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OPI Chapter 235: Flames, Steel, and Shadows
🕑 Added 2024-09-21 03:31:20 +0000 UTCAbout two hundred kilometers from Seika, in the city of Volga, the landscape had become a veritable snow-covered battlefield. Frozen bodies lay piled up in hills of flesh and blood.
[Boom!]
Defensive cannons fired again and again, sending flaming projectiles toward the battlefield regardless of whether they hit allies or enemies. Wherever there was a concentration of black figures, there went the shots.
The remaining soldiers, teeth clenched and gripping their rifles, watched helplessly as their comrades fell, sacrificing themselves in a desperate attempt to hold back the enemy, only to die under enemy swords or friendly fire.
If the shots were not enough, from the top of the walls, trained dangerous beasts released an icy breath capable of freezing everything.
And if even that failed, General Kiba would go out and fight himself.
The deafening screams of battle echoed everywhere, mixing with the sound of swords clashing, weapons breaking, and flesh being torn.
Thousands of warriors in steel armor and helmets charged like raging beasts, wielding icy spears and swords as they screamed and charged at the black-robed swordsmen.
However, the first to clash with the enemy were torn to pieces by fire, lightning, water and gusts of wind. Their steel armor offered no protection.
"Geppo!"
A man who, unlike the other swordsmen, wore a black cloak on his shoulders. Facing the spears surrounding him and the ice wolves attacking him, he leapt into the air, stepping on the air as if it were solid, and in the blink of an eye, he released a crescent-shaped air wave from his leg.
"Rankyaku!"
In an instant, thirty armored warriors were cut in half, uttering screams of agony. But in the midst of that hellish battlefield, their screams were insignificant.
...
Two hours later, the field was covered with corpses, almost ten thousand people had been killed or injured.
From the top of the wall, General Kiba was about to send more troops when he noticed something strange. The black-clad swordsmen were beginning to retreat.
"Are they going back to rest? Or have they finally run out of energy and strength after fighting for so many days?"
Just as General Kiba was considering whether to send out the dragon and cavalry to pursue, black spots gradually appeared on the eastern horizon.
Everyone on the wall, including him, felt a deep unease.
Soon, through his telescope, Kiba could see that it was another group of soldiers dressed in black, riding two-wheeled mechanical vehicles.
This made his face suddenly pale.
"How much longer can we hold out?" He muttered bitterly.
Furthermore, Kiba knew that Volga was not the only city under attack, which meant that the enemy had more of these powerful swordsmen.
"Damn it, when will the reinforcements from the imperial capital that the governor said come!"
...
Imperial capital.
Golden Palace.
At that time, the emperor was holding an audience with the empire's top civil and military officials. The main topic of discussion was the growing unrest in the north.
"Governor Numa Seika of the Northern Autonomous Region was assassinated five days ago. According to Sten's investigation, the assassin appears to be a Teigu user who controls a pinkish-white poisonous mist."
"Three days ago, the city of Volga in the same region fell into enemy hands."
"The main reason was that the enemy forces received reinforcements. In addition, a powerful warrior capable of controlling high-temperature flames appeared. Not even General Kiba, along with his mount the Arctic Tiger, could stop him. Both died in combat."
"Yesterday, we received a letter from the Oarburgh clan. Their leader, Merraid Oarburgh, infiltrated the enemy base alone and has not returned within the agreed time. We suspect that she has been captured or killed."
Najenda summarized out loud the most important events of the past few days.
"What do you think, my dear Ministers?" The Emperor asked, his firm gaze sweeping over the ministers present as Najenda returned to her place.
Shaur stepped forward and asked: "Your Majesty, I would like to know if Minister Najenda has clearly identified the origin of these enemy forces."
Najenda had to move forward again to respond. "Your Majesty, can the relevant information be made public?"
After hesitating for a few moments, the emperor nodded slowly.
"Go ahead, speak."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Najenda replied. She turned to Shaur, but her words were directed at everyone present.
"According to the confessions of the three enemy spies we captured alive, this mysterious force that suddenly appeared in the northern snowy mountains is actually the highest regime called the World Government from another world!"
"They use a space shuttle ability called Dimensional Gate to often invade other worlds, and then completely conquer them, or even enslave them."
For the next half hour, Najenda detailed all the information they had gathered about the World Government, ignoring the increasingly tense atmosphere in the room.
The room fell into a long silence.
Until Shaur spoke again.
"So, the current situation of the empire is that to the west is the Alchemy Kingdom, to the east, beyond the vast ocean, is the God Islands Kingdom, and to the north, a World Government that has conquered multiple worlds. What about the south?"
Najenda glanced at the other party speechlessly.
"No, the Clydak Autonomous Region in the south has not encountered any problems and remains the largest breadbasket of the empire."
Shaur chuckled and said: "Really? It seems that the situation is not too bad."
The severe and oppressive atmosphere in the hall suddenly eased, and many officials and generals also smiled.
As long as the center and south of the empire remain calm, they will have inexhaustible resources for war. In the end, it is all about fighting. Has the empire ever feared anyone in a thousand years?
“Hahaha! Well said, Minister Shaur!” Said General Budo, who had remained silent until now. Covered in imposing steel armor, he took two steps forward and bowed to the emperor, requesting enthusiastically. "Your Majesty, I request to take my troops north to crush those otherworldly invaders."
"Excellent!" The Emperor exclaimed, pleased. However, just as he was about to give the order, a civil official hurriedly stepped forward.
"Your Majesty, you can't do that!"
"You have heard what Minister Najenda said. The enemy has assassination forces that can match our Teigu users. If General Budo leaves with the Imperial Guard, how will we guarantee your safety?"
"I suggest calling General Esdeath, who is in the east, to lead the war in the north. In the meantime, we could postpone the unification with the God Islands Kingdom."
Budo frowned, but he didn't get upset; instead, he pondered the situation. To him, the emperor's safety was the most important thing.
"That's right, the biggest danger is the so-called Devil Fruit users, especially those with elemental abilities. According to reports, only Haki or a material known as Sea Stone can counter them. Otherwise, they can't be harmed." Najenda commented.
"There are still solutions." Esdra said with a smile. "If we can't confront them directly for now, we can hide. They won't find us."
"What do you mean, my dear minister?" The emperor seemed to understand his idea and said quickly: "Should we use the Dimensional Formation: Hachimon no Nirvana?"
"Exactly, Your Majesty. My idea is to use the power of the Dimensional Formation: Hachimon no Nirvana, an imperial artifact that can transfer the capital to another dimension."
Dimensional Formation: Hachimon no Nirvana, is a Teigu that was established as a strategic level by the Holy Emperor six hundred years ago.
It is composed of eight flags of different colors. The bearer can insert the flag into the ground and then activate the power of the Teigu to turn the flag into a door to the corresponding area within the alternate dimension.
Each area has a unique environment, but the total area of the dimension is not very large, only about 10,000 square kilometers.
What is truly impressive is its secret ability: once all eight flags are placed at key points, the bearer can activate the Teigu to transport the area covered by the flags to another dimension, leaving only an illusion in its place.
...
The cold wind howled in the ears, while large snowflakes fell from the sky.
Sten climbed onto the city walls. From his position, he looked out over the vast, desolate landscape covered in white.
This place was Angluo City, the last eastern gate of the Seika Fortress. Although there were two or three towns nearby, they were too small to accommodate an army of more than a hundred thousand soldiers. However, they were suitable for cavalry detachments.
Sten originally planned to lead his five hundred disciples to the city of Volga, but on the way he encountered a large number of defeated soldiers fleeing from there. Upon interrogation, he discovered that the city of Volga had fallen, and General Kiba had been killed in battle.
With no other option, he gathered those defeated soldiers and led them to Angluo, ordering the city's governor to send men to greet more survivors.
Finally, he learned that the number of these defeated soldiers was as many as 60,000.
That number made Sten not know whether to laugh or get angry.
Nearly a hundred thousand soldiers had been defeated by an army of barely five thousand! It was an indescribable shame, an insult to the reputation of the Imperial soldiers.
However, the more information he gathered, the more he understood the enemy's situation.
But the key point was the terrifying existence that can control fire and whose physical abilities are as strong as a monster. Even General Kiba couldn't last five minutes against him.
But it seemed that he would soon find out, unless the enemy was not interested in taking the capital of Seika from the rear.
"Lord Sten!"
The governor's voice interrupted his thoughts.
A bald man of forty-six, wearing a thick winter coat, was still panting from his run to the wall, a letter in his hand, followed by several guards.
"What's wrong?" Sten looked at him curiously.
"Lord Sten, I just received a letter from the imperial capital. The content is incredible! I need you to look it over yourself." The governor replied, breathless.
"Okay, wait a moment."
Sten nodded, then took the envelope and took out the letter inside. He read it for five minutes before he saw the end.
"Invaders from another world."
To be honest, if it weren't for the seal of His Majesty on the envelope and the letter, Sten felt that he would think it was some kind of prank.
But combined with what was happening now, he felt that this might be true.
As Sten pondered the contents of the letter, three knights rushed through the city gates, dismounted from their horses, and ran up the wall.
One of them shouted to Sten: "Lord Sten! The enemy is approaching rapidly. They are about eight kilometers away!"
The atmosphere on the wall suddenly became tense and silent.
Sten, seeing the situation, burst out laughing and looked defiantly at the white landscape outside. "Great! I want to see if they have what it takes to take on the masters of the Imperial Fist Temple."
"General Browning, command of the army is now in your hands. Follow the established plan." Sten ordered, addressing an armed general standing at his side.
"I will do my best!"
...
The city gates were flung open, and a contingent of soldiers dressed in white armor, carrying spears, advanced through the snow until they formed ranks a hundred meters from the walls, ready for battle.
The atmosphere of war was palpable, and the shine of their weapons reflected the winter sun.
Twenty minutes later, a thunderous rumble came on the wind, growing louder and louder.
It wasn't long before several black dots appeared on the horizon.
As the dots got closer, they became clearer.
They were the black-clad swordsmen riding black heavy motorcycles.
"Something's not right!" Browning exclaimed.
Through his binoculars, the general saw black vehicles armed with turrets and cannons appearing behind the motorcycles, moving at high speed. There were at least two hundred of them. He did not recall having seen anything like this in previous intelligence reports.
At that moment, the vehicles stopped.
The muzzles of the vehicles' guns released flashes of fire, followed by a sharp sound that pierced the air.
[Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!]
Before the Imperial soldiers could react, massive explosions erupted in their ranks, wiping out hundreds of lives in a matter of seconds.
"Heavy artillery!"
General Browning looked at the scene below with a sullen face.
He did not understand how such small-looking cannons could have the power of heavy artillery.
But without wasting any more time, he ordered the cavalry to flank on the sides and attack the artillery vehicles.
As for the battlefront, he would have to rely on Sten and the warriors of the Imperial Fist Temple.
