Volume 2 chapter 78
When the thunderous War Behemoths appeared in the vision of the Picard's City defenders, the shock was indescribable.
These monsters had vanished from battlefields three thousand years ago. To the current demons, they were merely trivia in history books. They knew such things existed, but witnessing them with their own eyes was an entirely different matter.
It was like an ordinary civilian knowing battleships existed but never understanding the oppression of big guns until standing beneath a 16-inch turret. Only then could one feel the unparalleled sense of Power!
The demon soldiers stared blankly as the War Behemoths marched step by step toward Picard's City.
"FIRE!!"
Only when the Behemoths closed to within 60 kilometers did the demon soldiers in the trenches scream and open fire.
DA-DA-DA...
14.5mm heavy machine guns spewed metal storms, hitting the Behemoths like raindrops. But it was useless. The Behemoths didn't even bother activating their shields!
BOOM!
A leg as thick as an ancient tree slammed down, pressing a crater several meters deep into the muddy plain. Then, without slowing down, it lifted and continued forward.
"Mana Ray ready!"
"Ready!"
"FIRE!!"
The cannon ports on the Behemoth's body aimed at the trenches, spraying rays like lasers.
Pure white mana rays swept across the line. Flesh and soil turned to ash instantly. There wasn't even time to scream.
The Magitech turrets rotated, guiding the rays along the winding trenches. In just a dozen seconds, the attack ceased.
It didn't stop because of overheating or mana depletion. It stopped because there wasn't a living thing left in the trench!
The Behemoth marched on. Its massive feet collapsed the trenches, but its body didn't even shake. Behind it followed a sea of Theban soldiers!
"Things like this..." On the walls of Picard's City, Marcus watched the trench lines being breached effortlessly, his face pale.
"I didn't expect them to dig out these antiques... I thought they were long gone..." Lucas sighed beside him.
"Let's hope the Fortress Cannons can damage them. Otherwise, with just the defenses of Picard's City, we definitely can't hold!" Marcus said grimly.
Though these War Behemoths were antiques, the demons knew their power from history books!
In the era of formation warfare, these Behemoths were battlefield slaughter machines. Nothing below the Ninth Rank could stop them! If several attacked together, they could even shatter a fortress's defensive array!
"Bella, Gina! It's up to you now..." Lucas turned to look at the turrets behind him, muttering.
"Firing coordinates locked!"
"Shell loaded!"
"FIRE!!"
BOOM!!!
With a massive roar, a 400mm shell flew out, speeding toward the horizon at terrifying velocity.
The gunners skillfully opened the breech, loaded another shell taller than half a man, and rammed in several propellant bags.
"FIRE!!"
BOOM!!!
Bella watched from the side, then looked further out. Compared to the single-barrel turrets she commanded, Gina's Triple-Mounted 460mm Turrets were even more terrifying.
Every so often, three consecutive thunderclaps rolled in from the distance, deafening the ears.
"Things from history books should stay in history books!" Bella gritted her teeth, glaring at the silhouettes of the Behemoths on the horizon.
"Incoming shelling detected!"
"Activate Shields!"
HUM...
Sensing the incoming artillery, the War Behemoths activated their defensive arrays. Invisible energy wrapped around them, protecting the machines and the soldiers beneath their feet.
"Here they come!"
Through Elemental Sight, the Magisters inside the Behemoths spotted the shells first.
"Mana Ray Intercept!"
"FIRE!!"
A cannon tube raised, firing a beam of light at the predictable trajectory of the shell.
BOOM!!!
The energy beam crossed three or four kilometers in the blink of an eye, hitting the shell. The high-energy ray pierced the fuse, detonating the shell in mid-air.
"Intercept successful!!"
"More incoming! Don't stop!" Before the Theban soldiers could celebrate, the Magister shouted. "All turrets! Full power interception!!"
PEW! PEW-PEW! PEW-PEW-PEW...
Flashes of light lit up the battlefield. Each flash brought a loud explosion, signifying a destroyed shell.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM...
Shells exploded like fireworks in the sky. But there were too many; some slipped through the net and fell.
Even then, the defensive array stood in the way. Shells struck the invisible shield, creating ripples of energy but failing to penetrate.
"Continue advance!"
Seeing that the scattered hits posed no threat to the soldiers below, the Theban commander pointed his sword at Picard's City. Advance!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
After three thunderous blasts, Gina watched her 460mm shells fly over thirty kilometers, only to be swept by a beam of light and detonated in mid-air. Even the "lucky" ones that dodged the rays merely cracked against the shields harmlessly. A suffocating frustration welled up in her chest.
"These iron turtles..." Gina looked at the soldiers loading another round of 460mm Armor-Piercing shells taller than a man. She ordered: "Increase propellant charge by 50%!"
"M-Madam... we are already using a super-charge..." The Gun Chief hesitated. "At this level, we are at the limit of the barrel. Increasing it further risks a chamber explosion! If that happens..."
"I know it might explode!" Gina shouted. "But look! If we don't blow up those iron turtles, they'll enter the 20-kilometer zone! Then everyone here is dead!"
"Either we blow them up before the gun explodes, or we just wait to be slaughtered!"
"Yes! Understood!" The Gun Chief nodded heavily, running over to shout. "All loaders! Increase charge by 50%!"
"Loading ammo..."
"Breech closed!"
"BOOM!! BOOM!! BOOM!!"
Three blasts, far more violent than before, erupted. Unreleased mana spilled from the muzzle like a gale, rushing into the observation slit and blowing Gina's golden hair wild.
In the distance, the Magisters inside the War Behemoths noticed the shells suddenly became faster. Even with Seventh-Rank reaction speeds, interception became strained.
More shells began to strike the shields, creating violent ripples.
As the Behemoths advanced, the accuracy and intensity of the shelling increased. The shields groaned under the pressure.
CRACK! CRACK!!
With two 460mm AP shells hitting almost simultaneously, a shield finally shattered like glass. Then, a shell struck the Behemoth's leg, blowing it clean off.
BOOM!
The Behemoth collapsed with a thunderous crash. Before it could struggle up, more shells zeroed in, delivering a lethal rain of steel!
BOOM! BOOM!! BOOM...
Massive shells pounded the Behemoth. Shockwaves killed soldiers hundreds of meters away. But these War Behemoths lived up to their title as "Mobile Fortresses." Even without shields, their hard alchemical steel armor refused to be penetrated.
Until an AP shell hit the crater left by a previous impact.
Penetration!
The shell entered the interior and exploded, detonating the internal rune arrays.
"BOOM!!!"
An explosion far louder than any shell rang out across the plain. The War Behemoth suffered a catastrophic magazine detonation! The shockwave swept the earth, throwing up tons of dust and even shaking the shields of nearby Behemoths.
But that was all. After destroying one Behemoth with great difficulty, the remaining giants had closed to within 20 kilometers!
The Charge was coming!
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