Magic Industrial Age.

Chapter 420, Section 418: The Flame Demon Legion VS. The Gates of Heaven (Part 2)

Beneath the inky black sky, there was an eerie silence!
Gunshots, cannon fire, roars, wails, and even breathing and heartbeats became barely perceptible!

Everyone stared wide-eyed at the scene before them, filled with fear and disbelief!

The Marne River has cracked open; along the direction of the river's flow, the riverbed has collapsed, and the riverbanks have been torn apart by an invisible force, widening it considerably.

Large amounts of river water poured into the crack, which then produced thick, hot white smoke, along with a pungent sulfur smell and a foul stench!

Moo!
A low growl, like that of an ancient, savage beast, seemed to trigger the deepest fears in people's hearts.

Many soldiers who dared to charge into battle even in the face of a hail of bullets felt their legs tremble and their hands and feet turn cold at this moment, unable to even move their feet!

That is a fear that originates deep in one's bloodline and is engraved in one's genes.

It was their bodies' instinct telling them that this was not someone they could fight; they had to escape! Escape! Escape!
But can one escape from such a battlefield? Where can one escape to?
Boom boom boom!

A tremor came from the sound of claws climbing the wall. Not long after, amidst the scorching heat and red light, a huge head, tens of meters in diameter, emerged.

The head resembled a bull's head, with inward-curving horns, its face covered in lava, and two dark, hollow eyes radiating a chilling light.

Its body resembles a human, with long arms and a snake-like tail, and its body is covered with large areas of black metal and fiery red lava.

As soon as it appeared, it simply twisted its head, turning it 360 degrees, as if it had grasped the situation.
Then, he grinned and laughed loudly!
Thus, an overwhelming bloodlust and murderous intent spread.

This is the Flame Demon!

The most terrifying demon in the abyss, a monster living in the lava volcanoes of the abyss, a terrifying being that forges its throne through slaughter and death.

This thing, no matter which bard's story or ancient legend it appears in, is always the possession of the villainous big boss.

Often, his appearance signifies that the main characters are about to face their most difficult challenge!

He is the most terrifying creature that countless adults can imagine when scaring their children.

But right now, right here, they've been summoned by the Allied Forces.

Even in the south, among the Allied forces' positions, there were still clergy members of the Church of the Sun.

They saw this too, and their faces turned grim, but they didn't move.

Not far from them, one could see the altar where the summoning ritual had been completed, wooden stakes studded with human corpses, and a six-pointed star magic circle drawn in dark red blood.

And, the demon mage leisurely packing his things!

The leaders were all fourth-tier demon mages, and they were surrounded by the stench of the abyss, each resembling a skeleton.

But at this moment, they were very proud of themselves!

Every now and then, they'd cast provocative glances in this direction!
Priests and demons appear together here, yet a relatively peaceful atmosphere is maintained.

Therefore, light and evil are never opposites, nor do they necessarily have to be a life-or-death struggle.

Everything is just for profit!

At this moment, the Balrog had completely climbed out of the abyss, and the surging magma beneath him formed a throne.

He sat down on it, then raised his hand, and the fiery red whip exploded in mid-air, as if striking the souls of everyone present.

In the utter silence, only his voice seemed to convey: "I came, I conquered!"

Then, countless streams of lava flowed from the abyss, flowing northward and submerging inch by inch of land.

Countless demons burst forth from the lava; some flapped their wings and soared into the sky; some brandished their weapons and roared as they charged; others conjured fireballs and hurled them from afar…

It's hard to imagine just how many kinds of demons appeared at that moment.
How many demons across the entire battlefield crave human flesh and souls?!
The Imperial soldiers eventually retaliated, with most of them taking out potions and injecting them into their thighs.

As the cold medicine took effect, their fear dissipated, and they picked up their weapons and began to fight back.

The machine gun fire was like the scythe of death; the grenade explosions kicked up clouds of dust.

With artillery positions behind them, they finally stopped worrying about whether it would cause friendly fire.

The anti-aircraft guns were aimed at the flying units in mid-air, while the howitzers were aimed at the Marne River, which had already turned into lava.

In the meantime, infantrymen also took up rocket launchers and mortars.

They seemed to want to unleash all their fear through this hail of bullets.

You have to admit, the power of the magical weapons caused these lava demon legions a lot of trouble.

Not all of them are as powerful as the Balrog; many of them are cowardly lava imps.

The demon legion's killing spree was thwarted, which also angered the Balrog.

With a roar, he lashed out with his whip, which transformed into a hook and was thrown into the lava.

Then, as if fishing, he pulled out a three-headed fire dragon that was chained.

Unchained and kicked once more, the fiery dragon roared and charged into the battlefield, dragging a sea of ​​lava and fire with it.

He crushed many demons, but the flames spewed from his three heads filled all the trenches.

Most importantly, it is composed of what appears to be pure magma, and is almost completely indifferent to explosions, fragments, and impacts.

His charge directly destroyed the hard-won stable position, and taking advantage of this breakthrough, the demon legion rushed close and began a wanton slaughter.

Even though the Imperial soldiers continued to fight tenaciously, their numbers were rapidly dwindling.

Of course, it's worth mentioning that demons are typically chaotic and disorderly creatures.

As the imperial soldiers dwindled, they actually started fighting amongst themselves, slaughtering each other and devouring flesh and blood, as if it were child's play.

But that's the nature of demons; you can never expect them to obey or accept being bound!

Demons only submit to greater power, and once they become powerful, they strive to find opportunities to betray.

……

At this moment, in the golden house of the Flower Territory,
Loy and the red dragon Virgil stood guard by the magic mirror, watching the scene unfold before them.

It should be said that at the same time, there were many people witnessing this scene!
Luo Yi tilted her head slightly and finally couldn't help but ask, "Tell me, don't you think this allied forces are a little shameless?"

Virgil the Red Dragon tilted his head slightly and said, "I thought I was the only one who felt this way?"

"Haha, I'm afraid many people are cursing them for being shameless in their hearts, but that's just the truth!"

Loy sighed and said, "The generational gap in weaponry is fatal. The Knights Legion has already proven their vulnerability in the face of artillery fire and bullets."

Without the intervention of these foul-breaking forces, the coalition's defeat would have been a foregone conclusion.

He paused for a moment, then added, "What I'm more curious about now is, what about the Empire's high-end forces?"
When do they plan to intervene? And where do they plan to intervene?

"That's a question as if I have the answer to that?"

Virgil the Red Dragon rolled his eyes, but after a slight pause, he added, "However..."

"But what?"

"The forces behind the Habsburg Empire are mysterious and very powerful!"

The Royal Association, which produced the Magic Energy Pool, has always been the most mysterious organization in the Old World.

Even the name itself was announced by them, but the few times they did make a move, it was always incredibly powerful.

And that doesn't even mention the Church of the Seven Gods. Those seven great beings were able to carve out such a large parish from the Sun God and develop it so successfully; their strength is beyond imagination!

"That brings us back to the question: why don't they take action?"

"how could I know?!"

The red dragon rolled his eyes again, but when his gaze shifted and fell back on the magic mirror, he paused and said:
"However, given the current state of the battle, they probably won't be able to hold out for much longer."

……

At this moment, above the Marne River, lies a void shrouded in a domain.

A round red jade table stands in the center. It seems to be only that big, but it gives people a feeling of infinite expansion and the allure of the universe.

Around the round table were rows of high-backed chairs, which didn't look particularly imposing, but their backs seemed to reach the sky.

At this moment, on the high-backed chairs, some people's figures were solid, their true forms present; others seemed illusory, merely reflections; and still others were nothing at all, never having arrived.

Above the round table, the battlefield on the ground was reflected, and the arrogant Flame Demon was given a close-up!
Further down, a magic mirror stood there, revealing an old man with white hair, deep eye bags, and a long mustache.

Although he looked extremely tired, his military uniform was still impeccably maintained, and his back was ramrod straight. His military bearing could be felt even through the screen.

His roar echoed throughout this void!
Even though these people were people he couldn't afford to offend, he still didn't flinch in the slightest.

"When they summoned the army of evil spirits, you said the time wasn't right?"

"When they summoned the Scourge, you still said the time wasn't right?"

"We only used a biological virus bomb for a small counterattack, and then the Church of the Sun God intervened!"

"what is this?"

"Is it possible to be both the referee and the player?"

"They set the rules themselves, then completely broke them, and yet we still have to follow them?"

"If word gets out, this will sound like a joke!"

"But now, look at them, they've gone even further!"

"The Abyssal Fire Demon, that's the Abyssal Fire Demon and its legion! Isn't this going too far?"

"Did you really just stand by and watch them slaughter the empire's warriors?"

His desperate shouts failed to evoke any resonance from these beings; they remained silent, like the eternal ice of the far north, unchanged for millennia.

The Imperial Minister of Military Affairs seemed to know that things couldn't continue like this.

He took a deep breath, trying his best to calm himself down. His eyes shifted slightly, and he spoke again: "I know you don't care about the lives and deaths of ordinary people, or the sacrifices of soldiers."

However, your interests are aligned with the Empire's!

"This war is what you desired, and it is what you pushed forward. For this, the empire paid a heavy price, even including a crown prince!"

"Once those people witness the efficiency of magical machinery and the power of magical weapons, they will crave them, buy them, learn about them, and promote them!"

"However, you must not forget that if the Empire does not display enough power and give them enough deterrence to force them to follow in our footsteps, it will be a disaster."

The result could be that everything done before will go back to square one.

"You've seen more of civilization being defeated by barbarism, thus regressing to things from hundreds of years ago than I have!" These words revealed a great deal of information. Outsiders might find them confusing, but those present no longer dismissed them with disdain, and remained unmoved.

Instead, there was a buzzing sound of discussion, like conversation, argument, or communication.

Seeing this, the Imperial Minister of Military Affairs decided to add fuel to the fire: "The information received by the Imperial Military is all about victories, reporting on which battles have been won!"
I want to say that it's true, but it's also false.

"We never achieved a crucial victory, and the coalition forces were more tenacious than we had imagined."

"The Schlieffen Project has already failed more than halfway!"

"This is our only chance to turn things around."

This time, the uproar was even louder, with one person even standing up to ask a question:

"The situation is excellent, how could it be as you say?"

"The situation is great? Heh heh heh, war is not a one-on-one duel. If you stand and I fall, you win!"

War, especially this war, is a battle of millions of people, a contest of who can hold out the longest.

And we, having marched a long and arduous expedition, are here to defeat the side that can no longer hold on!

A dignified voice rang out: "Marshal Moltke, do you dare to take responsibility for your words?"

"Before His Majesty, I dare not utter a single lie!"

"Alright, you can step back now. We'll give you a conclusion in a moment."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

The magic mirror flickered and then turned pitch black, and the entire void erupted into a fierce argument.

"This is alarmist talk! This is alarmist talk! This Imperial Minister of Military Affairs dares to threaten us with words; he must be severely punished!"

“But I think he makes some sense. The Schlieffen Plan is not like that.”

"Plans can't keep up with changes, so adapting to the times is the normal course of action."

However, we still have the upper hand in this war, so why did he say we were teetering on the brink of defeat?

"I don't understand war, but I remember a saying that strategy and tactics are two different things. Tactical victory cannot replace strategic success!"

"Huh? Besides studying magic, you also know about war?"

"Are you looking down on me?"

"Am I being that obvious?"

"Alright, alright, let's not get sidetracked. What we're discussing now is, what should we do?"

"Why don't we just fight?"

"beat!"

"I don't think they should have fought!"

"Then the vote?"

"Okay, let's vote!"

"I object!"

"I agree!"

"I think they should be hit!"

"Then fight!"

"..."

"........."

A moment later, the aged and authoritative voice rang out again: "Seven votes in favor, four votes against, and the rest abstain."

The resolution has been passed; this battle must be fought!

"After all these years of suppressing my anger, it's time to let it out."

"Besides, given enough time, these guys might have already forgotten!"

"Forget the fear that the Battle of the Stars brought them."

"This time, let's consider it a wake-up call for them."

His response was to the crowd standing up, bowing, and paying their respects: "As Your Majesty commands!"

……

below,

Behind the battlefield, inside the command post.

Imperial Minister of Military Affairs, Marshal Moltke the Younger, locked himself in his room. His full head of white hair was meticulously groomed, but this could not conceal his anxiety.

As he circled the magic mirror, his pace quickened, and beads of sweat appeared on his face.

He was actually a calm person; while others were celebrating their good news, he had already seen the hidden dangers.

But sometimes, he has no choice.

Caught in the crossfire of the situation, all he could do was try his best to find a way to survive.

The things he said in the void were not alarmist; he had already concealed something.

Just a wall away from the outside, lies the operations command center.

The place was in complete chaos, with hurried footsteps accompanied by shouts of "Report!"

Those were battle reports from the front lines, bringing him the latest and most accurate information.

Normally, he would check the information immediately and issue orders one by one, just like the greatest general deploying troops and making plans.

But now, he doesn't even dare to open the door to look.

He locked himself here, waiting, waiting for those people's orders.

He disliked handing his fate over to others, but he knew he had no choice.

Just as he was getting anxious, there was a knock on the door.

Beep beep!

Under intense mental tension, he seemed to be hallucinating, and almost reflexively looked at the magic mirror.

But the magic mirror didn't react and pulled him back to reality.

He shook his head in disappointment, but the sounds around him became clearer.

Beep beep!

The knocking grew more urgent, and he almost roared, "What are you knocking for? Didn't I tell you? I'm not going out, so don't bother me!"

"Did you hear me? Don't bother me!"

The knocking paused, and a wronged voice rang out: "Yes, Marshal!"

But then he muttered, "Such great news, and you don't even want to hear it?"

"good news?"

Marshal Moltke had never felt his hearing was so good; he could pick up useful information even through a door.

The next second, the door opened, and the old man's excited face came into the guard's view: "What did you say? Good news, tell me, what good news is it?"

"Breaking news from the front lines: the Seven Gods have finally made their move. The priests of the God of Justice received a divine oracle, held a prayer ceremony, and summoned the Gates of Heaven!"

"The Gates of Heaven? Hahahaha, it's here, it's finally here!"

At that moment, Marshal Moltke almost jumped up: "Quickly, quickly, take control of the front line! First, second, third, and fourth army groups, launch a full-scale attack!"

"I'm going to take a gamble!"

……

All of this is a long story, but in reality, it all happened at the same time, in less than half an hour.

Just as the empire's defenses were being engulfed by lava and were about to collapse completely, several priests, radiating holy light, stepped through the air.

They landed directly on the battlefield, ignoring the lava, and knelt on the ground to offer their most fervent prayers.

The holy light emanating from them deterred even demons from approaching.

Then, using them as coordinates, beams of holy light descended from the sky, forming the magnificent Gate of Heaven.

Immediately following was the sound of synchronized footsteps, accompanied by loud drumbeats, creating an overwhelming sense of pressure.

Then, squads of warriors emerged from the gates of heaven.

They wore the brightest armor of light and held the sharpest weapons of light in their hands. Their faces were hidden under their helmets and could not be clearly seen.

In reality, even if you remove their helmets, you still can't see their faces.

Because they are not true physical entities, but rather souls formed by the combination of divine laws.

They are the most devout believers, the supplicants, and the most valiant and glorious warriors of the gods.

They truly longed to die fighting for their gods.

Of course, after death, they will be resurrected in the Fountain of Immortality until their souls are completely consumed.

Then, a heroic spirit riding a unicorn descended from the sky, raising his holy sword and roaring.

"For the great God of justice, I am ready to die!"

"Death!"

"Death!"

This was the first time the Prayers had roared, and the next second, they charged towards the demon legion.

The official entry of the Seven Gods signifies that the scale of this war has no upper limit.

The fighting will never end!
Death is ever-present!
P.S.: I think it would be better to combine these two updates together!
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(End of this chapter)