Chapter 117: Chapter 110: The Spear of Steel

The battlefield had already descended into chaos.

Smoke rolled across the frozen valleys. Burning magical beasts screamed beneath artillery fire. Dead cavalry and shattered armor littered the snow in every direction.

And in the center of it all—

The armored landships continued advancing.

Their monstrous guns thundered endlessly across the battlefield.

RATATATATATATATATATAT.

The sound itself felt unnatural.

A constant mechanical roar that tore apart cavalry, infantry, and elite warriors alike.

Entire coalition formations were collapsing beneath it.

And for the first time since the war began—

Fear spread openly through the southern army.

Grand Knight Aldric lay dead in the snow.

Half his armor had been ripped apart by machine gun fire while blood slowly spread beneath his massive body.

The sight broke something inside the coalition soldiers.

Because Aldric had been their symbol of invincibility.

A grand knight. A battlefield monster. A warrior who survived artillery and rockets alike.

And Elarion had cut him down anyway.

Far behind the battlefield, the southern command ridges erupted into confusion.

Messengers screamed across the camps while officers desperately tried reorganizing shattered assault formations.

Several nobles stood frozen staring toward the battlefield in disbelief.

One younger lord whispered:

"...What are those things?"

Nobody answered.

Because nobody understood what they had just witnessed.

Kassian Valcriox slowly lowered his observation lens.

For the first time since the campaign began—

The young duke looked shaken.

Because the battlefield below no longer resembled warfare he understood.

The rifles had already changed battle.

But this—

These armored steel monsters spitting endless fire—

This was something else entirely.

Another artillery explosion echoed across the valley.

BOOOOOOM.

A coalition cavalry cluster vanished beneath shrapnel instantly.

And then—

The armored landships accelerated.

Inside Elarion’s trenches, Lucien calmly watched the battlefield through his observation scope while officers around him struggled processing the unfolding chaos.

Cedric finally spoke quietly:

"Their formation is collapsing."

Lucien nodded once.

"Good."

Another officer looked toward the battlefield nervously.

"My lord... should we maintain defensive positions?"

Lucien slowly lowered the scope.

"No."

Several officers looked toward him immediately.

Then Lucien gave the order that changed the battle completely.

"We will do a countercharge"

For one brief moment—

The trench commanders froze.

Then realization spread instantly.

Signals erupted through the trenches.

War horns sounded.

And suddenly—

Elarion moved.

The northern trench lines exploded into activity.

Riflemen climbed from defensive positions. Bayonets locked into place. Reserve infantry surged forward through prepared exits.

And at the center—

The landships formed into a spearhead formation.

Three armored monsters aligned together before the central battlefield while smoke poured from their engines.

Machine guns rotated slowly toward the broken coalition lines while the riflemen advanced with these armored behemoths.

Then—

The steel spear advanced.

Far above the battlefield—

Aurethar blinked slowly.

Then the dragon burst into roaring laughter.

"HE’S COUNTERCHARGING?"

Kieran stared downward silently.

Even the legendary knight looked stunned now.

"They’re attacking?" "After defending?"

Aurethar nearly slammed his claws into the mountain laughing.

"Oh Lucien you absolute madman."

Below—

The landships rolled forward like moving fortresses.

RATATATATATATATATATAT.

Their guns swept across the battlefield continuously.

Coalition soldiers trying regrouping were cut apart instantly. Retreating cavalry died in rows. Mana infantry attempting reformations collapsed beneath overlapping fire.

And behind the armored spearhead—

Elarion infantry surged forward.

Thousands of riflemen advanced through smoke and snow behind the steel monsters while artillery thundered overhead.

The battlefield shifted completely.

The defenders had become attackers.

Coalition commanders screamed desperately trying restore order.

"Hold formation!" "Regroup!"

But panic spread too quickly now.

Because every soldier on the battlefield could see the truth.

The coalition assault had failed.

Again.

And now Elarion was exploiting the collapse mercilessly.

One mana cavalry captain tried organizing a flank attack against the advancing landships.

Nearly two hundred surviving riders regrouped beside the western ridge before charging together toward the steel spearhead.

Aurethar noticed immediately.

"Oh look." "More volunteers."

The dragon leaned forward eagerly.

"This should be educational."

The cavalry descended the ridge at full speed.

Frostfang wolves roared across the snow while armored drakes charged beside them.

For a brief moment—

The charge actually looked terrifying.

Then the lead landship rotated it’s machine gun slightly.

RATATATATATATATATATATAT.

The machine gun storm hit the cavalry like a wall.

Wolves exploded into blood. Drakes collapsed screaming into the snow. Riders vanished beneath endless bullets.

The entire charge disintegrated before reaching the armored vehicles.

Aurethar laughed so hard snow avalanched from nearby cliffs.

"THEY KEEP TRYING." "WHY DO THEY KEEP TRYING?"

Even Kieran quietly shook his head now.

Back below—

Elarion infantry reached the shattered frontlines.

And unlike the coalition—

They advanced with terrifying discipline.

Rifle volleys fired in synchronized waves.

CRACK. CRACK. CRACK.

Coalition survivors already broken by artillery and machine guns collapsed rapidly beneath advancing rifle fire.

Bayonet charges erupted across isolated trench sectors. Elite coalition remnants fought desperately before being overwhelmed.

The battlefield had become a slaughter.

Cedric observed the collapse through the trench scope beside Lucien.

"They’re breaking completely."

Lucien remained silent for several moments.

Then his eyes shifted toward the distant southern camps far behind the battlefield.

Thousands of tents still stretched across the valleys there.

Supply depots. Command sectors. Noble pavilions.

Safe.Or at least—

They believed they were safe.

Then Lucien spoke calmly.

"Redirect artillery."

Nearby officers immediately turned toward him.

"Target?"

Lucien’s expression did not change.

"The main coalition camps."

Silence hit the trench instantly.

Several officers visibly stiffened.

Because the rear camps sat extremely far behind the battlefield.

Most commanders assumed direct bombardment there impossible.

Lucien calmly repeated:

"Target their command sectors." "All batteries.""Free fire and do not stop till ordered"

Far above the battlefield—

Aurethar suddenly stopped laughing.

The dragon slowly turned his head toward the southern camps in the distance.

Then his eyes widened slightly.

"Oh no."

Kieran looked toward him.

"What?"

The dragon grinned slowly.

"Now will be fireworks right at the door"

Moments later—

Elarion’s artillery shifted.

Massive cannons rotated southward away from the battlefield itself.

Coalition officers near the rear camps frowned in confusion seeing it happen.

One noble muttered:

"...Why are they even aiming here?"

"Artillery cannot even target at this distance."

Then the first shell arrived.

BOOOOOOOOM.

The explosion erased an entire supply sector instantly.

Tents vanished beneath fire and fragmentation. Men and horses exploded apart. Flames erupted across nearby wagons.

The coalition rear froze in absolute disbelief.

Then more shells arrived.

BOOOOOM. BOOOOOM. BOOOOOM.

The bombardment became catastrophic immediately.

Command pavilions disappeared beneath explosions. Messenger lines collapsed. Supply stockpiles ignited violently.

Nobles screamed while guards dragged wounded officers through burning camps desperately trying escape the bombardment.

Inside the central command pavilion—

Kassian Valcriox barely looked upward before a shell detonated outside.

The explosion tore through half the structure instantly.

Several nobles died before understanding what happened.

Blood and burning wood blasted across the command table.

Another shell landed nearby.

BOOOOOOM.

The rear section collapsed completely.

Far above—

Aurethar watched the burning camps with growing delight.

"Oh these are some magnificant fireworks 10/10from me."

Another explosion erupted through the coalition rear.

The dragon nearly purred with amusement.

"He didn’t stop at winning the battle." "He decided humiliating them wasn’t enough."

Below—

The coalition command structure completely collapsed.

Officers died faster than orders could spread. Supply sectors burned uncontrollably. Retreating soldiers smashed into fleeing camp personnel.

And still—

The artillery continued.

BOOOOOM. BOOOOOM. BOOOOOM.

Every explosion spread panic further.

Several surviving nobles attempted fleeing southward with personal guards.

One shell landed directly among them.

Nothing remained afterward except burning snow ,shattered armor fragments and torn limbs.

Kassian Valcriox staggered from the ruins of the shattered command pavilion bleeding heavily from his shoulder and gasping while fires spread everywhere around him.

The young duke looked toward the battlefield in disbelief.

The coalition army was collapsing. The camps were burning. The command structure was gone.

And advancing through smoke in the distance—

The steel spearhead kept coming.

RATATATATATATATATATAT.

The machine guns continued roaring like mechanical monsters across the valley.

Kassian slowly realized the truth, for the first time his confident expression broke.

The war had already been lost.

Then the final artillery shell arrived.

BOOOOOOOOOOM.

The explosion swallowed the young duke and the remaining command ridge completely beneath fire and fragmentation.

Far above the battlefield—

Aurethar watched the distant explosion silently for several moments.

Then the dragon slowly grinned.

"...Lucien is terrifying."

Kieran quietly nodded.

"Yes."

The dragon’s laughter rolled across the mountains once more.

"And the nobles thought rifles were the problem."

The bombardment did not stop after Kassian’s death.

If anything—

It became worse.

BOOOOOOM. BOOOOOOM. BOOOOOOM.

Shells continued crashing into the coalition rear sectors while firestorms spread through supply depots and command camps.

Burning tents collapsed one after another. Horses tore loose from shattered stables. Wounded soldiers screamed beneath overturned wagons while fleeing troops trampled past them in panic.

And across the battlefield—

The realization finally spread.

The coalition had lost.

At first the retreat began in fragments.

Small infantry groups pulling back. Cavalry detachments abandoning forward sectors. Officers trying reorganizing shattered formations.

But once news spread that kassian valcriox has died.

Everything collapsed.

"FALL BACK!"

"RETREAT SOUTH!"

The screams spread like wildfire across the army.

And panic followed immediately afterward.

The coalition frontlines began disintegrating entirely.

Mana infantry abandoned defensive positions. Artillery crews fled from their cannons. Cavalry riders whipped surviving beasts desperately trying escape the valley before another bombardment arrived.

No formations remained anymore.

Only survival.

And through the smoke—

The landships kept advancing.

RATATATATATATATATATAT.

The monstrous machine guns continued roaring across the battlefield while the armored vehicles rolled forward through burning snow like steel predators.

Every retreat route they targeted became slaughter.

One mass of fleeing infantry tried escaping across the western ridge.

The nearest landship rotated slightly.

Then opened fire.

The entire slope collapsed into blood and bodies within seconds.

Far above the battlefield—

Aurethar stared at the retreat with wide golden eyes before bursting into another fit of thunderous laughter.

"THEY’RE RUNNING."

The dragon nearly slammed his claws into the mountainside laughing.

"They finally understood this wasn’t a war anymore."

Kieran watched silently beside him.

Below them—

Thousands of coalition soldiers streamed southward through snow and fire in complete disorder.

The dragon pointed downward with amusement.

"Look at them." "Half the army is retreating." "The other half is trying to figure out what those screaming metal boxes are."

Another artillery shell landed inside the retreating columns.

BOOOOOOM.

Wagons exploded apart instantly. Men vanished beneath fragmentation. Panicked cavalry beasts smashed into fleeing infantry trying escape the road.

The retreat became a catastrophe.

Inside Elarion’s advancing lines, Cedric watched the collapse carefully through his observation scope.

"They’re completely broken now."

Lucien nodded once.

"Maintain pressure." "No reckless pursuit."

Signal horns echoed through the advancing northern lines immediately.

Unlike the coalition—

Elarion remained disciplined.

Rifle formations advanced methodically behind the landships while artillery occasionally targeted retreat bottlenecks farther south.

Just enough to maintain terror.

Several surviving coalition officers attempted rallying defensive formations near abandoned artillery batteries.

"Hold the line!" "Protect the southern road!"

Then one landship emerged through smoke directly ahead of them.

The machine looked monstrous now beneath burning skies.

Black smoke poured from its engines. Steel armor reflected firelight. And its guns never stopped moving.

The officers froze.

Then—

RATATATATATATATATATAT.

The defensive line vanished and the officer both stopped existing anymore.

Aurethar laughed so hard snow fell from nearby cliffs.

"They keep trying formations."

The dragon wiped tears from one golden eye.

"This is the greatest battlefield comedy I’ve ever seen."

Even Kieran quietly shook his head watching another cavalry unit break apart beneath machine gun fire.

"The coalition is finished."

Aurethar grinned widely.

"Oh they were finished the momnt they came here."

Another bombardment erupted through the southern camps.

The dragon’s grin widened further.

One more Chapter today soon coming. We made it to 48th on collection ranking:)

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