For the past half-month, the nights had become a tacit, bloody tug-of-war between the Elf Forest and the Undead Monsters of Long City.
The thick fog, like a massive, heavy grey-black shroud, arrived almost every night without fail.
Moonlight struggled to penetrate it, dyeing everything around with an eerie, dark green hue.
The low growls of the undead and the grinding of bones rose punctually from deep within the fog, like a tide of death.
The attacks in the first few nights were tentative and sporadic, scattered here and there.
But as time passed, the Undead Monsters' attack methods visibly became more organized.
The most common was the cannon fodder surge.
A surging grey-white Skeleton sea rushed forward, mixed with stiff but more numerous Rotten Walkers.
They frantically charged the shield wall, biting and ramming with their decayed bones and poisonous fangs, with only one goal.
To deplete the defenders' stamina and arrow reserves, creating opportunities for their true trump cards.
Close behind often came precision strikes.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Accompanied by piercing whooshing sounds, phosphorescent poison arrows shot out from the dense fog, aimed directly at the Rhodok Crossbowmen exposed on the wall.
Even more deadly was the iconic creaking shriek, as several bone spears wreathed in black mist, like javelins thrown by Death, instantly tore through the air and slammed into the position of a heavy arrow shooter who had just finished reloading!
But the defenders had long since formed a conditioned reflex.
Once a whistle warned or the trajectory of an arrow was felt, the nearest Rodok Sergeant would immediately raise his tower shield, forming a localized iron dome, blocking the fatal blows with solid ironwood.
“Thud! Thud! Thud!”
The bone spears were blocked by sturdy tower shields or thick wooden walls, the black mist corroding small indentations on the wooden surface, but unable to penetrate this natural defense line continuously reinforced by Faith Power.
The undercurrent of infiltration never stopped either.
Those Skeleton Hunters, like maggots on bones, climbed the huge tree roots under the cover of thick fog, trying to infiltrate from the sides or rear.
But the existence of the Wood Elf Twilight Rangers became their fatal bane.
Captain Legolas personally commanded these ghostly hunters.
They were like an extension of the forest, precisely locking onto every climbing, sneaking shadow.
“Hiss! Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!”
Specially made armor-piercing arrows, as if they had eyes, accurately pierced through skulls from incredibly tricky angles, extinguishing the flickering dark red soul fire.
Sometimes, even the sound of arrows shattering bones could be heard with unusual clarity in the quiet night.
Even more so, once a large number of stealthers were detected approaching a specific area, the Wood Elf stationed in that area would instantly activate and tighten the surrounding thorny vines, tightly wrapping and crushing the Skeleton.
Occasional heavy pressure tests were particularly brutal.
Several massive “Stitched Abominations” would suddenly roll out of the thick fog.
These monstrous creatures, forcibly stitched together from countless rotten corpses and huge Skeleton, dragged their heavy footsteps, wielding gigantic rusted winches or broken bridge steel beams embedded in their arms, letting out deafening roars, and charged directly at a seemingly weak section of the shield wall.
Each collision made the arms of the Sergeant behind the tower shield numb, and blood seeped from their mouths and noses.
Even more insidious, they were often followed closely by several hidden Skeleton mages, hiding in the huge shadows cast by the abominations, chanting silently.
Bone spikes would suddenly emerge from the ground, entangling the warriors' legs and feet, and ice prisms containing deathly cold ice would condense in the air and shoot towards the crowd!
At such times, the spell-breaking Crossbowman on the city wall displayed their crucial role!
Guided by observation posts and the faint magical fluctuations during casting, the Crossbowman would unleash specially made crossbow bolts inscribed with anti-magic runes with a “hum”, like meteors streaking across the night sky, precisely piercing the heads or core energy nodes of those spellcasters!
But all this was not enough.
Shen Mu looked at the recent fierce battle and still made the decision to mobilize reinforcements!
…
The Root Barrier at the edge of the Elf Forest, after more than half a month of bloody tug-of-war, had been smeared with a layer of dark green dried blood and bone fragments, and the air was perpetually filled with a strong sulfuric stench, which even the fresh woody scent of the forest itself could not completely disperse.
Every nightfall, the ink-thick black fog arrived as scheduled, bringing with it even more cunning and deadly Undead Monster attacks, like an unceasing tide of death.
The brutality of the defensive battle far exceeded expectations.
The Rodok Sergeant's tower shields were covered with deep scratches and dents, and many warriors' arms suffered permanent shock injuries after repeatedly enduring the abominations' charges.
The Wood Elf Twilight Rangers walked on the edge of death every night, their quivers gradually emptying, and fatigue was evident in their sharp eyes.
The consumption of spell-breaking crossbow bolts was even more alarming.
Beneath the heavy armor of the Holy Tree Knight, Shen Mu's face was as calm as a rock, but deep within his iron-grey eyes, a cold, magma-freezing killing intent had condensed to its extreme.
He stood on the highest watchtower of the Root Barrier, his gaze piercing through the thick fog, as if to bore through that dark core city.
Trouble.
Great trouble.
These endlessly regenerating, tactically flexible, and continuously “evolving” Undead Monster, relying on the cover of thick fog and the geographical advantage of the city ruins, had turned the Elf Forest into a huge meat grinder.
They might not be able to break through this fortress nurtured by Faith Power, but they were enough to make his meticulously crafted westward springboard lose its offensive edge, pinning him here and fruitlessly consuming precious energy and time.
What concerned Shen Mu even more was that as the battle continued, Captain Legolas of the Wood Elf had sensed multiple times that the cold, abyssal evil aura entrenched in the city's core, far from weakening due to the consumption of the outer attacks, was instead slowly accumulating heart-pounding power on its dark breeding ground, like a hibernating primordial beast, its presence becoming clearer and more massive!
Passive defense? Waiting for the opponent to complete its final metamorphosis?
This was absolutely not Shen Mu's option!
He needed to attack! A sweeping, thunderous attack! A complete disruption of the opponent's accumulation, and even a direct assault on their lair!
“Order!” Shen Mu's voice was not loud, but it resonated like clashing metal, instantly suppressing the clamor within the fortress and the distant wails of the undead, “Urgent message to Deherim!”
He turned to the scribe standing behind him, his words quick and clear, each word heavy as a thousand pounds:
“Order Fatis, within three days, to dispatch the following Deherim garrison forces:
The Swadian Knight Order is to remove all ceremonial armor, and all personnel are to be clad in combat plate armor and chainmail, equipped with lances, heavy knight swords, and leather-covered iron shields! Led by the most experienced old Knight, I want them to be like a red-hot warhammer, capable of smashing any frontal enemy!
Rodok Sharpshooters are to bring all their stock of adamantine armor-piercing heavy crossbow bolts! Their mission is only one—to pin down any Undead Monster spellcaster who dares to show their head, especially those new types of Skeleton spearmen!
Vigia Sharpshooter! The Empire's top longbowmen, equipped with enchanted sharp-edged arrows, to provide super-long-range arrow rain suppression for the army!”
Shen Mu paused, his gaze sweeping over the ten Holy Tree Knight standing silently beside him, and added coldly: “Additionally, send word to mobilize 500 Holy Tree Knight to immediately rendezvous with me in the Elf Forest.”
The soldier quickly recorded, his face slightly pale from the massive mobilization.
This almost used up most of Deherim's current elite mobile forces!
But he knew that once his Lord made up his mind, it would be a thunderous force!
Shen Mu's orders were not yet finished:
“Also, inform Manid that all defense matters for Deherim City and New Rivadin are to be coordinated by him, new recruits are to intensify training, and farm production must be guaranteed without fail! Arrows, armor losses, and warhorse fodder required for this battle are to be prioritized! All available large pack animals are to be requisitioned to immediately transport strategic materials to the Elf Forest! Ensure the supply line is smooth at all costs!”
The orders were transmitted at the fastest speed, and carrier pigeons bearing the information pierced through the thin light, soaring into the eastern sky.
Deherim's massive war machine instantly ignited its highest speed gears!
The clang of steel, the neighing of warhorses, the clanging of blacksmiths, and the roars of officers converged into a torrent.
Armored Swadian Knight mounted their horses, their heavy plate armor reflecting cold light in the morning sun; Rodok Sharpshooters silently inspected the incredibly powerful heavy crossbows in their hands, loading the gleaming adamantine crossbow bolts one by one into their quivers; Vigia Sharpshooter tested the draw weight of their bows with their specially made long arrows on the string.
Deherim's city gates swung open, and elite troops, condensed with the strongest military might and armed to the teeth, poured out towards the western front like a torrent of steel, under the awed and expectant gaze of the populace.
At the same time, within the Elf Forest, Shen Mu was not idle either.
Inside and behind the Root Barrier, temporary military camps, warehouses, and aid stations were rapidly being established.
He personally supervised the final reinforcement of the defense system—at several strategic nodes in the core area, consuming massive amounts of Faith Power, he constructed several even larger, permanent “Forest Fortress Ballistas” with foundations deep underground, like miniature fortresses!
The bodies of these ballistas were as thick as ancient hundred-year-old trees, gleaming with reinforced wood grain runes, their bases connected to the Root Barrier's life source. The giant root spears loaded at the top of the ballistas even required the assistance of small engineering machinery, and the Elven runes inscribed on them glowed like burning flames!
These were no longer weapons against ordinary Undead Monster, but trump cards prepared for directly bombarding Abominations, and even for potentially encountering even more terrifying “things” in the future.
The entire Elf Forest was permeated with an extremely oppressive atmosphere, like the calm before a storm.
The original defenders, seeing the densely stationed, murderous elite friendly forces inside and outside the barrier, felt the heavy burden and fear accumulated from successive bloody battles quietly replaced by a mixed sense of excitement, tension, and bloodthirsty fighting spirit.
Captain Legolas, holding his Elven longbow, stood on the highest treetop platform, his emerald eyes gazing at the outline of the city center to the west, shrouded in thick, murky black clouds—the nest of death and evil.
He could feel that deep within that silent concrete jungle, a pair of cold and greedy eyes, too, were staring intently through the thick fog and space at this fortress of life that was gathering terrifying power.
A decisive battle storm, destined to soak every inch of land with blood and determine the future direction of Long City, had inevitably entered its countdown with the surging of a new round of thick fog.
Shen Mu stood at the pinnacle of the barrier, his cold armor reflecting dim light, and on the sky fortress behind him, stern giant ballistas had already calibrated their direction, their spears pointing west.
He brought not only Deherim's military might but also the resolve to completely extinguish this spiritual wildfire, ignited in his territory, at its source with the purest force!
Deherim's elite torrent finally poured into the iron-blooded barrier of the Elf Forest on the fourth day's dawn, amidst Shen Mu's silent but anxious wait.
The plate armor and chainmail of the Swadian Knight gleamed with a cold, hard luster in the morning light, the Rodok Sharpshooters stood like a forest with heavy crossbow quivers on their backs, the Vigia Sharpshooters had their specially made armor-piercing arrows nocked on their longbows, and the five hundred Holy Tree Knight, clad in mithril heavy armor and exuding a mountain-like aura of profound calmness, made the entire fortress's murderous atmosphere surge several times over upon their arrival.
Inside the fortress, the clamor of men shouting and horses neighing was quickly suppressed by cold commands.
Materials were rapidly distributed, the clang of armor constantly echoed, and after a brief familiarization with the environment, each unit immediately moved into their respective combat positions according to Shen Mu's pre-determined plan.
The giant python-like crossbow arms of the Forest Fortress Ballistas slowly opened with the “clack-clack” of winches, the massive Elven root spears at their tips reflecting a chilling sharpness in the faint morning light, their muzzles pointing distantly towards the silent concrete jungle to the west.
Shen Mu stood at the highest point of the Root Barrier, his cold gaze sweeping over the assembled elite forces below, finally resting on the Long City center, which was somewhat diluted by the thick fog but still appeared oppressive and dim.
“The time has come,” Shen Mu's voice was not loud, yet it clearly pierced the air, reaching the ears of every general: “Undead Monster fear light; daytime is advantageous for us. Advance!!”
He suddenly raised his hand, pointing towards the center of the city of death, lined with skyscrapers:
“All forces, assault! Target—the city center! With the Holy Tree Knight as the spearhead, Swadian Knight protecting the flanks, Rhodok Crossbowmen and Vigia Sharpshooter occupying street-level high ground to establish suppressive fire! Clearance mode—building by building, street by street! Leave no dead ends! Dig out those bone fragments and putrid rotten flesh from every single crevice! Crush their lair!”
“Yes, Your Excellency!” The earth-shattering response rolled across the ground like muffled thunder.
The huge wooden gate opened with a grating winch sound.
“Boom! Boom! Boom!” The heavy warhorses of the Holy Tree Knight, their hooves shaking the earth, were the first to charge out of the barrier.
Their leveled mithril lances were like an advancing steel forest, sacred light flowing from their spear tips, dispelling the thin mist within tens of meters ahead.
The Swadian Knight Order, following closely, was like a levee of steel, their cold heavy cavalry swords drawn, ready at any moment to cut down any undead charging at the spearhead's flanks.
The already marked tall buildings became a paradise for the Rodok Sharpshooters and Vigia Sharpshooters.
Agile soldiers, like monkeys, used collapsed billboards, rusted fire escapes, and even helped each other to throw grappling hooks, quickly climbing to the second and third-floor windows of street-facing buildings, and even establishing firing points on higher, relatively stable rooftops. (End of Chapter)
