148: Two-front operations

Half a month after the oath-taking ceremony, the flames of war were finally ignited in the vast forest west of East Sea Prefecture.

Eastern Front · Mountainous Battlefield... Before the morning mist had completely dispersed, Yilman Lawson stood on a protruding rocky platform, hand on his sword, his gaze scanning the undulating, forest-covered mountains ahead like a hawk. At this moment, he commanded the main force of the Army Group: the Star-Moon and Po-Jun Legions, totaling sixty thousand soldiers, supplemented by ten thousand auxiliary troops and a Disciplinary Squad composed of Orcs. Like an awakened steel behemoth, they stood across the frontier of the territory where the Werewolf Tribe had lived for generations.

His tactical thinking was clear and direct: facing alien races like the werewolves, who valued bravery and formed loose Alliances based on tribes, it was better to crush their main force head-on with thunderous momentum rather than engage in circuitous maneuvers. He aimed to break their will to resist with absolute power while simultaneously intimidating other tribes watching from the sidelines.

"General, all artillery positions have completed calibration. The Werewolf outposts are within range," the adjutant reported in a low voice.

Yilman nodded slightly and raised his remaining right hand.

On the high ground behind him, thirty "Mountain-Class" magic crystal cannons, modified with Dwarven rune technology, slowly adjusted their dark muzzles. The blue runes flowing on the cannon bodies lit up one by one, emitting a low hum as they began to draw violent energy from the magic crystals.

"Target, three to five miles ahead, sector coverage," Yilman's voice was as cold and hard as iron. "Fire!"

"Fire!"

The command flag was waved down.

In an instant, the world lost its color.

Thirty blinding azure beams of light tore through the morning mist, piercing the Sky with a destructive shriek and slamming heavily into the distant mountain forests. Deafening explosions followed one after another, the ground shaking violently as shockwaves visibly spread out, kicking up dust and wood splinters. Dazzling light bloomed repeatedly at the impact sites, like thirty deadly blue demon flowers.

Flames soared into the Sky, and thick smoke billowed. Terrifying magical turbulence raged, snapping ancient trees as thick as a man's embrace, shattering mountain rocks. Carefully laid traps, simple fortifications, and the Werewolf warriors hiding within were torn apart and annihilated like paper before a force that transcended conventional warfare. Screams and wails were swallowed by the even louder explosions, and the air was instantly filled with the pungent smell of burning and blood.

With just one volley, the carefully arranged Werewolf front line was riddled with holes, with casualties beyond count.

"Skirmish line, keep your distance! Don't cluster together!" The roar of Wade, a general of the Werewolf tribe, sounded pale and powerless in the chaos. This Werewolf warrior, renowned for his bravery, stood nearly three meters tall, covered in steel-needle-like grey-black fur with fangs bared, but now his face was filled with shock and anger. He had long heard of the terror of the Star Sea Territory's magic crystal cannons from the mouths of fleeing vassal tribes, but seeing it with his own eyes, that world-destroying power still far exceeded his imagination.

Although he had ordered his troops to disperse as much as possible in advance, many Werewolf warriors were still killed or wounded under the saturation bombardment. More terrifyingly, this over-the-horizon strike completely destroyed the werewolves' morale! They had suffered heavy losses before even seeing the enemy's faces.

After the shelling, a brief dead silence fell over the battlefield, broken only by the crackling of fires and the faint moans of the wounded.

Yilman expressionlessly drew the sword at his waist and pointed the blade toward the smoke-shrouded mountain forest ahead. "Order: Auxiliary Army in the front, Disciplinary Squad bringing up the rear, First and Second Infantry Brigades following closely, cavalry covering the flanks. The whole army will advance steadily! Today, we will push west by at least fifty miles!"

"As you command!"

The orders were passed down through the ranks. The Pig-Headed People and Minotaur slave auxiliary troops, forced by the glinting blades of the Disciplinary Squad, let out howls mixed with fear and ferocity. They were the first to charge out of their positions, surging toward the scorched Earth ahead like a grey tide. Behind them, the regular army of the Star Sea Territory, clad in standardized sea-blue armor and in neat formation, advanced like a mountain with a unified step, shields like walls and spears like a forest.

Seeing the enemy formation, a look of ruthlessness flashed in Wade's eyes. "Thinking they can exhaust us with these Slaves? Warriors, let these cowardly humans and their lackeys witness the sharpness of wolf fangs! Order all units to crush those auxiliary troops first!"

"Roar—!" The suppressed anger of the Werewolf warriors was ignited. Led by Wade, tens of thousands of Werewolf warriors and the allied forces of small tribes coerced into the war—nearly a hundred thousand alien troops in total—let out Earth-shaking roars as they swarmed out from all parts of the forest to meet the vanguard of the Auxiliary Army.

The battle instantly reached a fever pitch.

The Auxiliary Army and the ragtag soldiers of the Werewolf vassal tribes collided first. There were no sophisticated tactics, only the most primitive and barbaric slaughter: claws and teeth tearing, blades and axes hacking, roars and screams intertwined. Blood splattered, and limbs flew. The Auxiliary Army was poorly equipped, but they were numerous and had no way to retreat! The executioner's blades of the Disciplinary Squad behind them were more terrifying than the wolf fangs in front. They could only fight with bloodshot eyes, filling the gap with their lives.

The battlefield was like a giant flesh-and-blood millstone, with lives vanishing every moment.

Yilman calmly observed the situation. The casualties of the Auxiliary Army were within his expectations; these Slaves were essentially consumables and cannon fodder, used to test the enemy's strength and exhaust their stamina and morale. The true main force, the sixty thousand well-trained and well-equipped Star Sea Army, had not yet truly exerted themselves.

Half an hour later, the Auxiliary Army's line began to waver, with casualties exceeding several thousand. The Disciplinary Squad unhesitatingly executed dozens of Pig-Headed People who attempted to retreat, their bloody heads held high on poles, temporarily stabilizing the collapse.

Seeing that the Auxiliary Army still fought to the death without retreating, and that his own vassal tribes had also suffered significant losses while the human main force remained unmoved, Wade knew that continuing the attrition would be disadvantageous. He let out a long howl and gave the order to retreat temporarily.

The werewolves and vassal tribes retreated like a tide into the more complex mountain forests behind, leaving behind a field full of corpses and wounded.

A short horn blast sounded from the Star Sea Army formation, and the advance paused. Engineers quickly moved forward to establish simple defensive fortifications in the occupied area, while medics began to treat their own wounded. Yilman patrolled the newly occupied area on horseback, basically satisfied with today's results. At the cost of a small number of auxiliary troops, they had pushed back the first wave of resistance from the Werewolf Alliance and achieved the goal of advancing fifty miles west.

"Pitch camp and strengthen the guard. We continue the advance tomorrow." Yilman gave the order, his gaze fixed on the depths of the western mountain forest. He knew that the real hard fight was still to come.

Western Front · Coastal Battlefield... At the same time, thousands of miles away on the eastern coastline of the Great Wilderness Forest.

The Sky was clear for ten thousand miles, and the blue sea was waveless. The upgraded flagship "star sea," like a mobile fortress on the sea, cut through the waves and led a massive naval fleet toward the designated landing beach. For such a large-scale cross-sea military operation, complete concealment was impossible. Naval Commander Vice Admiral Ocean simply did the opposite, ordering the fleet to conserve its strength and launch an open attack in broad daylight.

Ocean stood on the towering bridge of the star sea, his azure "Sea Abyss" general's armor shimmering with a water-like luster in the sunlight. He stood with his arms crossed, the sea breeze blowing through his slightly messy but wild black hair, his face bearing the unruliness and confidence unique to someone from a pirate background. Beside him, Rear Admirals Angus and Karl were also in bright armor, their sharp gazes looking out at the approaching coastline.

"Report—!" A Griffon folded its wings and skillfully landed on the designated platform on the deck. The knight flipped off and quickly ran to Ocean, kneeling on one knee. "General, enemy forces have been discovered on the coastline ahead! The Goblin and Centaur Alliance has built simple fortresses on the beach, with an estimated force of over thirty thousand. Additionally, large rocks have been thrown into the nearshore shallow waters and underwater abatis have been set up, intended to prevent our ships from docking and landing directly!"

Ocean raised a thick eyebrow and grinned. "Oho, these little green shorties and four-legged bastards are quite clever. They knew I was going to land here and prepared some 'little gifts' for us in advance. Pity, their brains still aren't good enough."

He turned and roared at a bearded, burly officer beside him, "Second Battalion Commander!"

"Here!" The officer stood at attention in response.

"Order all ships to adjust formation and present their broadsides! Show them our 'Sky-Class' magic crystal main guns!" Ocean waved his hand with great momentum. "Aim at that pathetic fortress on the beach and give them ten rounds first! Let them taste what it means to 'wash their faces'!"

"Yes!" The Second Battalion Commander excitedly took the order and left.

Command flags waved, and flag signals flashed. The massive fleet began to turn gracefully, rows of dark muzzles slowly extending from the broadsides. Runes lit up in sequence, ready to fire.

On the shore, the Goblin and Centaur Alliance had clearly discovered the uninvited guests at sea. A commotion broke out within the crude fortress as countless small green heads and Centaur figures moved behind the wood and stone walls, filled with tension and unease. A Peak-level Earth Goblin Warlock, clad in tattered fur robes, stood on the highest lookout tower, waving a bone staff in an attempt to boost morale, but his shrill voice was insignificant in the sea breeze.

"Ready—Fire!"

The roar of the naval gun commander echoed across the ships via magical transmission.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom...!

Deafening cannon fire erupted in a chain, drowning out all other sounds. Dozens of intensely bright blue energy spheres left the muzzles, trailing long tails of flame like a meteor shower across the Sky, slamming into the coastal fortress in near-perfect parabolas.

The next second, destruction descended.

Blinding blue light merged into a single sheet, and the massive explosions made the sea surface ripple. The wood and stone fortress, under the terrifying power of the magic crystal cannons, was like a sandcastle kicked by a giant, instantly collapsing, shattering, and burning. The shockwaves sent rubble and broken wood, along with the Goblins and Centaurs inside, flying into the air before slamming them back down. Screams were completely drowned out by the explosions, and the air was filled with the terrible smell of char and roasted flesh.

With just the first volley, the so-called "fortress" was unrecognizable, with huge gaps and countless cracks. Goblins who were lucky enough to survive cried out for their parents as they scattered in chaos. The Centaurs, relying on their speed and relatively strong bodies, fared slightly better but still suffered heavy casualties; the survivors turned their horses around and fled toward the inland forest without looking back.

"Haha! Gratifying!" Ocean watched with delight. He grabbed a steel spear leaning against the railing and smiled at Angus and Karl. "Generals, watch me clear the field for the army!"

Before he had finished speaking, the majestic Aura of an Intermediate Sky-level powerhouse suddenly erupted from him, and his azure battle Qi surged out like a sea tide. He leaped, jumping directly from the bridge dozens of meters high and landing steadily on the sea surface as if it were flat ground.

Ocean held the spear with both hands, point down, and thrust it violently into the seawater.

"Rise!"

Along with a shout infused with battle Qi, the sea surface within a radius of hundreds of meters suddenly boiled! A massive amount of seawater, as if controlled by an invisible giant hand, surged up to form a giant water wall twenty to thirty meters high and over a hundred meters wide. Within the water wall, the rocks, hidden stakes, and thorns in the shallow water that hindered the landing were swept up like an angry water dragon, charging toward the ruins of the already dilapidated beach fortress with overwhelming force!

Rumble—!

The water dragon slammed heavily onto the coastline, completely crushing, submerging, and washing away the remaining fortress structures. After the seawater receded, a relatively flat landing beach with greatly reduced obstacles was presented to the fleet.

"Beautiful!" Angus clapped in praise, his eyes full of admiration. "This fellow Ocean is simply a commander born for the sea! This water-control clearing method is clean and efficient!"

Karl also nodded with a smile. "It seems that letting him specialize in the navy was one of the Lord's most correct decisions. With him here, our naval advantage will be unshakable."

Ocean walked back across the waves and landed lightly on the deck of the star sea, not even out of breath. He smugly tilted his chin at his two colleagues. "How was it? My 'sweeping' skill isn't bad, right?"

"Alright, stop showing off." Angus laughed and scolded, then said seriously, "The landing site has been cleared. Order: according to the plan, the first wave of the Marine Corps, land!"

The order was given, and countless landing craft were lowered from the ships, filled with fully armed Marine Corps soldiers, charging toward the coast that had just been baptized by cannon fire and seawater.

The two armies of the Star Sea Territory, advancing steadily on land and landing forcefully at sea, officially began the prelude to their two-front conquest amidst the roar of magic crystal cannons and the defeat of the alien races. The vast lands of the eastern Great Wilderness Forest were about to welcome a new master and an order of iron and blood.