A Helping Hand

The cannons were the first to begin firing. The artillery crew worked diligently, loading the cannons, aiming based on the locations provided by Sylvie, and then firing. The cannons were very effective and were able to begin thinning out the tide of the demon advance.

Of course, the demons could not just let the cannons continue to fire unimpeded. They recognized the threat posed by the cannons and took action. A flight of a hundred Devilbeasts approached. The anti-air guns quickly began firing. Though the Devilbeasts started taking losses, they braved the gunfire and started flying as fast as they could.

Eventually, the Devilbeasts got close enough for the demons atop them to start throwing spears. Although the attack force had been whittled down quite a bit by the defenders, there were still a significant amount of them remaining. As the arms of the Mad Demons swelled up in preparation for throwing the spear, the order was quickly given for everyone to take cover. The cannon operators quickly hid under the large shield attached to the cannon. Unfortunately, they would not be able to continue firing the cannon without leaving the shield. However, the anti-aircraft gunmen were able to stay under their shields and continue firing, taking down several more Devilbeasts and Mad Demons.

A rain of spears fell upon the artillery battalion. The God's Punishment Warriors were ready with their shields to deflect incoming spears. They blocked many of them but there were still some that got through. One unfortunate gunner near the edge of the shield was struck by a spear that came from the side. He was impaled through the c.h.e.s.t and quickly bled out as his comrades watched in horror.

Another spear ended up going straight into the barrel of one of the anti-air guns. It was a very lucky shot - the spear managed to land in the narrow opening of the barrel. Unfortunately, the shield protecting the gunner was of no help here. The spear caused the ammunition to prem.a.t.u.r.ely detonate and the gun exploded. The unfortunate soldier operating the gun had his head almost up against the gun which lead to his head being blasted apart by metal shards.

The Mad Demons then quickly prepared another volley of spears. Even though they would typically need time to recharge, they went all out to allow one more throw even though it would damage their arms. They knew that they were in too deep and that there was no way for them to retreat now.

Another volley of spears came. There were still some minor losses, but most of the spears were blocked. However, a spear thrown askew was not intercepted and ended striking the ammunition pile for one of the cannons. The ammunition exploded with a great force that killed everyone standing nearby. Worse, the cannon it was next to was damaged and ended up tipping over and knocking over another cannon.

The explosion had stunned many of the defenders and the demons took this chance to land and start fighting on the ground. Once on the ground, they were no longer subject to the anti-aircraft fire and cannons couldn't be used at such short distances. However, the God's Punishment Warriors recovered quickly from the shock of the explosion and engaged the demons soon after they landed. In close quarter combat, the God's Punishment Warriors were in their element and the demons were quickly neutralized.

As everyone relaxed and prepared to get back to firing the cannons, a massive figure emerged. A massive Devilbeast, almost like a dragon, landed on the ground. Out of its mouth emerged black armored demon. With a slash of its sword it sent a cannon tumbling to the ground in pieces. The soldiers operating the cannons quickly ran away from this monster.

Then, backup arrived. The God's Punishment Witches had seen the approach of the massive Devilbeast and correctly determined that it was carrying the Senior Demon commanding the forces. The God's Punishment Witches released their nullification auras which prevented the Senior Demon from using its magic sword.

As the Senior Demon gaped in shock, the Taquila witches began their counterattack. Using the RPGs they were given, they unleashed several explosive payloads onto the demon. The demon's body was torn to pieces and he died without knowing what hit him.

After the threat was neutralized, the artillery crews returned to their posts to resume the cannon fire. During the time that the artillery was silenced, the demons had advanced and were now engaged with the defenders.

The machine guns were doing their best to kill the demons, but even with the rapid firing the numbers were too great and some had made it through. The army relied on the God's Punishment Warriors to block the demons which made it through the hail of bullets. Despite this, there were still demons that avoided the God's Punishment Warriors. Casualties amongst the riflemen were mounting but fortunately the machine guns were still intact, protected by the God's Punishment Warriors.

Then, massive creatures appeared. They had huge bodies which almost seemed partially mechanical. It looked almost like a large crab that crawled across the battlefield. The crawling monsters shrugged off the machine gun and rifle bullets. As they approached, Sylvie could sense the magic power in the monster.

Sylvie quickly relayed orders to the artillery team. It was a threat that only they could deal with. It would be a disaster if they were able to get close.

Fortunately, the artillery team had just returned and the cannons were ready. The cannons resumed their bombardment. The crawling monsters were quickly destroyed and soon the tide of the demons started being culled by the cannon fire. With the return of the cannons, the demon offensive was crushed and the tattered remnants of their assault force retreated.

The next day, the army had arrived at the outpost which was now abandoned. The cannons bombarded the outpost until it was nothing but rubble. With their mission complete, the army returned home.