Chapter 245: Heads in Front of the Gun Barrel
The apostle of the Angry One, Bounda, and the apostle of the Pantheon, Obin Mabru, could be said to have a deep connection. Though Bounda had become an apostle much earlier, they consistently faced each other after the war between the Empire and the Union Kingdom began.
Bounda considered themself often victorious, but it was difficult to publicize this fact. Obin always made strategic choices that, while they could lead to personal defeat, could lead to victory in larger battles, or otherwise benefit the Empire in some other way.
Bounda didn’t like this. Bounda thought that even if they hadn't met the Angry One first and instead had met Night Sky, they wouldn't have been able to join them. The world of the Pantheon, or Night Sky, sometimes withheld the honors that rightfully belonged to the victors and also often omitted the humiliations that the defeated should endure. Moreover, despite not always being victorious, Obin was always hailed as a hero.
Bounda saw this as unfair.
"This time, I'll really turn you into mush."
Obin shook their head.
"That's why you are considered foolish."
As Bounda swung their club, Obin pulled the trigger.
***
"Bounda and Obin are facing off."
"Is it going as we predicted?"
The players of the Pantheon murmured while continuing to watch the system window.
Sung-Woon nodded. "How about the coast?"
Solongos replied to Sung-Woon's question, "Yes, hyung-nim. They are completely disoriented."
It was as Solongos had said. The forces that had tried to gather on the western hill had to disperse because of Obin and their special forces’ efforts, and soon after, there was no way to avoid the bombardment due to the ongoing fight between Bounda and Obin.
Although each unit had its own commander and thus did not show signs of disintegration even without Bounda, there seemed to be no way to avoid the ensuing bombardment from the Empire.
Sung-Woon said, "However, the troops will move soon. Let me know immediately if you see anything."
"Okay."
Sung-Woon looked at the map.
'Now, what will you do, Hegemonia?'
There were two options.
One was to avoid the bombardment by advancing north along the coast to go around it. Since the terrain started with the western hill, offering changes in elevation that could block the shells, it was possible to reduce damage to the troops. Although the rear of the transport fleet was being utterly ravaged by Madman Toolbo and the Empire's submarine fleet, there were still many landing forces to join the battlefield. For maximizing the combat power of the forces, it was reasonable for each unit to secure a position and attack the Empire's front line simultaneously.
'The other option is...'
Solongos said, "Hyun-nim, the landing army is on the move!"
"Where to?"
"They are advancing straight towards our trench!"
Sung-Woon nodded.
'As expected.'
While it might seem like a challenging plan, a frontal breakthrough was also an option. The number of the currently landed army was smaller than that of the Empire's forces in the trenches. However, there might not be another opportunity than now. The units that had been at the coastal fortress were still in disarray, not yet having properly positioned themselves in the trenches in front of the Rasdasil Ruins.
Moreover, after the loss of the coastal fortress, the Empire’s army was hastily reinforcing their posts in the trench. Even if the landing forces could minimize damage by going around, the difficulty of the attack could increase proportionally over time.
Most importantly, in a war fought with firearms, if the frontline could be formed immediately, there could be an opportunity to receive additional support through follow-up forces or to extend the length of the frontline later.
Above all, it was clear that Hegemonia had the confidence to win a battle even with fewer troops. It was understandable.
The coastal fortress, which would have been the biggest obstacle, had fallen, and it was only natural to assume that Sung-Woon had used a considerable amount of Faith points to engage the troops of the Sky Castle, which was also true.
'But isn't this too arrogant?'
The two plans of attacking the Rasdasil Ruins directly, as well as filling Faith points through the war to obtain the Large Area: Land and then destroying the ruins seemed to be based on overconfidence to Sung-Woon.
'Or is it not actually overconfidence?'
Sung-Woon pondered for a moment, but soon the next phase of the battle unfolded in his mind. His attack on the Union Kingdom's forces of the Sky Castle through the whirlwinds was not meaningless. There was clearly something he had to wait for.
As Sung-Woon gently pushed his hand over the system window, the whirlwinds covering the Sky Castle gradually faded and soon disappeared.
***
"The whirlwinds have stopped!"
In the underground of the Sky Castle, the second apostle of the Angry One and commander of the ambush forces, the Orc Ankarde, thought that there must be no further delay.
The Angry One commanded all the Union Kingdom's forces standing on dry ground to advance.
The ambush forces intended to strike the rear of the Empire’s forces fleeing from the coastal fortress in the first place.
'I didn't know we would waste so much time.'
With the whirlwinds that were blocking the paths disappeared, they had to hurry and join the landing forces.
‘It might be a trap of some sort, but there's no other choice now. Staying here until all our allies are taken down would only result in being defeated in detail. Even if the whirlwind of Night Sky reappears, we must get out of here.’
Ankarde commanded, "All troops, advance."
Upon Ankarde's command, the military engineering unit that had been waiting underground in the Sky Castle blew up the blocked entrance, opening the way.
Flames and smoke briefly rose from various parts of the Sky Castle, and then the forces of the Union Kingdom began to pour out.
The soldiers of the Union Kingdom, finally seeing the light, did not care about their ruined capital. They slid down the hill that was once the Sky Castle toward the Rasdasil Ruins.
Boom!
However, one of the platoons of the Union Kingdom’s army turned into light and dust and vanished.
A soldier who had narrowly escaped in the rear saw a shadow fall just before the explosion and thought to look up.
"Up there!"
But those words soon became their last. A bomb fell upon the soldier's head and caused a large explosion.
Ankarde looked up. Hovering high above was the Empire’s airship.
'Did the Empire still have aerial forces left?'
That was what Ankarde thought while observing the airship, only to realize that wasn't the case.
The state of the airships was not good. Some had damage to their gasbags, statues on the prow had fallen off, and some even had fires on their hulls. The number of air forces on board was so small that some ships appeared like ghost ships. Yet, despite this, the airships seemed still capable of staying in the air.
'Airships that have already seen combat... I see.'
Ankarde understood immediately.
The Empire’s airships now bombing the ground were those that had survived after battling the airships guarding the Sky Castle.
With the airships at such a high altitude, there was no way to attack them.
Ankarde concentrated and whispered to the chief of staff, Alma Alloy.
-An airship fleet has appeared on the enemy coastal fortress. What's going on?
The reply came soon.
-My apologies, Ankarde...!
The whisper conversation was unstable.
-Our fleet has been defeated in the aerial combat as the command range expanded.
-Are we being attacked?"
-The attacks by the Phoenix Aruna and the Wizard Mazdari are continuing.
-...Focus on the battle. I will do what I must.
-Understood.
Ankarde growled.
'Have we reached a limit?'
It seemed inevitable. The Pantheon had more troops, apostles, and even more gods. Furthermore, the Angry One was refraining from using Faith points so as to challenge the Large Area.
However, Ankarde knew this was the god’s first experience of such a predicament.
When the Angry One first reached the second continent, the Gnolls were treated as invaders, receiving attacks from the entire continent.
Enduring all those combined assaults and dominating the entire continent was the Union Kingdom and the Angry One.
'This time too, I risk all I have.'
Ankarde shouted to the troops crouching to avoid the explosions, "You cowards! Rush toward the explosion!"
Ankarde then grabbed a soldier by their collar and pushed them down below the Sky Castle.
"Stick your heads out in front of the gun barrels! We all die today! The way to Rasdasil is the way to Devil's Mountain! The one who survived the longest will be guaranteed by me, Apostle Ankarde, to take the place at the very bottom of the mountain and suffer eternally!"
The Union Kingdom's army charged toward the explosions.
***
The battle had begun.
In front of the trench, a Troll soldier from the Union Kingdom charged most courageously. Regrettably, this era's war was not a favorable environment for a species like the Trolls. The Empire's bullets rained down on the Troll, who made an easy target. One bullet hit their left forearm, another in the chest. Yet the Troll soldier attempted to take another step.
Then, a high-caliber sniper bullet struck the Troll's jaw. The Troll died before they could even fall.
The kill was done by the Empire's designated sniper Nix, and they sought the next target. The closest was a small-statured Goblin soldier. After aligning the target, sight, and rangefinder in a line, the sniper exhaled all their breath and gently pulled the trigger with the first joint of their index finger toward their chest.
The designated sniper Nix, satisfied with having killed the Goblin soldier, suddenly found their vision blackened amidst the shock of something bearing down on them.
The one who killed the Nix was a Hobgoblin grenadier of the Union Kingdom.
Holding a grenade launcher, the Hobgoblin grenadier said to a platoon leader crouching in a small pit in front of the Empire's trench, "It seems the designated sniper is dead."
"What about the machine gunner?"
"They aren’t visible at this battery. If the Empire has solidified their defenses at the front, there could be places without machine guns on this side."
"Could it be so?"
The Orc platoon leader fell into a moment of contemplation. The Empire's mortars, not far but within sight, had their angles raised to the max, ready to crush the Union Kingdom's forces in front of them. With the barrage of fire that seemed hot enough to melt the barrels, there wasn't much time to think.
"Fix bayonets and grab grenades. We advance to the trenches as is."
"Yes sir!"
At the Orc platoon leader's call to charge, all troops simultaneously rose from the pit and rushed toward the Empire's trenches.
Then the Orc platoon leader, running and firing their rifle in combat stance, realized their judgment had been a mistake.
The Empire's Satyr machine gunner had lifted a machine gun battery that was hidden on the trench floor. It was not hidden intentionally. In fact, the supply of machine guns had been delayed and had only been deployed belatedly. However, it was set up just in time.
As the machine gun blazed, members of the Union Kingdom's squad tumbled and rolled on the ground. The nearby Halfling assistant gunner quickly replaced the overheated barrel and aligned the belt-fed magazine to avoid tangling. But no matter how superior the quality of the Empire's military supplies were, machinery tended to malfunction at unexpected moments.
"Malfunction!" As a misfire jammed the machine gun, the Halfling assistant gunner hurriedly shouted.
Then the Halfling noticed the Satyr machine gunner's expression filled with horror, and reflexively, they looked beyond the battery.
A Siege Golem, large as a house, had already reached them. It attempted to smash the machine gun battery with its massive stone fist. A machine gun alone couldn’t hope to do more than delay such an enemy in the first place.
Sensing their encroaching death, the Halfling assistant gunner tightly shut their eyes.
Just then, a golden spear flew in and pierced the heart of the Angry One's Siege Golem, where its core was located.
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