Necromancer, summoning 055? What the heck?

Chapter 302 Nine Heavens Cluster Bombs Sweep the Ground, Heavenly Fire Above the North Wind

The iron hooves of the "North Wind" Legion shattered the peace outside White Stone City, and the grappling hooks of the Tree Toad Warriors tore apart the moss on the surface of the wall bricks.

And then there's the Huanguang Legion, which "had to" delay its journey by four or five days because of the birthday of its commander's young master. At this moment, it's like a wild dog with its tail on fire, rushing frantically towards the front line. Day and night, it worries that the fat piece of meat that is White Stone City will be devoured clean by "North Wind" and "Tree Toad," leaving them not even a scrap.

The war, which had only just subsided a few days ago, has reignited in the northwest of the Xiyue Federation.

At this very moment, in the reception room of the city lord's mansion in the vast sea territory, an indescribable awkwardness permeated the air.

The negotiation delegation, led by Lucius, the councilor of the Longspear Tribe of the Creekmoon Federation, traveled a long and arduous journey and finally arrived in the Vast Ocean Territory in early April.

Their mission stemmed from the strong dissatisfaction of the Lord of the Vast Ocean with the "Northern Wind" Legion of the Stream Moon Kingdom for the massacre of elven prisoners. Therefore, they came on behalf of the Stream Moon Kingdom Kingdom to give a "formal" response, express their "sincere" apologies, and discuss a "proper" solution.

The Xiyue Federation's original intention was to appease and lull Han Hai into a false sense of security, thereby making the next phase of the sneak attack smoother. Based on this premise, the truth could not be told to the negotiating representative.

So, just as Lucius entered the hall, wearing a standard, impeccable polite smile, conveying Xiyue's apology to the councilor of Hanhai and expressing his willingness to actively discuss the resolution of the incident, he was met with a brutal blow from the other party.

Governor Helan leaned forward slightly, his eyes fixed on Lucius's face like those of a hawk, and spoke slowly in a cold tone: "Lucius, it seems you have quite a few enemies within the Federation. Are they all eager to have you die in a foreign land?"

Lucius's smile froze instantly. He quickly composed himself and said seriously, "Governor Helan, what makes you say that? Although I, Xiyue, may have made some mistakes in dealing with the elven prisoners, isn't it normal for wars to be a little excessive in the bloodshed and life-or-death struggles on the battlefield?"

"His Majesty the Emperor and the Council of State have specially dispatched me here to discuss, with the utmost sincerity, how to better resolve this issue and strive to achieve a satisfactory outcome for all parties..."

"Lucius, discuss politics!" Helan interrupted him without hesitation: "Don't you know what your country is doing right now?"

Seeing Lucius's bewildered expression, Helan looked him over again and again, but couldn't find any flaws. He even felt a pang of sympathy. He whispered an order to his entourage, and soon, a magic stone tablet with silver core runes inlaid on its border was pushed forward by several guards.

This is quite frustrating. Although the Vast Ocean Territory is now able to broadcast the battles live, in order to avoid suspicion, they have to convert the recorded footage into magical images and then display them through the magic stone tablet.

The images on the stone slab slowly shifted. Helan pointed at the slab, his voice laced with sarcasm: "Just yesterday at noon! Your country's 'North Wind' legion, along with a legion called 'Tree Toad,' brazenly tore up the newly signed peace agreement and launched a sneak attack on White Stone City!"

“Lucius, if you’re not just putting on an act, I can only suspect that the person who sent you genuinely hopes that you and your delegation will never return to the land of Creek Moon!”

It must be said that, putting aside his abilities, Lucius's temperament and character are undoubtedly top-notch, as someone chosen as the negotiator.

After a brief moment of shock, Lucius forced a smile and said, "Governor Helan is exaggerating... As subjects of the Federation, we are all serving the country. Our personal life and death... whether we can go back or not is not a big deal."

He took a deep breath, trying to maintain his composure: "However, there may be some misunderstanding here. I wonder if Governor Helan could do me the favor and borrow your mercenary guild's magic platform? I need to contact the country immediately to confirm... what exactly is going on."

Not long after confirming the authenticity of the news, Lucius finally broke down and collapsed.

As Helan said, on the surface, this was an act that was absolutely aimed at killing the entire mission.

At this moment, Lucius could even imagine how his political enemies at home were celebrating their victory.

Looking back at the young attendants from various families behind him, each one pale-faced and filled with despair, Lucius swallowed hard, trying to explain to Helan.

"We...we really don't know. Perhaps something else happened at the middle school after we left!"

Helan smiled and pointed to the date, and Lucius could no longer speak.

That's right. A large army can't possibly travel faster than their small group. Judging by the timeline, the negotiating delegation shouldn't have even set off yet, while the other army had already started their journey.

In fact, from an objective perspective, there were indeed some misunderstandings. Xiyue had allowed the visiting delegation time to retreat, but because Hanhai Territory received the news in advance, it triggered a series of chain reactions, which led to the elves taking precautions and evacuating refugees in advance, and in turn, led to Xiyue's central army launching an attack in advance.

This series of unfortunate coincidences ultimately and cleverly turned into a fatal situation that led to the deaths of Lucius, the negotiator, and his entire team in the vast ocean.

Heran raised his hand, stopping Lucius's weak and feeble explanation.

"My lord said that you are also pitiful people, and he doesn't want to make things difficult for you. This time, he won't be meeting you!"

"After all, the actions of the Xiyue Federation this time were not only a breach of faith, but also a blatant disregard for the dignity of my Hanhai Territory!"

"The lord is benevolent and magnanimous, allowing you to leave at any time. However, please take this message back to your emperor and your distinguished councilors."

"Since you have chosen war, then Han Hai will respond with war."

That's all I have to say, everyone. Please make yourselves at that!

Watching Helan stride away, Lucius, who had escaped death, finally couldn't hold on any longer. His legs went weak and he almost collapsed to the ground, only to be barely supported by his quick-thinking attendants behind him.

"Go! Go now!"

Lucius growled hoarsely, his voice filled with a mixture of the fear of surviving a close call and the overwhelming rage of betrayal.

"Lya, stay a few more days and send a sincere letter of thanks to Lord Hanhai. We will remember your kindness!"

"When we return, we will prepare generous gifts to thank the lord!"

The Xiyue delegation arrived and departed like the wind. With a single order from the Lord of the Vast Ocean, the special operations team of White Stone City finally received special authorization. This meant that partial control over the Heavenly Eye and [Nine Heavens Six] would be granted to the White Stone City frontline command.

On the battlefield of Xiyue, the shackles of the Hanhai War, which had been previously suppressed, were slowly being untied.

Of course, before launching the attack, Colonel Ma Houpao needed to inform the Elf side.

"By order of the Han Hai General Command, the enemy 'North Wind' Legion has repeatedly abused civilians and murdered prisoners of war. Their behavior has crossed the line of civilization, and the Lord has expressed that it cannot be tolerated. We are now ordered to carry out a military strike against the 'North Wind' Legion."

"We are now formally informing you that the strike will take place at dawn tomorrow. Please decide for yourself whether to cooperate with the military operation."

The Elven Elders were stunned upon receiving the news and began to discuss it amongst themselves!

"Early morning? But the 'North Wind' Legion's attack won't start until at least noon. Could it be that Han Hai has obtained some inside information that will cause Xi Yue's attack to be brought forward?"

"I think it's just preparation for an attack. We'll start preparing at dawn, and we'll make our move whenever the enemy attacks the city!"

"This is indeed a chance to see that 'rifle' that the Grand Elder praised so highly last time!"

An elder who had visited the Han Hai Territory picked up the conversation, his tone tinged with emotion: "I saw that weapon in the Han Hai Territory with my own eyes. It has very low requirements for the user, and even non-professionals can use it. It's a pity that its power and range are somewhat lacking."

"Oh? Is that why the Lord of the Vast Ocean values ​​ordinary people so much? My commoners are his warriors!"

"That's a bit far-fetched. These weapons are priceless; would they really be given to ordinary people to use?"

Finally, one of the elders, known for his vivid imagination, offered a bold conjecture: "Do you think it's possible that in the early hours of the morning... they were preparing to leave the city and launch an attack on the 'North Wind' Legion?"

This last unfounded conjecture drew a burst of friendly laughter. The forces of the Vast Ocean Territory here numbered no more than twenty, their strength insufficient for even a first-tier cultivator; how could they possibly venture out of the city to fight?
Of course, we'll use a swarm of drones!

Because White Rock City was under siege by a large army, the field airfield that was originally outside the city was moved inside the city. John and Josie organized a trustworthy mercenary team to work with the Elven Silvermoon Guard to guard the site.

In the early hours of the morning, the airport was brightly lit by the headlights, as bright as day.

Upon receiving the news, the elven elders and druids rushed to the scene, watching as one large plane after another roared into the sky, rapidly gaining altitude before disappearing into the clouds, beyond the reach of the elves.

After a moment's thought, Iona ordered several "Ancient Eyes" to be summoned and placed at the "North Wind" Legion's camp for surveillance.

At this moment, "North Wind" was sleeping soundly before dawn, with snoring echoing throughout the military tents. Even the guards on the watchtowers were drowsy. Then, they were met with the first wave of aerial bombing.

Death descended from the sky!

[Nine Heavens] In previous wars, drones have always served as transport aircraft, but in a place like the Starry Continent, where the enemy can't reach or even see them, it's really a simple matter for them to transform into bombers at any time.

They carried aerial bombs produced by Han Hai Ling.

After more than three years of dedicated development, Han Hai Ling has grown from nothing to something, from small to large, gradually exploring and building a weapons production line based on local materials from the Starry Sky World and some key equipment from Blue Star.

While precision-guided weapons like missiles cannot yet be produced domestically, this relatively simple free-fall bomb, which relies on gravitational acceleration and rough ballistics principles, can already be mass-produced.

It just looks a bit clumsy.

Each shot weighs 500 kilograms, has a thick iron shell, and contains a large number of fragments. Considering safety and reliability, the core detonation device is still from Dongxia. The outer ring is filled with black powder refined by dwarves, and the partition is filled with a lot of flammable materials.

The entire bomb is enchanted with a simple fire-resistant rune layer that will automatically deactivate upon receiving a sufficiently severe physical impact. This is primarily to prevent accidental detonation during transport or flight.

Although their power is less than a quarter of that of similarly heavy aerial bombs on Earth, the fact that they can be produced domestically means that they are inexpensive and plentiful!
In the first bombing raid, the drones dropped more than forty bombs.

As tiny black dots rapidly magnified in the hazy night, accompanied by a chilling whooshing sound, and plummeted to the ground in an elegant parabola, the guards of the "North Wind" camp reacted immediately.

The air defense troops on duty began firing a barrage of arrows into the sky.

But that makes no sense.

One important consideration in using the core detonation device provided by Dongxia was to avoid it being easily detonated by the world's rudimentary air defenses!
The arrows, imbued with psionic energy, slammed into some of the aerial bombs, deflecting their trajectories slightly, piercing parts of their outer shells, and even scattering metal fragments and gunpowder particles everywhere. However, they ultimately could not prevent these massive bombs from crashing to the ground.

"boom!!!"

The first explosion rang out in the southwest corner of the camp. The orange-red fireball, carrying debris and shockwaves, instantly engulfed several neighboring tents.

Then came the second sound, the third sound... one after another, incessantly!

Boom! ...
The entire North Wind Legion's base was instantly engulfed by deafening explosions!
There was no dazzling elemental brilliance, no surging psionic tearing, only the purest and most savage metal cleaving and flame engulfment.

The Borei Legion's base was large enough that precise targeting was unnecessary; attack orders were simply issued based on the course, speed, and bombing timing provided by aerospace radar and computers.

From a distance of more than ten kilometers, the elves stared in disbelief at all this through the "Eye of the Ancients".

Flaming red lotuses bloomed on the ground, and the burning tents resembled giant torches, occasionally spewing out twisting "sparks"—the desperate struggles of the Xiyue soldiers, their bodies ablaze. The shockwaves ripped open shocking craters in the ground, and soil mixed with shattered human tissue swirled and danced in the air.

Just looking at these images, the elves seemed to vaguely smell the strange odor of burnt textiles and roasted flesh.

What was most striking was the magical barrier rising from the large tents in the center of the field. Just moments before the bombs fell, rings of colorful magical barriers, like inverted glass bowls, rose from those tents.

These translucent light films fluctuated violently under the impact of the explosion and the licking of the flames, flickering with an uncertain light, but effectively keeping the explosives and flames outside the tent. The bright firelight illuminated the ferocious and distorted face of the Xiyue officer.

Xiyue is indeed a great nation of mages, and it managed to equip all the core camps with magical protection, so the officer team suffered almost no losses, allowing them to make accurate commands immediately.

Lind's regimental commander's roar echoed throughout the camp.

"Griffin squadron, take off! Seize them!"

Who should we arrest?
Although the Griffin Legion flew very fast and its altitude was among the highest of all races' air forces, it was clearly wishful thinking to try and capture the [Nine Heavens] drones. They could only vent their anger on the second round of aerial bombs.

The soldiers brandished their weapons and unleashed a furious barrage of attacks on the rapidly descending "cylinders" in the air.

Most of the bombs ignored the warning and continued to freefall. A very few weapons were accidentally activated, and the fireballs and shrapnel that exploded in mid-air instantly wiped out a large area of ​​friendly air force.

It can be considered that he got what he wanted!
The second and third waves of bombing followed one after another, continuing to sow the seeds of death in the already devastated camp.

This was a war of misperception. When ordinary soldiers in the camp realized that neither their own air defenses nor their air force could stop these death gods falling from the sky, and that the magical barriers could only protect the high-ranking officers of the legion, then escape became an inevitable event.

The "North Wind" Legion is very strong, serving as Xiyue's elite force and the royal family's elite personal guard. However, in the end, it is an army that relies on plundering wealth, slaughtering the weak, and venting desires to maintain its cohesion.

This kind of army is as wild and unrestrained as wild beasts when it is winning, and it can fight desperately when it is in a stalemate. But once it is put into a disadvantageous situation and it is forced to take a beating, its collapse can happen in an instant.

The morale of the "North Wind" Legion melted away rapidly, like ice and snow exposed to the sun.

The soldiers abandoned all their weapons, armor, and baggage, and scattered in all directions, clutching the gold, silver, and valuables they had plundered during the war.

The officers of the North Wind Legion tried to maintain order and stop the sudden avalanche, but standing inside the magical barrier, they dared not even take a step outside. Their desperate shouts had lost all their restraining power.

It wasn't until a dozen minutes after the first wave of bombing ended, when the air was completely silent and the shadow of death was no longer visible, that the officers of the "North Wind" Legion emerged from their protective positions under the repeated reprimands of their commander and began to restrain the fleeing soldiers and clean up the mess.

Meanwhile, at Whitestone City Airport, the returning [Nine Heavens] crew was undergoing a new round of loading.

Iona stood at the airport entrance, craning her neck anxiously. Finally, she saw Major Jun rushing over and asked impatiently, "That...that General who only talks after the fact, are you still going to launch an attack?"

"Yes, the attack just now went slightly astray. The main target was the enemy's legion camp, but most of it was blocked by magical defenses, and the desired results were not achieved."

"Colonel, prepare to launch two or three more rounds of attacks, focusing on the enemy's ordinary soldiers' garrison areas, and try to completely shatter the enemy's morale!"

Iona clenched her fist and slammed it heavily against her shoulder armor, making a crisp sound.

"Those officers are ours!"

"My Silvermoon Legion will strike immediately. If they can help me break through the enemy's southeastern camp, I can take straight to the enemy's main force, take the head of that villain Linde, and present it as a gift to Lord Hanhai!"

(End of this chapter)