Here is another free chapter for you to enjoy.
-----------
The power of the ASM-A-1 Tarzon is limited, primarily designed for drilling through underground fortresses. This thick ten-meter ice cap isn't an underground fortress, but it's functionally similar.
On Iris's side, to avoid the barrage, she summoned the Frost Ice Spirits and covered them with a thick layer of ice, forming an icy fortress.
Against this airtight ice barrier, Lando and Cyrus immediately thought of a highly effective weapon: the Thermobaric Missile. This weapon operates by using oxygen from the surrounding air to produce a devastating thermobaric effect, hence its name, the Thermobaric Weapon.
The Thermobaric Missile is an upgraded version of the Vacuum Bomb, utilizing warm-pressed gunpowder that combines the explosive power of high-explosive and fuel-air types. Unlike traditional gunpowder, which relies solely on its oxygen supply during detonation, the Vacuum Bomb and its derivatives harness atmospheric oxygen for their explosive reactions.
During detonation, the explosive agent is expelled, mixed with air, and ignited violently, a process sometimes called Vacuum Detonation. The destructive effects stem from overpressure and intense heat, compounded by the reflection and superposition of shock waves within confined spaces.
In such enclosed environments, overpressure exceeds that in open air, and the explosion consumes oxygen in the vicinity, causing severe hypoxia within minutes, suffocating both humans and animals. This makes Vacuum Bombs particularly lethal in confined spaces. The Thermobaric Missile is a comprehensive upgrade, significantly boosting its overall lethality.
Of course, it's especially suited for targeting supernatural creatures with formidable defenses, like the Frost Beast. While the Astra Militarum's power is still in haste, their true objective isn't the Frost Beast itself but the Ice Moon Spirit concealed within the Ice Cap Fortress. This is the real key to victory. The Ice Moon Spirit's defenses are virtually nonexistent. It's a domain-based supernatural being, inherently vulnerable in other ways.
"Iris is adopting a conservative tactic, delaying until the Astra Militarum falls into chaos, but..." Sebastian mused silently, "How would she know if the enemy has other kinds of weapons?"
A powerful weapon for confined spaces, capable of using temperature and pressure to annihilate me, after the Tarzon struck the Frost Beast, another missile followed. This missile was equipped with a Thermobaric Warhead, and it is called AGM-114N Hellfire II. At first glance, it looked no different from the others.
In a faint sound, the Hellfire tracked the same path as the Ground Penetrating Bomb and pierced the opening just created.
"Again," Iris ordered reluctantly, noticing the attack.
She commanded the Frost Beasts to seal the gap once more. Given their formidable physiques, it was difficult for the missile to pierce through. With a troop strength of around 30,000 Frost Beasts, Iris was willing to sacrifice hundreds, even thousands, to plug the breach in the ice cap.
But this time, the missile wasn't ordinary; it was engineered for confined spaces. When it struck the Frost Beast blocking the opening, the impact was tremendous.
First, it pushed the beast back, then detonated. The explosion of the Thermobaric Missile was devastating. A deafening blast, and the Frost Beast was severely wounded, though with its toughness, it wouldn't die immediately. Iris's arsenal could swiftly treat such injuries.
This wasn't just a simple blast; the missile contained solid agents with oxidants, granular powders of aluminum, boron, silicon, manganese, magnesium, chromium, and others. When dispersed in the air and ignited, these powders greatly amplified the thermal and pressure effects, making the explosion even more lethal.
And that was just the beginning.
Once the fuel was dispersed and mixed with the air, it formed a suspended aerosol, like dense fog over the target. When the aerosol reached a critical concentration, the fuze detonated again, causing a second explosion. An immense amount of heat energy was unleashed almost instantaneously.
A high-temperature, high-pressure fireball erupted, forming a small mushroom cloud. Temperatures soared to around 2,500 degrees, expanding at over 2,000 meters per second. Inside the confined space of the ice fortress, Thermobaric Missiles generated shock waves of intense heat, pressure, and airflow.
Simultaneously, the oxygen in the space was rapidly exhausted, suffocating weaker organisms within minutes. However, these effects had little impact on supernatural beings like the Frost Beast; only the fragile Ice Moon Spirit was vulnerable.
And this was just the first strike. To ensure success, Cyrus ordered ten Hellfire Missiles to be launched in sequence. One after another, they targeted the openings in the ice sheet.
The scene resembled a lethal death dance. Inside, the Frost Beast stood as a living shield, its massive form absorbing the brunt of the explosions. Even if injured, its formidable physique meant it could recover quickly.
But this time, these missiles were specially designed for confined spaces. When they collided with the Frost Beast, the impact was immense.
First, they pushed the creature aside, then detonated. The blast wave caused a massive explosion, and the Thermobaric effect intensified. The deafening sound marked the destruction of the Frost Beast, leaving it severely wounded. Though resilient, it was no match for the blast, its injuries manageable thanks to Iris's resources.
But the real devastation came from the solid oxidant agents. When dispersed, these powders ignited, releasing a torrent of thermal and pressure energy, far surpassing fuel-air bombs. The explosion created a dense fog of aerosol, which detonated in a second burst, unleashing an immense heat wave.
Within the limited confines of the fortress, the shockwaves and intense heat instantly generated chaos: high-temperature fireballs, rapid expansion, and oxygen depletion. Weaker creatures suffocated, while supernatural beings like the Frost Beast endured, though severely wounded. The Ice Moon Spirits, however, couldn't withstand this onslaught; they perished silently, without even a scream.
Ten successive Thermobaric Missiles struck in less than a minute, obliterating the entire ice cap fortress. When the dust settled, the realization dawned that most of the Ice Moon Spirits, painstakingly nurtured by Iris, had been slaughtered in an instant.
She watched in stunned silence as the corpses of her cherished spirits lay scattered. Her heart clenched, her hard work, her creation, reduced to this chaos.
As she stared at the fallen spirits, a wave of grief washed over her. She couldn't suppress a cry; her treasured Ice Moon Spirits were dead in an instant. The devastation was complete; the Arctic Fields melted away as snow vanished and temperatures rose sharply. The ground's ice began dissolving rapidly.
Watching this chaos unfold, the outside observers were stunned, bewildered by the sudden turn of events. The explosion inside the fortress was unseen from outside, cloaked in the chaos of battle.
"Efficient," the Astra Militarum commanders murmured happily. Their relentless barrage had succeeded; no more shivering soldiers, no more cold.
Meanwhile, on the side of the Ice Moon Holy Land, tension mounted. They couldn't comprehend what had just happened. Was it the Ice Moon Spirit's change? Or something else?
The middle-aged woman leading their team frowned, her eyes narrowing. "Is something wrong with the Ice Moon Spirit?"
"No," someone else said cautiously. "Could it be that the weapons used just now bypassed the Frost Beast's defenses and damaged the Spirit?"
Though they doubted the Arctic Realm's disappearance, they had to admit it; the Ice Moon Spirit's condition had drastically changed. Iris, overwhelmed by the devastating blow, suddenly regained clarity. She sensed the shifts within the Ice Fortress.
"It was the high temperature, pressure, and oxygen depletion," she muttered, gradually calming herself. Regret flickered in her eyes. "I was too careless. I should have anticipated that the enemy would have other, more deadly weapons."
If the Astra Militarum had deployed Thermobaric Missiles earlier, she would have been prepared. But they had no opportunity; such strange, powerful weapons could only be used once. Future opponents above Level 3 would almost certainly have similar capabilities, making such weapons rare and precious.
Am I going to lose this game? A flicker of doubt crossed Iris's mind.
Though she still had Frost Beasts and Frost Ice Spirits, their reduced strength meant they lacked the domain bonus of the Ice Moon Spirit. Their combat effectiveness would plummet. Even Eira, the weakest among the five favorites, might then overpower her.
Without the field's constraints, the Astra Militarum's drones and fighters finally dared to fly low, while the ground forces of Frost Beasts and Ice Spirits could do little against aerial attacks, completely passive now.
"No, I refuse to lose," Iris resolved, her mind racing. She considered various strategies. "I am the Holy Maiden of the Ice Moon Holy Land, the most talented in history, the hope of everyone. I must win the All-Star Contest."
But her tricks were running out. She had no more cards left. How could she defeat the Musketeers and Pilots with just Frost Beasts and Ice Spirits?
Many had discussed this internally: to counter Sebastian's Musketeers and Pilots, she needed ranged attackers or special weapons. If only melee units remained, she faced certain slaughter.
Seeing Iris's stubborn refusal, Cyrus ordered the Railgun to fire again. The Astra Militarum moved their position three kilometers forward, aiming to better crack the enemy's defenses. Yet, even as they advanced, the Frost Beasts and Ice Spirits hesitated, fear evident in their eyes.
After repositioning, the Railgun fired, targeting a Frost Beast at the front. The shell shattered the ice layer, less than seven meters thick now, and tore through the beast's thick fur and fat, sending flesh flying before it collapsed.
Witnessing this, everyone knew the Ice Moon Spirit's defenses had been shattered.
"I surrender," Iris muttered reluctantly, her voice filled with despair, as the battlefield fell silent.