Magic Industrial Age.

Chapter 480-478: A Dog Without a Home (6400+ words long chapter)

When the ground battles began, the celestial realm, a group of natural disasters, finally couldn't hold back any longer.

Above the fierce gale, a group of fourth-tier powerhouses stood silently, their battle auras and magical energy shining brightly, making them appear like warriors of the gods, in a standoff.

A variety of auras, some mysterious, some violent, some domineering, and some heavy, intertwined, an invisible battle of spirits that seemed to distort the very space.

It's unclear who struck first, but a dark gray battle aura swept across the void, tearing through the sky, only to be blocked by another battle aura slash.

Thus began the great battle between the strongest beings in the face of natural disasters!
Natural disasters are never commonplace; the resources consumed by powerful cultivators during natural disasters each year are an extremely staggering figure.

Given the productivity of a marquisate under the feudal kingdom system, it could only support two or three fourth-order natural disasters.

Take the Duchy of Normandy as an example: Marquis Castro is skilled in business and trade, while Marquis McKinley has a wide network of connections and three Scourges under his command.

The Carlisle family is notoriously weak; if we don't count the support from their own family, they only support two people.

Its peak was the former Flower Territory, where Count Karl supported five natural disasters through maritime trade, which was the limit of a financially sound state.

Of course, there are also cases of poor financial situation, with the Freud family being the best example.

No one knows how many powerful beings from their family are, but it's a fact that they are notoriously poor and destitute.

As for the current Flower Territory, it supports more than a dozen Calamity experts and a legendary red dragon, which is due to the explosive productivity brought about by the magic energy industry.

This cannot be calculated using common sense!
In summary, the three marquises currently have a total of eight powerful warriors capable of handling natural disasters.

Of course, there were not just eight people present, but eleven.

Many powerful natural disaster fighters accept employment to supplement their 'family income,' especially some dark natural disaster fighters who cannot be brought to the light of day.

Their cultivation methods involve the abyss, hell, the underworld, and darkness, so they belong to the category that is not well-received.

Few nobles were willing to support them, and they were also afraid of the backlash.

This is a two-way selection process, so on some large mercenary platforms, there are powerful warriors who take on missions year-round.

This time, the powerful men hired by the three marquises were in a similar situation.

For example, one of them is a true Abyss Summoner, not the kind of consumable Demon Mage, but someone who has been properly trained.

They often sign contracts with certain lords of the abyss, in exchange for the right to summon powerful demons under the lord's command to fight for them.

The advantage of doing this is that there is no need to prepare offerings at all times, and the chance of backlash is greatly reduced.

With the Demon Lord above them, if these summoned demons dare to rebel, the Demon Lord will devour them without the summoner needing to suppress them.

The downsides are also obvious: these abyss summoners have to face an even more terrifying existence, as they themselves are the prey of the demon lords.

For demon lords, the souls of ordinary people are no longer useful; what they need are the souls of the strong.

For them, who live long lives, it wouldn't be a problem to spend decades or even centuries playing a nurturing game.

As for the souls harvested in the end, whether they are swallowed directly for cultivation or thrown into the demon pool to be transformed into powerful demon subordinates depends on their mood.

In fact, the reason why Abyss Summoners are considered to be the orthodox cultivation method is because they have a certain chance of transforming into powerful and autonomous demons.

From the perspective of escaping the prime material plane, stepping onto a broader stage, and possessing a longer lifespan, their path can be considered a narrow, winding road of cultivation.

Everyone knows that becoming a legend is the right path, but how many people can actually reach the summit of this path?
At this moment, the Abyss Summoner used the previously prepared sacrificial circle to summon a multi-eyed tyrant.

It was a spherical eye demon with more than a dozen tentacles, each with countless eyes.

Those malevolent eyes could emit strange rays with every blink.

Some can control the mind, while others inflict various negative effects, such as weakness, blindness, blood loss, madness, sluggishness, and so on...

It can be said that he is the best support unit, bar none.

However, if you think he is weak in direct combat?

That would be very wrong.

Because, along with him came numerous demonic servants under his control.

A squad of twelve fire demon mages formed a ranged attack unit; the abyssal fire they ignited was enough to make most of the Calamity's powerful warriors retreat.

The three burly demons, fully armed and wielding spiked clubs, became the most solid shield.

There was also a highly decomposed dragon corpse, which could be considered a flying unit.

With this combination, if you encounter a natural disaster, you won't even have time to escape.

In fact, just by looking at that multi-eyed tyrant, one can tell that the one who signed the contract with this abyss summoner is the ruler of the sixth layer of the bottomless abyss, the Ten Thousand Eyes Kingdom, and the Great Mistress worshipped by the Eye Demons.

To be honest, any powerful being facing a natural disaster would be scratching their head in frustration if they encountered this combination.

It's so hard to beat!
On the Flower Territory side, the Snow Hunter Jude Stephens was dispatched.

This witcher was born to hunt demons, so this battle was a perfect fit for his profession.

The second person hired by the three marquises was also an Abyss Practitioner.

He was not a mage, yet he communicated with the Abyss King through a magic circle, using the Abyss King's power as a bridge to absorb the power of the abyss and cultivate.

This is similar to Luo Yi's cultivation using the divine power of the heavens.
The difference is that Loy uses the Angel's Ring as a medium, while he borrows the power of the Frost Giant Prince Koschitch.

The 23rd level of the abyss is an extremely cold plain, with ice layers stretching for miles and no human habitation.

The distant sun appears dimmer than the moon in the physical world.

This is the Frozen Wasteland, the territory of the Frost Giants. Frost Giant mages and demons built glacial castles here and served the great demon lord, Prince Koschitch.

This calamity also cultivated battle qi, and his freezing battle qi seemed capable of freezing even the soul.

But his greatest ability is actually the frost giant transformation, which is a kind of magic ability that allows him to transform into a four-meter-tall frost giant.

In a sense, this is equivalent to a Cataclysmic Warrior who has cultivated a sacred skill, so his combat power is naturally not bad.

His opponent was none other than the half-giant Bane.

Bane, seeing the opportunity, was eager to try it and rushed upwards almost without hesitation. While in mid-air, his body also changed, and he was raised to a height of four meters.

The sacred skill of [Giant's Soul] is not fake; the fact that Bane was able to master it in such a short time demonstrates his talent.

The two fought like mountains colliding; every punch and kick shook the earth and created a deafening roar.

The last person invited by the three marquises was no ordinary man either; he was a fallen paladin.

Only the most devout knights can awaken their divine fighting spirit and become paladins.

This is the declaration of the Church of the Sun God, representing not only glory, but also unique power and a fanatical unwavering faith.

However, knights with such unwavering faith are actually the most sought-after prey of demons, whose pure souls are enough to please even demon lords.

Consuming it would be a waste; sacrificing it to the will of the abyss would definitely bring the greatest reward.

Therefore, demons love to tempt paladins to fall!
Of course, this is not easy, because it means that they begin to doubt the path they have taken, the actions of the Papacy, and the righteousness of the Lord of Light.

Only through genuine doubt will they succumb, abandon their faith, and allow their profound divine power to transform into the purest form of dark fighting spirit.

However, no matter how tormented their hearts were, or how powerful these paladins were, they became ten times more powerful when they fell.

These bewildered knights, riding nightmare warhorses, are truly daring monsters who dare to venture into the abyss and fight the demon lord to the death with their swords.

Even within his own camp, he stood there all alone, while the other powerful figures of the Heavenly Calamity Sect kept their distance, seemingly afraid of being tainted by bad luck.

And the one who fought him was undoubtedly Silas, the King of Fury.

There was no other way; this person loved challenging the strong, and for him, there was no one more suitable than this fallen paladin.

It should be said that the powerful warriors from the Calamity Realm who can make a living as mercenaries are all quite skilled.

Although these three are not respectable and must be constantly on guard against the Vatican's pursuit, their combat strength is clearly one, or even several levels, higher than the others.

As for the powerful warriors supported by the three marquises, there weren't many outstanding ones.

Even the Pale Knight of the Carlisle family now appears to be of mediocre strength, even weaker than his mount.
That lava dragon was more conspicuous.

As for the mage Timo, a follower of the Five Fireballs, he was completely demoralized by Lady Palacios.

Although Lady Palacios is best at brewing potions and is slightly less skilled in combat, a magician's strength depends more on his financial resources.

The current Ms. Palacios is certainly not short of money, so she is more willing to spend on herself.

He had all sorts of enhancement items, magic scrolls, and rare potions. Once the fight started, he threw magic scrolls in droves, scaring the mage Timo so much that his hands were almost blurring out afterimages as he conjured fireballs.

Of course, among this group, there is one person whose strength is quite formidable.

He was a rare battle mage from the McKinley family, young and full of energy.

He wasn't proficient in many types of magic, and only specialized in a few, but he had clearly absorbed some of the ideas of Azus, the god of magic, from the Church of the Seven Gods. He was skilled in supermagic feats, instant spell casting, and elemental reflection.

His unique elemental reflection technique allows him to deflect attacks composed of elements, including aura slashes.

The instant casting of the spell ensures that this elemental reflection technique can be used in the blink of an eye.

Despite being protected by six different magical shields, he dared to engage in close combat with the knight.

He also possesses remarkable swordsmanship, using magic to create a sword blade that is quite threatening.

His original opponent was Benito Freud, a calamity from the Freud family, whom he originally wanted to show off.

But in no time, he was beaten and forced to run away with his head in his hands. If he hadn't had enough alchemical items, he would have been injured.

Otto, the Flame Sword Saint, was nearby. He unleashed his fire-based fighting spirit, forcing his opponent back and taking over Benito Freud's position.

He had been spending a lot of time with Benito Freud, hoping that the great alchemist would forge better weapons for him, so of course he had to be proactive.

Unfortunately, the battle mage's elemental reflection technique caused Otto to suffer a great loss, and in the end, the two even started to compete in swordsmanship.

Despite his reputation as a sword saint, Otto was not afraid of sword duels. However, the problem was that his opponent would occasionally throw spells at him, and his fire aura was useless, which made him yell in frustration.

Then, just as Oliveira was about to step forward to take over, the Faceless Killer Ulysses rushed forward first.

This person was completely hidden and could not be found. Only when he made his move could one see the fluctuation of his fighting spirit.

With just two sword strikes, he pierced through two layers of magical defense shields, startling the battle mage so much that he abandoned Otto and focused on dealing with Ulysses.

Unfortunately, his limited magical knowledge became apparent at this point. His detection spells weren't particularly sophisticated, and unable to locate Ulysses, he was forced to resort to defense and counter-attacks. Overall, this battle was intense yet well-controlled!

It was intense because everyone used their true skills and demonstrated their abilities.

Especially on the Flower Territory side, the six newly recruited Calamity experts were all working very hard, eager to show off their abilities.

The restraint was due to everyone adhering to the rules of the noble war.

It's a one-on-one competition, without any encirclement or attack; and it minimizes the impact on the ground battlefield.

Although there were times when they couldn't control the attack and their aura slashes or magic deviated and crashed into the ground, none of them were intentional.

Their battle caused the sky, within a radius of tens of kilometers, to surge with various forms of fire, wind, and water.

Sometimes bright light shone, sometimes darkness enveloped the space, the space trembled incessantly from the collisions, and the various collision sounds roared incessantly, like thunder in broad daylight, without end.

But most people just watch the spectacle; very few actually put in the real effort!

In fact, this is the norm in wars against natural disasters; there is no absolute struggle for interests, and everyone is relatively conservative.

However, even so, the situation is gradually becoming clearer.

The flower-loving side has gained an advantage, and this advantage continues to grow.
The reason is simple: the powerful warriors under Luo Yi's command were either personally selected by him or received guidance and benefits from him.

Take the secret sacred techniques for example, several people have already practiced them. Iron Knight Phil and Flame Sword Saint Otto are both beginners of the [Divine Sigh] technique.

The half-giant Bane further mastered the giant combat techniques best suited to him.

Although there were some slackers, such as the mechanical monster Nehemiah von Braun and the great alchemist Benito Freud, who were genuinely not good at fighting, they were still much better than the three marquises.

If it weren't for these three hired calamities protecting them, the three marquises' side might have already collapsed.

I wonder what treasure the three marquises promised that made them work so hard?
Even so, the battlefield of natural disasters showed a clear decline, shrinking step by step from north to south towards the location of Moonlight Castle.

As for Luo Yi, he did not join the battle immediately!

On one hand, he wanted to command the ground battlefield; on the other hand, he wanted to see the strength of his elite warriors and give them a chance to prove themselves.

Of course, when it comes to the speed of defeat, the ground battlefield is the place to be.

Once the artillery began to unleash its power, the outcome was already decided; what followed was simply a matter of expanding the gains.

Even the rare, powerful knights who had withstood the artillery fire became sitting ducks under the crossfire of heavy machine guns and the precise shots of snipers.

At this moment, the cruelty of magical weapons became apparent. In melee combat, there was still a chance to escape, but under the attack of firearms, it was difficult to even leave behind a complete corpse.

Of the 60,000 troops, 30,000 were killed in battle, and the rest were completely routed and fled for their lives.

Now is the time to expand our gains.

The Imperial Guard was organized into squads, carrying heavy machine guns or semi-automatic rifles with bayonets attached, to pursue the enemy.

At this point, killing is secondary; what matters is the prisoners. Living young men are always more valuable than private individuals.

Most of the routed soldiers were also in a state of panic, and when the guns were pointed at them, they chose to surrender.

Of course, there are always some who manage to escape.

Under the threat of death, his potential was unleashed, making him unstoppable even for the most trained Imperial Guards, who were amazed by his abilities.

They fled back all the way, eventually making their way back to Moonlight Castle in a scattered manner.

At the castle, the three marquises looked grim, but they still opened the city gates and gathered their defeated soldiers.

The vanguard soldiers attempted a charge, led by Tanya, using heavy machine guns to clear a path and grenades to try and seize the city gate.

Once the city gates are breached, Moonlight Castle will be impossible to defend.

However, despite their good intentions and decisive actions, the three marquises sent out the last of their forces to save their own lives.

Even with the intense crossfire of heavy machine guns, and with the formidable female tyrant Tanya poised to break through to the fourth tier, the situation remained unaffected.

Despite being attacked by four extraordinary knights and protected by two third-tier mages, they were unable to gain a foothold.

Most importantly, they rushed too fast, and reinforcements didn't follow, leaving them fighting alone.

Ultimately, Loy gave the order for Tanya to withdraw.

Of course, even during the retreat, there was alternating cover and multiple layers of barriers were erected to minimize casualties.

At this point, the three marquises no longer dared to rally the defeated soldiers. Instead, they closed the gates and allowed the Imperial Guard of the Flower Territory to capture prisoners outside.

At this point, even if Luo Yi was unwilling, he could only arrange for the transport team to bring over the field artillery and rearrange the artillery positions.

At the same time, they dealt with the routed soldiers, reorganized the army, and then planned to attack the city again.

This battle was a victory, of course, but Luo Yi was still somewhat dissatisfied that she couldn't take Moonlight Castle in one fell swoop.

He looked up at the fierce battle in the sky and became increasingly annoyed.

So, after only a second of thought, his golden-red battle aura exploded, transforming into blazing holy flames, and a pair of wings that looked like real angels unfolded behind him.

With a flap of his wings, dust billowed as he vanished from his spot, reappearing above the battlefield of natural disaster.

He squinted slightly, looked down and surveyed the entire battlefield, and the whole scene was now clearly visible to him.

The most dedicated was Silas, the King of Fury, who unleashed his full power against the fallen paladin.

The triple berserk state surprised even the Fallen Paladin, but that was all; he handled it relatively easily.

The least hardworking of them all is Olympus the Faceless Killer. He's an assassin, and all he does is kill with a single blow.

In this clearly restrained battlefield, he can't kill anyone, so he can only play a supporting role.

What Loy couldn't understand the most was the Snow Hunter, Jude Stephens.

His battle with the multi-eyed tyrant seemed to be hampered, whether due to being countered or for some other reason.

We still need Oliveira and the Iron Knights to provide occasional support.

But as far as Luo Yi knew, his combat strength shouldn't be this weak.

However, at this moment he said nothing, but his aura rose, like a rising sun, radiating extreme brilliance and dazzling all directions.

"A loss is a loss. I have no intention of going on a killing spree. Get out of here!"

His voice was like thunder, causing ripples in the heavens and earth, yet it was calm and composed, as if stating a fact.

Upon receiving his order, the natural disasters in the Flower Territory immediately retreated without the slightest hesitation.

The allied forces of the three marquises did not engage in a protracted battle and quietly chose to retreat.

Yet, beneath the sky, a stark contrast remained, with battle still raging.

That was the demon legion controlled by the Multi-Eyed Tyrant, who was entangled with the Snow Hunter Jude Stephens, as if it were a fight to the death.

When he saw Luo Yi speak, he even waved his tentacles and shot out several rays that exuded a corrupting aura, clearly indicating that he had ill intentions.

However, the corrupting rays were vaporized by the holy light before they could even get close.

Looking at the Abyss Summoner, he was covered in sweat and his face was pale. Clearly, saying that the backlash was less severe did not mean that he was completely immune.

After all, for chaotic species like demons, they only care about having fun today and don't care about the future.

But this made Luo Yi laugh. She had nowhere to vent her anger, and then someone unwittingly bumped into her.

Without saying a word, he raised his hand, pointed at the Multi-Eyed Tyrant, and made a shooting gesture.

His actions attracted a lot of attention, with many thinking he was about to unleash some powerful combat technique, but nothing happened.

However, just when everyone was completely baffled, a beam of holy light descended from the sky and struck the Multi-Eyed Tyrant directly on the head.
And from him as the center, it rapidly expanded outwards, encompassing the Fire Demon Squad, the burly demons, and even the corrupt bone dragons and abyss summoners.

Thus, all the natural disasters saw their pupils constrict as they witnessed an astonishing scene.

Under the holy light, the screams seemed to have a tangible presence, especially the intense mental fluctuations of the Eye Demon, which even formed shockwaves that spread outwards.

But under the Holy Light, all of this was dissolved, including their abyssal power, demonic bodies, and twisted souls.

Everything, in the holy light, seemed to turn into black smoke and be completely purified.

This is the Vatican's signature tactic: divine judgment!
In just a few dozen breaths, this powerful demon squad, the Multi-Eyed Tyrant whom even the Witchers couldn't defeat, died!

At this moment, the entire venue fell into dead silence.

Luo Yi looked around again, then at the fallen paladin, and said, "I said you can get out of here. Any objections?"

The fallen paladin was a middle-aged man, dressed in old knight's armor, riding a nightmare warhorse, his eyes filled with weariness and vicissitudes.

Under Luo Yi's gaze, the Nightmare Warhorse was very uneasy. He reached out and stroked the horse's back, but based on his powerful strength, he was not intimidated by Luo Yi.

“Count Loy, I admit you are very strong…”

Before he could finish speaking, Luo Yi raised her hand, clenched her fist in the air, and with a bang, a golden-red fireball was created, radiating intense heat and a terrifying aura of danger.

Furthermore, as he spoke, the golden-red fireball grew even more intense, and its dangerous aura surged dramatically, to the point where it could destroy him.

"You're very strong, so when you tell us to get lost, of course we'll get lost."

With that, he turned his horse around, turned back, and left without hesitation.

At first, they seemed somewhat composed, but the Nightmare Warhorse took off like the wind and disappeared into the horizon.

This scene stunned the entire group of natural disasters. Immediately afterwards, the natural disasters under the command of the three marquises turned around in unison, each using their own methods to leave as fast as they could.

Even more remarkably, the battle mage tore open a precious teleportation scroll and vanished in a flash.

At this moment, a group of powerful warriors under Luo Yi's command could no longer hold back.

"They fled like a pack of stray dogs!"

Otto, the Flame Sword Saint, spoke, and then everyone burst into laughter, their laughter piercing the clouds and splitting rocks, completely unrestrained.

At this moment, Luo Yi slowly put away the fireball in her hand. Although her expression remained calm, a smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.

(End of this chapter)