"Temporarily unnecessary, Senior Xu," Huo Yuhao said with absolute confidence. "Not to mention the Snow Empress who always stays at my side... Even without her, I am not without protection from Titled Douluo-level experts. As for their so-called Soul Sage troops..."
At this point, a cold smile flickered across Huo Yuhao's face. "Do you think the strength of a Soul Sage can be called invincible under the firepower of soul tools, Senior Xu?"
"Hmph, of course not," Xu Tianyuan replied, a knowing look appearing on his face. It seemed he had realized that Huo Yuhao must be carrying some kind of devastating superweapon.
Ten thousand years ago, Tang San had been able to destroy an entire Soul Sage regiment in an instant with his Rain of Pear Blossom Needles. After ten thousand years of technological advancement, it was naturally even easier to eliminate Soul Sages using modern soul-guided weapons.
At that moment, a voice from behind Dai Hao rang out.
"Report, General! The damage report from the rear has been compiled."
"Tell me," Dai Hao responded grimly without even turning his head.
"The fortress walls have completely collapsed. All defensive structures are unusable. Of the soldiers stationed inside the fortress... about seventy percent have perished. Among the remaining thirty percent, nearly all are wounded—burns, impact injuries, critical trauma. I have already dispatched part of our forces to escort the wounded for immediate medical evacuation."
Dai Hao's heart sank heavily.
This was the devastating toll inflicted by the Sun Moon Empire's first volley of distant fire. The fortress that had stood firm for centuries was shattered in a single breath.
Any lesser general would have lost the will to resist under such crushing defeat, choosing surrender to spare lives.
But Dai Hao was different. He was the White Tiger of the Star Luo Empire. A setback like this alone was not enough to break him.
"You did the right thing," Dai Hao said after a long pause.
He turned to look at the surviving soldiers behind him. Some showed only despair in their eyes, but others — others had eyes burning with fierce, vengeful fire. In an instant, Dai Hao knew what he must do next.
"All soldiers of the army, listen to my command!" Dai Hao's voice, amplified by soul power, echoed across the battlefield. "All those below Soul King cultivation level are to immediately retreat with the wounded to the rear!"
Silence blanketed the scene. Every soldier understood the meaning behind such an order.
It meant that a bloody battle to the death was inevitable.
Some of the lower-ranked soldiers clenched their fists tightly, nails digging so deep into their palms that blood oozed out. Many had lost friends and comrades just moments ago, and now they were asked to retreat?
But they knew. They knew that if they stayed, they would become burdens, dragging down Dai Hao's final assault against the Sun Moon Empire.
No one dared disobey Dai Hao's command. Soon, orderly columns of soldiers formed, paying one last solemn military salute before mounting their horses and retreating swiftly toward the Star Luo rear lines.
Those who remained were the true elites of the Western Army Group. Several thousand senior soul masters, a regiment of Soul Sages numbering a hundred, three Soul Douluo-level generals, and two Titled Douluo — Dai Hao himself among them.
Yet against the overwhelming main forces of the Sun Moon Empire, even this formidable lineup seemed woefully insufficient. And even though their scouts had not detected the elite Protector Hands among the enemy ranks, there was no telling if any Rank-9 Soul Engineers were marching alongside the main force.
Compared to Titled Douluo, a Rank-9 Soul Engineer might be individually weaker. But with the arsenal of terror they carried—soul-guided weapons capable of mass destruction—a single one could wipe out entire armies unaided.
If a regiment of soul masters lacked powerful enough commanders to pin down a Rank-9 Soul Engineer, disaster was inevitable.
"Brother Chen," Dai Hao said quietly to the elderly man on horseback beside him. "Soon, I must ask you to hold back their top combat forces."
The man known as Brother Chen nodded gravely. "Naturally. The Worship Hall sent me here precisely to resist the Sun Moon Empire's elite forces."
Meanwhile, within his mecha cockpit, Huo Yuhao sat inside the frigid shell of the Extreme Ice Armor, leading three thousand soldiers of the Power Armored Division. Speaking into the radio transmitter, he asked calmly, "How far are they?"
"Report, Chief Designer!" crackled a voice through the radio. "Dai Hao's forces are stationed roughly five li beyond the ruins of the fortress. They are now only ten li from your assault division. Based on high-altitude detection soul tools, Dai Hao appears to have pulled back his weaker units, leaving behind his most elite troops to resist us."
"First Army's Firepower Suppression Corps is fully deployed in the rear, standing by to provide artillery support at your command. The Mobile Strike Corps and the Royal Dragon Soul Engineer Regiment have already moved under Lord Xu's orders to intercept their retreating forces. We will continue providing real-time frontline intelligence, reporting from the First Army's Reconnaissance Division!"
Inside the Extreme Ice Armor, Huo Yuhao nodded slightly.
"Received," he answered crisply.
'So Xu Tianyuan couldn't sit still after all,' Huo Yuhao thought with amusement. 'Understandable. Those Royal Dragon soul engineers must be itching for combat after so long. A Holy War starting, and no battlefield glory yet? Impossible.'
With the Royal Dragons cutting off their retreat, Dai Hao's Western Army Group would soon be caught between two crushing pincers.
There would be no escape.
But Huo Yuhao, despite everything, was determined to offer his "dear father" a bit of dignity.
'Letting him fall in Star Luo City without a shred of pride left... That wouldn't be fun at all,' he mused coldly.
Reaching out, Huo Yuhao pressed a switch on his control panel, switching to the command channel for the entire Power Armored Division.
Then he spoke, his voice firm and commanding.
"Steel warriors of the empire! I have now shared my Spirit Detection vision with you all. The enemy lies ahead. The battle will soon begin. Follow my orders, and fight bravely!"
Inside their powered exosuits, the soldiers felt a rush of awe as Huo Yuhao's God's-eye view flooded into their minds, showing them the world with almost supernatural clarity.
But there was little surprise among them. They had already experienced the might of their Chief Designer during pre-battle drills.
Taking a deep breath, Huo Yuhao mentally gave the command: 'Advance!'
The Extreme Ice Armor and the soldiers' Power Armors activated their propulsion systems in unison. Jets of soul force, drawn from sealed milk bottles, erupted from their thrusters, propelling the formation forward at astonishing speed.
Very soon, they closed within five li of Dai Hao's forces—the absolute maximum range of Spirit Detection sharing.
Huo Yuhao raised a hand, signaling the armored warriors to halt. They fanned out into battle formation, poised and ready.
From here on, every movement on the battlefield would be seen first and clearest... by him.
(End of Chapter)
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