218: Chapter 218 Pyrrhic Victory

Although the Northern Route Army suffered heavy losses in this battle, paying the painful price of nearly ten thousand soldiers killed in action, they had ultimately managed to stand their ground on this frozen plateau, filled with death and traps, using their unyielding will and burning blood!

And this was only the first step of their arrival on this land; even more cruel and bloody battles were still waiting for them in the distant future.

As the Northern Route Army painstakingly tore open a small gap for the entire Western expedition with the blood and lives of nearly ten thousand soldiers in that frozen valley of death, on the frontal battlefield of the Tianshan Pass, hundreds of miles away, an epic steel collision that would truly determine the future fate of two vast Empires finally raised its magnificent curtain, filled with blood and fire.

Under the personal leadership of Commander-in-Chief Zhao Yu, the Wu Dynasty's main central army corps, like an unstoppable black steel Dragon, slowly emerged from the towering and precipitous Tianshan Pass, thrusting their ferocious dragon head, filled with endless killing intent, into this vast and unfamiliar Western continent for the first time.

Before them lay an endless, vast plain known as the "Wind-Resting Plains."

The terrain here was as flat as a giant chessboard carefully polished by someone; apart from the occasional low hill, there were no mountains or forests to obstruct the view.

This was a natural death gladiator arena, most suitable for large-scale corps to engage in decisive battles.

And at the other end of this giant chessboard, the main army corps of the Taixi Empire had long been waiting in full battle array.

Huge, ornate flags embroidered with golden cross holy swords snapped in the biting cold wind of the plains, blocking out the sky and sun.

Beneath the flags was an ocean of steel, composed of endless silver and gold, shining with blinding cold light!

One hundred thousand Temple Knights, clad in polished, mirror-like, full-coverage enchanted heavy armor, wielding giant swords and tower shields that burned with a faint golden Holy Light, were arranged in neat, heavy infantry formations that looked as if they had been measured with a ruler.

They were like one hundred thousand immovable mobile steel fortresses, forming the core and backbone of the entire army.

Between the gaps of these Temple Knight formations stood thousands of alchemical war golems with various shapes, filled with a ferocious and violent aesthetic!

Some golems were over ten zhang tall, shaped like heavily armored knights magnified countless times, their arms modified into huge, terrifying cannons capable of firing alchemical shells.

Some golems were only as tall as a person, but shaped like agile metal leopards, their limbs flashing with incomparably sharp cold light, and their entire bodies exuding a deadly, keen Aura.

Others were even more bizarre, some like giant metal spiders, some like steel eagles about to take flight; together, they formed a steel monster army filled with fantasy and eerie colors!

In the very center of the entire army, atop a mobile command platform as magnificent as a small palace, pulled by dozens of huge war beasts, a dignified, white-haired but spirited old man, dressed in the magnificent red cardinal robes symbolizing the highest authority of the Church of Light and holding a gorgeous scepter made entirely of gold and inlaid with a huge crystal of light, was calmly gazing at the black horizon slowly approaching in the distance.

He was Osman, one of the three cardinals in the Taixi Empire's Church of Light, second only to the Pope himself, and the supreme commander in charge of all army corps in the Eastern Theater of the Taixi Empire!

Behind him, hundreds of priests, also dressed in white clerical robes and holding various magic tomes and Holy Light staves, were chanting ancient prayers filled with sacred and solemn breath with their eyes closed.

Streams of visible, massive golden Holy Light energy, filled with a sacred and majestic Aura, were being continuously drawn from the Void Realm, then flowing like an endless river into every corner of the "First Holy Light Legion," imbuing every Temple Knight and every alchemical war golem.

The entire sky above the Taixi army seemed to be completely shrouded by a faint golden halo.

A terrifying Aura, cold, fanatical, and filled with sacred oppression, rushed towards them even from tens of miles away, making people feel palpitations and suffocation!

"Have they finally arrived?"

Osman watched the black torrent getting closer and clearer in the distance, a cold pity flashing in his blue eyes, which were slightly clouded by old age, as if he were looking at a group of lowly ants about to be purified.

"A group of pitiful Eastern heretics deceived by false gods. Today, let you be completely turned to ashes under the endless radiance of our Lord, and obtain final salvation."

On the other side, at the command hub of the Wu Dynasty's main central army corps, atop the command platform on the head of the largest flagship-level war golem, the "Dijiang," which was ten zhang tall and crafted from black iron and gold.

Commander-in-Chief Zhao Yu, clad in the Qilin Heaven-Swallowing Armor and holding the "Fa" commander flag symbolizing the highest military power of the Wu Dynasty, had an unprecedentedly solemn expression on his face, which was weathered by the elements.

The telescope in his hand had already clearly captured every detail of the Taixi main army corps opposite, which was filled with endless oppression like a Heavenly God legion.

"What a fine elite force."

Even with Zhao Yu's critical eye, accustomed to countless storms, he could not help but sigh with genuine apprehension in his heart.

Whether it was the enemy's outrageously sophisticated full-coverage enchanted heavy armor, the bizarre and unknown alchemical war golems, or the massive energy Aura filled with holiness and majesty shrouding the entire legion.

All of this was signaling a cruel fact to him.

The enemy before them was the most powerful opponent they had encountered since the founding of the nation! Without exception!

"General, the enemy's formation is too dense. This is practically a living target tailor-made for our artillery!"

The general in charge of the Divine Mechanism Battalion artillery unit looked at the impenetrable enemy formation in the distance, his eyes flashing with excitement and bloodlust, and requested battle from Zhao Yu, "Please order, General, let me use three rounds of salvo to start the army off with a good omen!"

However, Zhao Yu shook his head slowly.

His cloudy but still incredibly sharp old eyes were locked tightly onto the group of hundreds of priests in white clerical robes in the enemy's central army position.

"No, it's not that simple."

Zhao Yu's voice was low and hoarse, "Can't you feel it? A layer of invisible energy barrier is shrouding their formation. I'm afraid our artillery will find it difficult to cause effective damage to them immediately."

"Pass my order!" Zhao Yu suddenly raised the command flag in his hand, his voice, filled with endless penetration, resounded throughout the command platform!

"Divine Mechanism Battalion artillery, all 'Divine Might' heavy cannons, target the enemy's central priest group! Give me indiscriminate saturation shelling at the fastest speed!"

"Dragon Steed Iron Cavalry, deploy formations on the left and right wings, prepare for a flanking assault!"

"'Thunder God' Legion, advance from the front! Smash all those bizarre iron lumps of theirs into a pile of scrap metal for me!"

"Divine Mechanism Battalion musketeers, follow behind the 'Thunder God' Legion and fire at will! Hit them hard!"

"All troops! Attack!"

With Zhao Yu's final order, filled with endless killing intent, the most magnificent and tragic century-defining battle, worthy of being recorded in the history of human warfare, finally officially raised its bloody curtain!

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom—!!!"

Hundreds of huge-caliber "Divine Might" heavy cannons let out a deafening, terrifying roar at the same time!

The entire Wind-Resting Plains seemed to tremble violently in this terrifying roar that sounded like the howling of a Heavenly God!

Thousands of red-hot solid iron balls and Explosive Shells loaded with the latest "high-explosive Demonic Energy dust," dragging long black tails filled with the scent of sulfur, streaked across the sky like dense meteor fire rain, drawing perfect parabolas filled with the Aura of death, and smashed fiercely towards the seemingly impregnable central position of the Taixi army!

This was the first probing roar from the Eastern Dragon!

Facing this overwhelming baptism of destructive artillery fire that descended like a natural disaster, there was not the slightest panic in the ranks of the Taixi army.

On that magnificent mobile command platform, a faint, disdainful sneer appeared on Cardinal Osman's calm, aged face.

He slowly raised the golden scepter in his hand, which symbolized supreme divine power.

"God said, let there be light."

His aged voice, filled with holiness and majesty, seemed to carry a certain Law of Heaven and Earth where words became reality.

As his voice fell, the hundreds of priests behind him, who had long been ready, raised their staves high above their heads at the same time!

"O Holy Light! Please listen to the prayers of your most devout servants!"

"In the name of our Lord, build an impassable sacred barrier here!"

"Holy Light Protection!"

"Hum—!!!"

A visible, massive, and suffocating pure golden Holy Light energy erupted from the bodies of the hundreds of priests like a burst flood!

These hundreds of golden beams of light quickly gathered and underwent Fusion in mid-air, finally forming a huge, translucent golden energy shield filled with countless mysterious hexagonal sacred runes!

This shield was so huge, so vast! It was like a giant golden bowl turned upside down, tightly shrouding the core area of the entire Taixi army within it!

Just as this gargantuan "Holy Light Shield" took shape, the first wave of devastating artillery fire from the Wu Dynasty army finally screamed in!

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom—!!!"

A continuous, incredibly violent, and terrifying series of explosions thundered against the golden energy shield!

Massive orange-red fireballs, each spanning over dozens of zhang in diameter, bloomed furiously across the surface of the shield!

The terrifying shockwaves, capable of easily leveling a city wall, swept outward like a violent hurricane!

Yet, that seemingly thin, translucent golden shield possessed an unimaginably tenacious defensive power!

After enduring the saturation bombardment of thousands of shells, it merely rippled like a calm lake disturbed by countless thrown stones, sending out circles of golden waves.

Although the color of the shield dimmed slightly as a result.

And although the priests responsible for maintaining the shield wore expressions of pained pallor.

They still managed to forcibly withstand all of the Wu Dynasty army's first three rounds of cataclysmic saturation artillery fire!

This scene sent a deep shock and chill straight to the Souls of all the Wu Dynasty soldiers who witnessed it!

"Keep firing! Don't stop! Blast them to hell! I want to see just how tough that turtle shell of theirs really is!"

Zhao Yu's hoarse roar, filled with boundless fury, echoed across the entire battlefield!

Under the cover of the artillery fire, the three hundred "Thunder God" golems—each like a moving mountain radiating immense pressure—finally slammed into the Taixi Empire's thousands-strong legion of alchemy golems!

A bloody, primal, and brutally beautiful melee of pure steel against steel erupted!

"Roar—!!!"

A five-zhang-tall "Thunder God" golem let out a low rumble, like an ancient beast awakening! Its steel arm, thicker than a water barrel, clenched into a fist, delivering a terrifying force capable of cleaving mountains and shattering stone as it smashed toward a similarly massive, knight-shaped alchemy golem!

The alchemy golem was not to be outdone; it swung its massive greatsword, forged from a special alloy, to meet the "Thunder God" golem's fist!

"Clang—!!!"

A piercing, ear-splitting shriek of clashing metal erupted!

A visible, terrifying shockwave of energy rippled outward from the collision point of the two steel giants!

In this contest of pure strength, the Wu Dynasty's "Thunder God" golem clearly held the upper hand!

The knight-shaped alchemy golem's seemingly indestructible greatsword was snapped in half by that very punch!

Immediately following, the "Thunder God" golem's unstoppable iron fist slammed solidly into the chest of the alchemy golem!

"Boom!"

A thunderous crash!

The alchemy golem's heavy chest armor was smashed into a massive crater! Its hulking frame, as if struck by a battering ram, staggered back several paces!

However, just as the "Thunder God" golem prepared to press its advantage and dismantle its opponent into a pile of scrap, a sudden twist occurred!

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Several ghostly silver afterimages flashed out from behind the knight golem, moving with an agility and speed that defied their metallic forms!

These were the "Hunter-class" golems, developed by the Taixi Empire specifically to hunt down large war units!

Shaped like agile metallic cheetahs with limbs modified into razor-sharp alloy claws, they could easily dart and leap across the battlefield at high speeds!

Like a pack of metallic sharks scenting blood, they instantly locked onto the relatively clumsy lower chassis of the "Thunder God" golem!

"Slash! Slash!"

The teeth-grinding sound of metal being sliced rang out!

The razor-sharp alloy claws of the "Hunter-class" golems sliced through the "Thunder God" golem's relatively vulnerable leg joint armor as easily as a hot knife through butter!

Sparks flew everywhere!

The "Thunder God" golem emitted a pained groan! Its left leg instantly lost all power as the transmission mechanism in the joint was catastrophically destroyed!

Unable to maintain its balance, its mountain-like frame collapsed with a thunderous crash, dropping to one knee!

The "Hunter-class" golems, having waited for this moment, seized the golden opportunity!

Their agile forms nimbly scaled the massive frame of the "Thunder God" golem like apes!

They had only one target!

The "Demonic Energy Steam Core" located at the center of its chest, radiating a brilliant blue light!

"No! Stop them, quickly!"

In the cockpit, the Wu Dynasty pilot roared in despair, his eyes burning with fury!

He frantically maneuvered the golem's only remaining intact arm, trying to swat away those damned metallic cheetahs that clung to him like a festering sore!

However, it was already too late.

A "Hunter-class" golem reached the chest first, its alloy claws flashing with a lethal, cold light as it plunged them without hesitation into the high-speed "Demonic Energy Steam Core"!

"Hum—!!!"

Upon suffering this fatal external damage, the once-stable energy cycle within the "Demonic Energy Steam Core" instantly spiraled into a violent, uncontrollable state!

A visible surge of blue lightning energy, reeking of destruction, erupted from the core's fissures like a wild horse gone rogue!

"Boom—!!!"

The next moment, a violent explosion roared, louder and more terrifying than the previous artillery barrage!

The five-zhang-tall "Thunder God" golem shattered from within, like a massive gunpowder keg detonating!

A massive blue mushroom cloud, spanning over a hundred zhang in diameter, billowed into the sky!

The terrifying energy shockwave, mixed with countless burning steel fragments, swept outward like the scythe of death!

Whether Wu Dynasty or Taixi, any soldiers or golems caught in this destructive shockwave were instantly torn to shreds!

This bloody and shocking scene was merely a glimpse into the tragic battle of the golems.

Although the Wu Dynasty's "Thunder God" golems held the upper hand in raw strength and long-range firepower, their relatively sluggish mobility and exposed, fragile "Demonic Energy Steam Core" proved to be their most fatal weaknesses on the battlefield!

The Taixi Empire's legion of alchemy golems displayed a terrifyingly perfect level of unit coordination!

The massive knight golems and artillery golems were responsible for drawing fire from the front, pinning down the main force of the "Thunder God" golems.

Meanwhile, the ghostly and elusive "Hunter-class" golems used their unparalleled mobility to weave through the lines, specifically targeting the joints and cores of the "Thunder God" golems!

As the tide turned, the Wu Dynasty's "Thunder God" legion found itself at a disadvantage for the first time in this head-on duel of steel!

One by one, the "Thunder God" golems collapsed under the suicidal, swarming attacks of the fearless "Hunter-class" golems, turning into brilliant yet lethal fireworks of death!

In just the first hour of battle, the Wu Dynasty had already lost nearly a third of its three hundred pride-and-joy "Thunder God" golems!

Meanwhile, on the other side, the slaughter between the cavalry and infantry had also entered a brutal, white-hot phase!

Fifty thousand of the Wu Dynasty's Dragon Steed Iron Cavalry, like two black torrents of steel, launched a desperate, suicidal charge from the left and right flanks against the Taixi legion's seemingly impenetrable infantry formation!

"Ten Thousand Victories! Ten Thousand Victories! Ten Thousand Victories!"

Tens of thousands of Dragon Steed Iron Cavalry let out a heaven-shaking roar in unison!

Their extended cavalry lances were leveled forward, forming a forest of deadly steel capable of piercing through anything!

The earth shook violently beneath the thunderous rhythm of their hoofbeats!

Yet, facing this massed heavy cavalry charge that would strike terror into the hearts of any traditional army, the Temple Knights of the Taixi Empire showed no fear.

Instead, their faces bore only the fanatical devotion of those ready to sacrifice everything for their Lord!

"For our Lord! For the Light!"

"Purify all the heretics before us!"

Led by their respective Centurions and Chieftains, one hundred thousand Temple Knights chanted a solemn war hymn in unison, praising the god of light!

The golden Holy Light upon their bodies, bestowed by the corps of priests, blazed with increasing brilliance!

They slammed their massive tower shields into the ground before them!

They braced their greatswords, wreathed in golden holy flames, into the gaps between the tower shields!

Within a few breaths, they had formed an impenetrable wall of death composed of steel, shields, and blades, shimmering with golden, holy radiance!

"Boom—!!!"

The black torrent of steel finally slammed into the golden wall of death!

The terrifying impact that erupted at that instant seemed as if it would tear the very heavens asunder!

The moment the cavalry lances of the countless Dragon Steed Iron Cavalry touched the Holy Light-enchanted tower shields, they shattered inch by inch like brittle, rotten wood!

Immediately afterward, the sheer momentum of their unstoppable charge sent men and horses alike crashing into that forest of steel comprised of countless sharp, Holy Light-infused greatswords!

"Squelch! Squelch! Squelch!"