A mage? A spell engineer!

Chapter 404 Valuwana is right behind us.

In Valuwa, some mages concealed their identities and blended into the army, while others acted openly and were treated as "honored guests" by the commanders.

In the command post on the high ground, the general and his subordinates eagerly awaited the return of the mage from the sky. The mage removed his grey-blue camouflage robe, reported what he had seen, and revised the enemy's deployment on the map. Scouts were familiar with battle formations but had limited ability to reconnoiter the rear. The mage, while not having a complete grasp of military affairs, could observe from a high vantage point by flying. The two complemented each other.

But the mage frowned: "We encountered Imperial mages in the sky, so we have no choice but to retreat."

But there were still areas that hadn't been thoroughly investigated, so the general tentatively asked, "Could you please take another look, Master?"

The mage refused, firstly because the other side had more mages and he didn't want to take any more risks, and secondly because the empire had weapons that temporarily banned magic, and the mage was unwilling to take any more risks.

"Please do not worry, General. We have another powerful weapon that we will test-deploy on the battlefield."

As if to verify the mage's words, a sudden tremor came from the hillside behind the battlefield. The earth shook, rocks collapsed, and a huge humanoid figure appeared in the billowing dust, slowly and heavily rising to its feet.

"What is that?!" Both sides were shocked by the colossal creature that had suddenly joined the battle.

Eighteen meters, which is the height of a five- or six-story building, however, when such a tall humanoid machine appears on the battlefield, it has a significant effect on both the sense of oppression on the enemy and the morale boost on one's own side.

Compared to the first generation that Rorschach saw, this huge alchemical armored warrior was much closer to practical use. It no longer had gorgeous decorations and the shape of imitating classical armor. Instead, it had a sturdy, durable, and simple design. For example, the head was changed to the shape of an inverted bucket, and the front of the power furnace in the chest cavity was also reinforced with armor.

It crouched low, then leaped high, soaring over its own triple lines of defense and landing in the middle of the battlefield. The heavy creaking of the machinery mingled with the cheers of the Valois side.

"Stop this monster! All cannons, aim!" Instantly, the "giant" drew all the firepower, and the Imperial Army's cannons all turned to bombard it.

Richard observed the situation through his telescope and discovered that the giant construct had deployed a magically condensed shield that lasted for a long time.

Normally, shields have their limits. Individual spellcasters should be able to withstand concentrated firepower instantly, and even collective spellcasting cannot withstand the same level of damage as this construct.

"Is this the trump card of the Venerable Valuwa?" His colleagues in the spellcaster squad were also observing the "big surprise" presented by the kingdom's mage.

The giant advanced under heavy fire, its shadow looming over the Imperial infantry at the front lines; even its powerful strides instilled immense panic. Even the well-trained warhorses neighed and reared in fear.

At this point, the Empire's anti-magic weapons had no choice but to be revealed. The thick clouds dispersed, and five airships appeared out of thin air on the battlefield!

The mage in Valuwa's command post also widened his eyes, because he hadn't spotted these sky behemoths in the clouds. There were only two possibilities:

The Empire's airships took a huge risk by shutting down all magical devices on their facilities and standing by; the airships carried mages with extremely high levels of illusion magic.

In fact, it was a combination of both. Only one of the Imperial airships in the fleet was equipped with an anti-magic device, while the other four were bombers carrying large quantities of ammunition. They flew directly towards the enemy lines as soon as they appeared, and even if they exploded, they could cause great damage to the Valuwa army.

The remaining "magic-suppressing device ship" needed constant recharging, so spellcasters collectively cast spells to suppress the leakage of the device's magical aura and to drive clouds and mist to shroud the airship.

When the scout, the Valuwa mage, was about to approach, the Imperial spellcaster drove him away.

Now, to deal with the "Giant" construct, they activated the anti-magic weapon.

A thick beam of light descended, and a tsunami of magic swept across the entire area. The shield of the construct was visibly shattered by the invisible waves, but it only paused for a moment before steam began to spew from its pores as it continued to trample the Imperial Array.

The mages in the Valua National Guard command post observed the situation while simultaneously feeling the discomfort brought on by the anti-magic tsunami. At that moment, a member of the Star Tower Alchemy Department appeared and said to the commander, "General, give the order to charge! Counterattack!"

According to a mage from the Alchemy Department, the eighteen-meter-tall humanoid construct was just a decoy, and the Alchemy Department has not yet found a way to utilize its war value.

"But it's cool enough to instill fear in the enemy. They'll activate the anti-magic weapons on their own, handing over the decision-making power on the battlefield to ordinary people, to you all. According to the data from the Andorella campaign, there will be no magic on the battlefield for the next six minutes."

The construct could still move because its internal steam engine had started, and it could only move forward recklessly, charging around aimlessly. However, without the protection of the shield, the shells began to destroy its armor and joints.

The built-in transmutation dust extractor began to malfunction, and the giant fell!

However, the Valois army was not discouraged. Everyone gripped their weapons, awaiting orders. The frontline commander drew his sword, lifted his hat, and shouted, "Long live the nation! Long live Valois! Valois is behind us!"

This slogan was passed from one battalion to the next, until it resounded throughout the battlefield, and the sans-culottes began their charge under the artillery fire and bombardment of the strongest army on the continent.

The "Giant" that entered the fray at the beginning played a huge role. It attracted all the firepower of the Imperial Army's artillery positions in the early stages. Faced with the fierce charge, the Imperial Army's artillery was already a fatal step too late to turn its guns around and reload.

On the Imperial front, the infantry set up their guns and began firing. Under the double attack of bullets and airship bombardment, the charging Valois National Guard consciously formed a more dispersed column. When enemy bullets knocked down the one at the front, a second fearless soldier would immediately take his place, until they were close to the surprised and terrified Imperials, at which point they would fire a deadly shot from a distance that did not require marksmanship.

The Imperial cavalry also launched a charge, attempting to flank the Valois infantry. However, they were met with a fierce artillery barrage from the Valois. The kingdom's last remaining advantage since the reign of King Sunlight was revealed—artillery! Coupled with the defenders' artillery positions occupying high ground, they successfully dealt a heavy blow to the Imperial cavalry.

"Load up! Keep up!" Pascal was dizzy from the magical tsunami, but Paul's eyes were bloodshot and he was extremely excited. It was clearly his first time participating in a battle, but apart from the first test shot, all his subsequent shots hit their mark.

Suddenly Paul stopped firing, and just as Pascal could finally breathe a sigh of relief, Paul, holding his binoculars, shouted, "Everyone, adjust your positions with me!"

No one, including Pascal, knew what was wrong with this pawn.

Paul shouted urgently, "There's a well-equipped cavalry reserve behind the northeastern front! They must be elite; give them a good beating!"

Paul saw a cavalry unit waiting for orders; they were all dressed in white robes and looked like handsome young men—there was no mistake.

In fact, it wasn't only knights in the Imperial Army who had horses; what he saw was Richard's mage corps.

(End of this chapter)