Warhammer: The Time Traveler

Chapter 221 Overwhelming Destruction (Nine Updates)
The first wave of interception occurred on the edge of the abandoned industrial area leading to the city, where a squadron of Arasaka main battle tanks, using the dilapidated factory buildings and stacked containers as cover, attempted to ambush the enemy.

As the Guards phalanx came into range, the tank guns roared in unison, high-explosive and armor-piercing shells streaking towards the pale gold shield.

The result was the same as before.

The shell struck the shield, bursting into a dazzling fireball. The shockwave kicked up the surrounding dust, but the shield only rippled violently before returning to stability.

The formation's steps did not show the slightest sign of disorder.

Ignis didn't even order a change in formation; she simply raised the electric arc spear in her hand.

The next moment, dozens of thick arcs of electricity shot out again.

Like living snakes, they precisely slipped behind the tank's bunker.

The steel was instantly melted through, the ammunition compartment was detonated, and the continuous explosions illuminated the entire abandoned industrial area as if it were daytime.

The ambush site was reduced to a sea of ​​fire after a single volley, leaving only burning wreckage and molten metal.

The Imperial Guard contingent passed through the death zone unscathed and continued their advance.

The command channel in Arasaka was in complete chaos.

"Their shields are impenetrable!"

Our attack was ineffective!

"Requesting retreat! Repeat, requesting retreat—"

Communication was interrupted by a loud electrical interference sound.

What followed turned into a one-sided, highly efficient massacre.

Arakasaka tried various tactics.

After realizing that long-range firepower was completely ineffective, the Arasaka command quickly adjusted its tactics, attempting to find defensive vulnerabilities in this mysterious unit from multiple perspectives.

Their first deployment was a squadron of armed helicopters.

Several armed helicopters approached from low altitude, attempting to launch a surprise attack under the cover of the building ruins.

The rotary cannon below the nose of the aircraft was the first to spew fire, and tracer rounds lashed out like scorching whips at the pale gold shield, creating dense energy ripples.

Immediately afterwards, air-to-ground missiles mounted under the stub wings roared out, trailing white smoke, and hurtled towards the formation from different angles.

However, all this is in vain.

The missile was deflected and detonated the moment it made contact with the shield, failing to shake it in the slightest.

Almost simultaneously, the Imperial Guard on the ground reacted.

They made no attempt to evade; several heavy guards simply raised their arc spears calmly.

Without any aiming process, the spear tip was slightly adjusted, and the next moment, several dazzling blue arcs of electricity, like living lightning snakes, shot upwards in an almost straight trajectory.

The helicopter pilots didn't even have time to evade before their vehicles disintegrated in the fireball that burst in mid-air, with burning fragments scattering like raindrops across the ground.

With his air strikes thwarted, Arasaka immediately deployed his elite "Onimusha" power armor squad, attempting to exploit the complex environment of the city ruins for a high-speed close-quarters assault.

These experienced drivers, using the ruins as cover, rapidly approached the enemy formation with extremely flexible zigzag routes, attempting to use the power armor's powerful melee capabilities to tear apart the enemy's formation.

But the Imperial Guard's reaction speed far exceeded their expectations. Just as the "Onimusha" rushed out of cover and entered sprint distance, the inverter magnetic shields on the left arms of the front-line heavy guards already glowed with an eerie light.

Short, deadly electric arc pulses burst forth in a fan shape, like an invisible net of death being woven.

The first few power armors were instantly wrapped in multiple arcs of electricity. The thick armor quickly turned red and melted in the blinding electric light. The pilots inside were carbonized by the ultra-high temperature within a hundredth of a second, turning into charred sculptures along with the mechs.

Occasionally, one or two aircraft, with their superior maneuverability, would break through the arc interception and get to extremely close range, but what awaited them was an even more precise and ruthless strike.

The arc spear thrust out silently like a venomous snake. The destructive energy condensed at the spear tip did not simply penetrate, but directly vaporized the parts it hit, whether it was the cockpit or the power core, leaving only a hollow with molten edges.

After a series of failures, Arasaka resorted to his last resort, which was deployed on the outskirts of the city.

A complete self-propelled artillery battalion carried out a frenzied barrage.

The deafening roar of artillery fire rang out continuously, and dense shells ripped through the sky, falling with a deathly shriek.

In an instant, the area where the Guards phalanx was located was completely engulfed by continuous explosions and billowing smoke and dust.

The scorching air surged, and shrapnel and shockwaves tore everything in their path.

This steel storm, lasting for several minutes, was enough to completely wipe out any conventional combat unit.

However, when the artillery fire finally ceased and the lingering smoke and dust slowly settled in the breeze, a despairing sight appeared—the pale golden Joint Shield continued to flash steadily, its light showing no sign of dimming.

Beneath the shield, the fifty-one steel giants maintained a disciplined formation, their pace never faltering, advancing at a constant speed.

It was as if the fierce artillery fire that had just razed several streets was merely a harmless dust storm.

The Ghost Dogs and Lhasa Road troops, under Colonel Hansen's orders, cautiously followed a few kilometers behind the Imperial Guard formation.

They were responsible for clearing out the scattered Arasaka units that had been defeated by the Imperial Guard but not completely eliminated, and for ensuring the safety of the rear passage.

All the coalition soldiers watched this war, which they could not comprehend, with a mixture of awe, fear, and disbelief.

“This isn’t a war at all…” A young Ghosthound soldier muttered to himself, looking at the pale golden shield that was steadily moving forward amidst the hail of bullets in the distance. “It’s more like… weeding.”

Colonel Hansen observed all of this through his binoculars, his single eye filled with complex emotions.

He had witnessed the brutality of wars of unification and experienced countless street brawls, but he had never seen such...efficient destruction.

These fifty tin cans are demonstrating to the world in the most direct way what an irresistible force is.

The Guards' marching path left a clear trail paved with burning debris, molten metal, and charred corpses.

Any Aragaka unit that attempts to stop them, whether tanks, aircraft, power armor, or infantry, is utterly destroyed within a very short time after contact.

Their advance was relentless, devoid of any tactical maneuvering; it was a straight path to their doom.

Arakasa's will to resist began to crumble under this undeniable display of force.

Many units, after receiving the interception order, chose to passively avoid combat, and some even experienced small-scale routs.

They would rather face the punishment of military law than confront those steel giants who were like the embodiment of death.

Finally, as the afterglow of the setting sun dyed the sky blood red, the Imperial Guard phalanx arrived at their destination—Arasaka Beach.

(End of this chapter)