“Let’s stick with Sir Benjamin’s squad—we might be of some help,” Breton suggested, his gaze shifting toward the formation led by Sir Benjamin, while Commander Guan Feng’s detachment—composed nearly entirely of the mightiest knights of the Qiántáng Empire and the Rhine Duchy—pressed onward.
“Ever since the Third World War, the united northern continent has given rise to the mighty Qiántáng Empire, whose overall strength rivals that of our Church Empire. When facing the holy knights of two such formidable nations, our contribution is hardly decisive,” Breton remarked as he methodically inspected the status of the battle tank.
“Yet Sir Benjamin of Xiwier and the ‘Blue Shield Knights’ of North Lanstown are tactical defense specialists. Without the mages’ support, pinning down the enemy poses significant challenges. Perhaps your grand incantations might prove useful,” added Arthas as he unsheathed his sword. It was a military-grade, specialized weapon—a single-edged blade forged from composite nano-metal using Level-2 diamond steel produced by Peso Bohman. Its blade was etched with the inscriptions of the Rhine Duchy and emblazoned with the cross-star symbol of the Holy Lord, glittering brilliantly in the sunlight.
Meanwhile, Team B’s knights boarded their all-purpose, self-propelled mecha and advanced toward the battle’s core. Not far behind, Arthas and Breton maneuvered a light infantry vehicle. As they drew closer, the howling winds and resounding explosions grew ever more distinct—clear evidence that the surviving vanguard knights were tenaciously resisting.
Reaching the final hill, Guan Feng led Team A as they skirted around the mountain’s rear, while Team B surged over the ridge, revealing a panoramic view of the battlefield. In the distance, the Netherlord in his primal form hovered bare-chested in the sky; his emaciated back bore a pair of immense, intertwined black wings resembling twisted steel rods. Flanking him, two colossal “black mirrors” shifted continuously, absorbing the relentless barrage of fire, while four white conical shapes—at times morphing into geometric constructs studded with countless sharp spikes for offense, at others transforming into vast shields for defense—moved in concert with his gestures.
“Open fire at will—suppress!” Sir Benjamin’s command rang out.
Fifteen knight-specific “Rampaging Lion 14” mecha swiftly dispersed, unleashing a furious hail of projectiles at the airborne Netherlord almost simultaneously. For a brief respite, a dozen knights of the first wave found momentary relief. Yet the two massive black “mirrors” intercepted every strike flawlessly, shielding the Netherlord and nullifying the coalition’s overwhelming firepower.
“Annihilation?” Sir Benjamin murmured in disbelief as he scrutinized the analysis data displayed on his combat HUD. The numbers indicated that, upon contact with the projectile shields, a tremendous burst of photonic particles was generated.
“Inconceivable… this black ‘mirror’ is capable of endlessly generating antimatter!” he exclaimed.
No sooner had Sir Benjamin relayed this intelligence to Guan Feng than a dossier—marked “North Lanstown Duchy S-Class Confidential”—was distributed from the Allied Intelligence Bureau to all terminals.
Cheng Wei’s brown eyes flickered with the eerie red glow of the data. He gasped, “Dark Jade… This… How is it possible? Was that fiend present fifteen years ago?”
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
“Regardless of why Dark Jade has surfaced now, we have no choice but to fight with our backs against the wall,” Guan Feng said, raising a hand to silence Cheng Wei before turning his keen gaze back to the unfolding battle.
Duke Famas, leader of the Blue Shield Knights and commander of the single-soldier armored mecha, coordinated with Sir Benjamin. Adopting a progressive formation, his unit persistently employed thermal weaponry in a probing, long-range assault against the Netherlord—an attempt to discern any additional abilities. After all, when confronting an adversary so formidable that he might even wield Dark Jade as a weapon, utmost caution was imperative.
At length, the belated “Grass Python” super fighter descended slowly to perch near the armored vehicles. Impatient beyond measure, Arthas vaulted onto its wing and manually flung open the cockpit door—despite the craft still running in autopilot mode.
“Unauthorized intrusion! Unauthorized intrusion!”
Red alert flashed violently from the internal display screens and HUD. With a thud, Arthas plopped into the gunner’s seat at the rear. Moments later, Breton clambered into the cockpit and shot Arthas a reproachful look.
“Ripping open the door of an autopiloted fighter will trigger a forced lockout of the onboard weapon systems. Do you not have any sense? Besides, are you even licensed to fly such a heavy craft?” Breton barked.
Admittedly, Arthas held only a permit for single-propeller, light aircraft. Sheepishly scratching his head, he slumped into the seat and began pounding on the keyboard. “No worries—I’m a top-notch hacker. Three, two, one… uh… ahem… there! There, the weapon system is cracked. Oh, and by the way, brother—you’re the rising star among the Empire’s elite pilots. With you at the controls, we’ll be just fine. I’ll merely lend a hand!”
Breton shook his head with a rueful smile and reluctantly took the pilot’s seat in the forward cockpit. Activating the dual-control mode with Captain Ramli’s PDA, he announced, “Fuel at 78%, propulsion system nominal, weapons system normal, electromagnetic cannon at 40% capacity, and we have four cruise missiles.”
Adopting a more serious tone, Arthas quickly relayed the information to the pilot. Breton then manipulated the flight stick; the fighter’s vectored engine shifted to a direct thrust mode, spitting forth tongues of fire as it raced toward the battlefield.
Fixated on the aerial view streaming from the display, Arthas marveled at the defensive prowess of Dark Jade—both he and Breton were left in awe—while the attack patterns of the mysterious, shapeshifting white material formed into breathtaking geometric assaults. Coupled with the textbook precision of the Blue Shield Knights’ progressive formation, the entire scene resembled a dazzling work of art.
At the helm of his mecha, Blue Shield Knight Commander Famas unleashed all twelve of his short-range missiles. The anti-demonic warheads broke through the enemy’s defenses from every cunning angle. Yet, the nimble black “mirrors,” as if prescient, effortlessly nullified every threat—perfectly obliterating all incoming attacks.
Nimbly evading a rapid assault from a white conical formation transformed into a “sea urchin,” Famas dodged several more cunning strikes. His custom-built mecha did not hinder his ability to act. As his protective visor flared with a burst of golden light, the long spear held by the ironclad knight before him—sheathed in searing, rolling magma—gradually swelled with power. In an instant, it surged forward with the ferocity of a lion engulfed in flames, charging at the Netherlord. At the last moment, however, the black mirror of Dark Jade intercepted Famas’s mighty blow. The magma-wrapped spear, like a lump of clay swallowed by the sea, was instantly severed halfway.
As the black mirror pressed closer, Famas, realizing the peril, swiftly abandoned his mecha—diverting all his fusion energy into his legs—and leapt several dozen meters away. In a heartbeat, he spun around and gathered his strength once more, determined to launch a fusion-powered counterattack against the Netherlord—a last, desperate strike.
At that juncture, the two black mirrors formed by Dark Jade were busy fending off long-range bombardments from the mothership fleet. Forced onto the defensive, the Netherlord resorted to utilizing two white conical constructs as a shield. They rocketed forward, transforming into a circular barrier that held the half-destroyed magma spear just a few centimeters from his form.
“Who would have thought that one would have to resort to a ‘Moment’s Shield’ to fend off the attacks of you insignificant insects? But know this—your fight ends here!” the Netherlord declared coldly. In that instant, a flash of white light emanated from the ‘Moment’s Shield’—a crystalline barrier of white—catching Famas’s eye as he noticed that his magma-wrapped spear, blocked by the shield, was beginning to petrify from the point of contact.
Famas was forced to relinquish his grip and stagger backward a few paces in disarray. Moments later, the spear shattered into several stone fragments. With the agility of an old knight, he swiftly turned, unsheathed his gleaming black-titanium sword, and steeled himself to continue the battle.