Trench Bolts and Magic

Chapter 224 Double Kill
“Da da da da da—!”

The piercing sound of gunfire finally rang out, breaking the eerie silence.

Time seemed to stretch out infinitely at this moment.

In the horrified eyes of the two highland mages, they could clearly see streaks of dark blue bullets, like the trajectories drawn by the Grim Reaper, tearing through the air between them in the mere ten meters or so between them.

Each blue light represents a deadly bullet infused with pure magical energy.

Morin's hand on the trigger was as steady as a rock. The MG14 light machine gun, enhanced by the [Enchanted Weapon], seemed to have no recoil in his hands.

He fixed his gun on the mage holding the glowing crystal and unleashed a barrage of bullets from his MG14 machine gun.

Morin knew all about his plans; success or failure hinged on this one move!
The mage holding the crystal was clearly the key figure between the two.

The moment Morin appeared, he instinctively reached out to rub the ring engraved with protective runes on his index finger, attempting to activate the [Shield Spell] stored within.

But when faced with machine gun bullets at point-blank range, human nerve reaction speed seems so slow and powerless.

The moment he made his move, a barrage of enchanted bullets whistled through the air.

According to the strict rules within the Highland Mage Order, all mages entering the war zone must maintain their [Mage Armor] at all times through spell slots or magic scrolls.

This mage apprentice was no exception; an invisible layer of magical light instantly shone on his body, attempting to resist the sudden attack.

Under normal circumstances, the strength of his [Mage Armor] is almost the same as that of Morin's own [Mage Armor].

In other words, this armor is strong enough to withstand continuous fire from conventional rifle bullets, at least giving him a few precious seconds to react.

However, he was not facing ordinary bullets.

Every 7.92mm Mauser bullet amplified by the [Enchanted Weapon] becomes a dual attack, dealing both physical and magical damage!

The spell crackled and sparked, followed by a series of crisp cracking sounds.

The tough [Mage Armor] only lasted a single breath under the impact of the enchanted bullets before shattering like glass struck by a hammer!

Having lost his last line of defense, the mage apprentice stared wide-eyed in horror as subsequent bullets tore through his mage robes and burrowed into his flesh.

"Puff puff!"

The dense barrage of bullets instantly turned his chest into a mangled mess, and the powerful kinetic energy even pushed him backward several steps.

"Uh"

He let out an unintelligible hoarse sound, his expression frozen in a moment of terror and confusion, before he slumped backward.

The red crystal, pulsating like a heart, slipped from his limp hand and rolled onto the dusty ground, its light dimming as it fell.

One hit!
Morin was overjoyed, but his hands did not stop moving at all.

He immediately shifted his fire, lashing the MG14 light machine gun's fire at the younger-looking mage apprentice beside him.

This guy's reaction time was much faster.

In the instant his companion was attacked, he frantically pulled a scroll from his pocket and tore it open.

A semi-transparent, circular force field shield instantly unfolded in front of him.

[Shield Spell]!
"Dang-dang-dang!"

Most of the bullets that Morin fired were deflected by the suddenly appearing magical shield. Only a few bullets grazed his body and were blocked by the [Mage Armor].

"Tsk, everyone's starting to bring shields now!" Morin cursed under his breath.

The combination of [Shield Spell] and [Mage Armor] can achieve a synergistic effect greater than the sum of its parts. While the bullets fired from the machine gun amplified by [Enchanted Weapon] can cause damage, it is clearly impossible to break through the Shield Spell in a short time.

This brief stalemate gave the young mage a chance to catch his breath.

He hid behind a semi-transparent shield, his face still showing lingering fear, but his hand movements continued casting spells without pause, and his mouth rapidly chanted incantations.

A blazing fireball quickly condensed and took shape in the palm of his other free hand.

Fireball!
"Holy crap! You dare to fight back?"

Morin's eyelids twitched as he watched the fireball in the other person's hand grow brighter and brighter.

Being hit in the face with a Fireball at such close range is no joke.

Even though I'm wearing [Mage Armor] and a powerful [Shield] spell, taking a hit head-on is still very painful.

However, there is no time for him to dodge now.

"Let's go all out! Let's see whose magic is stronger!"

Mo Lin steeled his resolve and, instead of retreating, charged forward two steps under the enemy's fire, gun in hand, trying to get as close as possible before the enemy finished casting the spell.

Just as the mage apprentice was about to throw the fireball in his hand, Morin also used a spell he had only recently learned.

[Absorbed Elements]

A barely perceptible layer of magical light flashed across his body.

Almost simultaneously, the mage apprentice also finished casting his spell. He roared and shoved the fireball in his hand toward Morin.

The blazing fireball, trailing a long tail of flame, traced a brief arc in the air before slamming solidly into the powerful [Shield] spell in front of Morin.

"boom!"

A violent explosion occurred instantly!
The raging flames and shockwaves engulfed Morin entirely.

Under the effect of [Absorb Element], the damage of Fireball is reduced to some extent, but its remaining power is still terrifying.

Morin felt as if he had been hit head-on by a speeding truck. The powerful [Shield] in front of him let out a mournful cry of despair in the violent explosion, and then shattered completely with a "crack".

The remaining shockwaves and flames slammed heavily into the [Mage Armor] on his body, causing the magical aura to flicker violently and the protective value to drop to zero instantly.

"Cough cough."

Mo Lin was so shocked that his blood surged, and he felt a sweet taste in his throat, almost spitting out a mouthful of blood.

However, he ultimately held on.

The final layer of protection from the [Mage Armor] firmly blocked the last bit of damage.

Furthermore, even if [Mage Armor] can't stop it, there's another layer of Arcane Protection underneath that can absorb some of the damage.

As the smoke cleared, Morin's figure reappeared. Apart from his uniform being burned and his face being covered in soot, he seemed to be unharmed.

He grinned, revealing a set of teeth blackened by gunpowder smoke.

"You didn't kill me, so now it's your turn!"

The young mage apprentice was completely dumbfounded when he saw that Morin was unharmed by his fireball spell.

He simply couldn't understand how an ordinary-looking Saxon soldier could possibly withstand a mage's fireball spell.
He tried to cast the spell again, but Morin gave him no chance.

"Ta-ta-ta-ta!"

The MG14, glowing with a bluish light, roared again, bullets chasing after the mage apprentice, forcing him to scramble for cover behind a sandbag. Once behind cover, the mage apprentice seemed to know he was no match for Morin; he quickly tore open another scroll, a gentle breeze swirling around his feet.

Apply oil to the soles of your feet!
His speed increased dramatically in an instant, preparing to slip away along the cover.

"Want to run?"

Morin sneered, picked up the MG14 machine gun with one hand, and strode toward the sandbag cover.

The surrounding Brittany soldiers finally realized what was happening and began firing their guns at Morin.

However, these ordinary bullets could not penetrate the still-strong [Mage Armor] on Morin's body, and could only splash weak ripples on his body.

Ignoring the harassment, Morin rushed to the sandbag cover in a few steps, then suddenly pushed off the ground and leaped high into the air, stepping directly over the sandbag.

In mid-air, he drew his bayonet from his waist with lightning speed.

The moment the bayonet was drawn, a faint flame suddenly ignited on the blade!

The second effect of [Absorb Element] is to capture a portion of the incoming energy and store it for the next melee attack!
Morin's next attack will be inflicted with some of the fire damage from the previous fireball!

The young mage apprentice, who had just cast the "Slip Away" spell on himself and was preparing to make a run for it, had only taken two steps when he heard a gust of evil wind coming from above.

He turned around in horror and saw Morin leap over the sandbag bunker like a god descending to earth, the flaming bayonet in his hand drawing a deadly trajectory in his dilated pupils.

"Do not--!"

He let out a desperate scream and instinctively tried to raise his arms to block.

But it was too late.

Morin adjusted his posture in mid-air, channeling the gravitational potential energy of his falling body, combined with his own powerful strength, into the bayonet in his right hand.

"Pfft!"

A dull thud as a sharp blade pierced flesh.

The flaming bayonet easily shattered the mage apprentice's already dwindling [mage armor], then plunged deep into his soft abdomen without any resistance.

“Uh.”

The intense pain caused the mage apprentice's body to arch violently, and his facial expression instantly contorted.

Morin landed, released the light machine gun with his left hand, and pressed down on the other man's shoulder to prevent him from struggling. With his right hand, he gripped the knife hilt, flicked it upwards, and then twisted it forcefully a few times.

His movements were cold yet efficient; he could even clearly feel the blade cutting into the other man's internal organs inside his abdomen, and warm blood flowed down the hilt of the knife, staining his hand.

The young mage apprentice's body convulsed violently a few times, the light in his eyes quickly dimmed, and he finally collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

After confirming that the mage was definitely dead, Morin drew his bayonet and shook off the blood.

At the same time, the surrounding Britannian soldiers finally reacted. Seeing their mage so cruelly stabbed to death by a Saxon soldier, they all turned red with rage and started firing wildly at Morin.

"Puff puff!"

Bullets struck the sandbag bunker next to Morin, kicking up clouds of dust.

The last glimmer of light from Morin's [Mage Armor] completely dissipated at that moment. A stray bullet grazed his arm, tearing off a small piece of flesh, causing a burning pain.

"So, you're bullying the few because there are many of you? Then I'll call for backup too!"

Morin rolled over and hid behind cover, quickly pulling a flare gun from his waist.

Then he lay down on the ground and pulled the trigger towards the sky.

"Chirp—"

A dazzling red signal flare, trailing a long contrail, soared into the sky and exploded amidst thick smoke, standing out conspicuously.

This was the signal he had agreed upon with Ludwig and Klaus!
After doing all this, Morin did not stop. He put the MG14 back on the sandbag and pulled the trigger. The fierce firepower instantly suppressed the Britannian soldiers who had been terrified.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, he ran and attacked while rushing to the corpse of the first mage he had killed. He quickly picked up the dim red crystal from the ground and stuffed it into a pocket hanging on his chest.

"Got it!"

Morin was overjoyed.

This thing is the detonator that controls the magic crystal bombs on the entire bridge. As long as it's in my hands, the bridge is temporarily safe!
"Signal! It's the battalion commander's signal!"

Klaus on the north shore was the first to see the red firework in the sky, and he shouted excitedly.

"Charge! Let's charge through!"

Ludwig's voice also came from the armored knight's loudspeaker, filled with impatient excitement.

Without any hesitation, he immediately took control of his massive war machine and became the first to rush onto the railway bridge.

Following behind him was another armored knight and twelve fully armed knight attendants.

"First Company! Follow me!"

Klaus also picked up his submachine gun and shouted at the soldiers behind him.

The instructors and assault battalion soldiers followed closely behind the armored knights, charging toward the smoke-filled railway bridge.

On the bridge, the Britannian soldiers hiding behind makeshift shelters were still nervously monitoring the commotion on the south bank behind them.

Suddenly, they saw two huge, dark steel figures burst out of the thick smoke.

"It's a Saxon armored knight!"

A Britannian soldier screamed in terror.

They raised their rifles and fired in vain, but the bullets struck the armored knights' thick armor without leaving a single white mark.

Ludwig completely ignored the harassment from these ants. He controlled the armored knight like an out-of-control train, crashing straight into the bunker ahead.

"boom!"

The bunker, made of sleepers and sandbags, shattered instantly under the immense impact.

Before the soldiers inside could react, the knights and squires at the forefront had already arrived.

The heavy hammers and longswords in their hands brought forth gusts of bloody wind, cutting down these stubborn enemies.

The training assault battalion soldiers following behind quickly dispersed, using their submachine guns and rifles to clear out any escapees who tried to flee.

Ludwig and another armored knight were not idle either.

"Boom! Boom!"

Their assault guns roared again, firing two 75mm high-explosive rounds that accurately hit two machine gun positions in the middle of the bridge.

The violent explosion sent the two heavy machine guns, which were firing in vain, and their gunners flying into the air, clearing the biggest obstacle for the subsequent infantry advance.

(End of this chapter)