Chapter 520: Attrition
At the live demonstration by the Berserk Demon leader, these usually reckless Berserk Demons finally stopped in their tracks, lingering outside the minefield.
These extremely belligerent and simple-minded creatures did not fear death, but they also greatly cherished the opportunity to enter the Material Plane—Berserk Demons relished the ultimate pleasure that destruction and slaughter brought them.
However, they had not expected that the bombardment from the sky would be ever-changing, and what they considered a safe zone could be struck by thunderous attacks at any moment.
Behind the Imperial Wall, the artillery corps of the Ember Empire immediately adjusted the firing angle of their cannons, enveloping the location of the Berserk Demon corps.
"Boom!"
"Boom! Boom!"
The ground trembled, artillery fire raged, and dazzling golden shrapnel scattered in all directions, instantly felling dozens of Berserk Demons.
"Ah—damned Material Plane maggots!"
The Berserk Demons howled and roared in anger, yet they were powerless to resist, making them feel incredibly stifled.
Ahead lay an extremely dangerous minefield, behind them, an overwhelming wave of Abyssal creatures—there was nowhere left to run.
Moreover, the shells falling from the sky this time were even more terrifying, each shard radiating golden light—that was ammunition quenched in holy water, imbued with divine radiance.
"This repulsive aura—"
"Damn it, it's holy water!"
Shrapnel soaked in holy water effortlessly tore through the armored skin of the Berserk Demons, while the sacred explosions engulfed their massive, hideous bodies.
"Whoosh—"
Blazing sun-like brilliance burst forth in midair, making this bombardment appear incredibly divine.
This batch of ammunition was developed through collaboration between the Empire's Technology Department and the specially appointed priest, Ingrid, specifically targeting fiendish entities and labeled the "Exorcist" series munitions.
After just a few rounds of artillery fire, the once-imposing Berserk Demon corps had suffered heavy casualties, with less than half managing to retreat into the demon horde.
Leo raised his head, looking at the dense firepower net in the sky, then lowered his gaze to the perilous, mine-infested terrain below, and was instantly enraged.
Half a day had passed, and he had not advanced the battle line even an inch!
Transmitting such a vast number of demons was an immense drain on the Abyss and on Jezal Slak himself. If he failed to break through the Empire's defenses soon—
His own fate would be equally grim.
The Ember Empire's strategy of firepower coverage and attrition through minefields was highly effective, but their opponent was the Abyssal Demons!
He could completely rely on the sheer numbers of the Imps to force a way through the minefield and ultimately breach the Empire's defenses.
With this thought, Leo Bosk raised his whip, spread his broad and powerful wings, and roared at the lower-ranking demons.
"Charge!"
"Crush the enemy ahead!"
Waves of scorching ripples rapidly expanded from Leo's position as the terrifying pressure of a high-ranking demon was fully unleashed, making all the lesser demons tremble.
Under this instinctual compulsion to obey, the Imps advanced through the relentless artillery fire, surging forward in endless waves, tirelessly and ceaselessly pushing toward the minefield.
"Awoooo—"
Ear-piercing, grating screeches erupted from within the demon horde, filled with unrelenting hatred for all things. When countless demons screamed in unison, even the strongest creatures would shudder in fear.
Unfortunately for them, there was no enemy in front of them—only an endless barrage of explosions.
"Boom!"
High in the sky, arcs of artillery fire crisscrossed, weaving into a dense firepower net, and shells detonated among the demons, instantly reducing tens of thousands of Imps to dust.
Yet this time, under Leo's control, the Imps had become completely fearless of death.
They ignored the explosions around them and the shattered remains of their kind; as long as they were still breathing, they continued advancing tirelessly.
One particular Imp had already lost its right arm and both legs to shrapnel.
Yet, dragging its body with its one remaining arm, it slowly crawled forward across the scorched ground, struggling toward the north—until another piece of shrapnel severed its head.
Even for those who managed to breach the artillery blockade, their fate was just as grim, if not worse.
"Boom!"
The moment an Imp stepped onto the land, the mine beneath its feet detonated, sending dirt flying into the air.
In the intense explosion, the Imp was blasted several meters high before crashing back to the ground, leaving behind only a charred, broken corpse.
As the battle raged on, more and more Imps desperately stepped into the minefield, only to be instantly obliterated. Some even triggered cluster bombs, dragging hundreds of their kin to the grave with them.
"Clang, clang, clang."
The dull clatter of hooves and the friction of metal armor echoed as demonic knights galloped across the battlefield, piercing through the artillery barrage.
These creatures had the bodies of sturdy warhorses, yet grotesquely human arms and faces.
Their upper bodies were pallid and oozing with festering pus, and thick, jagged horns jutted from their foreheads.
They wore intricate, pitch-black full-body armor, with tufts of short, bristly hair sprouting from the gaps between the plates.
—These were Hellriders, the Abyssal heavy cavalry, charging toward enemy lines with an uncontrollable thirst for slaughter and bloodlust, bringing death to all they encountered.
The Hellrider commander led a squadron of them, maneuvering through the battlefield, narrowly dodging explosion after explosion.
They were fortunate, galloping for hundreds of meters without triggering a single mine.
"Charge!"
"Kill them all!"
The Hellriders wildly swung their flails, eager to display their dominance on the battlefield—yet their leader failed to notice the looming danger ahead.
"Swish—"
A tripwire hidden among the grass suddenly snapped upward, and the high-speed Hellrider had no time to react, tripping headfirst into the ground.
"Damn it!"
It tumbled violently, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Then, in the next moment, the Hellrider felt the chilling touch of metal beneath its torso, and its expression twisted in horror.
"Boom!"
With an earth-shaking explosion, the Hellrider was torn in two—its human upper body and equine lower body reduced to charred remains, scattered in opposite directions.
Immediately after, the surrounding landmines were triggered in succession, consuming the Hellriders that followed in the blazing inferno, leaving behind only scorched earth.
"Awoooo—"
The Quasit Demons flapped their wings in the sky, desperately flying toward the Imperial Wall, forming dark storm clouds of demonic swarms.
To avoid the intersecting artillery fire, they ascended hundreds of meters into the air, attempting to bypass the seemingly impenetrable defensive line.
However, within the Imperial Wall, the anti-air soldiers caressed the freezing, four-meter-long barrels of their anti-air cannons, their fingers pressing eagerly on the triggers with wicked grins.
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
A series of sharp, distinct gunshots rang out, different from the previous artillery barrages.
One by one, the shells, trailing brilliant flames, shot toward the sky, followed by even more dazzling explosions.
The trajectories of these anti-air shells were denser than those of the heavy artillery, weaving a deadly symphony in the skies.
In an instant, countless Quasit Demons were engulfed by flames, their charred, unrecognizable corpses plummeting from the heights.
This scene had repeated itself countless times throughout the day—every demon attempting to breach the Empire's defenses met a tragic end.
"Boom!"
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The relentless bombardment continued without pause, as the Ember Empire unleashed its stockpiled ammunition upon the demonic horde.
With the nation fully mobilized for war, nearly every factory was ceaselessly producing munitions, their supplies transported southward via rail to sustain the Imperial Wall's formidable defenses.
By the time the sun dipped below the horizon and the sky darkened, the battlefield had become a devastated wasteland, the land scorched and cratered beyond recognition.
In the most heavily bombarded regions, hills had been flattened, and the corpses of demons piled upon each other, layer upon layer, forming grotesque new "terrain."
From dawn till dusk, despite relentless bombardment, the demonic army had failed to breach the Empire's defenses.
Under the night sky, beams of light streaked across the heavens, intertwining into a vast, luminous web that illuminated the land as if it were midday.
—But this was merely an initial skirmish; the Empire tested its weapons, while Leo Bosk used the cheapest demons to deplete the Empire's ammunition reserves.
"You will all be annihilated."
In the dead of night, surrounded by countless demons, Leo's twisted face glared at the brightly lit Imperial Wall, his eyes burning with chaotic fire.
For a demon transformed by Jezal Slak, hatred was their source of power.
And for this former Duke of Bosk, for over a decade, every waking moment had been consumed by the desire to destroy the Empire and slay the Red Dragon.
Now, that hatred had reached its peak, carved deep into his very bones.
Suddenly, an unsteady Quasit Demon flapped its wings erratically, stumbling into Leo's sight.
A flash of irritation crossed Leo's face. He casually grabbed the Quasit's head, his thick, red fingers tightening with relentless force.
"Awooo—"
The Quasit let out a pained wail, but under the pressure of a higher demon, it dared not struggle in the slightest.
"Bang!"
The minor demon's skull exploded instantly, sending sticky brain matter and dark purple blood splattering in all directions.
Only then did Leo's fury subside slightly. He licked the blood from his lips and casually discarded the Quasit's remains.
Nearby, other Quasits swarmed hungrily, feasting on the fresh carcass without hesitation.
To demons, the flesh of their own kind was just as delectable—if not more—than any other meat.
Leo gazed down at the gruesome, chaotic feast before him and suddenly smirked, his face twisting with cruel amusement.
"Heh heh heh…
Cassius, just wait. This will be your fate as well."
In the darkness, the eyes of hundreds of thousands of demons gleamed ominously, their shrill, discordant howls reverberating across the wasteland.