Chapter Sixty-Nine: Nine Provinces! Please, lend us your aid!

No! Of course not!
The Nine Provinces will not fall here!
This is only the beginning!
The Nine Provinces will never fall!

Suddenly, an explosion erupted near Chu Xiao’s ear, making his heart jolt in fright. At that moment, he sensed something different—somehow the impact of the sound waves on him had diminished; they weren’t nearly as painful as before.

What did this mean?
It meant that these sound waves did not act directly on the human brain, but instead entered through the ears, disturbing the brain’s electrical signals. Normally, covering one’s ears would never completely block out these waves. The best way, then, was to produce an even greater sound, disrupting the path of the harmful waves and thus impeding the machines from interfering with the human mind.

With this realization, Chu Xiao knew what to do.

Ji Kaicheng was still struggling against the interference of the Underlord’s mechanical army, but noticed that Chu Xiao had staggered away. Mixed emotions flickered through his heart. But with the enemy pressing in, he could only shove his tangled thoughts aside and focus on the fight—especially as the throbbing pain in his head threatened to make him lose consciousness at any moment.

In the midst of the fierce battle, soothing music suddenly swelled by their ears. The melody was gentle, but the volume was immense, nearly overwhelming the oppressive noise of the enemy machines. Instantly, everyone felt a wave of relief.

The enemy’s sound was intermittent, unable to provide lasting interference, but music was different—it could sustain its disruption, easing everyone’s spirits far more effectively.

Looking toward the source of the music, all eyes fell on Chu Xiao, who stood next to an enormous loudspeaker—so large it was nearly twice his size, almost matching the dimensions of the Underlord’s own soundwave weapon. Where had Chu Xiao gotten such a massive loudspeaker? There was no time to wonder, for behind him, several more were being rolled into place!

Seeing this, Ji Kaicheng felt ashamed of his earlier doubts about Chu Xiao.

Chu Xiao bounded up to the fortress wall, scanning the enemy’s positions.

“There’s still a chance. Use the Sunfire to blast through the emitter,” he announced, picking up the Sunfire and aiming it at the very center. Though his vision was still somewhat blurred, he could see far more clearly than before.

Fixing his gaze on the core of the emitter, he muttered under his breath, “Aim—”

“Fire!”

At his command, a massive beam of light burst from Chu Xiao’s weapon, crossing the battlefield and piercing straight into the heart of the emitter!

There was little sound—perhaps none at all—but the emitter toppled instantly, ruined beyond repair.

The other machines showed no sign of noticing their comrade’s destruction, charging forward in a mindless rush. For all their strength and sturdy construction, they were nothing but emotionless automatons.

The soldiers, seeing the brilliant beam, understood at once: this was the power of the Sunfire! Unlike the light from a laser cannon, this was a concentrated, deep yellow, almost orange—a flash that truly resembled fire.

It was an astonishing sight. Was this the power of the “Light of the Sun”?

“All units! Listen to my command! First, target the soundwave machines! Then attack the others!” Chu Xiao’s calm, steady voice reached every ear, neither too loud nor too soft.

The soldiers’ morale soared.

“Let the Sunfire burn with all its might! Wipe out these machines!” someone shouted, and everyone echoed the cry, their spirits rising in unison.

“Underlord! Get lost! Just watch as we turn you into a pile of scrap metal!”

“We’ll smash you into junk—let’s see you threaten humanity then!”

“Begone! The Nine Provinces is no place for machines like you! Ha!”

…

This battle ended swiftly—so swiftly it was almost unbelievable.

At first, the Underlord had thought his new sonic weapons would easily crush the defenders of the Nine Provinces, and the early moments of the fight seemed to confirm his confidence. But while he was distracted, monitoring attacks on other countries, the Nine Provinces had already decimated his army—hardly any machines remained standing on the field.

“Retreat! Retreat at once! Why are you just standing there?” the Underlord shouted in alarm.

The machines, receiving their orders, hastily withdrew. Lacking emotion, all they knew was obedience to their master’s commands.

The soldiers, still riding the high of battle, were surprised—and a little disappointed—by the Underlord’s sudden retreat.

“He’s running away!”

“Damn, I wasn’t done yet! Look at them scurrying off!”

“Hahaha! This is great! The Nine Provinces truly is unbeatable!”

…

Chu Xiao gazed in silence at the Underlord’s retreating troops. This time, they had won. But next time, the Underlord would no doubt invent even more formidable weapons—would the Sunfire be enough to defend against him then?

A solemn expression settled on Chu Xiao’s face, setting him apart from the triumphant cheers.

“What’s wrong, General?” Ji Kaicheng noticed his unease and asked.

Chu Xiao shook his head. “Nothing! I’m just excited—we’ve beaten the Underlord back again! Ha!”

He forced a smile, though it was a little strained.

The others, all hearty men, noticed nothing amiss and simply assumed Chu Xiao was genuinely happy.

“General, you’re incredible! We’re all in awe of you!”

“That’s right! It’s all thanks to you! Otherwise, this would’ve been much harder!”

…

Everyone was thanking Chu Xiao, seemingly forgetting it had been a joint effort.

“This was everyone’s achievement—not mine alone! Never forget this! It was the work of all the Nine Provinces, of all humanity combined!” Chu Xiao’s eyes swept over the crowd, his features indistinct but his gaze burning with the resolve of those willing to fight the Underlord and defend their homeland to the death.

“We stood together against the Underlord! The greatest power comes from everyone’s strength gathered as one. Just like the Sunfire—it takes the concentration of countless particles, not just a single one, to unleash such tremendous force. Only together can we pierce through the Underlord’s machines!”

Though his face was hard to see clearly, everyone could sense the determination and unity in his words—the unwavering resolve to protect the Nine Provinces.