The black sun hangs high

Chapter 429 Shooting at High Altitude

The Dawn Society's massive offensive came so suddenly and swiftly, just like the day they officially stepped onto the stage of Vane.

This massive operation, which had been in preparation for some time, was named the "Arunbaru Offensive".

Alternatively, it can be simply referred to as "Operation Watch".

Interestingly, when Watchtower was first established, the Saint Steel royal family entrusted it with the important responsibility of "guarding and protecting the northern territories." The royal family believed that the city was not only a hub on the border, but also a strong fortress for controlling a large area.

However, the once miserable miners who were "rented" to neighboring countries for the benefit of the royal family have now become the embodiment of the word "guardianship." They yearn to liberate their homeland and hometown and hope to drive out those dangerous enemies and things with their own strength.

After this period of brewing, the warriors' hatred for the Black Sun Society and the utterly corrupt Saint Steel royal family had reached its peak.

They knew very well that they were ordinary people, flesh and blood beings who could be easily killed by magic and bullets.

However, they also knew that their opponents were not much worse off.

From the very beginning, the Dawn Society has been doing its best to educate its soldiers about the true situation of the enemy, including mages, hostile soldiers, and even the strange monsters summoned by the Black Sun Society. Any important information that can be obtained is compiled into a booklet by Felix with the assistance of other members and then disseminated throughout the army.

No one will reject these messages.

Even the laziest and least studious soldiers would listen attentively when officers and scholars explained this knowledge. Unlike other complex ideas and concepts, under the integration of Felix and others, this information was always more direct and more practical—it could very well determine life or death on the battlefield.

When facing different enemies and opponents, what weapons and strategies should be used, where should the enemy be fired, and when should one approach vehicles and accompanying mages for cover...?

Such experience and knowledge have been emphasized countless times, and now, these soldiers have finally ushered in the moment to further verify them.

Inside one of the new vehicles, dubbed the "Crawler," a group of tense faces swayed nervously in the darkness.

Each of them could hear the roar from afar and feel the vibrations as the vehicles rolled over the mud and various obstacles.

"Crack!"

A soldier reached out and opened a "window" on the side of the vehicle, allowing light to enter and illuminate the faces, both young and old.

This window is a narrow slit shrouded in protective ceremonies; it can be used as a firing port, but most of the time it is better suited as an observation window.

Through the narrow window, the soldiers inside the carriage could see other "crawlers" advancing in an orderly fashion nearby, while some extremely distinctive "cavalrymen" quickly passed through the gaps and sped off into the distance.

Without exception, these cavalrymen were all elven residents from the northern border region.

The horses they rode were not ordinary warhorses, but rather snow wolves with long, slender bodies, wide hooves, and greyish-white fur.

This is a ferocious wolf-like beast with a large herd that is active in the northern region. It is a relatively common type of magical beast. The magical power they possess far exceeds that of ordinary beasts, but it is not enough to cast spells. Therefore, they use this magical power to modify their bodies, making their movements faster and their reactions more agile.

Therefore, the elves living in the mountains and hills of the North would try to tame these snow wolves.

This custom has continued for countless years, and these elven wolf riders have always been seen in the wars that have taken place in the past. Now, the Dawn Order has given these riders a new mission—they are no longer required to charge the enemy's positions, but will instead focus more on reconnaissance and vigilance.

The snow wolves' natural advantages not only allow them to move quickly in harsh terrain, but also enable them to detect the approach of dangerous creatures earlier. These cavalrymen, equipped with miniature communication devices and capable of sending simple warning signals to the rear, will become the forward outposts of the advancing main force.

This measure was quickly proven to be effective.

After three rounds of shelling, the scouts, who had already advanced quite a distance, noticed something amiss. The elven riders simultaneously discovered that their mounts had suddenly stopped running, the snow wolves' ears had drooped down and were pressed against their heads, their fur had stood on end, their sharp teeth were showing, and their eyes were fixed on the distant sky.

"Watch out for the sky! Watch out for the sky!"

Soon, the special warning message successfully passed through the magical turbulence in the cold plains and was successfully transmitted to the rear. Upon receiving the order, the advancing "crawler" convoy immediately slowed down, and some of the vehicles began to activate pre-prepared arcane devices. As a result, magic specifically designed to confuse perception and create illusions began to spread. It quickly merged together, covering almost all the vehicles and the soldiers inside.

"Don't make a sound, stay quiet, and stop peeking at and observing the sky!"

Similar instructions rang out inside all the carriages, and all the soldiers turned to look inside. Some young men couldn't resist turning to look out the window, but were immediately stopped by their comrades or superiors, and the open observation windows were quickly closed.

Meanwhile, the Dawn Society mages who stayed in the cockpit, responsible for maintaining the magical ritual and observing the situation, became the few who needed to face the sky directly.

Soon, they saw large, dark clouds appear at the edge of their vision. These were countless giant Asharu birds gathered together, a special legion prepared by the Black Sun Society to deal with large-scale offensives.

As the most flexible part of the Black Sun Society's defensive system, they reacted immediately after the Dawn Society launched its artillery barrage and attack, beginning their aerial advance. Needless to say, the target of these terrifying giant birds, capable of casting destructive magic, was to intercept and kill as many advancing troops as possible. They were incredibly fast, almost like a rolling wave of the sea.

These ferocious Yasaru giant birds make no attempt to conceal their presence; such is their nature—when their numbers are large enough and their prey is weak enough, they will display their most arrogant and ferocious side.

Through the instructions and jumbled messages instilled by the Black Sun Society spellcasters, they learned that large groups of delicious prey were approaching right in front of them, enough to feed the entire clan.

These ferocious and bizarre birds of prey were driven by a greedy predatory instinct, and even the Black Sun Society mages who rode on their backs, constantly observing the ground and preparing to cast spells, could not completely control the flock.

Another round of bombardment was launched, crystal shells streaking across the sky, creating countless void paths. Magical turbulence burst forth from these dangerous voids, perfectly interfering with the keen senses of the giant birds of Azalea, while also affecting the Black Sun Society spellcasters' assessment of the situation on the plains below.

Trust in these ancient creations, and contempt for the Dawn Society, meant they didn't really examine the seemingly messy area. They simply glanced at it with their naked eyes, and finding nothing of interest, they spurred the flock forward.

The members of the Dawn Division, who were inside the cockpit of the "Crawler," nervously looked up at the sky.

As the dark cloud rolled overhead, their hearts raced. What made them nervous wasn't the impending battle, but the "mission" they carried.

Unable to bear the oppressive feeling emanating from the flock of Yasaru birds any longer, a middle-aged driver lowered his head and gritted his teeth, asking, "Are we just going to let them pass like this? We're carrying 'Kalvans' in the vehicles, loaded with high-powered crystal bullets, why don't we give it a try?"

The mage accompanying him, who had served in the Delan army, remained remarkably calm: "That's something the rear guard has to do. Don't forget our own mission... Trust in the preparations we've made, and trust in our comrades."

"I know I know."

The driver licked his dry lips, took two deep breaths, and tried to control his emotions and heartbeat.

For the soldiers sitting in the dark inside the train carriage, this situation was even more unbearable.

They couldn't see what was happening above them and could only silently pray that nothing unexpected would happen. Some of them had even begun to silently load special ammunition, designed specifically to deal with Yasharu, into their revolvers. The dense flapping of wings was truly unsettling.

However, the soldiers' worst fears did not come true.

These deadly and terrifying flocks of birds eventually flew over the concealed convoy, and soon the giant birds in the sky emitted extremely piercing and noisy shrieks—they had finally locked onto their target, the Akatsuki infantry column that was slowly advancing further away. It appeared that these infantrymen were not carrying many heavy weapons, which indicated that they posed no real threat to the flock of birds in the sky.

Once the target was confirmed, a breathtaking whistle suddenly rang out high in the sky—the attack order issued by the Black Sun Society mages.

The black clouds became turbulent, surging, twisting, and converging openly in the sky before quickly dispersing in different directions. This was a hunting formation that had been ingrained in the instincts of the Yasaru giant bird since ancient times, and it was also the posture they used most often when hunting as the claws of the moon eagle.

The Black Sun Society members responsible for mobilizing and commanding the flock of birds were very satisfied with this. With the help of magic, they could clearly see the reactions of the poorly equipped Dawn Society army in the distance. They looked terrified, their ranks became chaotic, and some soldiers even began to try to fire into the air. However, this behavior was meaningless and only made them laugh. After all, even high-powered crystal bullets could not fly to such a height.

Soon, the death descent of the Yasaru flock began.

A dark red magical glow began to shimmer on their bodies, and dark magic formed a light yet sturdy armor. In the process, fragments of magic burst forth and transformed into sharp blades.

As the giant bird Yasharu swooped down, these crimson magical blades fell first towards the most densely populated areas of the crowd. They would create chaos among the people and slice through the flesh of their prey for the birds to feast on.

However, just as these magical lights and shadows were about to hit their target, a semi-transparent magical barrier rose from the ground, standing like a solid fortress directly in front of those blood-red blades.

Amidst the violent tremors, the rituals set up inside the infantry ranks were voluntarily dispelled by the accompanying mages, revealing a large number of specially modified steam vehicles. Unlike the "crawlers" at the front, which were mainly responsible for transporting infantry, these larger vehicles were clearly equipped with several different heavy weapons.

Among them were the "Yuanmu Gun," specifically designed for long-range sniping, and the "Kalfan Heavy Machine Gun," capable of quickly creating a fire network. More importantly, there were long, narrow cannons already aimed at the sky.

This uniquely designed crystal cannon requires two soldiers and one accompanying mage to operate simultaneously.

The soldiers responsible for operating the weapons were already impatient. Facing the dense black shadows above their heads, they began firing at the same time. The dull sounds rang out at an extremely high frequency, and the magic circuits on the gun mounts began to flash violently.

Under the control of the accompanying mages, these intricate magical circuits were constantly being fine-tuned within a controllable range, and each flash meant that the next small crystal projectile to be fired was imprinted with a special "self-destruct ritual".

Under the influence of these rituals, the crystal cannonballs, which should have continued flying forward until they hit their target or ran out of power, would explode directly when the ritual took effect. Thus, with the archers' precise aim and the mages' meticulous calculations, one after another, clouds of magical explosions filled with countless sharp metal shrapnel and crystal fragments bloomed in the air. With each explosion, the deadly impact and debris would create a bloody hole inside the dense flock of birds.

Ever since Hugh Ernst sent the message "Beware of aerial enemies" to the rear at all costs, scholars from the Dawn Society and the Vaan Magic Academy have been conducting relevant research without stopping.

Now is the time to verify these research findings.

(End of this chapter)