"The Bloodthirsty, Brutal Dreadlord Has Broken Through Xiaye"

This was the second battle to intercept Kang De's westward reinforcements, following the Elf Expeditionary Force's surprise attack on Goth's capital, Danfeng Lucerne.

In order to delay Kang De's advance as much as possible and to test and deplete his means and trump cards, the Expeditionary Force General Staff designated the vast war zone between Danfeng Lucerne and Valentan as a testing ground for the war.

The elite auxiliary forces of the vassal states were the first to be pushed into the battlefield. The Sawada satellite state was the first casualty, and its forces were annihilated. The decision-makers of the expeditionary force believed that such a sacrifice was worthwhile because they could judge and understand Kang De's tactics from the war intelligence.

Unwittingly, the war has become increasingly cold and cruel.

The elves' vast and terrifying war mobilization system mobilized the elite forces of various nations to the battlefield, replenishing the war's losses with the soldiers and able-bodied men of vassal states. Even their own low-ranking soldiers were among those sacrificed. Ensuring the effectiveness of this mobilization system was an increasingly efficient and transparent administrative system, while the Dusk Moon Dynasty's massive military logistics system ensured that they could appear at their battle positions on time.

The command and decision-making system from Commander-in-Chief Xierfankai Le down determined the deployment of these cannon fodder. Thus, war became mathematics, and the decisions of commanders and staff officers were actually decisions about how many people would die in this battle and how many would die in the next battle.

The interception and containment operation against Kang De was, in effect, a means to send countless soldiers to their deaths, and the deaths of these soldiers would determine how many elite soldiers would survive in the future.

Since the Halin interception, they have made rapid adjustments to the next defensive line to ensure that whichever army encounters Kang De can fulfill its assigned military mission.

That is, attrition, probing, threats, and containment.

Therefore, they urgently supplied the second line of defense with operational plans and war supplies.

The supply troops, disregarding the consequences, used magical means to deplete the lifespan of the pack animals and alchemical mechanisms, delivering enough heavy shields and spell scrolls to the front-line troops. The mage team also received the latest battlefield spellcasting guide.

Quagmire Spell, Slow Spell, Mind Blast, Electric Arc Domain... The principle of casting spells is to interfere with the enemy's high-speed mobility and even spatial teleportation. The super-heavy cavalry composed of war rhinoceroses has also been fully equipped. The heavy infantry are in formation, the mages provide support and restraint, and the super-heavy cavalry is ready to go.

The expeditionary force command racked its brains and made strategic plans to reinforce the second line of defense.

The results were remarkable.

They successfully reduced the duration of the battle to six minutes.

A total of twenty M2HB heavy machine guns unleashed countless APEI169 armor-piercing incendiary rounds over the enemy ranks within minutes, firing from miles away. The bullets descended with near-vertical trajectories, silent and deadly, with only death falling from the sky. Only the most skilled marksmen could hear the faint whistling of the wind overhead.

With its heavy warhead and high explosive charge, it achieves armor penetration, incendiary action, and explosion in an instant, making it a champion among special munitions.

At the start of the attack, the heavily armored elite infantrymen didn't even see the death raining down from the sky. Even if they did, the heavy shields, which were too heavy and had to be used while supported on the ground, were difficult to lift. Even if they managed to lift them, it was hard to maintain their courage amidst the almost endless rain of death and continuous explosions.

Fixed-point firing, search firing, circling firing, frontal firing, diagonal firing, vertical firing... Horus started the engine, and this death-spraying reaping machine constantly changed positions. The Transformers, whose technological foundation surpassed Transformers of modern society, did a better job than the machine gunners of World War I, because A Xing, who relied on his physical strength to make brief aerial leaps, was reporting his real-time coordinates to him!

Although the Overhead Firing Method has almost no accuracy, relying solely on the machine gunner's experience and rough coordinate calculations to determine the strike area, the enemy was just too close to do anything about it.

Horus also modified the gun's structure during the weapon assembly process, further increasing the machine gun's rate of fire.

As for the biggest factor limiting the rate of fire of machine guns, the problem of barrel overheating...

That's not a problem at all!

Because in this battle, Kang De's side employed a revolutionary warfare technology—the "Cold Machine Gun Mode: Sword Saint Cascading Snow Limited Edition"! Forget the heat, get out of here!

And so, they won.

It only took six minutes.

The heavy infantry formation was completely wiped out, and the heavily armored war rhinos were also almost entirely killed or wounded. A few officers' war rhinos were clad in elite-enchanted rune-enchanted heavy armor, which could withstand the top attack of 12.7mm penetrating incendiary rounds to some extent, but that was only barely enough. After Horus approached and fired two more armor-piercing high-explosive enchanted RPGs, half of their bodies were turned into a pile of mangled flesh.

The entire battlefield was awash in blood.

The battles against the Sawada satellite state forces in the Halin District were even more brutal.

Kang De walked through the blood-soaked, softened soil, leaving a trail of brutal footprints on the battlefield. Intestines, severed limbs, heads, and bits of flesh were everywhere. There were intact heavy shields and heavy shields with holes punched in them. Broken armor and intact armor, thousands of people were mixed together in disarray.

A battlefield of carnage.

The mages also perished, most of them riddled with holes by the quadruple M2 anti-aircraft machine guns. Because the shields had a limit to their strength, they could not withstand the continuous barrage of fire. A few high-level mages were also brought down by A Xing and the Sword Saint Cascading Snow – a near-perfect teamwork.

Hilmeria gripped her sword and gazed at the battlefield, a look of profound solemnity flashing across her face.

As a powerful figure who emerged from the Battle God City, experiencing battles was commonplace for her. She had also participated in the battlefield and witnessed bloody battles, including those with tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of casualties. The brutality and horror of those battles were no less than what she was seeing now.

Tens of thousands of magical projections, raging flames scorching bodies, violent explosions tearing bodies apart, freezing temperatures shattering bodies, crisscrossing lightning, gales like sharp blades, even poisons that corrode everything, and curses that seize souls... the woven net of harvest has caused countless lives to perish.

In terms of ferocity, destructive power, momentum, and deterrent effect, it surpasses this place in every aspect.

But when the Sword Saint Cascading Snow looked at the scene before him, he felt a chill run down his spine and even... fear.

Because of the massive battle involving hundreds of thousands of people, spells filled the sky, magical artifacts roared, iron cavalry charged, arrows rained down like waterfalls, and fierce warriors charged into battle. The sky resembled the end of the world, with iron hooves pounding the ground and mages chanting their resolute incantations. It was a battle of honor and courage, a struggle of wisdom and decisiveness, a clash of will and belief. Thus, the deaths were tragic yet worthy of praise, and sacrifices appeared romantic and precious.

That's why battles of that scale are recorded in history and will be forever remembered and celebrated by the world.

But now, the deaths of tens of thousands of soldiers, the annihilation of a formidable army, the lack of courageous charges, the lack of mages' chants, the lack of resolute sacrifices, only an alchemical chariot pointing dozens of pipes at a forty-five-degree angle to the sky, emitting a series of loud bangs.

All that remained was a sky full of smoke and dust, and countless metal spikes shooting into the sky at incredible speeds. Then tens of thousands of people died, killed by a rain of metal falling from the sky and a series of explosions, as if a god had drawn a bow and shot them dead from the clouds. The enemy was several kilometers away, and they didn't even know who the enemy was or where the attack came from before they died.

She heard a series of rhythmic vibrations, each sound like a death shriek. Through the window of the alchemical chariot, she saw round metal shells being thrown into the chariot like rain, each wisp of smoke rising from them. There were thousands upon thousands of them, and they all looked exactly the same.

She dared not think too deeply about what that meant.

But looking at this result, she still felt bewildered, even though Kang De was on her side and had won a resounding victory, which meant that the chances of rescuing Danfeng Lucerne were much greater.

She was just thinking.

If a single alchemical chariot can annihilate an entire army in minutes, then what is the point of courage, conviction, honor, and will—these perfect and essential qualities passed down from ancient times and recognized and admired by countries around the world?

What if... there's a second one?

"... What's wrong with you?"

The call brought Hilmeria back to reality. She blinked. "What?"

Kang De frowned slightly. "I just asked you, how long does it take you to recover and return to your peak condition?"

"... oh."

The Sword Saint Cascading Snow sensed it.

Teaming up with A Xing was indeed very comfortable. The strongest enemy they encountered was no match for them; they were easily killed without much depletion or injury.

Or rather, the combination that came to Danfeng Lucerne's aid this time was indeed extremely perfect. Kang De was responsible for supplying ammunition and leading Horus to perform spatial jumps. When the enemy's restraining and limiting spells came flying over, they would be Extraction and disintegrated by him in an instant. Iron Son's heavy machine guns, rocket launchers, and grenades took out ordinary soldiers like mowing grass. A Xing and Sword Saint Cascading Snow were responsible for sniping and eliminating high-end combat forces. The efficiency was extremely high, and the cooperation was excellent.

Hilmeria replied, "Half an hour."

"I'll give you forty minutes," Kang De said. "This is crucial. Stay in top condition. If I'm not mistaken, there's still a lot of fighting ahead. They're here specifically to stop us."

He glanced at the heavy war beasts and heavy infantry, as well as the types of spells cast by the mage squads. All signs indicated that this army had come prepared and had clearly learned from the lessons of the Sawada satellite nation.

Hilmeria's expression turned grave. "They're here to intercept you and test your trump cards?"

"Of course," Kang De chuckled coldly, "Let them try."

So even though we still had RPGs, automatic grenade launchers, and mortars, we still relied mainly on the M2HB heavy machine gun in this battle, and in hindsight, that was the right choice.

He looked at A Xing: "And you?"

A Xing smiled and said, "I don't need to rest! Eating more is enough!"

Amidst the mountains of corpses and seas of blood, she still happily ate a large bag of fruit and other treats.

There are many things like cassava and mangoes in Africa, Kang De specially brought some for A Xing.

"Then you should get some rest too; eating is a form of rest."

Hearing Kang De say this, A Xing stared at him with his golden eyes and said earnestly, "I think Kang De needs rest more. Why don't you rest for a while?"

Kang De paused for a moment, then gave a bitter smile.

"Let's sleep for three days and three nights after this is all over."

He patted the hood of the Humvee: "Get to work!"

With a resounding clang, the Transformers transformed into human form and said in a deep voice, "Father?"

Kang De's eyes transformed into the Flame gaze of Phoenix Vision, sweeping across the battlefield.

The Sword Saint Cascading Snow and A Xing needed to rest for a while. Since he was here to protect them and had nothing else to do, he might as well clean up the battlefield. Shields and armor that could withstand heavy machine gun fire, enchanted weapons and items, magical items, and spell scrolls were all under the watchful eye of Phoenix Vision.

As well as...

"I imagine that soon after we leave, elven scouts and spies will arrive to gather information and search for clues. Our every move is under the control of the Elf Expeditionary Force, so..."

He said, "Then let's give them a big surprise."

More than an hour later, the Elf Expeditionary Force command received the latest news.

The vassal army from the Tuke City-State has been annihilated.

The scouts and spies found the routed army, whose spirits were also broken, but their defeat terrified the elves even more than that of the Sawada army.

One officer claimed to have been subjected to a long-range barrage equivalent to two large arrow corps, almost entirely composed of exploding and Flame arrows. The rain of arrows descended from the sky, even piercing shields and wreaking havoc on human bodies, entering through the head, shoulders, or back before exploding and burning. At one point, they believed they had been met with the devastating blow of the legendary Thorn Champion Archer Corps.

Only that legendary unit possesses such a terrifying rate of fire and such a lavish attitude of not taking enchanted arrows seriously.

But the commander and his staff knew that the Thorn Champion Archer Corps were stationed on home soil.

Given the intensity of the Goth War, there was far from enough need for an army of this caliber to be deployed.

So... what's going on?

Why are the range of these shaftless crossbows greatly increased, their power greater, their quantity greater, and why are they all enchanted weapons?

Why did Kang De launch an even stronger offensive despite our painstaking efforts to upgrade our equipment and tactics?

However, what truly angered and even instilled a sense of fear in the elves was not this.

Rather, it was what the scouts saw when they entered the battlefield after the enemy had left.

We saw a tower.

"A tower of flesh and blood, built from the corpses of Tuke City-State warriors, elven officer training corps, and warhorses."

"Elves, Tuk nobles and officers, ordinary soldiers, lined up from top to bottom, the head of the heavy rhinoceros nailed to the ground, thick, viscous black liquid seeping from top to bottom, soaking the tower and the earth, while raging Flame swirled and surged on the tower."

"One can imagine what our enemy did during this time, much like the mounds of corpses that the Cathayan were accustomed to building. He piled the corpses into a tower, and then poured a black, evil, viscous, flammable liquid from top to bottom, soaking it layer by layer."

"Everyone says it must be hellish matter mixed with flesh and blood, like the blood of a demon, proclaiming his cruelty and victory to us, and then he set the tower ablaze."

"The Flame were difficult to extinguish, or perhaps there was no need to extinguish them, for the blazing fire roared and burned, scorching everything, down to the bones, down to the ashes. Only the grotesque skeletons were visible in the firelight, flesh and blood ripping and slicing. Black smoke and crimson light churned within the flames, like the wails of the dead."

"Everyone vomited and was outraged. Such cruelty was extremely rare in the entire war. The enemy's horrific behavior could not be described as barbaric and bloodthirsty; it was probably a demonstration, a destruction and annihilation. The battlefield was covered by that black substance, which ignited scorching flames and burned most of the scene, preventing us from obtaining any further intelligence or clues."

"The only thing we can find are the traces he left behind."

"Besides that tower, he also used twisted corpses to form words, poured the same black liquid over them, and then set them ablaze. Countless corpses formed words, burning with Flame that seemed never to be extinguished. I believe this is a declaration left for us and for all of you."

The text contains this content.

"I'm approaching you, I'll find you, and I'll kill you all."

After the deputy chief of staff finished reading the last words, all the spirits in the tent remained deathly silent. They looked at each other, but no one spoke.

"Isn't this—" Xierfankai Le shouted, "A matter of course?"

Why am I feeling fear again?

"Was this savage, mad army from the Tuke City-State destined to win and kill Kang De in our plan? Or were they not destined to fail in our plan?"

"Why are you still afraid even though everything is going according to plan?"

"Is this level of attack beyond the capabilities of the great Twilight Moon army?"

"Is this level of bloodshed enough to scare you?"

"This force has accomplished its mission, forcing Kang De to exert even greater effort and consuming a large number of his arrows! The plan has succeeded! And it has ruled out one of our previous assumptions!"

"He even started destroying the scene, a sign of his cowardice; he was covering up some clue that might reveal his true situation! So he used this horrific method to mask his unease and weakness!"

"Therefore, esteemed elves, do not cease your advance! Continue to devise battle plans! Continue to revise your battle strategies! The distance from Xiaye District to Danfeng Lucerne is still vast; we have many more opportunities to learn from our mistakes! What he did today, we will repay a hundredfold; his threats, I will etch upon his tombstone!"

Lord of Dawnlight roared, "We will win again this time!"

Soon, another sentence was added to the banner in the military tent.

"The bloodthirsty and brutal Demon King of Fear has broken through Xiaye's defenses."

Earth, Comora, near a military camp in Sangmili, Kang De and his Humvee appear on the ground.

He dialed the satellite phone.

Kirov.

"..." The Russian on the other end of the phone was silent for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Translation?"

Meanwhile, the arms dealers were roaring in their hearts.

Damn it!...

It's only been ten minutes! Have you already caught those mercenaries?

"No."

Kang De said casually, "I'd like to order takeout."

￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥

PS1: Five thousand words, this is my last update today. There's a reason for that, of course: I went to the hotel.

PS2: Why go to a hotel? Sleep is one thing, but there's another reason. Tonight, while I was walking back and forth in the living room, I found an insect, about half the length of my middle finger, belonging to the phylum Arthropoda, class Insecta, order Blattodea.

PS3: Commonly known as cockroach, specifically the Americas cockroach, the flying kind.

PS4: Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!

PS5: ***I've lived here for a year, how come there are cockroaches! Where did they come from, you bastards! So I ordered three cockroach traps, and then I found out that Hangzhou has started garbage sorting. Can someone tell me how to sort these cockroach traps that are covered in cockroaches?!

PS6: So I retreated to the hotel overnight, waited for the cockroach traps to arrive, set up the traps, caught the cockroaches, and asked the cleaning lady to come and sort and dispose of them. I won't go back until then. Damn it! Goodnight.