Unlike Lionel Jonson and his were-beasts, I wasn't good at reconnaissance in force or rapid strike action. I actually wasn't even that good at the task that my Primarch and the Legion that fathered my Chapter was – fortification. My primogenitors might have held the Palace on Terra during the dark days of the Heresy, but at present, I had ended up leading a Crusading force through the stars, having learned the skills of fleet boarding actions and knighthood from our first High Marshal.
…wait, what?
I blinked and shook away the images of black templar crosses that were stitched across fluttering standards that stretched for meters. The Gothic interior of something resembling a battleship that sported cathedrals throughout the hull was replaced by the shinier fortifications of the dwarven dungeons. At a glance, I saw that it was meaningless to summon my Construction Crabs here to reinforce the material and build defensive towers, reinforced ramparts and wide walls.
The dwarves were master builders and artisans, and their dungeons were already a formidable fortress. There were ramparts with cannons and archers and gunmen. Apparently, the dwarves were using magic rifles, the barrels crackling with mana. Instead of ammunition, the guns and cannons tapped into either the wielder's personal pool of mana or into the ley lines and dragon veins that spread across the dungeons, the bigger armaments much like spirit arrays channeled into a single tool. Durable walls had been erected, the adamantine hulls several meters thick to absorb spells, techniques and projectiles, or even sharp weapons wielded by Earth ranked cultivators.
The Mystic Demon Sect was going to find it difficult to crack the dwarves' dungeons open.
Of course, the problem was that this being two dungeons, there were more entrances from which the enemy could assault from. The dungeon I was in right now was the Hel Dungeon, and it was linked to the Moran dungeon by a network of mines. Fortunately for us, unless the enemy had digging devices or spirit beasts (like moles), it would be near impossible for them to access the mines because the only entrances to the mines would be found in either dungeon. That was the reason why the dwarves' dungeons were so coveted – because it was the only way to own the mines that were brimming with all sorts of spirit ores, spirit stones and precious minerals.
I had inspected the mines and visited Moran Dungeon as well, which was equally fortified. However, the scouts had reported that the bulk of the Mystic Demon Sect would be attacking from the Hel Dungeon, though there were confirmed sightings of a smaller but still significant force approaching from the Moran Dungeon. The dwarves had split up their forces to man each dungeon, but they had also put into place easy access tunnels through the mines where reserves and reinforcements could flow from one dungeon to the next if necessary.
I was impressed when I saw the mine-trains, which was the term they used for the transports. They were more akin to an armored train, a series of linked carriages that ran on tracks across a network of rails that spread underground throughout the mines. They were a miniature fortress by themselves, just more serpentine and mobile, their exhaust pipes belching thick fumes as mana combusted in great engines.
At least they weren't running on coal. That would increase greenhouse gases and the carbon imprint on our already polluted planet.
Oh, what? I saw several of the comments scoffing at me and claiming that climate change was a hoax, and condemning me for getting "political" with my environmental comments. Oh, f off. I wasn't sure how to respond to deluded morons who outright ignored the scientific facts and instead believed in the rhetoric of a corrupted politician who was more concerned with making profits and getting paid by oil corporations, even to the extent of covering up the world's ailing condition with lies. And they called me political.
"Nice. How long will each trip take? And how many personnel can these mine-trains transport?"
"Ten minutes from Hel Dungeon to Moran Dungeon without any stops, and vice versa. And each mine-train can transport an entire company. Um, that's about a hundred dwarves. And we have ten mine-trains currently in service."
"Excellent." I nodded, impressed. "That will help a lot. We'll send reserves and reinforcements to whichever dungeon needs it more, and we'll keep a single company in the mines for patrol, in case the enemy has some way of digging through the mines."
"We already have that. The Miner Corps have volunteered to continually patrol the mines and keep an eye out for any anomalies."
"Awesome."
Once I had been to Moran Dungeon and inspected the mines, I returned to Hel Dungeon and checked on the progress of Sylvie and Silvia. it appeared that they had made good use of the time to set up multiple spirit arrays around the fortress. Spirit sword spirit arrays, barriers, protective screens, and more. I wondered if I should summon Long Wang and have him standby in Moran Dungeon, setting up spirit arrays there and controlling them, but I decided it would have more strategic value in keeping him in reserve.
I might need him to fight against Xuan Hua Divine. Cough, I mean Mystic Demonic Divine. I had to be careful to not accidentally rip off The Celestial Zone.
"We have everything set up and ready, Jun Wen," Sylvie reported, approaching me the moment she saw me disembark from the loud, thunderous mine-train. The vehicle had skidded to a shrieking stop and clanged nosily, still belching out smoke from the front carriage. I smiled and reached out to pat her head.
"Thanks. I appreciate it."
"Ready for action, big bro!" Silvia saluted somewhat mockingly, and then lowered her hand, stretching her head out a little in an anticipating manner. I understood what she wanted and patted her too.
"Thanks."
Behind me, Jun Hai also got off the mine-train, having followed me through the mines and to the Moran Dungeon. Since he could summon spirit beasts that could fly or run, he was also going to serve in a rapid response role that could travel back and forth if necessary, same as me. As such, I turned to him with a question.
"Where do you think we should deploy?"
"I guess we should stay here for now." Jun Hai nodded toward the gate. "The gate here is a bit bigger, and the scouts say the main bulk of the Mystic Demon Sect will be heading toward here instead of the Moran Dungeon. We have an equally formidable force and defenses positioned in the Moran Dungeon, so they should be fine. But if Mystic Demonic Divine himself is going to strike from here, then we should meet him head-on."
"Yeah, I agree. If he shows up at the Moran Dungeon entrance, though, we'll just hop onto one of the mine-trains and rush over there."
"If necessary, we can summon our spirit beasts. My Violent Salamander will be able to fly me over in less than five minutes."
"We should avoid that because of how narrow and small the mine tunnels are."
"Yeah, it's just a last case resort. Still good to have that option, though."
I couldn't argue against that. Nodding, I went toward the huge space between the gate and the dwarven palace, as well as entrance to the mines. Already, phalanxes of dwarves had gathered in formations, wielding hammers, axes and rifles. There was an entire platoon armed with shields that complemented their hammers, which crackled with disruption fields. I bet those lightning hammers doubled their strength. They might be unwieldy, meaning they either struck at the final initiative or the poor dwarves had to subtract one from their weapon skill. Even so, they were Brutal weapons that could kill a heavily armored warrior in a single hit. In huge numbers, they could even threaten a Golem.
Yet, for all of their fine artistry, elegant equipment, powerful war gear and meticulously crafted weapons, the dwarves were not renowned for their combat prowess. They had an amazing reputation for their smithing and craftsmanship, but they were makers, not destroyers.
That was where my friends, family and I came in.
"Jun Wen!" Myria waved from a tower when Jun Hai and I looked for the best place to summon our spirit beasts and fight. She hopped down before I could climb it, landing gracefully in the dirt. Her sword was sheathed by her side, with her choosing to let it out instead of keeping it in her storage device. I wasn't sure why.
"Hey. What's up?"
"They are coming." Myria's expression was grim. "I just received news from the were-beasts. Lionel Jonson sent a message."
I had introduced her to the were-beasts before we set out, right when I was strategizing with Lionel and his subordinates on how they could contribute to the fight. I had requested that they stay in the forest and form a raiding force that would conduct hit-and-run tactics on the enemy's rearguard, cut off supplies and throw them into confusion…and eventually cut off their retreat, allowing the dwarves and the were-beasts to crush the Mystic Demon Sect between them. At least that was the plan, but given the strength of the Mystic Demon Sect and their leader, Mystic Demonic Divine, I wasn't sure how well it would go. To prevent morale from dropping, I hadn't revealed that concern to anyone.
Mystic Demonic Divine was the main threat in the enemy lines. Defeating him was key to determining whether this war would end in a victory or utter loss. I didn't want to think too much about it, though. Whatever happens will happen, and excessively worrying over it wasn't going to change the outcome. I could only do what I thought was best and react according to whatever circumstances arises during the battle itself.
This was going to be a siege warfare, though, and as such, the were-beasts were pivotal to our strategy. By hitting the enemy's supply lines and cutting off reinforcements while throwing their rearguard into disarray, we would be able to slowly inch our way to victory. Though, make no mistake, the most pivotal moment would be countering Mystic Demonic Divine's charge wherever he chose to appear.
For now, the were-beasts were making use of their natural affinity with the forest to stealthily keep track of the enemy and pass on crucial scouting information to us. Normally, I would ask them to avoid the Mystic Demon Sect at all costs because they were being hunted and enslaved to become berserk warriors and fodder for the malicious villains. However, that concern was allayed by the enemy's current focus on the dwarves' dungeons. In other words, the Mystic Demon Sect couldn't spare any forces to hunt for were-beasts or other recruitment because they had committed to an all-out offense to conquer the Hel-Moran Combine.
Honestly, while the Mystic Demon Sect might appear to be a formidable force, they weren't invincible. They had their own limitations and problems. Infighting was rife, especially between competing warlords who flocked to Mystic Demonic Divine's banner because of ambition, greed and glory. When such powerful combatants with gigantic egos came together, they would inevitably clash as they backstabbed each other in order to ascend the ranks and win the favor of Mystic Demonic Divine. In fact, I was certain that most of them would betray him and usurp his position as the next superpower in the demonic cultivation path the moment they saw an opportunity.
The orthodox sects might be hypocrites and corruptible, but there were still many people within who believed in the ideals of justice, loyalty and doing the right thing. The demonic sects, on the other hand, were open about their untrustworthiness, greed and lack of compassion.
"Yeah," Myria was saying. "Their advance has stalled because two elders couldn't agree on the route and came to blows. Mystic Demonic Divine was forced to send a lieutenant to deal with the fallout, but the intersect conflict costed them a good portion of their army. The dissenters almost committed open rebellion."
"That buys us some time," Jun Hai mused. "I was hoping that they would end up slaughtering each other, but Mystic Demonic Divine will probably cower all of them to submission eventually."
"He will," Myria agreed. "It won't be long before he executes the rebels and force the survivors back to line."
I nodded wearily and narrowed my eyes. "But that's not all, is it? Given your somber expression, I suspect you have bad news."
"Correct," Myria affirmed with a sigh. "You are right. The main piece of news that Lionel Jonson wishes to impart is that…Mystic Demonic Divine himself has been sighted. He is personally leading his army toward Hel Dungeon right now. He has gotten us visual confirmation of that."
"At least we know where he will be coming from." I exhaled as I attempted to not display my unease. "What's his estimated time of arrival?"
Myria gave me a look that chilled my blood. "Even taking into account the time he needs to crush dissenters and bring back to the fold of the Mystic Demon Sect…he'll be knocking right at the gates by tomorrow evening."