Origin Paradise!

The secret treasure also follows the principle of uniqueness: before it is destroyed, the knight it represents cannot be born, and the alchemical matrix ritual for forging the soul weapon will inevitably fail without exception.

On the high slope, surrounded by a dozen servants with bloodshot eyes, Kahn Fredenburg raised his sniper rifle with one hand. It was a heirloom of the Fredenburg family, originating from the modern-day Gopher Rider, and had the special effect of enhancing the bullet's shredding ability.

In sight, thousands of British soldiers charged the position, advancing relentlessly through the trenches. The continuous barrage of artillery shells falling from the sky did not damage the morale of this unit in the slightest, mainly because in the chaos of the rainy night, it was difficult for the soldiers to fully observe their own casualties.

Kahn aimed at the officer charging at the forefront, the man's continuous shouting while holding a pistol was fully exposed to him. As the trigger was pulled, the bullet flew out from the cold muzzle, a streak of scarlet light piercing through the night, moving at an incredible speed.

As if at the same moment the shot was fired, the officer under the scope was hit. The bullet shattered his entire upper body, leaving only a mangled corpse kneeling in place. The power of the bullet was astonishing.

With the death of the officer, the British soldiers' momentum abruptly halted, their rifle bullets ran out, and the battle transformed into a more primitive bayonet fight.

Kahn slung his sniper rifle over his shoulder, and suddenly a pair of blood-red wings unfurled behind him. Each feather was as hard as rock and iron. He took flight, sweeping across the battlefield in shadow, his rapier unsheathed.

Chapter 49 The Dragon Offers Its Claws

Rainy night, battlefield, trenches.

As the shadows descended, Kahn, amplified by the Blood Wings, moved with unparalleled speed. He descended from the sky, his rapier slicing through the battlefield with sharp, jagged lines. Wherever he passed, severed limbs flew up, and headless corpses gushed forth spurts of blood.

In the blink of an eye, nearly ten soldiers were dead, and the rifles fitted with bayonets became unusually sluggish in the face of the attack.

Jiang He activated her active skill, Frenzy Rhythm, to mark the enemy, then fired her gun. The bullet grazed the enemy's cheek, leaving a clear trail of blood.

Kahn wiped away the blood, turned to look at his prey, and as his wound slowly healed, he stepped out, his black tailcoat trembling with rainwater. He covered the distance of several dozen meters in an instant, thrusting out his slender sword straight and sharp, which caused a piercing shriek.

Jiang He swung the rifle in a wide arc, gripping the barrel with his wrist and swinging it violently as if wielding a large hammer, slamming it into the rapier.

The instant the spear clashed with the iron, he decisively released his grip, and the iron light burst forth from his palm, revealing the Everlasting Regret Spear.

The spear swept out like a fierce dragon, pulling at the explosive wind as if carrying a heavy, enormous object. The silver-white shaft was rubbed red by the airflow and then steamed with white mist as it was soaked by the rain.

boom!

At the moment it struck the enemy's body, a deafening rumble of thunder resounded.

Kahn flew to the side, a chill rising from the depths of his heart. The cracking sound of his bones breaking assaulted his eardrums. He slammed into the trench wall, then bounced up again from the lingering force, tumbling backward with the momentum of his fall, landing on the ground like a lump of mud.

But soon, Kahn pushed himself up. His fair and healthy skin was withering, and his once-smooth figure became incredibly thin, as if all the nutrients in his body had been squeezed out to repair the terrible damage to his abdomen as quickly as possible.

"Despicable bastard, letting ordinary people rush to the front."

Kahn tore off the tailcoat. He had only categorized the officer as an "ordinary brave soldier" because the officer's death was predictable. He never expected him to be a knight, and a powerful one at that, like a tiger, lion, bear, or elephant.

Jiang He couldn't figure out the other person's thought process, so she stretched out her left hand and raised four fingers.

"Come."

Kahn grinned maliciously, covering the thirty-odd meters in what seemed like an instant. A bloodthirsty aggression emanated from his eyes as he swung his sword down, as if cutting through thin paper, combining sharpness and precision.

Jiang He raised his spear high and used his close-range spear technique, "Overlord Lifting the Tripod," to parry the sword strike. The sparks from the clash between the sword and spear were extinguished instantly by the wet rain.

Kahn drew his sword and thrust again, constantly probing his opponent's defense. His figure moved continuously, his speed as fast as a ghost. His normal speed was only comparable to nine points, but his pair of blood wings seemed to cut through the airflow, giving him a powerful boost.

Jiang He flipped the spear with both hands, unleashing powerful movements that were dazzling. The spear shadows were sometimes gentle, sometimes heavy, and the speed was astonishing. The whooshing sound of the wind rubbing against each other grew increasingly sharp, even forming an invisible barrier that could be seen with the naked eye.

Sparks burst forth from the gunfire that enveloped him. Kahn seized the opportunity, and crimson energy, imbued with corrosive power, spread from the blade, unleashing a magnificent thrust aimed directly at the enemy's head.

Jiang He was enveloped in pure blue armor, his speed, strength, and defense all significantly enhanced. Garuda Mode II and III were activated simultaneously, and a rapid heartbeat resounded from his chest.

The iron light roared and burst forth, and the raging wind engulfed the enemy.

With layers of fanatical marks, the damage boost from mastering spear techniques, the enhancement of energy mode, and the use of Ming Jin to wield the heavy spear, he unleashed the single-kill "Dragon Offering Claw" technique from the "Arm Sutra" spear-thrusting method.

As if they could hear each other's roars, the dragon, filled with hatred and resentment, stretched out its claws, smashing the rapier in two and then shattering Kahn's chest, just as a bullet had struck the lieutenant.

Kahn's eyes bulged and he slid backward, his legs carving two deep ravines in the ground, deep enough to reach his calves, and thick blood gushed from the huge wounds.

He crashed into the trench wall again, almost losing the strength to get up. He became skin and bones. After struggling to stabilize his injuries using his self-healing ability, he immediately took off his sniper rifle and fired a bullet.

A bullet struck someone's shoulder, shattering a corner of the invisible defense provided by the dragon scale armor. Jiang He was slightly surprised and was about to step forward when a dozen blood-red-eyed men surrounded him, each wielding a thin sword, like entourage specially trained by an ancient family.

Bang bang bang!

Tommy arrived just in time and emptied his revolver, killing four people. In fact, not a single bullet missed its mark, but the wounds to his chest and abdomen were not fatal.

Jiang He unleashed two close-range gun strikes, "Sunset Over the Long River," and figures easily turned into blood mist that exploded before his eyes. He was a little puzzled as to why these guys didn't use firearms. Even if they were out of touch with the times, they shouldn't be so poor as to not even have a rifle.

Just then, Kahn reached forward and clenched his fist tightly. His wings seemed to exert force along with them, and the densely overlapping feathers, like iron plates wedged into flesh, whistled out with the vibration of his wings, leaving sharp marks as they intertwined and transformed into a storm.

The storm of iron feathers swept through the blood mist, staining it with a corrosive crimson. This man-made storm enveloped someone, and from a distance, it looked like a tornado spewing blood and iron.

Jiang He once again activated the pure cyan armor, and the cyan energy spread to the body of the Long Regret Spear, forming an impenetrable cyan spear curtain as his hands flipped and danced.

The two sides wore each other down, occasionally punctuated by the sharp cracking sounds of rock breaking. Kahn looked tense, his severe injuries making him dizzy and disoriented. Just as he was thinking of a solution, a long spear suddenly flew out from the tornado, its terrifying weight landing on him and causing his painstakingly maintained injuries to collapse. He instantly went into shock and fainted.

Iron feathers mixed with putrid blood slashed through the pure blue armor. The dense and sharp slashes did not stop because the user was unconscious. After the spear was released, Jiang He's energy level dropped rapidly in order to support the armor. He rolled away with his head in his hands before he could leave this deadly place.

Tommy carefully examined Kahn's condition and looked up, saying, "He's passed out, but he has a strong vitality. If this continues, he's very likely to wake up. He should be the current head of the Prussian Blood Bat family."

"Whatever it is."

Jiang He got up and went to the nearby area, loudly calling for Charles XI to bring iron chains. After binding him tightly, he stuffed his prey into his pouch, which was pitch black inside, like being locked in a dark room and subjected to torture. He decided to endure it first before interrogating him about the family lineage.

Suddenly, Jiang He looked up and realized that the young soldier in front of her didn't look familiar.

"And Charles XI?"

"He sacrificed his life, and before he died, he asked me to take over this honor."

"Then you must be Charles XII, easy to remember."

"Yes, sir."

Someone put away the Long-Hate Spear into their equipment slot. This offensive weapon failed to provide any defense, and the item pouch successfully imprisoned a living person, but based on previous experience, it could not be transported across realms.

“Rhine, the battle isn’t over yet,” Tommy said seriously. “The lieutenant is dead. I or you need to take over command as soon as possible.”

Jiang He frankly admitted, "I don't know anything about command."

Chapter 50 The King's Shield

late at night.

The 2nd Infantry Battalion of Birmingham captured position 144, seizing 26 divisional infantry support howitzers and a large quantity of artillery shells. In order to recapture this vital firepower, the Prussian infantry division launched a fierce offensive with no regard for cost.

Jiang He lay prone on the bunker, firing continuously. Aiming became increasingly difficult in the darkness, but the artillery bombardment ignited debris, allowing a faint glimmer of light to remain in sight.

Three hundred meters away, a captain bent over and was about to turn around to urge his soldiers when a bullet blew his head off.

Jiang He pulled the bolt and pushed the bullet. After continuous live target shooting, he was able to maintain accuracy within a range of 350 meters. The sniper rifle he captured from Kahn was far superior to the Lee-Enfield rifle in performance, but it required some physical exertion each time it was used.

[Name: Scarlet Baptism]

[Type: Firearms]

[Quality: Rare]

[Effect ①: Increases armor penetration by 28%]

[Effect 2: Increases bullet speed by 20%]

[Note: Overall length 1220 mm, weight 4.2 kg, range 2000 m, fixed magazine 10 rounds, fixed scope 5x. This is a sniper rifle with excellent basic performance, once belonging to a proud old aristocrat.]

Another bullet flew from the muzzle, and the Prussian soldier hit was blown apart, his body torn to pieces.

Jiang He kept repeating the cycle of firing, pulling the bolt, and reloading, his famous World War I-style suicide charge even making his eyes dry and unbearable.

"fire!"

Tommy's shouts echoed from the trench.

The artillery regiment unleashed its firepower, covering the ground ahead. Dust billowed, and soldiers were blasted into the air. Unfortunately, the Birmingham 2nd Infantry Battalion consisted mostly of death row inmates and lacked artillery specialists, so they couldn't achieve a decisive victory.

After two rounds, the other side seemed to have given up on the idea of ​​retaking the weapons and began to launch concentrated bombardment.

The flames of war spread throughout the trench. Jiang He, carrying a sniper rifle, retreated to a makeshift fortification after the Scarlet Baptism. A large cannonball fell on the spot, obliterating Charles XII beyond recognition.

The firepower coverage was so effective that almost all of the howitzers captured by our side were destroyed.

Tommy, looking exhausted, retreated into the fortifications. "Without professional artillery, we have no idea where to position the guns. Right now, we can only rely on those few Maxim machine guns."

Jiang He asked, "How many people are left?"

Tommy closed his eyes and answered, “More than two hundred. Fritz was killed. He was the Irishman who had been with me all along. Hunter Barney didn’t survive the bombing. He lost his right hand and right leg and just shot himself. The deputy company commander died while attacking position 144. Now, the old company is left with only you, my brother Arthur and me, and the dozen or so men who stayed behind.”

Arthur ran in with his head down, carrying four bottles of whiskey. The bottles were beautifully packaged, and the liquid was a clear amber color, clearly not cheap stuff.

"Look what I found, that nobleman's grain reserves."

Jiang He took a bottle, bit off the cap, and drank it down. The spiciness stimulated his taste buds, but there was no other water source in the trench.

"If the shells don't fire, they're all mine."

Tommy smiled. "What else can we do with them? I've realized that in this terrible war, the winners are not us privates. It doesn't matter how many we kill, but we have to keep going. Hope is like blood; as long as it flows in your veins, you're still alive."

Jiang He finished the last sip of whiskey and tossed it aside. This blue-eyed Briton had a bit of an artistic temperament. According to Wuhe's intelligence, the other party was a Wildebeest Knight, skilled at turning danger into safety. He was initially a young officer eager to make a name for himself, but now he had become a war-weary.

The Prussian artillery barrage lasted for fifteen minutes. When it ended, an even more intense artillery barrage erupted on their own lines. In just seven days, they wiped out the equivalent of eleven months' worth of artillery shells produced by the British Empire. The newly appointed Haig was nothing short of insane.

Jiang He braved the turbulent shockwaves to reach the partially collapsed bunker, where more than three hundred shells of various types were stored.

He pulled the prisoner Kahn out of his inventory, stuffed all the shells inside and detonated them, and finally inserted the rare item, Chaos Explosion Engineer, to begin making a Chaos Bomb.

One by one, black gems fell into his palm, a total of 245. According to the item notes, when the total number of manufactured gems reaches one thousand, the Chaotic Explosion Engineer can be upgraded in quality.

Kahn, who had been awake for some time, was breathing heavily, his chest heaving. The dark, enclosed environment had put him under immense psychological pressure.

"What are you going to do if you don't kill me?!"

Jiang He didn't say anything, but pushed him back over. The other person's mental state hadn't reached the point of near collapse yet.

……

The next morning.

At exactly 7:30, a terrifying silence suddenly descended upon the entire battlefield. The sudden deathly silence made the soldiers on both sides feel extremely oppressed, but in just a few seconds, the whistles and shouts of the British platoon leaders in the trenches erupted, and the Battle of the Somme officially began.

Meanwhile, the defensive battle at position 144 resumed, with unprecedented intensity.

"What are they doing!?"

Tommy looked back at the British trenches behind him, where countless soldiers stood in long lines, looking left and right as if they were waiting to participate in a military parade. They marched at a steady pace toward the Prussian positions in a carefully rehearsed formation, led by officers.

Jiang He was also full of questions. He knew that there were related descriptions in historical records, but seeing it with his own eyes was still unbelievable. Position 144 was just an insignificant part of the Battle of the Somme and could not affect the outcome at all.

As the infantry column drew near, the Prussian troops along the long firing line set up Maxim machine guns, and a torrent of bullets swept across the land, tearing flesh and staining the soil dark red. The artillery on both sides opened fire again, this time more like a death symphony.

At least twenty overstretched county battalions were decimated. In order to survive the hail of bullets, many people hid behind the bodies of their comrades, clinging tightly to the ground to avoid the dense machine gun fire. In the storm of fire, soldiers fell in all sorts of positions when they were hit. Faced with such fierce firepower and heavy casualties, the offensive was on the verge of collapse.

A long and brutal morning has passed.

Jiang He was completely oblivious to the screams. It wasn't until noon, when the sun was high in the sky, that the infantry advanced to the front of the first defensive line. Before that, the attack sequence collapsed completely.

Positions 120 to 170 belong to the western battlefield. The army group commander, only 45 years old, led three cavalry divisions and, based on the infantry's achievements, successfully entered the enemy's trenches, tearing open a huge gap. At the cost of losing more than half of the tens of thousands of cavalry.

As follow-up troops accelerated through the battlefield and initial results were achieved on the western front, countless casualties were suffered on other fronts.

A chaotic and fierce battle began.

……

Behind the British and French front, in the industrial city of Amiens.

In a bunker, the major general introduced the royal envoy from the homeland to Commander-in-Chief Haig.

"Sir, this is the Black Knight, one of the three guardian counts of the King's Shield."

The newcomer was not tall, his whole body was covered by a cloak, and his face was wrapped in bandages, with only a pair of beautiful eyes showing. They were shaped like five petals of a flower, and the edges were sharp like swords.

The Black Knight spoke first, his voice clear and crisp, "Soul Armament: Black Mandala."

Commander-in-Chief Haig had heard of her reputation: one of the few powerful knights in history to have forged an alchemical matrix using plants. Black Mandragora was skilled in paralysis and hallucination, and even the king was unwilling to summon her at close range. It was rumored that just by looking into her eyes, one could be struck by the Black Knight's eye technique.

"I apologize for not greeting you sooner." Hague took a sip of tea. "His Majesty and the Prime Minister must have some important business to discuss."

The Black Knight handed over a map and said, "The Somme region, the large city of Leva, seven kilometers behind the western border of Prussia, is under orders to be captured, even at a great cost. The Sword of the Reverse Tree is attempting to revive the ancient Emperor Otto, whose sleeping palace is located in the Leva region."

Haig said calmly, "Emperor Otto was indeed one of the most outstanding knights of ancient times, but I don't think he could pull off a miracle of resurrection. Even if he were to be resurrected, he would certainly not be the same person he was before."

“That’s right, so what they’re planning to resurrect is a monster.” The Black Knight was unwilling to explain further and continued, “Regarding this operation, His Majesty and France have reached an agreement. Both sides will jointly open the inner treasury and use extraordinary resources to attract knights from all over the world to participate in street fighting. Prussia will probably spare no effort as well.”

Haig remained silent. Emperor Otto was the Aphid Knight in his lifetime, a terrifying superhuman. His combat ability was not strong, but he possessed a frightening strategic mind.

Aphids are the fastest reproducing insects in nature. Female aphids can reproduce immediately after birth, and historically, peak aphid armies have destroyed cities.