Larikson and Hofs assumed that Han Shuo was the only powerful expert in the House of Han, while the other members were as harmless as kittens. With Han Shuo absent from Fort Lasberg, they assumed that the fort would be as fragile as a dried leaf. Therefore, as soon as they were outside the fort, Hofs ordered his divine guards to attack.
The assaulting army they formed was made up of the most elite divine guards in Hushveil City and Highgods from the House of Broadhurst, while both the commanders, Larikson and Hofs, were Late-stage Highgods.
Against such a powerful army, not only the House of Han, but perhaps even the House of Kinson and the House of Kisa, which had stood tall in the City of Shadows for countless years, would not be able to survive.
Outside Fort Lasberg, Larikson and Hofs wore sombre expressions as they coldly watched their troops turn into shadows and ruthlessly charge the fort as if nothing in it could harm them. They felt that the House of Han should be honoured that they would be present to see them destroyed. They wouldn't go to the front unless an enemy of their class appeared.
The army rushed towards Lasberg Fortress, shouting loudly. The divine weapons in their hands radiated an astonishing amount of divine aura. They seemed certain of victory.
Suddenly, thunderclap-like rumbles echoed from Lasberg Fortress. Shortly thereafter, dazzling pillars of light with astounding powers shot out of the fort like arrows.
The magnificent pillar-shaped beams were as wide as the waist of an adult human. More than a dozen of these energetic beams shot out of the fortress at once. Many of Hof's divine guards from Hushveil City were caught off guard and hit. The energy rays vaporised everything in their path, tearing large holes in the divine bodies of the Midgods. Many of the invaders were seriously injured, if not killed instantly.
Since taking over Lasberg Fortress, the House of Han had spent tons of black crystal coins on the fortress's defences. The energy crystals from the many nearby mining pits were shipped to Fort Lasberg to be used as batteries for the energy crystal cannons. The energy crystal cannons would emit beams of extreme destructiveness. With enough energy crystals, a blast from the cannon could be as deadly as a Highgod's attack.
The dozen or so energy crystal cannons were usually proudly displayed on the defensive wall around the fortress to intimidate its enemies. But when Phoebe and the others learned that Hofs and Larikson were planning to attack the fortress, the energy crystal cannons were moved and hidden in the energy towers to give their enemies a big surprise.
But their plan wouldn't have worked so well if Hofs and Larikson hadn't been so arrogant as to take the House of Han so lightly. If they had been a little more careful, the energy crystal cannons wouldn't have caused so many casualties.
The energy crystal cannons, powered by the energy crystals in the energy towers, unleashed dazzling beams of light at Hof's followers. In the blink of an eye, a dozen or more divine guards from Hushveil City were hit by the energy crystal cannon. They died instantly.
Below the energy towers, the members of the House of Han were busy replenishing the towers with fresh energy crystals. As the energy towers were refilled and energised, the energy crystal cannon began to glow. Its brightness increased rapidly before a loud rumble was heard as it shot out towards the horizon in a blinding beam of light.
"Welcome to Fort Lasberg, motherfuckers!" shouted Gilbert as he unleashed energy beams at Hof's divine guards, shooting them down from the sky.
"Look out! Scatter!" shouted Hofs at the top of his lungs. He had not expected the small fortress of Lasberg to possess such a large number of powerful energy crystal cannons, along with the piles of energy crystals needed to power them.
The energy crystal cannons were not only expensive to purchase, but also extremely expensive to operate. Many considered firing such powerful energy crystal cannons to be like burning money, as each shot would consume energy crystals worth tens of thousands of black crystal coins. As a result, most family clans that possessed energy crystal cannons used them sparingly.
Unfortunately for Hofs and Larikson, they were unaware that the Celestial Pearl Pharmacy under the House of Han had countless branches in the Death, Destruction, and Darkness Dominions, which provided them with a generous supply of black crystal coins. The House of Han was filthy rich and could easily afford to consume this enormous amount of energy crystals.
Due to Hofs' underestimation and lack of scouting of his enemy's strength, nearly a hundred of Hushveil City's divine guards had perished.
Hofs' shouts were drowned out by the deafening rumble of the energy crystal cannons. His divine guards continued to charge recklessly at Lasberg Fort as the energy crystal cannons continued to greet them with hellfire, but they had become smarter. They flew in a more scattered formation, creating large distances between themselves and their comrades.
This made the energy crystal cannons less effective. Although they were still blasting the invaders as frequently as before, only twenty or so additional experts were hit.
The divine guards of Hushveil City managed to reach Lasberg Fortress, despite the constant bombardment from the energy crystal cannons. They flew over the defences and began to descend into the fort.
The first Divine Guard to descend towards Fort Lasberg suddenly jerked and stopped. He discovered that he had hit an invisible barrier and could not fly any closer to the fort. But as he tried to move away, the invisible barrier suddenly formed an intense binding energy and prevented him from leaving. He began to spin and roll uncontrollably as he tried in vain to free himself from the barrier.
Suddenly, a beam of energy shot into the sky from an energy crystal cannon, directly hitting the Divine Guard. Most of his body was instantly vaporised, while the remaining parts splattered.
Within moments, another fifteen of the invaders were destroyed in the same manner. They were all trapped by the invisible barrier powered by the energy towers throughout Lasberg Fortress before being blasted out of the sky by the energy crystal cannons.
Since the energy crystal cannons and the barrier were powered by the same energy, the barrier didn't block the destructive beams from the energy crystal cannons, nor did those beams affect the barrier. For this reason, it may have appeared to an outsider that Lasberg Fortress was not protected by a barrier. The Divine Guards of Hushveil City certainly thought so, which was why they had entered the fortress so confidently.
The energy crystal cannons and the barrier were a match made in heaven. In a matter of moments, another dozen or so of the divine guards were vaporised as they attempted to enter Lasberg Fortress. They died horribly.
"Damn it, retreat!" shouted Hofs angrily.
But Hofs' order came too late. Most of those who had attacked Fort Lasberg had been killed. The remaining divine guards could already see that it was foolish to try to enter the fort, and dared not proceed recklessly.
Before he had even breached Fort Lasberg, Hofs had lost more than one hundred and eighty divine guards!
The forces under Hofs' command had been severely depleted during the Hushveil City incident a few years ago. It was only recently that Hofs had managed to keep the rival family clans in the Hushveil City at bay. He began to worry that these family clans might resume their plot to overthrow him, now that he knew his forces had dwindled further.
"City Lord, Lasberg Fortress is protected by both energy crystal cannons and an energy barrier. It will be difficult! We were too impulsive. It seems that the House of Han is indeed very rich. They are willing to burn their crystal coins to resist us! Hofs' Chief of the First Corps of Divine Guards reported to him.
"Destroy the energy barrier. Once it is destroyed, we can break through the fortress." Although Hofs felt extremely angry, he had not lost his mind. He continued, "Once we breach the fort, they won't stand a chance against our overwhelming force!"
"Everyone, attack the energy barrier. It seems the House of Han is very wealthy. We have struck gold!" Larikson ordered his experts with a sinister smile.
Larikson brought the most elite experts from his House of Broadhurst. These experts did not take part in the first attack on Lasberg Fortress. Although Hofs had lost more than a hundred divine guards, Larikson's experts had not even suffered a scratch. While Hofs shouted all sorts of curses, Larikson remained unperturbed, fantasising about the piles of black crystal coins in the Han residence.
Hofs' eyes suddenly lit up when he heard those words. He looked lustfully at Fort Lasberg and remarked, "That's right. If the House of Han has such a large stockpile of energy crystals, then the wealth they have stored in their mansion must be considerable! If I can take that wealth, it would at least compensate for the losses I have suffered.
Larikson glanced at Hofs and said nothing. No one knew what he was thinking.
"I want everyone to start long-range attacks on Fort Lasberg. They will have to spend tens of thousands of black crystal coins just to block a single wave of our attack! Let's see how many waves of our attacks those energy crystal towers can withstand," Hofs chuckled.
The Divine Guards of Hushveil City began to use their Divine Energy and Divine Weapons to launch long-range attacks on Fort Lasberg. The colourful divine energies shot towards the fort like meteor showers.
"Refill those crystals! When those bastards get inside, they will plunder all the energy crystals in the energy towers. Do not leave any of the crystals for them!" shouted Gilbert as he moved the glittering energy crystals into the energy towers with the divine guards of the House of Han.