Legolas took a deep breath. As a Wood Elf, a child of the forest, his perception was far keener than that of ordinary people.
Every detail Shen Mu described perfectly matched the sense of despair he had felt when that evil power erupted.
He stepped forward, his slender fingers gently caressing the rough bark of the giant ancient tree, as if feeling the faint, uneasy tremors emanating from deep within the earth.
“What Lord Shen Mu said is completely consistent with the warnings from my kin,” Legolas’s voice carried the inherent coolness of the forest, yet it was tinged with deep worry.
“The concentration of the black mist is still increasing, and the corrosive Undead Monster energy seeping from the city’s core grows stronger each day. The will of this forest is struggling, trying its best to purify and resist. But…” He slowly withdrew his hand, his fingertips seemingly tainted with an invisible chill. “Without a stronger barrier, without continuous support, Elf Forest, this western stronghold, will likely not last. Those new Skeleton monsters, their damage to the forest itself, is probably far greater than those low-level Undead Monster that only know how to tear and bite.”
He paused, his gaze fixed on Shen Mu, with a look of desperate determination. “My Lord, the reconnaissance results are clear enough. The core of Long City has become a dangerous demonic lair, not something a small elite force can deeply investigate. The most urgent task is to defend this place, to turn Elf Forest into a solid wedge driven into this realm of death, to prevent its spread, and to become our only observation point and buffer fortress for a possible future counterattack!”
These words were always spoken with flowery language, which made the Holy Tree Knight beside him look on with increasing interest.
However, these Holy Tree Knight still had a good impression of the Wood Elf.
After all, the Holy Tree Knight Order, on the Pandora continent, was supported by the magical creatures and Noldor Elves in the Noldor Forest.
So these Holy Tree Knight had a good impression of the Wood Elf.
“You are right, Captain,” Shen Mu slowly stood up, his figure like a sword about to be unsheathed.
His eyes were filled with rock-like resolve and cold killing intent. “The value of the intelligence has been obtained—it tells me that our previous defensive planning, against this drastically changed enemy, is still… not strong enough! Not hard enough!”
His voice suddenly rose, carrying an undeniable, iron-blooded resolve:
“Elf Forest Fortification Plan, immediately enter the highest priority!”
“All construction work, cease immediately!” Shen Mu’s voice was decisive, echoing in the ancient tree hall. “Captain Legolas, your elite rangers, from this moment, all personnel are to be on alert! Maximize all sensory abilities, closely monitor any unusual movements in the dense fog, and scout every dead corner of the forest edge! Raise the warning level to the highest!”
“Understood!” Legolas placed a hand over his chest, his emerald eyes glinting with cold light, without any hesitation.
“All Rodok soldiers on rotation, training, or logistics, return to your posts immediately!” Shen Mu’s gaze swept over the Rodok military officers present. “I want the First and Second Spear Brigades to be stationed at the eastern and northern forest edge passes, respectively, which are most likely to be impacted! Shields in front, spears behind, construct at least three lines of flesh and blood defense for me! No retreat without my command! The Crossbowman Brigade is to ascend to the tree canopy platforms and newly built watchtowers, on standby at all times! Do not be stingy with arrow consumption; the core requirements are—precision! Coverage!”
“Yes, My Lord!” The Rodok military officers heavily thumped their chests with their fists, the dull thud indicating their determination to fight to the death.
“Captain Caleborn!” Shen Mu turned to an elder Elf dressed in dark green leather armor and carrying an ornate longbow, another captain responsible for the Wood Elf archers.
“Yes, My Lord!”
“Your Wood Elf archer team, mission changed!”
Shen Mu’s gaze was like a torch. “Abandon deep guerrilla tactics and immediately break into small units! Three people per group, radiating out from the highest ancient tree as the central axis! Your mission is—‘Hunters’ and ‘Alarms’! Any single, small, high-speed enemy attempting to infiltrate through non-frontal passages or using forest shadows, especially Skeleton javelin throwers and Black Iron Skeleton assassins, must be eliminated with the fastest speed before they approach the core or attack our ground forces! At the same time, once large-scale enemy movements or abnormal energy sources are detected, immediately send out the highest level Elf signal!”
“We will abide by your will! We shall guide the arrows in the darkness!” Caleborn solemnly accepted the order, his fingers instinctively resting on his bowstring.
Rapid and precise commands, like invisible mercury, instantly flowed into the “veins” of the entire forest fortress.
The soldiers and Elves, who had just been immersed in shock and apprehension, were immediately driven by these clear, strong, protective, and murderous directives.
The shouts of commands, the clang of weapons being drawn, the rustling sound of archers quickly climbing vine ladders, the heavy footsteps of soldier squads running to assemble, instantly broke the silence outside the council hall. The forest fortress, like a war beast thoroughly awakened, began its urgent and powerful “breathing.”
Watching his subordinates being swiftly mobilized and the formidable rampart beginning to take shape, Shen Mu’s eyes were not yet satisfied.
He needed a stronger barrier, an absolute defense capable of withstanding the full impact of those new Undead Monster.
He closed his eyes, his powerful mental energy sinking inward, instantly connecting to that vast, star-like golden ocean of Faith Power—the boundless power gathered from the tens of thousands of Deherim citizens’ most steadfast and fervent beliefs!
“In the name of Faith Power!” Shen Mu roared inwardly, his vast ocean-like will precisely locking onto the entire Elf Forest, especially the giant ancient tree in the core area. “Defense System—Faith Manifestation!”
Buzz—!
Invisible power of law, driven by divine will, descended with a roar!
It was as if a mighty hammer, weighing ten thousand tons, silently struck the earth! The entire core area of Elf Forest violently shook!
Legolas and the other Wood Elf instantly changed their expressions dramatically. As favored ones of the forest, they were most sensitive to changes in natural laws!
They clearly “perceived” an unparalleled, supreme, and powerful will, forcefully rewriting and reshaping the “rules” of the forest and soil with an overbearing posture!
The towering ancient tree, a hundred meters tall, emitted a dull groan. Its roots, so thick that several people would be needed to embrace them, awakened like sleeping giant dragons, digging deeper into the earth!
The ground rippled slightly like rolling waves, rocks cracked, soil coalesced, and countless gnarled tree roots, as thick as giant pythons, instantly burst from the earth. With the ancient tree as the core, they spread, intertwined, and swelled outwards like a living spiderweb towards the forest’s edge!
A brand new “root wall,” glowing with ancient wood and grayish-blue rock light, was rising from the ground at a visible speed!
This wall was not straight but naturally twisted and gnarled like the roots of a giant tree, full of the primitive power of life.
Countless sharp root thorns, like natural barricades and caltrops, densely protruded outwards from the wall’s surface!
The wall’s height was rapidly approaching ten meters!
Its surface was covered with a thick layer of rapidly growing, steel-hard old bark and deep green moss, drawing from the earth’s spiritual veins.
The wall was not a single entity; it contained countless holes and gaps, which served as perfect firing positions and stealth passages for Rhodok Crossbowmen and Wood Elf archers!
They were cleverly integrated with the forest’s terrain and the ancient trees, forming a seamless whole!
Immediately following this, on the outer perimeter of this continuously extending and rising giant root wall, the ground rumbled again.
Hundreds of sturdy stone platforms simultaneously rose from the ground, upon which appeared peculiar arrow towers, shimmering with faint purple arcane light and wooden rune glows!
These were precisely the “Forest Wood Ballistas” that Shen Mu had improved based on the system’s troop blueprints!
These ballistas seemed to be entirely crafted from reinforced dark ironwood, with intricate structures. Their bases were heavy, equipped with large winches, and they did not carry ordinary heavy crossbow bolts, but rather sharp spears with Elf symbols inscribed on their tips!
Their firing power was sufficient to tear through the defenses of Black Iron Skeleton!
And at the top of the arrow towers, several smaller “Spellbreaking Crossbows,” with denser runes and emitting a cold metallic luster, had their muzzles slightly adjusted, as if already locking onto potential Undead Monster spellcasters in the mist!
Even more astonishingly, deep within the ancient core tree’s originally vast canopy, accompanied by the huge rustling sound of branches and leaves, several giant wooden platforms protruded out of thin air as if condensed from the void!
Runes flickered along the platform edges, vaguely forming complex arcane matrices.
These were clearly strategic platforms for future deployment of more powerful long-range firepower, such as Wood Elf mage corps or stronger ballistas!
Legolas and the surrounding Elf warriors were completely dumbfounded!
This miraculous “growth” speed!
These defensive facilities cleverly combining the might of nature with exquisite arcane arts!
The toughness and thickness of the root wall, the ferocity of the “Forest Wood Ballistas,” the targeted nature of the “Spellbreaking Crossbows,” the deterrent power of the aerial fortresses—every detail seemed custom-made for the impending fierce battle!
“Is… is this a divine barrier?” a young Wood Elf archer murmured in awe, his eyes filled with reverence.
Legolas took a deep breath, suppressing the turbulent waves in his heart, and his eyes burst forth with an unprecedented light of determination.
He looked at Lord Shen Mu, who stood at the center of the miracle, his expression still grim. “My Lord… with this ‘Root Rampart,’ with these ‘Forest Wood Ballistas,’ with my rangers and Rodok warriors… no matter how many Undead Monster emerge from that demonic lair, Elf Forest will surely become their eternal burial ground!”
Shen Mu slowly opened his eyes, looking at the completely transformed, impregnable forest fortress before him, feeling a slight ease in his heart.
But his gaze swept towards the core of Long City, still shrouded in an impenetrable black mist to the west, and the solemnity deep in his eyes remained undiminished.
The fortress was complete.
The true storm, perhaps, had only just begun to brew.
“Very good.” Shen Mu’s voice betrayed little emotion, only cold pragmatism. “Then, let us wait for them here in this forest. Captain Legolas, highest combat readiness, commence immediately!”
Deep within the dense fog, countless pairs of malicious, cold eyes seemed to be staring fixedly across space at this suddenly “hard” and “dangerous” verdant land.
At the ends of the giant ancient tree’s roots buried deep underground, a faint, yet chillingly cold, anomalous vibration seemed to subtly emanate.
Clearly, regarding the special situation that had emerged in Elf Forest.
Deep within Long City.
There had already been a reaction!
...
Time ground on for another half a month amidst the cold rain of arrows and the sound of Skeleton shattering.
The western frontier forest fortress—the core of Elf Forest—had long since transformed into a formidable rampart filled with death traps and life miracles, thanks to Shen Mu’s continuous “irrigation” with Faith Power.
The sprawling “Root Rampart” was not merely a wall, but more like a living, sleeping giant dragon.
Its gnarled and twisted roots, like thick dragon spines, had stubbornly extended outwards for a hundred meters, and its height had even approached fifteen meters!
The surface of the thick old bark, strong enough to withstand repeated battering from siege rams, was covered with patterns like the etchings of time and deep green moss that shimmered faintly as if breathing.
The sharp root spears growing on it became even more ferocious and sharp, silently proclaiming a chilling killing intent.
On the wall, the number of ballistas had doubled.
The newly appeared “Forest Wood Ballistas” were entirely dark, shimmering with a stable and restrained wooden rune glow. Large winches kept the cables taut, and the sharp spears with glowing Elf symbols at their tips seemed ready to pierce the mist of death at any moment.
The positions of the Spellbreaking Crossbows were even more cunning, their muzzles coldly pointed into the depths of the fog, faintly locking onto any potential source of arcane fluctuation.
The arcane matrices on the tree canopy platforms became more complex, reserving space for future deployment of strategic-level forces.
The replenishment of troops filled the entire forest fortress with an aura of iron-blooded severity.
Under Shen Mu’s command, teams of heavy infantry rushed from New Uxhall day and night.
It was not merely an increase in numbers; the troop types also underwent targeted upgrades.
In addition to the original 500 Rodok Veteran Spearmen and 200 Rhodok Crossbowmen, 200 Rodok Sergeant had been stationed!
They wore heavy scale armor made of multiple layers of leather, felt, and finely forged iron plates, helmets with chainmail visors, and carried massive, pointed tower shields that could almost cover their entire bodies, with heavy short-handled hammers or armor-piercing axes at their waists.
They replaced some of the spearmen, forming an unmoving wall of sighs at the narrow passes, the frontmost and most likely to be impacted areas.
Their tower shields were driven into the ground, and the shields were tightly interlocked, forming a shield wall that not only defended against arrows but also could directly withstand those massive Undead Monster.
100 more precise and powerful Rodok Sharpshooters also joined the Crossbowman ranks.
They carried specialized sniper crossbows, using crossbow bolts with finer, longer arrowheads, specifically designed for armor penetration and dealing with those Black Iron Skeleton with exceptionally hard bones.
Under Captain Caleborn’s coordination, Shen Mu again expended Faith Power to specifically recruit 300 Wood Elf Twilight Rangers, who possessed greater night combat talent and were more stealthy and swift in their movements.
They wore light, camouflaged leather armor that was dark green and almost blended with the twilight, their longbows had more elegant curves, and their bowstrings were wrapped with tiny silencing runes.
They were phantom hunters in the night, with three-person teams completely integrated into the forest, specializing in hunting speed-type threats lurking in the dark night fog—Skeleton pursuers, Shadow Assassins, and even javelin throwers attempting to approach the wall. (End of Chapter)
