Dragon Monarch System

Chapter 1233: Chapter 1233:- Civil War [II]

After considering the consequences, the Seventh Order cultivator abandoned his original idea of attacking the enemy troops below. For the time being, it was better to remain an observer.

The three Seventh Order cultivators from the Emperor Faction maintained their positions in the sky, while Malakor and his companion continued watching them from a distance. Neither side made any attempt to approach the other.

Below them, the two enormous armies continued advancing. As the distance between the opposing forces gradually decreased, the atmosphere across the Northern Grassy Plains became increasingly tense.

The soldiers standing at the front of both armies could now make out the enemy formations in the distance. Countless banners fluttered above the advancing troops, while the sunlight reflected off hundreds of thousands of weapons and pieces of armour.

The commanders on both sides began preparing their long-range units. Although the two armies were still separated by several kilometres, the battle was already within the effective range of the more powerful magical cannons and artillery weapons.

Suddenly, a loud voice echoed across the Emperor Faction’s front lines.

”ARTILLERY UNITS! PREPARE TO FIRE!” Thousands of soldiers immediately began operating the enormous magical cannons positioned behind the infantry formations.

Mana crystals embedded within the weapons began glowing as enormous amounts of mana flowed through their internal formations. The barrels gradually lit up, and the surrounding air vibrated as the weapons accumulated enough energy to launch their attacks.

At almost the same time, the Anti-Emperor Faction’s artillery commanders issued similar orders.

”ALL ARTILLERY UNITS! PREPARE FOR BOMBARDMENT!”

Across several kilometres of the Anti-Emperor Faction’s formation, thousands of magical cannons were brought into position. The soldiers responsible for operating these weapons immediately began activating their formations, while the infantry units in front of them prepared their defensive equipment.

For a brief moment, the battlefield remained relatively quiet. Then, the first order to attack was given.

”FIRE!!!!!”

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!

Thousands of magical cannons erupted almost simultaneously. The combined explosions produced an enormous roar that spread across the Northern Grassy Plains. Even the ground trembled as countless projectiles and concentrated beams of mana were launched toward the opposing army.

From the sky, the attacks resembled thousands of brilliant streaks of light cutting across the battlefield. Some projectiles carried concentrated fire-element mana, while others contained lightning, wind, earth, or other elemental energies. There were also enormous physical shells reinforced with magical formations, designed to explode upon impact.

Almost immediately, the Emperor Faction’s artillery units responded with their own bombardment.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!

Another series of deafening explosions echoed across the plains as thousands of projectiles were launched in the opposite direction. For several seconds, the sky between the two armies was filled with countless magical attacks traveling toward their respective targets.

Some projectiles collided in midair, producing powerful explosions that illuminated the battlefield. Others continued toward the enemy formations, leaving trails of fire, lightning, and mana behind them.

”DEFENSIVE FORMATIONS! ACTIVATE!”

On both sides, the commanders responsible for protecting the infantry immediately began issuing orders. Thousands of defensive artifacts and formation devices were activated throughout the armies. Large barriers of mana appeared above different sections of the battlefield, covering entire military units beneath them.

These barriers were not maintained by a single cultivator. Instead, they were supported by groups of soldiers who continuously supplied mana to the formation devices, allowing the defensive barriers to withstand repeated attacks.

However, the number of incoming projectiles was simply too enormous for every attack to be intercepted.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!

The first wave of artillery shells finally struck the defensive barriers and the ground surrounding the enemy formations. Massive explosions erupted across several kilometers of the battlefield.

Some defensive barriers successfully blocked the incoming attacks, causing the projectiles to explode harmlessly above the soldiers. Others cracked under the tremendous pressure, allowing portions of the attacks to penetrate their defenses.

Whenever a barrier collapsed, the soldiers beneath it were immediately exposed to the destructive force of the bombardment. Enormous craters appeared across the grassy plains as magical shells struck the ground. Flames spread across the grasslands, while lightning exploded outward from several impact points.

The shockwaves threw nearby soldiers off their feet, and those unfortunate enough to be caught directly in the explosions suffered severe injuries or were killed instantly. The battlefield, which had been covered in green grass only moments earlier, was rapidly being transformed into a devastated landscape filled with smoke, flames, and enormous craters.

However, neither army stopped advancing. The military commanders understood that allowing their soldiers to remain stationary under continuous bombardment would only result in greater casualties.

”MAINTAIN FORMATION! CONTINUE ADVANCING!”

Orders echoed across both armies as the soldiers continued marching toward one another. Meanwhile, the artillery units did not stop firing. As soon as the first wave of attacks was launched, the soldiers operating the magical cannons began preparing the next round.

Thousands of mana crystals were replaced or recharged, while other soldiers adjusted the direction and elevation of the weapons to account for the enemy’s advancing formations.

Within a short period, another wave of artillery attacks was launched.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!

The explosions continued without interruption. From high above the battlefield, Malakor could see hundreds of artillery shells exploding across different sections of the enormous armies almost every second.

The scale of the fighting was far beyond that of an ordinary battle between smaller kingdoms. With nearly one million cultivators participating, the number of attacks being exchanged was simply staggering.

And the artillery bombardment was only the beginning.

As the distance between the two armies decreased further, the archery units finally entered their effective attacking range.

Unlike ordinary archers, many of the soldiers serving in these units were Fourth Order and Fifth Order cultivators. Their enhanced physical strength allowed them to fire arrows across enormous distances, especially when using bows reinforced with magical materials. Furthermore, many of the arrows carried elemental mana or explosive formations that significantly increased their destructive power.

”ARCHERS! PREPARE!”

Across the Anti-Emperor Faction’s formations, tens of thousands of archers simultaneously raised their bows. The soldiers stood in organized ranks, with each unit following the commands of its respective officers. On the opposite side, the Emperor Faction’s archery units were making similar preparations.

”LOOSE!!!!!”

In the next instant, an enormous number of arrows were released into the sky.

SWOOOOOOOOOOOSH!!!!!!!!

Hundreds of thousands of arrows rose above the battlefield, forming a massive dark cloud that stretched across several kilometers.

Some arrows glowed with elemental mana, leaving colorful trails behind them as they traveled through the air. Others were ordinary reinforced arrows designed to penetrate the armor of lower-order cultivators.

Almost immediately, the Emperor Faction released its own enormous volley. For a brief moment, the sky above the Northern Grassy Plains was filled with arrows traveling in opposite directions.

The sheer number of projectiles was so enormous that large portions of the battlefield were temporarily covered in their shadows.

”SHIELDS UP!!!!!”

Thousands of soldiers immediately raised their shields as the arrows began descending toward their formations. Those responsible for maintaining the defensive barriers poured additional mana into their formation devices, attempting to strengthen the protection above their troops.

A moment later, the arrows began striking.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Countless explosions erupted as magically enhanced arrows struck shields, defensive barriers, and the ground. Some arrows pierced through weaker defenses and struck the soldiers behind them, while others exploded upon impact, injuring multiple cultivators at once.

The soldiers who managed to block the first volley barely had time to recover before another wave of arrows began descending. At the same time, the mage units positioned throughout both armies finally began launching their attacks.

Thousands of cultivators raised their staffs, swords, or hands as they gathered elemental mana. Massive fireballs appeared above several formations, while enormous spears of ice, blades of wind, and bolts of lightning began forming in the sky.

Unlike the artillery units, which relied on magical weapons and ammunition, these cultivators used their own mana to launch attacks against the enemy.

Although their individual attacks were generally smaller than those of the largest magical cannons, the sheer number of cultivators casting spells simultaneously made them extremely dangerous.

”ATTACK!!!!!”

Thousands of spells were released almost simultaneously. Enormous waves of fire swept toward the opposing formations, while lightning bolts descended from the sky and explosions erupted across different sections of the battlefield.

Some cultivators launched enormous earth spikes from beneath the enemy’s feet, while others created powerful wind blades capable of cutting through multiple soldiers standing in the same formation.

Naturally, the opposing mage units responded with their own attacks. Fire collided with water, lightning struck defensive barriers, and enormous walls of earth rose from the ground to block incoming spells.

The constant exchange of magical attacks filled the battlefield with explosions and flashes of elemental energy. From the sky, it appeared as though the entire Northern Grassy Plains had been engulfed in a massive storm of mana.

The artillery bombardment continued in the background, while the archery units repeatedly launched volleys toward the opposing armies.

Every few seconds, thousands of new attacks were exchanged. With hundreds of thousands of soldiers participating on each side, there was no single location where the fighting was concentrated. Instead, attacks were being launched across an enormous front that extended for many kilometers.

Some sections of the battlefield were covered in flames, while others were filled with smoke, lightning, shattered earth, and the remains of destroyed defensive formations. The continuous explosions were so loud that ordinary communication became almost impossible near the front lines.

Military officers were forced to use communication artifacts, specially trained messengers, and mana-enhanced voices to relay their orders across the enormous formations.

Despite the chaos, both armies continued advancing. The soldiers at the front could now clearly see their enemies approaching through the smoke and dust. Their weapons were already drawn, and the commanders responsible for leading the infantry began preparing for the inevitable clash.

The distance between the two armies continued shrinking.

Five kilometers!

Three kilometers!

Two kilometers!

The long-range bombardment had already inflicted casualties on both sides, but the overwhelming majority of the soldiers were still alive and advancing. For many of them, the real battle had not even begun.

As the opposing front lines finally approached one another, the commanders on both sides raised their weapons.

”ALL UNITS! PREPARE FOR CLOSE COMBAT!!!!!”

Hundreds of thousands of soldiers tightened their grips on their swords, spears, axes, and other weapons. Behind them, the archers, mages, and artillery units continued launching attacks, attempting to weaken the enemy formations before the two armies collided.

And finally, beneath the banners of the Anti-Emperor Faction and the Emperor Faction, the front lines of the two enormous armies charged toward one another.

”CHARGEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!”

The opening battle of the Celestial Dragon Empire’s civil war had truly begun.

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