Chapter 2: New Century (Epilogue)
The irreversible passage of time.
No matter how unwilling, the clash of armies happened before Balner’s eyes.
“Boom!”
The Kaimen Shield Boars and the frontline melee Golem Soldiers collided.
Due to the very special manufacturing process of Golem Soldiers, their weight was far greater than that of normal soldiers. An armored soldier weighed around 200 jin, but a fully defensive Golem Soldier could weigh up to 500 jin. However, this weight was insufficient when facing the modified Kaimen Shield Boars piloted by Players.
One Shield Boar weighed about three tons. After the Players equipped the Shield Boars with heavy armor, their weight reached an astonishing five tons. What immense ramming force would a five-ton wall provide at high speed?
One only needed to look at the dismembered Golem Soldiers being flung aside to know. The melee Golem Soldiers, renowned for their defense, were treated like rag dolls. The once-ordered formation was instantly torn open by the Players’ knight charge, forming a gaping wound. This torrent of steel continued to advance, like a sharp blade slicing through flesh and blood.
Under the cover of the Golem Soldiers, Balner and Platyr scrambled and tumbled towards the center of the legion, for only the middle of the formation was the safest place when surrounded by enemies. Accompanied by a string of collisions, the clanging of weapons, and the roars of the Players, a large number of melee Golem Soldiers perished. Their armor was torn apart by steel fangs, and their energy cores and Soul Cores were crushed under the Kaimen Shield Boars.
They shouldn’t have been so fragile. But who could withstand a horde of steel mounts with over a dozen buffs stacked beneath their HP bars! The Shield Boar knights were halted after charging into one-third of the Golem Soldier legion. But the line had been breached, and the crippled Golem Soldiers would struggle to close the gap. The Golem Soldiers behind focused on resisting the Players riding the Kaimen Shield Boars.
This provided the perfect opportunity for the players behind them. They followed in the footsteps of the Shield Boar knights and surged into the Golem Soldier legion’s interior, further widening the breach. Soon, a tug-of-war battle commenced within the two-hundred-meter-wide canyon. Arrows rained down like locusts, chaotic monster elements stirred up tidal waves of magic, ice and fire bloomed brilliantly within the legion, and strong winds whipped up the ground, sending sand and stones flying.
“Are we going to die here?”
Gazing at the Invincible Foreigner Legion, Balner was so terrified that he lost all composure, let alone command the battle. It was fortunate that the Alchemists of Kalun were powerful enough to imbue the Soul Cores of each Golem creature with combat knowledge. Thus, even without direct command, these Golem Soldiers could adapt and cooperate based on the battlefield situation.
“Lord, things are not that pessimistic,” Nobody Does Human Things (M) said softly. Although the Golem Soldiers appeared to be in full retreat now, this was only a temporary situation. Once the Players’ Shield Boar cavalry demonstrated their effectiveness, the true power of these Golem Soldiers would be revealed. The Alchemists of Kalun were not fools. The combat power of Golem creatures was undeniably put to the test.
And at this moment, it was appearing on the battlefield. Several of the foremost Shield Boar knights had been halted, their Kaimen Shield Boars incapacitated. These Golem Soldiers were extremely cunning. They lay on the ground, merging their long swords and shields to form what looked like greatswords. Then, over a dozen Golem Soldiers connected head to toe, forming a long tripwire, like a massive guillotine laid out on the ground, tens of meters long.
Despite Players arming their Kaimen Shield Boars to the teeth, during the collision, these massive monsters had their legs disabled by the hard and sharp tripwire. The rest was simple. Once the Kaimen Shield Boars were on the ground, the threat posed by the warrior and mage Players riding on them to the Golem Soldiers was drastically reduced. Plus, they had charged too far in. Thus, they were quickly surrounded and annihilated by the Golem Soldiers who had dispersed again. In this manner, the Shield Boar knights were gradually consumed.
The ranged and magic-type Golem Soldiers also gradually found a safe attack range and began to bombard the Players’ legion. On the surrounding canyon cliffs, many mage Players and Sharpshooters still stood. However, their attacks were insignificant to the Golem Soldiers. Protected by the melee-type Golem Soldiers, the effectiveness of magic was minimized by magic-resistant shields. Arrows, on the other hand, found it even harder to penetrate their defenses. After all, Golem Soldiers were made of steel, not flesh and blood.
The battlefield situation gradually began to shift. From the Golem Soldiers being slaughtered unilaterally, to the ranged and magic-type Golem Soldiers joining the fray and annihilating a large number of advancing Players, the frontline melee-type soldiers were now gradually able to hold their ground and even showed signs of counterattack.
“It seems our Golem Soldiers are indeed more powerful.”
Seeing the situation gradually stabilize, Balner felt a bit relieved. At this moment, he remembered his mistake and said apologetically, his face flushed with embarrassment: “Nobody Does Human Things (M), this is my fault. I should have listened to your advice and scouted the canyon in advance. Perhaps we wouldn’t have suffered such heavy losses.” His old face turned as red as a monkey’s backside, but inwardly, his trust in Nobody Does Human Things (M) grew. Their journey so far had forged a bond fated to be tested, and the more Balner saw of Nobody Does Human Things (M), the more he liked him. He then suddenly smiled and said, “I have a granddaughter in Lion City. She’s gentle and proper, dignified and graceful, with a captivating figure and incomparable looks. You two are about the same age, why don’t you…”
Hearing this, Nobody Does Human Things (M)’s eyes twitched. He quickly cleared his throat and interrupted, “Lord, we can discuss this later; we are still in the midst of a war!”
“You’re right, this is an emergency. We’ll discuss it later.” Balner became even more satisfied with Nobody Does Human Things (M), labeling him as calm and sensible.
As for Nobody Does Human Things (M), he had a different thought. Who knew when that old geezer Balner would kick the bucket? He had no interest in helping to look after an enemy’s granddaughter. No matter how beautiful she was, could she compare to Mia, who warmed his bed every day?
At the canyon’s summit, Call Me Arin (Male) surveyed the vast landscape, carefully observing the battlefield situation. In this narrow valley, the Golem Soldiers, relying on their strong combat qualities and fierce firepower, were evenly matched with the Players who could revive infinitely. However, this did not mean Call Me Arin (Male) was out of options. He turned around and looked at his guild members. The Black Armored Battalion, over two thousand strong, all clad in black armor, their expressions resolute and confident. Half of them were among the top two thousand players in the entire game, representing the highest tier of player combat power on the Cain Continent. And now, these Players were the sharp blade in Call Me Arin (Male)’s hand, a venomous edge to destroy the enemy.
“Black Armored Battalion, heed my command!” he roared.
“Yes!”
“Follow me into battle!”
Call Me Arin (Male) raised his greatsword!
