Chapter 586

Chapter 586: Nature and Machinery

In Clancia, Sword Pine City.

It had been more than a year since the frost alliance’s golem army last approached the city gates. The mountain city had transformed greatly since then.

The tall, mottled stone walls, gray and white, enclosed the entire valley, with thick steel barriers below the river to halt enemy advance.

Turrets were scattered across the fortress, some even built on the peaks on both sides, overlooking the canyon below.

It was early February, and the once tranquil forests and canyons had long been shattered by the raging war. Metal golems stomped heavily on the broken cobblestones by the river, aiming their cannons at the sturdy and towering fortress, a torrent of crimson magic pouring out as if there was no end.

As dusk approached, highly compressed magic shells sped through the air, their original spherical shape deformed into ellipses due to compression impact. They landed on the city wall, causing massive explosions.

Debris and shockwaves spread outward, stirring up gray dust, leaving ugly craters on the fortress.

These golems attacking Sword Pine City were not like the old models before. Each of these golems roaring with fire from the ground was at least Sequence 4, many equivalent to Sequence 5 elite golems. Behind them, a high-ranking giant golem of Sequence 7 was overseeing, not easily joining the fight.

Inside Sword Pine City, within the hidden command point of the fortress,

Several advisors were moving markers on maps, quickly discussing possible scenarios and timing. At the open door, couriers came in frequently to report the current battle situation and conditions, then left swiftly after receiving responses from the advisors and generals.

After temporarily ending their discussion, a general clad in silver-gray armor picked up a telescope, observing the battle ahead, then issued new orders to the waiting courier beside him.

“Have the cannons on both mountain peaks ready. When the central turret signals to fire, all should shoot together, aiming to inflict heavy damage on the enemy golems within the optimal range.”

“Yes, General Sarge!” The soldier immediately left this hidden observation point to convey the order to the mountain peaks.

At this moment, the stern-looking general put down his telescope and looked at another young man in different attire in the room.

“What does Mr. Tug think about the outcome of this battle? Will we repel the enemy as before, or are we forced to abandon this fortress?”

This young mage, leaning against the wall, was in deep rest, wearing a robe of blue and white, with a badge and gold chain on his chest.

Upon hearing the general’s inquiry, Tug opened his eyes, looking at the distant, moving giant golems, sighing deeply.

“This time is different. It seems Frost Rose has finally decided to break the deadlock.”

“Look,” he raised his hand, pointing at the towering golem continuously spewing magic torrents in the valley.

“That is the ‘Rage-3r’ type golem. This high-level golem forsakes powerful shells, instead using a magic-infused flood for shooting, reducing logistics needs. By constantly rotating Sequence 5 mages, it can maintain uninterrupted attacks. Just one such golem can match nearly ten cannons, and its defense is incredibly strong.”

“Even in the former Rourna, such elite and expensive golems were rare. They were usually stationed at borders to defend against the emerald invasion. Who would have thought they would dare to risk sending this legion here.”

“If we continue to resist stubbornly, the soldiers within the fortress might all perish under their intense bombardment.”

Hearing this, Sarge’s expression turned grave. He asked, “Then do you have any good suggestions?”

Tug tapped his fingers, pausing for several seconds before continuing.

“If the southern route wasn’t sealed, we could call for the Sky-Riding Armored Dragons to aid us, destroying these golems. But now… we have no better options. Our forces are too weak to destroy these sturdy golems under heavy artillery fire.”

“So, I still suggest preparing for retreat, transferring as many soldiers from the fortress as possible to avoid unnecessary casualties.”

“Retreat, again! Damn it.” Sarge angrily punched the wall beside him, gritting his teeth.

The last retreat cost him dearly; many he knew and respected died in battle. After two years, the result was the same. What did his efforts in building this fortress and defenses mean? Familiar faces flashed in his mind, filling him with sorrow.

Was everything futile? He found it hard to accept. He pounded the stone wall heavily, over and over.

Several advisors nearby were startled by his actions, halting their previous discussion to watch the emotionally overwhelmed general.

Time slowly passed, the cannon fire outside still relentless. After a while, the general took a deep breath and turned around.

“Sorry, I let my emotions get the best of me,” his eyes reddened, voice hoarse.

“It’s fine,” Tug shook his head slightly, not minding. He understood the general’s feelings.

Since arriving in New Vergha and Clancia, he had seen countless brave and admirable warriors sacrifice themselves on the battlefield. These people, who may never have left home or known unfamiliar compatriots, were willing to give their lives for their country, fighting for their homeland and dignity.

And in

In the ranks, the deep camaraderie among these comrades who had shared life and death was exceptionally strong, something that could not be compared to soldiers recruited temporarily in other countries.

“If we ultimately have to retreat, how do you think we can inflict the greatest damage on them and delay our withdrawal for as long as possible?” he asked again.

“Regarding this,” Tug pushed up his glasses and flipped through the thick book with blue and white covers in his hand. He picked up a pen and began sketching and calculating various drafts.

The two of them then discussed extensively with several advisors in the room, finally setting down detailed plans.

—

Unlike the orderly Clancian garrison, the Frost Rose’s offensive was much more urgent.

Streams of scorching energy tore through the sky, flooding the embrasures on the fortress. Under the cover of cheap earth golems, Frost Union soldiers started to approach the fortress below. They used ropes launched by the golems to climb up the stone walls of the fortress, wearing specially designed shoes to prevent slipping.

These elite soldiers carried mechanical swordguns, diving into the collapsed embrasures to enter the internal corridors of the fortress, preparing to directly attack the cannons guarding it and destroy the vulnerable enemies inside.

“This time we’ve finally succeeded.” A woman in her twenties put down her telescope behind the Frost Union’s lines and said with satisfaction and pride.

This woman was Hedley, the commander of this legion of golems, and also one of the outstanding young talents in the alchemy faction ‘Black Red Flame’. Although she was only 28 years old, she had already reached the 7th level of the magic sequence, and was highly regarded by all sides, believed to possibly reach the peak of the 9th level.

This was her first time commanding on the battlefield, even though she came from a prestigious family and possessed extraordinary strength. However, the prolonged siege still left her feeling restless.

Despite being considered a rare genius by outsiders, having graduated from Emanas and being the daughter of the leader of the largest faction in Rourna, her future looked promising. Yet, she also faced competition from many equally excellent peers.

It was unclear what caused it, but starting a few years ago, geniuses emerged in every corner of various countries. At the same age, they were more brilliant and powerful than previous generations.

“After this, I must give that slut Tireda a good slap. She actually dared to compete with me for a man.”

She watched the sparks from the embrasures in the distance, then fell silent, a crooked smile forming on her face. Recalling the talented peer with a tempting figure, she began to imagine how she would become her superior through military achievements after returning, and then mercilessly suppress her.

“Hahaha, Tireda, let’s see what else you have besides your appearance that lures men. You just happened to advance to the 7th level of the magic sequence a year earlier than me. I’ll tear off your hypocritical mask and expose your true colors.”

As a fellow genius who graduated from the same academy as Tireda, their relationship was extremely hostile. Despite having considerable power at home, many people favored the gentle and understanding Tireda. Each time others defended Tireda, Hedley grew more resentful, believing it blocked her own brilliance.

While this genius alchemist was lost in thoughts of the future, the battlefield ahead suddenly changed.

On both sides of the mountain, slopes covered with trees suddenly caved in, revealing dark gun emplacements inside. With a command, intense flames suddenly lit up, and heavy cannonballs directly struck the side of the golem army below.

Rocks scattered, some golems were instantly shattered by the gunfire from behind, black smoke and broken metal scattered everywhere, the acrid smell of gunpowder filling the valley.

The low-quality earth golems that had previously supported the assault were also blown apart, blocking the path for the Frost Union soldiers to continue advancing inside.

Inside the fortress, Seg carried his elite personal guards, beginning to sweep through the invading enemy forces.

Several Frost Union soldiers wielding mechanical swordguns ran swiftly through the corridors, kicking open closed doors, then pressing buttons on their sword hilts. The embedded crystal stones activated the engraved arrays, casting a crimson light over the blades, enhancing their piercing effect, and ruthlessly hacking at the enemies inside the rooms, aiming to catch them off guard and cause significant destruction to the fortress’s cannons and other supplies.

Clang, clang, metallic clashes echoed everywhere, explosions rang out from inside, and then they emerged, rushing to the next embrasure.

“You’ve reached your limit!” Seg drew his dark gold short sword, facing this small but elite enemy force.

“Attack!” With a fierce shout, red light streaks and golden sword beams collided, and both sides engaged in a fierce battle in the corridor.

Swoosh—

A brilliant sword beam flashed, several Frost Union soldiers were sent flying back against the wall, then slowly slid down, blood flowing, no longer making a sound.

Despite their good equipment, Seg, as a general of Clancia and a distinguished contributor, not only had stronger combat capabilities but also received a gift from the Sage, now reaching the 7th level of the magic sequence. Dealing with such enemies was effortless for him.

—

Outside the fortress, under the crossfire from the cannons on both sides of the mountains, the golem army had to pause their assault on the fortress and turn to deal with the hidden fortresses in the mountains.

As they stabilized their formation and blew away the gun barrels on the mountains, the situation slowly tilted towards the Frost Union’s favor. More critically, a series of thunderous sounds began to echo from the sky on the other side.

Airships approached slowly amidst the deep purple twilight, then dropped heavy bombs that directly blew huge gaps in the center of the fortress.

Upon seeing this scene, the garrison inside the fortress finally began to retreat, and the gunports gradually ceased firing.

A group of cheap earth golems moved forward again, clearing paths, followed by the continuous entry of frost alliance soldiers and elite golems into the fortress.

“Should we pursue, Lord Hedley?” A mage rose from the side and landed beside this commander of the golem legion.

“Of course, we must slaughter them all.” Hedley’s face revealed a cruel smile.

“Yes.” The mage returned to his own golem, and soon after, urgent pursuit orders spread out in all directions.

Under the towering fortress was a dark and dense valley jungle. Clancia soldiers hid within, retreating northward. They gradually dispersed to avoid enemy bombing.

However, the Frost Alliance clearly did not intend to let these opponents escape so easily. Their airships cut through the night sky like death itself, and then huge flaming meteors fell from the sky, smashing into the dark earth and stirring up countless orange-red lights and currents.

Flames licked the air, crackling as they burned, and suffocating heat waves began to spread, turning the earth into a bright day-like scene. Many soldiers wailed and fled amidst it. Even though they had made preparations and arrangements in advance, they still could not guarantee the safety of everyone.

Facing this wanton destruction and burning, a whistling sound came from the distant sky.

When high-ranking mages like Hedley noticed, they realized that unknown swift figures were soaring through the sky. These birds, no more than half a meter wide, had sharp blue wings, slicing through the air and everything in their path.

“That is…” they speculated uncertainly, and a mage from the Southern Islands answered in the dark jungle.

“They are the decapitation birds from Tisilam Mountain.”

With the cover of the night, these decapitation birds dodged the haphazardly released magical shots, easily cutting through the metal shells of the airships. Sharp, tearing sounds echoed in the night sky, and then the vulnerable mechanical structures inside the airships were exposed and further damaged.

More than 30 airships swayed drunkenly in the sky before finally collapsing, plunging into the sea of fire below, shattering into pieces. Various structures burst into flames and scattered as the fire spread, with many ordinary people who couldn’t escape emitting painful cries.

“Damn!” Hedley couldn’t help but curse.

She dived into the giant golem beneath her, and then an incredibly majestic golem slowly rose from the ground. It trampled over the debris-filled fortress and entered the fiery mountain forest behind, gazing at the night sky.

This golem had sharp and pointed outer armor, with streams of light flowing along its surface. Steam erupted, and doors opened, launching silver-blue sharp swords into the night sky.

These silver-blue swords flickered with lightning, their blades incredibly sharp. Sweeping through the night sky, they ruthlessly slaughtered the decapitation birds one by one, showering feathers and blood like rain.

“This can’t continue,” a voice sighed mournfully in the dark wilderness. He flipped open the glowing book in front of him. This ordinary book now emitted dazzling azure light, pages flipping as incantations floated in the air, resembling the chanting of hundreds of voices.

But upon closer listening, it became clear that these were just one person’s words.

Tuge spread his arms, allowing the book in front of him to slowly float up, surrounded by swirling emerald green winds. A conspicuous light column rose from the ground, piercing the clouds and continuously expanding outward.

This display naturally attracted Hedley, who was piloting the giant golem. She waved her hand, sending hundreds of silver-blue swords flying towards the high-speed chanting mage.

But at this moment, Tuge, using the “Iris Book,” completed his spell. A translucent butterfly wing of light green emerged from the pages.

“Fairy Realm Secret Technique · Awakening of Nature.” With this call, the light column suddenly expanded outward, rippling like waves.

Then, the land and forest within the sea of fire seemed to come alive.

The ground appeared to have living creatures writhing beneath, constantly churning. Many golems toppled in the shaking ground and struggled to stand again.

“What is this!?” The voice trembled with fear.

Roots pierced through the earth, bringing a damp scent. They spread like snakes, extinguishing the flames and dragging golems into the soil, burying them alive.

The giant golem emitted a silent roar, a blazing light column erupting from its chest, sweeping across the earth and severing thousands of rampant roots. Then it gathered fierce fire magic, striking heavily on the ground, releasing a deep red shockwave that shattered the emerging roots.

Seeing this, the roots in the earth changed their chaotic attack strategy, constantly converging on the giant golem, wrapping around it, and entangling it, dragging it deeper into the sunken and muddy soil.

The roaring war machinery shook violently, sawing through the eerie tree roots, vowing to burn this place to ashes.

Continuously growing plants clung tightly like undying spirits, regenerating even when severed, determined to bury the merciless machines that destroyed nature.

In the mud and flames, cold living things and hot dead things fought each other.

— And now, nature and machinery were at a stalemate.

(The chapter ends)