The story of the black silk female knight

Once again, Valensa enhanced her perception with both mental power and divine magic, and forcibly sensed the situation inside the large settlement of wild beasts through the sandstorm barrier from more than ten kilometers away. She then discovered that the number of wild beasts inside was also less than last time.

Last time there were at least 200 million wild beasts inside, now there should be at most around 170 million.

What were the remaining wild beasts made of? Where did they all go?

Were they high-ranking members of the wild beasts, like that top-tier expert, who simply fled when faced with danger? Or were they treated as expendable resources, like the underage wild beasts who participated in the Ancestral Spirit Ritual?

Whoosh whoosh!

As Valencia was pondering this, she saw new activity emerging from the large settlement of wild beasts.

The outer sandstorm barrier spun faster and faster, and as the sand swirled, some car-sized rocks were also flung out, tracing long parabolic arcs in the air before crashing into the undead legion.

The immense kinetic energy from the hurled boulder was simply too much for the zombies and skeletons of the undead legion to withstand. Instantly, many zombies and skeletons were crushed under the boulder, like ribs and meat sauce on a chef's cutting board.

Valensa didn't rush to make a move. She continued to disguise herself as a zombie and blend into the undead horde to observe secretly. After being hit by a boulder, she simply lay down and pretended to be dead.

The zombies and skeletons are mostly made from the corpses of wild beasts. Even if they were all wiped out, Valensa wouldn't feel bad. She was more interested in figuring out what tricks the wild beasts in large settlements had up their sleeves.

At first, that was indeed what Valensa thought.

But as the boulders kept crashing down, the 30-strong undead army lost more than a tenth of its strength in just over ten minutes, which made Valensa lose her temper.

"I want to nuke the beasts, baby."

She took out her communication magic card and muttered a complaint:

"It's really embarrassing to be unilaterally suppressed by throwing stones at us like this. And it seems like they can keep throwing stones at us forever. They won't stop even if they wipe out all 30 of our troops. There's not much point in continuing to observe from the shadows, is there?"

"Then let's drop a nuclear bomb."

To Valensa's surprise, Tia readily agreed.

"Hey?"

Valensa was somewhat surprised:

"I was just complaining a little... Honey, didn't you say before that we shouldn't gain too much of an advantage in the early stages of the war, and that we should give the beasts the illusion that scorched earth is very effective?"

“I did say that, but…”

Tia sighed softly:

"You don't still think this war can be like it was at the beginning, where you can easily wipe out hundreds of thousands of wild beasts and many Radiant-rank experts with a single nuclear bomb, do you? Judging from the wild beasts' current performance, it's probably not an exaggeration for them to say that they have a way to deal with nuclear bombs... That's why I agreed to let you drop the nuclear bomb. I think it's very difficult to take down such a large settlement with just nuclear bombs."

"...I don't think so."

Valensa pouted, somewhat unconvinced, then stopped pretending to be dead and jumped up:

"A mere large settlement of wild beasts, even if a single nuclear bomb can't take it down, it's only because the yield isn't enough... just drop a few more!"

"Why don't you give it a try?"

Tia smiled gently, then said indulgently:

"Don't worry too much about my plan. Just don't use the special pheromone solvent yet. You can do whatever makes you happy. It would be best if we could take down this large settlement. But if we can't and we lose all 30 undead, it's okay. You can come back and hug me and cry."

"I won't cry!"

Valensa pouted angrily, shut down the communication of the magic card, and took out two nuclear bombs from her storage space. Nana held one up and it flew away, while she held the other herself, constantly using her mental power to reduce her presence, and quietly approached the sandstorm barrier.

Valencia had also carefully studied how to drop nuclear bombs on the enemy.

The initial method of using drones to drop them is definitely not going to work... The first success was entirely due to the advantage of being the first to attack. If the wild beasts were to deploy some aerial sentries to patrol and guard against any approaching metal objects, this method would inevitably fail.

Valencia had also seriously considered the method of launching nuclear missiles using missiles, a method common to normal technological civilizations, and had even purchased some ballistic missiles from Vie for testing.

However, the test results were not ideal.

This world lacks satellite navigation, making long-range targeting impossible. Furthermore, the environment is influenced by various magical elements and magnetic fields, making it difficult to hit long-range targets using only the missile's own radar guidance.

Changing the guidance function to perception magic or mental remote control would be possible; this kind of work doesn't even require Frigia's intervention now, Tia and Suzuran can handle it.

However, this would cause the missile to lose its greatest advantage as a technological weapon... It would possess magical fluctuations, and upon approaching the enemy, it would be sensed and intercepted by the enemy's powerful forces, making it less reliable than unguided missiles that rely on luck for firing.

In short, the two most common nuclear strike methods used by technological civilizations—airdrop and missiles—are not very effective in this world.

After numerous brainstorming and testing sessions, Valensa was speechless to discover that the most effective way to launch a nuclear attack in this world was ridiculously simple—set a timer to detonate it, and have a powerful expert of the Radiant Rank carry it directly to the enemy's head, just like what she was about to do.

Because technological methods can never guarantee accuracy beyond a certain distance, and magical methods can never conceal magical fluctuations, which will be detected by the enemy in advance... it would be better to have strong individuals carry nuclear weapons to break through head-on and infiltrate covertly, using a two-pronged approach.

Nana, holding a nuclear bomb almost as long as her height, deftly dodged the boulders that were hurtling towards her and charged directly at the sandstorm barrier.

Such a blatant and open attack by a powerful figure was naturally discovered by the wild beasts very quickly.

Normally, the safest option would be for several powerful experts of the Radiant Rank to immediately come out and stop Nana outside the large settlement.

However, the fear of death of the powerful beastmen remained unchanged, which was the complete opposite of the passion of those young beastmen who would readily show themselves for their clans... Even though they knew that Nana was coming with a nuclear bomb, not a single Radiant-rank expert was willing to leave the barrier to intercept her.

However, the wild beasts were not indifferent. The sandstorm barrier that was attacking the undead by launching boulders with the wind had undergone a new change... The yellow sand was denser and thicker. What used to look like the see-through effect of 60D stockings was now completely invisible, like cotton pants.

Another streak of blood-red light, like a laser beam, locked onto Nana, as if some large weapon was charging up.

Valensa hesitated for a moment, feeling that she shouldn't take advantage of Nana just because of her outstanding performance, and there was no need to take the risk.

When she was about 3 kilometers away from the sandstorm barrier, Nana stopped approaching and instead threw the nuclear bomb with both arms, sending it hurtling towards the wild beast settlement at a speed exceeding Mach 2, with a pre-set detonation time of 5 seconds.

Sure enough, almost the instant the nuclear bomb flew from Nana's hand, a ghastly green ray suddenly shot out from behind the sandstorm barrier, accurately hitting the nuclear bomb locked by the blood-red dot, causing the nuclear bomb, which was about to explode, to disappear in mid-air without producing a single spark.

"This is... the Disintegration Technique?"

Valensa frowned slightly, looking somewhat uncertain.

Disintegration is a ray-type spell, also green in color, that breaks down a target object into atomic-level particles... It's an extremely powerful single-target attack spell, Valensa had heard Tia briefly explain it to her before.

But the Disintegration spell is one of the Sage's Tower's signature spells, and it requires the caster to have a clear understanding of the concept of atoms... It doesn't seem like something a wild beast would use.

The way Nana's nuclear bomb disappeared just now did look like she had been hit by a Disintegration spell... and if this spell really was a Disintegration spell, it would be very dangerous for Nana, so throwing the nuclear bomb out in time was the right choice.

Unsure whether the beasts' disintegration-like green rays could be fired in succession, Valensa didn't let Nana approach the sandstorm barrier any further. Instead, she retreated another two kilometers, remaining vigilant.

Her true form, still under the cover of the reduced presence of mental power, had already approached within one kilometer of the sandstorm barrier.

Normally, even with a reduced presence of mental power, it would be difficult to stealthily move in front of enemies in the wasteland... Valensa hasn't been discovered by the wild beasts yet, all thanks to Nana attracting their attention head-on.

However, this should be the limit. Now that Nana has temporarily retreated, the enemy's senses will inevitably re-examine the area around the sandstorm barrier, making it difficult to hide using only mental power.

Considering the eerie, pale green ray she had just witnessed, and the fact that a range of a kilometer was sufficient for the destructive power of a nuclear bomb… Valensa hardened her heart and, instead of setting a timer for the nuclear bomb in her hand, pressed the detonation button directly.

Of course, at the moment she pressed the detonation button, Valensa also activated the power of the Exquisite Demon Sword, returning directly to Nana's side via Moon Kiss.

boom!

This method of manual detonation at close range proved reliable. It was not interrupted by the enemy. The intense flames and loud noise arrived as expected, along with the destructive high temperature and pressure, and the mushroom cloud that looked quite artistic... Hmm?

To Valensa's astonishment, an even brighter ray shot into the sky, piercing the mushroom cloud of the nuclear explosion from below like a spear piercing a watermelon, and shooting vertically into the sky.

Upon closer inspection, one can discover that the intense heat ray is not actually light, but rather countless grains of sand that have absorbed a large amount of heat, which come together and shoot upwards like a high-pressure water gun.

It's still the same effect of the sandstorm barrier... The high-speed rotating and flowing sand can absorb a large amount of the high temperature and kinetic energy generated by the nuclear explosion before being launched into the sky.

A small amount of such sand is certainly useless, but if there is enough of it and the flow is fast enough, it might actually be able to directly defend against the power of a nuclear bomb explosion, and it would be much more economical than simply using a magic barrier to withstand it.

The sandstorm barrier currently used by the wild beasts undoubtedly has a very sufficient amount of sand... Sand is the most abundant thing in the wasteland and desert environment of the Barren Ridge.

Sure enough, after the power of the nuclear explosion gradually subsided, the sandstorm barrier remained unchanged, showing no signs of being blown apart, and the life reactions within the barrier did not decrease much.

Although the nuclear bomb was not very powerful, only a tactical nuclear bomb with a kill radius of about 5 kilometers, it was almost perfectly defended by the Wild Beast.

"...As expected, the amount is insufficient."

Valensa glanced behind her and muttered to herself in annoyance.

The reason she didn't use a high-yield nuclear bomb before was simple: firstly, it was just a test of the beasts' methods, and secondly, it was to avoid accidentally harming her own undead army.

But right now, Valensa wants to test the limits of this sandstorm barrier.

Without hesitation, she took out two more nuclear bombs, and she and Nana each took one and broke through the sandstorm barrier.

However, after being bombed, the beasts' alertness increased significantly again, and Valensa could no longer use stealth to reduce her presence.

Whether Valensa and Nana forcefully throw the nuclear bombs or carry them through the barrier themselves, as long as the nuclear bombs enter the area within 3 kilometers of the sandstorm barrier, the red dot lock-on signal with the blood-red laser and the ghastly green ray that follows will appear, allowing for precise interception with each nuclear bomb.

Valensa tried to exchange fire with the pale green ray several times using the Sunfire Ray, but to her surprise, the pale green ray was like a venomous snake pouncing on its prey, able to bend and not exchange fire at all. It dodged the Sunfire Ray every time, and instead aimed at the nuclear bomb in mid-air or in Valensa's hand.

Valensa quickly used her divine shield to protect the nuclear bomb in her hand... This time it worked; the divine shield of the Radiant Rank could defend against that ghastly green ray.

But it wasn't very useful... Valensa couldn't possibly detonate the nuclear bomb inside the divine shield, and those ghastly green rays were extremely fast; the nuclear bomb would be destroyed immediately once the divine shield disappeared.

Let alone setting a timer to launch a nuclear bomb, even manually detonating it by getting close like just now would be very difficult to succeed.

It's unclear how the wild beasts originally conceived of this, but they actually stumbled upon the perfect solution.

Nuclear bombs are difficult to detonate if they are not detonated in the correct way, so the best way to defend against nuclear bombs is to destroy them before they explode... Now the wild beasts are making full use of this tactic by relying on large-scale magical barriers.

If only a few more people could join me in dropping nuclear bombs... How many nuclear bombs could this level of precision and intensity interception ray intercept simultaneously? There must be an upper limit, right?

After muttering a somewhat regretful complaint in her heart, Valensa suddenly had a flash of inspiration and came up with a new idea.

The nuclear interception tactics that the Wild Beasts are currently using are indeed quite impressive, but can they really distinguish between nuclear bombs and ordinary artillery shells?

To beings from non-technological civilizations, nuclear bombs and ordinary artillery shells must be strange metal canisters that explode, right?

In this case……

Valensa's eyes lit up, and she and Nana retreated back into the army of the dead, where they once again disguised themselves as zombies and hid.

At the same time, the undead army mobilized and continued its advance towards the large settlement of wild beasts.

Seeing this, the wild beast quickly adjusted the operation of the sandstorm barrier, continuing to hurl large rocks at it to reduce the number of undead legions, just as it had done at the beginning.

Valenza didn't defend herself and just charged straight in. Anyway, there were still more than 25 undead, so it was impossible for them to be smashed to death by the big rocks before they reached the sandstorm barrier.

There's no need to rush to the sandstorm barrier.

When they were about 4 kilometers away from the sandstorm barrier, some zombies and skeletons carrying extra large packs on their backs stopped and, in groups of three or five, took out the items from their backpacks and skillfully assembled them.

The remaining zombies and skeletons formed a wall of flesh and bone in front, using their own shattered remains to protect them from the boulders.

The new weapons carried by the zombies and skeletons were quickly assembled: large iron cylinders supported by tripods—the famous mortars.

If the undead army is already equipped with automatic rifles and grenades, then it's normal to also equip them with some mortars that can be carried by a single soldier, right?

Since there's no need to consider the undead's weight or stamina, teaching them to control the undead is very simple. Once Princess Yu learns, all the undead will learn.

Princess Yu can't learn those overly complicated weapons, but learning to use a mortar shouldn't be a problem.

In this world, aiming at targets with mortars doesn't require mastering geometry or carrying a protractor. Various perception-based magics are very convenient, and the mortars that Vi sold to Valensa even come with AI-assisted aiming, making them almost completely foolproof... Anyone who has played FPS games can use them with a little training.

In short, the undead quickly assembled more than 500 mortars on the front lines and began firing at the sandstorm barrier.

The power of a mortar in this world is only on par with a Lighthouse-level fireball, so Valensa didn't actually equip the undead legion with many of these weapons... These weapons are not very useful against agile Lighthouse-level enemies, let alone against Radiant-level enemies. And if you want to slaughter enemy cannon fodder, what could be more efficient than the fat man's curse aura and area pollution?

It could be said that equipping the Undead Legion with these mortars was largely to satisfy Valensa's sentimental feelings.

But now these mortars have unexpectedly proven to be of great use.

The Wild Beast's nuclear missile interception system, which relied on a large magical barrier, was indeed unable to distinguish between mortar shells and nuclear missiles, which were essentially flying metal canisters.

During the first salvo of mortars, hundreds of ghastly green beams of light shot out from within the sandstorm barrier to intercept them, each capable of precisely eliminating a mortar shell.

This seems to be the maximum interception limit of the defensive barrier for large settlements of wild beasts... Valensa, who had been secretly sensing the situation inside the barrier, was also surprised to find that at the same time that hundreds of pale green rays fired interceptor shells, the life force inside the barrier instantly decreased by about 1.

Could those eerie, pale green rays be using the lives of wild beasts as energy?

So, for a group with high fertility, the life of an ordinary individual is the cheapest, and can be completely consumed?

However, this wave also made the wild beasts realize the true power of mortar shells. They were far inferior to nuclear bombs, and hundreds of shells had little effect on the sandstorm barrier.

So when the second and third waves of mortars were fired simultaneously, the beasts stopped intercepting and continued to throw stones using the sandstorm barrier, trying to eliminate the undead army as soon as possible.

This played right into Valencia's hands.

During the fourth mortar salvo, two more large shells were added inside, which Valensa and Nana threw out, mimicking the trajectory of mortar shells.

As expected, the beast magic barrier's interception system couldn't distinguish between artillery shells and nuclear missiles, and it had no reaction to the two nuclear missiles that flew along with the artillery shells, until two mushroom clouds rose again.

This time, the wild beast was finally caught off guard... The wild beast, which had been throwing stones at the sandstorm barrier, probably hadn't activated the barrier's defensive capabilities to the maximum, and was blown through by the simultaneous explosion of two nuclear bombs.

Even though the wild beasts quickly increased the defensive capabilities of the sandstorm barrier, the life force inside the barrier still decreased by more than 30, and the thickness of the sandstorm barrier was greatly reduced, turning from cotton pants into sheer stockings of no more than 5D.

Of course, the undead army, which was very close to the nuclear explosion, was also affected. Only the mortar phalanx, which was protected by Valensa's divine shield, was intact. Tens of thousands of skeletons and zombies in the front row were killed by the nuclear bomb, and even two of the big fat men were crippled.

The wild beasts had been throwing stones at each other for most of the day using the sandstorm barrier, but the number of undead killed by those stones was less than the number of casualties caused by these two nuclear missiles.

However, Valensa didn't care at all. Undead were really cheap consumables... Now that the barrier of the wild beasts had been almost blown through, as long as they conquered this large settlement, there would be plenty of wild beast corpses to replenish the undead army.

So Valensa and Nana took out the nuclear bomb again and pretended to throw it, while the mortar phalanx loaded the shells, preparing to replicate their previous success.