Industrial Revolution of the Mage Lords

Chapter 388 Death Barrage
The moment Tommy pulled the trigger of the magic machine gun, a continuous stream of flames suddenly burst out from the muzzle, and the air flow was violently vibrating, forcing Tommy to rely on the strong physique of a blood warrior to keep his hands steady on the gun.

The magic bullets on the belt seemed to be pulled and transported rapidly into the connection of the gun body. The opening on the other side of the barrel ejected these smoking bullets one after another, and they fell to the ground with a crackling sound.

A bullet happened to fall at the feet of the guard closest to Tommy. He squatted down in confusion and wanted to pick it up to observe. As soon as his fingers pinched the bullet, he immediately pulled it back with a cry. A bloody blister had been burned on his fingertips.

Although there was only this one weapon firing in the entire test field, its power and momentum were even more terrifying than a squad of soldiers firing a volley of guns. The piercing gunshot was not at all like the low sound of a magic gun firing, but rather more like the sound of a magic shell mixed with dragon rock powder exploding.

Tommy didn't aim at the huge target a hundred meters away, but followed Harvey's instructions and stared at a pile of sandbags about ten meters in front of him, pouring all his bullets like raindrops on them, making the sandbags fly around like rags, and the sand inside began to boil as if swept by a strong wind.

Unfortunately, this astonishing momentum only lasted for less than half a minute. The long bullet bag slid to the end, and until the muzzle stopped spitting out fire, Tommy still hadn't come to his senses. He was still sitting behind the machine gun, his fingers still stiffly gripping the trigger.

"This... this is too scary!" murmured the captain of the guards who was also a "sharpshooter".

The guard who had just picked up the bullets and was burned was also confused. "Sir, why didn't these bullets get fired? Instead, they fell out of the barrel?"

Chris glanced at him like he was an idiot and said speechlessly, "What bullet? This is a shell! I see you're used to using magic bullets. This type of fixed ammunition was previously used to make magic shells."

Shell? Tommy finally came to his senses after a long while. After thinking for a moment, he said in surprise, "This thing is a split type? The bullet is fired, but the shell is left behind. Doesn't it mean it can be reused?"

"See? My captain of the personal guard is still smart," Harvey said with a satisfied smile. "Bullets made from a mixture of dragon flame powder and liquid magic energy will completely replace pure magic stone bullets in the future. This will not only ensure the weapon's penetration power, but also enhance the bullet's ability to spread damage."

In the past, veterans like Tommy often pursued extreme aiming accuracy when using magic guns for training and combat. Because of the inherent penetrating ability of magic stone bullets, if the enemy was not hit directly in the head or heart, it was often impossible to kill the enemy on the spot.

Many soldiers have experienced the embarrassing situation of shooting four or five "human-shaped candied haws" with one shot, but the "candied haws" still roared and continued to charge. After all, not everyone is a sharpshooter who can shoot in the head with one shot. Even if most soldiers are fed with sufficient bullets, they still cannot hit the target 100%.

However, the new fixed bullets make up for this shortcoming perfectly. Not only do they retain the shooting penetration, but they can also use the super kinetic energy brought by the dragon flame powder to the magic stone bullet to extend the shooting distance. After hitting the target, they can cause the damage to spread and burn in the enemy's body.

After hearing Harvey's explanation, everyone immediately thought of the horrific scene when they encountered a huge monster in the outpost fortress not long ago. The artillery team fired a shell that only made a hole the size of a bowl in the monster's body, but the shell penetrated into it and smashed its internal organs into pieces.

Tommy slapped his head and said in frustration, "Oh no! I didn't have time to count how many bullets I fired!"

Chris said proudly, "No need to count. One ammunition bag can hold 250 new bullets. There's absolutely no downtime. The whole process lasts half a minute."

Harvey's personal guard deputy captain, Tietou, also stood nearby. He touched his alchemical saber with a look of melancholy and sighed, "Alas! With this terrifying new weapon, we bloodline warriors have no chance to demonstrate our skills in close combat."

Since they were assigned to be responsible for the lord's personal guard like Tommy and others, they not only have to master the aiming and shooting of rifles and revolvers on a daily basis, but also need to practice hard in close combat with cold weapons. After all, bullets will always run out, and malicious assassins may take advantage of the time when they are changing bullets to threaten the lord's safety.

"As long as every member of the Royal Guard is equipped with one of these machine guns, we'll be confident we can blast even a high-level spellcaster into dust!" Many Royal Guards agreed. "You fools!" Chris scoffed mercilessly. "Do you have any idea how heavy this thing is? I know some of you have awakened your immense strength talent, but what about the rest? Who has the guts to carry a machine gun weighing hundreds of pounds beside you, my Lord?"

This is obviously a standard heavy weapon that will be popularized and equipped to the entire army, and its function is the same as that of the magic-powered cannon.

……

"How far can this thing reach? Will it be like a magic cannon, where I can't even see the enemy's face before I've already blasted them to pieces..."

Harvey smiled and explained, "That's not the case. Machine guns certainly don't have the same range as cannons. Their main advantage is speed and area damage. They are very effective in suppressing a group charge of the target enemy. The damage caused by your volleys is at least several times greater."

Deputy Captain Tietou came up with a shamefaced expression and asked quietly, "Sir, are the machine gun ammunition expensive?"

"Much cheaper than magic stone bullets that use only liquid magic energy!"

"Then...then I want to try it too!"

After another violent burst of gunfire, Tietou's feet were piled with shiny, smoking metal shells. This time he didn't dare to pick them up with his bare hands.

White steam came out of the barrel, and one could even see a hint of dark red from the smelting metal at the front end.

Chris pointed at the red-hot muzzle and warned, "See? You can't use this thing indefinitely. After every three rounds of shooting, the barrel temperature reaches its limit. At this time, you need to replace the spare barrels and let them cool down in turn, otherwise they will be scrapped!"

No one present spoke in response. Everyone was immersed in the shock brought by this new weapon. The expression of the senior alchemist Benoit, who had been silent, was particularly complicated.

Among those who participated in the weapons experiment today, he was the only "latecomer" who was still a member of the Spellcaster Forum. He was not really one of Harvey's trusted confidants, but the lord trusted him so much that he allowed him to observe the entire testing process of the new weapons, which made him feel very grateful.

But on the other hand, his heart was also filled with indescribable melancholy and loss.

It's okay for me, an alchemist who focuses on magic research and experiments, but high-level spellcasters like the Eye of Illusion, the Astrologer... and Teacher Duncan, will probably be even more confused after learning the power of this new weapon.

What does it matter if one possesses exceptional wisdom and talent? What does it matter if one has painstakingly cultivated for decades to reach a higher level? No matter how powerful one's original attack techniques are, or how agile one's flight is, there's no way to dodge the barrage of bullets so dense that even the naked eye can barely discern them. Facing dozens or even hundreds of these weapons simultaneously, the web of death they create could tear even a legendary spellcaster apart!
The spellcaster has always prided himself on pursuing the limits of truth and standing at the forefront of knowledge development, but everything he sees now is telling Benoit a terrifying truth...

It turns out that we have fallen behind the times.

(End of this chapter)