What Melibra failed to notice was that beside each catapult, in addition to the laboring slaves, there were one or two individuals dressed in refined cloth robes, holding paper and pen.
Just as artillery required strong mathematical knowledge, the catapults designed by Alaric, a meticulous mage, were no exception.
These robed individuals were the true operators of the catapults. Before each launch, they were responsible for calculating and providing the data needed to adjust the counterweights.
Among them, the most skilled would take on the role of lead gunner, firing the calibration shot and determining the correct parameters.
Such individuals often earned the greatest merit in war among their peers. As a result, after the establishment of this "artillery unit," a small wave of mathematical study swept across Egypt.
After the first shot failed to hit accurately, the person responsible for leading the firing immediately began calculating nervously.
Soon, he obtained the correct data and loudly called out for all catapults to adjust accordingly.
When the two armies were about one hundred and twenty paces apart, the catapults launched another attack.
This time, it was a volley.
More than a dozen massive spheres were hurled into the air, tracing elegant parabolic arcs.
As the familiar "whoosh, whoosh, " filled the air, Melibra and his soldiers all felt a chill run down their spines. No one wanted to be smashed into pieces by those projectiles.
Melibra had already begun praying to the gods, hoping that this round would also miss its mark.
However, divine protection was no match for precise calculation.
This time, the impact points of the catapults all fell squarely within the center of the formation.
The margin of error between each machine was remarkably small, demonstrating the precision of the weapons themselves.
Compared to the previous strike, the results of this attack were far more devastating.
This was not only due to the number of catapults and their accurate targeting, but also because of the difference in the projectiles.
The spherical stone shells fell almost simultaneously into the formation, crushing many soldiers into pulp on impact.
But what followed was even more terrifying.
"Boom, !"
"Boom! Boom!"
The moment the stones hit the ground, they erupted into massive explosions.
Soldiers nearby were either blasted away by violent shockwaves or shredded by flying fragments of stone.
Some unfortunate souls were even cut in half by the shrapnel.
Within a radius of dozens of meters, the area was instantly cleared.
Melibra was completely stunned. He had never imagined that these stone projectiles would explode, was this some kind of divine punishment?
After all, only heavenly thunder sent by the gods could produce such an effect, could it not?
Melibra was already considered a knowledgeable man; if even he thought this way, the ignorant common soldiers were naturally thrown into panic, shouting in terror.
"It's divine punishment! That's divine punishment!"
"This is the fate of those who oppose the Pharaoh!"
"The gods are enraged!"
Melibra's army instantly fell into chaos. Even the elite guards at his side felt the urge to flee.
"That is not divine punishment, it is the enemy's sorcery!" Seeing this, Melibra immediately reacted and began shouting orders.
"All troops, charge! Everyone advance and destroy those devices! Otherwise, their sorcery will kill us all!"
Melibra truly had some capability. His prestige within the army was high, and his decisive command produced immediate results.
Most of the soldiers believed him and launched a charge toward the enemy at once.
The price, however, was that their formation immediately fell into disarray.
But for Melibra, this was already the best possible outcome, it was far better than having the army collapse entirely and the soldiers flee in panic.
So where did these explosive stone projectiles come from?
Alaric had not introduced gunpowder weapons into this era.
Or rather, with the level of craftsmanship available, even if black powder were formulated, it would be impossible to produce stable explosive devices suitable for catapult use.
In truth, these explosive stone shells were the result of magic.
Although Alaric had established a corps of battle mages for Nitocris, their role was not limited to casting spells directly on the battlefield.
They were capable of much more.
For example, if the weather before battle was unfavorable, mages of the Ra School, those who studied the rune magic of Ra, could temporarily summon a blazing sun to disperse clouds.
During reconnaissance, mages of the Horus School could use the famous "Eye of Horus" spell to observe distant lands.
As for these explosive stone shells, they were the result of enchantments from the mage corps.
In fact, even the stones themselves were created after slaves gathered raw materials, with mages of the Geb School using the "Stone Shaping of Geb" to produce standardized projectiles.
It would have been extremely difficult for ordinary craftsmen to manufacture such uniform stones, and without consistency, the so-called calibration of the catapults would not have worked.
However, because enchantments did not hold well on ordinary materials like stone, the mages had to enchant them temporarily for same-day use.
Despite the trouble, the effectiveness of these stone shells was undeniable.
Compared to spells cast directly by mages who had only trained for four years, launching enchanted projectiles with catapults provided far greater range.
Combined with the ability to prepare in advance rather than casting spells in the heat of battle, enchanted projectiles were an extremely efficient method of warfare.
In previous campaigns to conquer various nomes, these enchanted stones had played a tremendous role.
Against such magical artillery, soldiers of this era had no means of resistance, many surrendered out of sheer terror alone.
Only Melibra and his army chose to fight back against this magical artillery.
However, before Nitocris's magnificent army, such resistance was destined to be futile.
Seeing the enemy suddenly charge forward in disarray, having completely lost their formation, Nitocris did not panic at the sudden change. Instead, her eyes lit up.
"Orders, archers, three rounds of volley fire!"
As the Pharaoh's scepter struck heavily, the command was swiftly relayed by her guards.
The archers within the formation drew their bows and nocked their arrows, raising them toward the sky under unified command.
The enemy had only just entered a range of one hundred paces. For ordinary archers, hitting targets at this distance required arcing shots.
But for Nitocris…
Behind the archers, the mage corps had already begun their work.
At her command, the mages of the Shu School, the School of the Wind God, began casting in unison.
The wind direction on the battlefield instantly shifted, becoming a north wind blowing from behind the Pharaoh's army.
With the familiar wind direction and strength, the coordination between the archers and the mage corps was seamless. The archers immediately understood the required force and angle.
At the command, arrows flew like a swarm of locusts, carried forward by the tailwind as they shot toward the enemy.