302 Less Than Eight Minutes
The rising sun had already risen, but the sky was already as red as blood. Dark clouds rolled, lightning flashed and thunder rumbled. The weather in a radius of dozens of kilometers was surrounded by a dangerous and terrifying aura.
This meant that the concentration of elements here had already been greatly imbalanced.
The Elven Expeditionary Force’s headquarters had already moved 30 kilometers away from the Red Maple City. Even from here, he could still hear the rumbling and muffled sound of the front line. The wind of war blew far away. Until here, there was a pungent smell. There were messengers shouting loudly everywhere and busy officers everywhere.
The expeditionary army’s lord, the intelligent and heroic Lord of Twilight, Sylvan Keller. He stared at the combat sand table for a long time. His advisors were scattered around. Some were communicating in low voices, and others were also focused and thinking.
According to the order and plan of the council, the expeditionary army launched a huge beheading operation today, intending to take down the Red Maple City in a battle and end this war.
The reason for starting another war was sufficient and righteous.
Taking advantage of the truce, the evil and cruel Goethe people betrayed them and launched a surprise attack on the defenseless elf armies and cities everywhere. Although the Twilight soldiers resisted heroically, they were caught off guard and suffered heavy casualties. They had to take revenge. This despicable action would definitely be severely punished.
Blood debts had to be paid with blood.
Therefore, under the orders of the highest commander of the expeditionary army, Lord Sylvan Keller, the expeditionary army launched a reasonable and legal revenge operation.
The morale of the army was like a rainbow as they carried out all the orders without any objection.
Now, below Red Maple City, the cruel and tragic siege had long begun. For the glory of Twilight, the elf warriors would take down this long-standing and glorious Goethe city and naturally obtain another destined great victory.
It should have been like this.
Soldiers should obey orders. Courage, tenacity, and loyalty were duties that had to be adhered to. They had to defeat powerful enemies for their country and obtain victory after victory. They had to seize more wealth, land, and subjects for the queen. This was the oath of every elf soldier, and Sylvan Keller was one of them.
He had thought that he would carry out the order without any confusion as usual and fight bravely.
However, the situation this time was different.
The Red Maple City was the oldest and longest-running great city of Goethe. Its defense was extremely tight, and it gathered the most essence and powerful strength of this country since the war.
In the commander-in-chief’s battle plan, attacking this city should be the last part of the Goethe war. He would completely sweep away the resistance and support potential of the various places. Then, he would gather the various expeditionary forces and gather as many energy-shaping mages and heavy magic devices as possible before launching a huge bombing operation against the Red Maple City.
Plague, fire, hail, lightning, earthquake… They were unscrupulous, unrestrained, and patient.
They would use a sowing discord, buy them off, sow discord, persuade them to surrender, incite them, burn the granary, and spread rumors to make Red Maple City fall into chaos. They would starve them to death, instigate them, and make them crazy… Attack was the last choice. Only then could they obtain a perfect victory at the lowest price possible.
This was his plan.
Persuading Grand Duke Goethe to take the initiative to surrender was the best choice. The second choice was to let this city fall into chaos and kill him. Attack was the last and worst choice.
This was the best choice, the most reasonable choice, and the wisest decision.
However, now, the famous Lord of Dawn Light finally realized something in pain. War was a continuation of politics, and it was natural that it would be controlled by politics, especially stupid politicians.
If more than ten days ago, the Empress and the council still respected his judgment and command as a Twilight General and did not restrain him too much, now, the will of the council had already interfered with the progress of the war.
The beheading battle was hurriedly launched. Although many military deceptions had been done, it was precisely because of this that the army that attacked first was not sufficiently prepared. Many pieces of heavy equipment were not in place.
What was worse was that Red Maple City seemed to be prepared.
After discovering this, Sylvan Keller immediately reported to the council and asked to investigate if there was any information leak or even spying. However, this could only be considered making up for it. The Goethe people were already prepared. He had to fight this battle in this passive situation.
However, the interference of the council was not limited to that.
Three large air force teams, powerful heavy magic devices, powerful dragoons, and hundreds of aerial combat mages… The assistance promised by the council arrived on time.
This powerful force was enough to completely rule the sky and give the expeditionary army a huge air advantage. It could even swoop down from the air to attack Red Maple City and cause huge chaos.
These reinforcements could greatly speed up the siege.
Lord of Dawn Light, who was extremely experienced on the battlefield, was confident.
However, the council ordered that this army was not allowed to enter the battlefield immediately.
The explanation was that before they played their true role, they could not allow any damage or take any risks, because their mission was not to capture this city.
Then what was their true mission?
Sylvan Keller’s gaze turned to the sand table in front of him.
He could see the entire Goethe. Three different colored flags intertwined.
The elves were green, and Goethe was blue. Their respective armies were of the same color as the occupied area, and they each occupied half of Goethe. It was the current stalemate.
The third color was red.
There was only a lonely area and even an army.
However, it was the most important variable and power since the war began.
The war was stopped, then the war continued, military mobilization, the council’s scheme, the rushed beheading operation, the council’s interference, and all the new plans surrounded this color.
Or rather, it revolved around a certain person.
This person was called Kang De.
With the strength of the expeditionary army, it was enough to defeat Goethe easily. All the additional arrangements, backup plans, and plans now were only because of this person’s appearance.
The powerful air force and heavy magic artifact sent by the council were all prepared for him.
As for the reopening of the war, other than the beheading team that rushed into Red Maple City, all the military operations and war plans along the way from Red Maple City to Valentine seemed to be in response to the war and were actually prepared for that Cathayan.
The army, defense line, and restraining attack along the way.
It was to stop him, test him, and consume him.
The invincible elf army of the majestic world had actually done this for a human. This made Sylvan Keller feel that it was ridiculous and cautious.
Clearly, that mysterious Cathayan was the greatest enemy he faced in this war.
The five Dragon Flag Legions were instantly destroyed. Although he did not personally look at the tragic scene, he could see the power from countless information and descriptions.
Today, more than a hundred thousand troops would gather under the city. There were even more troops in the surrounding area waiting to be deployed at any time. He was the highest commander of this huge army. If he did not deal with it well, these enthusiastic and brave boys would die meaninglessly like the tens of thousands of comrades outside Valentine City.
It would become the new battle result and honor of that Cathayan.
It became the new humiliation and wound of the Twilight Dynasty.
He could not let this happen.
“You definitely don’t know how many elves are preparing for your arrival and hunting you… Kang De, the Cathayan.”
Lord of Dawn Light looked at the sand table and said silently, “Victory will always belong to us…”
At this moment, footsteps sounded outside. His Deputy Chief of Staff held a piece of information and strode in, “Commander, the Wind Messenger has sent the latest battlefield information!”
The young officer took a deep breath, “…It’s information from eastern Goethe!”
The advisor who was communicating with each other, the silent advisor, and all the elves looked up.
The military tent was terrifyingly quiet.
Sylvan Keller handed over his seal and said indifferently, “Read it.”
The deputy took the seal and printed it on the seal of information. Brilliance flashed, and the special sealing paint automatically fell off. The officer looked at the information on it a few times and shock flashed across his face.
“Commander…” He calmed down and glanced at the time, “About 40 minutes ago, the servant army of the Savada Satellite Kingdom in the Harlem District was defeated. The entire organization was defeated. The spirit of the defeated army has completely collapsed. They can’t gather the remaining troops at all and are all fleeing aimlessly. They were taken advantage of by the garrison of Bullen City to leave the city and attack without resisting…”
Sylvan Keller’s expression did not change, as if he did not care about this defeat at all. He looked at the sand table and pondered, “In other words, he chose the Harlem District…”
Then, the commander glanced at the still-stunned advisor. After saying that, he glanced at the advisor.
The elves woke up from a dream and began to analyze and record the next step of the strategic response.
Be it combat courage or equipment standards, the servant army of the Savada Satellite Kingdom was at the standard of a second or third-rate army. Their merits were commendable, but they were loyal and cruel. This was an important quality of a dog.
They were loyal to the elves and cruel to Goethe. They were suitable for defense and suppression.
The commander did not expect them to be able to resist for long.
He only let them attack Bullen City in the name of slaughtering the city and allowed them to have fun as they pleased after breaking through. If they could attract Kang De’s attention and restrain his energy and test some of the other party’s combat methods, it would be considered that they had displayed their value.
If he could consume one of Kang De’s destructive attacks, he could award the Savada Satellite Kingdom. Even if they were completely wiped out, they could be considered to have contributed to Twilight.
The commander casually said, “I remember that this servant army is composed of 8,000 people, including 2,100 Savada shield crossbowmen, 1,000 desert hunters, 4,000 spearmen, an elite cavalry, and our officer instructor regiment… How long did they last?”
The deputy did not answer immediately. He confirmed the information again and looked up.
“…I’m afraid it’s less than eight minutes.”
…
Eight thousand people.
Eight minutes.
Sylvan Keller’s face froze for a moment, and a trace of shock flashed through his eyes.
He said in a low voice, “Kang De launched a forbidden spell attack similar to the one outside Valentine City?”
The deputy said softly, “I’m afraid not. According to the report of the secret scout, we didn’t discover any swords of light or violent vibrations similar to the battle of Valentine, nor did we discover any signs of a meteorite colliding on the battlefield…”
“…Then how did they lose?!”
All the advisors present were also attracted.
The deputy stammered and handed the information over, “Lord, it’s better for you to…”
“Read it!”
Sylvan Keller glanced at the seriousness and even uneasiness in the eyes of the surrounding advisors and shouted, “Read it out loud! Let everyone hear it! Let everyone understand what enemy they’re facing!”
“…Yes.”
The officer who brought the information said, “…The Savada army that was in formation and preparing to attack Bullen City was attacked. The iconic alchemical chariot of the Cathayan, Kang De, appeared behind a team of Sawada shield crossbowmen through spatial teleportation. It only took less than 30 seconds to kill an entire phalanx of 700 soldiers. The survivors only heard a series of violent explosions, flames, and explosions…”
“To use his description, ‘Hundreds of people fell like wheat blown down by a strong wind.’”
“Our scouts discovered many sharp metal arrows at the scene. These metal arrows pierced through the battle shield, leather armor, and flesh. An arrow can make a soldier lose all his combat strength or directly die. We deduce that this is a Cathayan mechanism, including the alchemical chariot that can transform into a steel giant. It’s also a product of that mechanism.”
“That strange crossbow created by the mechanism technique can shoot an arrow without a bolt. It’s extremely powerful. The exact power is still being analyzed. My initial guess is that it’s not inferior to the armor-piercing heavy arrow shot by the arrow regiment soldiers.”
“In addition, among the crossbow bolts fired by the other party, there are enchanted arrowheads and explosive crossbow bolts. However, there are not many compared to ordinary crossbow bolts, but they still caused huge damage.”
The deputy glanced at the expressionless commander and continued, “More than one defeated soldier saw Kang De. He displayed an extremely powerful spatial teleportation ability that was even enough to carry that terrifying alchemical chariot to space jump. This is his attack method. At the beginning of the battle, he jumped three times in a row before the Savada army could react and annihilated three infantry phalanxes…”
Sylvan Keller said coldly, “Didn’t the officers do anything?!”
“Captain Hein of the officers’ teaching regiment has done his best and is loyal, Commander.”
As the deputy read the information, he said, “At the beginning of the surprise attack, Captain Hein immediately organized a defense and ordered the remaining soldiers to immediately disperse into small teams to form a shield and defend. He also ordered the mages to enhance defense spells and the cavalry and crossbowmen to shoot from above…”
The elves were engrossed in listening and nodded slightly. If they were the ones present, they could not do better in the face of this sudden and unprecedented attack.
The commander’s tone softened. “How’s the effect?”
“…It’s useless. The third-rate servant army of the Kingdom of Savada doesn’t have decent military attainment. Under such circumstances, they can’t immediately and perfectly respond to Captain Hein’s command.”
The adjutant said, “Captain Hein sent half of the mages to assist the army in defense and led the officers to charge, trying to interfere and restrict the movement of the alchemical chariot…”
“—Then this venerable lord died for the country.”
“He died from a sneak attack.”
“Two humans have barged into the battlefield. There’s evidence that one of them is Hillmelia Tedrell, Grand Duke Goethe’s adopted sister, Sword Saint Snowfall from the War God City.”
“The second is the leader of the Crimson Mercenary Group who rose in the past two months. She was the Crimson Queen who helped Kang De at the end of the battle of Valentine. She brought Sword Saint Snowfall into the battlefield at a terrifying speed. The two of them joined forces and killed Lord Hein. They also killed all the members of the officer’s teaching team in just a few minutes.”
“Then, the Crimson Queen broke through the curved defense built by the mages with a single strike. The alchemical chariot took the opportunity to charge. The heavily injured Savada troops lost control of the teaching team and immediately fell into a huge defeat. In the face of loud bangs, flames, explosions, and death, they lost all their courage.”
“As for the alchemical chariot, it followed behind them and shot them down one by one. The battlefield is filled with broken limbs, horizontal corpses, rivers of blood, smashed faces, and wailing soldiers who slowly bleed to death. Soldiers who have fallen into fear and collapsed, soldiers who have already been frightened into idiots…”
“According to the scout, the extremely pungent smell on the battlefield can’t dissipate, like…” The deputy swallowed and said softly, “The smell of the sulfur fire pool, the aftertaste of hell.”
There was dead silence in the tent.
A moment later, the commander asked, “What about General Savada, who commands this army? I remember that he’s an outstanding spellcaster and is outstanding enough by the standards of the elves.”
“…He died at Kang De’s hands.” The deputy looked for information, “A soldier with a mental breakdown witnessed all of this, but his words are crazy and ridiculous and not credible.”
“What did he say?”
“He said, ‘The black-haired demon ate the general.’”
“…”
“…”
The elves present knew Kang De’s information like the back of their hands and were unwilling to believe such ridiculous and stupid words. However, when they heard of such a ridiculous defeat, that unheard weapon, that tragic battlefield, the aura that was like a sulfur fire pool, and the terrified words of the soldiers…
They still felt an uncontrollable chill in their hearts.
This was because that person was Kang De.
He summoned the Sword of Heaven to destroy the five legions. The legendary Forbidden Spell Envoy was their enemy.
The expeditionary army launched a surprise attack and surrounded Red Maple City.
Therefore, the man set off from Valentine.
He was here.
Eight minutes to defeat an army that could not be said to be weak. 8,000 people, eight minutes.
It was as if it was announcing that this was only the beginning.
Then, the elves indeed understood—the Destroyer was about to arrive.
In the strange silence, Sylvan Keller’s voice broke it.
“This is the enemy we’re facing.”
“Powerful, mysterious, and pitifully little information.”
“We don’t know his limit, his attack method, his trump card, or anything. The only thing we know is that if he launches the move of the Battle of Valentine above our heads and we can’t intercept or stop it, you, me, and all of us, hundreds of thousands of soldiers, will forever stay in a foreign land like the tens of thousands of comrades of Valentine.”
“This is the enemy we’re facing.”
The commander looked at the faces of his aides until they looked away.
“Are you afraid? Afraid of a human?”
To the elves, the provocation was very simple. Just this sentence could completely burn their self-esteem. Their young faces raised again and their cheeks flushed.
“No!”
“Of course not!”
They denied and retorted one after another.
“You’re lying. You’re afraid and uneasy.”
The commander-in-chief ruthlessly exposed this pretense.
“This is not something shameful. I’m afraid too.”
“I’m afraid that this war will fail. I’m afraid that countless wonderful boys won’t be able to go home. I’m afraid that I won’t be able to respond to the demands this country has on me. I’m afraid to die. We’re all afraid.”
He looked at those faces and his tone became excited.
“—But so what if I’m afraid?!”
“Could it be that we have to wag our tails and beg because we’re afraid? Could it be that because Kang De said that I can kill you and flatten your capital, we have to submit because of such blackmail and threat?”
“Could it be that we have to admit defeat dejectedly and let the various countries mock us and no longer respect us? Could it be that the 60,000 soldiers he killed will forget such a blood feud and pretend that nothing happened?”
“Could it be that as long as he glares, we have to offer everything he wants? Money, land, soldiers, wealth, those things our ancestors obtained with their blood, can it be that we have to hand them over?!”
“—He even wants to marry our Empress!”
This last sentence completely ignited the anger of the young and hot-blooded officers.
They roared angrily and cursed.
“We might die. We’re afraid, but this is not a reason for us to give up and submit. We’re clearly afraid and terrified, but we still fight. This is a truly brave person!”
Sylvan Keller waved his fist forcefully. “Kill him! Avenge our comrades! Kill him! Clean up the humiliation of Twilight! Kill him! No one can make our great country submit!”
The advisors roared wildly, and even the officers who had heard the news roared.
“Tell me! My Deputy Chief of Staff!” The commander-in-chief pointed at the elf who had just read the information, “Does Kang De’s attack have no weakness at all? Is his attack completely unstoppable?”
“No, sir!”
The other party roared, “Kang De’s special crossbow is powerful, but the range is limited! With the weight of the crossbow and the size of the chariot, he won’t have many crossbow bolts. There will be a time when they’re exhausted!”
“Very good!”
The commander pointed at another elf. “Don’t you have a tactical method to deal with him?!”
“Yes, sir!”
The elf also roared, “Heavy armor! Sir! Shield! Sir! Magic! Sir!”
“What about you?! What’s your answer?!”
Another elf roared and replied, “Limit mobility! Scatter the formation! Interfere with the transmission with mages! Use the huge beast to knock over his chariot, sir!”
The other advisors also spoke.
“Very good! This is the answer I want, boys!”
Sylvan Keller slapped the table forcefully. “We have many elves, many intelligent good elves who graduated from military school and are familiar with countless battle examples! You have intelligence and a sharp battlefield sense. You can see through the enemy’s weakness, just like wolves!”
He pointed at the huge sand table.
From Valentine to Red Maple City, there was a line of defense. The army, the occupied area, the huge human advantage of the elves, countless servant troops, and many consumables.
“We still have many opportunities. Many servant armies dream of dying for Twilight!”
He roared, “There have been many opportunities to experiment with your method and test his limit to force out his trump card! From now on, I want you to sort out the battle plan and transmit it to the next army. Additionally equip them, add mages, and modify the spell plan. Then, closely monitor and analyze the movement of Kang De and the others. Intercept him, consume him, and force him!”
“Kang De only has one chance!”
“We’ll have more and more methods. Our battle plan will become richer and richer, and Kang De will use fewer and fewer trump cards. We’ll gradually pull away and gradually obtain an advantage…”
“Then, we’ll… kill him in the sky of Red Maple City!”
“Yes!”
Their unanimous answers shook the military tent.
“Captain of the Personal Guards!”
“Yes, Lord!”
The elf beside him pressed his sword and went up.
Sylvan Keller pointed at the side wall of the tent behind him. “Go find me a banner! Write down Kang De’s progress and hang it here for everyone to see. Everyone can see it at all times. Kang De is here!”
“Yes, Lord! May I ask what to write?!”
“I’ll write it myself!”
A moment later, a banner hung in the tent, becoming a buff to urge his advisors to work hard.
“The demon from Cathay has crossed Harlem.”
Visit freewe𝑏(n)ovel.co(m) for the b𝘦st novel reading experience