Apocalypse Gachapon

The West Asians also knew the city gates were the focal point of defense, stationing heavy forces there. Aside from that outstanding defensive professional, most others with long-range attack abilities were also positioned here.

As long as the gates held, the idea that this small force outside could breach the Holy City was pure fantasy.

After two waves of attacks, those floating aircraft suddenly appeared above the middle sections of the walls, launching missiles from above.

The attacking side always held the initiative, and Cloud Peak was no exception.

Warriors wielding rocket launchers also emerged here, countless rockets now targeting not the gates but the evolved on the walls and the various defensive installations.

Even with the flares illuminating the sky above the walls as bright as day, the farther the distance, the darker it became.

Cloud Peak’s warriors successfully exploited this, along with the range of the V3 grenade-launching rockets and their rapid movement, coordinating with the Exquisite Floating Spheres to launch two more waves of attacks before swiftly retreating, denying the defenders any chance to counterattack.

Meanwhile, the assault on the gates did not cease—the War Fortress, which had initially withdrawn, roared back to life, delivering two more bombardments.

After the second wave, Cloud Peak still achieved no tangible results: not a single missile or rocket struck the gates, no defensive installations were destroyed, and not a single Holy City warrior was injured.

By then, the slowly rising flares had reached their peak altitude, hovering in the air and swaying slightly with the wind.

This caused the light below to flicker erratically, lending an eerie, sinister atmosphere to the night.

The Exquisite Floating Balls retreated once more, and the Cloud Peak warriors also withdrew.

On the palace of the City Lord’s residence, cheerful smiles spread, though some voiced concerns.

“Another attack like this, Holy Master—their ammunition isn’t exhausted. If they’re attacking in waves like this, could there be some scheme? Where the gaze of the Almighty does not reach, there are always treacherous and cunning men.”

As he spoke, the man bowed his head, pressing a hand to his chest at the mention of the Almighty.

The City Lord remained silent, but someone else laughed. “Suhail, you overestimate them. The facts prove these are fools. Haven’t we confirmed it? They’re the Easterners who killed His Highness the Prince! Before, we were careless, letting them exploit a special wheel to ambush us. But since then, you know how much the Holy City has developed. We hadn’t even sought revenge, and now they deliver themselves to us—with only a hundred thousand or so troops! Even if they have endless missiles, so what? They’ll still be annihilated! Once the sun rises tomorrow and our slave army’s combat power is no longer hindered by darkness, it will be time to slaughter them all!”

Finishing his words, he bowed toward the Holy City’s ruler. “Your Majesty, I request to deploy our air force and teach these Eastern invaders a lesson on the brink of extinction!”

The City Lord—His Majesty Ahmad, King of the Holy City—smiled at his subordinate before waving a hand. “Granted. But do not venture too deep. Let these Cloud Peak fools taste some bitterness. All we need to do is wait for dawn. The slave army is one aspect, but mainly, Sayyid also needs a little more time to prepare. He will leave those outside with a heavy memory of death.”

The others nodded in understanding, even Suhail, who had earlier expressed concern.

…………………………………………………………

“Boss, their air force has appeared!”

A staff officer monitoring the feed from the Exquisite Floating Balls promptly reported the enemy’s movements.

“Any sign of the Saint Light Hall’s air units?”

“None so far!”

“Proceed as planned.”

At Ye Zhongming’s command, the Exquisite Floating Balls in the sky immediately gained altitude and distanced themselves from the Holy City. The ground forces, however, held their positions—though some among them raised their weapons, eyes fixed on the illuminated sky.

The Holy City’s air force chose the western flank as their target.

This was random, as the invading enemy had so far maintained a balanced deployment across all four directions.

The numbers of aircraft, War Fortresses, and evolved were roughly equal on each front.

So it didn’t matter where they struck.

The Holy City’s air force could hardly be called a proper military unit—it was more like a ragtag mob.

Their mounts were bizarre and varied, with only half carrying riders. The rest were simply controlled flying creatures.

To attack ground forces, many of these flying creatures had boxes strapped to their sides, filled with javelins, axes, iron balls, and even stones.

In the Holy City, though this air force might seem unimpressive, their status was second only to the Royal Guard. In an era where fighter jets and bombers had vanished, the advantage of aerial forces was immense—especially in numbers. A swarm like this could indeed wreak havoc on ground troops.

The Holy City’s air force had played a decisive role in many past battles.

This time, as the first unit to actively engage the enemy, they were brimming with confidence. They didn’t even bother forming proper ranks before surging out of the city in a disorderly mass, charging toward what they believed would soon be a shattered foe.

With the varying speeds of their mounts, gaps had already begun forming between them before they even cleared the walls. But from inside the city, the sight was imposing—a vast, overwhelming wave.

Cheers erupted from the guards on the walls. Though they hadn’t suffered any real damage in the earlier attacks, being on the defensive had left them frustrated. Now, seeing their own forces sally forth, they were elated.

But then—a gunshot rang out.

The lead flying beast plummeted from the sky, its rider screaming in terror—uselessly. With a thud, it crashed to the ground. Thanks to the evolved’s robust physique, the rider didn’t die instantly, twitching a few times before going still.

This startled many, and nearby aerial riders instinctively reined in their mounts, wary.

Yet no further gunfire followed. Even as the bulk of the air force crossed the walls, there was no repeat.

The Holy City’s air forces relaxed.

It made sense—such power, such range, surely required a specialized firearm, specialized ammunition, and possibly even a specialized gun skill!

Having even one such person or weapon was impressive enough.

They shouted as they flew toward their targets, many riders gripping javelins or readying ranged weapons, preparing to unleash punishment on these Easterners once they closed the distance.

But then—a sudden, unforeseen event left them scrambling. By the time they realized what was happening, terror was the only emotion left in their hearts.