Tank

"Buzz—"

A piercing roar erupted from the steam whistle as the steel behemoth thundered across the wilderness, spewing billowing white smoke.

Compressed steam in the boiler powered the engine, and the high-speed rotating tracks rolled over the uneven wasteland covered with corpses.

The appearance of these Steam Tank greatly encouraged the soldiers of the Empire who were mired in a bitter battle, and they cheered in the trenches.

"It's Old Pal Class!"

"Very good!"

"I saw it at the military parade! That was Steam Tank, the most advanced weapon from the Ministry of the Technology Department!"

With their massive steel bodies, menacing rams, and thick metal cannons, when they are running at full speed, even the earth trembles.

These steel behemoths are the ultimate experience of the Empire's violent aesthetics! The demons were somewhat puzzled by this unfamiliar lump of iron, but they still swarmed forward, attempting to tear this strange creation of the Empire apart.

However, the moment that massive ram slammed into the demons, the outcome was already sealed.

"Boom--"

With the roar of engines and the wails of demons, the Steam Tank rolled relentlessly into the horde of monsters.

The car only lurched slightly before the demons blocking its path were crushed into flat, mixed chunks of flesh.

What's even more insidious is that, in order to deal with these demons from the Abyss, the Empire's logistics personnel coated the tanks with Holy Water.

The demon would let out a miserable howl and its whole body would be scorched black if it was even slightly scratched.

"For the Empire, crush them!"

"Oh ho ho ho ho!"

The current version of the Steam Tank has a small interior space, and its operators are mainly Dwarf, Halflings, Goblin and relatively short humans. However, there are more than twenty drivers in such a huge Steam Tank, making it a veritable mobile fortress!

For example, the "Emperor's Wrath"—the earliest built and the first Steam Tank to charge into battle—was driven by a Dragon Vein Goblin named "Bill".

Bill skillfully engaged the clutch, shifted gears, and then pushed the lever all the way to the bottom, cursing viciously, "Damn it, smash them to pieces! I don't want to see a single demon near our treasure! Nobody will break it!"

This was the first time these drivers had ever conducted a real-world operation, but their skills in all aspects were exceptionally proficient.

After all, they had practiced countless times in the training field for this day, and the various maneuvers had long since become muscle memory.

Faced with the death of their own kind, these Quasit and Lemure, though filled with fear, dared not disobey the orders of the higher-ranking demons—an imprint already deeply rooted in their souls.

They howled and roared, continuing to swarm in from all directions, attempting to use their numerical advantage to entangle these iron lumps.

The slender and agile Barbed Devil scurried across the ground, attempting to leap onto the vehicle, while the Quasit flapped its wings in the sky, trying to tear apart its outer armor with its claws.

"Don't let them come any closer! Damn demons!"

"Da da da da da—"

"Boom! Boom!"

But the machine guns on the Steam Tank spewed intense flashes of light, bullets rained down like a storm, and the cannon also spewed out scorching flames.

Instantly, the land around the Steam Tank was covered by artillery fire. In just a few breaths, under the intense firepower, the demons that tried to get close were wiped out.

It's clear that the designer of the Steam Tank —the Marquis Gilmore Sparrow —was a staunch supporter of the "Multi-Turret Cult."

These dozen or so steel behemoths burst out of the bunker, roaring with engines and spewing steam, and rampaged into the horde of demons, instantly thwarting their overwhelming offensive.

Following the Steam Tank, the Imperial soldiers recaptured strategic locations and launched a massive counter-offensive against the demons.

The imperial infantrymen trod on the ground that had been crushed, marching over the mangled remains of demons, roaring furiously.

"Charge!"

"For the Empire!"

The battle turned in an instant, but the Demon Hunter Spider also noticed these unusual "iron lumps".

Almost instantly, the spider monsters rubbed their mouthparts together, emitting eerie cries. They stood on their four hind legs, and intense magical light surged in their compound eyes.

"Swish! Swish! Swish!"

Flames, cold, motors, petrification—beams of magic shot from the eyes of the Demon Hunter Spider, striking the Steam Tank from different directions.

However, the drivers had anticipated this situation. The Dragon Vein Goblin his might, turning the tank sideways so that its thickest armor was facing forward.

He cursed and almost screamed, ordering, "Damn it! Quick! Activate the anti-magic device!"

Instantly, intricate magical patterns appeared on the thick armor surrounding the Steam Tank, and several invisible light membranes enveloped the vehicle. The magical rays struck the outer light membranes and were instantly annihilated.

"Activate the smoke screen! Don't even think about hurting my baby with that stuff you spew from your eyes!"

The exhaust vents on the top of the tank suddenly opened, spewing out billowing steam and exhaust fumes, concealing the tank in a smokescreen.

These massive steel behemoths moved through the smoke, continuously unleashing artillery fire upon their surroundings.

Most demons were blown to pieces or crushed into mincemeat by the massive ramming horn before they even saw the enemy.

In an instant, the demons' offensive was completely disrupted by these dozen or so Steam Tank. They darted around in the smoke like headless flies and were easily killed by passing tanks.

However, the Demon Hunter Spider are far from easy to deal with. As tools used by the Abyss Lord to hunt down traitors, these spider monsters' demon eyes have various enchantment effects such as "Darkvision" and "barrier penetration".

Soon, these Demon Hunter Spider set their sights on the Steam Tank moving through the smoke, their eyes gleaming with the cunning of predators eyeing their prey.

"Aww!"

A hoarse growl sounded, and the elephant-sized Demon Hunter Spider suddenly leaped up and jumped onto the back of the steel behemoth.

Against such high-level Abyss monsters, the Holy Water applied to the surface of the tank has negligible effect and cannot even penetrate its shell.

"Boom!"

The Steam Tank shook violently, its indestructible iron sheeting dented, and the drivers inside screamed in panic.

"It pounced!"

"Stay calm, we still have an emergency School of Abjuration!"

"Whoosh—"

The Demon Hunter Spider used its eight barbed claws to Ground Spike at the vehicle's body, the armored surface emitting a piercing metallic scraping sound.

These creatures are clever; they seek out gaps in the armor and pierce them with their spear-like toes.

"Clang!"

Bill managed to keep his balance amidst the swaying of the vehicle.

The Dragon Vein Goblin looked up at the sharp claws that had torn through the gaps in his armor, pointed at the ceiling, and cursed furiously, "Damn spider monster! You think you can scratch my precious, indestructible skin with your claws? Dream on!"

After saying that, the Dragon Vein Goblin even lit a cigar.

The Steam Tank's magical defense system was activated the instant the Demon Hunter Spider attempted to tear through the armor.

The magical circuits inside the armor surged continuously, releasing blinding lightning.

"Sizzle—Boom!"

In an instant, intense lightning surrounded the entire Steam Tank, and a powerful pulse of energy blasted the Demon Hunter Spider clinging to the roof off.

The enormous spider monster lay dead not far away, its body still crackling with electricity.

But as a creation of the Abyss Lord, how tenacious its life was! The spider monster barely supported its body with its eight slender legs, swaying as it got up from the ground, its compound eyes filled with hatred.

The Demon Hunter Spider gathered its strength, intending to leap onto the vehicle again and devour all the little people inside the metal lump.

However, for the soldiers inside the Steam Tank, this mere few seconds of charging time was their best opportunity.

"—The chance to kill the Demon Hunter Spider!" The Dragon Vein Goblin exhaled a cigar, puffing smoke from his mouth, and used his claws to steer the tank around, while shouting, "Now! Blast him with the main gun!"

"Quick! This is a rare opportunity!"

Almost as soon as Bill spoke, the loader of the crew struggled to stuff the huge shell in, closed the cap, and the gunner quickly turned the lever.

Amidst the clanging of gears, the Steam Tank's unused main cannon was turned around and aimed at the approaching Demon Hunter Spider, which was gathering its strength.

Bill screamed almost desperately, "Get rid of this guy who tried to hurt my darling!"

Send them to Hell!

"Boom!"

A thunderous roar, thick and acrid Gunsmoke filled the air, and the entire Steam Tank was thrown backward by the terrifying recoil, causing the ground to tremble and crack, kicking up clouds of dust.

Under the intense pressure of the magical steam boiler, the enormous, heavy Armor Piercing Shells was launched from the thick cannon barrel at an unimaginable speed, passing through the Gunsmoke and heading towards the Demon Hunter Spider's torso.

The instant the Armor Piercing Shells made contact with the Demon Hunter Spider's body—

"Whoosh—"

The sharp and hard alloy bullet easily pierced the Demon Hunter Spider's carapace, penetrating its abdomen and creating a huge hole.

Immediately afterwards, fragments of the carapace and burning Armor Piercing Shells cores were ejected at high speed into the Demon Hunter Spider's body, churning its internal organs, which were made of demonic flesh and blood, to shreds.

Under this enormous kinetic energy, the spider monster, whose size was comparable to that of a male elephant, was thrown into the air on the spot.

Broken carapace, purplish-black blood, and small pieces of internal organs were scattered everywhere. The mangled, charred corpse fell to the ground, rolled a few times, twitched a few times, and then remained still.

"That damned spider monster! It actually tried to destroy my treasure, unforgivable! It might not be completely dead yet! Let's try again!"

The Dragon Vein Goblin stared at the distant corpse of the Demon Hunter Spider, hatred flashing in his dim, yellowish eyes. He viciously pushed the control lever, driving the Steam Tank over the Demon Hunter Spider's mangled body.

"Clang!"

The already charred and mangled corpse became even flatter.

But the Dragon Vein Goblin seemed not to be satisfied and ran over the mangled body several more times—until the spider-like shape was no longer discernible, and it looked more like a meat pie mixed with carapace—before it drove away in the tank, completely satisfied.

"For the Emperor!"

"For His Your Majesty Keosius!"

"Let these spider monsters see the wrath of His Your Majesty Keosius!"

The soldiers inside the "Emperor's Wrath" cheered wildly as they drove their tanks even more recklessly into the enemy lines.

In fact, these Steam Tank were designed with a specific purpose in mind, as evidenced by their massive rams and powerful armor-piercing main guns—they were specifically designed to deal with hordes of weak enemies or enormous beasts.

Their intended enemy is also very clear— the Abyssal Devil.

In fact, this was a design requirement personally put forward by Keosius, and the Embers of the Burned Empire had been planning for it for many years.

Such scenes also appeared in various corners of the battlefield, with Steam Tank charging into the demon horde, and Imperial infantry following behind, recapturing stronghold after stronghold, which can be considered as achieving the effect of combined arms operations.

"Boom!"

Another Earth-Shattering explosion rang out as the Demon Hunter Spider was shot through the skull not far away, its foul-smelling brain matter and venom splattering everywhere.

The headless, enormous body rolled down the hillside, crushing many cowardly Quasit who couldn't dodge in time.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The six secondary cannons spewed fierce tongues of fire, and the Gunsmoke and flames almost engulfed all the demons within a radius of a hundred meters.

Inside the "Conqueror" Steam Tank, the Battlefield Wheelchair Man suddenly pushed the control lever and let out a wild laugh.

Hahahaha!

With such a divine weapon, who needs Wheelchair Gun! The Type 0818, Type 2, Madsen are all useless!

I think this Steam Tank is the biggest wheelchair ever! Long live the Multi-Turret Cult!

"Long live the Multi-Turret Cult!"

The players inside the car watched the rapidly increasing experience points on the screen and let out excited howls.

"Aww—"

However, in the sky, Abyss Dragon Beast roared hoarsely, flapped their tattered and ugly wings, swept over the Steam Tank, and spewed out scorching black and red flames.

"Holy crap? This thing doesn't have any Anti-Air Cannon!"

"This designer is a real beast! He installed nine secondary guns, but not a single Anti-Air Cannon!"

"No! We finally managed to get the tank up there!"

"Boom!"

A Abyss Dragon Beast suddenly swooped down, clung to the top of the turret, and kept scratching at the armor of the Steam Tank with its sharp claws.

The Battlefield Wheelchair Man had been too reckless, charging directly into the horde of demons, and the electromagnetic pulse from the Steam Tank hadn't yet been restored.

Moreover, relying on the power of their Steam Tank, they charged too deep, penetrating hundreds of meters into the demons' territory, leaving even the infantry behind them unable to keep up.

They were almost helpless against the Abyss Dragon Beast that kept shaking the vehicle above its head.

Players even started blaming each other, with the main firepower being directed at the most reckless Battlefield Wheelchair Man —because he was primarily responsible for driving.

"Battlefield Wheelchair Man, it's all your fault!"

"Yeah, you're really bad at this! You're not allowed to sit in the driver's seat next time!"

"Go play with your Wheelchair Gun! I've learned a lesson this time: vehicles are for the pros to handle!"

"Damn, this is our Church of the Machine God's private property! We bought it for a fortune!"

The players completely forgot how excitedly they had shouted "Charge!" just moments before, and instead placed all the blame on the Battlefield Wheelchair Man.

"Aww—"

A loud roar suddenly came from the sky. Unlike the piercing howls of the Abyssal Devil, this sound was exceptionally deep and resonant.

That is...

"Holy crap? There's hope!"

The players inside the tank seemed to see a glimmer of hope and quickly looked out through the observation scope.

High in the sky, a crimson torrent of Wyvern and Flame Wyvern appeared from the flank of the battlefield.

Those are the dragons of the Embers of the Burned Empire! At the very front of the procession, Alger raised his Eternally Burning Greatsword and shouted, "In the name of His Your Majesty Keosius, in the name of the Embers of the Burned Empire— "

Red Scale Conqueror, charge!

"Roar--"

Accompanied by the Earth-Shattering battle roars of dragons and knights, and carrying a scorching hurricane, a crimson torrent poured down, crashing into the battlefield from the flank.