Mystery Paradise: Wishing Power Demon
Chapter 342 - 341 Silver Giant Bird

Chapter 342: 341 Silver Giant Bird

On the other hand, some disturbances had occurred within the main force of the punitive expedition.

Count Franken had issued the order to advance, but the stagnant column was slow to resume its normal march. With this force of over twenty thousand men stretching nearly four kilometers from end to end, he in the center could not immediately ascertain the situation at the front.

"I’ll send someone to check as well," Sir Hollis called over a messenger and instructed him to go and urge the soldiers at the front to move, then turned to the earl with words of reassurance, "There’s no need for concern, my lord, this is nothing serious. It’s inevitable that various issues arise when the troop numbers swell, especially since everyone was just distracted by that commotion from the rear. They might still be a bit shaken."

Count Franken nodded but cast a somewhat anxious glance to the rear, "I wonder what the esteemed Magic Goddess is thinking, making such an astonishing display."

Although he kept saying ’esteemed,’ his tone clearly conveyed dissatisfaction.

"Well, ancient divinities tend to be indulgent in their ways, hardly considering what mortals might think," Mekefa said nonchalantly, "I suppose she wanted to show off a trick or two, to properly intimidate the messengers from the Paradise Sect. Look... isn’t everything quiet now? I guess she still has some sense of measure in her heart."

Indeed... Count Franken had been genuinely startled when a ball of fire, billowing thick smoke, suddenly appeared in the sky. If that thing were to hit the ground, it could likely make the earth shake thrice over. The Kingdom Army, being well-trained, might still keep their composure, but the same could not be said for his own rank and file.

Now that the troops hadn’t resumed their advance, it was possible that it was due to his own soldiers. Count Franken was patiently refraining from an outburst, also because he was worried about embarrassing himself.

"How does the Kingdom Army deal with such situations?" Sir Hollis, likely trying to lighten the mood, asked proactively.

"The soldiers are trained for similar scenarios in military school. Unless they receive a halt order from the Commander, they wouldn’t stop their march, not even if knives were falling from the sky," Mekefa shrugged, "Of course, such demands must be backed by strict military discipline, with whipping or other punishments for those who violate it."

"As expected of a regular army," the knight nodded, "I do wish those I’ve brought could learn a thing or two."

"If I may speak frankly," another member of the Royal Guards, Moses, seized the opportunity to interject, "If we wish to defeat Duke Longjiu, aside from the help of the divinities, the United Army also needs to quickly come together, becoming a force that moves at our command. A professional army needs professional leaders, and maintaining separate chains of command as we are now obviously won’t do."

"Well..." Hollis seemed a bit embarrassed for a moment, "I will report your suggestion to Duke Rosha."

Count Franken’s brow furrowed, about to put forward a different view when suddenly a squabble from the front of the column drifted back, and the messenger previously dispatched by Hollis was hurrying back with an anxious expression.

He didn’t slow down at all on the way, only pulling hard on the reins when he drew near the knight, his skilled horsemanship bringing his mount to an abrupt halt, clearly indicating that the situation was not as simple as they had assumed.

And indeed, the news he brought shocked everyone present.

"My lord... there’s trouble. The Kingdom Army vanguard and the Western Army have come into conflict; they’re exchanging insults, which has prevented the main body from advancing."

A mutiny?

This was no small matter!

Mekefa’s expression turned exceedingly grim, "Our men with the Western Army? Did you find out the reason for the conflict?"

"It seems to have been caused by a warrior named Ryan Kray," the messenger hurriedly replied, "He ordered his own squad to disperse and hide in the forest and demanded the other soldiers do the same. The Western Army took this as an act of cowardice, resulting in a verbal altercation!"

Ryan!

Upon hearing this name, Mekefa clenched his fists tight.

Shandela escaped that night, and Ryan was the last person to see her, naturally making him a major suspect. He was initially against involving Ryan in this operation, but since the latter was a Grandmaster Level Warrior, Duke Rosha believed that the United Army should not handicap itself; plus, after the Magic Goddess had verified his loyalty and confirmed he had not betrayed them, Mekefa reluctantly included him in the team, entrusting him with the command of a vanguard unit of a hundred warriors.

Yet, before they could engage the enemy, such an incident occurred, with a member of the Royal Guards involved, which left Mekefa, who had just been boasting about the discipline of the Kingdom Army, nowhere to put his face.

"What about the other soldiers of the Kingdom Army?" Moses questioned, "They couldn’t all have run off with Ryan, could they?"

"It seems that three or four hundred have left the ranks, I haven’t taken an exact count. Also, the Kingdom Army soldiers present did not follow Ryan’s suggestion, but they are all dissatisfied with the Western Army’s insults and have now all retreated to the roadside."

"Ridiculous!" Mekefa snapped his whip, "I’ll go over personally. If this is true, I guarantee he will receive the punishment he deserves."

However, before he could move, he heard a strange buzzing sound—it seemed to come from a great distance, resembling both the continuous rolling of thunder and the distinct vibration produced by machinery.

The Royal Guard were all highly perceptive, and Moses, standing by his side, already looked up at the southern sky.

"What is that?"

Mekefa followed his gaze, only to see several odd-looking large birds appearing at the edge of the sky. Their wings were flat and elongated, their bodies reflecting a silvery glow in the sunlight.

Count Franken and Hollis were noticeably slower to react.

Only when these large birds broke through the clouds did they notice the anomalies in the sky.

"Damn it, those things aren’t birds!" Mekefa growled, "They’re mechanical constructs, some kind of advanced technology! Transmit my command, all units prepare for battle!"

Although he had never seen such constructs before, those coming from the south and specifically targeting the United Army were definitely not harmless. It was very likely that they originated from Thistlefort, and the purpose of the Envoy Delegation was not peace talks, but to delay their actions, providing these constructs with an opportunity to strike.

However, the "silver birds" did not lower their altitude further; they maintained a distance of eight or nine hundred meters from the ground and arranged themselves in a straight line. At that altitude, let alone firearms, even anti-aircraft artillery would have trouble hitting them. What alarmed Mekefa even more was the incredible speed of these constructs; when he first noticed them on the horizon, it took less than half a minute for them to approach the vanguard. Thirty seconds wasn’t even enough for a messenger to run through the entire formation and pass the command to the officers at each level.

You should know that in conventional cavalry field battles, after sighting the enemy, there was ample time to issue orders and allow subordinates to set up tactics and form battle formations.

Too fast... They were hundreds of times larger than birds, yet flew faster than birds, which was certainly not good news for the United Army!

But flying so high, how were they supposed to attack? Or was it that the enemy had sent these constructs merely for reconnaissance?

Mekefa didn’t have long to ponder this question in his mind.

For he saw that the constructs’ abdomen opened a "mouth," and below them, their bellies were hollow. Immediately after, many black objects fell from their bellies, aiming precisely at the trail through the woods.

The moment they hit the ground, flames, smoke, and the sounds of explosions burst forth all at once, the earth trembling beneath their feet, as if the entire forest had come to a boil!

Now Mekefa recognized it—it was artillery shelling!

"Spread out! Get down, quick!"