The weapons I forge are absolutely flawless.

Dimir stood on high ground overlooking the battlefield, a cold smile playing on his lips. "So what if they're prepared? As long as we can force Chlorie to confront the army head-on, that will be our advantage."

After receiving the order, Sylvan waved his command flag a few times, and a cavalry force of five thousand men was ready to go into battle.

A mere probe by the vanguard was enough to overwhelm half the forces of the allied lords.

"I entrust this to the Holy Knights." Chlorie bowed.

Those within the family know their own situation. Although this hastily assembled force has become somewhat presentable under her leadership over the past half month, it is still struggling to cope with the high morale of the kingdom's cavalry.

The only force capable of directly confronting the kingdom's cavalry in terms of elite strength is the Holy Knights.

"Commander, please proceed according to plan," Vena instructed.

"I will not fail in my mission." Gerald bowed.

After learning about the deeds of Vina and the Third Battalion within the Empire, he admired the young man from the bottom of his heart. Since it was a rare opportunity to fight side by side, he naturally wanted to make the most of it.

As Gerald mounted his horse, the Holy Knights struck their shields three times to the left and right before charging towards the Kingdom's army.

Even though they were outnumbered by half, the Paladin Order, led by Gerald, was like tigers among sheep on the battlefield. Every charge tore through the enemy lines, and despite their numerical disadvantage, they turned the tide of battle to a draw.

However, this stalemate was clearly not the result Dimily wanted.

His brow furrowed slightly, a hint of impatience flashing in his eyes, and he uttered two words to Sylvan beside him: "Reinforcements."

Sylvan waved his flag again, and another contingent of the already eager kingdom army joined the melee.

The newly recruited soldiers quickly filled the gaps on the front lines and formed a pincer movement against the Holy Knights.

These kingdom cavalrymen who joined halfway through the war, while still no match for the Holy Knights in terms of strength, had the advantage of abundant stamina.

In contrast, the Paladin Order, which had been barely holding on, showed signs of fatigue due to the intense fighting.

“It’s time to make them withdraw,” Kurori concluded.

Lisette understood immediately; a pale blue light flickered at her fingertips, and the communication spell was activated instantly.

Upon receiving orders, the Paladins did not linger in battle. They coordinated seamlessly, taking turns providing cover as they withdrew to their rear ranks.

However, the kingdom's cavalry, who were already bloodthirsty from the chaotic battle, mistook the Holy Knights' retreat for a golden opportunity and gave chase without hesitation.

But when they caught up to within two miles of the army formation, the feudal lords' army suddenly made a move.

The originally tight shield formation slowly dispersed, revealing neatly arranged siege ballistae.

These ballistae, like sleeping behemoths, exuded a chilling aura.

"Fire!" Juno gave the order, and all the ballistae fired at once. Arrows poured out like a torrential rain, slicing through the air with sharp whistling sounds.

Those cavalrymen who couldn't slow down in time crashed straight into the crossbow bolts, resulting in heavy casualties and many dead or wounded.

"Where did they get those siege ballistae?!" Hilvan's eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief.

These heavy weapons, though powerful, were difficult to move and could not possibly be carried by the Kuroli army at their marching speed.

“With Jessica here, this is nothing to worry about.” Dimirli appeared calm and composed. He ordered, “Get the Magnetic Array up.”

Sylvan quickly waved his flag, and eighteen burly men carrying purple hexagonal shields rushed out of the army.

Aside from their shields, they carried no weapons and weren't even wearing armor.

However, with their arrival, the crossbow bolts that were originally aimed precisely at the cavalry suddenly veered off course, as if drawn by an invisible force.

"What a strange shield." Chlorie frowned, secretly on guard.

“Let the army cease fire and retreat.” Viner stared thoughtfully at the lightning bolt symbol on the shield. “With these shields in place, continuing to fire is just a waste of arrows.”

"Just do as you say."

Clooney made a quick decision, ordering the army to abandon the heavy equipment that was difficult to move and to evacuate immediately.

While the Xuan Magnetic Array could protect the kingdom's army from arrow attacks, it also limited their advance speed, forcing them to watch helplessly as the vassal states' armies withdrew.

"These things cannot be left to you."

With a flash, Vina appeared between the ballistae.

With a wave of his hands, he easily put away the massive crossbows as if they were toys, and they vanished without a trace in an instant.

Of course, in order to prevent Dimir from discovering that he had not died from the Thorn Spear, Venere had already used the Mirror Flower Water Moon technique to simulate Jessica's appearance.

Seeing that the ballistae that had been blocking their way were gone, the kingdom's cavalry finally erupted in long-suppressed anger.

They spurred their horses and sped off to catch up with the armies of the vassal states.

However, before they could chase after them for very long, a muffled rumbling sound suddenly came from the horizon.

Countless boulders rained down on their path.

"They've even started using catapults!" Sylvan looked up at the sky, his eyes filled with shock.

These boulders, though not as deadly as crossbow bolts, still kicked up clouds of dust and debris upon impact, leaving the flat ground riddled with craters.

The cavalry's originally orderly steps were immediately disrupted.

The horse's hooves sank into the newly formed crater, neighing in pain. The soldiers had to tighten the reins to control their mounts, and the entire march slowed down abruptly.

Amid the chaos, an even larger boulder streaked across the sky at an astonishing speed, heading straight for the central army where Dimirli was located.

Without Dimiri needing to lift a finger, the remaining eighteen purple shield soldiers behind him raised their shields high above their heads, colliding them in pairs and releasing an invisible wave that shattered the boulder.

As the boulder shattered into pieces, countless thin pieces of paper scattered like a blizzard.

Sylvan reached out and pinched a sheet of paper, his brows furrowing slightly as he glanced at the words on it.

"The Imperial Army has already entered the kingdom's territory, and Gracia is about to fall."

"Nonsense!" Sylvan angrily tore the paper up.

Not to mention that the internal strife in the empire has not yet been quelled, even if it is quelled, it will take a long time to recover and rebuild. How could we possibly start a war with the kingdom at this time?

Even though he knew this was a psychological tactic, he couldn't stop the news from spreading within the army.

“Interesting,” Dimily smiled with interest. “Send the order to halt the pursuit. Since they want to be trapped in Cordelia, let’s grant their wish.”

A cold glint flashed in his eyes, as if a hunter had already locked onto his prey.

Chapter 667 Strategies to Defeat the Enemy

"Phew, is this okay?"

Anna loosened her slightly sore wrists, looked up at the sky, and a smug smile appeared on her lips.

The boulder that flew the fastest and farthest was the result of her throwing it by force alone, without the aid of a catapult.

"But is spreading these messages really useful?"

Anna quickly regained her composure and pondered the meaning behind it.

In her view, hiding the letter in the boulder was completely unnecessary and offered no obvious benefit.

Anna wouldn't have worked so hard to carry out this task if it hadn't been assigned by Viner herself.

Just as Anna was pondering this, a soldier ran up quickly and respectfully reported, "Lady Anna, all the ammunition has been fired."

“I understand,” Anna said, her gaze sweeping over the now empty position where ammunition had been stored. “Set up the ignition points, light them, and then retreat.”

Cordelia is mostly plains, so consumables like crossbow bolts can be replenished, but there's really no way to replenish the boulders used for catapults.

The ammunition that was just used up was brought by Viner from the Empire, which came from a great distance.

It's hard to believe that the empire's massive stones were striking down the kingdom's invaders within the territories of the vassal states.

At a command, the soldiers sprang into action, pouring oil onto the catapults and then setting them ablaze.

The raging flames illuminated half the sky, signaling the abandonment of this position.

"Is everything arranged here?"

With a spatial fluctuation, Jessica had already teleported to Anna's side.

“Well, it’s a pity, but we have no choice but to give it up,” Anna sighed as she looked at the firelight. “We can’t leave these things to the enemy.”

“At least their mission is accomplished,” Jessica said, putting her hand on Anna’s shoulder. “I’ll take you back to Vina now.”

"Then I'll have to leave it to you." Anna smiled slightly.

-----------------

"Are those shields also the cursed equipment you mentioned?" Chlorie asked, frowning.

Under the cover of those magnetic shield soldiers, the most elite archers of the vassal states would probably be completely rendered useless.

“It should be right.” Viner nodded.

Although he had once crafted the Magnetic Shadow Hand Axe, it paled in comparison to this batch of Mystic Magnetic Shields.

After all, the equipment that Wiener creates takes into account the user's ability to withstand the strain.

The people who made these magnetic shields clearly had no intention of worrying about the damage their terrifying magnetic fields would cause to the wearer's body.

"They can use the power of magnetic fields to deflect any metal weapon. Even swords and armor will be greatly affected once they enter the range."

"If that's the case, wouldn't the Holy Knights also be unable to act easily?" Chlorie asked warily.

The Holy Knights are currently the only army capable of directly confronting the Kingdom's cavalry. If even they are affected, the Kingdom's army may not be able to sweep through the battlefield in the future.

This camp was the last line of defense built with the help of Count and Countess Faldwell and the people. If it were breached, the entire territory of Cordelia would be indefensible.

“I’m afraid it’s not just metal weapons,” Listy added. “I just tried, and even magic has a hard time breaking through the magnetic field they create. We need to find another way to break the formation.”

A hint of helplessness flashed in her eyes, clearly indicating that she found the situation difficult to handle.

“There are solutions, of course,” Viner said, when a familiar spatial fluctuation suddenly came from inside the tent.

Two figures then appeared; they were Anna and Jessica.

"Look, isn't it coming?"

Upon seeing the two people who had appeared, Viner immediately felt a sense of relief.

"So many people are waiting for my daughter?" Anna covered her mouth in surprise and bowed slightly to the crowd. "I wonder what task Lord Vener has to entrust to my daughter this time?"

"Don't make fun of me."

Wiener sighed and rubbed his forehead in exasperation. He knew that it was somewhat inappropriate to keep ordering Anna around after only a short time having met her.

But right now, only Anna can break this magnetic array.

“It’s like this…” Viner briefly described this special unit in the kingdom’s army to Anna.

“Their magnetic array can interfere with metal weapons and magical attacks. If they send this force to attack again, I hope you can use the Shudrom Bow to summon the Stormbringer and break this magnetic field.”

Using invisible arrows of wind to counteract the magnetic field created by the Xuan Magnetic Array—this was the method that Wiener came up with.

“Only you can do this,” Viner said solemnly. “If even you can’t succeed, our situation will be very passive.”

Upon hearing this, Lisette stepped forward, bowed deeply, and said sincerely, "If you can stop the Kingdom's army, Lisette will be eternally grateful."

“I dare not accept this gift,” Anna hurriedly helped Listy up. “Seriously speaking, I am also half a Cordelian. How can I stand idly by when it comes to protecting my homeland?”

Lisette looked up, her eyes filled with gratitude, but some doubts still lingered in her heart.

She knew that the Valentin Merchant Guild's base was in the vassal states, but she had never heard of any direct connection between the guild and the Cordelia Territory, let alone any kinship.

But when she inadvertently caught a glimpse of Wei and discovered that he was deliberately avoiding her gaze, everything clicked.

"I won't hold it against you this time."

Lisette suppressed a smile and gave Vina a look that let her understand.

"Demily shouldn't launch another attack tonight. Everyone, go back and rest early, and prepare for tomorrow's great battle." Chlorie clapped her hands, ending the meeting.

Upon hearing this, the crowd dispersed.

Lisette and Anna left the camp together, whispering about their plans for the next day.

Before leaving, Jessica gave someone a meaningful look, then used teleportation to disappear, leaving Vina standing there motionless.

"Is there something else?"

After the others left, Chlorie spoke.

“Exactly,” Wiener nodded. “These troops shouldn’t be the entire strength of the vassal states. Where have the rest been deployed?”

Kurori paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "I knew I could hide it from you. I did leave some troops behind just in case, and Felix is ​​with them."