Overwhelming Firepower

Despite Norvaegard being the one who declared war, it was Inevir that brought its army into Norvaegard’s territory.

They even brought out their prized weapon of war, the golems. Each golem stood nearly four times taller than the average adult male.

Their bodies had been carved from dense stone before being reinforced with enchanted metal. Thick plates covered their chests and shoulders, while glowing runes ran across their limbs.

Each golem carried an enormous version of a conventional weapon. Some wielded swords or spears, while others carried ballistae as though they were bows.

They were powered by large mana crystals hidden deep inside their interiors. The location of those crystals made the golems extremely difficult to destroy.

Breaking through their outer armor was only the first step. An attacker would then need to tear through several layers of stone and enchanted metal before reaching the mana crystal. Even if a limb was destroyed, the golem could continue fighting as long as its core and the runes connecting it to the rest of its body remained intact.

This allowed the golems to continue fighting through damage that would have killed any living creature.

Those armed with swords marched at the front. Their blades were long enough to cut through several soldiers with a single swing, while the spear-wielding golems could strike enemies before most aura users came close enough to attack.

The golems carrying ballistae remained farther behind. Instead of ordinary bolts, they fired projectiles resembling sharpened tree trunks. A single shot could punch through a fortress gate or tear apart an entire line of soldiers.

Creating even one of these constructs required years of work, rare materials, skilled artificers, and a mana crystal large enough to power a small district.

Similar to how many tried to copy Norvaegard’s weapons, this was also something other kingdoms tried to copy but failed.

They could reconstruct the entire golem, but it would never move; that secret art was only known to the high-ranking Inevir mages.

Inevir guarded that knowledge more carefully than many kingdoms guarded their greatest spells.

Only trusted mages were permitted to learn it, and anyone who attempted to sell the secret to another nation would have their entire family executed.

The golems had therefore become more than weapons. They were symbols of Inevir’s magical superiority.

These golems were now being used at the front lines. The mages and knights who came along with the golems were now confident in their victory.

Several battle mages walked behind the advancing golems, their robes bearing the crests of influential Inevirian families. Only a handful of knights accompanied them.

One of the mages watched the stone giants with a satisfied smile. ”Heh, I cannot wait to show those Norvaegard bastards how useless their little toys are against our magical might.”

Another mage laughed. ”Those toys of theirs won’t be able to put a scratch on our golems, much less stop their march.”

None of the mages appeared concerned about the infiltrating groups that had disappeared inside Norvaegard.

Those soldiers were nothing more than commoners with a few aura users and mages. They weren’t of any consequence to them.

To them, the failure of those infiltrators did not prove that Norvaegard was powerful. It merely proved that the soldiers sent ahead had been incompetent. The army now advancing into Norvaegard was different.

High-ranking mages from several noble families accompanied the golems, while hundreds of soldiers marched behind them. Even the knights present were mostly aura users who had distinguished themselves through years of service.

They believed no force stationed near the border could stop them. The golems marched at the front of the formation. Their enormous footsteps shook the road and frightened away every animal in the surrounding forest.

The Inevirians made no attempt to conceal their presence. Their banners flew openly, and the mages did nothing to suppress the mana radiating from their bodies.

They wanted Norvaegard to know they were coming.

However, they encountered no resistance.

The villages closest to the border had already been evacuated. Their granaries were empty, their livestock had been taken elsewhere, and every wagon capable of carrying supplies had disappeared.

Even the watchtowers had been abandoned.

The complete absence of Norvaegard’s soldiers only increased the confidence of the invading army.

”It seems they have already realized that resistance is pointless,” one mage said.

”They were brave enough to declare war while hiding behind their walls. Now that our army has arrived, they suddenly tremble with fear.”

The mages and knights laughed heartily, but it was at that moment they heard an unusual noise.

It was unlike the heavy footsteps of the golems. The sound was continuous, a mixture of grinding metal, hissing steam, and a deep rhythmic roar that none of them could identify.

Several columns of black smoke rose beyond the road ahead. Trees began shaking along the edge of the forest. A moment later, one of them toppled as something enormous pushed through the undergrowth.

A wide armored machine emerged from between the trees. Its body was covered in layered black steel, giving it the appearance of a moving fortress. On the side of the armored machine was a painting of a wolf.

Rows of connected metal plates turned beneath it, crushing branches and digging into the earth as they pulled the machine forward.

Then, from behind it, several more came forward, crushing the trees in their path. Even at a distance, the Inevirians could tell that they were enormous, similar in size to their golems; no, they were even larger.

Before they could even begin to understand what they were looking at, the sound of thunder echoed throughout, and something came falling from the sky.

The object struck the ground beside the leading sword-wielding golem. An explosion swallowed the front of the formation.

Earth and fire erupted into the air. Soldiers closest to the impact disappeared within the blast, while those farther away were thrown from their feet. Several mages were sent tumbling across the road before they could raise their barriers.

The golem remained standing, but only barely. Much of the enchanted metal covering its left side had been torn away.

Cracks spread across its stone body, and one arm hung uselessly beside it. Several of the runes connecting the damaged limb to its core flickered before going dark.

However, the mana crystal within its body remained intact. The runes across the rest of the golem brightened, and it continued moving.

Before the knights and mages could recover, thunder echoed once again. Flames burst from the short cannons mounted upon the armored machines.

The shots did not come at the same time. They came one after another, each Fenrir firing while the others prepared their next shells.

More projectiles descended upon the Inevirian formation.

”Barriers!” one of the mages shouted. The surviving mages raised their staffs.

Several layers of magical barriers appeared above the army. The first shell struck the outermost barrier and exploded. Cracks spread across its surface before the entire spell shattered into fragments of light.

The next barrier stopped the remaining force of the explosion, but its surface trembled violently. Another shell arrived seconds later, and then another, then another.

The mages poured more mana into their spells, replacing each broken barrier before the next projectile could reach them. Their earlier smiles had disappeared.

They had believed the golems would absorb anything Norvaegard fired at them. Instead, the first attack had killed dozens of soldiers and badly damaged one of their prized golems.

The aura users understood the danger before most of the mages did. The barriers would not endure forever. Even if the mages continued replacing them, their mana would eventually run out.

Even they, with their aura mantles, would only be able to take a few hits before they were killed.

The only way for them to survive this encounter was to destroy the armored machines shooting at them.

”Follow me!” one of the knights shouted.

Aura erupted from his body as he charged forward. Several others followed him. Their bodies became little more than blurs as they crossed the road at speeds no ordinary soldier could match.

Every step cracked the earth beneath their feet and carried them several meters closer to the enemy.

The Fenrirs had appeared from nearly two kilometers away. The aura users rapidly crossed the open ground, weaving between the falling shells as explosions erupted around them.

Some used their weapons to deflect fragments, while others strengthened their bodies and charged directly through the smoke.

One shell struck close enough to throw three of them from their feet.

Two quickly rose and continued forward. The third remained on the ground, his aura extinguished.

The others did not stop for him. They passed the halfway point, and the armored machines grew larger before them.

”We’re almost there!” the leading knight shouted.

Once they reached the Fenrirs, their victory was assured. No matter how thick the armor appeared, those enormous machines would be unable to follow their movements at close range.

That was when the two weapons mounted on either side of each Fenrir’s turret began to move.

The knights had barely paid attention to them. Compared to the thick main cannon, the smaller clusters of barrels had seemed insignificant.

Steam hissed through the pipes connected to the weapons. The barrels began rotating. Slowly at first, then faster and faster until their individual shapes disappeared.

The leading knight sensed the danger and shouted. ”Scatter!”

The twin steam-powered Gatling guns opened fire. The separate gunshots merged into a single deafening roar.

Hundreds of bullets tore across the battlefield. Dirt erupted around the charging aura users as the Fenrirs swept their weapons from side to side.

The leading knight raised his greatsword. Aura covered the blade as he deflected the first few bullets. Sparks burst with every impact, and the force traveling through the weapon numbed his hands.

More bullets struck his chest and shoulders. His aura stopped them, but each impact sent another ripple across the protective layer surrounding his body.

The knight understood that if he remained unmoving, he would die, but the intensity of the attack did not allow him to move a single step.

The bullets striking his chest began landing in the same places. His aura finally shattered.

The force of the barrage lifted him from the ground and threw his broken body backward. Several aura users behind him met the same fate before the survivors abandoned their charge and retreated toward the golems.

”Use the golems as shields!” one of the mages shouted.

Sword-wielding golems placed their enormous bodies between the Fenrirs and the Inevirian army. Spears were lowered, while the ballista-wielding golems spread out behind them and prepared to return fire.

The Fenrirs continued bombarding them. A shell struck one golem directly in the chest. Enchanted metal burst apart, and cracks spread through the stone beneath it, but the projectile failed to reach the mana crystal hidden deeper inside.

The golem staggered before continuing its march. Another shell struck its shoulder and tore away half of its arm.

It still did not stop.

The Inevirian mages gathered behind the advancing constructs. Once the golems blocked the Gatling guns from reaching them, the mages lowered their defensive barriers and began preparing their own attacks.

Magic circles appeared throughout their formation. Flames, lightning, and compressed wind flew over the golems and descended upon the Fenrir unit.

The first spells struck the leading armored machines. The black steel covering their bodies briefly shone as fragments of orichalcum hidden within the armor absorbed part of the mana contained within the attacks.

Fireballs weakened before exploding, while bolts of lightning lost much of their power as they spread across the hulls.

However, the orichalcum did not make the Fenrirs immune to magic.

Explosions shook their armored bodies. Steel plates bent beneath repeated impacts, viewing ports cracked, and several replaceable rune plates burned out as they redirected mana through the damaged sections.

One Fenrir stopped moving after lightning destroyed part of its control system. Another had its cannon bent and could no longer fire any rounds.

The Inevirian mages saw the damage and regained some of their confidence. ”Those things can be destroyed! Continue attacking them!”

More spells crossed the battlefield. At the same time, the ballista-wielding golems released their strings.

Gigantic bolts flew toward the Fenrirs. The first struck the sloped armor of one machine and shattered, leaving a deep dent across its hull.

Another bolt tore through one of the Gatling guns and sent the broken weapon spinning away.

A third struck the treads of a Fenrir. The impact broke several metal plates and forced the machine to turn sharply before coming to a stop. Its cannon continued firing even though it could no longer move.

Then one of the spear-wielding golems raised its weapon above its shoulder. The runes covering its entire body burned brightly as it threw the gigantic spear.

The weapon crossed the battlefield with terrifying speed. It struck a Fenrir through the side.

The layered armor resisted for a fraction of a second before the spear tore through it. Metal folded inward as the massive weapon passed through the crew compartment and emerged from the other side.

The Inevirians, seeing that they were able to destroy the Fenrirs, felt emboldened and strengthened their attacks.

The Fenrirs responded by spreading out and firing while moving, making it harder for the mages to concentrate their attacks.

Their cannons continued firing in an organized rhythm. While some concentrated upon the advancing golems, the others targeted those carrying ballistae.

A shell struck one of the ballista golems in the waist and broke it apart. Its upper body crashed to the ground, but its arms continued moving as it attempted to raise its weapon.

The continued bombardment was slowly destroying the golems that were also being protected by a few of the mages’ barriers.

The two sides continued bombarding each other, as the knights tried their best to get close.

One knight managed to survive long enough to reach a damaged Fenrir. He struck its hull once before a rifle shot from an evacuated crewman pierced his weakened aura.

The golems that continued to move forward finally got near enough to attack the Fenrirs at close range.

The Gatling guns did little damage to their reinforced bodies, while the mages were finally close enough to unleash their stronger spells.

The Inevirian mages soon realized that a Fenrir’s armor could absorb only a limited amount of mana. Once they understood that, they began concentrating their spells upon a single point.

The fragments of orichalcum distributed throughout its armor could only weaken a certain amount before becoming saturated. Once that happened, any further spells striking the same section would retain most of their original power.

”Concentrate your attacks!” one of the Inevirian mages shouted. ”Strike the damaged plate!”

Several magic circles turned toward the leading Fenrir.

A fireball struck its left side. The orichalcum hidden beneath the black steel glowed as it absorbed part of the spell, but before that light could fade, a bolt of lightning struck the same place.

Compressed wind followed immediately afterward.

The repeated impacts forced the Fenrir sideways. Its armor remained intact, but the glow coming from the orichalcum grew brighter with every spell.

Inside the armored machine, the soldier monitoring the rune plates saw several formations beginning to flicker.

”The left armor has reached its limit!”

”Driver, reverse! Turn our front toward them!” the commander ordered.

The Fenrir began moving backward while attempting to rotate its hull. However, the mages did not give it enough time.

Another barrage struck the same section. This time, the orichalcum failed to weaken the spells.

The damaged steel plate bent inward. Cracks spread across the reinforcement runes before an explosion tore the entire section from the hull.

Flames entered the crew compartment. ”Evacuate!”

The surviving soldiers forced open the rear hatch and escaped as smoke poured from the ruined machine. Moments later, another fireball struck the exposed interior and ignited the ammunition stored within.

The Fenrir exploded. Seeing this scene, the Inevirian mages cheered as pieces of blackened steel scattered across the battlefield.

The golems, mages, and knights pressed their advantage and advanced. Several Fenrirs were destroyed during the advance. Seeing this, the Fenrirs began withdrawing while maintaining their coordinated bombardment.

The Inevirian forces would not allow this and continued to press forward. The battle had now become a back-and-forth of advance and retreat.

***

For several hours, the two forces continued exchanging fire. The Inevirians repeatedly advanced behind their remaining golems, while the Fenrirs repositioned whenever the mages concentrated their spells upon one section of the formation.

In the end, the prized golems of Inevir were destroyed. The dead bodies of the knights and mages of Inevir lay scattered around the battlefield, many of which were no longer whole.

By sunset, the final golem lay broken upon the battlefield, its mana crystal dark and its stone body scattered across the earth.

The surviving Inevirians fled back toward the border, leaving their banners, their dead, and the remains of their nation’s greatest weapons behind.

Several Fenrirs had been destroyed, and many more had suffered damage. Yet the unit had held and won an overwhelming victory.

The Inevirians had entered Norvaegard intending to prove the superiority of their magic. Instead, they had been crushed beneath what Lucen called the hammer of civilization.