Volume 4 Chapter 132

Volume 4 + Chapter 132: Like Thunder

“Tonight, there will be no fighting!”

The two had just clinked their bottles together, the liquor not yet reaching their lips, when the deafening roar of an explosion erupted along the Beastmen Alliance’s defensive line.

They were so startled that both of them fell to the ground. The bottles slipped from their hands and shattered, wine spilling everywhere.

“What—what’s going on?!” the green recruit cried in terror. “Brother, is this an enemy attack?”

“I’ll check it out first!”

The slightly drunk beastman instantly sobered up. He scrambled to his feet and looked toward the distance—only to witness a horrifying scene.

Another magical attack streaked in from the pitch-black sky, dragging a long, luminous trail behind it, before crashing once more into the Beastmen Alliance’s defenses and blasting out a massive crater.

There was no doubt about it—this was absolutely not a natural phenomenon, but an attack launched by the enemy.

Along the dark horizon, countless figures began to appear.

In the cover of night, those well-trained silhouettes advanced toward the Beastmen Alliance’s defensive line in neat formation. This was unmistakably an army.

Those soldiers were—

Vampire Clan!!

“I—I’m not dreaming, am I?!” the beastman soldier shouted.

“Why can the Vampire Clan already launch a surprise attack on our Beastmen Alliance’s defenses?!”

“Didn’t you say there’d be no fighting tonight?!” The green recruit grabbed the beastman soldier’s arm. “What do we do now? Say something, brother!”

More and more magical attacks came flying in. Beastmen soldiers struck by the spells let out agonized screams, their bodies blown apart into bloody mist.

“I’m going to notify the legion commander!!”

The beastman soldier shook off the recruit and broke into a run, pushing himself to the fastest speed of his life as he rushed toward the quarters of the legion commander stationed along the Beastmen Alliance’s defensive line.

“Commander, something terrible has happened!” The beastman soldier rushed to the commander’s bedside.

“Hm…?”

The beastman legion commander, who had been sleeping soundly, opened his eyes.

“Commander, enemy attack—enemy attack!!”

Hearing this, the commander immediately sat up, shaking his head and forcing himself fully awake in an instant.

“Enemy attack? Who?!”

“It’s the Vampire Clan, Commander!”

“Damn it, that’s nonsense!!”

The commander flew into a rage and slapped the beastman soldier hard across the face.

“The Vampire Clan attacking our Beastmen Alliance? Just recently, their country was still mired in internal chaos—they’d barely finished suppressing it! How could the Vampire Clan possibly have united internally and organized a force capable of launching an external war so quickly? If you’re going to make things up, at least have some limits!!”

“Commander, I’m telling the truth! I’m not lying to you—”

Boom!!

Before the soldier could finish speaking, another magical strike landed not far from the commander’s residence, the explosion shaking the entire building violently.

“Damn it… it really is an attack by the Vampire Clan?”

The commander’s expression changed drastically. He grabbed the beastman soldier and pulled him to his feet.

“Pass down my orders immediately! Mobilize the entire legion at once and organize a counteroffensive! Have the shamans deploy anti-magic barriers immediately—hold off the Vampire Clan mages’ long-range bombardment!”

“Yes, Commander!”

“Hmph! Arrogant Vampire Clan fools. So what if you managed to launch an attack? Do you really think our valiant Beastmen are pushovers? If you choose to wage war, then we will answer it in kind!”

The commander threw on his military coat, left his quarters, and headed straight for the command post to direct his troops in battle.

But no sooner had he gathered his key subordinates than massive explosions from magical attacks erupted all around the command post.

“What’s going on?! Didn’t I order the shamans to raise anti-magic barriers?! Are those shamans completely useless?!” the commander roared. “Get the shaman captain over here immediately!!”

“Commander… Commander, we’re finished…!!”

The shaman captain rushed into the command post. His once green face was now pale as paper, and he could barely stand.

The commander was deeply puzzled. This shaman captain had followed him through countless campaigns over the years—what kind of major battle hadn’t he seen? Armies of trolls, goblins, Vampire Clan forces… they had all crossed blades before.

Yet today, he was acting completely out of character, speaking with such utter despair.

“What do you mean, ‘finished’?! I ordered you shamans to raise anti-magic barriers to withstand the enemy mages’ long-range attacks—was that too hard to understand?!” The commander grabbed the shaman captain by the collar. “This isn’t our first time fighting the Vampire Clan! Just do what we did before! Hold the line and wait for reinforcements!”

“Commander, I did exactly as you ordered—but our anti-magic barriers can’t withstand their spells at all! We have to retreat immediately. If we don’t run, we’re all dead! This Vampire Clan is different from before—we can’t beat them!” the shaman captain explained desperately.

“Pathetic coward!! Anyone who dares to run, I’ll cut down on the spot! Fleeing is nothing but a betrayal of Beastman honor!!”

The commander refused to believe it. He flung the shaman captain aside and stormed out himself—he wanted to see with his own eyes why they supposedly couldn’t defeat the Vampire Clan.

But the moment he left the command post, he saw a terrifying, colossal shadow looming in the sky.

That was—

Airships?

The commander froze.

Vampire Clan airships had flown directly above the Beastmen Alliance’s defensive line, seizing control of the skies and unleashing carpet-like bombardment upon the Beastmen forces below.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Amid the endless thunder of magical explosions, the Beastmen army suffered catastrophic casualties. Unable even to fly, opposing airships was nothing short of a fool’s dream.

At such close range, even the shamans’ protective barriers were utterly useless.

This was absolute firepower suppression—one-sided annihilation of the Beastmen by the Vampire Clan.

“How foolish and laughable these Beastmen are, still intoxicated by primitive brute strength.”

Standing on the deck of an airship, the Vampire Clan princess Flora looked down at the collapsing Beastmen Alliance defenses below and sneered.

In the past, airships had always been flashy but impractical—forget magic, even elven archers could easily shoot them down.

But the Vampire Clan’s airships were no longer the same. They had been redesigned by the Vampire Clan’s Ancestor God herself, powered by ancient magic–based engines that burned magic crystals for energy. Their mobility had been vastly improved, and they were equipped with numerous ancient magic arrays. As long as the mages operated them properly, the ships could resist external attacks while unleashing devastating magical strikes upon the ground.

“Lord Flora, the Beastmen Alliance’s defensive line has collapsed. How should our forces proceed next? Please give your instructions,” a subordinate reported.

“The bombardment ends here. Have the ground forces sweep up the remaining Beastmen troops. After that, the airship fleet will advance deeper into Beastmen Alliance territory. Before they can react, seize full control of the skies and suppress them with firepower, coordinating with the ground tribes to wipe out all enemies. We will strike with the speed of thunder, capture the Beastmen Alliance’s capital, and destroy the Beastmen Alliance entirely!”

Under the banner of the Holy Crimson Empire, Flora raised her right hand.

“In the name of the Ancestor God! Let a brand-new shock descend upon this land!”