Blood tax

Chapter 594: Forward, the enemy is in Cherkasy!
On June 6, after a long voyage, the fleet approached Cherkasy. The staff established a series of military stations along the broad Tyrne River. Approaching Cherkasy meant that a fierce encounter would break out there.

Roland ordered the steam gunboats to disperse and form a warning circle around the fleet, and to immediately destroy any suspicious troops and ships they found.

The riverside was full of shoals and swamps, and the fleet prepared a large number of flat-bottomed steam assault boats. The assault groups composed of hussars, dragoons and armored cavalry separated from the Bayerland landing fleet in batches and rushed towards Cherkasy on land.

Since there were no suitable ports nearby and the exact location of the enemy was unclear, the cavalry was deployed in batches.

Before entering Canaan's outer defense line, the Bayerland cavalry and steam gunboats were to drive away enemy sentries and riverine artillery to ensure that the fleet would not be ambushed during the voyage.

At the same time, the Bayerlan cavalry had to quickly grasp battlefield intelligence and launch an attack on the colossus. This giant creature, which was beyond the times and human cognition, could even boil the river and burn the entire fleet to ashes.

At dusk, the fleet received a report from the outpost about the Cherkassy battle and entered a state of war. All steam boilers were fired up, and thick black smoke rose into the sky. The water of the Tyrne River was turbulent in summer. The steam battleships advancing in a single column set up bulletproof nets, removed excess sails and rigging, and tightened the masts with thin steel wire ropes. Sandbags filled with sand were piled up around the bridge and the gun positions to make the greatest preparations for battle.

According to reliable intelligence from investigators, the Canaanite Colossus possesses terrifying firepower.

After completing all combat readiness actions, Roland temporarily took over the command of the entire army according to the predetermined plan. Erza Valkyrie, Sidious Villanoi, Count William de La Mole, Werner Negri and other Bayerlan and Confederation generals gathered to confirm the battle deployment.

The frontline report was very brief: "The enemy's colossus and corps have launched an offensive against Cherkasy. There are no abnormalities in the surrounding waters and areas."

Upon hearing this, Roland smiled.

"If you are undecided, you will lose completely."

Canaan's main forces gathered, but the Colossus, which was supposed to fight against Bayerlan, was used to sweep away the rebels in Cherkassy. It is true that Cherkassy is important, and destroying the facilities and troops there will greatly increase the difficulty of Bayerlan's landing operation; however, using the Hand of God and the Colossus to sweep away the rebels will lose the strategic initiative and intelligence advantage.

At 7:20 pm, Sidious and Erza prepared to board the assault boat and head to the shore. Together, they commanded the best cavalry to carry out the assault. This difficult task was originally planned to be carried out by Griffith, while Sidious, Erza, and even Roland himself were to provide support for Griffith in the battle against Salorian.

Roland had long been investigating the connection between Salorian and the Hermit, suspecting that he was the one who disguised himself as the Hermit, convened meetings, and guided the Confederation and other rebel groups. Such a supreme being who possessed the authority of magic, the life thread of the virtual world, and the Creator, and was also the shadow behind many forces, would definitely reveal his purpose at the critical moment of the crisis.

However, no one expected his trump card to be so crazy. The ending of "loser eats dust" with a choice between personality erosion and world destruction has made the original layout meaningless.

The towering silhouette of the colossus appeared and disappeared in the clouds, and the burning flames were like bright lights along the way, marking the direction of the attack for the entire army. The noisy psychic waves filled the echoes with unrecognizable noises.

The fleet raised the signal flag and used light signals to notify all personnel to take up combat positions and prepare for artillery fire from the port side of the warships.

"If Griffith doesn't come back, all the sacrifices here will be meaningless." Erza argued again before boarding the assault boat.

Sidious glanced at her and said, "Oh? If there is no meaning, then why do you care about the sacrifice?"

"..."

Roland smiled and told the two to stop arguing. Originally, he was very upset about the plan going out of control, but as the final battle approached, he calmed down.

Heroes can indeed drive history forward, but it is the course of history that plays a decisive role.

After thirty years of planning and three thousand years of struggle, the time has come to decide!

Roland waved his hand and said, "It is now 7:25. Issue an order to the entire fleet and army:
"Forward, the enemy is in Cherkasy!"

……

With a loud creaking sound, the ground shook like a pudding, the dark gold and dark red heavy armor of the colossus shone, and a round of shells hit the heavy shield and immediately disappeared without a trace. The ancient giant crossed the trenches and ruins with grace and death, strolled in the firelight, and poured beams of light on the ground.

The Cherkasy insurgents turned their artillery and continued firing, but their shells hit the shield without any effect.

"Explosive pack! Use explosive pack!"

Harandil was the first to rush out. The half-elven and human rebels shouted battle slogans and charged at the colossus with special anti-shield bombs on their backs. The beam flashed by, and the shield on Harandil's body was instantly destroyed. He was also blown away and hung on a half-collapsed pillar.

Paulus watched the battle from afar, and saw the human soldiers launch a desperate charge, but they could not get past the death beams from the giant thermal laser gun. The colossus was too powerful, and wherever the terrifying golden-red beam of light passed, all the soldiers turned to ashes.

However, the rebels' counterattacks continued. They attracted the attention of the colossus, and as the heat beams swept across the Tyrne River, patches of fire flashed.

"Comrades, our support is here!"

There was cheering on the battlefield.

General Paulus on the opposite side shouted anxiously: "Don't worry about the rebels! Master wizards!
"For Canaan's sake, Bayerlan is calling!"

The fire on the river flickered for a moment and then dimmed. Under the distant clouds, more and farther red lights flashed, followed by rolling thunder.

Suddenly, a bright light cut through the sky and water, like a spear piercing the burning air! At the source of the light, four black warships with towering masts were advancing against the current.

The Colossus immediately changed direction and began to approach the Tyrne River, fighting back with golden-red flames in the rising and falling dust of the bombardment!

Dull explosions rang out one after another. The four high-speed battlecruisers of the First Mobile Fleet opened fire one after another. The flames from the ship's guns lit up the sky red! The gunners on the ship took off their shirts, howled and scrubbed the barrels with gun brushes, filled them with silk powder bags, pushed grenades into the barrels, and fired.

Harandil, who was hanging on the pillar, was awakened. He couldn't get down, and the two armies were fighting in a mess, so no one cared about him, leaving him alone to watch the battle in the special seat.

Every time the four battlecruisers of the First Mobile Fleet fired, the river surface shook, and smoke and flames swept across the deck. The Colossus fired at the river surface, and explosions on its torso rose and fell like bamboo poles with lanterns hung on them on a festive day.

"Fuck, is Roland crazy? Why is he using a battleship to fight against the Colossus?!"

The pungent smoke of gunpowder swept across their faces on the night wind, choking the people of Harandil and making it almost impossible to breathe.

As the distance got closer, the sky became brighter. At first, the fleet's gunners had to constantly adjust the firing angle according to the landing point. Later, dense water columns and smoke marked a light path directly pointing to the Colossus. The gunners on the four battlecruisers fired faster and faster, and their shots became more and more accurate.

"Boom!" Suddenly, the flagship exploded. The wooden hull was hit by the colossus, and the ammunition was detonated. In an instant, shrapnel and wood fragments flew everywhere, and the deck was covered with blood and flesh, like hell on earth.

The flagship lost its combat capability on the spot, and the captain, who was barely alive, commanded the remaining sailors to rush to the right bank of the Tirne River.

"Om-"

The oval, blue-glowing giant made a deep, long roar, and lingered between heaven and earth for a long time. Any stories, dragons and behemoths in the murals, those abyss monsters that people dare not look at or describe, the fear and shock they left in people's hearts, were not enough to describe what was happening before their eyes.

A strong golden-red light swept over. The hull and cannons that were touched by the beam melted a large part, and then a stream of fire like magma emerged.

The Colossus began to fire with unprecedented force. The beams boiled the water in the air, and a cloud of steam rose up.

A few minutes later, the second battlecruiser was hit by a blast through her ammunition magazine, blowing her to pieces.

At 9:10 pm, all four battlecruisers of the First Mobile Fleet were sunk. The river bombardment never penetrated the Colossus's shield.

At the same time, a squadron of hussars equipped with seals arrived at the battlefield!
They were the first batch of cavalrymen to land, possessing Beyonders and Seals. While the warships were firing, the cavalrymen broke through the Canaan Rangers' blockade and charged straight at the Colossus.

"Retreat quickly! Let the Colossi fight and retreat at the same time!" Tyrael and the representatives of the Senate hurriedly ordered, "Follow the cavalry and stop those humans."

The air was filled with a cacophony of noises—the creaking of giants, the crumbling and breaking of buildings, the crackling and snapping of burning trees and human flesh.

Thick black smoke mixed with the evaporation of the river water. As the beam of light swept back and forth across the land, everything it hit emitted a white light and then emitted choking black smoke.

Anxious Harandil saw two flashes of golden-red light on the colossus.

"spread!"

He shouted. There were crackling sounds in the air, like firecrackers at a festival.

All the cavalry's attacks seemed insignificant. In the face of the incredibly thick armor and shield, it was estimated that only a group of extraordinary people firing at the same time, aiming at one part, could cause enough damage to break the shield and armor. However, in the face of the sweeping heat beam, the intensive attack was like ripe rice facing a sickle, and could only be cut down row by row.

Rows of cavalry, no matter whether they were holding shields or deploying shields, were all blown to ashes as soon as they were swept by these two beams.

The high-temperature jets shot down from above swept across the galloping cavalry, burning one piece after another. The entire squadron was burned to ashes in an instant, leaving only the charred shadows of men and horses on the ground.

The sky turned orange.

Without a moment's mourning for the fallen Hussars, the next to enter the battlefield were the Dragoons and Horse Artillery!

The Bayerlan cavalry rushed into the battlefield like moths to a flame, some of them charged at the colossus, while others prepared to fire on the spot. As soon as they set up their artillery, the swarming elven cavalry stabbed them all to death.

Harandil broke his teeth.

The Bayerlan cavalry that landed from the fleet was in disarray. The hussars carrying the seals and the dragoons equipped with artillery did not form an organized offensive at all. Squadrons launched attacks one after another, and were then intercepted and killed by the colossus and the nearby Canaanite cavalry. The golden-red beams swept forward and backward, burning people into ashes.

"Hahaha!"

Bayerland's offensive continued, but neither the rebels, the fleet, the hussars, nor the dragoons caused any substantial damage to the Colossus.

"Retreat a little further, and let Tarkin retreat a little further!" Tyrael issued an order past Paulus, "The entire army moves forward and deploys in front of the Colossus! Yes, we will use this formation to burn all the bugs to death!"

The Canaanite cavalry and infantry moved forward and formed a strict square formation. The colossus stood behind them and continued to sweep.

Trouble, the Canaan formation is complete... Harandil wiped the blood off his face and climbed down from the pillar. He found a usable explosive pack on the charred ground.

Xia Boyang is missing, and most of the rebel army’s comrades are also missing. Next, he has to rely on himself to sneak up from the back and blow up the colossus!

Suddenly, just as Harandil set out, the Colossus's huge tentacles came alive, whistling with terror and lashing the ground like whips.

A terrible sound of twisting and breaking was heard, and a squadron of elves was just under the sweep of the tentacles and turned into meat paste without even a wail.

Harandil didn't understand what he saw for a moment. What pierced his vision was a golden and white light, flickering with a blue halo, just like... just like a piercing blade!
With the shrill alarm, the Canaanite army began to stir like a dark cloud split by lightning. The elite cavalry protecting the giant came galloping in hastily, but were left behind by the golden and white spears.

The first time Harandil saw that figure that seemed to be strolling leisurely in the garden yet was so powerful that he immediately imprinted it in his heart.

A lance surrounded by lightning flew up and down, like dancing pear blossoms, and everywhere it fell like drifting snow. Wherever it went, the elite Canaanite cavalry fell like waves, and fell like grass and trees.

Erza breaks through Canaan's formation!
The successive sacrifices created an opening for her to launch an assault, and the smoke and roar turned into a pair of galloping wings!
She and her mount were wrapped in golden wings of light, looking like frozen icicles in the howling wind.

Bows and arrows rained down, and the heavy spear array came forward like a wall. The elves who hurried back to help only saw the golden and white lightning flashing by.

Amidst thousands of confusing messages, she locked onto that eye-catching ball of light.

“Found it, Colossus!
"Ancient Mystery, Perish!"

Amidst thunderous shouts, Erza passed through the sweep of tentacles, took out her gun, accelerated, charged her power, aimed... and shot!
Two beams of heat energy swept towards him, and at the moment when the beams crossed each other, this series of movements was as smooth as flowing water, and it was incredibly done in one go!
This is the gap between the Colossus and the Canaanite Legion to adjust their formation and become disconnected. At close range without heavy cover, they make an all-out effort!
"Bombard Five Star Bruona!"

The world suddenly became silent.

The jet of light went out, and the roaring body seemed to freeze. Then, it trembled as if from the depths of the earth, and the solid dark gold heavy armor erupted like magma, and bounced towards the sky!

"boom--!"

The Colossus exploded violently from the inside out!