The moment the enemy retreated, Morin did not hesitate, immediately ordering a pursuit. However, this time, he was careful. Before issuing the command, he specifically checked the system map and confirmed that large numbers of follow-up allied forces were already pouring through the breach and moving toward his position. Excellent, he wouldn't be fighting alone behind enemy lines this time.
"Ludwig, keep shelling them! Don't let them escape!" Morin continued to shout, patting the leg armor of Ludwig's Armored Knight. Since there was no reliable wireless communication, they could only exchange information using this primitive method. Morin was also curious about how Ludwig, inside the Armored Knight, could hear him over the din of the battlefield.
"Leave it to me!" Ludwig and the other Armored Knight raised their Assault Cannons again.
"Thump! Thump!"
Two more high-explosive shells accurately slammed into the retreating Britannian crowd. The shockwave from the explosions tossed several soldiers like rag dolls, who slammed into the wall with a dull thud before sliding limply down. Panic spread through the Britannian soldiers like a plague. They had completely lost their will to fight, fleeing toward the rear of the street in a frantic scramble.
"Infantry follow up! Maintain formation! Advance with alternating cover!" Morin commanded loudly. The two Saxon companies, supported by the Armored Knights and Squires, began their pursuit with a steady, oppressive pace. The entire scene resembled an unequal hunt. The Britannians were in complete disarray, while Morin's unit pursued methodically, constantly using precise firepower to harvest lives.
The pursuit quickly led them to the bank of the Somme River. The wide river surface appeared before them. Across the river on the South Bank, the fire started by the crash of the L24 Armored Airship was still raging. Thick black smoke obscured half the sky, enveloping all of South Amiens in a scene of apocalypse. The air was filled with the acrid smell of burning and blood. Morin's gaze quickly scanned the riverbank, finally settling on the massive steel structure that spanned the Somme River—the Amiens Railway Bridge.
That was a transportation artery connecting the north and south banks of Amiens, and the only strategic passage capable of allowing trains to cross. If they could capture it, reinforcements and supplies could continuously pour into Amiens via rail, and then use the Amiens railway lines to advance toward Paris, sending the necessary supplies for the 'Revolving Door' to the front line.
"1st Company, 2nd Platoon!" Morin pointed toward the riverbank. "Go to the riverbank immediately! Search along the bridge piers! Check for explosives! Conceal yourselves, and be wary of snipers and Spellcasters on the opposite bank!"
"Yes!" The 2nd Platoon Leader acknowledged the order and immediately led his soldiers, crouching low, toward the embankment by the river.
Based on Morin's knowledge, in this era, nations had not yet developed advanced technologies like radio-controlled fuses. Therefore, in most cases, detonating explosives relied on the most primitive of fuses. But Morin dared not be complacent; their opponent was the Holy Britannian Empire. Who knew if those Highland Mages would have some unusual method of using magic for remote detonation?
Having made the arrangements, Morin, protected by Ludwig and the other Armored Knight, led the soldiers of the 1st Company's 1st Platoon directly toward the bridgehead of the railway bridge. The Britannians clearly knew the bridge's importance. They had hastily piled up a 'bridgehead' using sandbags, abandoned carriages, and various debris. Three Heavy Machine Guns extended their dark muzzles from behind the sandbags, covering the front and flanks of the bridgehead street.
"Cover!" Morin yelled. The infantry behind him immediately dispersed, using the nearby buildings and debris for cover, engaging the defenders in the bridgehead in a firefight.
"Ludwig, it's your time to shine!"
"Watch me!" Ludwig and the other Armored Knight raised their Assault Cannons again.
Ludwig controlled his massive War Machine and charged forward with great strides. The Britannian soldiers in the bridgehead were terrified to see the steel giant rushing toward them. They frantically pulled their triggers, but the bullets striking the Armored Knight only sparked and made a useless clanging sound. Ludwig didn't even bother to use his shield to block.
He reached the sandbag barricade, raised his massive mechanical foot, and kicked forward violently.
"Boom!"
With a loud crash, the barricade, composed of sandbags and debris, collapsed like paper. Before the Britannian soldiers inside could react, the Saxon soldiers following behind were already charging up with their submachine guns.
"Da-da-da-da."
After a dense burst of gunfire, the resistance at the bridgehead ceased completely.
"Secure the bridgehead! Establish a defense line! Wait for the other two teams to link up!" Morin rushed forward, quickly issuing orders. The soldiers immediately went into action, dragging away the enemy corpses and using the destroyed barricades to construct a new defense line facing the South Bank.
Morin walked over to Ludwig and the newly arrived Klaus.
"Ludwig, Klaus, listen up. When you see my signal, immediately lead your men across the bridge. Do not hesitate!" The two men were stunned.
"Battalion Commander, your signal?" Klaus asked, confused. "What signal? Are… are you not going with us?"
"I'm going first," Morin said lightly.
"What?!" Ludwig and Klaus both exclaimed simultaneously. "You're going alone?!" Ludwig's voice was distorted by the loudspeaker. "Morin, are you insane?! We don't even know the situation on the South Bank! There are definitely still enemies on the bridge! Isn't going alone suicide?"
"That's right, Battalion Commander!" Klaus also grew anxious. "This is too dangerous! It's safer if we charge together!"
"No, charging together makes us too large a target," Morin analyzed, shaking his head: "The Britannians will 100% blow the bridge if we send a large unit over. But if they don't see anyone crossing, they won't blow the bridge so quickly. Don't forget, they still have many troops on the North Bank who haven't retreated yet!"
"But…"
"There are no buts!" Morin cut them off: "I will use [Invisibility]; they won't be able to see me! As long as I can sneak to the opposite bank and neutralize the person responsible for the detonation, the bridge is ours!"
Ludwig and Klaus fell silent. They knew Morin was a Spellcaster and had witnessed his miraculous methods. But one man sneaking across a heavily guarded bridge to eliminate a bomb threat right under the noses of enemy Spellcasters and soldiers… it still sounded like utter fantasy.
"The… the success rate is too low," Klaus still felt uneasy.
"Don't worry, I have it under control." Morin's face showed a confident smile.
He gave the two no further chance to persuade him, turned, and took a freshly loaded MG14 Light Machine Gun with a full drum magazine from a 1st Company Machine Gunner nearby. Although this weapon was much heavier than a submachine gun, the sustained fire provided by the large belt would be extremely useful in the upcoming action.
"Wait for my signal!" Morin said finally. He carried the MG14 Light Machine Gun, which seemed disproportionate to his size, and without looking back, ran toward the railway bridge.
"Battalion Commander!"
"Morin!" Klaus and Ludwig could only watch his retreating figure disappear into the smoke at the bridgehead.
Just as Morin's figure was about to be fully exposed to the enemy on the bridge, he activated [Invisibility] with a practiced gesture and incantation. A faint magical aura flashed across his body. The next second, his entire body, along with the MG14 Light Machine Gun, vanished into thin air, as if dissolving into the atmosphere.
Ludwig and Klaus, having lost sight of Morin, could only silently pray, hoping Morin would truly make it to the opposite bank as he claimed.
Morin was now sprinting across the railway bridge at an astonishing speed. He felt a surge of strength in his body, carrying the heavy MG14 Light Machine Gun as easily as a fire poker. He ran with incredible speed, faster than he himself expected.
"Is it the spell's augmentation, or is my own physical body getting stronger?" Morin pondered as he ran. Since crossing over, especially since becoming a Spellcaster, he had noticed a steady, unscientific improvement in his strength, speed, and reflexes. It felt like a character in a game constantly leveling up and allocating skill points… Although he didn't know why, this enhancement had so far brought no negative consequences.
The immense destruction caused by the crash of the L24 Armored Airship on the South Bank now served as Morin's best cover. Thick black smoke was blown toward the North Bank, shrouding the entire Somme River and the railway bridge, making visibility extremely poor. The Britannian soldiers on the bridge were clearly disoriented by the sudden chaos. They were huddled in small groups behind temporary barricades made of sandbags and railway sleepers, nervously watching the movement on the North Bank. None of them suspected that an invisible death was swiftly rushing past them.
Morin cautiously moved around the few barricades on the bridge. He could clearly see the anxious expressions on the faces of the Britannian soldiers hiding behind cover. Passing the long span of the bridge, the South Bank bridgehead finally appeared before him. Morin did not charge straight across but slammed on the brakes, ducking behind a pile of debris near the last barricade on the bridgehead.
He poked out half his head. Before the [Invisibility] spell wore off, he began carefully observing the situation on the South Bank. The South Bank bridgehead was much more chaotic than the North Bank. Dispatch Riders and officers were running back and forth everywhere. Large numbers of Britannian soldiers were being organized and continuously sent to reinforce the bridge, attempting to push the Saxons back.
Amidst these chaotic soldiers, two specific figures immediately captured Morin's full attention. The two men wore dark Mage Robes, completely different from the other soldiers. They were clearly Highland Mages. They were standing in an open area not far from the bridgehead, and the surrounding soldiers instinctively avoided them, forming a small vacuum.
One of the older-looking Mages was holding a fist-sized, glowing crystal that pulsed slowly like a heart. The crystal flickered between light and dark, emitting an eerie red glow, like a breathing lamp. The other, younger-looking Mage stood beside him, looking nervous, occasionally whispering something to the older Mage while gesturing with his hands.
A notification popped up in the [Intelligence] tab:
['Type 2' Magic Crystal Detonation Device: Can remotely detonate Magic Crystal Stone Bombs via magical resonance.]
"Damn it, it's magical detonation!" He hadn't seen any fuses on the bridge piers on the North Bank, so the only possibility was magical detonation. If that Mage crushed or activated the crystal, the entire railway bridge would likely be blown to smithereens in an instant. He absolutely could not let them succeed!
Morin took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. Charging out now and opening fire would certainly catch them by surprise. But they were Mages, and who knew if they had any protective spells or magical items to save themselves? If he failed to kill them instantly and they reacted and activated the crystal, all would be lost. He had to ensure absolute success.
Morin quietly retreated behind the debris and began applying his self-buffs. He first concentrated his mind, condensing a protective force field composed of pure magic on his body surface.
[Mage Armor]
Immediately following, he summoned an invisible Magic Shield that could deflect attacks in front of him.
[Spell Empowerment] — [Shield Spell]
Even with these two layers of protection, Morin felt it wasn't enough. He looked at the MG14 Light Machine Gun in his hand, and a new 'idea' sparked. Since his Spellcaster level had reached 4, he had unlocked a new spell. He hadn't had a chance to use this spell in previous battles, but now seemed the perfect moment for its debut.
Morin extended his left hand, pressing it onto the cold receiver of the MG14, muttering the incantation.
[Second Circle Spell — Enchant Weapon]
A surge of pure magical energy flowed down his arm and into the cold weapon. A faint blue Magic Aura flashed across the MG14's receiver, as if injecting a soul into the machine gun. At the muzzle, a visible blue halo condensed. Morin could feel that the machine gun was no longer an ordinary weapon. Every bullet it fired would be imbued with magical damage, making it more powerful and penetrating.
"Come on, let me give you a taste of Magic Girl—I mean, magic machine gun power!"
With his preparations complete, Morin abruptly rose from behind the debris, holding the MG14 Light Machine Gun—now glowing with an eerie blue light—firmly in his hands. The dark muzzle was aimed directly at the two Mages, who had just noticed the abnormal magical fluctuation behind them.
As Spellcasters, they were highly sensitive to the flow of magic.
"Who is it?!" The younger Highland Mage apprentice reacted first. He turned around in horror, only to see a sight he would never forget: a Saxon soldier holding a bizarre-looking machine gun standing not far away, aiming at them.
The next moment, the muzzle of the machine gun spat out a terrifying blue flame!
(End of this Chapter)