Chapter 156: It Must Be Divine Punishment!

"Target the tribal guards beneath the high platform ahead. Attack immediately!"

"Yes, my lord!"

With a rustle, the canvas flap was thrown open, and the ballista squad began to reload.

The winch turned, drawing back the thick ox-tendon bowstring to full draw; the loaders immediately placed a three-meter-long giant bolt into the groove.

Two assistants adjusted the angle and aimed according to the squad leader's orders.

Of course, the three hundred tribal guards ahead stood in such dense formation that even without aiming, the shot would not miss.

But the ritual must be observed, right?

"Bows and crossbows loaded! Bows and crossbows aimed!"

"Fire the bows and crossbows!"

Boom!

The trigger rope was pulled, and the bowstring snapped back violently.

A muffled thud rang out, the carriage shuddered slightly, and a three-meter-long, two-finger-thick bolt shot forth.

"Look! What... what is that?"

The heirs on the high platform had originally been watching with interest as the noble soldiers below were annihilated.

But now they too noticed the ballista, this strange oversized 'longbow'; when the thick bolt shot out with a sudden burst, several heirs were left staring in stunned silence.

The extreme left-and-right bending and swaying of the shaft caused by the immense thrust showed them, for the first time in their lives, a concrete manifestation of how bowstring power is transmitted.

Whoosh!

Thud-thud-thud!

After the piercing shriek, the massive bolt, like a streak of black light, plunged into the tightly packed ranks of the tribal guards.

Instantly, a line of blood formed among the tribal guards.

One, two, three... eight!!!

A full eight tribal warriors fell where they stood!

Huh!

"What in the world is that thing?"

"Why would there be such huge bows and bolts?!"

"Yes, how could these noble weapons possess such terrifying armaments?"

Interest turned to doubt and unease; the tribal heirs' faces all changed.

The three hundred guards were among the tribe's most elite soldiers, yet that weapon took eight of them with a single shot!

If several more such weapons appeared, how could the tribal warriors ever stand against the nobles in the future?

"No retreat! Anyone who dares retreat will be executed on the spot, and their families will all be demoted to tribal death-slaves!"

Just then, the shouts of the personal guards roused the heirs from their shock.

It turned out that the three hundred tribal guards had panicked because of that terrifying giant bolt.

After all, the weapon was not only powerful, but those struck by it suffered gruesome injuries.

With a blade at least fifteen centimeters wide, if struck by it, not only a human, but even a warhorse would likely be severed in half at the waist.

The several tribal guards on that line of blood had been directly snapped in half at the waist, instilling fear of the giant bolt in the guards.

Fortunately, under the scolding and threats of the personal guards, these tribal guards were immediately awed into submission and could only grit their teeth and stand their ground.

"Guards, do not worry! In ten minutes, no, in just five minutes, these damned noble soldiers will be wiped out by our sentries!"

"So, hold on! Once these noble soldiers are eliminated, we will reward you!"

"That's right, guards, hold firm! When the battle ends, every single one of you will receive a reward!"

To better soothe the guards, the heirs made these promises aloud.

And with that, the last shred of cowardice in the guards was firmly suppressed.

"Looks like I need to add some spice!"

Gervas was not too surprised; these soldiers serving as the heirs' personal guards were naturally the most loyal within the tribe, just like his knights and knight squires.

So he had long ago decided how to deal with these fellows!

Seeing the ballista bowstring drawn and the loader preparing to reload with ordinary bolts, Gervas immediately said, "This time, load 'Wrath of the Sea God'!"

The loader paused, realized what was meant, and immediately acknowledged the order. "Yes, my lord!"

Immediately, the loader abandoned the bolt with the sharp arrowhead and instead selected a bolt topped with a round stone sphere.

After loading the bolt, the loader did not stop; he quickly opened a sealed wooden crate.

This wooden crate was filled with straw.

After rummaging for a moment, the loader found a cylindrical iron tube in the straw.

The iron tube was over ten centimeters long, as thick as a human wrist, completely sealed at both ends except for a tiny hole, with a thin cotton wick inserted above the hole.

Even more puzzling was that, upon close inspection, the surface of the iron tube bore numerous deep grooves.

These grooves were extremely rough; if they were meant for decoration, that would be absolutely impossible.

After taking out the iron tube, the loader carefully installed it in the middle section of the bolt.

For in the middle of that shaft, a sturdy rattan frame had been specially tied, fitting the iron tube perfectly!

"Report: 'Wrath of the Sea God' loaded! Aimed!"

"Ignite and fire!"

Boom!

Another muffled thud rang out as the stone-tipped bolt shot forth with a sudden burst.

Whoosh!

Pfft!

And this time, because of the change in that arrowhead, the crossbow bolt failed to unleash its massive penetrating power.

In the end, the stone arrowhead pierced only one tribal guard before getting stuck in his body.

The surrounding tribal guards froze, then hurried forward in confusion.

"The arrowhead is actually made of stone, and it's round! Are these noble soldiers stupid?"

"Yes, even without an iron arrowhead, they could have used beast bone, and they didn't even sharpen the tip!"

"Haha, this is just right; otherwise, we few would have been dead just now!"

The guards chattered all at once; several men standing directly behind the crossbow's path beamed with joy, delighted to have their lives spared.

Besides the guards, the heir on the high platform took the entire scene in.

One by one, they looked down in puzzlement, preparing to order someone to go down and check the situation.

But just then, one of the guards below suddenly made a new discovery: "Look quickly, there's an iron pipe here!"

"Eh, there's a cotton wick on this iron pipe that's smoking!"

"Let me see! Let me see!"

The guards, all finding it strange, crowded around the iron pipe, exclaiming in wonder.

And just then, the cotton wick finally burned out completely and vanished into the hole.

"Eh, the cotton wick has burned up; what exactly is this iron pipe..."

A violent Bai Guang suddenly burst forth, and the guards' chatter cut off abruptly.

Boom—boom—boom!

Moments after the Bai Guang appeared, a thunderous roar that shook heaven and earth exploded, like thunder striking the flat ground.

When the people around came to their senses and looked again at the spot where those guards had been, they saw seventeen or eighteen people all lying on the ground.

Moreover, the appearance of these guards was extremely miserable; their beast-skin cloaks and leather armor were blown to shreds, and their bodies were a blur of flesh and blood.

"This... this... what has happened?"

"I... I don't know; could it be lightning?"

"Impossible; tonight's sky doesn't even have clouds, how could there be lightning?"

Above and below the high platform, everyone gulped saliva wildly, staring blankly at that miserable scene.

And that Bai Guang and the deafening roar had appeared without any warning, leaving them with no idea what had happened.

Some suspected lightning, but tonight there were absolutely no conditions for lightning to form.

"Divine punishment; it must be divine punishment!"

"That's right; it is the gods' punishment. Everyone, run quickly! The gods are unleashing their wrath!"

But just then, a shout suddenly erupted from the crowd of guards below.

Accompanying the shout, the previously tight formation of guards immediately collapsed.