"Everyone... go all out on defense!!!"
Yan Feng's roar suddenly rang out, tearing through the overwhelming roar of artillery fire.
Even as a Level 97 Super Douluo, his body was trembling almost imperceptibly at this moment.
That wasn't fear, but the trembling instinctively produced by the body in a moment of despair.
The four most powerful Ferocious Beast Soul Engineer groups of the Sun Moon Empire have all gathered here.
He could almost hear the deafening roar of the city walls collapsing and see the torrent of steel surging through the ruins into the heart of the empire.
Xu Tianran sat on the throne in Mingdu, and the pressure he endured far exceeded what outsiders could imagine.
The seemingly victorious reports of conquering cities and seizing territories could not conceal the rapid depletion of national strength during the long period of attrition.
For the Sun Moon Empire, a stalemate is tantamount to a slow death.
He must break the deadlock.
The key to breaking the deadlock lies in Ten Thousand Stars City.
At this moment, Ju Zi, who commands all the troops on the front line, made an extremely bold strategic decision.
She ordered the four Soul Engineer Corps, originally scattered across various battlefronts, to break up into smaller units, quietly leave their original battlefields, and eventually reunite outside this Star Luo Empire City.
They abandoned regional advantages on other fronts, and even endured temporary territorial losses, all to concentrate the empire's most powerful forces on one point.
Clearly, the high-ranking officials of the original Douluo Three Kingdoms did not expect the Sun Moon Empire to dare to take such a desperate gamble and embark on such a thrilling strategic bet.
Thus, the despairing situation that now lay before Yan Feng came to be.
Ten Thousand Stars City is beyond saving.
This is a situation that Yan Feng, the Guardian Douluo, is unwilling to admit but has no choice but to face!
Simultaneously enduring the saturation bombardment of four major Soul Engineer Corps, Ten Thousand Stars City's defenses are like a paper dam in a storm, being torn apart layer by layer.
Even with tens of thousands of Soul Master gathered in the city, the casualty figures rose at an alarming rate in the face of such overwhelming firepower.
Looking down at the hellish scene below, Yan Feng felt as if his heart was bleeding.
However, amidst this despair, his gaze sharpened, and he made a decision in an instant!
He took a deep breath, channeling his Soul Power into his voice, and roared through the clamor of the explosion, clearly reaching the ears of every Soul Master still fighting.
"All Soul Master above the Soul Emperor level, abandon your defenses and follow me into battle!"
Before he finished speaking, he had already transformed into a shooting star that tore through the dust and smoke, heading straight for the Evil Lord Soul Engineer Corps' position!
The tacit understanding forged in blood and fire over three months was on full display at this moment. Without hesitation or questioning, the instant Yan Feng charged out, hundreds of figures resolutely broke away from various parts of the city wall and from the aerial defense line.
They followed closely behind their leader's unwavering figure, like moths drawn to Lie Yan, launching a counter-charge towards the enemy's position.
Soul Master who has managed to stay in Ten Thousand Stars City and fight to this day has disregarded life and death.
Yan Feng's decision essentially meant abandoning the defense of Ten Thousand Stars City.
His goal is no longer to defend Ten Thousand Stars City, but to tear off as much of the enemy's flesh and blood as possible before his side is completely engulfed by the Soul Cannon.
All of this was done to weaken the core strength of the Sun Moon Empire as much as possible before the end of the war, in order to gain more opportunities for victory in the future of the entire war.
This battle, which will determine the fate of the Star Luo Empire, began in the afternoon.
After the four Ferocious Beast Soul Engineer groups completed their first joint salvo, Ten Thousand Stars City was destroyed in less than half an hour under the attack of Soul Cannon.
However, the war was not over; the real battle had only just begun.
The hundreds of high-level Soul Master led by Shattered Star Douluo Yan Feng did not scatter after the city walls fell; instead, they transformed into sharp blades piercing the enemy ranks.
As they fearlessly advanced to the outer perimeter of the Soul Engineer Corps' position, the Sun Moon Empire's most advantageous large-scale coverage artillery fire was greatly limited due to the possibility of friendly fire.
Even the powerful, coordinated defensive Soul Tool Shield couldn't hold out for long under the concentrated attacks of multiple Titled Douluo and hundreds of high-level Soul Master, who disregarded their own losses.
The moment the protective shield shattered, the battle reverted to the most primal and brutal close-quarters combat between Soul Master.
This fierce close-quarters battle lasted for more than two hours.
As the setting sun painted the sky a dark red, the shouts and roars gradually subsided, and this battle, which brought together the most elite forces of both sides, finally drew to a close.
Although Ten Thousand Stars City had fallen, the final counterattack launched by the defending army at the cost of their Life made the once invincible four Soul Engineer Corps truly understand what it meant to suffer devastating losses.
Of the hundreds of high-level Soul Master who launched a desperate charge, only three remain.
Shattered Star Douluo Yan Feng, Medicine Immortal Douluo Wang Xian'er, and Heavenly Fiend Douluo Huang Jinxu.
All three were critically injured and on the verge of death. Wang Xian'er's Soul Power was exhausted, and she could no longer use her unparalleled healing skills.
On the victorious side, the Evil Lord Soul Engineer Corps was completely wiped out.
The Fire Phoenix Soul Engineer Corps suffered a devastating defeat, with its leader, Luan Feng, killed in action. The Terror Claw Soul Engineer Legion also suffered more than half its casualties.
Ten Thousand Stars City has been captured.
But for the Sun Moon Empire, it was a Pyrrhic victory.
Before the war began, they hadn't expected that the people in Ten Thousand Stars City would be so fearless and fight to such an extent.
The setting sun cast its last rays upon the ruins of Ten Thousand Stars City, where the outline of the city walls was no longer visible, only rubble, twisted metal, and layers upon layers of indistinguishable remains.
The smoke of gunpowder mingled with an overwhelming, pungent smell of blood, lingering in everyone's throats.
The fervor of battle had long since faded, and the exhausted soldiers of the Sun Moon Army sat or lay among the rubble, their eyes vacant as they stared at the land they had just conquered.
No one cheered, and very few people even spoke; there were only heavy breathing and suppressed groans.
Was this war really worth it?
This thought was growing and spreading in the minds of almost every survivor at that moment.
They won; they achieved their strategic objective; they changed the flag of the mighty city that had blocked the empire for months.
But looking at those familiar faces, now frozen in time, looking at this ruined city where almost nothing remains but death...
Many people unconsciously lowered their heads, avoiding the gaze of their companions and also avoiding the increasingly loud and unsettling question within themselves.
Should this war continue like this?
"Hahaha!"
Yan Feng, who had collapsed amidst the corpses and rubble, slowly swept his gaze over the ashen-faced, vacant-eyed soldiers of the Sun Moon Army, taking in their expressions. Suddenly, he burst into laughter.
The laughter was hoarse and broken, yet it carried a piercing mockery that was particularly jarring against the desolate ruins.
For him, glimpsing the growing war-weariness and hesitation in the enemy's heart at the brink of death was an unexpected delight.
The expressions of the several Titled Douluo of the Sun Moon realms around them all darkened, clearly realizing the problem with the soldiers.
Xu Tianyuan stepped forward, frowned as he looked at the three, and slowly said, "The three of you fought to the very last moment. Whether as enemies or Soul Master, you are all worthy of respect."
"However, in war, it is a matter of life and death, each fighting for their own cause. Today's situation is not what we desired..."
Before Xu Tianyuan could finish speaking, he was interrupted by a voice full of disdain.
"Pah!" Huang Jinxu, the Heavenly Fiend Douluo, spat out a mouthful of blood, his eyes still gleaming with ferocity, and hissed, "Stop pretending! Invaders, what right do you have to talk about serving your own masters? The land beneath your feet is the land of the Star Luo Empire, stained with the blood of the people of my three kingdoms!"
Although the Medicine Immortal Douluo Wang Xian'er was on her deathbed, she coldly replied, "That's right! Now that the city has fallen, there's no need for further words. Kill or torture, just do it. Why bother with empty words?"
Liao Mengkai, the Terror Claw Soul Engineer Legion Saber God Douluo, who was already filled with nameless rage due to the heavy losses suffered by his legion, suddenly unleashed his murderous aura. His robes fluttered without wind, and a dark golden blade shadow, almost tangible, appeared in his palm. He was about to strike in anger!
"Commander Liao!"
Xu Tianyuan shouted in a deep voice, his arm blocking in front of him.
His gaze was like iron as he slowly swept over the three people in front of him, the last trace of polite warmth fading from his eyes.
"In that case... the three of you, please commit suicide."