A Few Kilometers Away, a Few Minutes Earlier.
The once dense primeval forest had been completely cleared, replaced by vast artillery positions.
"Commence bombardment!"
Hundreds of large-caliber cannons were raised high, their barrels flashing as they unleashed a rain of cast-iron shells upon the southwestern barbarian settlement illuminated by signal flares.
In an instant, the entire artillery position was engulfed in the sharp whistling of shells cutting through the air. The sky itself seemed to light up with intense flashes of fire, trembling along with the earth, as smoke and dust billowed into the air.
Disaster descended upon the southwestern barbarian city like a sudden meteor shower. One moment, the city was peaceful; the next, it was engulfed in towering columns of smoke and fire.
Exploding shells erupted into massive fireballs across the city, with shrapnel and debris tearing through homes and buildings. Countless barbarians, still deep in sleep, were reduced to nothing more than scattered pieces of flesh, not even having time to feel pain.
Awakened by the noise, hordes of confused barbarian civilians screamed and ran out of their homes, rushing toward the city's outskirts and the river. No one knew what was happening, as the successive explosions turned them into panicked, fleeing masses.
A high-explosive incendiary shell landed directly on a blacksmith's shop, detonating with such force that it shredded nearby shops into fragments and melted the surrounding metal into a deadly molten flow. Hot metal shards and searing waves of heat devoured everything in their path.
Artillery is, indeed, the god of war!
For ordinary people without extraordinary powers, large-caliber cannons are the greatest nightmare on the battlefield.
On a high, open plain, Selene's enhanced vision allowed her to take in the scene of massacre below, one image after another, each more gruesome than the last.
"Such a beautiful sight... No, what am I thinking?"
"This is just a massacre. If this were a lawful society, I would probably be a war criminal, a filthy executioner who should be hanged..."
She shook her head, trying to calm the inexplicable excitement stirring within her.
But before Selene could fully regain her composure—
BOOM!!!
A special explosive Taishan shell detonated among a crowd of hundreds of fleeing barbarians.
In an instant, it tore through every living being in its radius, scattering internal organs and shattered bones across the area. Life ended with merciful swiftness—perhaps a small blessing in the cruel world of war.
"This is the imperial army's bombardment! It's the imperial army! Cough... How did they get past Yueshan Pass... Cough, cough..."
A leader among the southwestern barbarians, half-kneeling in a pool of blood, cried out in despair.
Every second, a new explosion claimed the lives of hundreds or even thousands of his people. The scene was beyond words, with massive craters gaping like the jaws of beasts, devouring fragile lives.
"Heavens above... Have you forsaken my people?!"
BOOM!!!
The next moment, a massive explosion from another special Taishan shell consumed the surviving barbarian leader in blinding fire, turning an area the size of a football field into a lifeless wasteland.
Under Selene's orders, this bombardment was a mixed artillery strike. Aside from a few fragmentation high-explosive shells, most were incendiary rounds.
As countless incendiary shells rained down, flames erupted and quickly spread with the wind. In no time, the entire city was engulfed in a raging inferno that consumed buildings and lives alike.
Built on an alluvial plain near a large river, the city was particularly vulnerable to fire, especially with the winds fanning the flames. Within moments, the entire settlement was transformed into a sea of fire.
"Cease fire!" Selene commanded. At this point, the city was destroyed, with no further need for bombardment.
Amid the smoke and flames, Selene's white warhorse nervously pawed at the ground, even from this distance feeling the intense heat radiating from the inferno.
"General, should we send troops to mop up the survivors?" one of Selene's lieutenants asked uncertainly from behind her.
"No need... Oh, by the way, this was the main force of the southwestern barbarians that attacked Yueshan Pass, correct?" Selene inquired.
"Yes, General. Besides this settlement, there are two more tribes further to the west. They're the largest barbarian tribes in the southwest, each with a population of over one hundred thousand. Every time they raid the empire's borders, it's primarily them who lead the attacks," replied an officer from the Patrypol Province garrison. His tone was full of excitement, clearly relishing the barbarians' suffering.
It was understandable, after all. He had spent years defending the border against these barbarians, with whom he had a blood feud. For him, the massacre of these people was a righteous act!
After all, it was these very southwestern barbarians who had invaded the empire's territory, looting and killing!
"Have the artillery prepare to relocate. We still have two more tribes to annihilate."
Doing a quick calculation, Selene considered the odds: ten thousand imperial soldiers against thirty thousand southwestern barbarians. With a third of the barbarian forces already eliminated, the remaining two-thirds would face the full might of her army.
Of the ten thousand soldiers under Selene's command, five thousand were elite troops from the Imperial Guard's Eighth Corps, brought from the capital, while the remaining five thousand were local garrison troops. The enemy still had around twenty thousand fighters left.
Selene decided to send her forces to engage one of the larger tribes head-on, allowing them to fight on their own. After all, as her elite corps, they couldn't only be good at winning easy battles—they needed to prove themselves in tough fights as well!
With the Imperial Guard leading the way, even if the local garrison troops weren't as skilled, they should be able to win, especially with the advantages of superior equipment, training, and leadership, and with the fearsome Esdeath backing them up.
As for the most distant southwestern barbarian tribe, Selene decided to handle that one personally. She had plans for them—an experiment that would serve a greater purpose.
"Fall back, return to camp!"
Selene ordered her troops to return to the pass. As she looked out over the burning plain, she knew that after today, this barbarian settlement, which had caused so much pain for the southwestern provinces of the empire, would be nothing more than a ruin.
At that moment, the sun began to rise, its light mingling with the flames consuming the barbarian city.
Selene rode her horse to the top of a hill, watching the scene unfold before her. The sunrise illuminated the sky, while the fire engulfed the barbarian settlement below, making it seem as if the entire world was ablaze...