AWDC Chapter 72

## Chapter 72: The Devastation of Battle

With the advance trumpets blaring, explosives detonated at the feet of the leading soldiers of the Bawa Roma army as they began to run.

A large hole had been blasted where the enemy general had been moments before, with limbs, hands, feet, and heads of men and horses scattered around it.

The vanguard of the Bawa Roma army, not understanding what had happened, simply stopped in their tracks, stunned.

What on earth was going on? Every soldier was confused.

The once lush green ground was now obscured by flying dirt and dust, creating a hazy landscape.

The tremendous explosions deafened them, and they couldn’t hear the voices of the soldiers around them.

“Help me!” A soldier buried in the dirt, unable to move, desperately waved his hand.

When a fellow soldier pulled him out, his lower body was gone.

Then, with a whooshing sound, something flew in from the sky and exploded, engulfing everything around it. Mortar shells were raining down from above.

Even without a direct hit, the exploding metal fragments caused fatal or severe injuries.

And then, in a completely different location, another explosion occurred.

The vanguard of the Bawa Roma army was thrown into disarray, still not understanding what was happening.

“Is this the work of the devil?”

“Some kind of magic?”

When people witness something inexplicable for the first time, they tend to associate it with old tales of demons and wizards. The scene before them was simply unbelievable.

Even soldiers who had seen countless scenes of people killing each other were filled with terror in the face of the unknown.

Soldiers who had been marching spiritedly moments before were now vanishing with the sound of explosions.

When the dust in front of them settled, a large hole marked the spot where they had been standing.

Something fell on a comrade, who was deafened and stood there blankly.

It was the head of a fellow soldier. Separated from its body, it struck him in the chest, as if seeking help.

“Eek!” The soldier saw it and his legs gave out.

The surrounding soldiers were in a similar state.

Terror swept through the entire Bawa Roma army.

The soldiers at the front of the Bawa Roma army realized that there was no way to avoid the falling shells.

They looked up and saw long, thin objects flying from the enemy lines.

When they reached almost directly overhead and fell, there was a tremendous impact.

The shells created massive craters upon impact. Anyone hit directly would be pulverized. The terror was reminiscent of hell or demons.

Even so, only a small number of soldiers were directly hit by the explosions. Those who understood the impact of the explosions were a minority. This alone would not have been enough to terrify the entire army.

However, the explosions and the ear-splitting sounds reverberated throughout the Bawa Roma army.

It was a sound they had never heard before. The sound alone made the soldiers’ legs tremble.

“Don’t go forward!”

“This is bad, it’s the work of the devil!”

“There are demons ahead!”

“Demons! The demons are coming!”

“Turn back! Run!”

Soldiers near the front lines of the Bawa Roma army began to flee on their own accord.

Behind the fleeing soldiers were dozens of ranks of soldiers who still didn’t understand what was happening.

“Get out of the way, you guys!”

“You’re in the way! Get back!”

The soldiers who knew nothing of what was happening stood there, bewildered.

“You idiot, get out of the way!”

“What are you doing?”

The fleeing soldiers pushed and shoved those who were standing still. Some even used their swords. In response, the Bawa Roma followers began fighting each other.

Even without the infighting, the continuous loud explosions from behind and the shock that they had never experienced before made the soldiers think only of running away.

That terror spread throughout the entire Bawa Roma army.

In the confined area, the panicked flight of so many people caused chaos.

Some tripped and fell, and were ruthlessly trampled.

Others tried to escape and entered the river and lake, only to drown.

The fleeing soldiers were consumed by terror.

“Demons! We’re possessed by demons!”

“I don’t want to! I don’t want to be eaten by demons!”

“Get out of my way! I don’t want to be here anymore!”

Most of the soldiers didn’t understand what was happening or why everyone was trying to escape.

However, the occasional explosion was enough reason to run.

Perhaps an unknown demon would appear and devour them all.

That sound was created by a demon.

There would be no surviving an attack by that thing.

That fear spread, leaving them with only the instinct to flee.

The elite forces of Toriholi Village charged towards the chaotic Bawa Roma army.

Mounted on horses, clad in armor, and wielding their preferred weapons of swords and spears, they slashed at the Bawa Roma soldiers.

They mercilessly cut down the enemies who were panicked and had neglected their rear, as if they were cutting down scarecrows.

Not a single enemy offered any resistance.

The elite forces quickly mowed down the enemy soldiers, leaving behind wounded infidels unable to move on the battlefield.

Most of them were not fatally wounded.

However, injured and demoralized, they could only lie on the ground.

In their eyes, they saw the arms, legs, torsos, and heads of their comrades that had been torn off and sent flying.

They never wanted to stand on a battlefield again.

“I’ve had enough. I’m sick of war.”

“I just want to lie here.”

Those who had sustained injuries to their limbs and other parts of their bodies didn’t even have the strength to escape.

As they lay there, the sounds of continued shelling and screams grew distant to the soldiers.

They had no hope left.