I Became a Witch and Started an Industrial Revolution-Chapter 126 : Carelessness Cost Him His Military Merit!

Chapter 126: Carelessness Cost Him His Military Merit!
Mixed among them, the Mechanical Soldiers fared no better.
Although their magical shields blocked the shrapnel, the shockwaves of the explosions still struck their bodies—many Mechanical Soldiers fell, their cores shaking to death within their shells.
The general, who had been preparing for close combat, suddenly stood up in astonishment.
“By the Goddess! What kind of weapon is this?!”
The howitzers bypassed the Mechanical Soldiers’ defensive line and slammed directly into the ranks of the regular soldiers behind.
Each blast tore open craters forty to fifty meters wide as if mowing down grass.
Soldiers at the edges were showered with blood and fragments of flesh, losing their sanity at the horrific sight.
At that moment, the tank battalion crested the sand dunes and appeared before them.
The Church’s soldiers, already disoriented by the bombardment, felt the ground trembling beneath their feet.
Instinctively turning toward the sound, they saw the silhouettes of enormous steel monsters, even larger than the Mechanical Soldiers, rumbling toward them through the smoke.
Seeing the densely advancing iron beasts, the general’s lips trembled from shock.
“Quick! Prepare for battle!!!”
Loader: “Shell loaded!”
Graf roared, 【All units, open fire!】
The tanks, stabilizing themselves after charging down the slope, unleashed a deafening volley.
Three mounted machine guns at the front of each vehicle joined in, releasing a torrent of firepower in mere seconds.
“Boom!”
“Boom boom...”
“Rat-tat-tat...”
The observers and drivers in the front row gripped their mounted guns, pulling the triggers without pause.
Behind them, another soldier on the turret controlled a Maxim gun, sweeping the battlefield.
A storm of shells and large-caliber bullets tore toward the front, blowing apart the Mechanical Soldiers by the dozens—they had no chance to retaliate.
After another round of bombardment, the Church’s army finally recovered its combat formation.
The general swung his sword and roared, “Charge!!!”
The Mechanical Soldiers in front began rushing forward, closing the distance.
Behind them, the towed Magitech Cannons hurled fiery orbs, their molten surfaces glowing like magma, directly onto the tanks.
At the same time, many other Mechanical Soldiers began charging their energy cores, launching large fireballs in coordination with the Magitech Cannons to blanket the area in fire.
One fireball struck a tank head-on.
Its magical shield flickered violently, nearly exceeding its endurance limit before the projectile bounced off the armor.
Yet, the very next second, another fireball struck—this time breaking the shield entirely and embedding itself into the tank’s armor.
The intense heat melted the frontal armor; screams echoed as the driver and observer were burned into skeletons.
The three men in the turret fared no better—some were scalded by the superheated steam, their flesh cooked red.
Others were killed when the molten residue seeped into the ammunition storage, triggering a secondary explosion that blew the turret sky-high, taking nearby infantry with it.
Inside Graf’s tank, he spotted the enemy Magitech Cannons and ordered, “Left fifty-five degrees! Six hundred yards, direct fire!”
The basket turret rotated swiftly—within seconds, it had adjusted position.
The loader deftly pulled a shell filled with liquid from the ammo rack, shoved it into the barrel, and closed the breech—no more than nine seconds in total.
【Loaded!】
【Fire!】
Boom! Dozens of shells landed across the Church’s Magitech Cannon positions, blasting them apart.
Gunner: 【Firing complete!】
Another volley followed, tearing apart the advancing Mechanical Soldiers into fragments.
Still, many agile units managed to close in.
But that didn’t make them invincible.
Infantry behind the tanks surged forward, while gunners atop the tanks rained bullets down on the encroaching enemies.
Many Mechanical Soldiers had their shields and joints shattered under concentrated fire, collapsing helplessly to the ground.
The tank turrets, unable to rotate fast enough to track the nimble Mechanical Soldiers, could only continue firing at mid- and long-range targets.
One or two Mechanical Soldiers were manageable, but once their numbers exceeded that, the infantry couldn’t eliminate them quickly enough.
The Mechanical Soldiers plunged into the ranks, swinging their heavy swords and cleaving four or five soldiers in a single strike.
Once the infantry behind a tank were slaughtered, the tank itself became nothing but a steel coffin.
Mechanical Soldiers tore through the armor plates and butchered the crews inside.
Many commanders chose to detonate their ammo stores, perishing along with their attackers.
Armored vehicles equipped with autocannons leveled their barrels and unleashed continuous streams of fire, while soldiers wielding submachine guns advanced fearlessly, clearing the encroaching Mechanical Soldiers at point-blank range.
Though the breakthrough caused devastating casualties, the constant howitzer barrages and the tanks’ main guns managed to keep the Church’s main force from advancing further.
The fallen Mechanical Soldiers, each three meters tall, now littered the battlefield—massive obstacles that trapped many tanks in place.
Seizing the opportunity, the Church’s general again commanded: 【Full charge!!!】
Countless armored Church soldiers, devoid of machines, launched suicidal assaults.
Their battle cries rose amidst the roaring artillery:
【Aaaah!!!】
【For the Goddess!!!】
【Spread out! Attack!】
An immense wave of soldiers surged forward through the storm of bullets and explosions.
The howitzers in the rear had to cease firing—the distance was now too close, and a misplaced shell could kill friend as easily as foe.
The sheer number of charging soldiers overwhelmed the tank division.
Rear infantry fired desperately, but there were simply too many enemies.
Even if it took only three or four bullets to bring down one armored soldier, the swarm seemed endless.
The tanks drew most of the enemy’s attention, as the magic soldiers used every means to destroy them—attacking the tracks, climbing beneath, doing anything they could.
Tank losses began to mount rapidly.
Just as the battle reached deadlock, tremors rippled again from beyond the dunes.
The Church’s soldiers turned pale, dread filling their hearts.
They looked back toward the dunes—
Sure enough, another wave of steel giants appeared, accompanied by countless smaller vehicles that immediately opened fire.
Seeing this, the Church’s soldiers, once steadfast in their faith, began to falter.
Many instinctively stepped back.
The general’s eyes blazed with fury as he slashed at the retreating soldiers with his command saber.
“Bastards! Damn cowards! Never turn your backs on the enemy—attack!!!”
“The warriors of the Church must advance! This is your chance to prove your devotion to the Goddess! Even in death—you die advancing!”
From the newly arrived tanks and all-terrain vehicles, a special squad of Mechanical Soldiers disembarked and gathered together.
Their armor was painted in desert brown, blending seamlessly with the earth.
Other than serial numbers, their only insignia was a single five-pointed star.
One of them quickly spotted the distant general, who was swinging his long sword wildly in frenzy—the gold and white armor made him stand out like a beacon.
The soldier knelt, raised his long rifle, and aimed through the massive scope.
“Bang!”
A flash of fire preceded a dull boom.
The Mechanical Soldier’s frame shuddered as a 12.7mm silver-plated bullet streaked through the air and struck the general squarely in the chest, shattering his magical shield before he could even react.
The Church soldier who had been caught in the general’s grip felt the hand around his throat go slack.
The general’s body exploded into a mist of blood and flesh, splattering all over him.
【ing, sir. Target neutralized—appears to be a high-ranking officer, possibly a general.】
The Federation Mechanical Soldier responsible stood up and whistled smugly—only to be kicked flying by a tremendous force as his squad leader’s angry voice echoed through the comms:
“Damn it! Are you stupid?! You blew him to bits—how the hell are we supposed to prove to command that he was really a general?!”
‘Yeah! Damn, I messed up!’