I, who was eager to retire, became an Imperial General.

Chapter 182 The Battle of Chokepoint Peak (Part 3)
"Wow!"

The dense rain poured down from the sky, splashing water everywhere. But before the transparent water stains could spread, they were crushed by the speeding steel boots and completely dissipated in the rising sparks.

"Tattoo!"

This elite Allied force of 2,500 men, like invisible ghosts in the dark night, was rapidly advancing forward at an astonishing speed.

"..."

At the very front of the column stood Colonel Gal Loken, a man with a short blond haircut, a full beard, wearing heavy engineer armor, and giant energy gloves on his arms. He was two meters tall and had a robust build, resembling a brown bear.

His blue eyes were calmly fixed on the battlefield ahead, filled with lightning and the roar of cannons, yet his heart was filled with peace.

As the commander of the 'City Burners' Independent Regiment, he led his troops to complete numerous annihilation operations during his more than twenty years of military service.

Especially after he himself reached the level of a super-ranked mage, leading troops to turn the tide of a medium-sized battlefield in an instant had become commonplace for him.

Therefore, in his view, this plan, designed by Lieutenant General Roxie, used the 112th Division as bait to lure the enemy to expose their main force. His Independent Regiment, which was lying in ambush around the area, could then strike and destroy the enemy's main firepower through a flanking attack after the enemy and the 112th Division engaged in combat.

It will also end in victory for his side, just like the raids he has conducted in the past.

After completing this strike against the enemy's heavy artillery fire, under the arrangement of Lieutenant General Roxie...

Next, he will lead his troops to penetrate deeper into this front and, through the combat power of his elite troops, with an irresistible force, breach the enemy's supply lines in the rear, thereby cutting off the enemy's hope of maintaining the front line on the main battlefield.

Furthermore, by leveraging their numerical advantage, they could completely turn the tide of victory in this battle involving over 10 participants.

Gal was absolutely confident that he could accomplish this.

This confidence stemmed not only from his terrifying combat power as a super-ranked mage, but also from his trust in his 2,500 battle-hardened elite subordinates.

Let alone dealing with only an enemy heavy artillery regiment, even if we had to deal with an entire heavy artillery brigade.

He could easily annihilate it.

This can be seen from the fact that his troops were designated as "City Burners" in the Fifth Legion.

Compared to ordinary ground combat troops, the Burning City Independent Regiment not only possesses superb marksmanship but also mobility far exceeding that of ordinary vehicles.

More importantly, their destructive power is greater than that of a heavy artillery regiment.

With the support of their own magical technology, they could easily destroy a city with a population of around 100,000 within two hours!
And it will be a physical destruction; in addition to the shattered ruins and cracked earth, everything on the ground will burn in purgatory under the magical armor worn by every Burner.

"Therefore, without a doubt, this battle will end in our victory!"

As Gal slowly came to a halt, a cold glint flashed in his eyes as he looked at the battlefield that had become so close thanks to his own rapid march.

But before he could even give a solemn order to his adjutant to have all members of the Burning City troops activate their magical armor and prepare for a full-scale attack on the enemy forces ahead,

The next second, the sudden burst of light in front of him caught his attention.

Furthermore, upon sensing the terrifying power contained within that flame, as if realizing something, Gal's pupils instantly contracted to their maximum size.

"Hmm? This is... bad!"

Sensing the astonishing magical power contained within that flame, Gal immediately activated the magical furnace behind him without hesitation.

At the same time, he manipulated his magic and slammed his fist into the ground in front of him.

"Oh!"

As the scorching flames pierced the ground through the charged gauntlet in his palm, a massive amount of magic power unleashed in the next second through an earth-based magic spell called 'Barrier Creation'.

The golden-red threads instantly spread across the ground in front of the Burning City troops.

"Crack!"

At the same time, the ground seemed to be attracted by some force and began to rise in an orderly manner. Then, under Gal's control, a huge arrow-shaped city wall, fifty meters long, five meters high, and three meters thick, was quickly generated in front of the troops. It was covered with magic circuits that resembled magma and constantly emitted a terrifying power.

Almost the instant Gal completed the Barrier Creation Incantation, a brilliant burst of light suddenly erupted from the darkness directly in front of him.

Like a crimson meteor streaking across the sky, this streak of fire pierced the rain curtain with astonishing speed, and then, as it sped along, it began to rapidly multiply and split from its original size of a grain of rice.

In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a pillar of fire several meters in size, and as the flames hurtled forward, its size continued to expand.

Finally, before reaching the city wall, it transformed into a giant fan-shaped breath.

Then it crashed violently into that impenetrable barrier.

Then came a deafening explosion!

"boom!"

The terrifying explosion, accompanied by the sound of shattering rocks, resounded throughout the battlefield, as if a prehistoric behemoth was charging across the ground, causing the ground to tremble uncontrollably.

The scorching heat and high temperature instantly vaporized the rain pouring down from the sky, creating a large cloud of white mist that spread across the entire battlefield in an instant.

However, the winds released by the activated magical armor of the Burning City troops quickly dispersed the debris, revealing the scene ahead once again.

Outside the shattered walls, the once flat ground had been turned into a scorched wasteland by the sudden, terrifying breath. Despite being shrouded in rain, the yellowish-brown ground strangely displayed a color resembling lava.

It was as if even the mighty forces of nature had to yield to the power displayed by the other party.

But Gal, who had just finished the Barrier spell, had no interest in the strange phenomena on the ground. His gaze was now fixed on the terrifying figure, hundreds of meters ahead, whose body seemed to be flowing with lava.

He sensed the magical aura emanating from the other party, a power that was in no way inferior to his own, and perhaps even slightly stronger.

His gaze immediately became extremely serious.

Considering the appearance the opponent is currently displaying, and the terrifying attack they just unleashed.

At this moment, Gal, who had carefully studied the specific data of the Empire's experts above the Super Rank, was well aware of the enemy soldier's identity:

'Son of Lava'—Roderick Dalton!

However, according to the intelligence data transmitted by our own spies, wasn't the other party severely injured by the 'Heart Erosion Whisper' spell of Maurice Valdron, the current heir of the Valdron family of the Kingdom of Brown, during the Battle of Taklamakan three years ago, and forced to retire two years ago?

Why is the other party able to appear here?
And, by such a coincidence, did they arrive at this battlefield?
Could it be that one of our spies was captured by the Empire and provided false information?

Upon realizing the true identity of the newcomer, Gal's mind was filled with a whirlwind of thoughts, but he quickly banished them from his mind. He sensed that a large number of enemy troops had appeared around him and were now launching an attack, engaging his men in battle.

So, did the enemy commander anticipate this and send out corresponding troops to intercept my forces?

Truly, their intelligence gathering and strategic planning capabilities are astonishing.

Not only did they see through General Roxie's plan to use the 112th Division as bait, but they also took the opportunity to arrange an elite force to ambush my Burning City troops.

If one does not possess earth magic and cannot stop the attack before it arrives.

Just that lava breath that the opponent just unleashed could have wiped out nearly half of my subordinates, thus completely eliminating any possibility of us continuing the fight, right?
With such a strategy, it's no wonder that Lieutenant General Roxie attaches such importance to this war.

It seems that the rising star of the Empire named John Maslow is indeed a rather troublesome figure.

"However, unfortunately, I will use my true strength to shatter your delusions of victory in place of General Roxie!"

The Lava Child of the Empire?
A super-ranked mage who has mastered the Lava Stomp technique?
A powerful figure who survived the attack of 'Heart Eater' Maurice Valdron?
No matter how prestigious his reputation, it cannot change the fact that he was a defeated general!

Even someone as undefeated as me should avoid his sharp edge?

Does someone like him deserve my avoidance?
"Crack!"

Gal slowly unfurled the charged gauntlets on his hands, then suddenly gripped them tightly.

A pair of azure eyes were fixed on the road leading towards him as he strolled slowly in the rain.

Despite her composed demeanor, the intense heat of her magic created an invisible, fiery red barrier, resembling the color of lava.

It completely blocked the rain curtain that was trying to penetrate, and brought out wisps of white mist.

It was like a terrifying figure crawling out of the abyss, trying to devour all living beings that dared to stand in his way, until he reached the mountain peak where he was headed, at which point he would finally stop trampling on life.

At this moment, Gal showed no fear despite the opponent's past terrifying reputation; instead, a long-unseen sinister smile appeared on his resolute face.

And just like the other person, they walked towards him without fear.

"Crack!"

As Gal continuously infused magic power, the magic furnace on the back of the orange-red engineer's armor began to operate rapidly, gradually emitting a blue light. Then, it continued to deepen and transform, turning into a chilling, hellish crimson color in the blink of an eye.

Under the operation of the magic furnace, a large number of magic circuits began to light up, spreading rapidly to the limbs like flowing lava, and completing full coverage in an instant.

The closed helmet on his head also closed automatically at this moment, covering Gal's face. In its place was a metallic face covered with red circuits, with a chilling red light constantly emerging from the eye sockets.

With the activation of the magical armor, the roar of the mechanical rotation grew louder and louder as the magic furnace operated at high speed.

At the same time, flames, spontaneously formed by the convergence of high-intensity magic, began to appear on the ground where Gal had walked. Their scorching heat was such that even the continuous rain could not extinguish them for a while.

It seemed not to be the fire of the mortal world, but the fire of hell that never ceases.

"Tap, tap!"

Amidst the torrential rain and the sounds of soldiers clashing, Gal's steps began to change.

It started as a leisurely stroll and gradually transitioned to walking.

Then it turned into brisk walking, and finally into running!

"Whoosh!"

As if he had also understood the other party's meaning, Roderick on the other side also began to fully unleash the magic power within his body.

Numerous scorching and complex magical circuits began to emerge from his heart, then imprinted on his body surface, and spread rapidly throughout his body like a spider web, connecting with the hideous through-and-through scar on his cheek.

Ultimately, it converged with the intricate pattern on his forehead, forming a symmetrical design resembling the horns of a demon.

The moment the pattern representing his unique spell was completed, the magic circuits on his body began to flow outwards like molten lava, which then quickly enveloped his entire body and lifted him up.

In the blink of an eye, his form transformed from a human into a gigantic monster encased in lava and bearing a pair of sharp horns.

His height also increased from two meters to four meters in an instant.

Whether walking or exhaling, it constantly releases pungent sulfurous odors.

At this moment, the flames rising from his body were also isolated by the rain pouring down within five meters around him.

Even though there was absolutely no flammable material, under this extraordinary magic, any rainwater that tried to get close to it was strangely ignited at that moment.

The rain, powerful enough to extinguish all flames, transformed into visible streaks of golden-red fire, which, after striking Roderick's massive body, completely merged with his terrifying magma form.

It was as if he himself was not a human being, but a true demon lord from the depths of hell, who wielded lava and fire, as recorded in mythology.

Everything in the world will be burned under his power.

Annihilation, until reduced to ashes devoid of any hope or possibility!
"Crack!"

Its sharp claws tore the ground apart, revealing countless fiery red cracks. Though it was a leisurely stroll, it exuded a terrifying aura, and seemed to traverse space, breaking through several meters in the blink of an eye.

His ferocious lava face was devoid of emotion, and his eyes, which resembled flowing lava, remained calmly fixed on the object rushing towards him, its body radiating flames and sulfurous energy.

But the unusually short figure exuded boundless killing intent from within.

Thus, in a seemingly fast and slow but actually increasingly rapid charge, both sides engaged in a fierce battle.

At the very moment before a collision occurs.

Both sides simultaneously raised their heavy fists and sharp claws.

Then, enveloped in their own terrifying flames, they launched a fierce battle against each other!

"boom!"

……

(End of this chapter)