Trench Bolts and Magic

Chapter 226 The Seven Rings Not to Be Underestimated

Ludwig forcefully withdrew his strength at the last moment, using his shield to slam forward and deflect the opponent's battle axe. The immense force caused the opponent's machine to lose its balance for a moment.

It's now!

Ludwig seized the fleeting opportunity, his 'armor-piercing spear' drawing a strange arc, bypassing the opponent's shield, and stabbing hard into the front armor of the armored knight!
"boom!"

A burst of intense fire erupted from the point where the spear met the armor.

The jet of scorching metal instantly pierced through the thick breastplate of the 'St. George III', melting the pilot and the complex control equipment inside into molten iron.

The St. George III, clearly operated by an experienced driver, shook twice reluctantly before crashing to the ground.

On the other side, Ludwig's comrade-in-arms, an equally experienced squad leader, also quickly and easily dealt with his opponent in the same manner.

In the blink of an eye, the Brittany lost two armored knights.

The drivers of the remaining two 'St. George 3' were clearly frightened and instinctively began to back away.

"Don't let them get away!"

Ludwig's comrade roared and took a newly replenished 'armor-piercing warhammer' from the knight's squire who had followed from behind, preparing to press his advantage.

Ludwig also noticed the two mages who had remained motionless from beginning to end not far away, and a strong sense of unease welled up in his heart.

"Wait! Don't go any further!"

He had just extended his robotic arm to stop his comrade when the other had already charged forward like an angry bull.

The Saxon knight kicked away an enemy knight's squire who couldn't dodge in time. The huge mechanical foot carried immense force, sending the squire flying and crashing into the wall like a tattered sack.

However, before he could take two steps, a sudden change occurred!
A semi-transparent giant hand made of pure magic appeared out of thin air without warning and grabbed his high-speed charging armored knight, pinning him firmly in mid-air.

[Fifth Ring Spell - Bigby's Hand]

"what?!"

The knight screamed in terror in the cockpit, desperately trying to break free, but the force from that giant hand was far beyond what his Siegfried 1 could withstand.

"Crack! Click!"

A sickening metallic creaking sound rang out.

Before everyone's horrified eyes, the armored knight's limbs were crushed and twisted off by that invisible giant hand.

Finally, this war machine, now a pile of scrap metal, was tossed into the nearby Somme River by the giant hand like trash, creating a huge splash.

"!!!"

When Maureen saw this from behind, her heart sank.

Is this the power of a high-level mage? A knight weighing over ten tons is like a toy in front of them, crushed at will?
"Damn it!"

Ludwig watched helplessly as his comrades, along with their mechs, were crushed into scrap metal and thrown into the river, his eyes wide with rage.

He roared angrily and immediately called to the armored knights behind him, preparing to attack the giant hand hovering in the air with assault cannons.

However, he still underestimated the strength of a seventh-ring archmage.

Before he could even raise the cannon, the enormous "Hand of Bigby" came hurtling down with overwhelming force, slamming into his armored knight.

"boom!"

With a loud bang, Ludwig felt as if he had been hit by a mountain.

He and his mech were sent flying by this irresistible force, crashing into the wall of a nearby two-story building and burying him in the rubble, unable to move for a moment.

"Ludwig!" Morin's heart leaped into his throat.

In that split second, the two remaining 'Saint George III' armored knights of the Brittany seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

They roared and charged forward, using their superior machine performance and the pilots' superb skills to wield their battle axes and greatswords, engaging the remaining four Siegfried 1s in fierce combat.

Without Ludwig and another squad leader in command, the remaining Saxon knights were momentarily thrown into disarray.

Although their shaped charge rounds were still deadly, the pilots of the St. George 3 were clearly on guard.

Using their agile maneuvers and sturdy shields, they constantly maneuvered against the Saxon knights, denying them a chance to take a proper shot.

In a mere few dozen seconds of combat, the two Siegfried 1s were brutally hacked to the ground by the enemy's relentless barrage of attacks, their cockpits forcibly cleaved open by the Tomahawk, sparks flying everywhere.

Of course, those two Garde Knights also paid a heavy price.

Before being cut down, a Saxon armored knight desperately swung his 'armor-piercing warhammer', successfully piercing through the opponent's armor and perishing together with him.

Another 'St. George 3' was also targeted by the assault guns of other armored knights, its shield was broken through, and finally its front armor was pierced by a shaped charge shell, leaving it paralyzed on the ground.

However, the battle is far from over.

After dealing with Ludwig, the "Hand of Bigby," controlled by Master Angus, turned its attention to the remaining two Saxon armored knights. Like a tireless giant, it rampaged through the narrow streets.

The remaining two Siegfried I helicopters were completely powerless against it, like two mice being toyed with by a cat.

They attempted to attack with assault guns, but the shells were clearly insufficient to kill the semi-transparent giant hand in the air.

They tried to retreat, but the giant hand was faster than them.

Finally, before the duration ended, Bigby's Hand swatted the two precious armored knights one after another, rendering them completely incapable of fighting, as if swatting mosquitoes.

As the magic of [Bigby's Hand] was exhausted and slowly dissipated in the air, this brief but fierce battle between armored knights finally came to an end.

The exchange of armored knights between the two sides was completed in the blink of an eye.

But for Morin and his group, the situation was much worse.

They lost all their armored knights, while the enemy still had two unscathed seventh-ring archmages!
"No, we can't fight head-on now. The infantry can't withstand the enemy's magic."

Looking at the scattered remains of armored knights on the street and the two composed mages not far away, Morin felt a wave of powerlessness.

This is not even in the same league.

Until a way to completely subdue these mages is found, the risk for infantry to face them is simply too great.

"Everyone! Spread out! Quickly! Get into the alley! Get into the building!"

Morin made a snap decision and roared at the top of his lungs.

He knew that he absolutely could not allow the soldiers to gather in large groups on the open road along the river.

Otherwise, if that mage on the other side were to unleash another wide-range attack spell, every single one of them would be wiped out!
The soldiers of the training assault battalion reacted extremely quickly. Upon hearing the order, they scattered like startled rabbits and disappeared into the buildings on both sides of the street and the intricate alleyways.

Master Albert looked at the Saxon soldiers who were scattering and fleeing, and a disdainful sneer appeared on his face.

In his eyes, these were nothing but insignificant ants; his true goal, from beginning to end, was only one.

His gaze, sharp as a hawk's, swept across the chaotic battlefield and locked onto the unassuming Captain Saxony in the crowd, who was directing the retreat.

Master Albert slowly raised his staff, having confirmed it with absolute certainty through the tracking marks on the detonating crystal.
This is the Saxon captain who killed his two apprentices and stole the detonator.

"it's him"

Master Albert's lips moved slightly, his voice filled with icy killing intent.

He quickly realized that the Saxon captain in front of him was not only an officer, but also a spellcaster!
Although his level is not high and his magic fluctuations are very weak, he is indeed a spellcaster.

This discovery surprised Master Albert.

As far as he knew, although the Saxon Empire was also trying to cultivate its own mage force, their mages were few in number and generally of low quality.

More importantly, the Saxons never sent their prized mages to the front lines.

A thought flashed through his mind in an instant.

"The Mage Killer of Seville"

Information about this mysterious figure once circulated within the Highland Mage Order.

It is said that during the previous battles in which he intervened in the civil war in the Kingdom of Aragon, a mysterious Saxon soldier single-handedly hunted down several mages sent by Brittany to provide support.

However, due to limited intelligence, they were never able to confirm more information about this 'mage killer'.

But now, based on his intuition, Albert is most likely certain that it is this young man in front of him.

"Interesting, he's a low-level mage. It seems he fights using spells and conventional weapons."

A cruel smile curled at the corners of Master Albert's lips:

"You choose the path to heaven but refuse to take it, you choose the path to hell but refuse to come. Today, I will show you that hunting mages comes at a price."

On the other side, Morin, who was directing the troops to retreat, suddenly felt a bone-chilling cold rise from behind him, as if he were being watched by some terrifying beast.

He instinctively turned around and met Master Albert's murderous eyes in the distance.

"Holy crap, we've been targeted!"

Morin's heart skipped a beat.

He saw the two mages begin to command the Britannian infantry, launching a fierce attack on the bridgehead like a tidal wave.

But they themselves stood still, their eyes fixed on themselves.

Morin understood instantly.

The target was himself! Or rather, the explosive crystal in his pocket!
They want to find themselves by locating the crystal!

(End of this chapter)