Magic, steel, heavy industry

Chapter 60 The Battle of Old River Valley

"My God! What is that?!"

On the low slope, three mercenaries followed Vilan up and witnessed the entire massacre.

The guards didn't even consider letting the thieves into range; instead, they fired arrows from over 400 meters away.

The key point is that the crossbow bolts not only flew over the target, but their speed and power were also far beyond what was expected. The bandits who were huddled together didn't even have time to react before they fell down in droves, like wheat being harvested.

"This is absolutely unlike any crossbow I've ever seen! How on earth did the Anvil Clan manage to make it?!"

"This is terrifying. No wonder Steel Chain trusts these people so much. This is no group of bandits that can withstand them. If we were there, we definitely wouldn't even have the courage to move forward..."

The mercenaries were pale, incredibly grateful that they had stood on the right side.

Now they finally understood what Vilan meant by "That's not necessarily true"—he hadn't worried about the range at all!

Those bandits would never have thought of this, otherwise they wouldn't have stood there like targets.

The mercenaries continued to look, and all the bandits who had been lucky enough to escape were running back frantically, trying to get away from there. Some of the weaker bandits were even pushed aside by their companions, and then countless people trampled on them, unable to even let out a wail.

"Mr. Vilan, although we are not knights, our horsemanship is no less than theirs. We can help you stop more bandits and expand your gains!"

One of the mercenaries looked at Vilan, his eyes gleaming with eagerness.

They also wanted to make a contribution and demonstrate their abilities.

Now that the bandits are fleeing, the guards who run on foot certainly can't catch up with many of them, which is a good opportunity for them to show off.

However, Vilan just smiled and said, "No rush, let's take a look first."

Look? What are you still looking at? Everyone's about to run away!

The mercenaries seemed a little impatient, but they didn't say much and could only turn their heads to continue watching.

Then, a deafening explosion, accompanied by thick white smoke, rang out at the entrance of the Old River Valley.

The mercenaries stared wide-eyed, their expressions almost frozen, while the refugee leaders all gaped in disbelief at what they were seeing.

Meanwhile, at the entrance to the Old Valley, Saka lay curled up behind a rock, waiting for the explosion before peeking out to look at the spot where he had just thrown the explosives.

That's right, Vilan didn't use the explosive charge as a landmine. That would require too long a fuse and would be too easy to detect. It was better to have the guards throw it by hand for a surprise attack.

The entrance to the old valley was the best location they had chosen. The entrance was narrow and it was the only way for the bandits to escape, so the explosives would be most effective.

The operation was led by Saka, Mount, Guillemeister, and Vilan's bodyguards, the twins, Sobo and Sommer.

They took all the explosives from the Anvil Territory with them, one for each of them, waiting for the moment the bandits would escape.

At this moment, as the smoke cleared, Saka saw a scene that could only be described as hell.

The explosive charge he threw landed right in the middle of the fleeing bandits and exploded before it even hit the ground. Now, at the river mouth, countless pieces of blood and flesh are scattered on the rocky beach, and at least a dozen people are lying on the ground, covered in wounds and bleeding profusely.

Several of the unluckiest bandits died at the center of the explosion, instantly torn to pieces, their internal organs and intestines hanging haphazardly from the heads of the bandits behind them. Those hit by the iron pellets fared even worse; some had their heads pierced through, while others had iron pellets embedded in their chests, abdomens, or arms, lying on the ground groaning in agony.

Not only the first group, but also the bandits behind them were affected. The dozen or so at the front were hit by the iron balls and were seriously injured, while the bandits further back were so frightened that they lay on the ground, holding their heads with their hands, their whole bodies trembling uncontrollably.

They couldn't understand what had happened. After a loud bang, their companions in front of them fell one after another, their deaths were so gruesome that they almost vomited.

"A mage! There's a mage among these guys!"

Suddenly one of the robbers shouted, and then the other robbers realized, "That's right! This must be the magician's magic!"

The last leader, Strong Wind, gritted his teeth and got to his feet, shouting, "A mage can't cast a spell like that a second time! Anyone who doesn't want to die, charge out!"

The bandits indeed stood up again and continued their charge outwards, stepping over the corpses of their companions.

After all, everyone in this world knows that magicians need magic cores to cast spells. Such a powerful explosion would inevitably consume expensive high-grade magic cores and mental energy, making it impossible to cast it again.

Therefore, they mustered their courage again and ran away, completely disregarding the need to rescue their injured companions.

"Get down!"

Suddenly, a voice rang out. The bandits didn't react in time, but Saka, who was spying, did. He immediately hid behind the boulder.

Sure enough, another explosive charge was thrown out, the fuse disappeared quickly, and the second explosion rang out almost right next to the strong wind.

With a loud bang!

Smoke billowed out again, and countless heart-wrenching screams echoed throughout the river mouth. At least 20 bandits were killed or wounded by the explosions, and even the strong winds were blown away by the blast wave, crashing into the rocks behind them.

However, he was still quite far away, and the iron ball was blocked by the bandits in front of him. He only suffered a fall injury and some tinnitus.

But when he came to his senses and looked ahead again, the terrifying scene completely shattered his mental defenses.

The corpses of dozens of bandits were scattered about, their entrails and blood creating a hellish scene. The pungent smell of blood mixed with the strong smell of gunpowder almost made him faint.

"Devils! You are devils!"

His lips trembled as he roared incessantly, his body frantically retreating. The surviving bandits dared not cross the river mouth any further and instead fled back.

There are still plains and slopes in the old valley. As long as you spread out, there is still a chance to survive!

shhhhhh!

The guards' crossbow bolt shattered Qiangfeng's last glimmer of hope. This time, Lady Luck did not favor him; a magic powder bolt pierced straight into his heart.

Qiangfeng lowered his head, trying to pull out the crossbow bolt, but he couldn't lift his arms at all, and his legs collapsed to the ground. The large sword in his right hand slipped from his palm, and his breathing stopped.

As the most powerful thief in Anvil Territory, Strongwind didn't even have a chance to demonstrate his strength before inexplicably losing his life.

The bandits completely collapsed and began to scatter in all directions in a frantic escape, not caring about any direction at all.

Upon seeing this, Karelas, who was leading the guard forward, finally removed the two-handed greatsword from his back and said in a cold tone, "Five men per group, hunt down the fleeing ones, and leave no one untouched by weapons. Showing mercy to bandits is a betrayal of Lord Vilan."

"charge!"