The massive forcefield shields held remarkably firm, virtually indestructible. Armored transports towing mortars, steam tanks, and Imperial infantry pressed forward in the wake of the giant mechs, sheltered from the Thracian defenders' bombardment.
Yet the dragons and airships in the sky were not so fortunate. Swaths of wyverns were swallowed by billowing flames, while blazing airships plummeted toward the earth like colossal fireballs before detonating in thunderous explosions.
Arturo raised his saber and roared in fury, "All units, heed my command—fire! Blast open that Thracian tortoise shell!"
In an instant, the barrels of mortars and steam tanks angled upward in unison. Brilliant muzzle flashes erupted alongside endless plumes of dense smoke.
*Boom—!*
Devastating shells pounded the glowing barrier one after another. The ferocious shockwaves sent tremors running through the ramparts once more, causing several more soldiers to tumble over the edge with agonized wails.
Behind the Imperial lines, court spellcasters hovered in midair, staves in hand, chanting in low, ancient Draconic.
*Roar—!*
To the sky's rumbling fury, nine clawed fire dragons lunged toward Auguste. They unleashed a surging sea of flames that mercilessly scorched the ramparts, setting the translucent barrier violently flickering.
These spells were cast through the channeled power of the Cinder Emperor, carrying the destructive might of eighth-circle or higher magic—more than enough to level an entire city.
Yet magic required tradition and generations of accumulation, something the Empire naturally lacked.
Thrace's Arcane Legion was hardly an easy opponent. Drawing upon the profound heritage of Holy Fadlan, their ranks even boasted legendary wizards.
*Whoosh—!*
Amid violent fluctuations in the Weave, a colossal vortex materialized in midair. Its immense suction swallowed the raging flames whole, siphoning them straight into the elemental towers.
Moments later, atop one of the elemental towers, a massive sphere of fire nearly ten meters in diameter took shape. At its core, immense power surged, radiating a blinding glare as if something were about to be birthed from within.
"Not good! The enemy absorbed our spellcraft! Brace for their counterattack!"
The Imperial spellcasters paled and shouted hasty warnings, raising their staves together to deploy layered magical barriers across the sky.
At the same time, the giant mechs interlocked their forcefield shields, forming an impenetrable, fortress-like energy barrier.
*Boom—!*
A blinding pillar of fire tore through the heavens, piercing over a dozen magical barriers in succession before smashing into the armored legion's colossal shields and bursting into a canopy of flames.
"Damn Thracians!"
"Tear them apart!"
Imperial officers brandished their sabers once more, bellowing with rage.
The Empire's firepower grew fiercer still. In the distance, heavy artillery resumed its volleys; on the front line, steam tanks fired armor-piercing rounds; and the infantry poured forth relentless streams of lead. Gunfire and acrid smoke threatened to swallow the entire battlefield.
High in the air, Smaug spread his wings and threw his head back in a piercing cry, exuding terrifying draconic majesty.
*Roar—!*
In an instant, an Imperial dragon swarm of over a thousand drakes surged forward like a storm cloud, beating their wings in frantic unison as they dove toward the city of Auguste.
Pouncing on flaws in the glowing barrier, they squeezed through the gaps and threw themselves upon the defenders lining the walls, wildly clawing, biting, and spewing searing dragonflame.
Panic seized the Thracians, throwing the ramparts into chaos as shouts and screams echoed through the sky.
"Vile beasts!"
"Quick! Crossbowmen, kill these mongrels!"
Under barking orders from their officers, Thracian soldiers raised their bows and hand crossbows, firing relentlessly into the swirling swarm of drakes.
Infantry wielding golden shields and long spears held the front line, bracing against the diving beasts and thrusting their spears into the sky, repeatedly running them through the drakes' chests.
Further back by the solar ballistas, crews strained against the capstans to wind the mechanisms taut. When released, colossal golden bolts pierced three or four drakes in a single shot, skewering them together in midair.
The drakes wailed and shrieked amid splatters of blood and scales as wounded beasts rained down from the sky. Yet many soldiers were also incinerated by dragonflame, impaled by venomous tails, or had their heads bitten off outright.
*Awoo—!*
The wyverns proved exceptionally cunning. Flocking toward the ballistas in packs, they slashed with talons, drove their stingers forward, and sprayed blistering fire, reducing the precious solar ballistas and their operating crews to heaps of charred slag.
The battlements descended into bloody turmoil. That chaotic clash bought the Imperial main force precious breathing room—and the chance to tear the barrier apart.
Unit after unit of giant mechs closed in on the glowing curtain, extending spiral lances inscribed with spatial magic from their forearms.
The towering machines leaped into the air, the flame thrusters at their elbows igniting in a burst of acceleration. Driving their spiral lances with unstoppable momentum, they drove them deep into the barrier.
The seemingly impenetrable barrier shuddered and warped before a dense web of fissures began spreading across its surface.
Immediately after, the main guns of the tanks elevated their barrels and fired another volley, each armor-piercing shell striking the barrier's weakened spots until its light grew dimmer and dimmer.
*Crack—!*
A massive breach finally shattered open. Like a flood bursting through a broken dam, the Imperial army poured into the gap.
Seeing this, Thracian officers atop the walls cried out in alarm, "The holy barrier is failing! Stop them, now!"
*Boom—!*
Auguste's iron gates slowly ground upward. Accompanied by heavy, resonant footfalls, colossal iron golems strode forth, lunging at the giant mechs outside the barrier.
One iron golem let out a guttural roar, the alchemical matrices across its frame blazing with light as it threw an iron fist toward the mech before it.
The giant mech raised the forcefield shield on its left arm to deflect the blow, while the elemental heavy cannon on its right arm unleashed a blinding beam of fire that punched straight through the golem's midsection, obliterating the intricate alchemical matrix within.
From launchers mounted on the mech's back, over a hundred missiles fired in rapid sequence, slamming into the advancing iron golems and scorching their plating black, drawing furious howls from the constructs.
Soon, another iron golem caught a giant mech's head in its sights, driving a punch that crushed the alloyed helm into scrap. The mech crashed heavily to the ground, the pilot inside reduced to paste.
*Boom! Crash!*
The colossal titans brawled together, forged iron clashing against alloyed fists in shocks that rattled the city walls and fractured the stone underfoot.
Yet the steam tanks and Imperial infantry were far from useless. They held their triggers down without pause, spraying concentrated fire to pepper the iron golems with countless perforations.
"Amaunator above... look, what is that?"
"G-gods..."
A portal slowly dilated in the distant sky, revealing a colossal shadow over two hundred meters long—a floating fortress. It was the *Isdalia*, flagship of the Cinder Empire's Third Airship Legion.
Incorporating infernal technology provided by Bel, the dreadnought was powered by twelve hellfire furnaces operating in parallel. Massive gear assemblies converted the magma's heat into pulsing magical energy to drive runic pistons, while the exhaust venting from its steam valves stirred a storm of sulfurous clouds.
Deadliest of all was the weapon of ruin mounted beneath its hull: a "Maw of Annihilation"-class magitech orbital bombardment cannon.
Thirty meters long and cast in pitch-black infernal iron, the cannon bristled with menacing horn-like projections along its hexagonal barrel. Lined with seventeen layers of arcane runic plating, a single discharge consumed tens of thousands of gold coins worth of energy crystals.
It was the most destructive, lethal weapon in the Empire's current arsenal, brought to this battlefield for one singular purpose—to crush the city of Auguste!
"Prepare to fire!"
Inside the airship, hundreds of Imperial soldiers hauled energy crystals into place and turned pressure valves. Sulfurous steam billowed endlessly as mechanical gearwork groaned, slowly rotating the grotesquely oversized barrel into alignment.
The captain of the *Isdalia* stared at the needles twitching across the control console and manually disengaged the safety valves. "Let those cowardly Thracians witness the true aesthetics of violence!"
*Hum—*
The yawning black muzzle locked onto Auguste, beginning to unleash a blinding brilliance.
The mere buildup of its ambient energy stirred wild gales across miles, churning clouds of dust that swept over the earth and warping the very fabric of space.
This single shot had the power to shatter the sacred realm itself!
Staring at the brilliance gathering at the muzzle, even Wilhelm, hovering above the Sun Tower, snapped his eyes open, his voice thick with fury: "Stop them!"
"For Thrace!"
"For Amaunator! Destroy that cannon!"
In an instant, the angelic godblood circling the Sun Tower let out a ringing battle cry. Brandishing blazing longswords, they snapped their wings wide and dove down with piercing shrieks.
Tirena led the charge at the vanguard, divine light flaring in her eyes as she raised her Sword of Judgment to direct the winged host.
*Roar—!*
At Smaug's commanding roar, the lesser dragons surged forward like rolling storm clouds or a swelling tide, scrambling to intercept the angelic godblood.
Yet countless blades of light crisscrossed the sky, slicing through space with ease. Searing dragon blood and severed limbs sprayed into the air.
In mere moments, the angelic godblood butchered every drake in their path, sending crippled carcasses plummeting toward the earth.
"His Majesty Wilhelm grants you death!"
Tirena swung her sword with ferocious momentum. Trailing golden light like falling stars, the angelic godblood streaked toward the distant *Isdalia*.
Just then, a sonorous dragon roar echoed from above their flank. A tremendous wave of draconic majesty swept outward, striking momentary daze and dread even into the hearts of the godblood.
"Impossible! We are the scions of the Sun God—how could we feel fear?!"
"That's—"
Tirena snapped her head upward in shock. Looming above them was the colossal, fearsome phantom of a red dragon—and summoning this phantom were nearly three hundred fully armored wyvern knights: the Redscale Conquerors!
"Redscale Conquerors—Dragon Roar Charge!" Alger raised the Everburning Greatsword, threw back his head, and let out a thundering draconic roar. Behind him, the Redscale Conquerors bellowed in unison as they plunged into their charge.
Their voices blended and resonated together, producing an aura of draconic dread akin to the personal descent of the Cinder Emperor himself!
Simultaneously, the phantom red dragon behind them swelled larger and more majestic—this was the Dragon Roar Charge, fueled by the united might of the Redscale Conquerors!
At Alger's command, the diving wyvern formation tore through the clouds, the serrated edges of their wings creating fiery contrails against the friction of the wind.
Riding the momentum of his dive, Alger swept the Everburning Greatsword across, severing an angelic godblood's head in a single stroke. Beside him, other Redscale Conquerors thrust their red dragon lances forward, driving clean through the chests of their foes.
Yet Tirena had already snapped out of her daze. Looking upon the wyvern knights before her, unchecked fury washed over her delicate features, her entire form flaring with dazzling divine light.
"Vile dragon claws! You court death! What gave you the audacity to harm the descendants of the Sun God?!"
Countless lances condensed from holy light burst from behind Tirena, impaling seven Redscale Conquerors through the chest in an instant. With a single sweeping arc of her Sword of Judgment, three wyverns were severed at the waist, blood erupting into the sky.
By now, the rest of the angelic godblood had recovered. Swinging their flaming swords, they unleashed terrifying bursts of divine power, clashing furiously against the Redscale Conquerors.
Flashes of radiant explosions bloomed repeatedly within the cloud cover. Over a hundred wyverns fought to climb with battered bodies, red and golden blood intertwining into a rainbow of slaughter as godblood and Redscale Conquerors plunged from the sky.
Amid the chaotic fray, Mantou gripped his lance tight and charged an angelic godblood who had turned his back.
"Birdman, don't run!"
*Swish—!*
"Insolent fools." Tirena split a pursuing Redscale Conqueror in two with a single backhand slice, then beat her wings, transforming into a streak of light that shot straight toward the orbital cannon about to fire.
Tirena held her Sword of Judgment high. Golden radiance coalesced into a colossal blade over ten meters long, sweeping downward out of the sky to cleave the *Isdalia* in two.
"For the Lord of Eternal Radiance!" Solar divine power poured forth, the heavens seeming to crack open under the godblood duchess's blade, parting the very clouds.
Yet high in the air, a colossal hand woven of dragonflame materialized and caught the falling blade barehanded!
"Impossible... that's impossible!" Seeing this, Tirena's face drained of color in pure disbelief.
Accompanied by fire and ash, Misha appeared, her left hand extended toward the sky. Her voice was cold and detached:
"Your Sun God has already fallen into eternal slumber. And for you remnants of an old era, only one end awaits—total annihilation by the Empire!"
"Gravitational warp field at ninety percent... hellfire furnace overload warning!"
"Full charge achieved!"
At that moment, the Maw of Annihilation completed its sequence. A beam of light nearly ten meters wide erupted from the barrel, tearing through the sky like divine retribution as it blasted toward Auguste, miles away.
*Boom—!*
Chapter 704