"You iron-clad bugs, I'll smash you all to pieces!"
A Mountain Giant, whose body was enormous—standing taller than any young Dragon in the Dragon clan, except for the ancestral Red Dragon—charged forward with a thunderous roar, leading many giants directly into the Imperial Guard.
"I'll hammer you into a meat patty!"
"Trample them!"
One after another, the giants charged in a furious assault, their heavy, massive weapons already poised to strike, about to collide with the Imperial Guard's formation.
But on the blood-colored Dragon-faced helmets of the Imperial Guard, the eyes, carved from magic gems and crystals, suddenly lit up simultaneously in an instant, and streams of blazing gaze almost materialized.
"Mind Storm!"
A powerful psionic energy surged from the bodies of these Imperial Guard, who had birthed their own psionic seeds, injecting it into the magical eyes of their achilles heavy armor.
Under the amplification and blessing of the magical eyes, the vigorous psionic energy cultivated by the Imperial Guard's long-standing steadfast will transformed into formless, insubstantial mental blades, shooting directly into the eyes of these giants.
Even the Mountain Giant, whose mental strength was sufficiently powerful, paused slightly at this moment, his spirit agitated by the instantaneous collective psionic attack, and he became dazed, his forward charge stopping abruptly, appearing bewildered.
But the two Imperial Guard Squad Leaders at the very front had already split to the left and right sides of the Mountain Giant, and the sturdy knee guards of their achilles heavy armor, driven by the Imperial Guard's will, transformed from a sharp, stubby, thorny offensive structure into another form of magic alloy.
Sharp, short magical metal spikes integrated into the surface of the knee guards, becoming defensive, smooth, streamlined curved armor.
At the same time, the two Imperial Guard Squad Leaders, who had split to the sides, suddenly lowered their bodies, kneeling on one knee, cracking the ground.
Simultaneously, they hunched their backs, and the achilles heavy armor, with continuous clanging sounds, cooperated with its soul-bound master to complete this set of movements in an instant.
Then, their heavy bodies, driven by their forward momentum and the power of the achilles heavy armor, slid forward.
The Imperial Guard Squad Leader's shoulder arched slightly, and the heavy horse-slaying blade in his hand, humming with energy and the clang of the blade, directly struck the Mountain Giant's legs, which were as thick as load-bearing pillars in a palace.
And the two Imperial Guard who closely followed the two Imperial Guard Squad Leaders also leaped from the ground when the Imperial Guard Squad Leaders made their move, then stepped onto the shoulders of the Imperial Guard Squad Leaders in front of them.
With this perfect, instantaneous coordination, the two Imperial Guard directly leaped onto the Mountain Giant's broad shoulders.
Just as the two Imperial Guard standing on the Mountain Giant's shoulders were about to cut off the giant's head, the Mountain Giant had already awakened from the daze of the mental impact.
"Get down, get off my body, you iron-clad stink bugs!" The Mountain Giant, filled with shock and rage, shook his enormous body, like a mountain quaking.
Pfft, pfft.
The unsteady Imperial Guard directly plunged their long-handled heavy blades into the Mountain Giant's broad, thick shoulders; the high-density blades, transformed into fiery plasma, directly cut through the Mountain Giant's thick skin, tearing through the beast hide the Mountain Giant wore, cutting through the stone skin condensed by the Mountain Giant's Mountain Power, deeply entering the flesh, the blades completely submerged.
"Roar! Pain!"
The Mountain Giant roared, and in its panic, it actually dropped the weapon in its hand, its arms, as sturdy as ancient trees growing in a forest, bent and slapped at its own shoulders, trying to swat off the two Imperial Guard.
Blade-like sounds came from the Mountain Giant's feet and shoulders; under the enhancement of the achilles heavy armor, the heavy horse-slaying blades, weighing hundreds of catties, burst forth from the Imperial Guard Squad Leader's hands with the speed of sound.
In the Material Plane, such terrifying speed brings absolutely powerful attacking force, and combined with the horse-slaying heavy blades that emitted bursts of blade hums, they directly cut off half of the two thick legs the instant the giant made its move.
Boom!
The Mountain Giant toppled like a small hill, its thick leg bones also partly severed by the Imperial Guard Squad Leader's heavy blade, which was capable of cutting through all steel in the mundane world; the pain penetrated deep into its bones, making it unable to support its massive body any longer, and it fell forward.
The Imperial Guard Squad Leader, who had moved past, and the Imperial Guard, who had leaped down from the Mountain Giant, no longer considered this seemingly powerful Mountain Giant; they lunged forward.
They were the strongest legionnaires of their empire; unless there was an absolutely crushing force, only a legion as strong as them could contend with them.
Matching their firm will was their absolute discipline; they knew what they should do on the battlefield and how to do it.
And these scattered giants, gathered together, were nothing more than fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered in the eyes of these warriors.
The Mountain Giant fell into the mud, and the deadly threat made him frantically lift his head, covered in mud and sand, from the ground, only to see a pair of warrior's feet before him, and the blood-red cloak fiercely fluttering even on the battlefield.
"May the Emperor's blade-light illuminate your frail and shameful defeat, and may your soul, which should have enjoyed peace, forever fall into the abyss."
Brief words emanated from beneath the faceplate; the chilling sharpness vanished from the Mountain Giant's eyes, and the giant's wide-open mouth was in vain, emitting no sound.
The Mountain Giant's rolling head saw pairs of warrior's feet stepping past him, without pausing, and darkness began to descend before his eyes.
The last scene the giant saw in his eyes was fixed on the backs of the Imperial Guard as they unleashed a slaughter.
The Imperial Guard's formidable strength, combined with the defense and enhancement of the achilles heavy armor, allowed them to face even the power of Hill Giant head-on.
"Die for me!"
The frenzied Hill Giant's heavy club smashed down; at the moment the Mountain Giant fell, they had already lost their sanity; their somewhat clumsy speed, by comparison, made even retreating impossible in front of the Imperial Guard.
But on the achilles heavy armor, a flowing light of psionic energy bloomed, covering the Imperial Guard's body, boosting their speed and strength to the maximum.
This Imperial Guard's foot sank into the ground as he charged directly into the Hill Giant's embrace; his spiked shoulder guard collided with the Hill Giant's chest and shoulder, directly neutralizing the attack, and even the Hill Giant's heavy body was directly pushed back several steps by the Imperial Guard.
But the Imperial Guard's blade light had already arrived like a shadow; the Imperial Guardstepped forward, a cold gleam flashing, the sharp blade cutting through the air, with a speed comparable to sound, carrying a terrifying echo. When the Hill Giant saw the blade light appear, it was already the moment of death.
The giants behind only saw the head of the giant in front of them roll off, and the blade light had already appeared before their eyes, a step ahead of the Imperial Guard.
"Obeying my Lord's will, I grant your pitiable souls liberation!"
The tall Imperial Guard leaped up from behind the fallen giant's corpse, and the fierce blade light directly cut the giant's bone club and body in half before him.
Bang! An Imperial Guard pulled his heavy blade from a giant's body, but the surrounding giants' heavy hammers had already struck the Imperial Guard.
The giants' immense strength hammered the heavy armor, causing it to visibly dent, directly sending the tall Imperial Guard flying several meters away, falling into the crowd.
A Wood Giant nearby swung its flail, trying to seize the opportunity to kill this Imperial Guard, but a Mind Storm stirred at this moment; an Imperial Guard's faceplate projected white light, causing the Wood Giant's spirit to waver. By the time the Wood Giant recovered, it was already looking up at these blood-red devils from the ground.
And the achilles heavy armor on the Imperial Guard who was hammered away by the giant was recovering on its own at a visible speed.
"Cough, cough, you are truly my thoughtful child."
The Imperial Guard slowly propped himself up from the ground, patting his armor, which had already returned to its original form.
"It seems now is not my destined time to return to the Holy Temple," the magic eyes on the Imperial Guard's faceplate lit up again.
"Then let the glory of the Empire judge you despicable heretics!"
He gasped, re-gripped the vibrating crescent heavy blade in his hand, and charged forward.
These Imperial Guard had undergone countless training in combat techniques and battle tempering, and had received repeated baptisms of magic potions and ancient bloodlines.
Various dragon blood and demon blood potions, which others could not possess, were merely auxiliary measures for each enhancement of the Imperial Guard; under the planning of the research department, every weakness on these Imperial Guard was almost completely compensated, making them well-rounded warriors.
Although the strength of these giants was formidable enough, they had obvious flaws in front of the well-trained Imperial Guard.
The Imperial Guard, forming combat formations and cooperating to advance, had already seized the initiative on the battlefield; the dozens of giants in front, after a moment of resistance, were completely unable to withstand the Imperial Guard's charge and destruction.
The giants behind had already begun to harbor thoughts of retreat; the Stone Giant, whose movements were slower than other giants, now found this to be an advantage, as they were at the back, thus having the first priority for escape.
But in mid-air, a warrior in golden Dragon -faced armor, with his pure white wings spread, holding the ugly head of Cyclops Giant Asis in his left hand and a sword in his right, floated silently, overlooking the battlefield.
Seeing the Stone Giant beginning to retreat quietly, Gabriel's gentle expression turned indifferent; he tossed the head of Cyclops Giant Asis from mid-air, letting it fall in front of the retreating Stone Giant.
"Those who step over the head, I cannot grant you the mercy you deserve, even if I inherited my Father's compassion and tolerance."
A gentle smile reappeared on the young Punishing Angel's face, and he said slowly, "But if you turn around and fight for yourselves, as long as you can kill or defeat an Imperial Guard, and inflict a shameful defeat upon these Imperial Guard, I will let you go, allowing you to leave."
"This is my compassionate mercy to you, in the name of Gabriel Kogmora, the Emperor's Punishing Angel and Commander of the Imperial Guard!"
"Don't mind him, he's only one person, he can't stop us, we just need to rush straight through," a tall Stone Giant bellowed in a rumbling voice.
These Stone Giant averaged about ten meters in height, not the most prominent among the giants, and were among the first giants to succumb to Morgues, the Hekaton Giant's power.
But these giants were not as rough and simple as they appeared; although it was a Stone Giantwho spoke, the Stone Giant did not move, instead, the Hill Giant beside them, incited, became restless and wanted to charge through.
It was just that the head of Asis was placed in front, making these giants very apprehensive, which was why they did not dare to challenge the enemy's strength and directly attack the golden-armored angel suspended in mid-air.
"Evil one who attempts to deceive others, I cannot tolerate your sin."
The longsword, enveloped in psionic light, in the hand of the second-generation Imperial Guard Commander, was thrown down, directly piercing the rock-protected core of the Stone Giant who was inciting the giants, pinning this giant to the ground.
This slender longsword emitted a dim aura; a True Dragon's wings formed the quillons, a True Dragon's head was the guard, a True Dragon's tail was the hilt, and the blade itself exuded a True Dragon -like majesty, causing the giants to step back two paces.
"Go, do not try to wear down my patience," Imperial Guard Commander Gabriel opened his right hand, and the Bagg Pestle, embedded in the solid rock wall, seemed to sense its master's call, trembling and squeezing out of the rock, flying towards the white-winged, golden-armored angel.
Receiving Gabriel's psionic infusion, the Legendary weapon of old once again unleashed its Legendary power, intimidating the giants.
Gabriel looked down, smiling gently, "My patience is also inherited from my Lord; though I have some, it's not much!"
Only then did these giants hastily turn around and re-enter the battlefield, beginning to fight for their lives.
"You're using your deceitful methods again! I think you should be called the Angel of Deceit, not the Punishing Angel!" An angry roar came from behind Imperial Guard Commander Gabriel.
But this was a cry of the soul; living beings without unique powers could not see or touch the existence of souls.
"Let me out! You killed me with trickery, my soul will never submit to you!"
Behind Gabriel, as if in a void, a shimmering, indistinct, almost ethereal, radiant white halo flickered, as if it were some power accompanying this Punishing Angel.
Streams of faith power flowed from the void, connecting the halo to the faith storage and psionic beacon sites in Bay Stream City, casting this halo which was gradually taking shape.
Within the halo, there existed a space that only souls could touch; the soul of Asis was in this space, enduring some inexplicable murmurs and prayers, roaring in irritation.
"Power without wisdom is merely a toy to be played with; wisdom without power is but a puppet to be controlled. You lack wisdom commensurate with your strength, and thus you should be my tool."
The golden-armored angel Gabriel gazed at the battle of the Imperial Guard, the Empire's blades he had forged, and said faintly, "You were easily fooled by my words; that is your foolishness. The means to victory is power."
"Bullshit! Crap!" The soul of the Cyclops Giant Asis raged in the mysterious space, shouting loudly, "Let me out! I'm not convinced! A giant's soul will not yield! Don't think you'll get my submission!"
"I don't need your submission, I only need your soul."
The Punishing Angel Gabriel frowned slightly, extended a finger, crossing the barrier between reality and the mysterious space, appearing within the mysterious space like a colossal pillar reaching the sky.
Even the Cyclops Giant Asis, nearly twenty meters tall, was gently flicked away by this sky-piercing pillar.
"Be quiet. I'll make sure to reform you well when we get back."
A huge voice came from the chaotic sky, and Gabriel said softly, "I am my Lord's angel. He granted me life, and it is my duty to bear some things for him."
"You see, I didn't kill your soul, which means I gave you a second life. I think you should also bear some things for me!"