The northernmost part of the IJssel Plain, which is also the border between IJssel and Katpa, is the Heye scout force of several hundred people is stationed here. They are closely watching every move of the Burning Empire and are ready to take precautions at any time.
They used to belong to the Kingdom of Thrace, but a few months ago, Wilham packaged the entire North Ethel and gave it to Duke Walter, and they pledged allegiance to the famous "Wings of Fadland".
They still wore the winged sun emblem of the Thracian Kingdom, led tall horses, and held long double-barreled muskets - no doubt imported from the Burning Empire.
In recent years, the wars between the three kingdoms have become increasingly fierce, and the people of Feanso have also realized the advantages of these guns and cannons: long range, high lethality, and extremely low threshold for use.
As the situation changed and the wars spread, people began to buy weapons from the Burning Empire from the greedy Woking merchants in order to protect themselves. Firearms have become quite popular in Feanso.
These former Fadlans did not know that the gold coins in their pockets had flowed into the Clauber Military Industrial Group of the Burning Empire, and turned into funds for the research, development and production of more advanced and lethal weapons.
And it will soon be applied to themselves and become their nightmare.
Piotr McGrath is still the captain of this scout force, and several years ago, they almost clashed with the advance team of the Burning Empire.
"Everyone, I'm afraid the situation is getting more tense."
The extraordinary warrior raised the silver sword in his hand and pointed the tip of the sword to the north. His expression was extremely solemn.
You see, since the day before yesterday, there have been wyverns, giant eagles, and ugly beasts that I have never seen before circling over the sky of Tahan City.
And a dull sound that I had never heard before came from the city, like the roar of some terrifying monster.
In the past few days, even the ground nearby has been shaking abnormally, and I always have a bad feeling. "
The adjutant beside him said with some concern: "Boss, do you think it could be their emperor - the red dragon?"
Piotr shook his head calmly: "It shouldn't be that fast. The homeland of the Burning Empire, the Great Wasteland of Anzeta, is far away from North Essel, and there are mountains and hills in between.
It would take at least one to two months for them to transport all the troops and supplies to Tahan City and complete all war preparations.
By that time, the assistance requested by Lord Walter had also arrived from all over the world, including the angels from Mount Heaven, the magicians from the City of All Laws, and it was said that a powerful golden dragon, known as the 'Dawn Dragon', had descended on Colin City. "
Piotr tightly grasped the scout's silver sword in his hand and looked towards the south. His eyes were firm and his tone was steady and powerful.
"Lord Walter is one of the few nobles of the Gods who remembers the glory of Fadlan and follows the old emperor's teachings. I believe that the side of justice will surely win. No matter how powerful the red dragon is, it is ultimately outnumbered."
"Boss, Boss."
Suddenly, the adjutant beside him raised his head with fear on his face and pointed at the sky tremblingly, as if he had seen something terrible.
"what happened?"
Piotr noticed the adjutant's unusual expression and turned around quickly. Then he also froze in place.
"What the hell is this."
Above the distant Tahan City, hundreds of Asian dragons, wyverns, and chimeras rose into the sky, flapping their wings in a disorderly manner, gathering into rolling clouds in the sky, casting mottled shadows on the ground.
"Ow—"
A hoarse and noisy roar was heard, and the monsters in the sky seemed to have noticed the scouts and began to roar at them.
"Amaunator!"
"They found us!"
The soldiers screamed in panic and were in a state of confusion.
And Piteo turned over and mounted his horse, raised his silver sword high, and shouted: "Let's retreat! Be sure to convey the news here to the south!"
After all, Piteo was an experienced soldier, and his actions undoubtedly stabilized the morale of the troops. The soldiers packed up their necessary equipment, mounted their horses, and galloped across the flat and open plain of Essel.
The horses' hooves stepped on the ground in a disorderly manner, making crisp and dense sounds, and Piteo was at the front, controlling the direction of the team.
At this moment, the ground began to tremble, and the war horses neighed in panic. Some even lifted their front legs into the air and stopped forcibly, throwing off the soldiers whose riding skills were not good enough. The scouts' team was suddenly in chaos.
"what!"
"Help! Stop!"
"Damn it, the horse's hooves are going to step on me!"
Peter pulled the reins and turned his head suddenly. He knew very well that the shaking of the ground was definitely not caused by a herd of horses.
However, he opened his mouth, his expression was dull, and there was even a hint of despair in his eyes, and he kept muttering: "Amaunator, how could it be..."
"boom--"
In the distance, the ground was shaking, dust was flying, and thick smoke covered the sky. Huge steel beasts roared and broke through the smoke, attacking them.
Everything in front of the steel behemoths - rocks, trees, wild beasts and even earth slopes - were ruthlessly crushed and could not provide any blocking effect.
The adjutant looked at the approaching steel monsters and cried out in fear: "Boss! How could there be such monsters!"
"Amaunator!"
"Natural disaster! This is simply a moving natural disaster!"
"Damn it! There weren't any monsters like this in Tahan City a few years ago!"
Although the army was in great chaos, Pitea still forced himself to remain calm and observe the situation calmly.
He knew that he must not panic now, otherwise not only would his troops suffer a devastating disaster, but the entire North Essel would face a terrible threat.
After a brief thought, Piteo swung the silver sword in his hand and shouted with all his might amid the roar: "Retreat at full speed! This is not a monster we can fight!
He gritted his teeth and roared, "Afar, take fifty people and head southwest! We will split up and make sure to pass the news of the Burning Empire's attack to Lord Walter!"
"Yes, Captain!"
The officer in bright silver armor waved his whip, pulled the reins hard, turned his horse's head, and rushed to the right with the elite cavalry behind him, preparing to enter the narrow valley in the southwest.
There, although the cavalry's marching speed would be affected, it would be difficult for those steel behemoths to squeeze in. Even if the whole army was annihilated, Pitiao wanted to pass on the message so that Duke Walter could be prepared.
However, at this moment, the steam tank turret quickly turned around, and the thick gun barrel also turned, with the muzzle directly aimed at the elite cavalry.
Looking at the dark muzzle, Piteo suddenly had a bad premonition - he thought of the artillery produced in the Empire and purchased by the Kingdom of Thrace.
"Afar! Get out of the way!"
He quickly stretched out his hand and almost shouted at the top of his lungs, but it was too late. The cavalry detachment led by Afar had already entered the valley.
"boom!"
The steel behemoth roared, and the huge recoil caused the vehicle to move back violently, and even the ground shook. A fierce flame instantly burst out from the muzzle, followed by thick black smoke that filled the sky.
"Do not--"
Piteo galloped madly in that direction, wishing he could sacrifice himself to block the muzzle of the gun.
But the shell had already flown out of the muzzle, making a sharp whistling sound that pierced the air, drawing an extremely low arc in the air, spanning a distance of hundreds of meters, and finally landing accurately on the steep cliff.
"boom!"
There was another extremely powerful explosion, accompanied by fierce flames, broken rocks flying everywhere, and dust and gravel flying all over the sky.
The cliff wall suddenly collapsed, and huge broken rocks fell down with a loud bang, directly burying the elite cavalry of fifty people.
"no no"
Peter looked pale and shook his head in despair.
The cavalry team that had hoped to convey the message had been completely wiped out, and behind them, those steel behemoths were getting closer and closer.
He could smell the pungent smell of gunpowder and feel the dust it raised. The sky was filled with black smoke and steam surrounding them.
These steel behemoths did not use the terrifying cannons they had just used. They just followed behind the cavalry, approaching at a fixed speed with the roar of their engines, yet they seemed so unstoppable.
Their goal was clear - not to waste a single shell, but to crush all of these fragile human cavalry in a simple and brutal way.
"what!"
"Boss, help—"
"Oh, gods! It, it's coming!"
The wailing of soldiers and the neighing of war horses rang out one after another, and the sounds of flesh and bones breaking were drowned out by the roar of the engine.
Pitea, who was riding on horseback, could not help but turn his head and watched helplessly as his long-time followers were caught up by tanks and then crushed into pieces by the hard tracks.
In front of the steel behemoth, the cavalrymen were no different from the stones and plants on the roadside, except that their tracks were covered in blood.
Peter's face was also covered with a layer of black ash, but he looked confused and muttered to himself: "Could it be that the rumor is true?
Has His Majesty Amaunator truly abandoned us?"
As an extraordinary warrior, Piteo once fought for Holy Fadlan, battling powerful devils and demons, but these steel behemoths brought him unprecedented despair.
Piteau admires Duke Walter very much and supports his idea of reshaping Fadran civilization and recalling the glory of the emperor.
——But somehow, he felt something new from these war machines, something that could truly subvert the Holy Fadlan.
To be more precise, it is a new civilization and a new order that is completely different from the former Fadlan.
"No, it shouldn't be like this. I, I can never allow this to happen!
I can't just watch my comrades die, and I can't just die cowardly while running away. This is not what a proud Fadran should do!"
Piteo's face was covered in black and gray, and his expression was ferocious. He suddenly jumped off his horse, turned around, and mustered up the courage to face the steel giant.
Just as he had done countless times years ago, Piteo pointed his silver sword forward and challenged the oncoming steel behemoth.
At this moment, he was like a knight charging at a windmill, looking brave but ridiculous.
This is the Empire's "Great Red Dragon" class steam tank, also the largest and most oppressive model. It is fifteen meters long and four meters high. It is no exaggeration to say that it is a moving hill.
"boom--"
Before the tanks arrived, a strong sandstorm hit first, making Piteo's face feel like it was cut by a knife. His vision was blurred and he could only see a huge black shadow in front of him.
He clenched the silver sword with both hands, raised it above his head, and leaped nearly five meters high, roaring heartbreakingly: "For the Holy Fadlan—"
Piteo jumped down from mid-air, and the silver sword was swung down with a whistling wind, and an extraordinary level of powerful force burst out instantly.
"Shh-"
There was an ear-piercing explosion, and Piteo's sword actually cut deeply into the front armor of the steel behemoth!
"You monster! Die!"
He tightly grasped the silver sword that was inserted into the armor and wanted to continue attacking, looking for the weak point of the giant beast. He had already seen that this was a constructed creature similar to the Iron Golem.
But before Pietro could be happy, a strong repulsive force appeared, and the force field shield suddenly bounced the unprepared super warrior away, and he fell forward.
Piteo fell heavily to the ground, and before he could come to his senses, a dark shadow covered his entire body. He raised his head - and could only see the hideous body of the giant beast rolling towards him.
"no no"
Immediately afterwards, this hundred-ton "Great Red Dragon" class tank rolled over with a force like a natural disaster, and no matter how the extraordinary warrior struggled and resisted, it was useless.
This is a crushing defeat in terms of size and weight, just like a mortal wrestling with a gigantic dragon; there is no way a mortal can win.
The "crunching" sound of flesh and bones being crushed was drowned out by the roar of the engine, but the steel behemoth was still galloping across the plains, causing the earth to tremble.
As for crushing these cavalrymen? It was just a by-product.
Even the powerful and experienced super warrior Pito only had a tiny scar on the front armor, which was not even noticeable without careful observation.
Inside the cockpit of the "Great Red Dragon" class tank, Steel Frenzy had a smug look on his face and was laughing extremely wildly.
"Hahahaha, driving a tank is so cool! Especially a monster-level tank! Eight pairs of wheels against four legs, isn't this a pure crushing victory?"
Suddenly, Iron Frenzy looked at his panel in surprise and muttered, "Wait. When did I kill a small boss?"
[You killed [Scout Captain-Piteo (Challenge Level: 9)], and obtained 5000xp]
He felt extremely deceived, yet somewhat pleasantly surprised, much like he had gotten a snack.
This is a boss of challenge level 9. In the previous version, it took a small team to barely defeat it. But now, it was crushed to death by the steel frenzy without anyone noticing.
"My Lord, times have changed!"
Steel Frenzy sighed.
For Esther's scout troops, this was a terrible disaster comparable to an earthquake or tsunami, an absolute calamity.
But for the imperial soldiers driving the tanks, this was just an ordinary march, except that they eliminated a few enemies along the way.
The tanks galloped across the vast plains, and their real target was the cities in North IJssel that were not yet prepared.
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The "Secret Treasure of Cassius" event is in progress, welcome to join the group. (End of this chapter)
