Life Begets An Endless Flaming Sea Of Carnage

Vrooom, vrooom, vroooom, vrooo- pum pum pum pum pum!

On one of the many sides where the Blauw Empire suddenly mobilized, dozens of armored vehicles rushed towards the enemy barrier. Behind them, more than a hundred kilometers away, a long line of rapidly traveling armored vehicles drove around. These armored vehicles had to reach the western and northern sides of the Blue Emirate Grotto's territory. They had to come out of the Region for this action, but it was necessary. Otherwise, too much time would pass before the barrier gets taken down.

The armored cars were still rushing forward when one tank every few kilometers stopped and started firing its artillery and machine guns at the spot, according to the plan. The barrier resisted the barrage of bullets. Most bullets exploded on it as half their structure was destroyed before reflecting and becoming as weak as a leaf. The bombarding shells were hopeless to damage the energy barrier, at least for now. And as the tanks stopped, each one was pretty long and with a L-CD attached to its middle as the main cannon, with multiple barrels, essentially making it a numerous L-CD artillery gun.

It still had a few more artillery guns and a few machine guns. However, their firing rate slowly became one and the same as more tanks stopped on their way towards the enemy barrier shield. Several kilometers later, they were ever so nearer to the energy wall. The first tank to have stopped started advancing at a regular pace, not too slowly, to pick up before becoming too distant from the objective and the following step.

Ta rarararararara~~, boom boom- boom! “Sir! Permission to speak!!” The armored vehicles started firing whatever little machine guns the largest among them had and firing away their anti-missile turrets towards the rain of incoming enemy shelling. It wasn’t 100% guaranteed, but they could save their vehicle from a hit by an enemy shell. Even if it exploded near them, it wouldn’t be directly at their shield, giving them more time to reach the desired location.

One of the armored vehicles that had just received 3 enemy shells about ten meters around them, 2 to their left and 1 to the right, spoke to the official in charge. He was just a brand new Private Imperial Guard, with 10 citizens and another 30 cultivators in his armored car. His voice entered the channel somewhat fearfully, but the official in charge seemingly ignored it and ordered his troops instead.

“Advance to the left! There’s a weaker side to the spot. It’s just 20 meters from our original path. Prepare your energy, kids! The army in the south has already started attacking the barrier head-on. We’re already on time to continue the battle. Keep things according to plan! We must not deviate! If anyone has questions if we are doing what we’re supposed to, shut up and heed my orders!! Unless you’re standing above me, you have no right to question on a battlefield! Especially if you don’t see going mad and killing you instead of the enemy.”

“Now, shut up and drive forwards, or I’ll go and spank your damn vehicle’s ass!” The official’s rough voice silenced the communications channel for the Empire’s troops aiming at this weak spot. They were all his troops, but he didn’t have the benefit of training them himself like Blauw Ishikyy and a few others did during this month.

“The weak spot is there, still. You just do as you can, and please remember to not fight it out desperately, no matter what.” in the tank ahead, beside the official in charge, the expert Second Step Craftsmaker stopped looking ahead and retracted his Spirit Sense while speaking to the official. Although the latter didn’t like someone below his status telling him what to do, he still nodded and appreciated the fellow’s concern for his troops.

“... At my mark… go out and start raining that fucking place with everything you got. Imperial Guards, save at least 70% of your energy. One extra percentage and, if you come back with both legs and a brain, you will work as our waitress for the entire celebration banquet.” After a minute went by, the official spoke into his coms. The tank he was in stopped, and everyone except the Craftsmaker was in a position to bolt outside the tank when the official shouted to his medallion.

“Now!!” The official shouted before immediately rushing outside his tank. The soldier units inside it followed after him. The 50 citizens took cover after their shield was destroyed, and the tank started taking hits directly, fearlessly charged out with their unique rifles aiming high and stable. They shot, firing a light, pristine, and bright blue beam that streaked hundreds of meters in a second and reached the enemy barrier 2 km away in no time.

Pew~! Pshift! Pshiiiiiiiift! Pshiiift~! Pshift~! This speed was nothing to the Second Step cultivators, who had attained their Neutral Energy, but it was like the speed of light to the citizens. The cultivators started attacking after the citizens, showing energy attacks from varying colors, influenced by their Mortal weapons’ colors. They were around ten meters long at maximum and over half a meter wide unless they were energy clusters made for a broader area of effect rather than damage and potency.

From a most expansive, fourth point of view that slowly neared the sky, the sight of small dots slowly moving towards the light green barriers, but they were, in fact, advancing over 800 km per hour. It was around the middle of speed that it could reach when at full speed, more than the middle. But it was enough to give time for the extensive line of the Blauw Empire’s armored vehicles moving to the east and northern borders of the Blue Emirate Grotto’s territory.

From the south, it could be seen as the tanks left behind to start bombarding and firing at the enemy energy wall in concentration and safer as the armored cars in front took most of the attention. There were still a few on the western-southern border rushing forwards to meet the same objective, while the western borders were barely being closed in by other armored vehicles. Only in the south could one see, from high above in the sky, how the Empire’s soldier units exited their armored vehicles and started attacking the barrier while their armored car followed, or the tank continued firing its arsenal.

The armored car protected them from as much shelling as possible, but the cultivators would also defend their Teams and the like, with only a couple citizens in a force dedicated to attacking a spot, firing into the sky, and blowing shells in the sky. These were the top-notch snipers in each detachment. They were 1 in 10,000, so they were challenging to spread evenly throughout the army. Since the goal was a massive, immobile energy wall, their talent was used for self-defense against enemy bombardment.

When the western borders started rushing at the enemy barrier, their southernmost contingent was like the fall of domino, followed by the other parties at the center, and lastly, barely charging at the energy wall in the north. The northern borders were barely starting to prepare to receive the Blauw Empire’s ground forces. The enemy had already flooded their medallions with information and mentally visualized their enemy advancing and repeating those actions.

However, no matter how one imagined being blasted by hundreds of shells, energy attacks, and strange beams and was looked on by the same bloodthirsty, steel eyes, they couldn’t figure a way to just stop it and defeat the Empire’s soldier units and their armored vehicles. The enemy cultivators in the north watched as the armored vehicles prepared to take charge, expecting a semi-conjoint movement with the nearest 2-3 weak spots.

However, after half an hour, the northern-eastern border was soon to be reached by the Empire’s forces, and the enemy realized it… It was going to be a savage, all-out, conjoint advance. Immediately, the commanders taking charge in the line of defense widened their eyes before hungrily shouting at the top of their lungs. “Prepare for imminent charge!!” - “Get everything loaded, massacre those disgraces!” - “Vanguard, step forward!” - “HUFF!!” - “Vanguard, get reeaadyy!!!”

The desperation in their voice could be felt, but the expertise and seriousness in their behavior, commands, and following orders was nothing like it had been several months ago. With the arduous experiences the highest chain command had to go through, defeat after defeat, and one outstanding massacre after another, they had to learn something at the very least. Their cultivators, designed to die without a doubt, felt their legs tremble after furiously stepping down their feet on the ground they would walk for the last time.

They watched as all the Empire’s ground forces at their north advanced together, keeping a steady line and firing so much at their barrier’s weak spots that cracks appeared already. Meanwhile, they could tell by their leader’s sweat falling down their chin that the situation on the other side was even worse. However, at least the sea territory was defended more smoothly than the land territory.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Their legs became calmer and steady and felt like wooden logs from metal trees. However, they didn’t recompose because they believed their sea territory had it better. They became confident when they realized that everyone was doing their part, including the fellows doing their absolute worst to repair the barriers, knowing they could explode along the weak spots at any moment. They sweated and trembled. Their arms were like an old one’s trying to lift it at their death’s doors, but they didn’t run away in cowardice.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!... Pft piu pew- been~- pf pt pk pt…!

The sound of shelling and firing continued echoing on their side of the barrier while the Empire’s ground forces continued attacking. The energy attacks and shelling combined, sometimes truly becoming one and enhancing each other, dealing so much damage to the barrier that it transmitted inside and landed on some of the repairing teams, immediately killing them.

“...” - “...” - ”!...” Despite wanting to help, the cultivators waiting for their turn to do something for another half an hour did nothing and watched the remaining team members from their repair team drag the dead away before joining another team. They couldn’t work on the previous weak spot if they lacked manpower. It was already impossible when they were full, let alone after one of their team died. The barrier would have each of these spots broken into at some point anyway.

And then… the time to march forward commenced even before a hole was made into the northern walls. Their commander shouted without fear but tremblingly and without a voice to hold his tone. “MARCH FORWARDS!! Detain the Empire!”

BOOM- CRASSHHHHHHHHH~~... boom, boom, boom! Rararara-... rararara-... … … … …

Step, step… step, step… step, step… The enemy vanguard started advancing. An array formation glowed and formed circle shapes behind their backs and on their fronts in the middle. Energy currents, shaped like tubes and cables, passed through their lower torsos and over their shoulders to connect 2 feet above their heads, linking everyone as a light green aura surrounded those at the front, sides, rear, and their ‘ceiling’ while advancing.

There was only silence after the Empire’s artillery and machine guns halted firing. They could feel the wind whistling, synonym of the armored vehicles fast-moving towards them, but no footsteps or the nearest tanks advancing into their barrier. The enemy’s vanguard valiantly stepped forth at a steady pace, and their Mortal weapons were held tightly. More than 200,000 soldier units were the vanguard here, ready to take on the finally numerically superior Empire, with more than 1,000,000 soldier units at their northern borders.

Pshift- poof~! Step! Step! Step! Step! Step! !!! PSHIFT PSHIFT PSHIFT PSHIFT…~!

“!!” - “Contact!” - “Attaaaaaack!!” The enemy’s eyes widened as a single energy blade opened through the hole, and the smoke and rubbish flying down or around were forced sideways or into the sky again… to reveal Imperial Guards and non-cultivators holding rifles, charging and aiming at them without making a sound!

The enemy barely had time to react as the energy blade was welcomed by 7 enemy cultivators, flying into the sky from the ground, backwards, and doing wheelies for those whose bodies were cleanly cut in half from side to side. Immediately after, the enemy shouted, wanting to elevate their morale to face off the Empire’s fearsome troops... And it worked.

Pshift! Pshift! Pshift! CLANK! CLink, clang- pshift- cuuuh~~! Boom! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Step, step, step! BOOM- CRAAAAAASSSHHHH~... CRASSSHHH… CRAAAAASSSHH… BOOOM BOOOM!

The enemy vanguard made a last-moment charge at the Empire’s troops, sending their protected bodies straight into the Empire’s energy attacks, weapons, and also towards their bodies. Although many enemy cultivators were beheaded or had their limbs cut off, exploded, or melted under the Empire’s assault, they achieved their purpose and immediately thwarted their advance towards their side of the barrier.

“HAAAA!!” - “Bastaaaaards!” - “Dieeeee!” - “Kill, kill, kill!” - “Onwards! Haha! This has only just begun! BEGUN!” The enemy vanguard stomped on the disfigured corpses of their previous comrades and filled a frontline, covering ground and sky as the rest flew and formed a circle, contending the Empire’s troops entering through the weak spot they guarded. Their numbers were falling equally. Over 10,000 enemy cultivators from their vanguard were exchanging their lives 1 by 1, chilling the hearts of the commander and other second-in-commands, witnessing their last stand in this defensive line.

However, all good things had an end. And just as both sides were going down and still 8,000 left to kill each other mercilessly, more and more blatantly catastrophic holes were opened in the barrier. The enemy energy wall reached, trying to slowly repair itself, but the entering Imperial Guards’ aura was enough to put a halt to it, and their fellow soldier units entered the barrier one after another, besieging the other vanguards who were anticipating their battle after seeing the first battle siding on their side. Because… as long as they can at least kill 1 for every 3 of them. That would be enough. This would guarantee the top 5 organizations’ powerhouses to intervene and strike a deal, whichever that might be. At least they were told so.

“HUAAA!!” - “HUAAAA!!” - “HUA!!!!”

The Blauw Empire’s Imperial Guards rushed forwards, forming balls after crossing the barrier’s other side. However, a couple heroic citizens joined in, and while their fellow Imperial Guards were astounded, they didn’t waste time admonishing or taking them to the rear and let them tag along. Those heroic citizens rushed forwards with all their might, barely catching up to form a front line with their comrades.

“Huff, huff, ha- huff…” When they arrived at the frontline, they were tired, gasping for air, and breathing the scent of blood, energy, and war in the air. Then, they pushed their unique rifles forward and forced enemy cultivators back, shocking them to the core when they felt their bodies struck down by a pair of extremely weak hands, but a seemingly potent rifle-shaped weapon?! It was confusing for the enemy, but the Imperial Guards and citizens were equally shocked and gladdened instead.

Peeeew~! Peeeeeew~! Peeeeeeeew~!

The citizens aimed and fired their unique rifles, shooting through the weakened cultivators’ chests and heads, only for the shot beam to become slightly enhanced as it penetrated and landed on the next enemy. Most of them stopped there, causing a sudden injury to the enemy cultivator. However, some beams managed to penetrate again and became slightly enhanced, but only if the enemy they attacked and crossed through was killed by it.

This was already mentioned to them in their training, but only once or twice, and then it was hinted, but nothing else. The citizens became emboldened, despite knowing they could now be targeted without consequences, and since they were at war, began taking position to shoot at the dying enemy cultivator, giving the Imperial Guards an easier time advancing. Hence, with every few enemies the citizens killed, more Imperial Guards pushed forth and received more protection from their cultivator comrades.

The Imperial Guards were just as intuitive, and they proactively safeguarded their fellow citizen soldier units, but only when passing by them, sending their Mortal weapon’s blade or shaft towards an incoming tool, energy attack, or bi-suicidal attempt. The enemy vanguard wasn’t slow to react and realize what was happening. But there was no time for more shock. They could only act!

“Ugh!” - “Take him away!” - “Yes, sir!” But as time passed, when any citizen went over 15 shots that killed an enemy, they would falter and drop to the ground. They didn’t become unconscious but immobile. Their whole bodies became stiff, and they could barely feel tingles in their legs, slowly traveling to the rest of their bodies like a rebooting system. Every time this happened, the commander in charge of each weak spot attack would turn towards them, ordering other citizens to rescue them and send them to the rear.

Even when said commanders were busy fighting in stressful situations, they were attentive and echoed their orders through medallions via Spirit Sense. Any Imperial Guard not in full-brunt assault would convey their orders then. Even then, dozens of citizens perished to the enemy’s focused attacks every few minutes, turning the already bloody battlefield into a full-blown massacre for both sides. Of course, the Imperial Guards received more injuries and could be saved, but many of them stayed to fight and safeguarded others who were still charging forward, trying to bring at least 10 enemies with them to their next eternal slumber.

And this was just the northern side of the battlefield. The other 2 were similar but not the same. The south and western sides moved from the right to the left and from the southernmost to northwards when charging at the enemy, while the Empire’s ground forces at the north went all at once. The southern border suffered fewer casualties as they swiftly aided by killing more enemies to the west after annihilating the enemy vanguard and securing the weak spot they entered.

The western border was a bit more balanced, but the Empire’s tanks entered the fray and turned the tables. The few missiles the enemy had in storage were proven useless as the tanks’ anti-missile turrets were basically left untouched, even for those tanks that lost their shields. The enemy faltered but didn’t run and was annihilated all the same. They took a little more and suffered slightly more casualties, but that was still nothing like the northern side.

In the northern battlefield, the Blauw Empire lost 10% of their soldier units as soon as the battle commenced, with holes opening everywhere, and their numbers only continued to decrease. However, the enemy was defeated faster. Not only did the troops in the northern battlefield finish earlier than the western battlefield, but also at the same time as the southern battlefield. In the end, although the northern battlefield brought nearly 15% casualty rate to the Empire, they charged at the next enemy defensive line without resting.

And, from the Blauw Empire’s troops to the Blue Emirate Grotto’s south, Blauw Ishikyy commanded her rapidly moving armored vehicles outside her tank, standing on top of it and gazing at the enemy energy wall tens of kilometers away still. Her face was silently ferocious, and she held her Earth trident backwards as her stance was slightly lowered. Her left ribs lined up with her folded left leg, and her neck looked like a crouching dragon whose eyes were filled with bloodthirst.

…