Chapter 116: Chapter 109: The Breaking Point

Morning came beneath dark frozen skies.

Snow drifted across the valleys between Elarion and the southern coalition while cold winds swept over thousands of waiting soldiers.

The battlefield had changed completely from the confident days at the start of the campaign.

Now the frozen plains before Elarion looked cursed.

Cratered earth stretched across the valleys. Broken shields remained half-buried beneath snow. Burned corpses still lay scattered where artillery had erased entire formations days earlier.

And above it all—

Elarion’s trench lines waited silently.

Across the southern encampment, tension spread everywhere.

No soldiers laughed anymore. No nobles spoke casually about victory. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Because every assault so far had ended in disaster.

Yet retreat remained impossible.

Too many nobles had joined the coalition. Too much prestige was at stake. Too many soldiers had already died.

So today—

The coalition would gamble everything.

Inside the massive command pavilion, dozens of nobles and commanders gathered around the battlefield map beneath flickering lantern light.

At the center stood Kassian Valcriox.

The young heir looked exhausted now despite maintaining his composure.

Several casualty reports remained scattered across the table before him.

Every single one terrible.

Still—

His voice remained calm.

"We adapt."

Several commanders nodded immediately.

Because unlike previous meetings—

Today’s strategy actually held promise.

Kassian pointed toward the eastern trench sectors.

"Grand Knight Aldric leads the breakthrough personally."

Several nobles visibly relaxed hearing the name.

Aldric was a monster even among grand knights.

A veteran of eastern campaigns. A killer of mage lords. A warrior rumored capable of surviving direct siege magic.

If anyone could break Elarion’s trenches—

It was him.

Another commander pointed toward multiple reserve markers.

"The master knights and elite detachments advance beside him."

"And the mana cavalry?" one noble asked.

Kassian’s eyes shifted toward the western valleys.

"They strike once Elarion commits its defensive firepower."

That sentence changed the mood immediately.

Because the mana cavalry represented the coalition’s greatest battlefield asset.

Not ordinary horsemen.

These riders fought atop terrifying magical beasts:

frostfang wolves larger than warhorses,plated drakes,armored panthers,

horned mountain lizards bred for combat.

Fast. Savage. Difficult to stop.

And most importantly—

They could overwhelm battlefield coordination through sheer speed.

The strategy was dangerous.

But smart.

The grand knight assault would force Elarion revealing artillery positions and defensive responses first.

Then—

Once their attention locked forward—

The mana cavalry would strike from multiple flanks simultaneously.

Overload the trenches. Overwhelm coordination. Break through.

For the first time since the war began—

The coalition finally possessed a genuinely threatening plan.(7/10 from author for first time using brain)

Far above the battlefield, Aurethar watched from a frozen mountain ridge while Kieran rested nearby against shattered stone.

The dragon narrowed his golden eyes slightly.

"Oh?" "They finally started thinking."

(Quest achieved-Brain found)

Kieran glanced toward the battlefield below.

"Grand knight."

"I noticed."

The dragon snorted smoke lazily.

"Still probably suicidal." "But less embarrassing."

Inside Elarion’s forward trench command sector, Lucien stood beside a reinforced observation scope while officers waited nearby for orders.

The trenches remained disciplined despite the approaching assault.

Riflemen prepared ammunition calmly. Artillery crews checked firing angles. Messengers moved rapidly between sectors.

A scout descended rapidly into Lucien’s trench.

"My lord."

Lucien looked toward him.

"Report."

"Enemy assault formations assembling." "Grand Knight Aldric confirmed." "Mana cavalry moving west and east."

Several officers stiffened hearing that.

One artillery captain muttered quietly:

"...They’re committing everything."

Cedric folded his arms beside Lucien.

"They know ordinary assaults won’t work anymore."

Lucien nodded once.

"So they escalate."

The war horns sounded shortly afterward.

And the assault began.

Coalition infantry advanced first through the snow in dispersed formations.

No shield walls this time. No clustered ranks.

They had learned.

The attackers spread themselves across the battlefield while elite knight detachments moved rapidly between infantry groups.

At the center—

Grand Knight Aldric advanced like a moving fortress.

Black mana armor covered his enormous frame while crimson energy drifted around him like smoke.

Even from extreme distance—

The pressure surrounding the man felt monstrous.

Then northern rifles opened fire.

CRACK. CRACK. CRACK.

Bullets tore across the battlefield immediately.

Several mana infantrymen collapsed.

Yet unlike ordinary troops—

The assault continued smoothly.

Elite knights dodged unpredictably. Master-ranked warriors redirected bullets using mana bursts. Some rounds struck reinforced armor directly only to ricochet away.

The coalition had adapted.

And for the first time—

Elarion’s rifle fire alone failed slowing the advance properly.

Then artillery opened fire.

BOOOOOOM.

The first shell detonated among advancing infantry.

Snow and steel fragments erupted outward violently.

Men died instantly.

Yet the formations kept advancing.

Instead of clustering—

The assault groups spread further apart while maintaining momentum.

Another shell landed.

Then another.

Casualties mounted.

Still—

The coalition advance continued.

Far above the battlefield, Aurethar watched carefully.

"Oh?" "They actually stopped marching like idiots."

Kieran looked downward silently.

"They learned from losses."

The dragon snorted.

"Shame." "I was enjoying the free comedy."

Back below—

Grand Knight Aldric suddenly accelerated.

BOOOOM.

The snow exploded beneath his feet as the giant warrior burst forward toward the trench lines with terrifying speed.

Several riflemen visibly panicked seeing him close distance so quickly.

Bullets struck his armor repeatedly.

Sparks exploded across black steel.

But Aldric did not slow.

Not even slightly.

Then war horns echoed from the western valleys.

And the mana cavalry arrived.

Massive frostfang wolves burst through the snow carrying armored riders glowing with blue mana.

Behind them came armored drakes and black panthers charging across frozen terrain at horrifying speed.

From the eastern sectors—

Another cavalry force emerged simultaneously.

Thousands of magical beasts surged toward Elarion’s trenches from both flanks.

The battlefield erupted into chaos immediately.

Inside the trenches officers shouted urgently.

"Mana cavalry!" "Western flank!" "Eastern sectors under pressure!"

Artillery crews struggled adjusting firing coordinates quickly enough.

Riflemen rotated toward the incoming beasts.

CRACK. CRACK. CRACK.

Several wolves collapsed instantly.

More replaced them immediately.

The magical beasts ignored fear completely.

One drake leapt directly over outer trenches before soldiers dragged the rider down in brutal close combat.

Another cavalry rider tore through riflemen before disappearing beneath concentrated fire.

And amidst all the chaos—

Grand Knight Aldric kept advancing.

Closer. Closer.

One-hundred-fifty meters.

Too close.

Several artillery crews could no longer fire safely.

That was exactly what the coalition wanted.

Overwhelm battlefield attention.

Then break the trenches.

Cedric turned sharply toward Lucien.

"They’re almost through."

Lucien remained calm.

"...Good."

That answer confused several officers instantly.

Then suddenly—

Lucien gave a quiet order.

"Bring them out."

Several trench officers immediately moved.

Hidden steel doors farther behind the trenches slowly opened.

Coalition commanders frowned in confusion.

Then something enormous rolled forward from beneath camouflage nets and reinforced bunkers.

At first—

Nobody understood what they were seeing.

The machine looked impossible.

A gigantic armored vehicle moved slowly across the battlefield on reinforced tracks while black smoke poured from vents along its hull.

Steel plates covered the body completely.

The ground trembled beneath its weight.

Coalition officers stared in disbelief.

"...What is that?"

No answer came.

Because nothing like it had ever existed before.

Far above the battlefield—

Aurethar blinked slowly.

Then slowly grinned.

"Oh." "Oh this is new."

Even Kieran looked disturbed now.

"That thing shouldn’t exist."

The dragon began laughing softly.

The armored machine rolled steadily toward the battlefield while coalition soldiers watched in growing confusion.

No visible horses. No mana crystals. No beast pulling it.

Yet it moved.

And then—

The front of the machine shifted slightly.

Metal openings rotated outward across its hull.

Several coalition officers frowned.

"...Weapons?"

Then the world exploded.

RATATATATATATATATATATAT.

The sound hit the battlefield like thunder.

Streams of bullets erupted from the armored machine continuously.

An endless storm of metal.

Mana cavalry charging across the western flank were shredded apart before understanding what happened.

Frostfang wolves collapsed in rows beneath overwhelming fire. Drakes exploded into blood and broken scales. Panthers vanished beneath storms of bullets tearing through flesh and armor alike.

Entire cavalry formations disappeared within seconds.

Coalition soldiers froze in absolute shock.

Because nothing in the world fired like this.

Nothing.

Aurethar nearly fell off the mountain laughing.

"WHAT IS THAT SOUND?"

The dragon’s laughter thundered across the peaks.

"He built a weapon that screams continuously!"

Even Kieran stared silently now.

The legendary knight looked genuinely disturbed for the first time.

"...Impossible."

Below—

The armored machine rotated sideways.

And more guns opened.

RATATATATATATATATATATAT.

The eastern cavalry force collapsed instantly beneath overlapping fire.

Riders died before reaching engagement range. Magical beasts tore apart mid-charge. Entire attack waves vanished into blood and snow.

Panic spread through the coalition lines immediately.

Because there was no rhythm to the weapon.

No reload. No pause. No breathing space.

Only endless death.

Grand Knight Aldric roared furiously before charging directly toward the armored machine.

Crimson mana exploded around him violently while explosions erupted beneath every step.

Bullets struck him continuously.

Armor cracked. Mana barriers flickered.

Still—

The giant warrior advanced.

One step. Another.

Closer.

Then Lucien gave another order.

"Shoulder cannons."

Hidden trench compartments opened instantly.

Northern soldiers emerged carrying strange metal tubes across their shoulders.

Coalition officers barely noticed them.

Their attention remained locked on the screaming armored machine.

Then—

WHOOSH.

The first rocket crossed the battlefield trailing smoke and fire.

BOOOOOOOOM.

The explosion engulfed Aldric completely.

The battlefield froze again.

Then more rockets launched.

WHOOSH. WHOOSH. WHOOSH.

Entire elite detachments vanished beneath explosions.

Master knights died instantly. Mana infantry scattered in terror. Remaining cavalry broke formation completely.

Yet somehow—

Aldric survived.

Barely.

The grand knight emerged from smoke burned and bleeding while half his armor hung shattered from his body.

Still—

He kept moving.

Even Aurethar looked impressed.

"That one genuinely hates dying."

Then the armored machine rotated fully toward him.

All its guns aligned simultaneously.

For one brief moment—

The battlefield became silent.

Then—

RATATATATATATATATATATATATAT.

The storm of bullets engulfed the grand knight completely.

Armor shattered apart. Blood sprayed across snow. Crimson mana collapsed violently.

Aldric staggered forward one final desperate step.

Then collapsed face-first into the frozen battlefield.

Dead.

(This man deserves a salute )

Silence spread across the battlefield afterward.

Because the coalition had just witnessed warfare changing before their eyes.

And somewhere high above the battlefield—

Aurethar laughed harder than ever before.