Crushing Advance

However, it was not over yet; for the Dwarf guards on the Trial Road, this was only the beginning of a nightmare.

With the detailed intelligence provided by Keosius, the military engineers of the Embers of the Burned Empire had a thorough understanding of the fortress's internal structure and were able to develop targeted tactics.

For the current empire, obtaining accurate intelligence is essentially enough to secure victory in the war.

"Boom--"

Engines roared, steam billowed, and the steel behemoth groaned as it rolled over the Trial Road.

The traps set by the Dwarf, such as tripwires and hidden spikes, were mercilessly crushed by the tank's hard tracks, as if it were a joke.

The poison-coated arrows, burning stones, and iron spikes that were triggered were completely unable to penetrate the thick armor of the Steam Tank.

In past wars, the Dwarf used various methods to deal with the orc legions and inflicted huge casualties, accumulating a lot of experience. However, when these methods were used against the Imperial army, they had no effect whatsoever.

Instead, the Empire's bullets swept through the area, causing heavy casualties among the Dwarf hiding in the shadows.

"Kord, get to Secret Room Number Three immediately!"

"Quickly, start the rolling stone!"

"We have to smash these metal lumps to pieces, otherwise we won't be able to stop them at all!"

"Damn it, how did they manage to move such a huge piece of steel? What is that thing?!"

The Dwarf Fighter rushed back and forth through the passage, anxiously exchanging messages and using all their skills, but they were helpless against these terrifying "iron lumps".

Hearing the dense sound of bullets and looking at the pile of Dwarf corpses on the ground in front of him, Kord's legs trembled, but he still went to the dark room and activated the mechanism under the urging of his companions.

Huddled in the watchtower atop the valley, Kord muttered to himself, "It can definitely be done. Even the strongest Beast Titan would be crushed into a pulp by the rolling stones I designed. Those iron lumps won't stand a chance."

With a crisp sound, the lever was pulled, and the mechanism was instantly triggered.

"Snap!"

Through a series of ingenious chain reactions, boulders weighing hundreds of tons rolled down one after another from the top of the Trial Road, causing dust to fly, stone chips to fly, the ground to tremble, and a rumbling sound to be heard.

"Boom--"

These heavy boulders rolled and roared as they charged toward the Steam Tank, and because the valley was so narrow, there was simply no room for them to get out of the way.

As the massive boulder drew ever closer, brimming with terrifying power, Kord's heart pounded. He muttered, "Hurry, smash them! Drive these Imperial People out of the High Mountain Kingdom!"

In past wars, the rolling stones designed by Kord had caused enormous casualties to the orcs.

Even the strongest beast giants are powerless against boulders weighing hundreds of tons, after all, they are only flesh and blood.

A single boulder rolling down can often cause casualties among hundreds of enemies and crush large numbers of orcs into meat patties.

However, at that moment, a sudden change occurred. The Steam Tank slowly rotated its main gun turret, and the dark muzzle was aimed at the boulder, bursting forth with intense and dazzling flames.

"Boom!"

With a deafening roar, the boulder was struck by the cannonball and shattered on the spot, turning into countless fragments in the astonished gazes of the Dwarf.

The explosion shook the entire valley, and even the top of the secret passage was covered in falling rocks and dust.

Inside the cockpit, a Goblin sat in the main gunner's seat and excitedly announced, "Boss, we hit it!"

Ouch!

The commander behind him, Bill, a Dragon Vein Goblin Bill, slapped him hard and yelled, "Didn't I tell you not to fucking fire in the valley?! Do you want to bury us all in there?"

The Goblin rubbed the back of his head and shrugged, while the tank observer next to him shouted, "Boss, the next wave is coming!"

Bill commanded impatiently, "Activate impact protection!"

The remaining boulders continued to roll down one after another, and as the Steam Tank at the forefront, Bill's crew had to bear more defensive pressure.

Just as the boulders were about to crash into the tank's armor, several sharp, tooth-like Steel Spikes suddenly extended, their sharp tips gleaming with magical light—it was the Constant Disintegration Spell.

"Clang—"

The moment it came into contact with the iron spikes, countless cracks appeared on the boulder, which then shattered and turned into dust in mid-air.

"How could such a thing exist? Moradin above, God of Craftsmen above!"

On the lookout tower at the top of the valley, Kord gasped in shock. These impenetrable iron lumps were far beyond his imagination.

He had also heard of the terrifying power of the Iron Golem of the Fadlan Empire, but even Fadlan would not deploy hundreds of Iron Golem at once.

—But the Empire's Steam Tank were different. At this moment, they rushed into the Trial Road, rampaging and tearing through the Dwarf ' defenses.

At the end of the Trial Road stood the Dwarf heavy infantry, wielding massive shields and resembling a city wall. But could they withstand the onslaught of the Empire's Steel Frenzy? The horrific scene from the cave flashed through his mind: Dwarf corpses piled on the ground, riddled with bullet holes, the cave filled with the stench of blood and gunpowder.

Kord's heart sank to the bottom, and endless despair filled his heart.

Could they really withstand such an army? Outside the plains, Dror gazed at the valley where gunfire continued, and asked his adjutant beside him, "Have all thirty tanks of the first armored battalion gone in?"

"Yes, General. They have all entered the Trial Road, and the situation is good." The adjutant replied in a deep voice.

Dror grinned menacingly, then turned on the walkie-talkie and said softly, "The time is almost right. Let these Dwarf have a taste of the Empire's special barbecue."

At the command of the Hobgoblin, several metal cannons extended from the sides of the Steam Tank in the valley, emitting the pungent smell of gasoline.

Suddenly, a bad feeling rose in Kord's heart at the top of the valley, and he sensed that something was wrong.

Having witnessed the power of machine guns and main cannons, the Dwarf craftsman dared not underestimate those mysterious metal pipes. Moreover, he also smelled the kerosene. Kord muttered to himself, "Could this be bad?"

"Boom!"

With a sound of air exploding, long, scorching flames shot out from the cannon barrels and surged into the Dwarf ' secret passage.

This was a special gift the Empire had created for the Dwarf who liked to hide in secret passages—a flamethrower, affectionately known by the Imperial military as the "Barbecue Expert."

This is not magical flame, but a technological creation capable of spraying a mixture of napalm and certain thickeners, which launches a stream of burning liquid that effectively hits various blind spots.

When the driver pulls the trigger, the spring valve opens, and the high-pressure flammable liquid flows through the ignition device and is sprayed out from the nozzle.

"Whoosh!"

Terrible flames surged into the Dwarf ' secret passage, and those Dwarf lurking there were caught off guard and their bodies were engulfed in flames.

Even Dwarf hiding behind rock shelters would be contaminated by the splashing gasoline and quickly burst into flames.

"Fire! Flames everywhere! Damn it!"

"I'm in danger! Where's the water?"

"I... I can't see! There's thick smoke everywhere. Moradin above, is this Hell?"

Thick black smoke filled the cave, and stout, short figures were engulfed in flames, struggling and howling in the smoke and fire, until they were burned alive and turned into charred corpses scattered all over the ground.

And that's not the worst part. The napalm sprayed from the flamethrower continues to burn, constantly producing thick smoke and consuming the oxygen in the secret passage.

Soon, thick smoke filled the connecting secret passages, causing many of the Dwarf inside to cough and suffocate, or even choke to death.

"Hell. This is Hell! We're trapped here!"

Listening to the Dwarf ' wails, Bill, the Dragon Vein Goblin in the tank's cockpit, couldn't help but hum a widely circulated tune.

Bill grinned. "Hehehe, let these stubborn Dwarf taste the flavor of gasoline and fire."

At this time, the interconnected secret passages on both sides of the Trial Road had become a living hell, filled with flames and thick smoke, and the Dwarf ' wails and coughs could be heard incessantly.

Kord was lucky; he was at the very top of the secret passage, right by the ventilation vent, so he wasn't greatly affected.

"No, this can't be happening."

But hearing the crackling of the flames, the cries for help and coughs of his fellow Dwarf in the secret passage, and feeling the pungent smoke and heat that rushed towards him, Kord's mental defenses nearly collapsed.

"The traps I set, the secret passages I built, were perfectly flawless."

Unbeknownst to the Dwarf craftsman, as they forged their craft day and night amidst the mountains, the world had quietly changed.

The fire dragons spewing from the Steam Tank resembled savage Red Dragon, mercilessly slaughtering the Dwarf inside the secret passage.

Thick smoke billowed through the valley, constantly gushing out from the cave entrances.

The secret passages that the Dwarf were so proud of, the defensive positions that once left orcs and giants helpless, have now become their graveyard.

"Charge! Charge! Crush these Dwarf and take Avendell Dan!"

Inside the vehicle, the Dragon Vein Goblin cheered enthusiastically, howling as they drove the Steam Tank through the thick smoke, heading towards Avendell Dan.

Kord stared at the enormous black shadows in the smoke, his face ashen, and stretched out a trembling hand toward Avendell Dan.

"Avendell Dan must not fall."

"Bang!"

A gunshot rang out, and a small, bleeding hole appeared between Kord's eyebrows. His body fell to one side.

And so, the Dwarf craftsman's body fell from the top of the valley and fell silent. On this battlefield, life was so cheap.

The old Dwarf, who called himself a "master craftsman" and a "master trapper," never imagined that he would die so easily.

"Hit!"

The Imperial soldiers below, holding rifles, cheered.

According to the tactics specified by the Imperial General Staff, tanks were responsible for the main assault and advance, while infantry followed behind the armored forces to provide cover and clean up.

They were supposed to be bombarded by cannons first, but considering the valley's unique characteristics and the fear of it collapsing, they did not do so.

The soldiers who followed the tank units to carry out the cleanup work were mostly Half-Red Dragon covered in scales, who were not afraid of flames and thick smoke and Freedom of Movement in them.

In this way, even if Dwarf escaped from the secret passage and hid above the valley, he would be easily taken out by the soldiers with excellent marksmanship.

"Kord, Kord is dead!" At the top of the valley, another Dwarf Fighter witnessed the death of the old Dwarf —his master—and was immediately plunged into great panic.

His name was Bern, a Dwarf craftsman who was not good at fighting and was often called a "coward" by his fellow dwarves. Having witnessed his master's miserable state, Bern trembled and huddled in a crevice between the stones, trying his best not to expose his body to the Imperial soldiers below.

Suddenly, Bern felt a darkness before his eyes, and some kind of foul-smelling, viscous liquid dripped onto his face. He touched it and immediately sensed something was wrong.

"This can't be... right?"

The Dwarf looked up in despair and saw an enormous, Wyvern descend upon him, saliva dripping from its mouth.

"Roar--"

The Wyvern spread its ferocious wings and let out a roar, sending a stench of hot air rushing towards us.

"No, don't eat me! Our Dwarf flesh is tough!" Bern trembled violently, covered his eyes with his hands, and tried his best to squeeze into the cracks in the rocks.

But soon, the Dwarf was snatched away by the Wyvern and torn to pieces in mid-air, with bloody fragments of his body raining down.

Meanwhile, hundreds of Wyvern flapped their wings and descended one after another to the top of the valley, falling from the sky and killing the Dwarf there.

The Dwarf never imagined that they would not only face flames from the ground, but also attacks from the sky.

"Boom--"

The Steam Tank continued their advance, about to break through the barriers of the Trial Road and reach the walls of Avendell Dan.

The observers inside the vehicle could even see the light at the valley's exit and the majestic fortress built against the mountain in the distance.

But soon, a wall appeared in front of the tank legion—it was Dwarf heavy infantry.

These Dwarf heavy infantrymen, clad in gleaming, heavy armor and wielding massive shields, stood in dense formation at the valley's exit, their eyes gleaming with unwavering resolve.

This legion has withstood countless orcish assaults and repelled tidal waves of beasts.

But to the Empire's nearly three-meter-tall tanks, these Dwarf blocking the exit were not walls at all, not even low walls, but just low mounds.

If they were closer, the driver inside the vehicle wouldn't be able to see them.

Inside the vehicle, Bill stared at the Dwarf heavy infantry in front of him with a ferocious grin. "Trying to stop the Empire's tank charge with flesh and blood? What a pipe dream!"