Magic Industrial Age.

Chapter 418, Section 416: Escalating Further (Please Subscribe)
Another location, outside the city of Luttia.

As the capital of the Bonaparte Empire, this place had the densest, strongest, and most difficult-to-conquer fortifications.

After a brief trial, the vanguard of the First Legion of the Habsburg Empire realized that a direct assault was not an option.

So they deployed a large number of magic cannons of all types here.

Then, they launched a relentless bombardment of the largest city in the Bonaparte Empire.

The shells were thrown out as if they were free, their trailing flames disappearing into the horizon, and the billowing smoke even condensing into dark clouds in the sky.

Meanwhile, the city of Luttia also pulled out all the stops.

The world-famous Eiffel Tower took flight and hovered in the center of the city.

With it at its core, the turbulent magic gathered like a tide, eventually tearing a hole in the sky.

On the other side of the opening is a true water world, where cascading water elements transform into a waterfall that falls into the sky above the mage tower.

Guided by an invisible force, it spread in all directions, forming a pale blue, ever-flowing water curtain that enveloped the entire city.

The construction of large-scale magical defensive barriers actually follows a very simple and basic principle.

That is, the larger the area, the more magic power is consumed, increasing exponentially.

Assuming that protecting a 10-square-meter area requires 100 points of magic power, then protecting a 20-square-meter area would require not 200 points, not even 400 or 800, but 1,600 points of magic power!
Therefore, the most common large defensive barriers in the Old World were actually used for the castles of nobles.

The area isn't too large, and the energy supplied by the element pool is sufficient, but if it were any larger, it would exceed the limit!

As for being able to cover the entire city, especially a large city like Luttia, that would be almost impossible.

But the Eiffel Tower did it. The opening it made connected directly to the water elemental plane, and with the twelve water elemental giants protecting it, it completed the protection of the city of Luttia.

The residents of the city could only see fireworks exploding on the water curtain, creating ripples.

However, after the ripples subsided, they were washed away by the continuous curtain of water, and nothing was left.

Although it looks dangerous, it is actually quite safe!

Looking out, the sky above was ablaze with earth fire and wind, and one could vaguely see four-tiered warriors fighting, their collisions and roars sounding like a symphony.

Every now and then, figures would fall from mid-air, like falling fireballs, crashing onto the ground.

Natural disasters may be severe, but on such a battlefield, they are as insignificant as a feather.

Higher in the sky, terrifying beings confronted each other, their imposing aura freezing the void, and their gazes sending shivers down one's spine.

The legend has not yet appeared, but it already strikes fear into people's hearts!

In fact, the wars here have long since ceased to be mere battles between mortals.

Land, sea, and air—battlefields everywhere, with dangerous objects falling from time to time.

It's worth mentioning that the Empire's various magic cannons were also helpless against the city of Luttia.

Therefore, they prepared to bring the Great Bertha Cannon over, using a super-large dimensional ring, and have already completed the transportation of the main components.

That's right, it's a bit troublesome to assemble. More than 280 people have been working day and night, and they've already completed one-third of it, but it still needs more time.

It seems the empire wanted to prove that the colossal objects they produced weren't just flashy and useless.

These past few days, Luo Yi has hardly paid attention to any trivial matters. She cultivates in the Golden House, guarding the magic mirror and enjoying herself immensely.

The same goes for Virgil the Red Dragon. Even for him, unless he were on the battlefield, it would be rare to see a war of this scale from such a unique perspective.

As for actually going to the battlefield to see the situation in person, he wouldn't dare!
Just kidding, even he, the Dragon of the End of Incineration with a splendid reputation, felt unsafe going to that place.

If you were to ask Luo Yi how it felt to watch the games for so many days...
All he could say was that the world was so magical, and time and space were so distorted!

A firefight between cold weapons and firearms!

A clash between a knight's sword and a bullet!
A clash between the extraordinary and the cannonball!

A battle between flying magical beasts and magical flying machines!

A battle between powerful artifacts and potions!

Myth has entered the real world; bombs have shaken the world!
The entire Old World seemed to have entered a time loop, with the new and the old coming together to compete on the same stage!

Then, what it brings to the onlookers is unparalleled shock!
This, perhaps, is the unique charm and allure of Herka's world!
However, the war became increasingly brutal and reckless as it progressed.

The methods and tactics employed by both sides have crossed a certain line, becoming unscrupulous.

For example, on one battlefield, the empire defended it as if it were an impregnable fortress, and the allied forces attacked it many times but could not take it.

When cornered, it actually opened the gates of the underworld with some kind of ritual, deceiving the gatekeepers and letting a large number of evil spirits into the human world.

Wherever they went, the earth froze, and all things lost their vitality. The soldiers' guns and artillery fire were still effective, but they could not harm the incorporeal evil spirits.

On the contrary, once the evil spirit passes through their bodies, it can seize their souls. The soulless shells fall limply to the ground, unharmed, but no longer breathing.

Their deaths were strikingly similar: expressionless faces, wide-open eyes, and frozen crystals inside, as if reflecting countless ghostly figures.

Throughout the entire battlefield, the only ones capable of harming the ghosts are certain snipers, who are equipped with a small number of holy water bullets!

But there were too few snipers, and even fewer holy water bullets. Faced with ghosts from all sides, they could only fight hard, only to die on the spot in despair.

In this battle, the empire lost over 10,000 men. In the end, it was the clergy in the rear hospitals who discovered the problem.

They prayed together, and the angels of holy light descended and drove away the evil spirits.

It should be said that before this, although the battle was fierce and everyone used various means, there were still some bottom lines.

At least, many things that clearly belong to the dark side are not openly discussed by anyone.

But after that, there were no more taboos.

In the same place, after the Allied soldiers occupied it, the Empire retaliated with the most brutal methods.

They used anti-aircraft guns and fired biological bombs!

The bomb landed and exploded, causing little damage, but a pale green gas was released.

It simply drifts with the wind, and soon it dilutes and disappears from sight.

This left a group of Allied soldiers completely bewildered, thinking that the Empire had made a fool of itself. However, within an hour, they began to experience symptoms such as high fever, confusion, skin ulceration, and incessant coughing!
Yes, this is the Empire's return gift: a bio-virus derived from the Black Death!

This virus was clearly highly contagious, and the coalition forces were infected and fell ill at an alarming rate.

Perhaps the only good news is that the virus's mortality rate isn't too alarming; people are delirious from the illness, but most haven't died yet!

But how do you know that this isn't the outcome the empire desired?!

On the battlefield, death is nothing, but wounded are a real problem.

You have to find a way to take care of them, provide them with food, and also give them treatment.

The investment is truly enormous!
Moreover, as long as there is rescue, there will be contact, and the spread will not stop.

This counterattack was so ruthless that it silenced the allied forces. In the end, it was the Church of the Sun who intervened and resolved the problem.

A cardinal, leading three hundred priests and a choir of three thousand, held a grand sacrificial ceremony.

Finally, a 'divine archangel of healing' descended and showered down a vast amount of rain.

The rain, imbued with the power of holy light, washed away the filth of the world and dispersed the plagues.

This time, however, it also signifies that the Church of the Sun God has finally taken a stand; they are no longer bystanders, but participants.

Since they participated, they must pay the price.

Taking advantage of this incident, the Empire reported on it extensively, with numerous newspapers publishing lengthy articles publicizing the biased actions of the Church of the Sun.

Oh, the coalition summoned evil spirits, and you just pretended not to see it? I just used a bio-virus bomb, and you immediately attacked?!
This is clearly biased treatment and discrimination against the believers of the Empire!

Faith is a very strange thing. You can't just say you believe and then you believe; nor can you deny it and then you stop believing.

Faith comes from the heart; you can deceive others, but you can't deceive yourself!

Therefore, the empire adopted a laissez-faire approach to faith, and the Church of the Seven Gods never engaged in sectarian conflict.

That's what the Church of the Sun God likes to do. They love to win over believers and gain their hearts by starting with the details.

As a result, the Church of the Seven Gods became the state religion, but the Church of the Sun God still existed, and many people were still devout believers.

This time, however, the church's actions hurt the hearts of the empire's devout believers.

Now, in a time when militarism is rampant, everyone in the empire is filled with the mentality that "Habs are the most awesome."

Is the Church of the Sun God now taking sides?
That would mean completely losing the people's support!
As a result, the number of believers in the Sun God within the empire is decreasing at a visible rate, and church services are sparse, with fewer and fewer people attending.

Seeing an opportunity, the empire directly issued a decree to expel the priests of the Church of the Sun and revoke their legal status.

With this, the Church of the Sun God completely lost several major parishes of the Habsburg Empire, and thousands of clergy were forced to leave the empire.

Their anger and resentment also stirred up some turmoil within the church.

At the same time, the Church of the Seven Gods was also unsealed!
With the church taking action, they naturally no longer held back, and that very day, thousands of pastors boarded trains and entered the battlefield.

Their purpose in coming here is not simply to rescue people, but to join the war!

Thus, the war entered a new phase, with the two churches shedding their pretense and officially engaging in combat on the battlefield.

Along with them came abyssal demons, hellish devils, a world of skeletons, and the legions of heaven...

This is when all sorts of demons and monsters begin to appear!
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(End of this chapter)