Chương 127: The Might of the Magic Bomb

While the situation within the interior quadrants of the city had temporarily stabilized, external crises began to mount in rapid succession. At the very core of the human military encampment, over two hundred mages had toiled relentlessly for five days. After generating a massive pile of defective sub-components, they had finally succeeded in synthesizing a functional magic bomb.

This apparatus was fundamentally a linked configuration of 1, 200 high-purity magic cores wired in a series, spanning a physical dimension roughly equivalent to a fully grown warhorse. Though the device looked immensely intimidating, its actual operational efficiency was preposterously substandard.

Li Qinwu's explosives factory was already capable of mass-producing demolition tubes on an industrial scale, yet this single magic bomb had required the combined, manual manipulation of over two hundred mages over a five-day duration. To achieve an identical structural demolition effect, a series of demolition tubes could execute the task instantaneously, whereas the magic bomb required a massive logistical buildup.

It could only be classified as the wildly divergent outcomes of two completely separate developmental trajectories. The old mages Fortier walked at a slow, measured pace into Count Fischer's primary command tent, addressing the assembled lords: "The spellcraft has been fully synthesized. My lords, are your forces properly arrayed for the operational deployment?" Count Fischer's face flushed with immediate joy. It is finally complete!

He gleefully began to break down the structural preparations he had overseen during the intervening days.

"Lord Advisor, I have already commanded my engineering details to excavate a series of underground tunnels leading directly beneath the southwestern sector of the fortress wall in absolute secrecy. The enemy remains entirely oblivious."

"Prior to the primary detonation, we shall initiate a massive feint assault to force the enemy's main defensive assets to concentrate along the primary frontal battlefield. Concurrently, we shall position a minuscule advance detail within the subterranean launching trenches—roughly five hundred men, absolutely no more. If we commit any more than that, the enemy will inevitably notice and redirect a larger portion of their garrison to that sector."

"The exact moment the detonation executes, these five hundred men will surge into the breach to establish a secure lodgement, whereupon the primary cohorts stationed across alternative sectors will converge upon the opening with full force to expand our operational parameters." The old mage Fortier nodded approvingly.

"Mm. Since that is the case, let the operation commence. I shall dispatch my personal acolytes to transport the spellcraft into the subterranean tunnel network." Count Fischer's entire frame trembled with raw, unadulterated excitement as he roared his commands:"Everyone, assemble the primary cohorts and prepare to launch the assault! The absolute shattering of the city walls occurs this very day! I want every single magical beast put to death without exception!!" Wuuu— Wuuu— Wuuu—!

The thunderous blare of military horns resonated across the valley. Massive echelons of infantry streamed out of the encampments, initiating a fierce feint assault toward the main fortress walls. Away from the violent crescendo of the frontal battlefield, the colossal mass of linked magic crystals was quietly, methodically escorted through the subterranean tunnels, planted directly beneath the absolute foundations of the fortress wall.

Two mages remained stationed deep within the cavern, channeling their personal reserves of magic to drive the complex sequence of magical scripts etched across the device. One mage complained with intense irritation: "This is completely insufferable. To be forced into these subterranean trenches yet again... my robes are entirely caked in grime."

"Indubitably. These accursed magical beasts... if this were a standard territorial dispute between rival human lords, the Guild would fundamentally never intervene. I haven't the slightest clue what kind of absolute madness has gripped these goblins to make them fight with such terrifying ferocity." The pair continued to grumble and vent their frustrations even as they actively maintained their spellcasting.

Gradually, the magical script arrays wrapping the magic bomb began to ignite with a brilliant luminescence, casting a vibrant glow that completely illuminated the damp cavern. One of them sighed with genuine awe: "It is truly magnificent!" The other echoed the sentiment with a deep breath.

"Of course it is magnificent; it is forged entirely from coin. Twelve hundred high-purity magic cores... on our standard salaries as lecturers, it would require exactly one hundred years of continuous labor to afford such a sum!" The duo clicked their tongues in a mixture of wonder and envy, marveling at the boundless wealth of the Guild. A fortune in magic crystals was about to be completely vaporized in a single, instantaneous detonation.

The luminescence radiating from the magic bomb grew increasingly blinding as the script arrays transitioned into an autonomous operational loop. Halting their personal magic transmission, the two mages turned and rapidly evacuated back out of the tunnel network. Up along the high fortress walls, Li Qinwu was calmly and systematically directing his soldiers to maintain their defensive sectors. He personally wielded his musket, systematically picking off specific high-value targets among the approaching human forces.

With every sharp crack of his rifle, an enemy combatant would invariably collapse down into the dirt below. During this specific engagement, the enemy's offensive drive felt exceptionally soft and entirely lacking in resolution; they weren't even capable of pushing their Cloud Ladders within striking distance of the masonry.

Li Qinwu deduced that the enemy's organizational morale had likely entered a state of total collapse, causing the rank-and-file soldiers to execute their orders with absolute superficiality, utterly terrified of risking their lives. A faint smile played across his features. If this operational trajectory sustained itself, he felt he could comfortably attempt to lead an active sortie out of the gates to engage the enemy in a decisive field battle.

There was a strong probability he could break the enemy forces into a total rout, allowing him to securely harvest their stored rations and withdraw back to the Alliance. However, a mere handful of breaths after this calculation materialized within his mind, he suddenly felt the massive masonry beneath his boots execute a violent, staggering shudder.

Immediately following, a dense, localized shockwave of raw magical energy swept across his physical frame, and a split second later, a deafening, cataclysmic explosion slammed into his eardrums. Li Qinwu's face froze in absolute bewilderment, and the surrounding goblins were similarly plunged into a state of total stupefaction. In unison, they whipped their heads toward the southwest.

A colossal plume of thick, oily black smoke was billowing violently into the sky, surging up nearly a hundred meters into the upper atmosphere, while a massive hailstorm of pulverized stone rained down across the landscape like a volley of meteors.

"What in the hell!!" Li Qinwu nearly leapt out of his skin in sheer shock. Is this some manner of specialized tactical asset deployed by the enemy? Even as the shockwaves vibrated through him, a series of frantic, aggressive military bugles echoed from the human lines. The human forces that had been advancing with such listless indifference a moment ago suddenly erupted into a furious, collective roar, charging toward the remaining Cloud Ladders with absolute fanaticism.

The musket-wielding goblins stationed along the walls were the first to snap out of their stupor, cycling their weapons with maximum operational velocity to rain fire down upon the approaching columns. Li Qinwu's mind operated at hyper-speed. Given that terrifying display of destructive yield, the enemy had clearly utilized some specialized, magic-based methodology to blast through the masonry—a concept fundamentally identical to his own strategy of utilizing gunpowder to breach fortifications!

Based on the raw magical shockwave that had just washed over him, this was indubitably an asset derived from the magical domain. This was an exceptionally perilous development. Judging by the visual trajectory of the explosion, the breach was situated at least four kilometers away from his current position. If he attempted to march his primary reserve cohorts across that distance to reinforce the sector, the enemy's main assault echelons would have already flooded deep into the interior city.

Li Qinwu's eyes gleamed with calculating intensity as he surveyed his immediate sector. The human forces were throwing themselves against the Cloud Ladders with absolute madness. There were precisely ten ladders remaining in this sector. Li Qinwu had intentionally refrained from destroying them earlier, leaving them upright specifically to function as tactical bait to lure the enemy into a meat-grinder bottleneck.

Now that there was an immediate, existential threat of the city being breached from an alternate vector, these ladders could no longer be permitted to stand; if he continued to play around with this sector, the entire defense would utterly collapse. Li Qinwu instantly withdrew a series of demolition tubes from his spatial storage, ignited the fuses, and hurled them down toward the structures with immense force.

Backed by the system's active throwing attributes, Li Qinwu effectively functioned as a piece of heavy artillery. The 13-kilogram demolition tubes were pushed through the air with flawless precision, landing squarely against the frames of the Cloud Ladders. Boom! Boom! Boom! Ten successive detonations roared across the wall. The ten Cloud Ladders were instantly blasted into splinters, and the soldiers actively scaling the rungs were torn into a horrific spray of flesh and bone.

In that single burst of localized violence, Li Qinwu claimed over three hundred lives, instantly triggering a dual-level promotion for his character. With the ladders thoroughly pulverized, this specific sector of the wall was completely cleared of immediate danger. Li Qinwu raised his arm, his voice booming over the din:"Punishment Army—First, Second, Third, and Fourth Companies! Double-time it to the breach immediately! Fifth Company, hold your positions and secure this wall!"

"Heavy Infantry—Fifteenth through Twentieth Companies! Execute a full tactical redeployment to the breach to provide immediate reinforcement!" Leaping down toward the lower staging platforms, he bellowed toward the five hundred goblin recruits and two hundred musket-armed militia units waiting in reserve:"All units! Assemble immediately! Officers, lead your elements toward the breach at a full sprint to support the defense!!" This story is posted elsewhere by the author.

Help them out by reading the authentic version. The moment the commands were issued, he sprinted off the battlements alone. Stashing his greatsword, hand cannon, and muskets into his spatial storage to maximize his movement velocity, he sprinted ahead of the formation toward the blast site. He immediately allocated the attribute points he had just secured from his level-up directly into his Endurance statistic, pushing his Endurance to precisely 13 points, and opened up into a frantic, flat-out sprint. Faster!

I need to be faster! Li Qinwu roared inwardly. He had to personally arrive at ground zero to organize a cohesive defensive line before the primary weight of the human main force could establish a permanent foothold.

He understood the enemy's tactical calculus perfectly: it was impossible for Count Fischer to have positioned a massive body of troops directly adjacent to the blast site beforehand, because the goblin sentries along the high walls would have spotted the movement instantly, allowing Li Qinwu to pre-deploy his counters. Therefore, the enemy had undoubtedly positioned only a minuscule advance detail near the tunnel mouth.

The exact moment the wall shattered, this small force would surge inward to secure the gap, while the primary cohorts—who were already formed up and waiting a short distance away—would launch a coordinated sprint toward the open breach. The human main force wouldn't be stationed too far off—likely within a one-kilometer radius.

Given that they were fully prepared and waiting for the signal, they would launch their charge the precise second the masonry collapsed, meaning they would breach the interior perimeter within three to four minutes. Sprint! I must move faster! Li Qinwu reminded himself with frantic intensity.

In truth, he had already secured a massive net profit from this campaign; he had already successfully escorted a vast volume of veteran units, the magic tide observation instrument, and an immense library of specialized texts back to the sovereign territory of the Alliance. Even if he suffered a total tactical defeat here, his faction would still emerge ahead in the grand calculation. But he fundamentally refused to lose!

If he allowed a defeat to manifest here, the Alliance would require at least ten full years of baseline development just to re-attain its current level of operational strength. Therefore, failure was absolutely out of the question! Li Qinwu's movement velocity accelerated continuously, his physical form transforming into a blur that mirrored a hunting cheetah as he locked his gaze onto the rising pillar of black smoke. Every single stride propelled his body forward by more than three full meters.

The heavy plate armor encasing his frame let out a series of strained, metallic groans. The residual civilians fleeing along the thoroughfares caught only a fleeting glimpse of a gold-and-silver streak flashing past their vision, followed by a violent, rushing gale of wind. His lungs began to burn with an acute lack of oxygen, yet his pace did not slacken by even a fraction of a degree.

Forcing his respiratory system to its absolute physical limits, he successfully covered the four-kilometer distance in precisely seven minutes, bursting into the perimeter of the breach with a velocity that defied standard physiological limits. Tragically, he was still a step too late.

The enemy had executed their operational timing flawlessly; a yawning, jagged crater spanning more than ten meters had been blasted through the fortress wall, and heavy human infantry units clad in gleaming steel were already streaming through the opening into the interior city. Yet, there was still a critical pocket of operational space to maneuver!

The five hundred goblin recruits and two hundred heavy-armor goblins stationed to guard this specific municipal sector had already thrown themselves into a savage, chaotic melee against the intruders. Even though the human forces were continuously pouring through the gap, the initial defensive line had managed to exert a baseline degree of structural resistance.

To Li Qinwu's absolute astonishment, actively embedded within the desperate melee were elements of the Civil Security Army—roughly two full companies of human security forces were fighting shoulder-to-shoulder with the goblins, hacking viciously at their own kinsmen. Aggregating the defensive assets, the total number of defenders fell short of a thousand souls, yet they had successfully managed to slightly blunt the momentum of the human advance into the residential blocks.

Nevertheless, an immense volume of human regular forces was still flooding through the gap. Within a matter of breaths, the immediate sector was packed with over three thousand combatants locked in a swirling, claustrophobic bloodbath, and the defensive units were rapidly showing signs of being completely encircled and systematically liquidated. Li Qinwu charged directly into the absolute thickest sector of the meat grinder.

Pulling a demolition tube from his storage, he ignited the fuse and hurled it straight toward the center of the breach. At that exact coordinate, a dense column of heavy human infantry was actively pressing into the city, their spatial density exceptionally high. The heavy demolition tube smashed violently into the chest of an armored soldier before detonating with a cataclysmic roar.

Steel breastplates and living tissue were instantly torn into unrecognizable shreds, and a horrific spray of severed limbs was blasted high into the roiling black smoke. A massive swathe of the human vanguard was instantly leveled to the earth, and the agonizing shrieks of the mangled survivors instantly saturated the entire sector.

Without pausing for a single breath, Li Qinwu pulled two additional demolition tubes from his storage and hurled them directly into the human echelons that were actively pressing against the defensive line. The concentrated blasts completely shattered the enemy's formation, liquidating and maiming a vast quantity of personnel.

Those who escaped physical injury were plunged into acute psychological terror; their resolute offensive momentum dissolved instantly, allowing the crumbling defensive line to firmly stabilize its footing. Li Qinwu unsheathed his massive greatsword, hoisting the gleaming blade high into the air as he roared:"All units! Hold the line! Reinforcements are closing on our position this very second! Push these bastards back out of the gap!!"

Every single defender on the field caught sight of that preposterously massive, beautifully crafted greatsword. They knew with absolute certainty that throughout the entire theater, the only individual capable of wielding such a colossal weapon was their strongest Boss! The Boss had arrived.

An immense surge of psychological resolve flooded through the hearts of the defenders; those who had been contemplating a desperate retreat instantly abandoned the thought, while those whose bodies had been entirely depleted of physical energy suddenly found a miraculous reserve of strength.

"Kill!!!" Li Qinwu unleashed a thunderous battle cry, hurling yet another demolition tube directly into the mouth of the breach to vaporize another wave of incoming infantry. Then, brandishing his massive blade, he charged directly into the absolute vanguard of the formation, executing a series of relentless, savage sweeps. The greatsword executed three rapid, consecutive slashes, every single strike proving absolutely lethal.

The heavy plate armor worn by the human regulars offered zero functional protection against a blade possessing a +10 Sharpness attribute, nor could it withstand the immense, monstrous strength driving the weapon. Three heavy infantrymen were instantly cleaved open through their breastplates, collapsing into the dirt as corpses.

Having cleared a brief pocket of operational space with his blade, Li Qinwu rapidly withdrew a hand cannon from his spatial storage, ramming the muzzle directly against the mass of the enemy formation before pulling the trigger. He had pre-loaded exactly ten hand cannons possessing a +10 Power modifier within his spatial vault. The exact moment one discharged, he would instantly swap it out for a fresh weapon.

He unleashed ten successive blasts in a terrifying display of concentrated firepower, instantly transforming the human ranks before him into a mist of vaporized blood and forcefully carving a massive physical clearing through their lines. Following this devastating burst of individual violence, Li Qinwu roared once more: "Brave soldiers!! Warriors of the Alliance!! Stand with me!! Drive these dogs back!!" His voice was exceptionally resonant, carrying clearly to the ears of every single soldier on the field.

The greenhorns who had been gripped by paralyzing terror a moment ago instantly found their operational anchor. Screaming their defiance, they threw themselves back into the fray to butcher the enemy. This was precisely why Li Qinwu had forced his physical frame to execute that grueling sprint; his presence alone possessed the functional capacity to galvanize the soldiers' morale, forcing them to hold the perimeter until the primary garrisons from alternate sectors could arrive to reinforce the breach.

The West and South Gates contained the highest concentration and superior quality of defensive assets. The moment those cohorts arrived on the scene, the breach could be permanently secured! However, it would require at least half an hour for those reinforcing columns to traverse the distance. His current force would need to exert every ounce of their remaining lifeforce just to hold this ten-meter gap for that duration! The defenders fought with absolute ferocity, yet the human offensive was similarly unyielding.

Every single asset pouring through the shattered masonry comprised heavy, front-line infantry—living iron cans—and the defensive line rapidly began to waver once more. This was especially true for the goblin recruits; their primary armaments consisted solely of long spears, which were fundamentally incapable of bypassing heavy steel plate, while their defensive gear comprised only basic chainmail vests.

The moment a human regular connected with a heavy mace or war hammer, goblin bones would instantly shatter into fragments.

"Charge!! Brave soldiers!! Cut them down!!" Li Qinwu maintained a continuous stream of roars even as he hacked through the press of flesh. He had to use the baseline frequency of his voice to anchor the psychological state of every individual present, forcing them to endure. He knew with absolute certainty that the precise second he ceased his shouting, the fragile morale of the recruits would likely disintegrate entirely!

Even as he vocalized his commands, he continued to seed the human echelons with demolition tubes, blossoming a series of violent, black-and-crimson explosions throughout their ranks. Yet, it appeared as though the human command had gambled the entirety of their strategic assets on this single push, completely disregarding their catastrophic casualties as they forced their way through the shattered masonry. The volume of human forces entering the perimeter grew continuously larger.

Within less than ten minutes, roughly three thousand human regulars had successfully established a foothold within the interior side of the breach, executing a sweeping pincer movement that completely enveloped the defensive pocket. The moment these residual goblin defenders were wiped out, the human army would possess an open, unobstructed pathway to fan out into the residential quarters of Poloia, initiating a systemic slaughter against every magical beast within the municipality!

Sweat poured down Li Qinwu's frame like torrential rain. He had already hurled more than a dozen demolition tubes and personally liquidated close to a hundred combatants, yet the reinforcing echelons from the alternate gates had still failed to materialize. The line was on the absolute precipice of total collapse. Li Qinwu's gaze hardened into a mask of pure, desperate ferocity. My initial capture of this city was forged in the fires of gunpowder; am I truly fated to witness its fall through a breach in the walls?

Right at that absolute nadir of desperation, a deafening, earth-shattering roar vibrated through the air, followed by a violent, rhythmic shuddering of the earth—signaling the rapid approach of some colossal, monstrous entity. Li Qinwu managed to snatch a brief glance over his shoulder, and an expression of pure, unadulterated ecstasy instantly painted his features.

"Dang-Dang!! Hahahahaha!!! I absolutely love you, you magnificent bastard!!!" True to form, the entity bursting into the perimeter was none other than the Ogre, Dang-Dang! He was clad in a monstrous configuration of three overlapping layers of customized Horned Caiman heavy plate armor, his head encased within a thick, solid-cast full-face helm.

His left arm bore a massive wooden tower shield that matched the physical dimensions of a standard estate gate, while his right hand gripped a colossal, rusted pickaxe that closely mirrored the titanic implement wielded by a deep-sea leviathan. Towering at a physical height exceeding six meters, every single stride Dang-Dang executed triggered a localized mini-earthquake. He plowed directly into the dense mass of the human infantry echelons, his massive iron pickaxe executing a series of wild, sweeping arcs.

All manner of armored human bodies were instantly launched into the upper atmosphere; it was a textbook display of absolute kinetic violence—any target touched by the weapon was instantly liquidated, and anyone grazed by its trajectory was immediately snuffed out. Furthermore, Dang-Dang began to employ some creative tactical innovations of his own.

Hoisting his colossal tower shield, he executed a massive leap directly into the densest pocket of the human formation, utilizing his immense physical mass to drive the shield flat against the earth, pinning the infantry beneath the structure. Good heavens—more than a dozen heavily armored soldiers were instantly crushed to death beneath the impact.

The moment Dang-Dang straightened his massive frame and hoisted the shield away, the earth beneath revealed only a flattened, pulverized mash of crumpled steel plates and organic tissue. Sensing that this methodology possessed a vastly superior operational efficiency, Dang-Dang tossed his iron pickaxe aside entirely.

He began to repeatedly hoist his massive shield and deliberately collapse his entire body weight down onto the enemy columns, systematically flattening entire squads of human regulars into iron-plated pancakes. As the engagement progressed, Dang-Dang abandoned the shield as well, opting instead to simply drop to the earth and execute a series of full-body rolls directly through the center of the human ranks.

Backed by a physical mass scaling into the dozens of tons, any human regular unfortunate enough to be swept beneath his rolling frame was instantly compressed into a flattened sheet of iron and meat. Finding this alternative method to be exceptionally entertaining, Dang-Dang unleashed a series of deep, booming"Hou-hou-hou!" laughs, executing his rolling maneuvers with even greater enthusiasm. This terrifying display completely broke the psychological resolve of the human vanguard.

A portion of the infantry broke formation and fled deeper into the residential blocks in a state of blind panic, while a massive contingent attempted to desperately retreat back through the mouth of the breach. They collided violently with the fresh human echelons that were actively attempting to push inward from the exterior, creating an absolute, suffocating logjam right in the center of the opening.

"Hou-hou-hou!!" Dang-Dang let out an excited, guttural howl. Reaching down, he scooped up a fully armored human soldier by the legs and utilized the living body as an improvised club, swinging the mass violently to batter the surrounding crowd and forcefully driving the human regulars back out of the city gates. At this exact crossroad of the battle, Li Qinwu felt that Dang-Dang looked precisely like an absolute God of War.