Ashen Dragon

"Luckily, I hid early. Those outside are almost all dead..."

"Yeah, we're smarter than them. We deserve to live, seize more things, and kill more people."

Listening to the crackling sound of flames consuming flesh, the wailing cries of despair, and the enraged roars of orcs entangled in combat, while feeling the earth's violent tremors again and again, with dirt and rubble falling, the orcs hiding in the burrows felt a sense of relief, albeit bittersweet.

They had not yet killed an Imperial person, nor looted the legendary, boundlessly wealthy Aivendel City. If they were to die in this sea of fire, it would undoubtedly be a pity.

However, these orcs hiding underground had no idea that the Aviation Corps was about to launch a large-scale strike against them.

"Boom!"

The ground shook violently with a deafening explosion.

At first, the orcs thought it was just another ordinary artillery bombardment and paid it no mind, continuing to cling to their burrows.

But little did they know, a fatal disaster was silently approaching.

Soon, an abrupt and violent change!

Once again, a dazzling streak of fire tore across the sky, followed by an earsplitting explosion as several bombs landed precisely near the tunnels.

The moment the bombs exploded, a massive high-temperature fireball erupted. The fireball, resembling a furious giant beast, instantly devoured everything nearby and even surged into the tunnels.

The extreme heat turned the air inside the tunnels unbearably scorching. The orcs' skin began to sear, their fur and clothing igniting rapidly.

"We hid! How can these Imperials still burn us?!"

"So hot! There's nowhere to hide!"

They screamed in pain, rolling on the ground within the tunnels, trying to extinguish the flames on their bodies. But all attempts were futile.

Then came a powerful shockwave, sweeping along with the explosion's roar.

The shockwave, like an invisible giant hand, smashed against the tunnel walls and fortifications. The orcs were violently hurled into the air and then forcefully slammed back down.

Their bodies were shattered from the impacts, with internal organs and bones crushed under the tremendous force.

Next, the searing shockwave penetrated the ground, scouring the orcs' bodies like a tidal wave, incinerating them entirely.

However, the Cloud Bomb's devastation was far from over.

As the explosions continued, the air within the tunnels was quickly consumed, even sucking out the oxygen trapped in the soil.

The orcs began to struggle to breathe, issuing guttural roars as though resisting death itself.

"No..."

"Let me out..."

But as the oxygen depleted further, their voices grew faint and powerless.

The tunnels were engulfed in an oppressive darkness and stifling silence. Only occasional feeble groans lingered, barely proving the faint traces of life remaining.

Soon enough, even those sounds were swallowed by the darkness.

The orcs could never have imagined that the Empire's military engineers worked tirelessly for months, devising bombs tailored to all potential scenarios—specifically including their underground hiding—to ensure their utter annihilation.

...

From high above, the ground below was shrouded in rolling gunpowder smoke. Occasionally, dense plumes of smoke parted, exposing the flame-scorched and corpse-strewn earth beneath.

As Mantou gazed at the devastation, he couldn't help but remark, "The power... is fucking terrifying."

Singo nodded in agreement and said over the communicator, "Yeah, this wiped out half of three million orcs in just a few days. Honestly... it's easier than slaughtering chickens."

"My experience points are maxed out again, and I can even allocate several more full-level proficiencies. This mission's a jackpot."

Even he hadn't anticipated that this operation would bring him such a massive boost in experience, let alone Mantou, who was often mocked for being "inexperienced."

Looking down at the raging inferno below, Mantou commented, "What a spectacular sight. Reminds me of those old movies showing the Tokyo firebombings, Li Mei's barbecue tactic.

Heh, in hindsight, that American fella really knew his craft. Too bad we don't have 'Little Boy' or 'Fat Man'—those would've made it even more satisfying."

Singo quipped coldly, "Considering that lunatic from the Original Restoration Order, I wouldn't be surprised if he sneaked that kind of stuff into our arsenal."

Mantou's jaw dropped. He stammered, "N-no way, right? We wouldn't need nukes to deal with these orcs, would we?"

"Let's hope not." Singo shook his head and fell silent.

Through the communicator came the steady, composed voice of Curtis once more: "Everyone, prepare for cluster bombing. Block off the orcs' escape routes and encircle them."

"Understood, Commander."

The Wyvern Knights responded in unison. They pressed their gravity devices and simultaneously ascended rapidly, leaving dazzling trails of fire behind them.

Using his helmet's imaging system, Mantou could see numerous small black dots—green-skin orcs—desperately fleeing north as the rapidly spreading flames pursued them.

This time, the Aviation Corps' mission was to stop the orcs' escape, bombing from north to south to ignite a vast sea of flames, cutting off their retreat and encircling them fully.

"North and south pincer attack, sealing them off—it's like making dumplings.

So cunning, I love it." Mantou chuckled darkly.

With that, he ascended with his comrades to ten thousand meters, flying sweeping arcs in the sky before leveling out for a straight run.

As the small black dots on the display grew closer, Mantou grinned and placed his hand on the bomb release button by his Wyvern's neck.

Then Curtis's clear and calm voice came through the earpiece once more: "All units, prepare to drop bombs—"

"Three, two—"

"One—"

"Drop!"

At the instant the order was given, Mantou pressed the release button with a "click," and dozens of other Wyvern Knights did the same.

In an instant, hundreds of solidified gasoline bombs poured out from the ammunition bays beneath the Bipedal Wyverns, cascading downward like a torrential rain. The sky was filled with countless bombs, creating a stunning spectacle.

Meanwhile, the bombs ripped through the air, producing sharp, ear-piercing screeches that could make one's eardrums ache and heart quiver.

"Quick! Move!"

"Keep fleeing north!"

"Damn it, we won't be cannon fodder for those old bastards! I'm going to rob and plunder boldly!"

At that moment, the orcs remained in chaos, shoving and jostling as they fled the advancing flames from behind, hurriedly retreating north—towards their homeland, the Wuge Prairie.

But then, the orcs at the front heard a familiar sound—the shriek of death.

"By Gush..."

"I-I don't believe this..."

Terrified, the orcs warily lifted their heads and saw the strange birds appear once again in the northern skies before them, dropping their deadly bombs one after another.

The men set the fires.

Two lines of flames would race toward each other.

Eventually, they would meet.

By then, with no fuel left to burn around the edges and all the oxygen in the middle consumed, the fires would die out.

Wang Lei explained this method is usually employed when...

The wind direction and speed are relatively stable.

However, if the wind is too strong, the results can backfire.

One must pay attention to the distance between the set points of the fires and the current fireline.

Setting it too far equals starting new fires, while too close aids the burning instead.

Special attention must also be paid to wind direction, which requires experience.

In summary:

In regions where large fires rage,

The area heats up, causing air currents to rise and creating a low-pressure zone.

Nearby air currents then converge toward the fireline.

By setting fires at a proper distance,

The flames will spread toward the fireline with the air currents,

Quickly forming a firebreak ahead of the advancing fire.

Thus halting its progression.