The armies of the Church of Light and the Church of Darkness spread across the southern outskirts of Coder City like a boundless, deep ocean. The soldiers of Coder City were on high alert; they knew this ‘boundless deep ocean’ could at any moment stir up waves of chaos and sweep them away.
A small detachment split off from the main army.
This smaller force circled toward the eastern side of Coder City. Given the terrain, the Church of Light could only attack the south and east gates. The north and west were inaccessible. This eastern army consisted of two small corps.
One came from the Church of Light, the other from the Church of Darkness, both elite units.
The commander of the Dark Alliance corps had short blue hair, a stern expression, and fixed his gaze on the distant city walls. Beside him was a blond man, commander of the Church of Light’s elite corps.
Whoever breached the eastern gate would be the heroes of this battle.
“Only five Magic Crystal Cannons,” the blue-haired man said indifferently. “Rogers, let our troops charge first. Once we’re close to the walls, the vanguard will assemble. We’ll breach the defenses on the wall with ladders. The rest follow. Once we’re on the walls, Coder City is finished.”
Rogers glanced at him. “Pryor, let’s see who gets up there first.”
“Agreed.” Pride filled Pryor’s eyes.
Time passed as both elite corps waited in silence. Then… they heard the terrifying sounds of battle—the roar of Magic Crystal Cannons, the shouts of warriors, the whistle of arrows—sweeping across the land like a tsunami.
“It’s begun over there,” Pryor said with a slight smile.
Rogers nodded. “Once we break the eastern gate, we win.”
According to plan, the fighting at the south gate would be unprecedentedly brutal… About five minutes after it started, Pryor was the first to bellow: “Kill—!” His officers, already aware of the plan, led their soldiers in the charge.
A forty-meter-long ladder was rushed toward the south wall.
Soldiers with shields sprinted forward.
On the eastern wall, the five Magic Crystal Cannons lit up. “Boom!” “Boom!”… They roared, and five dazzling beams of light shot down, exploding into terrifying radiance upon impact. Warriors nearby fell in droves, but the rest didn’t hesitate. Hesitation now meant death.
“They’re moving too fast!” The defending commander on the eastern wall noticed the enemy’s speed. After just three cannon volleys, they were less than a hundred meters away. “No, something’s wrong!” He suddenly saw that some of the faster warriors in the enemy ranks were converging with uncanny coordination.
Clearly, these elite soldiers intended to breach the wall together.
“Hmph, as expected,” the commander said with a cold smile.
“Magic Crystal Cannons, all ready!” he shouted. Instantly… another fifteen cannons were deployed on the wall. With the original five, twenty Magic Crystal Cannons now lined the defenses, their barrels glowing almost simultaneously.
Seeing fifteen new cannons appear, Pryor and Rogers’ expressions changed drastically.
“No!” Pryor snarled, his face twisted in unwilling rage.
“Boom!” “Boom!” “Boom!” “Boom!”…
All twenty cannons fired in unison, their target unmistakably the elite warriors—the vanguard units. A series of explosions thundered.
“No!” Many warriors screamed in defiance as the cannonballs hurtled toward them, but the projectiles were too fast. A flash of light, and the blasts hit the ground. Warriors were torn apart, frozen fragments and charred remains scattering everywhere. Others screamed with severed limbs…
In an instant, over three thousand were dead, with thousands more gravely wounded.
It was terrifying.
Many warriors were stunned, and since most of the dead were the most elite, fear began to creep into their hearts.
“Charge! Avenge our brothers!” Some warriors roared, pressing on.
“Get up there and we win!”
But before their ladders were even set, defenders at the south gate tipped enormous cauldrons of boiling oil down the walls. The scalding liquid poured onto the attackers below.
“Ah!” Many warriors, their faces burning, convulsed and fell from the ladders.
“Fire!”
At the cold command, not only did the twenty cannons unleash death again, but other soldiers shot flaming arrows downward. The ground was already slicked with oil; the fiery arrows ignited it instantly.
Those merely scalded before now became living torches.
Below the walls, a sea of fire erupted.
Warriors turned into human flames, screaming in agony before collapsing. The soldiers behind dared not advance—the path was an inferno. The twenty cannons fired once more, killing thousands more.
Explosions erupted across the enemy lines.
Rogers and Pryor were nearly mad, roaring with savage fury: “Retreat! Pull back! Now! Retreat!!” In just a short time, over ten thousand were dead, with thousands more wounded.
Most critically, the twenty Magic Crystal Cannons could continue firing without pause.