Industrial Revolution of the Mage Lords

Chapter 638 Remnants of Divine Punishment
In less than fifteen minutes, the Northern Army, lined up at the entrance of the church square alley, fired hundreds of shells from portable cannons, raining fire upon the hidden troop caves on the plateau above.

Rilke's defenders originally thought that by retreating to the high ground, they could have artificially excavated and widened caves to provide cover above their heads, and they could also use catapults and ballistae to suppress the enemy from above... But they never expected that the Saint Valenians would use their strange thunder and fire weapons to make them stand out as easy targets.

The shells fired from the square below came without pause, and the bombardment and explosions near the hidden troop caves were almost incessant.

Several soldiers responsible for operating the catapults braved the artillery fire and worked hard to pull the winch... but were unexpectedly hit directly by a cannonball.

The violent explosion generated a powerful shockwave that sent the heavy catapult flying. The rising flames engulfed dozens of soldiers nearby, and the tightly bound and stacked logs in the distance were also affected, with numerous shattered logs shooting in all directions, piercing the bodies of soldiers who had no time to dodge.

The round stone, weighing over a hundred pounds and originally placed on the catapult, instantly lost control, crashing and overturning several boiling oil pots before rolling into the dense crowd behind... The flesh and blood of mortals seemed exceptionally fragile at this moment. Wherever the boulder rolled, only a bright red, glaring trail of flesh and blood remained on the ground. Many who were lucky enough to escape were then struck head-on by the scattered fragments of the catapult, clutching their wounds pierced by the splinters and screaming in agony, helplessly awaiting the arrival of death.

The injured, who had instantly lost their ability to move, were beyond anyone's ability to receive treatment.

The soldiers and believers who had been driven out of the hidden caves had not yet had time to take the holy medicine distributed by the Divine Punishment Army. They were shocked by the artillery bombardment and retreated back into the caves. No matter how the Grand Duke's royal guards cursed and scolded them, they were unwilling to regroup and charge the enemy.

The advantage of being on high ground was now made an obvious target for the enemy's precise strikes, and the entrance to the hidden troop cave was turned into a sea of ​​fire... Count West Wind immediately lost the courage to stand on the high platform to supervise the battle, and was surrounded by his guards as he retreated into the cave.

The lightning and fire attacks from below did not stop there. The shrill sound of the shells only paused for half a minute before it resounded across the battlefield again. This time, the enemy seemed to have readjusted the aiming angle, and dozens of shells, like pebbles launched by a catapult, flew in parabolic arcs and accurately crashed into the hidden bunkers.

In an instant, smoke billowed and flames rose from several bombed caves, with explosions and piercing screams echoing everywhere, creating a scene of horrific carnage resembling a fiery hell.

In the few caves that were not affected by the bombing, the people who had been forced to hide there were the first to break down. These people, whose faith was not as firm as that of the devout believers, had been forcibly conscripted by the Inquisition Army and the Royal Guard. At this moment, they had completely lost all courage. Someone took the lead and, taking advantage of the gaps in the bombardment, screamed and fled along the passageway on the side of the cave. In the crowd and chaos, many people were pushed directly down the high slope and tumbled like gourds onto the square below.

Count Westwind was completely panicked. He had expected to be defeated today, but he never expected it to be such a tragic scene... The planned melee and street fighting had not yet begun, and the counterattack from the high ground had not even started, yet the heavily fortified defensive line collapsed directly.

He looked around in a panic and saw Judge Burns, his eyes bloodshot, holding a sword and covered in blood, hurrying toward him.

"Forget about those foolish and cowardly people!" The chief judge raised his sword and pointed it downwards, shouting hoarsely, "I have ordered the knights of the Judgment Army and the devout believers to take the holy medicine and charge with those who escaped from the hiding caves... With them as human shields, the bloodline knights hiding in the rear will have a chance to get close to the enemy and engage them in close combat!"

"How many troops do we... do we still have available?"

"There's no need to consider the plan to divide our forces and defeat them... Mobilize all your Royal Guard knights, have them take the holy medicine, and drive away all the conscripted civilians. We can't waste any more time here!"

After a moment of silence, Earl Westwind gritted his teeth and, his face contorted with rage, ordered his adjutant, "Take the knights' drugs! Abandon their horses... Hide behind the charging crowd and charge at those heretics of Saint Valen!"

Soon, the assembled knights and guards followed the throng of people to the church square. After taking the holy medicine distributed by the Divine Punishment Faction, these originally weak soldiers and believers had bloodshot eyes, bulging veins on their necks, and prominent blood vessels under their skin that turned a terrifying dark purple. Many of them even tore their clothes under the influence of the medicine and let out low growls like wild beasts.

The Northern Army, assembled at the square and alley entrance, seemed to have been prepared in advance, having already piled up a simple defensive line with pebbles and sandbags. Several strangely shaped alchemical carts were pushed to the front of the formation, as if they had anticipated the shift in the balance of power.

Earl of Westwind and Burns, trailing behind the ranks, had no time to discern their opponents' next moves. At their behest, several Inquisition Knights ran back and forth, issuing the final charge order.

"Glory above! Slay the enemy—"

Having lost the speed advantage brought by their horses, nearly a thousand Judgment Army soldiers and Royal Guard knights pushed forward desperately on their own two legs. Many of the civilians at the forefront did not take the medicine as ordered and retreated in the opposite direction, crying out in terror. They ran headlong into the spears and blades of their own people and were instantly pierced through the chest. Before their lifeless bodies could fall, they were pushed forward by the weapons.

At this moment, they became veritable human shields in the hands of the nobles...

Under the cover of billowing smoke and rising flames, they quickly halved the distance between themselves and the enemy by charging on foot. Through the throng of people, they could clearly see the Saint Valen soldiers crouching behind makeshift shelters more than a hundred meters away.

As a bloodline knight bestowed by the gods, Burns naturally did not need to take holy medicine to activate his potential like others... He picked up a spear that someone had dropped on the ground with a flick of his toe, tucked it under his arm, held a longsword upside down in one hand and gripped the spear tightly in the other, roaring to vent his anger.

Sudden--

He saw several black-clad Saint Valen soldiers stand up, calmly swing their arms, and... a ball of blazing red flame immediately burst forth from the tip of the strange alchemical weapon that had been pushed to the front of the battle.

A continuous stream of fire, accompanied by crackling sounds, sprayed directly towards the charging formation where he was located.

The knights and soldiers at the forefront suddenly burst into bursts of blood, falling like wheat cut by a sickle before they could even utter a sound.

The sound of armor shattering and heavy objects falling to the ground reached my ears. In a panic, I turned around to look...

Count Westwind, who was originally several steps behind him, suddenly found several bloody holes bursting in his chest, and fell face down to the ground.

(End of this chapter)