A Villain's Journey Begins in the Type-Moon World

"That's... the sound of drones?" Wang Chong looked up and saw a swarm of heavily armored drones flying in the air. Not only Wang Chong, but also the Sarkaz and guerrilla crossbowmen noticed the anomaly in the sky and immediately opened fire on the drone swarm.

What's baffling is that the crossbow bolts only shook the drone when they hit it, without causing any real damage.

"Let the sorcerers do it," Wang Chong immediately ordered.

This time, the Sarkaz warlocks shifted their firepower to the drone swarms. The bombardment continued. This time, the warlocks' attack was significantly more effective than the crossbowmen's; many drones were directly blown off balance by the spells, veering off course and crashing to the ground, large fragments of their armor falling onto the snow.

However, some drones were surrounded by a purple energy field, which weakened the spellcasters' attacks and prevented them from causing significant damage.

"Because drones have limited carrying capacity, Ursus's drones have abandoned the loading of weapons and corresponding spell modules, instead specializing in the drones' physical and magical defense, thus adjusting the use of drones towards guiding artillery attacks. After all, the drones researched by Ursus are ultimately limited in terms of lethality, not as good as their own artillery systems."

Wang Chong recalled the relevant settings and saw how resilient the Imperial Forerunner drones were under the attacks of the sorcerers, which made him look forward to the Source Spell Drone that he had drawn from the system space, which combined the characteristics of all drones.

Oh, I almost forgot, I also captured three Imperial Forerunners before, and I've already found the weaknesses of this type of drone.

"Destroying drones with spells is too inefficient. These drones are used to locate and guide artillery attacks. Have some casters manipulate Originium Dust to interfere with the drones' identification and positioning systems. The rest of the casters will continue to provide fire support to the front lines," Wang Chong ordered.

Meanwhile, the first wave of artillery fire, guided by drones, began bombarding the battlefield, targeting the crossbowmen and mage groups providing long-range support from the front lines. If it weren't for the trenches that had been built, allowing the crossbowmen and mages to quickly lie prone within them and avoid most of the damage, even with the black mist power bestowed upon the Sarkaz by Wang Chong, they likely wouldn't have been able to withstand the onslaught.

However, even so, it ultimately affected the effectiveness of the Sarkaz at the front, as they were forced into a passive defensive posture. The crossbowmen, in particular, were unable to provide effective fire support or eliminate the Ursus soldiers, causing the battle line to be pushed back once again.

Even more critically, the enemy's magical support is becoming increasingly powerful, and it seems they have deployed a large number of spellcasters to launch long-range attacks. Because they are located at the bottom of the slope, even based on the trajectory of the incoming spells, it is impossible to accurately predict their positions. Therefore, the Reunion Movement is unable to precisely concentrate its magical power to bombard the opposing caster group.

At this moment, Originium Dust, under the manipulation of the sorcerers, attacked the Imperial Forerunners. Using Originium Dust's own energy field, it interfered with the Imperial Forerunners' spell modules, causing their spells that locked onto enemies to finally fail.

"Although the enemy's artillery can no longer accurately bombard our crossbowmen and mages, the front line can no longer hold out. Many Sarkaz and guerrilla comrades have been wounded or even killed by the spells. It's time to retreat." Ines used her Originium Arts to sense the battle situation at the front. Many people's hearts were beginning to turn towards pain and death. She immediately reported the situation to Wang Chong.

“Let them retreat. They’ve reached their limit after holding out for so long. Our offensive support is too limited, and our effective strikes aren’t strong enough. We should withdraw back to the Jiuqu Mountain Road area and continue fighting them there. After all, that’s our main battlefield,” Wang Chong said.

"Yes! Everyone retreat! Ranged teams, support the front lines and ensure their smooth withdrawal," Ines commanded, while Wang Chong also used the black mist to relay orders to the front lines. The melee teams at the front lines ceased their engagement with the Ursus and began an orderly retreat.

But the Ursus soldiers were not about to let this opportunity pass. They swarmed forward, determined to leave these Sarkaz, whose defenses were already crumbling, behind.

"Roar--!"

But at that moment, a huge dragon roar rang out, startling everyone. In particular, the Ursus people in front trembled for some reason and dared not move forward an inch.

"What's going on! Hey! Up front! Why aren't you moving!" Although the people in the back also heard the dragon's roar, they didn't panic like the vanguard elites and shield guards, even though they felt a sudden unease, whether it was because the people in front filtered it or for some other reason.

“This little one has a really loud voice… but why do all those guys freeze up when she yells?” W rubbed his ears and looked at the white-haired little girl Albion perched on Wang Chong’s shoulder, and couldn’t help but ask.

Just now, under Wang Chong's instructions, Albion suddenly opened its mouth and roared, startling W who had been focused on shooting. Although unaffected by the dragon's roar, the sound still gave W a slight sense of unease for the first time, and thus, her previous contempt for the dragon girl completely vanished after hearing that roar.

"It must be a mental attack... The Ursus soldiers on the front lines have suffered a tremendous mental shock. Fear is spreading through their hearts, causing them to lose not only their fighting ability but also their ability to move. Ugh... I can't bear to watch anymore, those emotions are almost affecting me." Ines used Originium Arts to observe the shadow shapes in the minds of the Ursus soldiers, and then deciphered them, her body shivering involuntarily.

"This guy is surrounded by monsters... The same goes for the special forces team, they're all freakishly strong experts, only that mother with the child is somewhat normal." W couldn't help but complain, "And what exactly is this guy trying to do... So many experts haven't made a move yet, who knows where they're hiding."

"Whatever the reason these guys are stuck here, they've become sitting ducks, so don't blame us for being ruthless." W raised his crossbow, intending to blow up the unfortunate souls who were completely controlled by Albion. But Wang Chong raised his hand to stop him, saying, "Hey, why kill them? They're the perfect human shield right now, successfully preventing those guys behind from advancing. If that's the case, why not launch them?"

"Have the archers and sorcerers launch projectile fire while retreating, destroying the enemy's central and rear ranks!" Wang Chong ordered.

……

Meanwhile, the intelligence officer brought the latest situation from the front lines to Ulrich. Hearing that his vanguard had become immobilized after hearing an unknown sound, and that his middle and back ranks were under fire, Ulrich immediately declared, "They've likely been attacked by a mental mage. They're probably beyond our control. We don't have any mages capable of this. Take them all down and advance over them!"

"Yes...!" After hesitating for a moment, the intelligence officer finally passed on the order.

"General... why not just take them off the front lines? Why do this... isn't this tantamount to treating them as dead men?"

"These mental spells only instill fear in them now, but who knows if they'll become puppets of the enemy, manipulated and stabbed in the back later. They're already dead the moment they're hit. Don't forget we faced this kind of magic when we fought against Letania! Those puppets set fire to my Ursus camp, coordinating with the Letanian army's attack, ultimately leading to our crushing defeat."

Ulrich said coldly, "I will not allow my army to make such a mistake, which would lead to another failure in this encirclement! Don't forget the expectations His Majesty the Emperor and the high command have for us... We can only succeed, not fail. Therefore, I would rather kill a thousand innocent people than let one potential threat go free!"

"Furthermore, pass down the order to find the source of the spell. Since the cause of the loss of control is related to sound, the soldiers on the front lines responsible for charging should have their ears plugged and be ordered to fight to the death."

Chapter 185 Suspending the Offensive

The sun had risen to its highest point. Under its rays, the winding mountain roads and trenches were littered with corpses. Ursus finally captured the hilltop and began advancing down the mountain path.

However, Ursus paid a heavy price, with the first and second regiments suffering over 3000 casualties, almost half of their original strength. Those who survived had long since lost their will to fight and were terrified. The force had now been replaced by the third and fourth regiments, working in conjunction with mage and artillery teams to continue the assault.

This was a slap in the face, a resounding blow to the Ursus legion. Based on previous war intelligence, they had already overestimated the fighting strength of this bandit group. In their view, a mixed regiment as the main fighting force and another mixed regiment available for rotation and support would be enough to wear down the Reunion Movement's manpower.

The result was far from satisfactory. After losing over 3000 men, they only managed to capture the hilltop, and eliminated fewer than 100 enemies. Moreover, most of those killed were not the strongest guerrilla soldiers or Sarkaz, but rather some seemingly native Ursus people, Eagles, and some rebels who had surrendered to the bandits.

As a result, the original plan to rely on only 6 mixed regiments to effectively wear down the integration movement is far from enough, and it may even be necessary to keep more troops stationed here.

"What's wrong with these bandits? They're all more fearless than our men... And the way those three fight together is so bizarre. Our vanguard and guards are just being slaughtered! We only managed to turn the tide thanks to crossbowmen and firepower. None of this was mentioned in the battlefield intelligence provided by Nikolai."

Ulrich was already finding the band of mountain bandits in front of him quite troublesome. He had overestimated his opponent enough, but what he didn't expect was that bastard Nikolai, with his 10,000-strong army, still had a bottom line that he hadn't been able to test.

"Such a force, such elite troops... only battle-hardened veterans who have fought on the border against enemy countries for years can compare... But how? How could a band of mountain bandits produce such a formidable force? Could it be that Patriot's military leadership is truly that remarkable? No... no, even those shield guards who follow Patriot have undergone decades of training to reach that level of bravery. But these people... especially some of the rebels who clearly surrendered from Nikolai, have undergone such a qualitative change in just half a month... It's as terrifying as if they've been possessed by a demon."

Ulrich clenched his fists. If this was the case, he shouldn't have come here. The enemy's forces already possessed such fighting power, and there was also the yet-to-be-seen dragon girl wielding fire, the sorcerer using wide-area freezing spells, and the swordsman who killed Nikolai with a single strike. If Patriot were to be included... the variables were too great. These 40,000 men might not necessarily be able to win.

“We can’t continue following the original plan exactly. If we don’t make changes and continue at this rate of attrition, we’ll run into big problems,” Ulrich finally said. “After the Third and Fourth Regiments capture the first corner, they shouldn’t go any further. After they’ve secured the pass, they should rest and regroup. We need to clean up the area we’ve captured so the enemy doesn’t have any openings.”

"In addition, the soldiers did not sleep all night, and after a morning of fierce fighting, their combat effectiveness has dropped significantly. Let those who retreated and those who did not fight take turns to rest and recuperate, and then let the Fifth and Sixth Regiments, which have rested, take over."

"Once we've captured the first bend in the pass, there's no need to continue the attack. We need some time to process the information we've just gathered and find a way to counter the enemy's tactics. Also, we need to have them start fortifying their defenses to prepare for enemy charges."

In Ulrich's plan, since direct confrontation had already proven problematic, it was best to slow down the offensive. Since the Reunion Movement bandits were already trapped on the mountain with nowhere to escape, it was better to make thorough preparations for the attack before taking them down.

Furthermore, as the deputy commander of the Second Army, he already had some private troops and fierce generals. Originally, he didn't want to use his personal guard, but given the current situation, he had no choice but to send his men to provide support. This was another reason why he slowed down the pace of the offensive.

“There has always been a saying that the quality of soldiers is more important than the quantity. This might be debatable in plains warfare. But in extreme environments like this where the number of soldiers is limited, you truly understand the meaning of this saying. It’s a pity that the Third and Fourth Armies have been exiled here ever since that great rebellion, and they have never had an environment to train elite troops and generals…” Ulrich thought to himself.

"These bandits are tough... beyond my expectations. But if I can really take them down, my troops can be used as a whetstone to forge a truly formidable force. When I bring them into the center of power, that will be the moment I can truly unleash my power..." Ulrich's ambition continued to grow; his sights were no longer limited to the bandits in these mountains. He wanted more, much more.

However, by looking too far ahead, one ultimately fails to distinguish whether the stone one is about to step over is a stepping stone or a stumbling block that could send one tumbling into the abyss.

……

"After capturing the pass, the enemy didn't continue their advance. Instead, they sent their shield guards to hold the pass. Judging from their appearance, they seem to be planning a temporary truce?" Ines observed the situation using Originium Arts and then turned to Wang Chong, saying.

“Yes, I feel that the steady commander should have made this decision by now,” Wang Chong said. “Their casualties are too high. The original plan was to have six mixed regiments wear us down. But now, we’ve only reached the first pass, and we’ve already destroyed two of their regiments. With such casualties, how could that cautious commander possibly act like a reckless brute and continue to fight head-on?”

"Let everyone rest. Take stock of the casualties, have the logistics personnel transport the weapons and supplies, and leave the rest to you. I'll go find Talulah and Frostnova to find out the latest developments within the enemy ranks, just in case we need to develop a new battle plan." After Wang Chong finished speaking, he carried Albion back, leaving the front line entirely to W, Ines, and Hedley.

Afterwards, Wang Chong greeted Patriot and said something. Patriot nodded and then let Wang Chong enter the dug-out secret passage into the tunnel inside the mountain.

"You're here, Chong." In the command room, Talulah breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Wang Chong arrive.

"What's wrong? You seem to have just heard some bad news?" Wang Chong asked.

“Well, it’s not exactly bad news… The enemy saw that the cost of taking us down with a strong attack was too high, so they suspended their fortifications and are just guarding this pass. I don’t know what they’re planning,” Talulah said. “And we haven’t gotten any other useful information from our intelligence. It seems they’re also stuck here. But I’m afraid they’ll launch a second attack after noon.”

“I see, that’s pretty much what I guessed. This general named Ulrich does have some skill. I suppose he saw the huge gap between the front lines of both sides and decided to look for a flaw in our three-person unit system.” Wang Chong said with a smile, “However, they probably won’t find any flaws in the short term. Even if they imitate us and use the same troop combinations, without a certain level of training, they will only end up with a poor imitation.”

“Also, I just received news that the second wave of attacks will be from the fifth and sixth mixed regiments. They are currently resting... It seems that last night's harassment did have a significant impact on them,” Talulah said.

"Heh, this is nothing. They want to take a good rest now, what a clever plan. They want to fight when they want to fight, and not fight when they don't want to fight. They underestimate us too much," Wang Chong said. "It's time to show them how to flexibly utilize high-end combat power."

What did you do?

You'll understand soon enough.

Chapter 186 The Patriots' Offensive

"Have you heard? The wounded that were carried back by the First and Second Regiments looked terrible... And those who retreated, they were either listless or so terrified that they could barely walk."

"Was it because of the eerie roar earlier? It seems quite a few people were trampled to death because of that."

"That's not the only reason. The roar only worked once or twice, and it got much better after we covered our ears. The truly terrifying enemy is one that we can't defeat no matter what... Didn't you just fight them on the front lines?"

"Fight? Fight my ass, it was all over by the time it was my turn. Everyone ahead of me was dead."

"Hiss—now that you mention it, I feel even more terrified."

At the pass on the front line, the Ursus soldiers, rarely hearing orders to halt their charge, all breathed a sigh of relief. Seated in their trenches, they chatted idly as they built fortifications, venting their pent-up fear.

Yes, it wasn't just the First and Second Regiments. Now, even the Third Regiment was starting to feel fear. The battlefield ahead was like a meat grinder; all they saw were dead bodies, no living ones. For these soldiers, who hadn't seen blood for a long time, this was becoming unsettling. Add to that an unknown force weakening their morale, and if they hadn't been clinging to their last breath, unwilling to die, they would have already collapsed.

"Who cares? The order just came in. The Fifth and Sixth Legions will be replacing us soon. I don't want to stay in this hellhole and keep fighting those demons! They... they're not human! They're demons!" an Ursus soldier said, trembling.

"Hmph, what a coward."

"(Ursus curses), you dare to curse me? If you've got guts, then you be the first to rush up and smash these demon bastards to pieces! You cheapskate."

"Who did you call a slut?!"

"Boom!"

"Ouch, (Ursus swears), who the hell kicked the old... team... captain."

Just as the two were about to start arguing, before they could even make a move, they were each kicked by their captain.

"Quiet down, all of you—the enemy is making a move." The captain in front of us frowned, gripping his halberd tightly, and said.

"What? There's movement?" The group was startled and fell silent, slowly poking their heads out of the trench to observe the dust on the ground bobbing up and down.

“It’s the tremor caused by heavy armor stomping on the ground… Are they planning to force their way out? What are those people at the pass ahead doing? Why are they all standing there like idiots? Have they been controlled again? But I haven’t heard any shouts.” After the captain finished speaking, he looked at the vanguard who had called others cowards earlier and said, “You, go over there.”

"Me?" The man was taken aback, his eyes filled with reluctance.

"Weren't you so cocky just now? Why are you scared now? And you're calling others cowards." The halberd warrior who had just been insulted sneered and mocked.

"Fine, I'll go!" Provoked by the other side, the vanguard could only grit his teeth and immediately head towards the pass ahead to check the situation.

"Hey! What's going on up ahead? Tell me...!!" Just as he was cursing and questioning the shield guards stationed at the pass, he saw a giant halberd fly out from around the corner and crash heavily to the ground. It not only destroyed the shield guards in an instant, but also destroyed the defensive fortifications that were still under construction. The giant halberd created a huge crater.

The vanguard, witnessing this scene, was so terrified he couldn't utter a word; the visual shock completely interrupted his thoughts. At that moment, a large hand reached out from around the corner, grabbed the handle of the giant halberd, and picked it up. A colossal figure emerged from it. His gaze was cold and imposing, meeting the vanguard's eyes directly.

"It's...it's...it's Patriots!!" the vanguard stammered.

"Quick! Everyone move out immediately! Patriot is coming! This time he's really coming!" Not only the vanguard, but the entire Ursus army along the mountain path noticed Patriot the moment he stepped around the corner. After all, the overwhelming aura he exuded was impossible to ignore.

"...We march...we advance!" Patriot raised his great halberd and led his troops in a charge against the Ursus army. In an instant, the mountain trembled, rocks shattered, and the Ursus soldiers were mercilessly harvested like wheat before Patriot. Behind him, the guerrillas also rushed out, unleashing spells and crossbow bolts upon the already panicked Ursus legion.

……

"What! The Patriots have really been mobilized?" Upon hearing the news at the Ursus command camp, Ulrich stood up and, without hesitation, issued orders: "Have everyone prepare for battle! Also, send the war mages to the front lines now. Deploy all Imperial Forecasters to mark the Patriots' location! Send the mine-dropping vehicles and all artillery units to the hilltop. Use all available resources to eliminate the Patriots!" Ulrich said in a deep voice.

"Yes!" No one dared to be negligent. Since the Patriots had really come out this time, they naturally had to use all their trump cards to crush this most terrifying enemy on the surface.

"These bandits are really audacious! Do they really think we can't handle them? If it weren't for Patriot, we wouldn't have revealed our trump cards so quickly. Otherwise, we would have had the war mages completely destroy these scum long ago," a commander cursed.

“Giving them some breathing room, they actually mistakenly thought we were afraid of them. They actually dared to launch a preemptive attack; they're courting death. General, I propose that after we eliminate the Patriots, we use the sorcerers to wipe them out in one fell swoop. I don't believe they're tough enough to withstand our war sorcerers' large-scale destruction spells.” Another commander looked at Ulrich and said.

"We'll talk after we eliminate the Patriots. If the front lines can't hold out, we must protect the mage teams immediately and evacuate them. We absolutely cannot allow the Patriots to reach the mages and slaughter them! Do you understand?" Ulrich emphasized.

"Understood!" everyone replied.

The rest time that Ursus had finally managed to get was abruptly cut short by the Patriots' sudden attack. The soldiers who had just dozed off were once again forced to wake up from their sleep by their superiors, and they assembled to prepare for battle.

Ulrich also stepped outside the camp, intently observing the situation on the hilltop through his binoculars. If there were any signs of the sorcerers retreating or the Patriots appearing, he would order his soldiers to immediately surround and protect him.

……

"Is this what you just did? You ordered the Patriots to launch an attack now?" Talulah had just seen her intelligence officer report the information from the other side and was looking at Wang Chong when she asked.

"Yes, while disturbing their rest, we can also dampen their morale. At the same time, this is also a probe to find out if they have any hidden cards we don't know about," Wang Chong explained.

"Isn't this a bit too risky? You know, the other side has been waiting for Mr. Patriot to come out, and they must have prepared a way to eliminate him," Talulah said with some concern.

"Don't worry, I've already arranged for a suitable person to provide support. He's my future father-in-law, after all; how could I let anything happen to him? Besides, Mr. Patriot himself didn't use his full strength; retreating would be easy for him if he wanted to. Killing him won't be so easy," Wang Chong said with a faint smile.

"As long as you're confident. By the way, you just said you plan to have Frostnova lead the Yeti squad to provide support directly, instead of preparing for infiltration like before, and instead have them take charge of the flank battle?" Talulah asked again.

“Ursus won’t make the same mistake a third time. Avalanche is unlikely to have a significant effect this time, so it would be better to let Frostnova handle the harassment on the right flank this time,” Wang Chong nodded and said.

Chapter 187 Arcueid's Power

"coming."

As Patriot calmly tore through the enemy's defensive lines with his greatsword, he suddenly sensed the heat and the smell of rust in the air. He knew that the War Sorcerers, one of Ursus's three most prized unit types, had arrived on the battlefield.

Suddenly, black blades came hurtling down from the sky, aimed directly at Patriot's torso. Patriot raised his shield, directly blocking the black blades made of Originium energy.

The bombardment continued, and surprisingly, Patriot's massive shield, which no Ursus soldier's blade could cut through or damage, suffered considerable wear and tear from these black blades.

One after another, the black blades left deep scratches on the giant shield, as if they wanted to cut the shield into a thousand pieces.

But at that moment, Patriot's gaze suddenly turned downwards, and then he stomped his foot hard, leaping into the air. The ground beneath his feet churned up a wave of dust, and from the churning earth, many black spikes rose up, nearly piercing Patriot's ankles and lower limbs.

At the same time, a huge meteorite hurtled straight toward Patriot. Seeing this, Patriot became serious and, wielding his giant halberd, collided with the meteorite in a flash.

Sparks flew, the explosion was deafening, and the shockwave swept across the faces of everyone nearby, making it difficult for them to open their eyes. A heavy thud followed, and Patriot easily extinguished the still-burning flames on his shoulder, seemingly unaffected by the three spells.

"Three?" Patriot thought. If he remembered correctly, there were five warriors and sorcerers accompanying the 40,000 troops he had dispatched this time. But now he had only seen three different types of attacks, and he didn't know where the other two were hiding.

Just then, a gust of wind and snow swept in, the biting cold causing Patriot to furrow his brow. Then, Patriot, wielding his giant halberd, swept it horizontally at the oncoming snowflakes.

"Clang clang clang—"

Despite being the softest of materials, the moment the giant halberd collided with the snowflakes, it generated a tremendous force, as if striking metal or stone. Patriot even noticed that a slight freeze occurred at the point where his giant halberd struck the snowflakes.

"call--"