Chapter 1158: The Defeat
Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
The celebration did not last long, and all the soldiers soon resumed their work.
The First Army immediately attended to some of the most pressing matters such as treating the wounded, making a statistic report on casualties, mending the railway, and cleaning up the battlefield.
The headquarters knew very well that the victory of this battle did not mark the end of the "Torch" project by any means. Although it now seemed certain that they would recover Taquila and that the demons were very unlikely to renew their effort after this failure, they could never let their guard down. This war would keep going until humans permanently eliminated the Magic Slayer who was now still at large.
Mankind had to leave their jubilant celebration until the final moment when they erected the Graycastle flag at the top of the ruin and when the army safely returned to Neverwinter.
After a heated discussion, the executives at the front reached a mutual understanding that there should be less than 500 demons left in the ruin of the Holy City after this battle, which implied that the demons no longer posed a threat to the First Army.
Their focus should now shift from the construction of Tower Station No. 10 to the ambush operation that specifically targetted the Magic Slayer, as the First Army currently did not need Sylvie to maintain constant vigilance against raids from the demons.
To avoid any new complications concerning this battle, the First Army resumed the bombardment the next day.
As shells showered down, the demons had no choice but to slowly retreat from their trenches to the ruins of Taquila.
In the end, only the Magic Slayer managed to stay close to the defensive line. Nevertheless, as their main target, he could now barely approach the encampment and certainly could not stop the First Army from advancing.
After several fruitless attempts, the Magic Slayer gradually stopped showing up.
On the fourth day of the war, the railroad was finally within shooting range at 10 kilometers.
Agatha, Phyllis, and the other hundred witches were waiting to fire the Longsong Cannons as Iron Axe had instructed.
As the number of the cannons was very limited, Van'er, the commander of the artillery battalion decided to tie the fuses together with ropes so that the witches could fire at the same time.
Every single God's Punishment Witch, born in Taquila, were determined to avenge their fellow companions and rebuild the Holy City. They understood that this was going to be a historical moment that would become a part of human history, although they might not necessarily survive this Battle of Divine Will.
"I have to apologize to you," Phyllis said to Agatha softly as she held the ropes, "400 years ago, I thought it would be a disaster to entrust important tasks to mortals and more than one time, I laughed at you behind your back."
"Yes, many people thought like you back then," the Ice Witch replied smilingly. "And how do you feel about it now?"
"Now..." Phyllis said thoughtfully while curling up her lips. "It's actually not too bad to fight along side mortals."
"Ready — Go!" Just at that moment, Van'er raised his flag.
Everybody pulled the fuses back toward them, and soon thunderous roars reverberated across the encampment. A dozen shells rose, hurtled across the field, and pelted down at the Holy City.
Shockwaves rippled as the explosions took place, swept over the relic of this old city that had witnessed the past 400 years, and blasted the demons hiding in it to smithereens.
...
"It has started," Sylvie muttered.
"Yes," Andrea said indifferently, who could feel the ground quivering even at seven or eight kilometers from Taquila.
It was hard to imagine what suffering the demons had gone through after being continuously bombarded by the Longsong Cannons for a night.
"It has been five days now, right?" Margie grumbled. "Will the Magic Slayer come today?"
"Who knows?" Ashes said, shrugging.
"I want to have hot pot and potstickers in Neverwinter."
"Grrr..."
Somebody's stomach groaned in mild protest as soon as Margie finished talking.
"Well, I'll be also happy to have roast meat and ice cream bread... Aw..."
Ashes thrust some rations into Margie's mouth and said, "Have some rations if you feel hungry. Although it doesn't taste very good, it will, at least, fill you up."
"And please don't forget that we're still on a mission," Camilla Dary added. "You can think about food as much as you like when you're back to Neverwinter. Now, concentrate and get your job done."
"She was tempted, too. She just never understands jokes," Andrea thought to herself while shaking her head, and then rested her eyes back on Taquila.
As the First Army started to strike back, the Special Unit also, as planned, left the encampment, went around the ruin, and crouched down in the jungle to the west of the Red Mist supply line. Since they did not know when the Magic Slayer would retreat, they had to wait in ambush and wait.
The witches were used to living in a harsh environment. To avoid unwelcome attention from the Devilbeasts lurking in the sky, they neither pitched tents nor made a fire. Everyone wrapped themselves up in a thick blanket and spent the night in trees. As for food, they ate wheat cakes to sustain themselves.
Andrea suddenly started to miss the life in Neverwinter. To be honest, when she had moved to Neverwinter with Tilly, she had thought the so-called "home for witches" was just another empty promise made by the ruler, another city in which they were going to take refuge just temporarily. She had been determined to leave with Tilly if the latter decided to relocate again. However, now she was not so sure whether she would stick to her original plan.
In Neverwinter, she slept in a soft bed and had the liberty to try numerous delicacies. There was a constant supply of hot and cold water for a bath, as well as an excellent heating system that allowed her to walk barefoot in winter. She had never lived so comfortably even when had been a noble. Such a leisure lifestyle had nothing to do with extravagance or self-indulgence but was more of a refined and sophisticated culture. Andrea knew Neverwinter had pretty much won her over.
Fortunately, Roland and Tilly got along well at the moment, so she did not need to make a decision anytime soon.
Andrea thought she should request a huge reward from Roland after this mission was over.
Ideally, she hoped the Magic Slayer would stick to Taquila and be blasted into pieces by the cannons. If the Magic Slayer chose to flee, Andrea would then hope she could kill him with one shot of the God's Stone bullet. The worst scenario would be that the Magic Slayer noticed their ambush and zigzagged across the field to dodge their bullets, in which case, they had to resort to their last solution: the "Seagull".
Andrea did not really think that the Magic Slayer would be blasted to pieces or successfully killed in the ambush. Over the past five days during the night battle, the Magic Slayer had kept changing his position above Taquila, which made it extremely hard for her to take the aim. Andrea was not sure whether this was a pure coincidence or that the Magic Slayer was deliberately avoiding her.
"Awwwwww — "
Suddenly, there was a piercing scream that filled the air.
"What happened?" Ashes asked.
"One shell hit the Giant Skeleton!" Sylvie exclaimed. "There's a big hole in the back of the Skeleton. Goodness, that thing... is howling!"
"It can actually feel pain! I didn't expect it to be a living being."
"Red Mist came out of its wound like it's bleeding," Sylvie said while gazing upon the southeast. "The Magic Slayer is charging at us too."
"I wish someone could just shoot him down," Andrea said while spreading out her hands.
"Hang on... No, the Magic Slayer turned around halfway!" Sylvie corrected herself, frowning. "What's going on? The Skeletons are retreating as well. Some demons are attempting to stop them and are being stomped to death. They've lost control..."
After a long silence, Sylvie asked tentatively, "Are the demons killing each other?"
Andrea and Ashes exchanged looks. This was a sign of an utter rout in every way. Did the demons finally break down and lose their morale as they were unable to continue to fight under pressure?"
Their suspicion was soon confirmed by Sylvie.
"The Magic Slayer has fled Taquila!"