A colossal fleet of Evernight vessels swarmed towards them, far quicker than anticipated. Qian Ye had just entered the fortress with the reinforcements when the high-speed assault ships of the dark races neared the fort.
Qian Ye leaped onto the fortress wall, taking out his Thunder and aiming at an assault ship. However, even the Thunder’s range proved limited at such a distance, lacking sufficient power. Thus, Qian Ye patiently awaited the approach of the assault ships.
Within the fortress, the power towers emitted a shrill whine, the result of high-pressure steam discharge. The towers trembled, already operating beyond capacity. In the turrets, rapid-fire cannons and massive crossbows roared, sending ten fiery lances crisscrossing the sky, firmly defending the fortress airspace.
The incoming assault ships were pummeled by these fiery whips, exploding into bursts of light as parts broke off, scattering in all directions.
Soon, two assault ships, battered by the fiery lashes, rolled and burned, crashing into the hillside with a resounding explosion. More assault ships circled the fortress, seeking an opening to attack. But the fortress’s anti-air firepower was relentless; the stream of metal from the rapid-fire cannons never ceased, while the four giant crossbows, like cold-blooded killers, fired bolts, hitting ships beyond the reach of the cannons.
These powerful crossbows, equipped with tracking systems, rarely missed their mark, each bolt downing an assault ship.
Seeing the pile of arrow boxes next to the crossbows, Song Zining couldn’t help but praise, “The Zhao family has really gone all out! These tracking crossbows are incredibly expensive. My Ningyuan Heavy Industries can’t produce them yet.”
Before he finished speaking, Qian Ye suddenly grabbed him, pulling him to the ground. Simultaneously, Qian Ye slapped the ground, creating a shockwave that knocked over nearby soldiers.
At that moment, an eerie screech filled the air as several large-caliber cannon rounds zipped overhead, tearing up the ground and leaving large craters.
Song Zining looked up to see an assault ship soaring above, having somehow breached the anti-air fire. Its cannons rained death upon the soldiers within the fortress.
If not for Qian Ye’s quick action, those shells would have hit Song Zining. Though the shells might not impress the likes of the current Seven Young Masters, they still hurt, potentially causing minor injuries.
For the average soldier, the impact of those shells was terrifying. Most soldiers near Qian Ye were felled by the shockwave, narrowly avoiding the shelling. But some standing further away were not so lucky; a weaker Level One soldier was cut in half, his blood and organs splattering everywhere.
Qian Ye aimed the Thunder at one of the cannons protruding from the ship’s belly but did not fire, instead lowering it again.
Sure enough, one of the fortress’s crossbows turned and loosed a bolt. The thick arrow arced gracefully, striking the rear of the assault ship, sending it tumbling hundreds of meters before it exploded into a massive fireball.
Inside the fortress, chaos reigned. The newly arrived soldiers, unassigned to positions, were thrust into this fierce battle.
Qian Ye sprang to action, shouting orders, guiding the bewildered soldiers to their posts or to tend to the wounded. Other commanders, including the bearded one, did the same.
The Zhao family spared no expense on the fortress’s anti-air defenses, deploying a density of firepower far exceeding any fortress Qian Ye had seen. Such an array could easily defend a medium-sized city, yet it was packed into this temporary fort designed for a thousand men.
The dark races, clearly surprised by the fortress’s ferocity, suffered heavy losses, their ships falling in flames. Having lost over half their force, the remaining assault ships retreated.
Qian Ye climbed the wall, gazing into the distance, his heart sinking. The fortress was at the center of the first line of defense. The Zhang army, marching from a nearby valley, moved steadily, maintaining their formation despite the proximity of the enemy.
The dark races’ fleet, undeterred, sent more ships toward the fortress. This time, they deployed large warships, mostly frigates, along with two destroyers.
The fortress’s defenses struggled against these larger ships. The previously formidable crossbows now needed multiple hits to bring down a single frigate.
As the warships closed in, another portion of the Evernight fleet peeled off, pursuing the retreating Zhang army, which now lacked fleet protection.
Just then, an Imperial fleet burst from the clouds, heading straight for the Evernight fleet’s core, like a wedge piercing deep into the enemy. A chaotic melee ensued, with hundreds of ships clashing less than a kilometer above the ground. Many transport ships, unable to escape, caught fire and exploded.
In a desperate move, the transport ships opened their hatches, dumping the dark warriors inside, regardless of the height. Some started releasing troops hundreds of meters above the ground. High-level warriors might survive, but the lower ranks and grunts were doomed.
“Brutal!” Song Zining remarked.
Though the Evernight fleet suffered heavy losses, their strategy worked. The transports quickly emptied, turned, and disengaged. For the Imperial fleet, empty transports held little value, and the scattered dark warriors below provided few easy targets.
The Imperial commander swiftly regrouped, forcing a path through the Evernight fleet and escaping.
This brief but brutal engagement cost both sides over a hundred ships. Transport ships, especially, were devastated, their casualties reaching tens of thousands.
On the ground, the dark forces were in disarray, littered with wounded and dead. The dark armies lost over forty thousand, a twenty percent reduction in their force.
But most casualties were grunts; the elite forces remained largely intact.
As one Imperial fleet departed, another appeared, watching the Evernight fleet warily, intent on harassment. The Evernight fleet responded by deploying some fast boats, ordering about ten thousand dark warriors to attack the fortress, disregarding their original units.
Meanwhile, the Evernight fleet assembled its fast ships, preparing to confront the Imperial fleet, while the rest of the forces reorganized under cover. The battlefield, once chaotic, began to stabilize.
The new Imperial fleet did not attack, preserving itself for the larger conflict.
Watching the onrushing dark forces, Song Zining took a deep breath, “This will be a tough fight.”
“Too late for regrets,” Qian Ye replied, lifting a machine gun and firing.
The machine gun whirled, spewing a hail of bullets at the enemies a thousand meters away. Despite the extreme range, Qian Ye’s shots found their marks, cutting down the dark warriors with unexpected precision.
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