The First Magic World War

Charles couldn't help but think, "Can't we maze-ify first, then fend off the 18 attacks from Lady Southseraph?"

If Silver Pigeon Fort could be maze-ified, Charles was confident he could turn all the invaders of the South Ceraph Reclamation Army into NPCs.

Although his thoughts were messy, Charles's command proceeded methodically.

He had successively accepted the defeat of Baron Philedrica's armies and two thousand troops from the Southern Selav Army. Although nearly forty percent had deserted, all weapons were confiscated. Along with the arsenal stored at Silver Pigeon Fort, they had amassed three thousand firearms and even a batch of bows and arrows.

Charles arranged the rifles for the first round based on their range, and the handguns and archers for the second round. After two rounds of firing, hundreds from the Restoration Army had fallen, but they also charged to the foot of the city walls.

Subsequently, six or seven Transcendents broke through, leaping into the air to storm the battlements. These Transcendents, either shielded by magic or bolstered by Fighting Spirit, had colors swirling about them. Bullets and arrows shot towards them were either casually deflected with their weapons or bounced off by their magic and Fighting Spirit, completely intimidating the defense forces of Silver Pigeon Fort.

Taoles pulled out a card and muttered under his breath, "He insists on fighting a defensive battle from the fort."

Philedrica held a dagger in each hand, one forward and one reversed, sighed, and prepared to clean up after Charles.

Charles, holding the Anti-Space Sniper Rifle, saw the fearless charge of the six or seven Transcendents and thought to himself, "Haha! This time I'm experienced. I won't engage in close combat with the Flame Hand and Hockwell Silver Rhinoceros unused." Discover stories with empire

He raised the Anti-Space Sniper Rifle high, pulled the trigger, and simultaneously, a giant hand composed of seven Blood Flames appeared behind him. Two of them held a Fire Kelwell Silver Rhinoceros and a Hurkweil Silver Rhino Mk-10, three other Flame Hands held the Blood Rose, Vampiric Hand Axe, and an assassin's dagger, and the remaining two, though empty, emanated a faint golden light, signaling the activation of the Colorless Blade.

This was already Charles's strongest form.

A Blood Butcher who leapt into mid-air was the first to be targeted by the Magic-Breaking Bombshell Bullet. His Cultivation was not as good as the two he encountered on the battlefield, and he was instantly blown into fragments in mid-air.

The second target of the Magic-Breaking Bombshell Bullet was a formal knight, who having witnessed his comrade shattered, was too late to change direction in mid-air. He hastily gathered all his Fighting Spirit, shouted, and focused it on his lance, attempting to pierce the Magic-Breaking Bombshell Bullet with his lance.

His idea was good, but his Cultivation couldn't keep up with it and he too was blown into a dazzling fireball, man and lance together.

The third Transcendent, not sure what Secret Technique he used, moved sideways half a meter in mid-air, narrowly avoiding the lethal blow, turning his face green with fright.

The Anti-Space Sniper Rifle and the two Silver Rhinoceros fired a round with the effect of a "mini-barrage", blowing up two Transcendents in mid-air. During Charles's second round of shooting, the remaining Transcendents were finally adept enough to react in time.

Two of the Transcendents reacted quickly, deployed their Fighting Spirit, and blasted each other with a strike, drifting off together and landing prematurely. They no longer dared to leap, hastily retreating back to their ranks.

Another Transcendent, extraordinarily fast, was no sure target for Charles's gunmanship, so he wasn't selected as the first round's target. By the time of Charles's second round of shooting, he had already stepped onto the battlements of Silver Pigeon Fort. This Transcendent also reacted extremely quickly, mustered his strength, twisted his body, and landed below the walls, not continuing the assault.

Upon landing, he swayed and shifted, changing his position seven or eight times. Charles aimed for a long while but couldn't find an opportunity, ultimately letting him return to his military formation.

One confrontation had pushed back the Transcendents who climbed the city, boosting the morale of the Westwind Knights and the militia of the Silver Pigeon Fort, who then engaged the South Ceraph Reclamation Army below the city walls.

Initially, Charles worried the Westwind Knights and the militia of the Silver Pigeon Fort would collapse at the start of the battle, but surprisingly, after enduring an earlier fight and even directly defeating Byron's cavalry, they proved more resilient than he had anticipated. As for the militia of the Silver Pigeon Fort, their fighting spirit was even more vigorous, driven by the desire to protect their homes.

After four or five hours of fierce fighting, nearly a thousand soldiers from the South Ceraph Reclamation Army lay dead below the city walls before Jonathan finally ordered an orderly retreat, like the tide drawing back.

Charles, not wanting to continue using the Magic-Breaking Bombshell Bullets, switched to a regular rifle and also killed more than ten from the Restoration Army. Seeing the forces from South Seraph withdraw, he suppressed the fatigue weighing on his body and heart, first consoling the soldiers of the Westwind Knights and then offering a round of motivational encouragement to the militia of the Silver Pigeon Fort before counting the dead.

Although they had the advantage of the terrain, this intense battle had still cost the lives of over three hundred from the Westwind Knights and the militia of Silver Pigeon Fort, with many wounded.

War is not a game, and witnessing countless lives vanish and seeing warriors with grievous injuries filled Charles with a sense of gloom. He could not understand why these people chose to fight.

If it were to resist tyranny or if they were driven by dire desperation, he, too, would rise up. But South Seraph had been a part of the Fars Empire for many years now, not exactly thriving but certainly not in a state of unlivable conditions.

Moreover, he knew that the people of South Seraph didn't actually harbor much hatred toward the Empire but solely resented the Behemoth Duchy.

But... that hatred had been exploited by the major empires!

Having experienced it firsthand, Charles knew too well that the assassination of Duke Ferdinand and his wife was a conspiracy. Whether it was the Behemoth Duchy or the Capital of South Seraph, both were pawns manipulated by others, their lives and hatreds cared for by no one.

The people of these two places were merely used by the powerful empires as a fuse that, when ignited, leads quickly to complete devastation; they were sacrificial lambs...

Both the Behemoth Duchy and the Capital of South Seraph had been conquered by the Fars Empire, yet the people of these areas bore no intense hatred toward the Empire...

Charles simply could not understand or empathize.

As he continually issued orders to collect the bodies of the fallen, he directed that the wounded be transported to Pigeon Fort and summoned all doctors from Silver Pigeon Fort to care for them.

After completing the solemn aftermath of the battle, Charles could no longer bear to muster interest in tallying the baron's wealth. Standing atop the fortress, he gazed distantly at the South Seraph Reclamation Army preparing for a second assault, and murmured to himself, "I am truly a political fool."

"All I wish for is peace in the world, and for there to be no pointless wars…"

"Perhaps, to these people, this war means a great deal."

"May your deaths be for ideals, not conspiracies."

"If I had a choice, I truly would not want to kill anyone."