268: Chapter 268 Head-on Confrontation

"They're actually choosing to launch a direct assault here?"

Defense Center No. 1, Command Room.

Zhang Huaiyuan sensed the opponent's route through the thought network and raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Fine then. They can all stay here forever."

He sent out requests for reinforcements to other students while simultaneously issuing orders to prepare for battle.

He hadn't been idle during this time.

He had deployed over a hundred thousand engineering robots into the construction of defensive fortifications.

The other four students in charge of logistics hadn't disappointed him either; in a very short time, they had set up automated conveyor belts leading from processing plants in various mining zones to the front lines, ensuring an ample supply of resources.

In just over a month, Zhang Huaiyuan had not only built ten kilometers of continuous defensive works along the line but also planted countless proximity-triggered spider mines. Calculating the timing, they should be entering the minefield now.

"I'd like to see how you plan to break through my wall of steel... Hm? Why are they disappearing so fast!"

Zhang Huaiyuan's expression suddenly changed. He discovered that over ten thousand mines had been triggered and vanished from the thought network's sensing in an instant. With a thought, he switched his vision to the front lines.

He saw a boundless, vast sea of people surging forward. They came wave after wave, watching their companions ahead being blown to pieces without a single pause, as if the path ahead wasn't a line of death, but heaven itself.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Dense explosions rang out.

These were specially made spider mines with immense power, each capable of taking dozens of lives.

But against a legion of believers numbering in the hundreds of millions, this seemed insignificant.

Even the soaring flames were quickly swallowed by the sea of people.

After charging through the minefield, they were met by countless bunkers, automated turrets, tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, and other mechanical units standing ready.

Frantic firepower poured out as if it cost nothing.

The warriors at the very front fell in swathes like wheat being harvested.

Even the strongest knights couldn't last more than a few seconds under such saturated firepower before being riddled with holes.

"Are these people from the Holy Light Monastery insane?"

A look of astonishment appeared on Zhang Huaiyuan's face.

Although he wasn't clear on their specific strength, looking through the perspective of the spider mine explosions, many of them couldn't even manage a protective aura; they were clearly just ordinary people.

If even these people were being sent onto the field, didn't that mean the opponent had left themselves no way out and was using all their power to attack him?

"Aren't they afraid of those from Leviathan Academy taking advantage of the situation? Are they really that confident they can take down our defense line?"

Zhang Huaiyuan found it difficult to understand for a moment.

A technological defense line was always the hardest to break. To put it bluntly, even if they did take it, how much combat power would they have left to face Leviathan Academy at their peak? Wasn't this just handing over the victory!

"Something's not right. Could they be hiding some other trick?"

Countless thoughts flashed through Zhang Huaiyuan's mind.

But just then, massive magic circles suddenly unfolded in the sky.

These were mage legions, chanting large-scale spells under the direction of over a dozen mages at the God of Magic realm.

Through the effect of True Sight, the frantic surge of various elements in the sky could be clearly seen.

"Damn it, do they really think we're easy targets?"

Seeing this, Zhang Huaiyuan also felt a surge of anger. With a shift of his will...

Large mechs, each dozens of meters tall, stepped out from the rear. The turrets on their shoulders rotated, revealing dense arrays of ports.

Thor-class Mechs.

He had specifically designed them to counter Rune Magic and powerful creatures; they possessed both anti-air and anti-ground forms.

After switching to anti-air mode, the rapid-fire cannons on their shoulders would switch to missile launchers, capable of firing over 1,200 small missiles per second.

"Aim at the coordinates and fire!"

Zhang Huaiyuan activated True Sight, rapidly scanning the link nodes on the massive magic circles in the sky and synchronizing them through the thought network.

In the next moment, over a hundred of the behemoths aimed simultaneously.

"Feel the power of Thor!"

The mechs, which possessed rudimentary intelligence under the thought network connection, let out heavy, metallic roars.

In an instant, countless small missiles tore through the air like a pouring rain, covering the entire sky.

Bang!

The nearest large-scale magic circle bore the brunt of it. Those missiles accurately struck the critical nodes of the rune links.

Instantly, the surging elements became congested and blocked, suddenly exploding and blooming into a brilliant firework.

An invisible wave spread out, knocking nearby powerful Dragon Knights thousands of meters away.

The God of Magic and the mage legion presiding over this circle immediately suffered backlash, spitting out several mouthfuls of blood as their spirits withered.

"Oh? Does that fellow's understanding of Rune Magic also go this deep?"

Saintess Jiang Nian's expression didn't change at all; instead, she looked at the shattered magic circle with interest.

Such formed large-scale magic circles were very difficult to shatter. It required either ten times the power or accurately breaking the rune connection points.

And those missiles just now clearly hadn't reached such high intensity.

She gently waved the staff at her side, and a spell rapidly spread out.

Fourth-Tier Faith Divine Art: Divine Assistance.

Instantly, the remaining circles still gathering power began to charge at nearly ten times their original speed, with brilliant elemental power surging incessantly.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

However, at the same time, the Thor mechs' missile tubes also coordinated with the ground turrets to maintain a continuous attack.

Facing firepower from all directions, it was futile even with the Dragon Knights' full efforts to block it; one magic circle after another shattered.

By the time the eighth circle was also destroyed, the remaining five were finally completed under the Faith Divine Art.

"This is trouble. Activate regional Ion Shields. Mechanical units, continue the attack."

With a single glance, Zhang Huaiyuan saw that the power contained in these magic circles far exceeded the upper limit that the wide-range shields could withstand.

Pale blue barriers rose from the edges of the battlefield.

The next moment, boundless rain of fire and lightning descended from the heavens.

After annihilating the intercepting cannon fire, they struck directly onto the pale blue Ion Shields.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

In just a few minutes, the blue Ion Shields were beaten into an uneven mess, emitting bursts of violent electrical noise, clearly having reached their limit.

After holding out for another few dozen seconds, the entire barrier finally could no longer withstand the continuous bombardment and quietly shattered.

The violent magic instantly submerged the entire mechanical legion.

A full half-hour later...

The power of the magic circles was finally exhausted, revealing a battlefield full of holes, with the wreckage of mech warriors and turrets scattered everywhere.

"Hm? How can this be!"

However, the Missionaries instead frowned.

This was a strike that gathered almost all the mages' power, yet it had only destroyed less than a tenth of the machinery.

"No, there's something wrong with that metal!"

One of the Missionaries seemed to have discovered something and quickly gave an order.

Soon, a Dragon Knight returned carrying a small pile of shattered metal wreckage.

Beneath the scorched blackness, the metal still flowed like liquid, emitting a faint, mysterious luster.

"This... this is anti-magic material! He was actually able to research such perfect anti-magic material so quickly under these conditions!"

...