Antar Fortress, Pandorn Empire.
Since the fall of the Iron Eagle Fortress, under the strong advocacy of the Imperial Heir Gao Di and a group of pro-war nobles, the Pandorn Empire had regrouped here, sending over a mixture of remaining battered troops and new recruits, and constructing massive defensive works specifically designed to counter the abilities of Reborns, with enhanced protections against earthquakes and thunderstorms.
At this moment, the entire fortress resembled a giant construction site, with countless soldiers busily working like ants.
Giant steam engines roared, generating tremendous power that turned bearings and mixers to stir cement, while excavators swung their mechanical arms rapidly digging up blocks of hard earth and stone. Other workers took the opportunity to approach and perform delicate tasks while the machines lifted their arms.
Yet none of them knew that the cold reaper had already arrived beside them, swinging his scythe, ready to reap the entire fortress.
“Do you understand the operation, Haren?”
Onboard a strangely-shaped aircraft, Dr. Xiti caressed a uniquely-shaped warhead in front of him, looking at the Reborn before him.
“Got it!”
Haren, the Reborn, wearing goggles and a leather flight suit, shivered slightly as he replied, “But… Doctor, why do we have to use this prototype aircraft? Can’t we use something else, like an airship?”
“An airship?”
Dr. Xiti seemed to have heard the funniest joke ever, “Although the Empire’s airship fleet suffered heavy losses, do you think their anti-aircraft defenses are blind and stupid? With the slow speed of armored airships, recklessly entering enemy airspace would result in only one outcome: becoming a sitting duck!”
Sensing Haren’s unease, Dr. Xiti comforted him, “Although this aircraft is just a prototype, I have great confidence in its performance. Besides, look, I’m here too. What are you afraid of?”
“That’s only because this Thunder Sword is also a prototype, and you need to be here in person to calibrate it…”
Haren muttered, clearly less nervous now.
He caressed the cold, gleaming metal surface of the Thunder Sword and asked hesitantly, “Its power… really exceeds that of the Captain?”
“The Captain? President Chevreux?”
Dr. Xiti scoffed, “To be frank, even that acknowledged strongest Reborn in the world, the Pope of the Church of Redemption, if directly hit by this, would just ‘poof’ and evaporate into nothing…”
“Whew…”
Such a description immediately made Haren inhale sharply, and soon his face showed a look of distress, “So that means, that fortress…”
“Most of the people inside won’t survive…”
Dr. Xiti silently added in his heart, “Compared to those disgusting radiations, even if they survive, it might not necessarily be a fortunate thing!”
…
Rat-tat! Rat-tat!
Just then, suddenly a string of fire erupted from the ground, nearly grazing the wing, making both Haren and Dr. Xiti jump in fright.
“It’s their anti-air warning line, but the plane is unharmed!”
The pilot shouted loudly. He himself was also a Reborn, with reflexes far surpassing ordinary people. He maneuvered the aircraft, which was much faster than airships, barely dodging the anti-air defenses and penetrating deep into enemy territory.
“Sir, the enemy is out of range!”
On the ground, a soldier shouted through his binoculars, “What should we do next?”
“The target is only one aircraft, probably just for reconnaissance. Send a signal to other anti-air positions to stay alert. Also, keep an eye on the following situation and watch out for enemy armored airship squadrons!”
The commander immediately issued orders.
In his opinion, letting one aircraft slip through wasn’t a big deal.
After all, with its small size, even if it were packed full of explosives, how much destructive power could it possibly have?
What he didn’t know, however, was that inside that aircraft was not explosives, but a world-destroying monster far more terrifying than gunpowder—a thousandfold more fearsome—the Wrath of the Thunder God!
…
The weather was quite clear today, and the Antar Fortress was as bustling as ever.
The azure sky was nearly cloudless, and the bright sunlight bathed the fortress, where workers and soldiers were all busily attending to their tasks. Everything seemed tense yet orderly.
A young recruit in training suddenly looked up and spotted a small black dot against the blue sky.
The dot grew larger and finally took the shape of an aircraft, bearing the clearly visible insignia of the Allied Forces.
“Enemy aircraft!”
After a brief moment of panic, he immediately shouted.
“Hmph… a fast aircraft. I didn’t expect to see one outside the Purple Carnation Federation and the Golden Oak Kingdom!”
The officer glanced at it and then casually shook his head, “It’s probably just for reconnaissance. Those guys manning the frontline anti-air defenses are all idiots. They should be sent to a military court!”
Despite this, he didn’t seem particularly concerned.
After all, a small aircraft like that, unlike a massive airship, couldn’t carry much explosives, and the chance of it dropping directly on his head was practically negligible.
“Relax, boys. New recruits fear cannons the most, but in reality, you should believe that the thing most likely to take your life on the battlefield isn’t these big machines, but bullets from an unknown direction…”
The officer’s words were suddenly interrupted.
Because he clearly saw that as the aircraft approached the center of the fortress, it slightly slowed down and appeared to drop a small black object, like laying an egg.
At the same time, the fortress’s anti-air defenses started to fire, hitting the aircraft’s wing and causing it to trail thick black smoke as it plummeted.
Boom!
In mid-air, a dark figure suddenly opened the hatch, sprouting a pair of wings from its back, swiftly carrying Dr. Xiti away from the doomed aircraft—it was Haren!
“Damn… I didn’t expect their anti-air defenses to be this intense. Fortunately, we’ve already completed our mission. Let’s get out of here quickly…”
Dr. Xiti shouted mid-air, “Get away, as far as possible! Otherwise, we’ll all die here!”
“I know!”
Haren, now a winged creature, grumbled in reply. He spread his wings and glided far away like a hawk, a semi-transparent protective membrane appearing around his body.
The next moment!
Light!
A blinding light, as if it had existed since the birth of the universe itself, suddenly appeared.
“Ahhh!”
The officer, who had just been training soldiers, clutched his eyes and screamed in agony, then was instantly engulfed by the subsequent heatwave, turning into a charred object before quickly vaporizing into nothingness.
The soldiers with him received the same fate.
Boom!
Following the blinding light came an astonishing firestorm, radiating outward from the fortress center, with massive shockwaves sweeping in all directions, wantonly destroying everything in their path.
Boom boom!
After the explosion, a massive mushroom cloud appeared where the fortress once stood, its core a bright yellow flame still expanding outward.
Within the fortress, regardless of whether they were ordinary people or generals, all were powerless to resist their impending destruction.
Buzz! Buzz!
At the moment the explosion occurred, Haren, already flying away from Antar Fortress, felt a tremendous force strike his back, shattering his protective membrane and causing him to scream in pain as he plummeted straight down, barely managing to pull up again amidst Dr. Xiti’s startled cries.
“Damn! We’re still too close. Get away quickly!”
Dr. Xiti tightly gripped Haren and shouted in dissatisfaction.
Haren turned his head, gazing at the massive mushroom cloud that blotted out the sky, his expression momentarily stunned, “This is… the power of Thunder Sword?”
“That’s right. This is our ultimate weapon, the trump card that allows ordinary people to confront a Level 5 Reborn!”
Dr. Xiti proudly declared.
“Will everyone in that fortress die?”
Haren suddenly asked in a strange tone.
“The attack form of Thunder Sword—explosion, intense light, shockwave—you’ve already seen it. But its most terrifying aspect lies in what comes next—the contamination…”
Dr. Xiti explained, “Even if someone survives such a disaster, once contaminated by radioactive dust, they will develop illnesses. In severe cases, they’ll die within days. Even if they manage to survive, they’ll live the rest of their lives under its shadow!”
“This is practically a weapon the devil himself would use!”
Haren gritted his teeth.
“We do this only to end the war!”
Dr. Xiti solemnly replied. As for how much sincerity, how much pretense, and how much vengeance against the Pandorn Empire lay behind his words, no one could say for sure.
…
After launching the unannounced attack and confirming the success of Thunder Sword, Chevreux finally informed the Pandorn Empire of the event.
At that time, Pandorn was already anxious over the sudden loss of contact with Antar Fortress, especially after nearby residents reported a massive explosion and blinding light, which gave the nobles an extremely ominous premonition. Upon receiving the notification, they hastily dispatched personnel to Antar Fortress to confirm the situation, even neglecting to immediately condemn Chevreux.
Of course, all the intelligence observers could see was a scene straight out of hell.
According to incomplete statistics, at least 200,000 lives were lost in the strike by Thunder Sword, and the entire fortress was completely destroyed.
Moreover, the subsequent effects and troubles continued to escalate.
Such a horrifying loss immediately silenced the entire imperial nobility—they were genuinely terrified.
And Thunder Sword, at the cost of a fortress and hundreds of thousands of lives, officially entered the public eye, accompanied by a fearsome reputation that could scare children into silence at night!
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