Thanks to the full support of the Priests of the Church of Light, the first batch of magic crystal cannon shells were imbued with dense light element. The shells streaked across the sky like trails of dazzling white light, exploding violently upon contact with the swarm.
Under Ronald’s guidance, the explosive yield of all the shells had been increased and adjusted. Facing a swarm as dense as a black wall, the soldiers barely needed to aim for the shells to achieve maximum effect.
The shocking impact of the first round of bombardment was immediate. The swarm charging from the front was instantly blasted into a spray of debris under the concentrated fire.
Those hideous black locusts appeared incredibly fragile before the might of the magic crystal cannons. Their bodies were torn apart and incinerated in mid-air, eventually dissipating into wisps of black smoke.
Yet, the swarm did not retreat. They continued to advance, relentless and fearless of death. The artillery units gave them no room to breathe, as the second and third rounds of bombardment followed immediately, showering down like a rain of fire.
However, when faced with a black cloud of insects several kilometers wide and long, a thousand rounds of ammunition only managed to knock down the locusts on the outer edge, failing to affect the swarm's overall integrity.
The surging swarm drew closer and closer to the walls. The magic crystal cannons, firing continuously, had nearly exhausted all the light-imbued shells, finally dealing visible damage to the black cloud.
But as those special enchanted shells were depleted, the units that didn't have time to replace them had to switch back to ordinary shells, which significantly reduced the effectiveness against the Void Demons.
“Garrison forces, activate the city defense array!”
Just then, an amplified voice pierced through the roar of the cannons, echoing clearly across the entire wall.
It was Blake’s voice. Clad in full armor, he was rushing over from the interior of the fortress. He held an amplification device that projected his words, ensuring every soldier on the wall could clearly hear his commands and encouragement.
At his command, the soldiers stationed at key nodes throughout the Azure Fortress sprang into action. Following the pre-deployed plan, they methodically activated the array mechanisms one by one. Instantly, the sound of grinding gears and machinery filled the air inside and outside the walls.
As the mechanisms engaged, subtle changes began to occur within the thick walls. Countless prism-like devices rose slowly from the ground, arranged in a specific pattern to form a complex and exquisite array that tightly enveloped the entire wall.
Then, centered on the high ground of the Azure Fortress, a massive hemispherical dome of pale gold light quietly appeared. The light barrier expanded at an incredible speed, eventually covering the entire urban area for dozens of kilometers.
“Blake? Is the business in the inner city finished? What about the civilian evacuation?” Aila raised an eyebrow, looking surprised as she saw Blake arriving in his silver armor.
“We are already organizing the civilians to evacuate to shelters through various emergency passages. However, the city has a large population; it won't be finished in a short time. Aside from my father’s personal guards at the Lord's Manor, I’ve brought all the combat strength from within the fortress here.”
Blake panted slightly as he reached the group and nodded.
“Why did you come out yourself? Are there no other generals?” Ronald asked, deeply puzzled to see the commander himself at the front line.
“I had no choice. Originally, the defense of the outer city was supposed to be managed by my elder brothers, but they were all lured away by fake orders sent by the Void Demons. Master Azura and Master Erica are still missing. Then there are the people you rescued earlier... so it seems I’m the only one left who can call the shots. I just had to brave it and step up.”
Blake’s voice, briefly spirited, suddenly became low and helpless. He pressed a hand to his forehead and sighed, his tone filled with a deep sense of powerlessness.
“It seems all these changes were part of the Void Demons' calculations. But at this critical juncture, let’s not dwell on that. Everyone, get ready.”
Midir reminded them. By now, the swarm outside the city had reached the edge of the defense array. From their vantage point, the entire sky was almost completely obscured, as if night had fallen over the walls.
A massive thud echoed, like a heavy hammer striking everyone’s heart, announcing that the swarm’s first wave of impact against the Azure Fortress’s defense array had arrived.
Immediately after, a continuous, deafening roar filled the sky, like a violent and dense torrential rain.
Everyone on the wall held their breath as they watched the pale gold light barrier become covered in a dense layer of pitch-black, giant locusts. Their terrifying size seemed even more imposing against the backdrop of the light barrier.
Once these locust Void Demons found a foothold, they immediately opened their sharp mouthparts and began frantically gnawing at the array beneath them.
Every bite was accompanied by a piercing screeching sound, sharp and grating, as if it could pierce through eardrums and strike deep into the soul.
The defense array of the Azure Fortress indeed lived up to its reputation, showing excellent performance. It not only withstood the swarm’s attacks but also reflected a portion of the force back while being struck.
However, the number of insects was simply too vast. They surged forward like a tide, throwing themselves at the array one after another.
As time passed, the pressure on the array grew heavier. Although it continued to reflect damage back onto the Void Demons, the counter-force seemed increasingly insignificant against such overwhelming numbers.
The light of the barrier began to dim, as if it could be swallowed at any moment by the endless darkness of the swarm.
Whenever a Void Demon was shaken off by the array’s defense, another would immediately surge forward to fill the gap. The sound of their dense gnawing was like a death knell to those inside, leaving them unsettled.
“Increase the array’s output! We cannot let them in!”
Blake’s voice echoed across the wall. His face was as pale as paper, his eyes fixed on the surging black tide outside the light dome, his heart filled with unprecedented pressure and fear.
“No, if you do that, your defense won't last long. Once a single point is breached, the entire array will collapse! I guess we have to go with what Rosal suggested,” Ronald muttered as he watched the flickering array, his mind racing.
“Blake, give the order! Open the central section and have the magic crystal cannons aim at one spot to fire in shifts. I’ll go buy you some time!” Midir shouted quickly before rushing toward the center of the wall.
Blake watched Midir’s departing figure, then glanced back at the civilians still evacuating in an orderly fashion within the city. He gritted his teeth and made his decision, shouting to the messenger behind him.
“All artillery, take notice! Aim your barrels at Sector 8 and Sector 9! Left-wing and right-wing units will fire alternately! Open the defense array in those two sectors in one minute! Everyone else, form groups of twenty! Prepare for melee combat!”
Receiving the order, the artillerymen immediately began adjusting the magic crystal cannons. Meanwhile, the infantry on the wall drew their weapons, forming dense, orderly formations.
Everyone stared at the central area of Sectors 8 and 9, gripping their weapons tightly. In that moment, the wall was silent except for the noise of the swarm. Everyone listened intently to Blake’s countdown.
“Twenty-five... eighteen... ten... three... two... one!” As Blake’s amplified voice reached one, the soldiers responsible for the arrays in Sectors 8 and 9 shut down the mechanisms simultaneously. The light barrier in those two areas flickered a few times before dissolving.
The crowded swarm outside suddenly found a vent. Like a black tide, they began to pour from the open sectors toward the wall, ravenously seeking to devour everything they could reach.
Just as the swarm seemed to have found a breakthrough and came surging in like a black tide, Midir was ready.
He knew that the explosive flames of fire magic might obscure vision and interfere with the defenders' judgment and operations. Therefore, he chose a different way to deal with the situation.
In the two opened sectors, he had already condensed a massive amount of water element, making even the air feel damp.
The moment the swarm entered, the water element in the air rapidly solidified into freezing ice crystals under his guidance, freezing the first batch of incoming Void Demons solid in mid-air.
Following his assault was the bombardment of magic crystal cannons from the left wing and the spells from the mages stationed in the fortress. Various brilliant beams of light struck the frozen entrance, shattering all the frozen Void Demons into dust.
Seeing the effectiveness of this method, Midir repeated the process, releasing a second spell into the air, while the cannons on the right wing coordinated perfectly to sweep the frozen area with fire.
Rate on N.U.
