Merchant From Earth in the Magical World-Chapter 458 - 378: Squad Skirmish_1

Knight Koleiji was the squadron leader of the Fourth Squadron under the Storm Knights.

He had received orders from Duke Anderson to sortie that day.

Leading the forty knights under his command, he joined the offensive against the Eternal Domain’s positions.

Additionally, a team of two hundred elite soldiers coordinated with them for this breakthrough.

Launching their assault from a salient already occupied by their side, they broke through three of the Eternal Domain garrison’s defensive belts and captured four ring-shaped positions.

Although the Storm Knights’ attack was effective, they also suffered heavy losses under the defenders’ fierce assault.

Casualties from those killed in action, separated from the unit, or forced to retreat due to injuries had cost Knight Koleiji’s troop more than half its strength.

Fortunately, most of the losses were common soldiers; he still had thirty-one Storm Knights by his side.

Knight Koleiji’s somewhat overextended squadron did not rush to continue the offensive. If their reinforcements could not catch up, their retreat route could be cut off by the enemy on both flanks.

Artillery, machine guns, explosives...

The Eternal Domain’s barrage seemed relentless, as if its munitions cost nothing, forming a fiery barrier between Knight Koleiji’s squadron and the follow-up troops.

The delayed support gave Knight Koleiji an ominous premonition.

Based on his combat experience, the enemy likely had a strong force advancing, intending to encircle and annihilate his vanguard.

Knight Koleiji immediately ordered his men to utilize the existing defensive fortifications and hold their position while awaiting reinforcements.

This barrage can’t be sustained for long, Knight Koleiji mused. As soon as there’s a slight lull, we should receive support from the rear.

The vanguard squadron quickly obeyed Knight Koleiji’s commands, seizing various key points of the position.

Knight Koleiji went to the center of the position and used an abandoned periscope to observe the surroundings.

The more he observed, the more he marveled at the position’s ingenious design.

This ring-shaped position was divided into three layers—inner, middle, and outer—and stood semi-independently amidst the Eternal Domain’s entire network of trench lines. Due to its elevated terrain, it encompassed all surrounding open areas within its firing range.

Even if the defensive lines on both flanks were lost, or even those to the sides and rear, this position would still be easy to defend and hard to assault, inflicting heavy casualties on any attackers, he considered.

Furthermore, the Eternal Domain’s garrison was not deployed uniformly across the entire frontline.

Their entire defense was structured around these individual ring-shaped positions. They used these points to form defensive lines, which then interconnected to cover the area, allowing them to defend the entire frontline with a relatively small number of soldiers.

This means... he realized, the Eternal Domain has far fewer soldiers on the frontlines than Duke Anderson estimated. Yet, they’ve given our soldiers the illusion that the enemy is everywhere!

Suddenly, artillery shells rained down like hailstones, nearly engulfing the entire position in dust and smoke.

Having fought their way this far, the soldiers of the assault squadron were intimately familiar with the layout of the Eternal Domain’s positions. The moment the artillery barrage began, they all scrambled into the dugouts excavated by the garrison.

Inside the dugouts, the ground shook violently, and large chunks of earth rained down from the roof.

Knight Koleiji noticed that the soldiers who had rushed in with him were all carrying the Eternal Domain’s Sparrow Hunting Rifles. Some had tucked their Cloud Tower Charged Magic Wands into the small of their backs, while others had simply discarded them.

This was a common sight in the armies of the Wildwind Principality.

The soldiers greatly favored weapons and equipment from the Eternal Domain, often fighting amongst themselves over captured Eternal Domain firearms and ammunition.

The soldiers can’t be blamed for disdaining their own equipment, Knight Koleiji mused. Only through combat does one learn which weapons are truly more practical. The Charged Magic Wand simply wasn’t designed for this type of warfare. While wielding it might look sophisticated, soldiers don’t need sophistication. They need a weapon capable of killing the enemy and keeping themselves alive. In contrast, the weapons the Eternal Domain equips its soldiers with are designed specifically to kill effectively in this kind of warfare.

Fortunately, at Duke Anderson’s behest, Cloud Tower is set to build an Alchemical Weapons Armory in Storm City. Soon, the soldiers of the Wildwind Principality will be able to wield weapons of our own design and manufacture.

Knight Koleiji did not stop his soldiers from using the enemy’s weapons. He drew his knightly sword and stood at the dugout entrance, listening intently to the sounds outside.

The artillery bombardment is thinning out, Knight Koleiji noted. The enemy’s assault must be imminent...

Just then, an ear-splitting howl tore through the sky. It grew louder and louder, creating an intensely oppressive atmosphere.

Soldiers familiar with the sound screamed, "It’s the Deer Hunter! The Deer Hunter!"

The battlefield prowess of the Deer Hunter Dive Bomber had cast an immense psychological shadow over the soldiers of the Wildwind Principality.

They circled high overhead, like eagles seeking prey on the ground. Once one locked onto a target, it would dive straight down, releasing the "eggs" from its bomb bay just before reaching the ground.

Then, with a deafening roar, the "egg" would obliterate everything within its blast radius.

The Deer Hunter Dive Bomber emitted a distinctive, terrifying shriek as it dived towards its target. Consequently, soldiers of the Wildwind Principality would panic whenever they heard this sound drawing near.

Ignoring the still-falling artillery shells, the soldiers scrambled out of their shelters, screaming. They knew the dugouts offered no real protection and might even collapse on top of them if bombed.

Knight Koleiji also emerged from the dugout. Unlike the other panicked soldiers, he did not run around aimlessly. Instead, he located the Deer Hunter Dive Bomber descending from the sky. He swung his sword back, poising it behind him as he gathered his strength.