Shen Mu’s cold warning had barely faded when the air throughout the Elf Forest fortress suddenly solidified like iron.
It wasn’t that the black mist grew thicker, but rather that all the defenders, whether Human soldiers or Wood Elf warriors, felt a primal shiver deep within their souls, originating from an ancient abyss!
The terrifying will entrenched in the deepest core of Long City’s abyss… had moved!
In the depths of the black mist, surging like an ink-black sea to the west, space seemed to be torn open by an invisible giant claw.
A colossal, distorted shadow was slowly coalescing into form.
It wasn’t a physical entity, but rather a massive projection, existing between solid and ethereal, constructed from the purest abyssal demonic energy and condensed necromantic power.
Its outline faintly carried the cunning and ferocity of a Gnoll, and its thick, ethereal limbs contained a sense of explosive power. However, what truly froze the soul was its head—where its eyes should have been, two deep, cerulean soul-fires burned, like the frigid hell of the starry sky!
But these were not mere undead eyes.
Deep within the core of those cerulean flames, a point of even more defiled, more tyrannical, dark red abyssal fire, as if capable of incinerating will into ash, pulsed like a beating heart, each throb radiating tangible waves of coldness, hatred, and destruction!
“Roar—!!!”
A silent roar exploded on the soul level!
It wasn’t a sound wave transmitted through the air, but rather an imprint directly branded deep within the consciousness of every sentient life!
In an instant, on the root-entwined city walls, the hearts of all the defenders clenched, as if grasped by a cold demonic claw!
Even the Rodok Sergeant, with the strongest will, had knuckles gripping his tower shield turning slightly white from uncontrollable trembling; the Wood Elf Rangers perched high in the tree canopy showed a hint of stagnation in their movements; the Vigia Sharpshooters’ palms seeped cold sweat as they drew their bows; even the ten Holy Tree Knights surrounding Shen Mu, their cold wills beneath their mithril heavy armor seemed to waver imperceptibly when facing this projection, a blend of abyssal evil and necromantic despair—
This was the primal fear of life facing a deeper destruction!
This demonic projection, birthed from the abyss and death, was scrutinizing this life-laden bulwark, soon to become scorched earth, with its eerie blue-red demonic eyes!
Fear, like an invisible plague, spread over the glorious battle results illuminated by the holy flames.
The iron-tough defense line seemed to be eroded by an invisible chill, showing a crack of wavering.
Just as the immense terror stemming from life’s primal instinct was about to spread among the soldiers, turning into the fuse of a rout.
There was no fear in Shen Mu’s eyes, only an extreme coldness capable of freezing lava and absolute control!
He suddenly took a step forward!
Hum!
There was no dazzling pillar of light or grand spectacle.
A completely different, cold and ordered white glow emanated from Shen Mu’s body!
This white glow was neither the sacred golden light of faith nor the radiance of nature; it was composed of countless tiny, regular, cold “data streams” flowing with a pure will and logic.
It was mount & blade data stream!
This invisible force of rules instantly spread out like a net with Shen Mu as its core, rapidly sweeping across the entire root-entwined city wall, caressing every soldier fighting in blood!
The spiritual flaws created in the soldiers by the abyssal projection seemed to be instantly repaired and filled by countless cool, precise threads of rules!
Although the immense external pressure still existed in their hearts, the fear and confusion caused by the unknown and evil thoughts were forcibly suppressed and dispelled by this cold, orderly power!
Fear remained, but their will was set!
The battle instincts and ferocity forged in the crucible of the battlefield re-occupied the high ground.
The Vigia Sharpshooters on the bulwark had eyes sharp as eagles again, their drawn bowstrings unwavering; the Rhodok Crossbowmen’s minds were like bedrock, their crosshairs firmly locked onto the mist; the Wood Elf Rangers’ figures re-merged into the shadows, like the most precise hunting instruments; the Rodok Sergeants let out low battle roars from their throats, their tower shields pressed firmly against the ground; the Holy Tree Knights’ eyes beneath their mithril helmets returned to their cold state, that momentary wavering replaced by a deeper resolve—
This power of rules, originating from the system, became a solid bulwark against mental corruption!
Roar—!!
The colossal Gnoll-shaped projection seemed to sense the frustration of its mental suppression being blocked, and its eyes, burning with eerie blue-red fire, suddenly erupted with an even more intense demonic light, mixed with fury and malice!
A distorted roar once again swept across the battlefield!
This time, it was not merely a mental assault, but also a clear command for attack issued to the entire death domain of Long City!
Boom!!!
It was as if ice water had been poured into a boiling oil pot!
Outside the root-entwined city wall, the undead army, whose offensive had been momentarily slowed by Shen Mu’s holy flames of faith, completely erupted into a furious frenzy!
The ground was trembling violently!
The tide of bones was no longer a chaotic charge, but under the invisible will of the abyssal projection, it formed a terrifying war frenzy.
At the forefront was still the fearless tide of inferior Skeletons; mixed in the middle were extremely fast swarms of Black Bone Predators and massive Corpse Giants wielding rusted giant chains; behind them were heavy flying bones thrown by dense, rain-like Bone Throwers, and Skeleton Javelin Throwers hidden in the shadows, constantly shooting bone spears entangled with cursed black mist!
And in the higher, sparsely mist-shrouded sky, those surviving or newly reinforced Winged Skeleton Archers regrouped!
Like whipped crows, they let out piercing screeches, diving down from various heights and angles, pouring a deadly rain of bone arrows onto the upper levels of the bulwark!
They seemed to be empowered by the abyssal projection’s evil, their arrow-wrapped phosphorescence a more ghastly green, even tinged with an unsettling dark red!
The entire Elf Forest seemed to have become the eye of a storm, with ferocious, roaring necromantic claws from all directions!
“Counterattack!” Shen Mu’s voice, like the sharpest military blade, cut through the chaotic battlefield roar, cold and decisive!
His arm, covered in mithril heavy armor, was raised high, pointing at the surging tide of despair beyond the bulwark!
This command was like a spark igniting a powder keg!
“Ballistas, open fire! Target the Corpse Giants!”
“Sharpshooters! Cover the Skeleton Javelin Thrower formations!”
“Wood Elf Rangers! Shoot down those flies in the sky for me!”
“Sergeants, hold steady! Spearmen, thrust your spears! Don’t let those bone frames climb onto the wall!”
Above the bulwark, the roars of the commanders merged into one, instantly overpowering the wails of the undead!
Whirr—Boom!!!
The Elf Forest Fortress Ballistas let out an earth-shattering roar, and gigantic Elf Root Spears, burning with pale golden holy flames, like world-ending spears cast by gods, trailed long light tails as they slammed into the rear of the surging bone tide!
A Corpse Giant, roaring and raising its giant chain, attempting to smash the root wall of the bulwark, was accurately struck in the head!
The holy flames exploded, instantly disintegrating its massive body along with dozens of surrounding Skeleton Warriors into burning fragments!
The shockwave stirred up a wave of bones!
Snap! Snap! Snap!
The sharp arrows of the Vigia Sharpshooters ascended again, forming a howling storm of metal!
This time, their target was not the winged monsters, but the Skeleton Javelin Thrower formations, who were at a greater distance, continuously throwing bone spears under the cover of corpses!
The precise rain of arrows fell, like the grim reaper calling names; black iron bodies in the act of drawing bows and raising spears fell in swathes, shattered into pieces!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
At the highest points of the bulwark and deep within the tree canopy, the figures of the Wood Elf Twilight Rangers were like leaping sparks!
Their arrows transformed into streaks of precise holy flame, soaring against the sky!
The diving Winged Skeleton Archers were intercepted by these light arrows from all directions, and black figures, enveloped in burning white flames, constantly wailed and fell to the ground!
Below the bulwark, the Rodok Sergeant’s tower shield defense line faced unprecedented pressure.
Fearless rotting corpses slammed their bodies against the shield surfaces, tearing with poisoned claws; Black Bone Predators, like black lightning, tried to squeeze through gaps between shields or beneath the soldiers’ feet!
Extended halberds and broadswords fiercely stabbed and slashed through the gaps!
The piercing sound of bones shattering echoed at the base of the wall!
“Hold them! For Deherim!” the Rodok Sergeants roared hoarsely, their strength erupting under the augmentation of the rule power, pushing back the charging Skeletons with sheer force!
The ten Holy Tree Knights did not stay close to Shen Mu.
Like ten silver bolts of lightning, half of them, like sharp daggers, fiercely charged into the enemy formation when the Sergeant’s defense line was most strained!
Mithril Knight Swords transformed into harvesting holy light crescent moons; wherever they passed, whether it was the pouncing Black Bone Predators or the piled-up Skeleton Shieldbearers, all were purified into ash by the sacred energy amidst piercing crackling sounds!
The battle once again devolved into a brutal slaughter!
The root-entwined city wall was like a giant reef in a torrent, bathed in bone rain, fiery arrows, and earth-shattering cries of battle!
The abyssal projection’s cold blue-red demonic eyes still hung above the black mist, emanating a suffocating aura.
This round of assault was more violent and ferocious than any before!
But the bulwark did not break!
Shen Mu’s rule power stabilized the morale, and the warriors erupted with greater strength in the desperate situation of blood and fire!
The offensive and defensive balance, amidst brutal attrition, once again reached a bloody equilibrium!
The Gnoll phantom of the abyss coldly watched this war furnace, destined to continue.
Outside the root-entwined city wall, the purgatory of blood and fire continued.
The Holy Tree Knights’ silver armor moved through the dim holy flames and crimson moonlight, each swing of their knight swords bringing forth a cloud of purified bone ash; the Wood Elves’ arrows, like a meteor shower, soared upwards, pinning the diving Winged Skeletons in mid-air;
The Rodok Sergeants’ tower shields emitted dull roars under the impact of the Skeleton tide, while sharp halberd and spear tips precisely thrust out from the gaps in the shield wall, reaping the charging rotting corpses and predators.
The Vigia Sharpshooters’ arrow rain and the Elf Forest Ballistas’ destructive root spears continuously carved burning clearings in the surging undead tide.
However, the colossal Gnoll phantom, suspended above the black mist and constructed by cerulean soul fire and defiled dark red abyssal demonic light, its cold will like ten thousand years of ice, drove the endless dead to advance relentlessly.
The battle was extremely brutal. The root wall of the bulwark was covered with bone spear scratches and corrosive black marks, and the charred traces left by burning holy flames were shocking.
The soldiers’ stamina was rapidly depleting, their arms were sore, arrow consumption was immense, and the continuous rule power combating mental corruption also brought a heavy burden.
But change often appears at the most tense moments.
Shen Mu’s cold gaze pierced through the boiling battlefield, like a precise instrument scanning data.
He keenly caught a subtle yet fatal flaw appearing in the desperate charging tide—the replenishment of new undead from the deeper core area of Long City had slowed down!
Their numbers were visibly decreasing!
At the same time, the undead army’s offensive also showed an unprecedented level of confusion and disorganization.
It was no longer a unified, tactically sound elite torrent, but had reverted to chaotic, disordered, instinctive bone and flesh puppets.
Behind the fearless charging front ranks, subsequent echelons showed obvious delays, even beginning to push and trample each other!
Some fast-moving predators ran around aimlessly, and the density and accuracy of the javelin throwers’ attacks sharply decreased.
The Winged Archers in the air also appeared timid and hesitant under the Wood Elves’ attacks, no longer making suicidal dives, but more like being whipped by an invisible whip, reluctantly throwing sparse arrows.
This change obviously fell into the eyes of that terrifying abyssal projection!
“Roar—!!!”
A silent roar, more tyrannical and insane than any previous one, exploded deep within everyone’s souls!
The colossal Gnoll phantom suddenly shook its head, and the cerulean soul fire forming its face violently flickered, like a candle in the wind, rapidly dimming!
In contrast, the defiled, viscous, blood-red abyssal fire, like congealed scabs, surged violently the moment the cerulean light receded, as if venomous dragons had broken free from their restraints!
The blood-red light rapidly swallowed the remaining cerulean, staining the entire massive phantom a hideous crimson.
The red light was no longer merely burning, but like molten, incandescent steel in a furnace, flowing and churning, emitting a terrifying sense of energy on the verge of explosion, forcibly pushing back the black mist covering the bulwark and reflecting a chilling blood-red hue.
What was particularly eerie was that as the Deherim army’s efficient slaughter continued below the bulwark, with every complete annihilation of an undead, the blood-red demonic light in the Gnoll phantom’s eyes would intensely flare!
As if… every bit of necromantic power utterly destroyed on the battlefield was providing the final, distorted nourishment to that core abyssal projection!
The blood light grew increasingly viscous, increasingly dazzling, and at its core, a destructive, unstable fluctuation even faintly emanated!
Shen Mu’s brows under his full-face helmet suddenly furrowed, and his internal alarm reached its peak. This was by no means a prelude to victory.
This was that terrifying core completely abandoning control over its peripheral legions, gathering all extractable residual power into a single point in a desperate, last-ditch effort, brewing a final, mutually destructive act.
“No good!” Shen Mu roared sharply, his voice piercing through the battlefield, “Everyone, prepare for the highest energy impact! Concentrate defenses! The core’s power is about to backfire!” (End of Chapter)
