Chapter 219: Landing Operation

"Hahaha, if only our short-lived Human friends thought the same. I heard some of them even covet the charms of the dark-skinned, pointy-eared sorceresses, fighting and scrambling to become slaves! They don't even check if they're worth the weight!"

After notifying the fleet to adjust course, Panuosen returned and cracked a joke. He left one armored ship to protect the transport vessels, while the remaining three warships accelerated toward the position of the Black Ark.

Sinuoli laughed heartily upon hearing this, "They really are bold! Those old hags, who knows how many years old they are, could probably suck a Minotaur into beef jerky. If these Humans survive three days, it's only because Sigmar is being loyal!"

"Indeed! And I don't know what's so good about those shameless black bean sprouts who can't even afford decent clothes!" Panuosen chimed in.

"Hahaha, that's not necessarily true. Sometimes Slaanesh is even harder to guard against than Khorne!" Sinuoli laughed loudly. It was hard to understand from a Dwarf's aesthetic, but he could still appreciate it.

"Are we just going to sail straight in like this? Won't those black bean sprouts run away?" Sinuoli asked curiously, watching the Dreadnought head full steam toward a direction without any attempt at concealment.

"They haven't discovered my airship. At our altitude, those Banshees can't reach us with their broken wings!" Altman said proudly.

The Dwarf steam airship was a creation developed by the Engineers of Haimenguan in recent years. They only began developing aircraft after confirming that the Dragons of the Caledor Kingdom were generally in a deep slumber. Otherwise, only Slayers would be willing to serve as pilots.

The steam airship consists of an armored hull suspended beneath a massive hydrogen balloon. The airship can ascend or descend by controlling the amount of gas in the balloon and uses guide wings to turn. It is also equipped with steam engines on the hull for sailing against the wind.

After another half hour, Sinuoli saw a massive shadow from afar. The scale of that Black Ark was unimaginably large; its appearance was like a sturdy city, with many black towers standing tall.

Grimnir's Thunder was already huge, but it wasn't even as high as the base of the Black Ark.

"Click! Click!"

With a dense sound of gears, the Dreadnought's main guns rotated. Panuosen waved a command flag in the command room, and with two "Boom! Boom!" sounds, the twin-linked main guns fired.

Sinuoli saw a tower directly blasted down, and some small black dots rose up in a panic.

"Beautiful! Get the clansmen ready for battle!" Panuosen slapped the table and shouted.

"Do we have an elevator?" Sinuoli tugged at his beard as he watched the distance to the Black Ark gradually shorten. How were they supposed to board with such a height difference? That was a good question.

"Do you intend to board by jumping? We can't use those Human tactics! Have the warriors prepare for a landing operation!" Panuosen was stunned for a moment, then reacted.

"Once our clansmen in heavy armor fall into the water, there's no way to save them. Even if they didn't wear iron armor and switched to leather, it wouldn't work. The Sons of the Mountains have never belonged to the ocean; we wouldn't float even if we wore nothing in the water!"

Balin said from the side to Sinuoli. Cousin Tomi had been left behind in the Old World by Sinuoli to procure follow-up supplies, and this distant cousin had gotten the chance to join the expedition.

"Just high density," Sinuoli muttered. The clansmen of this world attributed physics to feudal superstition. But even if they could float, the Dwarfs would never abandon their armor; the casualty rate would be unacceptable for a race with such a low birth rate.

The Dwarf warships fired at the Black Ark while moving toward the shore. With a few "Splash! Splash!" sounds, several wide pontoon bridges were thrown from Grimnir's Thunder into the water.

The clansmen, ready for battle, quickly rushed ashore via the pontoon bridges. Sinuoli did not ride the Doom Anvil; although the Dark Elves' ranged firepower was inferior to their green and white kin, underestimating them would come at a price.

Before Snuori lay a scene of chaotic Dark Elves. In the previous battle, the Black Ark pirate captain had dispatched an Abyssal Siren that easily destroyed the town's fragile walls.

The Abyssal Siren resembled a War Hydra, except they lived in the unknown deep sea, and their slimy bodies were well-suited to resisting the pressure of seawater. Many constantly swaying tentacles, covered in razor-sharp teeth, replaced the snake heads.

But the residents of this small town were not stupid. As soon as they saw the beast's form, they knew the walls were not enough to rely on. Some of those with combat capability engaged in street fighting with the Dark Elves inside buildings, while those without combat capability fled for their lives directly through the back gates.

The pirates on the Black Ark sent cavalry to capture the escapees while looting resources, slaughtering, and capturing those who resisted within the city. Just as they were happily burning, killing, and looting, the Dwarf artillery rang out.

The leading Dark Elf noble immediately issued orders to assemble troops upon seeing the situation was dire, but his selfish subordinates were busy collecting spoils—who would be willing to risk their lives against the Dwarfs?

Responding actively to the captain's orders meant getting fewer spoils and dying sooner. This bunch didn't manage to assemble for a long time, and by the time Sinuoli's troops had lined up on the shore, they had only just gathered together, still wanting more.

Sinuoli was furious as he watched the poor Humans, tied in a string, being dragged, whipped, and occasionally having parts bitten off by Cold Ones. One side had been industrialized for who knows how many years, while the other was still practicing slavery.

The formation the Dark Elf commander managed to organize put the Dwarfs at ease. He formed the front row with Dreadspears, followed by a bunch of Black Ark pirates, some holding common one-handed swords, others equipped with handbows.

"Sure enough, there are no Black Guard of Naggarond or Har Ganeth Executioners on this Black Ark! Kinsmen! Attack! Crush those pointy-ears!" Sinuoli commanded his clansmen to take the initiative.

Dreadspears were the main body of the Dark Elf army. Baptized in blood, they understood the power of discipline and the strength of a solid shield wall with spear tips bristling. These creatures, who knew no mercy, were trained into a Great Wall of the army that every Dark Elf noble could rely on.

The spearmen formed a dense line, responding to the Dwarf army's attack in a defensive posture, their shields nearly buckling under the dense ranged firepower. The Black Ark pirates behind were also trying to fight back, but their handbows lacked the advantage in both firepower and range.

Sinuoli noticed the enemy commander pulling some Cold One Knights and a few chariots to the flank of the line, likely preparing to charge the Dwarf formation from the side, but he was not worried, as his troops had the advantage in both numbers and quality.