Even without sensing anything, Qian Ye did not hesitate. He took out several grenades and threw them with all his might. The grenades shot hundreds of meters like lightning, their impact as thunderous as cannonballs as they slammed into the thick smoke.
A cry of alarm rang out from the smoke, and then a figure appeared, trying to escape. But he was too slow, and Qian Ye’s grenades were strategically placed, detonating in sequence within a few dozen meters, creating overlapping shockwaves that enveloped the figure.
A scream echoed as the figure burst out, engulfed in flames. But after just two steps, its movements suddenly halted; a force bullet whizzed through the air, blasting half its head off.
Qian Ye blew on the still smoking barrel of his gun and walked towards the corpse.
It was a demon, and the remaining half of its face still bore an expression of extreme shock and agony, clearly unable to believe it had been discovered.
This demon wasn’t particularly strong, merely a baron, hardly a pivotal force in such a large-scale battle. However, its abilities were devious, and when combined with powerful grenades, the damage inflicted far exceeded its own strength.
If the dark race hadn’t been so particular about bloodlines and combat ranks, and if they hadn’t provided him with several extra black-titanium-enhanced super grenades, the casualties among the Empire’s soldiers would have been unimaginable.
Qian Ye didn’t have time to search the body. With the Bloody Mandala, he continued to target and eliminate threats within a hundred-meter radius. A short-ranged pistol, yet Qian Ye fired it as if it were an assault rifle. Many of the dark race died without ever knowing where the force bullets came from.
The ones Qian Ye killed were the enemy’s core forces, mid-level officers in the entire Eternal Night army. Their deaths immediately caused chaos in their units. At that moment, intense fire from the Empire covered the area, mowing down these low-level soldiers and cannon fodder in rows. A few physically robust ones were surrounded and killed by the front line warriors wielding sharp axes.
Soon, the situation in Qian Ye’s sector completely reversed. The dark race soldiers in this area were utterly defeated, scattering in disarray.
Qian Ye raised his sword and looked around, seeing no more enemies. Only then did he let out a sigh of relief. Suddenly, he felt something odd on his shoulder and reached up, pulling out two bullet fragments. Looking down, he realized he had been hit by several shots, some of which had been blocked by his armor and force defense, while others had pierced through, leaving wounds of varying depths on his body.
These were just minor flesh wounds, and Qian Ye paid them no mind. He injected himself with a stimulant and rushed to the adjacent sector, decimating the dark forces there. As he considered whether to counterattack into the heart of the dark army, a sharp whistle cut through the air again.
Qian Ye looked up, and with his extraordinary vision, saw over a dozen black dots rapidly approaching from the sky—heavy artillery shells!
But these shells were coming from behind the Imperial lines, landing in front of the frontline, hitting the center of the Eternal Night army.
These were the Empire’s heavy cannons! If the heavy units had arrived, then the elite cavalry must have already flanked the enemy from both sides.
Qian Ye’s spirits lifted, and the morale of the Empire’s soldiers, who had been fighting for a long time, surged. Some even began to cheer. The dark forces, already battered by Qian Ye’s repeated charges, showed signs of hesitation and disorder.
Seizing this fleeting opportunity, Qian Ye raised his sword and shouted, “Follow me!” He then turned and charged into the dark forces’ camp. Summoning the power of the ocean, he followed with a devastating Annihilation Slash, clearing a path before him.
The front-line soldiers were a fierce bunch. Seeing Qian Ye’s overwhelming charge, many were stirred to action, shouting and following him into the dark ranks. In close combat, force guns that required recharging felt inadequate, so many soldiers discarded their assault rifles and drew their blades, rushing forward.
The Zhao family’s private army had its own battle formations, and after Qian Ye carved out a hundred meters, he adapted to their rhythm. No longer needing to worry about his flanks or rear, he focused on hacking forward. This allowed the front-line troops to carve through the dark forces, unstoppable, leaving a wake of blood and carnage in their path.
In no time, Qian Ye led his troops to a point where they could no longer see any Imperial soldiers. Glancing around, he saw they were deep in enemy territory, almost ready to break through. However, advancing further would expose them to the concentrated fire of the Eternal Night’s heavy artillery. Thus, Qian Ye turned back, leading the front-line troops to break through the encirclement and return to the Imperial lines.
Their incursion and retreat were like entering and exiting an unoccupied land. The dark forces in Qian Ye’s path were shattered and in chaos, greatly reducing the pressure on the Imperial defense.
Suddenly, the sky roared with the sound of dozens of heavy cannons firing in unison from the Imperial side. Streams of fire rained down from the sky as the Empire’s floating warships arrived, having finished off their opponents and now supporting the ground forces.
Struck by multiple rounds of firepower, with the Imperial frontline firmly established, the Eternal Night finally sounded the retreat. The front-line troops retreated in disarray, suffering repeated attacks from the Imperial heavy artillery and floating warships. While the strong remained unharmed, the lower-ranked soldiers and cannon fodder suffered heavy losses, nearly wiped out.
In this battle, the Eternal Night deployed over half of their forces, totaling more than 100,000, attacking the newly arrived Imperial forces. The Imperial vanguard, including Qian Ye’s Zhao family private army and other noble families’ forces, numbered only around 50,000. Despite the open and flat terrain, they held firm against the dark forces until the main Imperial army fully deployed.
With this defeat, the Eternal Night’s fortress would inevitably fall. The mighty stronghold, though impressive, was not a specialized military fortification, and its defenses were insufficient. Once the Imperial forces were ready, they could launch an assault and seize control of the Great Beast’s Slumber.
Hearing the retreat signal, Qian Ye did not blindly pursue. Instead, he glanced back at his men. The front-line troops had suffered little in terms of casualties, but everyone was wounded and their force energy was nearly depleted.
From the moment they arrived on the battlefield, the front-line troops had fought continuously, not only eliminating the enemy in their sector but also assisting in neighboring areas. Their achievements were remarkable.
Qian Ye raised his hand, stopping a few overeager soldiers, and looked towards the Eternal Night’s camp. “Return to the defense line,” he ordered. “Stay put and be on alert. Do not leave without my order.”
The order was clear, and the front-line troops immediately regrouped, found their positions, and set up defensive structures.
Qian Ye and the Imperial vanguard’s task was to arrive first, establish the defense line, and create space for the main forces. Now, having completed their mission, any further advance would risk significant casualties.
Suppressing his restless spirit, Qian Ye stood patiently on the defense line. Though he craved glory, he understood the larger picture, knowing the safety of the main forces depended on this line. In a battle involving hundreds of thousands, the number of kills made by individuals had little impact.
The Imperial main force arrived, along with various war machines and heavy artillery. The last to arrive, the engineering corps, immediately began constructing temporary camps.
However, just as the camp was taking shape, Zhang Boqian’s voice boomed across the battlefield, echoing over the Imperial forces: “Forget camping, attack now!”
The Imperial commanders, stunned, nonetheless obeyed, dispatching orders to their troops. Horns sounded, and commands cascaded down the ranks like snowflakes.
In the Imperial center, Song Zining, blending in with the other officers, went unnoticed. Amid the sea of generals, a brigadier general’s rank was nothing special.
Yet his authority was considerable. Before him lay a sand table, marked with the positions of various units. A staff officer handed him a new command, which he read and promptly adjusted the positions on the sand table.
His assistants recorded the changes, converting them into specific orders, which were then delivered by couriers.
When the top commanders determined the targets and assigned the tasks, the orders came to Song Zining and his team, who broke down the tasks, determining the sequence and details for each unit.
There were five such sand tables in the headquarters, meaning Song Zining controlled nearly one-fifth of the forces. Though the overall direction and goals were set, there was still room for strategic adjustments.
At this moment, with a casual move, Song Zining shifted Qian Ye’s unit from the vanguard to the second wave, waiting to engage after the outer defenses of the Eternal Night’s fortress were breached.
While this might seem like less glory, it gave the Zhao family’s soldiers a chance to recover, allowing them to potentially deliver the final blow when they entered the fray.
This subtle adjustment went unnoticed in the chaos. Seeing the order sent, a mysterious smile tugged at Song Zining’s lips. His gaze fell on the Nan Gong family’s units, and he pushed their markers, placing them in a gap on the attack line.
His assistants noted the change, drafting a new order, which Song Zining reviewed and confirmed, sending it out.
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