Chapter 414: The Brigade Deploys

In the spacious mechanical workshop, the clanging of metal parts rose and fell.

More than twenty Extreme Warriors stripped off their armor, bared their torsos, and sat on the long workbenches on both sides, operating the turret press beds: Pat, pat, pat… as they pressed the lever up and down, they filled a fixed amount of gunpowder into the fuel shells, then attached the projectile, and finally pulled the lever once more to seal and compress—a caseless round was completed.

The Extreme Warriors' handling was so proficient they didn't need to look; each could produce seven or eight bullets per minute.

The piles of rounds on the workbench in front resembled small hills, and in the adjacent armory, dozens of large crates were packed to the brim; the total had already reached nearly one million rounds!

Manufacturing the rounds was almost effortless for them, as if they never grew weary.

But every face wore a miserable expression; at first it felt novel, yet after half a day they began to complain incessantly. They had been working continuously for almost ten days, ten‑plus hours each day, and this endless monotony was sheer torture.

The thrill of firing the Lambo gun was once exhilarating; now making rounds is equally painful.

Pat!

Xikaliusi slammed the lever down; after a few steps, a caseless round slipped out.

He was completely numb.

If forced to choose between facing a legendary Demon and making rounds, he would now unhesitatingly fight the Demon.

Xikaliusi sighed, looked toward the workshop's boss, who was seated at a table studying a gun he had never seen before—shorter than the Lambo gun by half its length, yet the barrel was broader and heavier, its appearance imposing, and it could be wielded with one hand.

This soul gun's design was highly distinctive, its edges sharp, resembling an enlarged version of a Gunwing Knight's submachine gun, but its caliber was much larger, almost double.

Just by looking at the gun's shape, Xikaliusi could feel its power and uniqueness.

However, the gun seemed unfinished; the boss had been tweaking it these past days, yet never fired it nor seen the ammunition it used.

He set aside his work, swept the rounds aside, stood up, and curiously asked, "Boss, what kind of gun is this?"

Lei En looked up at him, "You're looking for an excuse to slack off again?"

"Hehe… I'm a bit tired, so I'm taking a few minutes break." Xikaliusi, having his thoughts read, scratched his head thick‑skinned and said again, "The caliber of this soul gun is huge; its power must be great. When can I try it?"

"It's far from being usable." Lei En shook his head, "I've only just begun research; progress isn't even half done, and I'm not sure it'll succeed."

"Can't use it… I still like its design." Xikaliusi sounded a little disappointed.

Somehow, the more he looked at the soul gun, the more appealing it seemed; it felt comfortable in his hand, as if it were tailor‑made for him and his brothers.

Lei En smiled wryly, "If the research succeeds, this weapon will become the symbol of Extreme Warriors, stronger than the Lambo gun and more convenient to use."

Xikaliusi instantly felt a yearning, "Boss, what's its name?"

"Bolt Gun." Lei En replied.

As soon as the words fell, a Gunwing Knight entered the mechanical workshop and reported, "Sir, Madam Panxier is looking for you at the castle, saying it's urgent."

"Got it, tell her I'll be there right away."

When the Gunwing Knight left, Lei En clapped his hands twice, drawing everyone's attention, and shouted, "Brothers, prepare to depart. Put on your weapons and armor, and remember to bring your fire‑dragons."

"Great!"

"Ahhh… finally liberated, Jili Man, above!"

The Extreme Warriors cheered, each as if granted a pardon, and rushed into the adjacent armory, unwilling to linger another minute in the workshop.

"You're coming too." Lei En said to Xikaliusi, "Gather your brothers, reiterate the discipline twice, and treat every battle with seriousness; no carelessness."

Xikaliusi puffed out his chest, hammered his right fist twice on his left chest, and formally saluted, "Yes, boss!"

Lei En nodded, teleported alone back to the castle; stepping out of the teleport chamber he saw Madam Panxier guarding the doorway, hurried over and said, "Count, the Title: Duke asked me to convey that the operation will commence at noon tomorrow; please bring your men promptly to Longshande for rendezvous."

"Understood."

Lei En nodded to indicate he understood.

He looked at the senior Wizard, Madam Panxier; she had led a secret fire guard with him to Gelamogen for over a year. Initially she was the Silver Star Title: Duke's assistant, but developments progressed too quickly for her to play much of a role, and she ended up merely serving as the Duke's eyes and ears.

Now the Extreme Brigade and the Gunwing Knight Corps were both established; Madam Panxier's few Wizards and that squad of Silver Armored Knights had been completely marginalized.

"Madam Panxier, are you participating in this operation?" Lei En asked casually.

"Yes." Madam Panxier replied respectfully, "My team and I will walk with the Count, and Bademon and the Silver Armored Knights will also return to Longshande, and will not come back thereafter."

Lei En raised an eyebrow; the Silver Star Title: Duke decided to recall her as eyes and ears? It seems showing some strength still has its benefits.

He said with a smile, "Thank you, madam, for your help these days."

"You're welcome; witnessing the Count's rise is my honor." Madam Panxier felt a slight embarrassment; her and the Silver Armored Knights' status in Gelamogen was awkward, Lei En kept many things at a distance, and his subordinates also kept away, making her increasingly uncomfortable, and she had long wanted to leave.

But seeing Lei En's transformation—from a nameless Wizard to an Empire‑renowned hero—filled Panxier with a mix of shock and satisfaction.

After all, they're all Wizards from Longshande, half of her own people.

Moreover, Lei En has always respected her, and they have a good personal rapport; thanks to this connection, there may be useful opportunities in the future.

Lei En summoned Fabian and gave a few instructions.

A moment later, the Extreme Warriors had assembled: two squads, twenty‑four fully armed Extreme Warriors, led this time by Xikaliusi and Tailien, along with two legendary Warrior mentors.

Madam Panxier gathered her secret fire guard members, Bademon, and the Silver Armored Knights in the castle's courtyard.

"Where is Borqi?" Lei En asked.

"Coming, coming…" Borqi's voice rang out as he hurried from outside the castle, shouting, "Boss, I'm here."

With his run, the ground thudded, and the clank of armor rang.

Everyone's eyes fell on Borqi, astonished.

He had completely changed ten days ago, now wearing a bright golden, heavy set of armor—majestic and imposing. The full set comprised helmet, shoulder guards, gauntlets, breastplate, belt, greaves, and war boots, each piece looking as if forged from gold, exquisite and beautiful, radiating a sacred yet blazing aura in sunlight, matching his over‑two‑meter stature, truly awe‑inspiring.

Behind Borqi he also bore a broad two‑handed greatsword.

The greatsword's design was equally grand; its long, wide blade resembled a door panel, engraved with two rows of golden runes, clearly a non‑common item.

People seeing Borqi's appearance would call him a Sun Knight.

In fact, this eight‑piece set of armor and weapon came from the distant Lamon Empire, a unique equipment of the Sun Knights, called "Light‑Forged Holy Armor," which can amplify holy light's power, boost strength and resistance, and its defense is astonishing, comparable to epic gear.

For unknown reasons, this Light‑Forged Holy Armor fell into the hands of Madam Xialanwei, and Borqi immediately coveted it.

Lei En paid nearly one hundred thousand Gold Shields for it.

The price was reasonable; the armor fit Borqi perfectly—he possesses the Golden Dragon talent, commands holy light, and can fully utilize the armor's effects without waste.

Aside from not worshiping the Sun God, Bo Erqi is not much different from a Sun Knight.

"Praise the Sun!"

Bo Erqi suddenly brought his legs together, stood perfectly upright, lifted his head, then spread his arms toward the sun in the sky, looking like a devout follower, and prayed aloud.

Lei En was startled for a moment and, half laughing, half crying, asked, "When did you convert to the Sun God?"

"Just these past few days," Bo Erqi replied without changing expression.

Lei En examined his soul state; the fire of faith was still a vivid kaleidoscope, a trait of the Mother of Evil Dragons, Tiya Sixi, and there was not a trace of holy flame.

"I damn the Sun God!"

He almost spat it out, but an outsider couldn't expose him on the spot, waved a hand and said, "Enough, we should set off now."

The Arcane Torrent Staff opened a teleportation portal.

The portal's destination was the airship dock in the territory; passing through, they emerged inside the cabin of an airship that Lei En had had prepared, which took off as soon as everyone was assembled.

After a full night and half a morning of flight, the airship crossed nearly half the Empire and arrived at Longshande, but instead of the Silver Star District's airship dock, it landed in a military fort west of Longshande City, the headquarters of the Silver Armored Knights.

The Silver Armored Knights' stronghold resembled a massive fortress, sprawling over a wide area, with sturdy buildings built along the hills, overlooking Longshande; charging down the slope leads directly to the Silver Star District.

The airship landed on the large training ground inside the camp.

Pan Xi Er and Ba De Meng led their men down first, with Lei En following, and saw a large gathering of Silver Armored Knights on the field, roughly five hundred in number.

On the backs of towering silver-scaled horses sat knights clad in enchanted armor.

They wielded lances, wore long swords at their waists, guided their horses into formation, remained silent, and only the silver-scaled horses occasionally sneezed once or twice, creating a solemn atmosphere.

Beside the Silver Armored Knights stood a group of demon leopards.

These demon leopards are Mid-stage magical beasts; their bodies are elegant and agile, with pale blue fur patterned brightly, tails swaying gently, and faint magical auras emanating.

Each demon leopard carries a Wizard; they belong to the Secret Fire Guard.

Lei En swiftly scanned these elite Wizards from the Silver Star Tower, over sixty in total, all above Level 4, with more than twenty High-rank Wizards, yet compared with Weizelan's Wizard Corps, both in number and quality they fell short—this is the difference in foundation.

The five hundred Silver Armored Knights were also selected from a three‑thousand‑person legion; even the lowest are Level‑4 knights, and there are many High‑rank knights above Level 7, over fifty in total.

In front of the two squads of extraordinary armaments stood several Legends.

Lei En knew many of them: Tien Hobred, the commander of the Silver Armored Knights, a Level‑12 Great Swordmaster; Fei Lian, director of the Security Bureau, a Level‑10 Demon Swordmaster; the deputy head of the Silver Star Academy, a Level‑14 Elementalist; the wood elf A La Mi Ya, a Level‑10 mage; Ke Li Fei Si, a Level‑10 combat Wizard who had just been promoted to Legend a few months ago; as well as a male mid‑rank Legend Ten Thousand Spirits Wizard and a female Legendary Arcane Mage, who should also be students of the Duke of Silver Star, whom Lei En had never met before.

Head Guard Fu Lin Ke, that Legendary High‑rank shape‑shifting Wizard, the Duke of Silver Star's top flunky, was not present now, and his whereabouts were unknown.

Lei En thought, this time Longshande was truly a full‑scale evacuation.

These hundreds before him constitute the Duke of Silver Star's core combat force; if something went wrong, it would take more than a hundred years to recover.

The Legends clustered around the Duke of Silver Star, and a teleportation array dozens of meters in diameter had already been set up on the ground.

At this moment, the Duke of Silver Star was still testing the teleportation array.

Lei En stepped down from the airship, instantly drawing everyone's gaze; they turned to look, then scanned Bo Erqi behind Lei En, clad in radiant holy armor, their eyes full of surprise and curiosity.

"Madam," Lei En stepped forward, bowed, and greeted.

Bo Erqi, seeing such a massive formation, was already a bit nervous; feeling the Duke of Silver Star's aura up close, he was suddenly terrified, stood there mute as a dummy, acting like a genuine guard.

Lei En nodded greeting toward a few acquaintances.

Fei Lian and Ke Li Fei Si almost didn't recognize Lei En, their faces unable to hide surprise.

Today the Duke of Silver Star donned a splendid magical robe, wielded a crystal‑like staff, appeared dignified and solemn, and tied up his long black hair, a stark contrast to his usual demeanor.

She withdrew her attention from the teleportation array, glanced at Lei En, gave a slight nod, and asked, "Where are your people?"

Before Lei En could answer, a regimented, heavy footfall sounded from the airship.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang…

When the airship hatch opened, a line of extremely towering Extreme Warriors stepped out, clad in thick full‑metal armor, averaging about 2.3 meters tall, bodies as broad as iron walls; their armor was painted blue with gold trim, and a massive golden emblem of a war hammer crossed with a crescent moon adorned their chests.

Their armor, cast as a single piece, fit tightly, with faces hidden beneath helmets.

Behind them stood a square metal box, with weapons hanging on each side—a heavy two‑handed greatsword on one, and another wrapped in black cloth.

Weapons, armor, and the metal box together weighed over a thousand pounds!

Yet they moved without any clumsiness; their steps were swift and agile, each footfall shaking the ground. The two Extreme Warriors at the front bore battle flags, the designs matching the chest emblem, representing the Augustus family.

Despite being only twenty‑four, they exuded the aura of a thousand‑strong army.

A commotion broke out among the legion on the training ground; some demon leopards on silver-scaled horses retreated uneasily, their primal instincts causing them to emit a few low roars.

The Duke of Silver Star and her legendary subordinates all turned pale.

They sensed legendary auras on these tin‑can‑like barbarian warriors, not just one but four of them. The other warriors were also formidable, each a Level‑9 pinnacle, barely a hair's breadth from Legend.

"This…"

Fei Lian inhaled sharply.

He was the director of the Security Bureau, having had the most contact with Lei En before, and could hardly believe that Lei En actually commanded such terrifying subordinates.

The Duke of Silver Star was also utterly shocked.

She had originally thought Extreme Warriors only possessed a unique soul‑gun, suitable for dealing with hordes of low‑level foes, which is why she had requested to borrow them; now, seeing them with her own eyes, she realized she had vastly underestimated their strength—calling them elite was still an understatement.

Pick any one of them, and they could serve as deputy commander of the Silver Armored Knights!

And these are not all; the report Pan Xi Er sent back said Lei En has a total of sixty Extreme Warriors!

The footfalls ceased, and the tremors stopped.

Twenty‑four Extreme Warriors stood behind Lei En in two rows, like two impregnable copper‑and‑iron walls; they remained silent, displaying a disciplined, formidable bearing, and merely standing there could intimidate anyone, exuding great pressure.

"Madam, my people are assembled," Lei En said softly.

The Duke of Silver Star pursed her lips, her gaze scanning the Extreme Warriors repeatedly, her expression very complex, and finally she couldn't help but ask, "Lei En, how did you cultivate them?"

(End of Chapter)