CHAPTER 166: THE GUNS

Steam hissed from the ground as fire met wet clay...

In just a few moments, the air filled with the stench of scorched earth and some alchemical residue.

Still, the Mud Golems kept coming. There were hundreds more.

Their supposed eye at the center was glowing, and it turned out to be one of their two cores as well...

They continued to pour in, but the Arcanum Circle didn’t falter.

"Oh winds that coil in fury...

Tempest Spiral!"

A vortex of slicing wind tore through a cluster of golems, flinging chunks of mud against the barricades.

"Oh flame that dances in bloom...

Crimson Petal!"

A burst of fire erupted in a fan-shaped arc, incinerating a dozen more.

Behind the mages, apprentices rotated mana flasks and recovery potions, keeping the casters fueled. They knew this was only the beginning.

Carlo’s eyes narrowed as he watched the next wave crest the slope.

It was still manageable.

But the Stone Golems were getting closer to their range now... Their bodies were just behind the sludge, waiting for their turn to enter the bottleneck.

"Focus," he said, voice low but firm. "We thin the mud... We will buy time and let the knights brace for what comes next."

***

Soon, the last volley of fire and wind spells tore through the remaining Mud Golems...

But the rhythm of the march didn’t stop.

The next wave crested the slope. This time, they were about to face the Rock Golems.

Their bodies weren’t as huge as the Silver Golem but it was still massive.

They were built from fractured ore, sharp stones, and dungeon-forged mineral. They moved slowly, but it was due to their weight...

Each step would make the ground tremble...

Unlike the Mud Golems, they didn’t slosh or stumble. They advanced like siege towers, shoulder to shoulder, and they looked unstoppable.

At this time, the mages had mostly been exhausted and could no longer cast spells.

Only a few of them were able to try...

Carlo raised his staff again.

"Oh winds that slice unseen...

Razing Gale!"

Thud...

The spell tore through the air, but when it struck the Rock Golems, it barely chipped their surface. Dust scattered and a few fragments broke off, but the golems didn’t slow.

Obviously, it lacked the penetration power or crushing strength enough to destroy it.

Then, another mage stepped forward.

"Oh flame that dances in bloom...

Crimson Petal!"

The fire burst across the front line, washing over the stone bodies. The heat shimmered, but the rocks didn’t melt.

Unfortunately, it was not enough. Not without a Tier 3 caster or higher... Maybe, they needed more than 20 Fire Mages as well to try burning a rock...

Carlo clenched his jaw.

"Low Tier spells won’t cut it," he muttered. "We need heavier firepower but my Mana..."

Behind him, apprentices scrambled to adjust their casting rotations. Mana flasks were swapped, cooldowns tracked. But the truth was clear: the bombardment was losing effectiveness against these Rock Golems.

A younger mage tried a different approach.

"Oh current that slows the march...

Aqua Bind!"

Water surged across the battlefield, pooling around the Rock Golems’ feet. Combined with the remnants of the Mud Golems, it created a thick, sticky terrain.

In just a few moments, the golems slowed... just slightly.

But the effect came with a cost.

Sir Fred of the Magicblade Order stepped forward, his boots already sinking into the sludge.

"Ease up on the water!" he shouted. "You’re bogging down my men!"

The knights behind him struggled to maintain formation behind the wall...

Their enchanted boots helped, but the terrain was turning against them. Mud, water, and broken clay made footing treacherous.

One misstep could mean a shattered ankle or worse.

Carlo turned to the water mage. "Minimal use only. Let’s just slow them down to help the knights. Low-tier Spells won’t help against the Rock Golems..."

The mage nodded, already switching to a wind chant.

The Rock Golems continued their advance.

They were now within the outer range of the barricades. Arrows from the Adventurers Guild teams began to fly... Edward was among them, aiming for exposed joints and cracks.

"Too thick," he muttered. "Even with enchantments, they’re shrugging it off."

Torren raised his hand.

"Oh earth that anchors...

Earthen Grasp!"

Stone hands erupted from the ground, grabbing at the legs of the nearest golem.

Just like that, it slowed the Rock Golem, but didn’t stop. The golem simply dragged the spellwork forward, grinding through the terrain.

Jiya frowned at this sight as she knew that her spells wouldn’t do much against the Rock Golems if Torren was already struggling...

Still, she could protect everyone if they were in danger...

Vanna stretched for a bit this time, she wanted to join the frontliners...

"Then we crush them if they come."

In the meantime, Arial didn’t speak. He was watching the Silver Golem.

It hadn’t moved from its position behind the Iron line.

It was still walking... Still untouched.

But the Rock Golems were now pressing into the bottleneck.

Sir Fred raised his blade.

"Knights! Formation Delta! Brace for impact!"

The swordmasters surged forward... Soon, their enchanted blades lit up with fire...

Then, they met the Rock Golems head-on!

It was steel against stone.

Thud! Crash!

Sparks flew as the clash echoed across the valley.

But it was not an easy battle!

Every strike had to be precise, targeting the Golem’s joints instead of its chunky part...

After all, the golems didn’t bleed or feel pain, and they just kept moving.

The clash continued for another hour...

Sir Fred led the charge, proving his title as the Ironflame.

"Crush them all!"

His blade ignited with a burst of flame as he struck the nearest Rock Golem across the shoulder. The impact sent a shockwave, but the golem didn’t fall immediately. It staggered, cracked... but kept moving for a few seconds before collapsing to the ground.

His blade was quite special as it wasn’t just sharp but also capable of targeting the internal body!

It means that he could hit the core inside!

However, that was not the case for the others, so he had to remind them.

"Target the joints!" Fred shouted. "Ignore the chestgo for the knees and neck!"

His knights obeyed, as they targeted between the lumbering stone bodies like they were practice dummies.

The golems were slow after all...

"Haa!"

"Follow the Captain!"

"Crush them!"

Their enchanted blades burned as they started carving shallow grooves into the golems’ limbs. Some managed to sever arms. A few even collapsed a knee, forcing a golem to tumble forward like a falling pillar.

But every victory came at a cost.

One knight misjudged his footing, his boot sank too deep into the sludge, and a golem’s arm slammed into him like a battering ram. He flew back into the barricade, armor dented, as he went unconscious.

Another knight struck, slicing through a golem’s ankle joint. The creature fell, but its momentum crushed two others beneath it, forcing the front line to scatter.

The terrain was unforgiving.

Mud, water, and broken clay turned every step into a gamble. Even with enchanted gear, the knights had to fight with restraint...

Every movement had to be calculated, every strike deliberate.

"Oh flame that answers the blade...

Ignition Edge!"

A mage from the Arcanum Circle was an enchanted and strengthened Fred’s sword...

Just like that, his sword flared. It became sharper and easier to deliver the "echo" or the power that could hit their internal body... But there were hundreds more.

’This is not good... If the Dungeon Boss comes out at this rate, we will be in huge trouble. The reinforcements should be hurrying by now.’ Fred thought.

***

In the meantime, from the command overlook, Mark watched the melee...

He didn’t wear armor. He didn’t need to.

At his side hung a silver-barreled weapon. It was one of the Crown Prince’s elite mana guns...

It was only available for the trusted organizations connected to the Royal Family...

It was the "M-6 Seraphim."

It almost felt like noble-exclusive weapon.

It had a six-shot capacity, and each bullet was a compressed mana shard, forged in the royal labs of Velmoria. The Seraphim was designed for precision, not volume.

Each shot is capable of piercing enchanted stone, disrupting beast cores, or destabilizing constructs made of mana.

Soon, Mark drew the weapon and the others did so as well...

They weren’t targeting the Rock Golems facing the knights but those around in the middle to lessen the pressure on the knights led by Fred...

Click.

The mana bullet fired with a sharp hiss followed by a trailing blue light. It struck the golem’s shoulder joint, and detonated.

Boom!

The arm blew off clean, sending the creature spinning into the mud.

Mark didn’t flinch.

He fired again.

Another golem collapsed, its core shattered.

Around him, the Crown Prince’s private army also started!

Their uniforms were dark, but it was light, unlike the knights... Each soldier carried a Seraphim-class weapon, and each one had trained for this exact moment.

Mark nodded as he saw how much damage he could do against the Rock Golems...

"Not bad... The mana bullets are effects."

He then turned to the soldiers.

"Fire in pairs. Don’t waste rounds..."