Slaughter

“Boom!” “Hahahahaha! Incredible! I’ve never blasted anything with this much satisfaction!” “Battle! What a rush!” Within the artillery positions behind the defensive line, Datou, the ogre supreme commander of the First Artillery Corps, threw his head back and bellowed with laughter, his fat-laden belly shaking violently with every roar. “Boom! Boom!” All across the emplacement, the artillery crews worked in a frenzy of blistering activity. Hundreds of heavy guns fired without pause, pouring ordnance down into the surging demonic tide and shaking the earth to its very core. In this war, there were more than a dozen such artillery corps, each assigned a strictly designated bombardment sector to guarantee total saturation fire. With practiced skill, Datou shoved several shells—each weighing upwards of a hundred kilograms—into the breech of his custom-built giant cannon, unleashing them with an earth-shattering roar. He raised his spyglass to scan the distant plains. A mushroom cloud billowed high into the sky, swallowing another hundred dretches and quasits in its blast. “These demons are born target practice!” The ogre bellowed toward the rest of the heavy artillery corps, “Where are those prototypes from the Department of Technology? Bring ’em all out and give ’em a spin! “Haha! I was just worrying we’d never find a use for those toys. This is the perfect chance to have these demons test the results for us!” …… “Boom!” Yet another shell detonated above the demonic horde, this time releasing a thick plume of white smoke. The instant the vapor made contact with the dretches, their exposed skin ignited. Rotting flesh melted straight down to the bone! “Aaargh!” “Hooowl—” Hundreds of demons flailed and shrieked amid the flames, rolling desperately across the dirt until they were reduced to ash. Those were white phosphorus shells. A cruel weapon openly condemned by imperial scholars for its horrifying lethality, yet against demons, nothing could be more fitting. “Boom!” Another shell burst midair. Alongside jagged shrapnel, it discharged a blinding flash of lightning, instantly knocking down every demon within a hundred-meter radius. —These were elemental artillery shells, the latest research breakthrough from the Imperial Department of Technology, capable of channeling specific elemental energies to unleash devastating power. Immediately after, shells inscribed with an assortment of glowing runes detonated among the fiendish host. Fire, radiant light, force, lightning, and even frost erupted in sequence throughout the demonic tide. Against the airborne fiends, the empire was even more merciless. Specially crafted airburst shells detonated overhead, scattering tens of thousands of steel fragments that shredded and brought down hundreds of demons in an instant. “Boom!” “Boom! Boom! Boom!” The bombardment raged on relentlessly. Under the dense barrage of fire, the demonic legion’s advance slowed to a crawl. Streaking trails of shells crisscrossed the sky, weaving a dense iron canopy that blanketed the entire plain. The artillery barrage formed an invisible wall of blood and fire, mercilessly butchering every fiend that attempted to force its way through. Acrid smoke hung heavy over the earth as the entire plain shuddered. The areas suffering the heaviest bombardment were scarred with colossal craters, and rolling hills were leveled flat. Yet the fiends were simply too numerous. Even a barrage this intense could not completely halt their relentless stride. “Forward!” “Their attacks are nothing! Move forward, now! Do you want Lord Jelrazak to annihilate you completely?” Leo roared over the howl of artillery fire. Mounted atop an abyssal drake, he cracked his long whip through the air with a sharp snap. Compared to rebirth in the Blood Pits, these demons feared total annihilation far more. Moreover, dretches were utterly terrified of higher-ranking fiends—a dread that surpassed their fear of death itself. Under his intimidation, the dretches braved the merciless shelling, clambering over the mangled corpses of their fallen kin and hurtling headlong toward death. Blast after blast echoed as explosions blanketed the dretches’ ranks. Hundreds, thousands of demons were charred to cinders in an instant, erased from the Material Plane. “Too slow, far too slow… “Lord Jelrazak will not be pleased…” Leo watched the demon host surge forward in endless waves only to be cut down, his mind churning with grim frustration. In truth, he found himself quite well-suited to the Abyss. Both worlds shared an extreme hierarchy; to him, these dretches were just like the serfs of the Northlands—worthless wretches to be expended at will. Yet dretches were naturally sluggish and brainless. In battle, they possessed zero efficiency, capable only of human-wave tactics to stall the enemy. “Weak, worthless vermin…” Watching the dretches fall in vast swathes, harvested like weeds beneath the artillery fire, Leo ground his teeth. He knew he had to break the stalemate if he was to have any hope of vengeance. “Hezrou legion, charge!” Raising his flaming longsword, he bellowed commands to the monstrous, toad-like fiends. These demons possessed armor-like hides studded with scales that glistened with foul moisture, reeking with an intolerable stench. In the Abyss, hezrous served as line infantry. Though brutish and physically powerful, their intellect was dim, making them easy prey for stronger demons to deceive and drive to the slaughter. “Roaaar—!” “Crush those humans!” A hezrou chieftain brandished its massive fist and led the charge, with dozens of hezrou fighters pounding close behind, surging toward the scorched, cratered earth. “Boom!” “Boom! Boom!” Shells rained down around them, yet inflicted few casualties. The hezrous’ charge barely faltered. These fiends possessed thick, armored hides and inherent fire resistance. Unless struck by a direct hit at point-blank range, neither blast waves nor flying shrapnel could easily pierce their bulk. Furthermore, the desires driving these hezrous were exceedingly simple: the sheer thrill of devouring living flesh, and the ecstatic joy of using their fists to smash and pulverize beautiful things. “Hahahahaha! “Their attacks are weak! Follow me, charge!” The hezrou chieftain laughed wildly, weaving through falling shells and plunging through the curtain of fire toward the imperial fortifications. “Eat these Material Plane vermin alive! Tear down their empire!” *Click!* Midway through its arrogant roar, a crisp metallic snap echoed from beneath its foot, accompanied by the distinct give of stepping on an object. The hezrou paused, looking down in confusion and scratching its head before lunging forward once more. The instant it lifted its foot— “Boom!” A towering column of fire erupted into the sky, a massive mushroom cloud blossoming across the battlefield. At such point-blank proximity, even a hezrou was grievously wounded. “Damn you!” “You dretch-spawned worms! Treacherous humans!” The hezrou’s once-brawny legs were reduced to charred, smoking blackened stumps. Clutching its limbs, it writhed on the dirt, still hurling venomous curses toward the Imperial Wall. *Click.* Another crisp snap. The hezrou turned its head in disbelief, only to see a red light blinking frantically on a device pinned beneath its torso. “Boom!” Another mushroom cloud rose into the air. This time, a gaping crater was blown through the demon’s torso, ending its life on the spot. The exact same fate befell dozens of hezrous and over a thousand dretches that managed to breach the artillery barrage. This was the second gift the Imperial Military Ministry had prepared for their guests from the Abyss—a minefield. Across a zone one thousand kilometers long and two kilometers wide before the defenses, the empire had buried the vast majority of the landmines produced over recent years, estimated at more than three hundred thousand in total. Some had even been reinforced with magic, capable of annihilating mid-tier demons at close range.