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

Chapter 228 The Whip of the Gods, the Fall of Stars, A Predestined Fate
"What happened? Where did the explosion come from?"

Inside the armored vehicle, watching the flashes of fire from the front ranks, Gal felt an unprecedented sense of unease.

As if to confirm his suspicions, his deputy's report came through the other end of the communication device, causing his face to turn ashen upon hearing the details:
"Report to the commander-in-chief: The group of crocodiles attacking our side was filled with magic grenades by the enemy. With their self-destruction, our front-line swamp solidification troops have been completely wiped out. Therefore, our army may not be able to enter the heavy artillery range before the enemy withdraws as originally planned."

"What did you say?!"

Upon hearing the news, Gal felt a wave of dizziness wash over him, as if he were suffocating, and his eyes became bloodshot.

Just a hair's breadth away!
It was just a hair's breadth away again!
He could have led his troops to that area immediately and seized this damned victory through artillery fire.

However, he was once again defeated by the enemy's scheme.

So, is this all I can do? Watch helplessly as victory slips through my fingers, and in this humiliating defeat, become a pawn for John Maslow to step on and rise to power?

"No, I won't accept it! I absolutely cannot accept this damned outcome!"

I, Gal Loken, am a genius destined to distinguish myself in this war with outstanding military achievements, and with the help of the Solaris family, I will soon rise to the rank of general.

How could such a humiliating defeat befall me!
"Oh!"

With a ferocious expression, Gal smashed open the armored vehicle door with a punch, and then, to everyone's astonishment, unleashed his full magical power and sped towards the front of his own main force.

With his magic unleashed at full power, each step he took created a massive explosion of filth in the dark swamp.

It was as if the figure moving forward was not a human, but a raging prehistoric behemoth.

The ground itself trembled uncontrollably under his terrifying strength!

With this burst of power, almost in the blink of an eye, Gal arrived directly in front of the main force that was being bombarded by the swarm of demonic crocodiles.

Then, with a frenzied expression, he suddenly raised his hand—which had turned a terrifying white due to the accumulation of a large amount of magic power—towards the horde of monsters that were being controlled by the enemy and were charging towards his side.

"boom!"

As the fully powered magic furnace emitted a deafening roar, a dazzling white light suddenly emerged from Gal's palms.

The next second, two scorching beams of light, constructed of pure flame, shot out at an alarming speed.

Then, with his swing, it transformed into two death whips that seemed to be condensed by the gods, sweeping across the swarm of demonic crocodiles in front of him with indescribable precision and ferocity in an instant.

"Hey!"

"Boom boom boom!"

The sound of flesh being torn apart, along with the explosion of a magic grenade detonated by an external force, filled the entire battlefield.

The terrifying heat, accompanied by the raging winds from the explosion and the dazzling light like the sun, instantly swept across the entire battlefield, causing everyone to instinctively shield their eyes with their hands.

When the light faded and everyone looked forward again, what greeted their eyes was a scene that made everyone's soul tremble.

The swamp, which was originally filled with sewage and black mud, was completely dried up by the unprecedentedly strong melting and cutting rays released by Gal!

Two scorched, blackened sections of land, stretching at least two kilometers long and riddled with cracks, were exposed!
The once overwhelming swarm of crocodiles had vanished without a trace, leaving not even a single skeleton behind. They were completely annihilated by this terrifying technique, comparable to the full-force attack of a Grand-level expert!
Gal's single strike completely altered the terrain!

It was practically divine punishment!

"Hoo, hoo!"

Looking at the results of the battle before him, which he had created by exhausting all the magic power in his body and sacrificing the last two magic furnaces, and releasing the melting and cutting rays beyond their limits.

Gal, whose body was covered in blood due to the collapse of his magic circuit, was breathing heavily and uncontrollably, while a ferocious expression appeared on his face.

He knew that after he had temporarily sacrificed his own combat strength to open up these two routes for the main force,

Victory was already a sure thing for him.

There are no further changes to be expected.

Thinking of this, Gal immediately endured the excruciating pain coursing through his body, then slowly picked up the communication device at his waist, and in a hoarse and frantic voice, transmitted his orders to the ears of all the officers in the main force:

"Pass on my order: the entire army must immediately advance at full speed along the road without delay. You must completely annihilate those damned Imperial troops with artillery fire! There must be no mistakes!"

Gal's almost manic voice exploded in the ears of all the officers. Although the voice was extremely terrifying, at this moment, when it reached their ears, they felt as if they were hearing the most beautiful heavenly sound in the world.

The desire to win, which had been extinguished by successive defeats, was rekindled by the other party's words, and an unprecedented fighting spirit was born.

He immediately shouted with a fervent expression:
"Yes, Commander Gal!"

"Wow!"

……

Under the awe-inspiring power of Galna's spell, the Allied forces, igniting an unprecedented fighting spirit, did not hesitate at all. They drove their vehicles at full speed, crushing the still-warm, cracked earth, and headed towards the planned artillery firing location at a speed far exceeding their previous speed.

Without the influence of the swamp and the restrictions of the monster attacks, the Allied forces, advancing at full speed, arrived at the artillery firing point of the Gal Plan in less than two minutes.

And three kilometers away from them was the small island area located in the middle of the swamp.

The empire's 'headquarters' is now in ruins because the delay plan failed, and they haven't even had time to pack up their tents yet.

It was also clearly exposed to the Allied forces' view.

Through the binoculars, looking out from the enemy camp, behind the figure standing directly in front of the camp, directing soldiers to continuously move ammunition and supplies, wearing the uniform of an Imperial Magic Soldier Major and with distinctive black hair.

At this moment, Gal understood the true identity of this figure.

"Gotcha, John Maslow!!!"

Once he confirmed that the damned Imperial commander was within their artillery range, Gal immediately grinned, revealing his blood-stained teeth in a terrifying sneer, his heart filled with unprecedented pleasure and excitement.

He knew that John Maslow was unaware that his side was ready to launch an artillery attack at any moment.

The final showdown in this game is about to end with his victory.

To achieve this goal, he only needs to do one thing right now, and that is...

"Heavy artillery, aim at that damned headquarters and fire hard! Don't stop, even if you crack the muzzles!"

"Make sure you fry John Maslow into mincemeat!!!"

"Yes!"

As Gal's roar rang out, the heavy artillery unit, which had already aimed at the enemy's main camp, began to frantically spew out a large amount of terrifying magical light.

"Bang bang bang!"

One after another, shells, some gleaming like the blue of the sky, others filled with the fire of hell, rained down on the island that symbolized the enemy's main camp, like a summer downpour.

Then, the instant they touched the ground, countless terrifying bursts of light and shockwaves exploded simultaneously!
"Boom boom boom!!!"

Even three kilometers away, the Allied soldiers could clearly feel the swamp trembling beneath their feet during the terrifying explosion.

Even amidst the blowing wind and waves, they could still smell a foul stench that made them grimace.

But none of the officers, from colonels to ordinary logistics soldiers, showed any disgust at this strange phenomenon. Instead, their faces were filled with unprecedented excitement.

The thought that his side could use artillery fire to annihilate the enemy's terrifying commander and his large army, thus winning the war and returning home as a hero filled him with joy.

Everyone exerted all their strength, as if they had become tireless machines, and began to pour their firepower into the enemy's 'headquarters'.

Even though the high intensity of carrying and shelling caused him to run out of energy and his hand to crack, making it impossible to continue shelling.

Gal did not cease his artillery bombardment of the target point. Instead, he directly deployed the ground troops on guard to take over, and under the command of the artillery that had been rested, they continued their attack on the bombardment point.

After a full twenty minutes, more than 60% of the cannon barrels cracked due to the excessive application of ice magic to relieve the overheating.

After nearly running out of spare shells, Gal called a halt to the shelling and led the main force slowly toward the enemy's main camp, which had been blown into a huge crater.

"Wow!"

With the sound of tires struggling through the muddy swamp, the main Allied force successfully reached the perimeter of the artillery strike point after about half an hour.

"..."

Looking ahead, he saw that under his command, the 'enemy headquarters' had been transformed from a relatively large island into a crater resembling that formed after a meteorite impact, thanks to continuous artillery bombardment.

Standing outside the deep pit, Gal drank a can of magic power and forcibly activated a spell to perceive everything around him.

After confirming that there was no sign of the enemy, either in the sky or within a two-kilometer radius of the enemy camp,

He first felt a shiver run through his body, but then a smile involuntarily appeared on his face.

And as time went on, the smile on his face became increasingly ferocious, and his voice grew louder and more unrestrained, until it could almost be described as morbid.
"Hmph, haha, hahahaha!"

“John Maslow, I told you, after I chopped that damned Imperial rat to pieces and fed him to the dogs, you were next!” “Now, under the fire of our army, you’ve been blown to bits, leaving not even a corpse behind. What do you have to say?!”

"Even if you are a master strategist, even if you are a monster that even Roxie would admire."

"But now, you have entered eternal death, and no matter how much you resent me, you cannot do anything effective against me."

"You can only watch me with resentment before the River of Souls, watching me, Gal Loken, easily seize victory in this war, can't you?!"

"Oh, right, I almost forgot, besides you bunch of idiots who have been wiped out by artillery fire, you seem to have left behind a sizable force?"

"Of course, whether it's that damned Roderick Dalton, the so-called Plague Leader, or the magic force that your empire considers invincible."

"Without you, this monster, in command, I'll soon be able to send these filthy bastards to reunite with you, hmph!"

"In this war, I, Gal Loken, am the ultimate winner, without exception!"

"Hahaha!"

Looking at the huge pit in front of him, Gal couldn't help but mutter to himself, his expression shifting between smugness, resentment, and madness.

It was as if they wanted to release all the anger, resentment, and fear that had accumulated under the schemes of that damned imperial commander in front of this 'enemy graveyard'.

This will allow him to return to his original state, to the mindset that a true super-powerful being should possess, one who can remain calm and composed no matter what happens.

After standing on the edge of the pit for a while longer to admire the masterpiece of his brilliant strategy, Gal, having completely vented all the negative emotions that had been building up in his heart, immediately prepared to have his troops leave the filthy swamp with a pleasant expression.

The plan is to continue advancing and capture the Star Gazing City behind us, where the defenses are estimated to be no more than two hundred strong. After the troops have rested, we will then arrange to eliminate the remaining enemy forces.

Before Gal could even pick up the communication device to issue his orders, he noticed out of the corner of his eye that the huge crater, no less than twenty meters deep, had been blasted open by the continuous artillery fire of his own side.

Suddenly, a strange wriggling motion appeared.

And to his astonishment, it rapidly spewed out a large amount of foul-smelling gas.

This is... biogas?
Is the methane content inside this swamp really that high?
I took a deep sniff of the air, which smelled strongly of eggs that had been left out for too long and had gone bad, and also somewhat like the sulfurous smell produced during a volcanic eruption.

At this moment, Gal felt an unprecedented sense of unease.

But soon, this unease vanished completely when he saw the island that had been utterly destroyed.

Haha, just kidding. John Maslow has already been blown to pieces by our own side, and even his body has turned to ash.

How could an opponent who is already completely dead possibly launch a new scheme against us as a ghost?
"However, even so, if that damned bastard Roderick catches up with us and attacks our forces, then in this pervasive swamp gas environment, our side will still face certain risks during combat."

Once ignited by firearms or flames, even you yourself would likely perish in such a terrifying explosion.

So, let's immediately order the troops to leave this godforsaken place.

Once we've captured Guanxing City and completed repairs, it won't be too late to find a way to eliminate the remaining defeated troops!
Thinking of this, Gal immediately felt reassured and was about to order the troops to withdraw according to his previous plan when he suddenly heard a strange whistling sound in his ear.

It was a piercing scream that defied description.

It carries a sense of oppression that no living being can imitate, like the arrival of death.

Furthermore, what puzzled and even baffled Gal the most was...

For some reason, he felt a strange sense of familiarity with that piercing shriek.

It was as if he had heard a similar sound somewhere not long ago.

Furthermore, in his perception, the shriek did not originate from the ground.

It seems more like it came from above the sky?

Wait, in the sky?
Could it be that……

As if contemplating some horrifying possibility, Gal suddenly raised his head and looked up at the sky.

At this moment, a large number of white clouds obscured the blue sky, and under the sunlight, everything seemed so peaceful and serene, as if the thought that had arisen in his mind was just an illusion.

So, is it an illusion caused by too much pressure?

After all, how could John Maslow, who was already dead, have been so calculating?
"Really..."

However, just as Gal was chuckling to himself for overthinking and about to look away, the sudden change in his field of vision made his pupils shrink to their limit.

Under his gaze, enormous cannonballs, each encased in twelve layers of magical arrays and wreathed in terrifying flames, tore through and crushed the clouds with a chilling force.

Then, with its remaining force undiminished, it plummeted rapidly downwards in a parabolic trajectory from the sky, carrying a visible shock ring.

And under the terrifying magical fluctuations that enveloped even Gal himself, which made him feel suffocated, streaks of brilliant blue light appeared in the sky.

Dreamy, beautiful and dazzling.

It seemed that even the most intense sunlight could not obscure this brilliance, and instead became a mere backdrop.

Like a comet streaking across the night sky, the magnificent sight left all the Allied soldiers who witnessed it stunned, their eyes fixed on the 'stars' falling from the sky.

At this moment, apart from the word "splendid," they could not generate any other thoughts in their minds.

Under the dreamlike colors, one subconsciously forgets the deadly danger hidden behind these glamorous displays!
"Impossible! Impossible! Impossible!!!"

However, unlike the ordinary soldiers who were briefly stunned by the mental light spell that was carried by the Imperial Gamma-class heavy artillery shells, Gal, realizing his team's impending fate, couldn't help but roar hysterically.

At this moment, the smugness on his face had vanished, replaced by unprecedented fear and despair.

Even his pupils began to tremble uncontrollably.

How could he accept all of this?
He had already killed the enemy commander, solved the most difficult problem, and only needed to reorganize his troops to use his invincible strategy and unparalleled strength to annihilate all the enemy forces.

His supreme achievement of killing the enemy commander and single-handedly turning the tide of the battle surpasses that of Roxie, who was once hailed as the morning star by countless people.

He returned to the Kingdom of Victoria as a victorious general and was directly promoted to the rank of general.

To myself, bestowed with the highest honor by Her Majesty the Queen!
Now, however, he has to do this because of a civilian who was sent to his death by the empire, a commander who had repeatedly tricked him, and a weakling he had already killed.

Because of a trap set by the other party at the cost of their own life, you're going to ruin your entire future?!

This result, this damn result!

How am I, Gal Loken, supposed to accept this?!
"John Maslow!!!"

Looking at the rapidly expanding magic circles in the sky above, and the blue light on his body turning into a dangerous red, he was about to unleash an unprecedented and terrifying barrage of projectiles.

Gal roared furiously, his eyes blazing with rage, and then with all his might, he raised his hands to the sky, trying to squeeze out the last of his magic power to destroy all those damned cannonballs.

However, the only response he received was the low, electric-like hum of the broken magic furnace behind him, which could not be turned on.

And under his desperate gaze, it crashed to the ground like a collapsing mountain, and upon contact with the earth, it released terrifying flames and shockwaves due to the shattering of the magical formula.

And after igniting the extremely dense marsh gas that had somehow spread throughout the entire battlefield.

The effect it brought was so noticeable that it could be clearly felt throughout the entire Faoken Bay area.

An unprecedented explosion!!!

"Buzz!"

A dazzling aurora rose from the ground, and brilliant flames and shockwaves engulfed everything; any sound was swallowed up by the roar of the flames.

In an instant, it transformed into a terrifying pillar of fire, scattering all the white clouds in the sky.

Then, a large amount of yellowish-brown smoke that had gathered below began to surge and converge upwards as the airflow rose.

Ultimately, through physical processes, a barrier was formed that covered a radius of thirty kilometers, filled with corrosive and dangerous substances.

It is a gigantic mushroom cloud that would make even ancient gods feel solemn upon seeing it.

Then, on the ground, the Allied forces, whose fate had already been sealed under John's strategy long before the actual battle even began.

Under the cover of this terrifying mushroom cloud, they met their destined defeat!

"boom!"

At this point, apart from the Darkmoon Clan forces led by Demis who had already fled the battlefield, and the special operations force led by Roxie, there were no other forces.

The remaining members of the Allied Forces were in the Bone Forest Swamp.

Destroyed!

……

(End of this chapter)