Lick It After Washing

Six minutes.

It only took six minutes.

What can you do in six minutes?

In war, six minutes is both a long time and a short time.

The commander of the Twilight Moon Expeditionary Force, Lord Xierfankai Le of Lord of Dawnlight, is a battle-hardened elf. For him, war is a mixture of the mundane and the glorious, an entanglement of the tedious and the magnificent, a long march, a patient stalemate, repeated probing, and also a momentary clash of wind and thunder.

Arrows, warhorses, spears, and magic can bombard and kill in just a few minutes, which may determine the course or even the outcome of a battle. Before that, there is a long process of preparation and groundwork, repeated probing attacks, repeated tug-of-war conflicts, patience, waiting, and sacrifice.

At a salon, he vividly compared this process to some kind of unspeakable private sport. Generally speaking, the more detailed your preliminary reconnaissance, the more detailed your understanding of the enemy, the stronger your own strength, the better the weapons and equipment you use, the more meticulous you take care of the details, and the more thorough your maneuvering and deployment, the more you can obtain a lasting and exhilarating ultimate experience in the final battle.

And they gained an unprecedented sense of control and satisfaction.

And your opponent's complete submission.

Lord of Dawnlight's words were met with cheers, laughter, and enthusiastic applause from the officers, as well as a reproachful look and a charming glance from the salon hostess.

In the subsequent in-depth exchanges, he did indeed achieve a resounding victory in a private battlefield through patient preparation, waiting, and work, as well as the heartfelt surrender and joy of his opponent—and that was a long time ago.

His former high spirits and sharp edge have gradually settled down.

He had experienced more wars and won more victories; he knew war so well that he could pinpoint even the smallest details.

Six minutes.

Six minutes is enough for a well-trained elite archer to fire at least ninety feathered arrows while maintaining his breathing rate, physical strength, and continuous combat capability.

It can also allow a shock cavalryman to accelerate and then engage in a full-scale battle.

It allows a battle mage to construct twelve medium-power attack spells.

When these data are placed in a battle, they represent the overwhelming barrage of arrows from an archer formation, the unstoppable charge of a cavalry legion, and a concentrated long-range attack from a mage support group.

Commanders who understand and master these details will emerge victorious.

He strives to master these details and the art of things, understanding the extent to which his subordinates can achieve within a given timeframe. He continuously learns and understands both his own side and the enemy, knowing what his subordinates and the enemy can do at crucial moments.

To this day.

He learned something new.

Six minutes.

What can you do in six minutes?

Three Dragon Knight, two squadrons of pegasus knights, three squadrons of griffon knights, and two hundred aerial mages—this air legion, concentrated and deployed together, broke through the city's siege with lightning speed, turning the tide of battle within six minutes and causing the seemingly impregnable city defenses to malfunction.

They could also be decimated and rendered completely incapable of fighting by an alchemical weapon within six minutes.

Six minutes is a long time, enough for a local battle to be decided, but it is also too short, so that all orders for deployment, reinforcements and military changes can only be coordinated and transmitted layer by layer along the command chain. Xierfankai Le can only watch helplessly as one dragon after another is knocked to the ground, and he is powerless to do anything about it.

That's the allure, or the pain, of war.

Just minutes before, he was confident of victory, the situation was excellent, his army had breached the walls of Danfeng Lucerne, and victory was imminent. His subordinates' praise and awe, his pride and self-satisfaction in creating a completely new form of warfare, were palpable. But the next moment, the situation changed dramatically. The Wings of Steel unleashed a sonic storm, roaring across the battlefield.

The powerful air force that Parliament had urgently allocated to him vanished in an instant.

"Stunned" is not enough to describe the commander's feelings at this moment. His usually calm heart was frozen by frost. Even with his advanced age and many battles, he was briefly shocked and bewildered.

The council was well-prepared to launch another campaign and a decapitation strike against Danfeng Lucerne. Goth's resistance was negligible; what was worth noting was the deterrent effect from Kang De.

Therefore, they unsealed the previous Phoenix King's air-to-air magic device and secretly mobilized an unprecedented air force combat group. The council's ambition was not only to take down Goth, but also to make that Cathayan perish under the walls of Danfeng Lucerne. Their plan was perfect: once Kang De appeared, they would send an air force led by Dragon Knight to entangle him, and then use the air-to-air magic device to lock on and attack him.

Now, the air force responsible for dogfighting missions has been almost completely wiped out.

This means that the parliament completely underestimated Kang De's power. This powerful air force was no match for the terrifying speed of that alchemical weapon. This thing was stronger in the sky than on land!

And that wasn't the only bad news.

He could no longer maintain his composure, roaring, "Isn't Stonehenge finished yet?! Do those idiotic alchemists and mages want to go to a court-martial?!"

The deputy chief of staff was also sweating profusely. "They don't understand why either! The magic runes and elemental circuits of Stonehenge are perfectly fine. They were transported here from the mainland, and underwent three test firings along the way without any malfunctions. Magical devices from the era of Phoenix King Malegith have always been known for their massive size and stability..."

"I don't care about any of that!" the commander roared. "Why are our air force being slaughtered while Stonehenge just fucking watches?!"

"... They couldn't understand it at all, and could only come to an unbelievable conclusion."

"What?"

"Stonehenge refuses to be shot."

"What did you say?"

Stonehenge refused to shoot at Kang De.

Before he could finish speaking, the deputy chief of staff was grabbed by the collar. Xierfankai Le's eyes widened, and he hissed, "Our magical artifacts? The legacy of the Phoenix King Malegith? Refusing to fire at a Cathayan? Can you tell me why? Is that Easterner her lover?!"

"... Watch your words, please calm down! This is disrespectful!"

"Go to hell, you disrespectful person!"

Lord of Dawnlight helplessly loosened his grip on his subordinate's collar, staring blankly in the direction of Danfeng Lucerne.

The previous battles took place only in the air. Although the air force was almost wiped out, the ground forces had not yet been lost. The battle situation was still controlled by the expeditionary force. Several sections of the city wall had fallen, and the main force was marching into the city. Their own army still held an overwhelming advantage, and victory was still within reach.

But he felt waves of unease and even panic.

Before the owner of those steel wings swept across the skies above Danfeng Lucerne, several battle reports had already shown that the defenses and interceptions of both the satellite nation's auxiliary forces and the elite ace battle groups of the Dusk Moon Dynasty were being crushed head-on, with no ability to resist.

He murmured, "Now, who can tell me how this war should end?"

The entire continent knows that after the War of Valentan, the Elves chose to negotiate peace, but the Council bypassed the Queen and directly ordered a surprise attack. If they won, all would be well; they could fabricate explanations and justifications at will. But if they lost...

He couldn't imagine what would happen.

Just as he dared not imagine what would happen next.

But just then, a thunderous dragon's roar echoed from the sky.

The knight in the sky swept down, unleashing a terrifying roar—the tolling of death.

"... He's here!"

The terrifying and eerie shriek was so obvious that no elf could ignore it. Many soldiers had also witnessed the battle in the city earlier. They were too far away to see the details, but they could see their comrades falling one by one, while the Steel Wings continued to soar through the sky.

Now the enemy is charging this way.

The brave warriors roared in fury for revenge.

Then, embarrassingly, it turned out to be too high.

It reached a height that spears and arrows could not reach.

And very quickly.

Even the whirlwinds, ice spikes, and lightning unleashed by the mages could not be caught.

From Xierfankai Le down, all the officers, soldiers, and mages were on high alert, waiting anxiously. This was a powerful and unprecedented enemy. The most terrifying thing was that you didn't know his attack methods, what kind of blow he would unleash, or what kind of death he would suffer.

They didn't even know what his goal was.

Before the first wave of death arrived, they could only wait, a painful and helpless wait.

Such treatment was something the invincible elven army had not experienced in a long time.

The Transformers roared across the sky.

Using the aiming helmet, Kang De observed the ground markings.

He looked down as well. The elven army was like a vast, orderly wave of metal, layer upon layer, stretching as far as the eye could see. The division of labor was clear, the deployment was skillful, and the formation was well-ordered. He saw the cavalry's mobility, the changes in the arrow formations, and the constant bursts of magical light rising from the distant array, exploding and splashing below. But no matter what kind of attack it was, it could not keep up with the terrifying speed that was constantly breaking through Mach 2.

The elf couldn't keep up with his Spide at all.

"Target confirmed?"

"Target confirmed."

How to drop the bomb?

"Without satellite guidance, I'll have to control it myself, but that shouldn't be a big problem. Also, considering the Pokémon's potential interception methods and the need for precise targeting, we need to adopt a relatively conservative bombing strategy."

"Up to you."

"Yes, connect to onboard power, bomb preheating initiated, self-test in progress, input coordinates."

Wings of steel descended from the sky, accompanied by a thunderous dragon's roar.

His target is the mage's ranged attack position!

Xierfankai Le's expression changed drastically, and he roared through the short-range communicator, "Full defense! Spread out!"

The highly skilled and militarily proficient leader of the mage corps had already given orders. The mages worked together to lay down tiny ice spikes and electric orbs scattered throughout the area, attempting to cause the enemy to crash headlong into a solid object floating in the air at extremely high speed and destroy themselves.

This was the perfect response, but their enemy had transcended comprehension, combining spatial teleportation with lightning speed—an unbeatable level of mobility.

The fighter jets soared and weaved, sometimes slowing down, and through timely Extraction by Kang De, they broke through the air defense network, their roars descending from the sky.

The mage leader roared, "Defense!"

The mage units responsible for ranged spell support are grouped together! The elemental enrichment phenomenon can enhance spell power and facilitate unified command, preventing mages from fighting individually. Maintaining a close distance between positions not only makes it easier to construct defensive positions using alchemy, but also allows the mages' power to be better combined, intercepting enemy attacks, launching ranged volleys, and, like now, working together to create a strong shield.

The violent atmospheric wind shield coalesced like a hurricane.

At the same time, Horus said in a deep voice, "Deploy the JDAM!"

Two GBU-31 JDAM Joint Direct Attack Munition, each weighing 2,000 pounds, detached.

The extremely high initial velocity of the dive caused the two bombs, each weighing one ton and with a charge of 429 kilograms, to hurtle down, striking the ground and the protective Atmospheric Aegis with almost perfect accuracy.

A flash of fire appeared, black smoke surged up, and in an instant, an explosion occurred. The violent shockwave roared and spread, and the earth-shattering explosion instantly resounded throughout the entire battlefield!

The towering flames, thick black smoke, deafening roars, and earth-shaking tremors drew the attention of all the elven soldiers, leaving an indelible mark on their minds.

The entire spellcasting area was shrouded in shockwaves and smoke. After a few seconds, the surrounding troops finally thought of rescuing the people. Wind scrolls and spells flew around, a strong wind blew, and the black smoke dissipated, revealing the mages lying haphazardly on the ground. Almost every elf was screaming loudly, and many were bleeding from their seven orifices.

With the aid of scrolls, protective devices, and magical artifacts, an entire mage corps of all ranks forcibly blocked the two bombs imbued with dragon Element using Atmospheric Aegis.

The price is the complete loss of combat capability.

The horrific state of their allies prompted the surrounding soldiers to rush forward without hesitation to provide aid. The archer legion, light cavalry flanks, and shield guards responsible for protecting this mage unit all charged forward, hoisting the mages' frail bodies, administering life-saving potions, using scrolls, and casting spells. This was their spontaneous act, but dozens of seconds later, an enraged voice came through the command post's communication system: "Get out of there!"

Just then, a soldier shouted, "They're here again!"

The roar of dragons echoed, and magical light shot from all directions of the battlefield, ignoring all kinds of magical interception and restraint. The messengers of death in the sky descended once again.

The archers of the supporting mage regiment roared and drew their arrows in unison. The champion archer raised his thorny longbow, nocked an arrow, and had already seen what the enemy had thrown.

Crush it!

Two massive bombs roared down once more.

Hundreds of arrows were poised to be fired. The shield guards immediately raised their shields. The champion archer aimed at the target and was about to release his grip when a crisp explosion was heard. The huge and heavy object burst apart in mid-air.

Hundreds of small silver balls scattered in all directions from a height of tens of meters.

In an instant, the sharpshooters lost their target. Even with their excellent training, they couldn't divide the work in a split second and have each shoot down a ball—it wasn't an elf, it was a swarm of insects.

The next moment, flames erupted, and every single ball exploded simultaneously.

Xierfankai Le, who was rushing over, only saw white smoke and dust covering the spellcasting area once again.

He saw the wind whipping up, the smoke spreading, and the firelight. He saw snow, a fine blizzard that only appears in the far north, roaring across the ground like a downpour, sweeping across vast areas. It wasn't blood, but countless steel needles, driving up violent dust as they pierced the ground. A series of incredibly dense explosions, like raindrops plowing through every inch of land.

Mages rendered incapacitated by the bombardment, cavalrymen arriving to their aid, archers preparing their bows, shield bearers raising their shields to engage... everything was engulfed by this dense barrage. All that could be seen was a mingling of blood and dust, torn limbs, and trembling bodies...

Lord of Dawnlight nearly fell off his horse.

He had overestimated Kang De's power, but unexpectedly, he underestimated it.

Such power, such methods of warfare, such destruction.

In an instant, countless elves roared in shock and rage. The tragic deaths of their comrades filled them with unprecedented fury. But the knights of the sky returned to the heavens with a thunderous roar, and no matter how many attacks chased after them in vain, they were completely unharmed.

The mages took to the air in fury, but the sky was no longer their domain. The demonic flying machine circled the battlefield at a despairing speed, leaving the pursuing forces far behind, before darting in from another angle towards another spellcasting position...

"Order the mages to disperse! Disperse! All spellcasters, disperse!"

Xierfankai Le issued orders to disband the mage corps, for spellcasters to join nearby legions, and for magical artifacts to be concealed and not to fire indiscriminately. But this was tantamount to throwing down one's swords. Even a seasoned commander did not know how to fight this battle. The order was given too late. The second spellcasting position and the surrounding troops were swept away like autumn leaves in the wind.

The demon wings, ravaged by countless killings, roared as they returned to the sky.

"Report!"

A mage with eagle eyes shouted, "The enemy alchemical flying machine is no longer carrying any weapons on its belly!"

Xierfankai Le looked up sharply, only to find the swift demon sweeping low overhead from another direction, sharp beams of light constantly shooting out from somewhere on its body, dust billowing up from the ground, a unit of rangers being swept away, bones broken and blood splattering, then it climbed upwards until it reached a very high place, then the dark portal opened, the alchemy artifact disappeared within, and then a terrifying howl exploded from within.

Twelve howitzer shells were fired in quick succession from the portal in the White Mist Space, descending vertically and crashing into the solid array, creating violent shockwaves and dust.

Not long after, Horus descended from the sky, his abdomen still unloaded with ammunition, though his size was noticeably larger. Kang De picked up the communicator. "Calling, enemy long-range fire positions have been suppressed. The mage regiment and heavy magical artifacts are silent, about to engage in close-quarters combat support to assist your army in recapturing the city walls. All units, seize the opportunity and coordinate. I'm about to begin."

Through the breaches in the walls of Danfeng Lucerne, one can still see elven soldiers constantly being mobilized and deployed. In the distance, Goth troops are also putting up resistance and blocking the enemy, while the guardian angels have arrived.

The four additional 30mm cannons have begun warming up.

"All done washing!" Kang De shouted, "Go lick it a few more times!"

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PS1: Update... Going to sleep now, goodnight.