Chaos

On the Tussock River, several kilometers away.

Bathed in the Crimson Moonlight, the Pritz's hull gleamed with a menacing metallic sheen. Its four 305mm main guns were fully adjusted and aimed at the Sodela Palace, the highest point in all of Backlund.

In the Evernight, the Palace, resplendent in gold and brightly lit, was an excellent target.

In fact, it has already been hit once.

On the front of the Palace, a wall several meters high had vanished into thin air, along with a large section of the ground. It was as if a Giant had roughly dug it away with a spoon, shaving off that part.

At the edge of the rubble, a few pieces of debris remained, all of which had been shattered by the impact.

"Test shot, hit!"

The observer shouted from behind the binoculars, "But the hit was too far forward; we suggest adjusting the firing parameters!"

Cheers erupted from the entire ship. The artillerymen began adjusting the gun barrels according to the updated data, operating the mechanical dials with all their might. Amidst the creaking and groaning of the machinery, the angle of the main guns was slightly adjusted.

Meanwhile, the main gun that had already fired was still being reloaded.

The artillerymen had a sudden inspiration; the originally very complicated and time-consuming gun-changing operation was carried out quickly with the help of some unseen force, and they even managed to complete it before the other three main guns were adjusted!

A moment later, the sound stopped, and the artillerymen completed their adjustments.

The fanatical soldiers held their breath in anticipation, their eyes filled with a thirst for victory.

"Fire! All four cannons firing simultaneously!"

Luther said softly, the "Red Angel" evil spirit within him exerting its power, and all the soldiers on the ship became his [team], providing him with all the information he needed.

"Fire!"

All the soldiers shouted with joy and pride.

"Boom!"

A deafening roar echoed across the ship, vibrating the air and causing everyone's insides to tremble and their ears to ring. Large bursts of flame briefly erupted from the muzzles of the four main guns, smoke billowed, and the gun barrels recoiled. Simultaneously, four shells carrying immense kinetic energy were launched with overwhelming force!

Luther stood on the deck, squinting at the distant Sodela Palace.

Seconds later, he saw the flames of the explosion ignite on the golden Palace that symbolized royalty.

"Boom"

A few seconds later, the sound of the Palace being hit reached their ears.

Amidst the deafening roar, the front half of a grand hall was razed to the ground, dust billowing everywhere. The famous clock tower, the "Bell of Order," was struck in the middle, its upper body tilting slowly before plummeting at an astounding speed, crashing down upon a cluster of the Imperial Palace buildings. The clock face shattered, its hands scattered!

"Long live!"

Upon seeing the shell hit its target, the soldiers cheered once again.

Strangely, although four shells were fired, only two explosions occurred.

Luther's eyes narrowed.

He saw a figure suddenly rise above the distant Imperial Palace and rush towards them at high speed!

"Continue loading!"

Luther immediately shouted, "Rapid-fire cannons, 6-pound cannons, machine guns, prepare!"

A few minutes ago.

"Boom!"

A violent tremor came without warning, accompanied by a terrifying roar, instantly shattering the previously joyful atmosphere of the dance party. The violent shaking caused many people to fall to the ground. They looked up in fear and saw a surge of air crashing against the floor-to-ceiling windows of the hall, shattering the glass and rushing in.

"Ah! My leg!"

"Earthquake! Was it Earthquake?"

"The Feysac people are attacking!"

"Run!"

What's wrong?

Audrey looked around blankly, feeling short of breath and her ears ringing.

She saw that the magnificent hall had become dilapidated in an instant, with dust and smoke rising everywhere and objects scattered about.

The gentlemen and ladies were no longer elegant and noble, but filled with terror. Some were injured by the falling heavy objects, and others were cut by broken glass. These pampered nobles had never experienced anything like this before. The ladies' expensive dresses were torn, and the gentlemen were utterly terrified. They were in complete chaos; some cried out, and others ran around in the dust and smoke.

The Imperial Palace was attacked?

Audrey guessed, and using her abilities to suppress the panic and fear in her heart, she quickly got up from the ground and searched for traces of her family.

"Splash!"

The back door of the hall opened, and a squad of guards rushed in, surrounding and protecting the queen.

"What's going on?!"

The queen was still in shock when one of her maids was hit on the arm by a brick and was bleeding profusely.

"We don't know yet."

The captain of the guard, bewildered and fearful, replied, "Perhaps it's Earthquake."

"No, it's not Earthquake!"

At that moment, an officer stepped forward and shouted, "That sound is from naval guns!"

Naval guns

Audrey was momentarily puzzled by this answer. Backlund was far from the coast; how could they possibly allow warships equipped with naval guns to approach undetected?

But a moment later, she suddenly understood something.

As for warships, isn't there already one available?

Pritz!

Audrey's gaze swept through the crowd, quickly finding the officers, captain, and others who had disembarked from the Pritz to attend the party. Their faces were deathly pale, clearly unable to accept the current situation.

Could it be that the soldiers on the Ships have collectively mutinied?

Before Audrey could think any further, she heard another dull, massive thud, this time four in a row!

"Here we go again!"

Many people's psychological defenses completely collapsed. Crying and screaming, they fled frantically in the direction away from the sound of gunfire. They pushed and shoved each other, jostling and throwing aside all the so-called etiquette of high society!

"Mother!"

Audrey found her mother in the crowd, grabbed her hand, and tried to calm her down. "Where's my father?"

Mrs. Hall's expression finally relaxed when she saw her daughter, and she replied:

"Your father is at the palace with His Majesty the King."

"Boom!"

An even more deafening roar interrupted their conversation. Through the broken French windows, Audrey witnessed a scene that would forever remain etched in her memory: the magnificent clock tower collapsed, crushing large sections of the building and unleashing a terrifying blast of air and Smoke and Dust!

Meanwhile, at the King's Palace.

Grove!

When the first cannon shot rang out, George III was discussing matters with several nobles and representatives of the Three Great Churches. He felt the tremors coming from the Palace, frowned, and shouted.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

A man immediately appeared behind him. He had a rectangular face, a mustache with upturned corners, thick eyebrows, and large eyes. He wore a cloak over his formal attire, extremely long-toed shoes, and a white wig. His attire was completely out of step with the times.

--Prince Grove Augustus, Sequence 3 "Chaos Hunter", one of the two publicly known Demigod of the Augustus Family!