Chapter 585: Chapter 585. The Rifle Brigade
Echos’ soldiers utilized the human puppets and battle puppets effectively. Those puppets served as meat shields while the soldiers delivered deadly attacks whenever opportunities arose. Khode also had many battle puppets, but the coordination between soldiers and puppets was not as good. Khode’s soldiers and battle puppets mostly acted as separate units.
As for Echos, it was like one soldier partnered with one battle puppet. Echos’ forces could cooperate this well because they performed regular drills designed by Amon. In the drills, Amon paired one soldier with one battle puppet, allowing the soldiers to become accustomed to fighting alongside the puppets.
Battle puppets possessed several advantages compared to human soldiers. These advantages included their fearlessness and inability to feel pain, which made them ideal candidates for tanking damage. As for human soldiers, their advantages involved their flexibility and adaptability to situations, which allowed them to cover the monotonous fighting style of the battle puppets.
With the two working together, they covered one another’s weaknesses and improved their overall combat prowess.
While Echos’ forces gave Khode’s army a hard time and suppressed their usage of the Yuanxu Cannons, Echos’ four Yuanxu Cannons continued to fire without restraints.
Various elemental explosions ravaged Khode’s inner camp. Even when Echos’ army had pushed deep enough, the elemental explosions caused by Echos’ Yuanxu Cannons always targeted areas with more Khode Soldiers. There was almost no friendly fire on Echos’ side.
This was all thanks to Yong Huan, who floated above the four Yuanxu Cannons. He didn’t join the battle at the front line. Amon gave him a different role. Amon taught and trained him on how to calculate the shooting angle and estimate the arc of fire required to hit a target of a certain distance. His experience in using a bow and his Eagle Eye art helped him in this endeavor. Amon also taught him how to issue orders effectively during a fast-paced battle.
"Cannon one, eleven o’clock, thirty-two degrees. Cannon three, two o’clock, twenty-five degrees. Cannon two and four, hurry up with the ammo loading!"
He continued to give one order after another to the crew who operated the four cannons. The crew had also been trained to operate the Yuanxu cannons with high efficiency. They loaded the elemental balls and fired with mechanized speed and precision.
With the precise targeting and constant pace, Echos’ four Yuanxu Cannons wreak much more havoc on the enemy compared to Khode’s side, which possessed more cannons.
*
"What the hell is everyone doing? Why does no one do anything to their Yuanxu Cannons?!" Won Feimao barked. He stormed out of the command center, no longer able to stand idle while disaster unfolded on the front line.
He scanned his army. Chaos reigned. Their side faltered, teetering on disaster. Another elemental explosion tore through another cluster of helpless soldiers. The enemies could overwhelm them because they couldn’t assume any formation. Every attempt to reorganize their formation was shattered almost instantly by the enemy’s Yuanxu Cannons.
With desperation mounting, he resolved to act. The enemy’s Yuanxu Cannons had to be neutralized. There was no time for hesitation, so he charged forward.
He was an Intermediate Spirit Stage, so he was formidable even when he rarely fought at the front line. His weapon, a large hammer, toppled a group of enemies with a single swing, enabling him to push ahead.
"All Martial Realm Soldiers, follow me! We will break the enemy’s line and destroy those Yuanxu Cannons they stole from us...!!"
He was the main commander of the Khode Army in this camp, so all the soldiers heeded his call. The Martial Realm Soldiers took flight and advanced with him.
Xuang Feng, who saw their movements, called, "Wait! Don’t advance recklessly!"
His warning fell on deaf ears. In Won Feimao’s eyes, they won’t turn their losing situation if they continued to let those four Yuanxu Cannons hit them without repercussions.
With all the Martial Realm soldiers advancing together from the sky, they put on a rather intimidating display.
The First Demon Army had plenty of Martial Realm soldiers to face them, but strangely, not many came to block their advance. The enemy only targeted those with Spirit Stage cultivation. The enemy let all their Mystic Stage Soldiers cross their front line from the sky without hindrance.
While this seemed odd, Won Feimao attributed it to the enemy choosing mutual destruction. The enemy sacrificed their Yuanxu Cannons and back line in favor of wiping out the bulk of their force first. In this case, speed was the key. They needed to destroy the enemy’s Yuanxu cannons as quickly as possible before returning to help reorganize his scattered army.
When they were halfway, a barrage of thunderous sounds was heard from below. Suddenly, some of them started dropping from the sky.
Won Feimao was confused at this. He caught one of the falling soldiers and was shocked to find him already dead. The sound of groanings drew his attention next. He saw some of his followers clutching parts of their bodies. Blood appeared to leak out from those hands.
A second barrage of thunderous sound was heard again. This time, Won Feimao’s Spirit Sense warned him of an incoming attack. Thanks to the speed and quick reflexes of his Spirit Stage cultivation, he could put up a blocking hand covered with a rock layer in time. He felt a strong impact on that arm.
He looked at the point of impact and was surprised to see something black and small lodged inside the rock layer covering that arm. For it to penetrate halfway like that, this black thing should be able to pierce his arm if unprotected.
"Use your defensive arts...!!" Won Feimao commanded the others.
They didn’t need that command. More of their comrades fell from the sky after the second barrage. They were already aware that they were assailed by fast projectiles.
Won Feimao looked at the Echos Army below. The mid-section had thousands of soldiers holding long metal tubes that aimed at them. Those long tubes emitted fiery flashes from their ends as a third barrage of thunderous sounds was heard.
By then, Khode Soldiers in the air had already prepared their defensive arts. Some, who were without good defensive arts, used their movement arts to attempt to dodge. But with the rifles being fired simultaneously and so closely clustered, there was very little space to dodge. These soldiers ended up still getting hit by the blackstone bullets.
Won Feimao swept his Spirit Sense at the enemies holding the rifles. They were Transformation Stage Soldiers or even Strength Stage Soldiers. He was vexed. Did they just lose so many Mystic Stage cultivators to a bunch of Human Realm enemies?
His anger made him forget his real targets. He dove toward the enemy below. He put one arm forward, conjuring a wide rock wall to block the enemy’s next shot. His other hand lifted his hammer high, ready to be brought down on the enemies below.
Echos’ soldiers below saw the incoming. They immediately aimed their rifles, but the rock wall absorbed all the impacts. Even after being battered by so many blackstone bullets, the rock wall didn’t break.
Won Feimao arrived then. His hammer was brought down. One of the soldiers holding the rifle was squashed to paste. The hammer might only strike one soldier, but the wind from its blow swept everyone within the vicinity.
Won Feimao grabbed a rifle from the soldier he had just killed. He briefly studied it. He couldn’t believe Echos, which should be less advanced than they, could manufacture such a weapon. He decided to bring this weapon back to be studied by their tech specialists.
"General, look out...!!!"
A shout from above warned him. He looked up at his follower who issued the warning, but his attention was quickly drawn to something else in the sky. A large black bird was diving toward him at high speed. A woman in black attire was seen riding on the bird’s back. The diving speed was too fast. It was too late for him to evade. He again conjured the rock wall and placed it above him.
The black bird opened its mouth and unleashed a large amount of black fog. Khode Soldiers who saw it immediately recognized the black fog as the one that had been plaguing them every night. The black fog covered a large area around Won Feimao. The black bird itself vanished into the fog of its own making.
A loud impact noise was heard from inside. Everyone believed it must be the sound of the black bird crashing into Won Feimao’s rock wall. Unceasing clashing sounds followed, indicating the two were battling inside the fog.
Khode’s soldiers approached the black fog. They couldn’t sense anything from inside the fog. Some gathered the courage and entered, but most hovered outside.
Another round of thunderous sounds reminded them that they were behind the enemy’s line. Echos’ soldiers, equipped with rifles, fired at them again. These enemies greatly outnumbered them. The rifles diminished their advantage in cultivation power and flying ability. With so many bullets assailing them, they lost more comrades with each barrage.