Trench Bolts and Magic

Chapter 61 Eldridge? Armed Helicopters!
Eldridge's face was so dark it looked like it could drip water, and his eyes were filled with murderous intent.

Clearly, the heavy losses suffered by the Holy Britannian Empire's expeditionary force and the Knights of Garde had thoroughly enraged this high-ranking instructor of the Highland Mage Order.

The final straw that broke the high-level mentor's sanity was that he had just found the bodies of his two apprentices.

They were even stabbed to death with bayonets by infantrymen whom he considered ants.
This also means that he lost three carefully trained apprentices in just one day.

Even in the Holy Britannian Empire, the number of newborns with mage talent is decreasing year by year, not to mention those promising talents.

Being selected as a mage apprentice in the Highland Mage Order means you're definitely one of the best among these promising talents.

It should be noted that the Highland Mage Order may only recruit a few qualified mage apprentices every few years. Eldridge was able to obtain these three outstanding apprentices only because of his experience in many overseas battles for the Empire and his two major magical improvements.

Given their demonstrated talent in magic, coupled with the resources provided by the Highland Mage Order and Eldridge personally, barring any unforeseen circumstances, they are almost destined to become archmages in the future.

For Eldridge, being able to train high-ranking mages would also increase his influence and further elevate his status within the Highland Mage Order.
But now things have gone wrong, and the person is gone.

On the other side, the moment Morin saw this high-level mage, his heart sank to the bottom.

Although he had previously led his soldiers to successfully kill two mage apprentices, that was because the opponents had little combat experience and panicked when the infantry got close.

The guy in front of me is a genuine high-level mage, and also a 'high-risk unit' certified by the system. He is someone who can turn the tide of the entire battle single-handedly!
On the battlefield, everyone noticed this uninvited guest.

The fierce battle came to a brief halt.

Upon seeing Eldridge, the Brittany soldiers erupted in thunderous cheers, their morale soaring.

The Saxon soldiers, on the other hand, were all deathly pale, their eyes revealing undisguised fear.

"Just a mage! And we've already repelled him once, what are you afraid of! Keep attacking!"

Captain Hauser yelled at the top of his lungs, trying to calm the troops.

Without hesitation, Morin raised his gun, aimed, and fired. Seeing this, the soldiers in the three rows around him also aimed and fired at the mage in the air.

However, Eldridge seemed to have no intention of paying attention to the infantry on the ground; his gaze was fixed on the three Siegfried 1s that were ganging up on the last enemy.

Although the highland mages' previous combat style—hiding under heavy protection and throwing AOE attacks—meant that neither Eldridge nor any other mage had experience fighting armored knights at close range.

But this did not stop the high-level mentor, who was completely obsessed, from making these lumps of iron his primary target for elimination.

However, before that, he did find the gunshots coming from nearby buildings rather noisy.

Eldridge didn't even land; he just hovered straight above the street, raising his left hand, which was adorned with several ornate rings.

Then he pointed his index finger at the building where Morin and the others were, and the ruby ​​ring on his index finger flashed, and a spell was instantly cast!

A fireball, a size larger than a basketball and burning with dark red flames, appeared out of thin air in front of his index finger and then crashed into the building where Morin and his team had just been shooting.

"Not good! Retreat!" Morin only had time to issue a warning.

"boom--!"

In the blink of an eye, the dark red fireball slammed into the building's exterior wall.

This fireball, activated by the ring, was significantly more powerful than the fireball cast by the mage apprentice.

The violent explosion instantly blasted a huge hole in the wall that was riddled with bullet holes, and the terrifying shockwave directly collapsed half of the roof.

Gravel and bricks rained down, forcing Morin, Hauser, and the others to retreat in disarray to a neighboring building, abandoning the firing point they had painstakingly established.

But this is just the beginning.

After forcing Morin and the others back with one blow, Eldridge's next target was the armored knight in the middle of the street.

He raised his hand again, this time holding a spell scroll he had just pulled from his robes.

As a wisp of mana was injected to activate it, Eldridge tore open the extremely precious spell scroll, crafted by a legendary high-level spell from the Highland Mage Order, without the slightest hesitation.

Immediately afterwards, a huge sword made entirely of translucent force field energy, shimmering with a pale purple light, appeared out of thin air in front of him.

Seventh Ring Spell - Demon Duncan's Sword!
A powerful energy manipulation spell created by an ancient legendary archmage, renowned among mages!

“Go!” Eldridge pointed forward.

The force field sword, formed by the force field, seemed to have a life of its own, and rushed towards a 'Siegfried Type 1' with lightning speed.

The pilot of this armored knight was naturally prepared, so he moved laterally to evade the force field sword the moment it struck.

Unfortunately, he underestimated the absurd mobility of the force field sword created by this high-ring spell.

"I can dodge cannonballs, what am I afraid of?"

The thought had just crossed the mind of the armored knight driver.

But the pale purple force field sword drew a graceful arc in the air, as if it had locked onto the armored knight, and then accelerated past it after slightly changing its trajectory.

"Fuck!"

A dull sound that made one's teeth ache.

With a simple, straightforward thrust, it pierced through the Siegfried 1 that was closest to Eldridge!
The pilot of the 'Siegfried 1' didn't even understand what was happening before the indestructible force field sword pierced through him and the cockpit, leaving a transparent hole.

All of the armored knight's movements came to an abrupt halt, and then he collapsed with a thud.

“WDNMD”

When Morin saw this while aiming his gun, he couldn't help but curse out loud.

He had to admit that these high-level mages were more powerful than he had imagined; wasn't their ability to instantly kill armored knights a bit too outrageous?
This kind of combat—where soldiers suddenly fly to the battlefield, hover to attack infantry inside buildings, and then destroy armored knights with a tracking attack—was becoming increasingly familiar to Morin.
"Isn't this just an attack helicopter with Hellfire armor???"

On the other hand, Eldridge secretly breathed a sigh of relief after landing a successful blow, as it was his first time engaging in such close-quarters combat.

After landing a successful blow, a cruel sneer appeared on his face. With a change of hand gesture, the force field sword hovering in the air launched another attack.

This time, its target is Ludwig's car!
The force field sword deftly completed its final spin in mid-air, then slashed down at a tricky angle!

"Lieutenant Colonel, watch out!" William shouted in alarm through the armored knight's external speaker.

Ludwig reacted swiftly; realizing that he couldn't dodge the attack, he immediately raised his shield to try and block it.

However, the sharpness of the force field sword far exceeded his expectations.

With a crisp "clang!", the thick shield, strong enough to withstand artillery fire, was cleaved in two by the force field sword and slammed to the ground. However, this parry altered the trajectory of the force field sword, which, with its remaining momentum, struck Ludwig's vehicle's legs with tremendous force!

"Bang!"

With a piercing metallic snapping sound, Ludwig's 'Siegfried I' slew off its two thick mechanical legs cleanly.

The massive machine lost its balance and tilted heavily backward, crashing right next to the ruins where Morin and his group had just escaped, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Lieutenant Colonel Ludwig!"

Merlin, Captain Hauser, and others gasped in surprise.

In an instant, the situation on the battlefield took a sharp turn for the worse!

The original three-on-one absolute advantage vanished in an instant with the intervention of Eldridge, a high-ranking mage.

One Siegfried Type 1 was destroyed on the spot, and Ludwig's vehicle was also cut off by its legs, completely losing its combat capability.

The only thing still standing on the battlefield was the Siegfried 1, piloted by Ludwig's adjutant, Wilhelm.

"asshole!"

William, his eyes bloodshot, roared angrily from inside the cockpit.

He watched as his superiors and comrades fell one after another, and the immense grief and anger made him temporarily forget his fear of high-ranking mages.

Just as Eldridge was about to regain control of the suspended "Sword of Duncan" to deliver the final blow to Ludwig, William made an unexpected move.

He abandoned the already exhausted 'St. George 3' in front of him and instead controlled his armored knight, taking heavy steps like a mad bull, charging straight towards Eldridge in mid-air!

"Die! You damned spellcaster!"

Eldridge clearly hadn't expected that this Saxon tin can would dare to launch an attack on him.

A look of surprise flashed across his face.

I wiped out both of your teammates in an instant, yet you still dare to challenge the authority of a high-level mage?

Eldridge snorted coldly, and with a thought, he prepared to control the force field sword to finish off this reckless fellow as well.

At the same time, he was also distracted by controlling the [Flight Technique] to prepare to gain altitude.

However, William acted much faster than he had imagined.

The heavy armored knight's body unleashed astonishing speed at this moment.

Just as Eldridge's force field sword turned, William's 'Siegfried Type 1' had already rushed in front of him.

This high-ranking instructor, who was used to staying in the rear and acting as a 'turret' in previous battles, clearly lacked experience in close combat with armored knights, which led to a serious misjudgment of the situation.

If he had increased his height beforehand, or tried to create some distance instead of standing still and attacking, the outcome of this battle might have been different.

Unfortunately, Eldridge, who was focused on controlling the force field sword, was still hovering at a height of less than 10 meters.

At the same time, William controlled the speed at which the armored knights charged, much faster than he had imagined.

The armored knight, standing upright, could already reach a height of 4 to 5 meters.

After releasing all attitude limiters and launching a charge to gain some speed, William's 'Siegfried Type 1' suddenly jumped up, leaping to a height almost equal to the height of the aircraft itself.

The enormous mechanical fist, carrying immense force, slammed into Eldridge, who had no time to dodge!
"boom!"

A dull bang.

Eldridge was like a passerby hit by a speeding carriage; he was sent flying through the air like a kite with a broken string.

The 'armored helicopter' that could only hover was brought down by the armored knight.

The blue mage armor he maintained at all times had already been damaged by the attacks of Morin and the others. Now, in front of the steel fist, it shattered on the spot like an eggshell, turning into specks of blue light that dissipated into the air.

Eldridge flew through the air in a disastrous arc, crashing heavily into the Brittany infantry behind him, crushing a large number of soldiers.

"puff--"

A mouthful of blood spurted from Eldridge's mouth.

He felt as if his internal organs were out of place, and all the bones in his body were about to fall apart.

The pain in his chest and lower back made him realize that he must have broken several bones.

But he was, after all, a high-level mage. His years of exposure to magic and magic crystals had strengthened his body, making him far more resilient than an ordinary person.

Although his armor was broken and he was seriously injured, Eldridge did not die on the spot and was still struggling to get up from the ground.

"Well done, Lieutenant William!"

Seeing this, Morin clenched his fist and immediately called out to the soldiers around him, "Quick! Rescue Lieutenant Colonel Ludwig!"

He and Captain Hauser and others immediately rushed to the collapsed Siegfried 1, attempting to open the cockpit and rescue Ludwig inside.

However, in their haste, they overlooked another deadly threat on the battlefield.

That is the only surviving 'St. George III'.

The pilot of this armored knight saw that two of the three enemies who were attacking him were taken down by his own mage in the blink of an eye.

After being knocked away by the last enemy, the high-ranking instructor was stunned for a moment before raising his armed sword.

He didn't bother with Eldridge's situation after he was knocked away—or rather, the relationship between the Britannian knightly orders and the highland mages wasn't actually that close.

Therefore, his fierce gaze was now fixed on the 'Siegfried 1' lying motionless on the ground, as well as Morin and the others surrounding it.

"Die, you Saxon scum!"

The pilot of the Knights of Garde let out a sinister laugh, maneuvering his armored knight with only one arm remaining, carrying a huge armed sword, and walking towards them step by step.

He wanted to deliver the final blow to that damned Siegfried 1 first, and then crush all those troublesome infantrymen next to him into mincemeat!

"Watch out! The enemy is coming!" a Saxon soldier shouted in terror.

(End of this chapter)