CHAPTER 376: 376 FIRST BATTLE OF THE CONTINENT OF GODS AND DEMONS

The Magpie Bridge made transporting supplies easy and fast.

When Lin Bai used the Magpie Bridge to connect the Eastern Continent with the Immortal World, the West Continent United States had already prepared for invasion.

Of course, they didn’t plan to wage war immediately. There were too many things to prepare for war. The United States planned to use Lin Bai’s deterrence and the Magpie Bridge to quickly occupy all strategic points in the Continent of Gods and Demons. Their strategy was to establish a battle line, deter first, negotiate later, and fight only if negotiations failed.

After nearly one year of operation in the Continent of Gods and Demons, the Players from the Western Continent had a detailed understanding of the in-game Skills.

In this world without Lin Bai, the Players had been progressing step by step. The highest level of in-game characters that Players got to interact with were of the level of the Red Robed Bishop and the Grand Mage.

As in the Immortal World, the indigenous people of the Continent of Gods and Demons had received warnings from the gaming company. Fearing divine punishment, they refrained from treating Players harshly, but they were always cautious of them. After all, Magic martial art was easy to master, and coupled with the Undying Body, any normal native would place some restrictions on them.

Over the past year, only a few lucky Players had come into contact with native characters of the Pope and Lich levels. Even these lucky ones spent most of their time practicing, rarely catching a glimpse of the powerful figures taking action, let alone stirring up divine wrath.

The United States Legion used Lin Bai’s combat videos and the combat power of the Knight Group, when the Players from the Continent of Gods and Demons were being hunted down, as reference points for their combat strength. After analyzing all the battles, the United States wartime command believed that Earth’s current weapons were sufficient to deal with the foreign world. Moreover, the real world boasts immensely powerful nuclear weapons. The blast of a nuclear bomb could at least cover an area of tens of kilometers, and larger nuclear bombs could even destroy an area between fifty and one hundred kilometers in diameter. Such terrifying destructive power was capable enough to slay a god. Perhaps even Lin Bai wouldn’t survive a nuclear explosion.

The otherworldly realm did not restrict the use of nuclear weapons; hence, the United States Legion’s confidence had inflated quite a bit. They even transported a large number of scientists to the Continent of Gods and Demons to study and measure the climate, geology, gravity, and other parameters. They planned to send several satellites into the sky, ultimately turning the Continent of Gods and Demons into their backyard. After all, real-world wars were fought with technology. The more meticulously they deployed, the greater their chances of winning...

But the situation in the Continent of Gods and Demons was different from that in the Immortal World.

Lin Bai had shown Gannett the prosperity of the Vast World, letting him witness the truth of the world. However, for most natives of the World of Gods and Demons, the things Gannett told them felt too distant.

What gaming company? They had no relation with it. All they knew was that their world had been invaded.

In the face of Invaders, the best way was, of course, to annihilate or drive them away. They had always done so. Without Lin Bai’s intervention, the Players from the Continent of Gods and Demons were already in a dire situation.

Outside Free City, the Rules Lin Bai demonstrated were indeed shocking. But he refrained from killing, making his deterrence limited. The Continent of Gods and Demons had its indigenous gods. Whether it was the followers of the Holy Light Sect or the Church of Light, all had their beliefs. It was impossible to change their minds with just one battle. In the hearts of the natives, their own gods were equally powerful. As long as the gods made their appearance, Lin Bai would not stand a chance. Therefore, there was no such thing as surrendering without a fight.

The most crucial point was that the world was so vast that news wouldn’t spread that fast. The third Knight Corps in Free City were intimidated by Lin Bai; they dared not act recklessly. But the Priest Corps that had rushed to reinforce them didn’t worry about that.

Moreover, among the Players on the Continent of Gods and Demons, some were collaborators, some were just hoping for chaos, some came from the Immortal World to have fun, and some arrogant Players considered themselves the sons of destiny. These individuals didn’t care about the overall situation or national interests; they did whatever they pleased in the game, causing all kinds of instigation and incitement... It was impossible for the War to develop as the higher-ups of the Western Continent had hoped.

Everyone sought to maximize their own benefits, causing the final outcome to be a mess.

The third Priest Corps arrived in Free City. The Four-winged Angel leading the team, Croatia, completely disregarded Gannett’s persuasion. He killed all the Players and negotiation experts from the real world in Free City, shot down the drones hovering over Free City, and brazenly launched an attack on the United States Legion stationed outside the Red Wolf Valley.

The Western Continent’s Legion was led by Joseph, a veteran general who had been in battles for a long time. The alien world lacked modern devices such as satellites to cover the whole situation, but Players scattered all over the world were their eyes.

As soon as the Players in Free City were killed, Joseph took the initiative and used firepower to cover the Priest Corps stationed outside Free City.

Thousands of cannons fired at once. The cannonballs, with their roaring sound, streaked across the sky like meteors.

The knights and Priests of the Continent of Gods and Demons had never seen such a way of fighting. Players had told them about modern warfare, but hearing and seeing were two different things. The Priests realized something was wrong and hurriedly blessed the knights and Swordsmen with an aura of blessing, but it was too late.

The cannonballs landed on the ground, striking the knight formation and resulting in a loud roar. The blessing, Agility, and defense-type Magic that the Priests had bestowed on the soldiers only lasted for a moment before being quickly exhausted by the enormous kinetic energy of the shrapnel. The spinning shrapnel shredded the knights’ heavy armor, penetrated their bodies, and ruptured their eardrums...

In an instant, nearly 40% of the over 10,000 members of the Priest Corps were killed or injured. The battlefield was strewn with craters a few meters deep and fragments of bodies scattered everywhere. The combat power of the Knight Corps was not even comparable to the Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators of the Immortal World; some were not even as strong as Golden Core cultivators. If Lin Bai really wanted to kill them, he could kill a large number of them with just one shout. Their strength was better than ordinary people, but they couldn’t withstand the fierce and dense bombardment.

Furthermore, the knights had no experience dealing with modern warfare. When the artillery shells fell, they had no idea how to evade. Many of those who tried to fly into the sky died even more miserably.

While the remaining people were still stunned, the second round of firing arrived. This time, apart from the leader—the Four-winged Angel—the bishop, and the Knight Commander, the third Priest Corps was almost entirely wiped out, with few left unscathed...

How can this be? Four-winged Angel Croatia surveyed the chaotic battlefield from the air, his face etched with shock for a long time. "Is this the power of another world’s technological weapons? This power is even comparable to that of forbidden Spells..."

"Lord Angel, please avenge us!" The Red Robed Bishop of the Priest Corps, Kumo, pleaded. His priest’s robe was torn by shrapnel, his body stained with blood, revealing glimpses of mangled flesh. His face was contorted, resembling a Devil God.

"Good. Because of my wrong decision, the third Priest Corps was destroyed. I will go and seek revenge for them." Croatia gazed towards Red Wolf Valley, at the Magpie Bridge stretching endlessly across the sky, and drew his Longsword. "Bishop Kumo, you stay and heal the wounded of the Priest Corps. If I do not return, you and Bishop Gannett are to report the events of this battle truthfully to the Pope. Let him petition the Holy God to send the Spirit Guardian and the Angel Army to annihilate these Invaders from the otherworld. The Holy Light does not accept desecration!"

"The Holy Light does not accept desecration," Kumo declared, watching Croatia and saluting him solemnly.

Croatia took one last look at the battlefield, spread his wings, and turned into a beam of light, flying towards Red Wolf Valley. He went with the resolve to face death. Though a Four-winged Angel, he wasn’t confident he could withstand forbidden Spell-level Magic.

Red Wolf Valley was not far from Free City; Croatia flew quickly. However, shortly after he took off, the United States Legion’s radar detected a rapidly approaching target. Identifying it as the Four-winged Angel, they quickly launched radar-guided Missiles to intercept Croatia.

War had started, and they needed to make a name for themselves to deter their enemies all at once. Besides, this was also a practical test to see which was better between technology and Magic. If they won this battle, their journey to the new world would get off to a good start.

Croatia saw the Missile flying towards him. Having experienced the destructive power of Missiles, he was naturally unwilling to directly confront these seemingly cheap projectiles. Shielded by the Holy Light, his first instinct was to dodge. But this time his wish was not granted. More than ten Missiles made a turn in mid-air and continued to pursue him. Moreover, they seemed to be faster than him.

He had no choice. Croatia had to turn, raise his Angel’s Sword, and slash at the incoming Missiles.

The Holy Light streaked across the sky.

BOOM!

A series of loud bangs followed as more than ten high-explosive shells detonated one after another about thirty meters away from Croatia. The protective Holy Light held for only a moment before being pierced by a barrage of shrapnel. His wings were torn apart, and his body was riddled with fine shrapnel fragments. Many shrapnel pieces even pierced his internal organs. The white feathers, like blood-stained cotton, fell from the sky.

The massive shockwave blew Croatia hundreds of meters away. Blood spurted from Croatia’s mouth. A look of horror crossed his face. Indeed, those aliens possessed even stronger weapons.

However, he hesitated for only a moment before dragging his severely injured body onward towards Red Wolf Valley. He held his faith and did not allow himself to retreat. Earlier, Croatia had given the order to kill the Players and the aliens in Free City, knowing their bodies were frail. Breaking into their defensive zone, there might be a chance to turn the tables. The Priest Corps must not be sacrificed in vain. The Holy Light must not be profaned.

The United States Legion, aware of their own weaknesses, naturally did not dare to let Croatia get close. Tracking Missiles were continuously launched at him, and anti-aircraft shells were shot towards Croatia inexhaustibly, forming a net to intercept him in the sky... In the dense barrage, the Four-winged Angel was like a small bird in a storm; despite his best efforts to evade, he was constantly hit.

In the end, relying on the protection of the Holy Light, Croatia managed to reach the Red Wolf Valley base. But the closer he got, the denser the artillery fire became...

Looking at the steel formation below, hatred flared in Croatia’s eyes. Overwhelmed with resentment, he used all his strength to unleash a ray of Holy Light towards the ground. The Holy Light formed a massive cross, falling towards the ground. The ground forces of The United States had no way to counter this energy attack. Against Croatia’s life-burning final attack, the defensive array formed by the Players was as fragile as a soap bubble, shattering instantly.

The Cross Cut landed among the artillery and tanks, causing a loud bang. The massive armor at the center was split open by the Holy Light, and the soldiers inside were torn to shreds and vaporized by the Holy Light... The Cross Cut created a fissure several kilometers long and wide on the ground, destroying at least thirty artillery pieces and resulting in countless military casualties.

The battlefield went quiet in an instant. All gunfire stopped.

Every soldier from the Western Continent looked despairingly at the broken Angel in the sky, forgetting how to attack. Some devout believers involuntarily knelt on the ground, hands clasped together, muttering prayers for God’s forgiveness. Just like their shells annihilated the Priest Corps, Croatia’s attack demolished the morale of these ordinary soldiers as well.

Looking at the result of his attack, Croatia suddenly realized their weakness; these people were indeed vulnerable. But it was too late. Resisting the barrage of projectiles and channeling all his Spiritual Power for that final attack had completely depleted his life force. He couldn’t even move, let alone launch a second assault. If I only had a fraction of my strength left, he thought, I alone could have obliterated this legion.

With a hint of regret and despair, Croatia closed his eyes. He spiraled down from the sky, crashing to the earth with a thud. The Angel’s Sword in his hand plunged into the ground before him, standing like a small tombstone.

At the moment of Croatia’s fall, Lin Wu Bai watched all these images through his live broadcast. The screen was flooded with scrolling text as even those Western Continent viewers, who usually refrained from posting, couldn’t help but vent their emotions through live comments.

"My God, we killed a Four-winged Angel!"

"This is humanity’s first victory against the alien world; it will be recorded in the annals of War!"

"We killed an Angel! Will we enrage the gods?"

"May God forgive those foolish mortals!"

"Killing an Angel is bound to bring disaster to the world!"

"Damn the Council President! This is only the first battle, and so many of our poor soldiers have died. This isn’t a game for ordinary people. Wouldn’t it be better to leave the game to the Players? Our loved ones don’t have the Undying Body. I can’t imagine what we’ll do if we encounter a more powerful Angel. Are we supposed to throw our lives away?"

"This is indeed an irrational War! The rulers of The United States are a pack of fools; they’re trampling on human lives!"

"People in the Eastern Continent are helping the inhabitants of the otherworld build in exchange for resources, while we’re waging War against them! This is the difference between us and the Eastern Continent. I hate this foolish country!"

"It cannot be denied that Lin Bai is the instigator of this disaster! Without his Magpie Bridge, that world would have just been a delightful game for us. It was his Magpie Bridge that gave those foolish officials their ambition!"

"We don’t need this kind of War! We must demand Lin Bai close the Magpie Bridge and end this damn War!"

"Yes! Even if we are to invade the game world, it should be done by Players who possess the Undying Body!"

"What we should be doing is negotiating with the Eastern Continent and going to the Immortal World to help its indigenous people build, in exchange for resources!"

"Lin Bai started this War, so why didn’t he show up? If he were here, we wouldn’t have lost so many people!"

It was unknown how many people were injured in Croatia’s final attack. The lost lives pierced the hearts of the people of the Western Continent, and a large amount of negative emotion flooded into Lin Bai’s mind.

Of course, people’s joys and sorrows are different. Lin Bai also received more positive emotions from the Eastern Continent. Regarding the War initiated by the Western Continent, they were pleased to see it... The people in the Eastern Continent were more rational since it wasn’t their own concern. Their assessment of the War was that, without Lin Bai’s participation, the people of The United States were destined to lose.

Only Magic can combat Magic; technology is ineffective.

At this moment, they still did not know that the mission Lin Bai had given them was to use modern weapons to attack an even stronger Fairy World.