The tank roared across the battlefield, its iron armor glinting with a cold sheen under the sunlight, while thick treads seemed to tear apart the earth as it advanced toward the besieged city walls.
Antipa noticed these steel monsters immediately. Although she wasn’t exactly sure what they were, the long cannon protruding from the tank made it clear that this was a creation of the Northern Border.
“Don’t let those iron lumps get closer! Demon God Offspring and long-range Bloodline Magic, prepare!”
This was Antipa’s first time personally engaging with the constructs of the Northern Border, and she couldn’t quite determine whether her current emotions were nervousness or excitement.
“Right! Bring that Defector De Niel over here; he knows the Northern Border best. Let him serve as my staff officer!”
The Demon God Offspring who had been bolstered by that strange Black Fog was now stronger than ever. He moved freely outside of the main brain’s range, and as long as they could defeat those iron lumps, they could shatter the Demon Clan’s fear of the Northern Border army.
Though it was unclear when they had come to fear humans to the extent that they needed to break it.
“Target detected! Two o’clock position, enemy large unit, prepare to attack!”
“Received! Main cannon targeting adjusted, ballistic corrections complete, ready to fire at any time!”
Among the tank crew, there were veterans who had retired from the battlefield of the Golden Ear Plains, including those who had been absorbed into the resistance.
Sam had not chosen to return to the Northern Border to retire and inherit his father’s apothecary shop; instead, he opted to bring his talents into the tank crew. This was much more exhilarating than any firearms he had handled before. Upon first sight, Sam felt that no man could refuse the charm of this mighty war machine.
Though he didn’t know why such a tank existed, there must have been good reasons that the Lord Governor was so determined…
Thus, rather than feeling fear, Sam was filled with eagerness. How exhilarating would it be to unleash this war machine upon the Demon Clan?
“Fire!”
With the command from the commander, flames erupted from the cannon, and a shell directly hit the nearest Demon God Offspring, exploding on impact. However, the explosion seemed to do no harm; instead, it appeared to infuriate the enemy, causing the Demon God Offspring to move even more wildly.
……
Judith standing atop the city walls was extremely excited. Having conducted extensive investigations into the Northern Border, she immediately recognized that the peculiar and cold mechanical structure was a product of the Northern Border, so when she saw the tank approaching, she shouted, “Great! It’s the army of the Northern Border; we are saved!”
Judith’s words inspired everyone, including Cliff. Like a survivor of a catastrophe, he instantly lost all his strength and fell to the ground, completely bereft of the determination he had shown earlier. Even the people on the city walls embraced each other excitedly. Some commoners who volunteered to help heard they were saved and even exuberantly tossed their hats into the air.
Especially when the tank opened fire, and its cannon hit the giant monster right on target.
At first glance, when they saw that the cannon didn’t seem to cause much damage, and that the monster even appeared more excited, everyone fell into a brief silence; even Judith was momentarily stunned.
On the Demon Clan side, Antipa, who had initially been very tense, sneered upon seeing this shell. It appeared that these steel monsters from the Northern Border were just for show and not effective in battle, or perhaps the Demon God Offspring had completely lost their fear of the Demon Clan’s cannons after the enhancement from the Black Fog.
However, just as Antipa was frowning and perplexed by De Niel’s comments, the shell-hit Demon God Offspring’s shell began to dissolve, collapsing to the ground and writhing in agony, its hooves flailing wildly, its many mouths releasing a cacophony of horrifying wails.
Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that the area around the Demon God Offspring was enveloped in a fine mist.
Inside another tank with a noticeably different paint job, the commander observed and reported, “Holy Water shell effective, suppressing magic, prepare explosive shells!”
As flames burst from the cannon, the explosive round struck the now suppressed Demon God Offspring with tremendous force, causing it to erupt in a dazzling display of black and fire.
The people who had just been silent were now even more so as the steel monsters from the Northern Border confirmed that this tactic was effective, and the other steel creatures began repeating the same method, first using the strange shells that generated mist upon impact to wash the battlefield, then unleashing a barrage of explosive firepower.
The shells fell like rhythmic raindrops, keeping the terrifying Demon Clan monsters completely suppressed—if they had heads, they wouldn’t have been able to lift them.
The people on the city walls could no longer distinguish which were the monsters. The horrifying creatures below the walls, wailing with their many mouths, seemed more like victims now. But the more the monsters howled, the more excited the steel monsters became as they continuously advanced while firing.
It was evident that the firepower of these steel creatures from the Northern Border wasn’t particularly accurate; several shells even landed on the city walls, causing those on the walls to retreat in panic. However, after witnessing the horrific state of the monsters below the wall, the city walls once again erupted into jubilant cheers.
The people who just moments ago had seemed like they were stuck in place embraced and cried once more.
Cliff, who was already immobilized, was dragged down from the city walls by the knights.
Good news: The Northern Border was too strong.
Bad news: The Northern Border was too strong.
This completely subverted Cliff’s imagination of war. He suddenly felt that perhaps following the prophesies his father had seen might not be such a bad idea after all.
In the chaos, the chosen Demon God Offspring began to counterattack, and the long-range magic-wielding members of the Demon Clan finally organized themselves, desperately throwing magic at the tank units, along with cannons that Antipa didn’t know where they had procured from, being pushed out to fire back.
Two tanks were rendered immobile due to overextending, unable to advance further, which sparked hope in Antipa. Although these tanks were adorned with magical paint, that paint seemed more designed to help resist long-range attacks. If the enemy overextended or if they managed to get close to those tanks, they might just find a way to win.
Antipa’s instincts were incredibly sharp, even sensing that those tanks seemed to be only partially operational. The cannons’ movements were not very nimble; they resembled armored horse-drawn carriages equipped with long-range artillery that could move on their own. Though they were terrifying, it also suggested that they were not invincible.
They could win! A feeling of delusion blossomed in Antipa’s heart.
“Retreat! Withdraw for now!”
But it was necessary to temporarily fall back and think of a plan.
Seeing the wave-like monsters beginning to retreat and the distant army waving the Northern Wind Bear banner slowly appearing in the visual field, Cliff shouted excitedly, “Open the gates! Open the gates! I want to personally welcome the Governor of the Northern Border!”
