Chapter 21: Monster in the Great Sandstorm

"Atiya, how's the situation?"

Luo De, holding a long sword in his hand, rushed to the northern suspension bridge at top speed.

When he arrived,

Atiya and their group had already piled up various obstacles on the suspension bridge.

This is the most common defensive measure in a sandstorm.

The villagers had already hidden in their homes at the sound of the alarm bell, doors and windows locked, quietly waiting for the sandstorm to pass.

The sandstorms Luo De had experienced before were not large; the beasts hiding in the sandstorm to ambush the village were merely creatures unable to use elemental energy, and even if Luo De did nothing, Atiya and their group could easily handle them.

But this time the situation is clearly different.

Atiya's face grew especially solemn as he said: "The village is using the highest-level eighteen bell tolls, indicating this sandstorm will be huge. Luo De, be careful—such a scale of sandstorm will definitely have monsters within it; we just don't know what level of monster."

Having said that, he handed over a pair of goggles and a set of sand-proof mask and clothing.

This is the necessary equipment for dealing with a sandstorm.

They were specially purchased by A Ru Cun from the rainforest region.

The quality is excellent, and they can be reused many times.

With these, the guards' vision won't be blocked by the sky-filling yellow sand, and they can respond more calmly to the threats in the sandstorm.

"Monster."

Luo De murmured it once, then put on the goggles and sand-proof clothing.

At the same time he drew his long sword, and together with Atiya's mercenary corps he took up a defensive position at the other end of the suspension bridge.

Speaking of which,

This is also the first time Luo De has drawn in actual combat the sword that Dixiya gave him.

Just as Dixiya said.

It is an old sword.

There are some visible scratches on the blade.

But scratches aside, the sword's quality remains very high—at least far superior to the weapons most villagers use.

Following Atiya's suggestion,

Luo De did not stand at the front of the troop, but in the middle of the guard squad, responsible for front and rear support.

Because many monsters can fly.

And monsters differ from beasts.

Beasts' attacks are usually mindless, just charging straight ahead, whereas monsters typically launch coordinated attacks, and the higher the monster's rank, the thicker its scale armor, making ordinary arrows unable to pierce it.

To counter such high-level monster attacks,

Atiya's mercenary corps here is equipped with two giant weapons resembling ballistae, a kind of weapon developed by the scholars of the Academy's Mystery Theory School.

Back at the Academy, such a weapon requiring five people to operate together has long been phased out.

Now the weapons used by the Academy are fully automated mechanized; once set up, one person can complete the loading and firing process.

However, the weapons phased out by the Academy, when placed in the desert, are still considered heavy artillery.

This ballista loads a giant arrow about 2.3 meters long and as thick as a forearm.

Drawing back the bowstring needed to fire such a huge arrow is extremely difficult.

Operating such a ballista requires three people to use auxiliary pulleys and other aids to pull the bowstring to the set position and lock it with manpower, then another two to load the arrow, and finally the operator aims and fires; the whole process takes about five minutes.

This complex, cumbersome weapon, Atiya once demonstrated its power to Luo De.

Across this roughly fifty-meter-long suspension bridge, a single shot can pierce the thick rock on the opposite side.

It goes straight through, not just sticking in and stopping.

What astonished Luo De even more was that.

After such a high-speed impact with the rock, the arrowhead's sharpness showed no wear at all.

In other words,

This arrow can be reused.

In terms of power, even the rock would be pierced through like that.

Those monsters, no matter how hard their scale armor, if hit, would hardly escape death.

This also made Luo De once again marvel at the Academy's technological advancement.

Not to mention anything else,

Just this ballista, if placed in Luo De's technologically advanced previous life, it could also be considered a representative work of 'great force launches bricks flying'.

Various precise and complex mechanical structures bring forth a terrifying power capable of piercing through and splitting mountains and rocks.

In an era without computers and precision numerical control, it's really hard to imagine how such a thing could be manufactured.

Once both ballistae were fully loaded, the large-scale sandstorm warned of arrived as scheduled.

Luo De swore.

This is the largest sandstorm he has ever seen in his life.

Yellow sand.

Whatever the eye can see is all yellow sand.

Whatever the ear hears is only the howling of the raging wind.

As the sandstorm just hit, Luo De's vision was reduced to a sheet of gold-yellow; not to mention the monsters in the sandstorm, he couldn't even see the people around him.

Just then,

Several dazzling white lights suddenly tore through the yellow sand, fully revealing the scene within the sand to the eyes of the guards on the suspension bridge.

This is also a device specially obtained by A Ru Cun from the Academy's discards for dealing specifically with sandstorms.

This is to prevent the current situation of completely losing sight.

Roar—

White light appeared, and the earth-shaking beast roar followed.

All the bridge guards also became tense at this beast roar.

Being able to transmit sound so clearly in the sandstorm.

Without a doubt, there indeed are monsters in this sandstorm, and they are likely large, high-level monsters.

Immediately afterward.

The anticipated danger then unfolded.

The creaking sounds of destroying obstacles began to echo on the bridge.

"Grip your weapons, focus!"

"Crossbowmen, ready!!!"

Seeing this, A Ti Ya immediately let out a loud shout.

His sand-proof suit contains a megaphone, ensuring his orders can be clearly heard by everyone.

Luo De narrowed his eyes, right hand gripping his sword, left hand condensing a mass of Ice Elemental Power, ready to unleash.

The sound grew closer.

The guards stationed behind, responsible for opening the view, also aimed their two lamps at the bridge.

When the first black silhouette faintly appeared.

A Ti Ya immediately gave the order: "Crossbow bolts! Fire!!!"

In an instant.

The 'click-clack' of bowstrings rang incessantly.

The guards of A Ru Cun are equipped with a rapid-fire long crossbow; the bolt box is a detachable structure, one load can fire thirty-six bolts, making it an excellent weapon against small monsters and beast tides.

The firing method uses rotating discharge.

That is, half of the crossbowmen fire while the other half prepares; when the first volley is expended and needs reloading, the other half takes over the attack, and when they need to reload, the first batch has already finished reloading, thus cycling continuously to ensure the crossbow bolts maintain dense coverage.

At this point, the longbowmen and the guards wielding melee weapons focus entirely on the sky to guard against aerial attacks.

The Atiya mercenary corps' level of coordination amazed Luo De every time he saw it.

Such a group of mercenaries, usually lax in discipline, yet in battle they possess combat power not inferior to that of a regular army; in Luo De's view, it is indeed somewhat unbelievable.

Just as the barrage of crossbow bolts blocked the monsters' assault on the suspension bridge, the threat in the sky also revealed itself.

Flying Hilichurls, mushroom beasts drifting from all directions, and slow-moving floating spirits.

Among them, the most noticeable.

was a huge bird-like monster entirely crimson red.

"Oh no! It's a Holy Bone Beast!!!"

After spitting out a Sumeru curse fiercely, Atiya anxiously shouted: "Archers, hold off the Holy Bone Beast!!! Ballista operators! Find an opportunity!!!"

Holy Bone Beast.

This is a monster that, according to legend, once gnawed on the bodies of gods.

It is also one of the most terrifying monsters in the desert.

Not only is its shell hard and difficult to breach defensively, but its attack capability is also extremely formidable.

Such a flying Holy Bone Beast, in the desert regions where monsters roam, can be called the overlord of the sky; let alone ordinary people encountering it, even seasoned adventurers who meet it will likely suffer regret if they are not careful.

And this Holy Bone Beast before them also displayed its unparalleled defensive power and its ability to dominate the sky.

Such a dense barrage of arrows could not reduce its speed in the slightest; it surged left and right, from appearing to approaching the guard squad in the blink of an eye.

The only ballista capable of piercing its defense had not yet had time to aim when the Holy Bone Beast's claws were already upon the ballista operator's head.

At this critical moment.

A shield of ice suddenly appeared, covering the entire ballista unit beneath it.

A thin layer of ice shield, through which even the Holy Bone Beast's claws could be seen clearly.

Yet this unnoticeable thin shield actually withstood the Holy Bone Beast's aerial assault.

At the same time.

An ice-blue figure flashed past; wherever it went, the sand dissipated, frost rose, and even the raging wind seemed to be frozen in this extreme cold, unable to howl any further.

Luo De's expression remained calm as he swung his sword at the Holy Bone Beast's relatively soft abdomen.

To prevent his sword from breaking, he deliberately coated the blade with Ice Elemental Power.

Facing this strike that could threaten him,

even the Holy Bone Beast, supremely confident in its own defenses, flapped its wings and tried to momentarily avoid the blade.

However, the force that usually allowed it to take off easily this time suddenly stalled mid-flight.

He looked down.

He didn't know when.

the cold ice on the ice shield had already spread onto the Holy Bone Beast's claws, firmly nailing it to the shield.

Swish—

A cold gleam flashed.

The Holy Bone Beast, which had just been arrogantly overconfident, let out a shrill scream, and with a mighty effort of its legs, it actually tore off its own claws, then without looking back, it fled in panic, its entrails hanging from its split abdomen swaying as it sprayed blood across the sky.

(End of chapter)