419: Chapter 406 The Bauhinia Legion is dead, and the last hope of the allied forces is shattered.

The High-tier Professionals around the Vice Legion Commander were being headshotted one after another, falling to the ground like kites with broken strings; the situation had become critical.

He tried his best to restrain his panic. His mind raced for a moment before he ordered his subordinates to once again pour magic onto the purple light shield on the scorched earth.

The light shield shook violently under the bombardment of various powerful spells. The magic runes on both sides of the tank's hull flickered, looking as if they would shatter at any second.

However, until the magic exhausted its power and gradually dissipated, the light shield still stood on the surface, and its dimmed light was slowly recovering.

The Vice Legion Commander gritted his teeth and prepared to order the Sky Knights to try again. But before he could speak, a bullet suddenly appeared before his eyes. Had a Magister beside him not promptly assisted with a Magic Shield, he would have met the same fate as his fallen subordinates.

Breaking out in a cold sweat, he regained his senses and looked around; more than half of his subordinates were already dead or wounded.

Previously, even with a full team, they couldn't shake the enemy's magic light shield. Now, with half the people gone, it was clearly even more impossible.

He intended to break free from the entanglement and deal with the distant artillery positions, but as soon as he showed signs of flying away, countless "black mists" immediately shot from the ground.

The power of this stuff wasn't very great, but it wasn't so low that it could be ignored. If they flew while enduring the "black mist" explosions, combined with the sneak attacks from the mysterious squad, the team would be nearly wiped out by the time they reached the artillery positions.

With no way forward or back, the Vice Legion Commander was lost.

While he was at a loss, the First Army wouldn't just watch. The Dam Squad didn't stop for a moment, cycling through shooting, charging, and shooting again, picking off the High-tier Professionals high in the sky one by one.

After being dazed for half a minute, the Vice Legion Commander came to his senses, only to find that very few subordinates were left around him.

As several more bullets struck, those who had lost their will to fight didn't even lift their longswords or staffs to block, allowing their heads to be hit and explode with a bang.

"Reporting." The invisible Damu contacted the Command Post via his headset. "The enemy High-tier Professional squad has been completely wiped out."

"Very good. Continue searching for any remaining enemy High-tier Professionals."

"Yes!"

The Dam Squad silently moved toward the front lines. Simultaneously, the magic tanks deactivated their shields and followed behind, driving toward the Bauhinia Legion that was fiercely attacking the slope. The Soldiers maintained a certain distance, marching alongside the tanks.

The Bauhinia Legion was focused on charging toward the Second Corps at the top of the slope.

Relying on the terrifying fire rate of the gatlings, the Second Corps firmly blocked the enemy at the foot of the slope, as the number of mangled corpses continued to increase and pile up.

From the state of the battle, it seemed the Bauhinia Legion couldn't break through the wall of fire, but in reality, the Second Corps was at its wit's end. Their ammunition was nearly exhausted, and they had lost many Soldiers. After all, there was a several-dozen-fold difference in numbers, and the enemies were all Professionals, with mages in the rear constantly battering the defense line with various spells.

"Hit them hard!"

The Regiment Commander roared to encourage the Soldiers. Just as he finished speaking, a machine gunner and a Soldier assisting with reloading beside him were blown to pieces by an incoming fireball.

He didn't have time to wait for distant Soldiers to take over; he rushed over himself, grabbed the gatling, and pulled the trigger.

"You bastards! Come on!" The machine gun spat tongues of fire, the muzzle shaking violently up and down. The Regiment Commander strained with both hands to suppress it, the flesh on his cheeks vibrating wildly.

The Soldiers of the Second Corps fought bravely, but they couldn't withstand the tide-like enemy. The Bauhinia Legion's Assault Teams gradually approached the line, and the mages followed closely, maintaining their spellcasting.

Seeing the enemy about to break through the line, the Regiment Commander let go of the gatling, spreading and clenching his fingers to relieve the numbness caused by the recoil, while shouting, "Fix bayonets!"

Hearing the order, the Soldiers grabbed the rifles beside them, pulled out bayonets from the sides of their combat boots, and snapped the hilts into the lugs beneath the muzzles.

The dense hail of bullets suddenly stopped. The Bauhinia Legion Soldiers were somewhat confused, but it didn't last long; they were in a life-and-death war, and there was no room for distraction.

They judged that something had happened to the Second Corps or that their "arrows" were exhausted. They joyfully quickened their pace, only to see a row of Soldiers clutching strange weapons climbing out of the trenches.

"Fuck 'em!" The Second Regiment Commander's eyes were bloodshot as he roared, preparing to charge the enemy.

The Bauhinia Legion Soldier at the very front instinctively spread his Mental Energy to envelop him.

Not a Professional? An ordinary person?

An ordinary person wants to fight me in close quarters?

A look of mockery appeared on his face as he leveled his spear and charged. As he ran, the sharp sound of the spearhead tearing through the air almost pierced the eardrums.

"Dumbass!" The Second Regiment Commander cursed using the Zuan language he had learned from the Lord Marshal, and shot the knight dead with one blast.

The bullet pierced the chest, sending a spray of blood out the back. The corpse charged a few more steps due to inertia before falling to the ground.

"Go!"

Boom—

A shell came from the side and exploded among the front ranks of the Bauhinia Legion.

The Second Regiment Commander subconsciously turned his head, while his comrade's relaxed voice came through the headset: "Your mission is over. Now, leave the rest to us."

The front ranks, of course, wouldn't ignore their comrades being blown away, and their heads turned in unison.

On the left side of the slope, twenty-five magic tanks were dispersed but maintained their formation as they rumbled forward, with Soldiers in camouflage uniforms following on either side.

The mages in the front ranks tentatively threw fireballs, and the Soldiers quickly ducked behind the tanks.

From in front of the camp gates, Sadou watched from afar as the fireballs hit the tanks and dissipated into sparks, while the flat plates glinting with metallic cold light remained unscathed. He knew in his heart that the battle was decided.

"Hahaha... Let's show you what a tank is!" The Second Regiment Commander laughed boisterously and waved his hand to direct the Soldiers. "Withdraw!"

The subsequent battle saw no surprises. They hadn't even completely defeated a thousand enemy troops, and now reinforcements of several thousand Soldiers had arrived, along with those strange magic beasts of unfamiliar shape that could defend against magic. The Bauhinia Legion's morale vanished, and they collapsed instantly.

The enemy lost the heart to resist. For the First Army, what remained was no longer a war, but a massacre.

Sadou watched the Bauhinia Legion Soldiers fleeing in panic. The scattered counterattacks among the crowd were silenced in an instant by a shell. He sighed softly:

"Aunt, I knew we would lose, but I didn't expect..."

"...that we would lose so miserably?" His Aunt, wearing purple armor, appeared beside him at some point, as if she had never left.

"Yes."

Aunt looked to the right. "Don't keep staring; he has already admitted defeat."

A breeze brushed over the grass in their line of sight, but there was no response.

She tilted her head. "It's truly curious. Clearly just a Magister, yet even I cannot see through his invisibility magic."

After a moment, Zhang Mu's figure, with his hands behind his back, slowly emerged. "You're so sure I'm here?"

Aunt smiled and asked instead of answering, "You don't intend to keep my nephew here, do you? That won't do."

"I did have that intention, but since you object, as a student of Teacher Potter, I naturally won't go against your decision."

Hmm?! This little guy is quite sensible!

Although Aunt knew she was taking Sadou away and Zhang Mu didn't have the power to stop her, and what he just said was merely polite talk, she couldn't help but enjoy hearing it.

"Come here, little guy." Aunt beckoned.

Zhang Mu wasn't worried about being ambushed or anything, and he trotted over cheerfully.

Aunt pressed her right hand on his head and rubbed it until his hair was a messy bird's nest. Beside them, Sadou couldn't help but gloat; finally, someone else is sharing my pain.

This joy even outweighed the sorrow of the legion's total annihilation. He tried desperately to suppress the corners of his mouth that were trying to curl up.

"Here." Aunt's hand fumbled in the Storage Pouch at her waist for a while before pulling out a magic crystal and handing it to Zhang Mu. "Consider it a meeting gift."

An unexpected gain?

Zhang Mu accepted it with a smile and tucked it away. "Thank you, Teacher's Wife."

Aunt was stunned, as if an electric current had surged through her. Her hand went straight back into the Storage Pouch to pull out more treasures.

Sadou couldn't watch any longer. Fearing his Aunt would empty her private stash, he quickly intervened. "There will be other chances to meet in the future."

Zhang Mu wasn't greedy either and echoed, "Yes, Teacher's Wife."

A somewhat regretful Aunt withdrew her hand from the Storage Pouch and leaned in toward Zhang Mu, whispering, "Is Potter in the Royal Capital?"

Zhang Mu said in surprise, "Teacher Potter went to the Empire. You didn't know?"

"Went to the Empire? Which empire?"

"About that, I'm not sure for now. I'll contact the teacher later and inform you when there's a result."

Potter might be imprisoned, and the ones who seized him were from the Church. Even if she was a Gods Blessing, she couldn't resist the Church's might. Zhang Mu worried she might recklessly try to save him and end up getting herself caught as well, so he didn't plan to reveal this news.

"It's a deal!" Aunt didn't think Zhang Mu had any reason to lie to her and believed him easily.

Afterward, she gave Zhang Mu a sound transmission crystal, saying it could be used to contact her. Having said that, she picked up Sadou and flew into the air, soon disappearing into the horizon.

Zhang Mu looked away, glancing at the battlefield while muttering, "What a pity, let the leader get away."

On the battlefield, there were few Bauhinia Legion Soldiers left standing. One Magister was still fighting tenaciously, but a few seconds later, his head was also blown apart by a bullet.

"It's over." Zhang Mu instructed the Vice Legion Commander to clean up the mess while he flew back to the Command Post in the rear.

Upon learning that the Bauhinia Legion had been annihilated, Domit immediately ordered the other legions to launch a full-scale assault on the coalition's cities.

Initially, the legions encountered a certain degree of resistance. The coalition Soldiers relied on thick city walls, magic arrows, and defensive Magic Arrays to resist the attacking Lake legion.

Although they ultimately couldn't change their doomed fate—the city walls were collapsed by artillery fire, the magic arrows couldn't penetrate the armor of the magic tanks sent as support, and the Magic Arrays automatically shut down due to depleted mana—they did cause considerable trouble for Lake.

The root cause was still those first few issues.

The coalition consisted of several kingdoms, and there were too many cities. As the front line continued to advance, the battle lines were stretched, and logistics became increasingly strained. The speed of the offensive inevitably slowed down while waiting for ammunition and other supplies to arrive.

In the Command Post, Zhang Mu had considered using "The World" to transport supplies himself. However, after careful consideration, he decided against it.

Lake's territory would become increasingly vast, and future battlefields would never be limited to one place; instead, there would be two or even three fronts. He was just one person; could he handle it all?

He had other urgent matters to attend to and didn't have much time to act as a supply train.

Besides, the legion's logistical capabilities had to be established sooner or later. Since that was the case, it was best to start cultivating them now while the enemies weren't too strong. When a full-scale war with the Empire broke out later, there wouldn't be time for Lake to take it slow.

The advance on the front line grew slower and slower. Domit gathered his Aides to discuss countermeasures.

Everyone was having a bit of a headache because everyone who should have run within the coalition had already run. Those who remained were die-hard loyalists who would never surrender; bribery and persuasion were useless against them.

The dispute lasted all night, and still no effective solution was found. Finally, an Aide had a sudden flash of inspiration and suggested publicizing the defeat of the Bauhinia Legion in the coalition cities to weaken the enemy's morale.

The others didn't hold much hope for this.

One Aide countered, "According to intelligence, the coalition didn't count on the Bauhinia Legion's help from the start, so how could they lose their will to fight because of the Bauhinia Legion's defeat?"

Domit thought for a moment and spoke up in support: "I think it's possible."

Everyone cast puzzled looks at him. He smiled and explained, "I suspect that even though the coalition's downfall is already certain, the Soldiers are still fighting to the death because the coalition high-level leaders have likely deceived them."

"What do you mean?" someone asked, puzzled.

"The coalition high-level leaders probably told the Soldiers that they had requested help from the Ganno Empire, and that the Bauhinia Legion was already on its way to support them. As long as they hold out for a bit longer, Lake will be wiped out."

Domit looked around at them and shrugged. "Or some other similar rhetoric."

Zhang Mu clapped his hands to draw everyone's attention. "We'll know if we try. Anyway, if it fails, we don't pay any price; it's a guaranteed win."

That makes sense!

Everyone cheered and dispersed to arrange the matter.

Soon, the coalition Soldiers defending the cities discovered that Lake was no longer greeting them with a barrage of artillery fire. Instead, they used a strange magic item to amplify their voices, announcing to them that the Bauhinia Legion had been annihilated.

At first, the Soldiers didn't believe it, scoffing at each other about how clumsy Lake's tactics were.

You, Lake, can defeat the Bauhinia Legion? Even if you could, would you dare? That's a legion of the Ganno Empire.

After noticing this, Domit immediately sent people to bring the captured Bauhinia Legion armor to the front line and display it openly in front of the cities.

Seeing the bauhinia pattern on the chest and the large patches of dried dark-brown blood on the surface, they had no reason to doubt anymore.

Defeated without a fight, they abandoned the cities and fled.

The collapse was even more rapid and violent than Domit had imagined.

The defenders in cities with three gates blocked escaped through the last remaining gate, almost entirely vanishing overnight.

After their astonishment, the Lake legion gathered their Soldiers to enter the cities and take over defenses and all other affairs.

And the cities further back were basically the same. Seeing the Lake legion arrive outside the city, the defenders would turn around, drop their weapons, and flee.

Eventually, while Lake was still on the march, the defenders of the target cities would flee until not even a single hair was left.

This strange war continued for a month, and all cities of the coalition fell, except for the Naqi Royal Capital.

One morning.

Zhang Mu received a report that the Naqi Royal Capital refused to surrender. He also unexpectedly learned that the commander inside the city was Novak, so he immediately ordered the attack to be suspended.

"Uh, Lord Marshal, are you going there personally?" Novak asked in surprise.

"Yes, I have something I want to ask Novak."

"You'll have plenty of time to ask once he's captured."

"Him? If the city really falls, he'll likely commit suicide."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. That's enough nonsense. Tell the legions surrounding the Royal Capital not to act rashly and wait until I arrive."

"Yes!"