Kang De looked up at the sky, where a rain of arrows swept across the heavens, followed by several more volleys from various directions, covering the sky and heading towards the city.

Arcs of ice and fire flashed across the sky, lightning surged, Arcane arrows pierced the air, and stone slingshots exploded in mid-air like a celestial maiden scattering flowers. Heavy crossbows roared and fired, and the ranged units in the city launched coordinated attacks. All sorts of attacks fell from the sky, heading straight for the cavalry that were pacing and roaring not far from the city wall and the half of the arrow corps soldiers that had rushed close!

There are advantages to defending a city. If you use magic to strike enemies near the city walls, the enemy mage's interception efficiency will be reduced—because spells also take a while to travel!

Hong San is right; elves are not always rational and never make mistakes.

They are intelligent beings just like humans, with emotions and desires, and can be blinded by anger and driven by feelings, leading them to do things that are not entirely rational.

The victory that was within reach slipped away, which is disappointing.

Seeing his comrades suffer such heavy casualties, he will feel anger.

Especially considering their seemingly certain victory, their unstoppable advance, only to be thwarted at the last moment and suffer such devastating casualties, especially considering the elves' arrogant nature, those two explosions were like blows to the face of every elf, prompting them to launch a spontaneous and coordinated retaliatory counterattack.

The mages in the distance, the cavalry nearby, and the arrow corps at a moderate distance—three forces, without any higher-level orders or unified command, spontaneously unleashed their firepower on the same spot. This not only demonstrated the extremely high quality of the officers and soldiers but also reflected their strong sense of self-esteem, almost a common trait of their race.

Being blinded by anger is the reason for setbacks.

The cavalry and archers near the city walls were subjected to a barrage of attacks. Because they were so close, even within easy range of the human archers, they were subjected to concentrated fire from the siege forces—a task that should have been borne by the infantry.

The once clever and daring tactics have been completely distorted.

They were probably the first organized elven archery unit and cavalry to be suppressed and shot at by human archers in a siege since the outbreak of the war.

Yes, during the siege, the cavalry and archers were hit by the human defenders.

This fact further humiliated the proud elves, who roared and even tried to launch a ranged counterattack while enduring the attack, but the city walls were disrupted once again.

As the shield wall dissipated, Kang De turned around blankly and saw soldiers in full armor rushing up from behind. Some ran up from the side corridors, some crawled out of the towers, and some even climbed up using ladders... Their attire was exactly the same as that of the veterans.

Armed with round shields and carrying bundles of javelins, their armor was far superior to that of the city's defenders. They spontaneously took their positions on the crenellations, and once they reached the top, they immediately went into battle mode, drawing their javelins from behind and hurling them down at the cavalry below.

The situation has changed.

Even if the mage legion wanted to provide further support, the mages in the city were already waiting and waiting, intercepting their spells one by one. The war machines roared, and the initiative was returned to the humans. No matter what the elven mage legion did, the cavalry and that part of the archers were exposed to the garrison's attacks and were always the primary targets of human attacks.

The raid has completely failed.

A mournful bugle call drifted from afar.

The mages' attacks grew increasingly swift, while the archers unleashed a barrage of arrows, no longer hesitating to use enchanted arrows. Under such intense assault, the elven troops near the city walls retreated like a tide, and even in their retreat, they remained orderly, occasionally turning back to counterattack.

But a retreat is still a retreat.

Just as Hong San had predicted, there was no point in continuing this lousy battle.

So... they held on?

Kang De and Hong San looked at each other in bewilderment.

Despite being outmatched in the surprise attack, they still managed to repel the elves—a victory worthy of celebration. But no one cheered. They looked around and saw the surviving militiamen sitting expressionlessly on the ground. They had no tears left. The two also saw the dead. There was no time to collect the bodies; many were riddled with arrows or blown to pieces by magic.

In the battle just now, the only role of the rabble was to take the beating.

Or rather, it didn't fulfill any of its intended purpose.

Kang De gazed at the black-armored soldiers who appeared last and delivered the decisive blow. It was clear to the naked eye that they were far superior to the militia on the city walls. The wind howled, as if the entire city was silently watching the elves retreat. Only the projectile forces continued their attack, with arrows and magic whistling through the air.

But there was no sound from anyone.

In the deathly silence, Kang De asked Hong San, "You said before that it was too late... unless what?"

￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥

PS1: Today's update... I've been writing slower lately because I've never written a proper war story before, especially not a war with swords and magic. But there's a first time for everything. If I don't write it now, I'll never write it later. That's all. Goodnight.