Whether it was to deal with the current complex multi-front combat environment—Elf Forest for the Abyssal Core, New Uxhall for the external Abyssal Lesser Undead, Deherim acting as the central coordination—or for future larger-scale strategic deployments, the immediate, reliable, and uncorrupted assistance, even the improvement of regional purification and defense capabilities, could be described as a strategic leap!
Shen Mu also decided to quickly construct the Holy Light Torch Tower.
The entire Elf Forest Bulwark was instantly injected with a vitality unlike before.
The brutal infighting between the Abyssal Lesser Undead and Skeleton in the core area bought Shen Mu the most precious time window.
Under the gray sky, on the watchtower of Pangen Bastion, Shen Mu's figure was like a statue cast from mithril and steel.
His gaze penetrated the sparse but nauseating gray mist, fixated on the Abyssal Black Domain in the core of Long City, which was churning with the stench of sulfur and the wails of death.
The heart-pounding energy tear in the core area—the brutal civil war between the Abyssal Lesser Undead and the Black Iron Skeletons—bought him time, precious time.
When the light golden quest box 【Strategic Hub: Beacon of Faith】, representing the unlocking of permissions, flashed across his unique Mount & Blade Rules vision, a cold, almost adamantine-gear-meshing certainty replaced the days of solemnity.
Holy Light Torch Tower!
This gift from the Holy White Council was precisely the strategic sword to pierce through this veil of death, establish order, and connect all his territories!
Without a trace of hesitation, the cold command was instantly issued.
"Construct."
The moment the order was given, the operation of Deherim's core area reached a new critical point.
The first "Holy Light Torch Tower," already standing in Deherim's central square, constructed from pure white sacred stone, with a constant burning flame at its apex, now became the absolute node of the entire faith network.
Massive amounts of dinar flowed from the overflowing treasury, and abundant Faith Power began to converge, transforming into data streams, like white streams, precisely injected into the planned transportation lines.
Then it began to condense.
The consumption of five hundred thousand Faith Power was astonishing; at the site of each new tower, an unprecedented light would erupt.
The immense torrent of faith, like a substantial pillar of light, crossed vast distances, guided by the first tower, accurately pouring into the core magic circle of the tower foundation that was rising from the ground.
That was the pure power of belief accumulated from countless residents and soldiers praying day and night, now efficiently converted into strategic resources for expanding the dominion of order.
The project was in full swing, yet it carried a sacred solemnity.
Like an anchor dropped into deep water, from Deherim's main tower, the sparks of holy light lit up eastward.
The data flow advanced westward and southward along the lifeline between Deherim and Elf Forest.
From Deherim to New Uxhall, ten Holy Light Torch Towers, like ten fallen stars, precisely covered all supply points, high ground, and areas where the Abyssal Lesser Undead had once rampaged.
Accompanied by hymns and the clang of hammering stones, the data flow constructed a corridor of hope.
The construction of the last ten towers was the most crucial and the most difficult.
The locations extended into the safe zone in front of the Elf Forest Bulwark, with the closest one even standing on a stable hill less than three kilometers behind the Pangen Bastion, like a giant support lighthouse erected for the fortress.
When the last glimmer of data settled into the foundation, and the final pillar of faith light was injected from Deherim across space, the core magic circle of the twentieth Holy Light Torch Tower suddenly lit up!
Effective!
Buzz—!!!
An invisible hum, seemingly from the very rules of the world, instantly spread out.
Starting from the first Deherim main tower, the silent core magic circles at the top of the twenty brand-new Torch Towers along the way were completely activated!
First, a faint golden light appeared within the runic sphere carved from sacred white stone at the tower's summit, then, like a prairie fire, a dazzling, pure holy light burst forth!
This was not merely firelight, but the materialization of highly condensed rules of order and divine power.
Centered around each Torch Tower, invisible yet repellent waves of pure rule energy rapidly spread out.
The death spirit rules aura, diffused along the way, carrying decay and resentment, let out a "hissing" wail, like frost and snow meeting the scorching sun, and was rapidly dispelled and purified!
The air felt as if it had been filtered by a massive invisible sieve, becoming unprecedentedly fresh, and the gloom pressing on the soldiers' hearts instantly dissipated by more than half.
The death spirit rules whispers and energy remnants that had been attempting to infiltrate the edge of the safe zone also subsided under this suppression of rules.
From New Uxhall to Elf Forest, an order corridor based on the Holy Light Torch Tower network was successfully established!
The golden holy light on the tower tops burned fiercely, so bright that it was clearly visible even under the iron-gray sky, like twenty small suns that would never set.
When true night fell, and the sky over Long City was covered by an impenetrable darkness, these twenty golden pillars of light became the only source of illumination tearing through despair!
They illuminated the roads, the outposts, the fortress walls, projecting warmth and courage directly into the hearts of every soldier and civilian.
In front of the Elf Forest Bulwark, the light emitted by the new tower even enveloped the Pangen Bastion in a golden halo, greatly enhancing the fortress's defensive might and morale.
Accompanying the stable hum of the tower, the powerful magic scrolls from the ancient heritage of the Holy White Council, stored within the tower, were activated.
Mysterious holy light runes, like flowing golden streams, slowly emerged and rotated on the tower's surface.
Any entity carrying a strong undead aura—whether wandering Skeleton, stealthy Lesser Undead, or low-level liches attempting to approach and cast curses—once they stepped into the core area of the Torch Tower, small, swift, and incredibly precise holy light rays would instantly shoot out from the runes on the tower's surface!
This light, like a red-hot branding iron, scorched the bodies of the undead, annihilated their soul fires, and emitted sharp "hissing" sounds.
At night, this automatic purification system formed leaping golden whips of light, becoming an insurmountable forbidden zone in the darkness.
Such crucial strategic nodes naturally required strict protection.
Shen Mu's orders were quickly implemented.
Around the base of each newly constructed Torch Tower, sturdy low walls with battlements and firing slits, and simple fortifications, were quickly erected.
Under the twenty crucial Torch Towers along the route from Deherim to New Uxhall, and from New Uxhall to Elf Forest, elite soldier teams were stationed for defense:
2 Rodok Sharpshooters, who occupied the pre-reserved high ground and best firing positions within the fortifications, equipped with heavy sniper crossbows and anti-magic bolts.
Calm, precise, and powerful were their hallmarks, responsible for sniping powerful targets attempting to approach or attack the Torch Tower from medium to long range.
3 Vigia Sharpshooter, equipped with excellent composite longbows and special arrows.
They moved flexibly within the fortifications, relying on their extraordinary reaction speed and archery skills, responsible for intercepting fast-moving units and providing continuous medium-range suppressing fire.
10 Swadian Light Infantry, serving as the most basic barrier and mobile force. They were equipped with sturdy chainmail, one-handed weapons, and leather-covered shields.
Their task was to closely guard the tower base, prevent any stragglers from charging the fortifications or directly damaging the tower structure, and counter-charge during the lulls in crossbowmen and archer fire.
The transportation line was the lifeline.
On the "Corridor of Light" formed by the connected Torch Towers, high-speed cavalry patrols worked tirelessly day and night.
10 veteran Steppe Bandit with 50 Steppe Bandit, these warriors from the steppe were masters of horsemanship.
The veteran Steppe Bandit were experienced, serving as the vanguard and eyes and ears of the team; the Steppe Bandit, lightly armored and fast-mounted, carried composite horse bows.
They patrolled the roads like a gale, covering the gaps between towers, detecting anomalies at the first instance, clearing out small groups of wandering undead, and launching rapid counterattacks and diversions against any enemies attacking the tower bases or roads.
At critical nodes, such as road hubs and parts of the areas near New Uxhall and Elf Forest, a powerful reserve force was always on standby.
100 Swadian Heavy Cavalry, armored in heavy plate and with chain-barded horses, they were a steel torrent on the battlefield.
Should a Torch Tower face a large-scale siege, or if a patrol discovered a crisis requiring a powerful breakthrough, these silent and powerful cavalry would strike like thunder.
Where their iron hooves passed, Skeleton turned to ash!
Their existence was the strongest and most destructive mobile iron fist in the entire defensive chain.
This was a new beginning!
When the brand-new Torch Tower in front of the Elf Forest Bulwark ignited a towering pillar of light, illuminating the gloomy northwestern corner of Long City like daytime, alongside the nineteen towers behind it, the entire Deherim-Elf Forest front felt the immense power of order and the unwavering will of bright light.
The soldiers stood on the Pangen Bastion, gazing at the fiercely burning golden spear of light, seemingly piercing into the maw of the abyss, and in their eyes burned not only safety and warmth, but also the firm conviction of a counterattack.
The fortress's defensive pressure dramatically decreased, and the cold and decay that had been like a parasitic growth were forcibly pushed away.
Shen Mu still stood on the high watchtower, his cold mithril face mask reflecting the flickering golden light.
His gaze swept over this lifeline, built at great cost, forged from faith, money, and steel, finally settling on the direction of the core Abyssal Black Domain.
The Corridor of Light had been forged, and the anchors of order were deeply rooted.
It dispelled the mist, ignited hope, but also, like the brightest lighthouse, declared its presence to the terrifying entities lurking in the darkness.
His counterattack now had a more solid footing!
The workshop furnaces within the Pangen Bastion remained Hot, the muzzles of the Elf Forest Fortress Ballistas gleamed with cold light, and the sound of soldiers sharpening their weapons was strong and clear.
Under the light of the twenty Torch Towers, the Elf Forest fortress, like a giant dragon awakened and armed to the teeth, waited silently.
This light not only illuminated the present but also the battlefield of the future.
Shen Mu knew that when he actively knocked on the door of that core hell, this final battle, concerning the fate of Long City and even the world's pattern, would unfold in a completely new situation.
Light had arrived, and the next act of war was about to begin in the ultimate clash between holy flame and the abyss.
The Holy Light Corridor, like twenty burning golden spears, fiercely pierced into the decaying corpse of Long City.
The road from Deherim to Elf Forest was illuminated, the gray mist was dispelled, and the whispers of despair were replaced by a sacred hum.
However, this immense light of order was nothing short of the most glaring provocation, the most deadly poison, to the Abyssal Will entrenched in the city's core.
The change first occurred at the aura level.
Shen Mu, on the Elf Forest Bulwark's watchtower, was the first to perceive the qualitative change in the sulfurous stench, which had been so thick it was suffocating.
It was no longer merely a viscous air pollutant, but had taken on an active, greedy malice.
The scent felt as if it had weight, pressing heavily on everyone's chest, making breathing difficult.
The soldiers on duty all felt ringing in their ears, and a persistent dizziness, as if the invisible stench was trying to bore into their brains and erode their will.
Outside the bulwark, that dead silent core abyss, churning with clashing black-blue and dark-red energy, suddenly boiled!
"Roar—!!!"
A soundless roar that reached deep into the soul, larger and more frantic than the previous howls of jackal shadows, filled with the rage of being "burned," like a wounded ancient beast thrashing madly in the abyss!
The ground of the entire ruin vibrated with a dull tremor, and the thick wooden structure of the Pangen Bastion groaned.
Stimulated by this, the brutal infighting at the edge of the core area instantly escalated to a fever pitch!
The dark-red blood drops in the eyes of the Abyssal Lesser Undead suddenly erupted with an eerie red light, and the sulfurous markings on their bones, like red-hot branding irons, emitted a more pungent odor and high heat.
Their attack methods completely abandoned the last shred of undead instinct's "skill," becoming pure, hysterical, mad tearing and explosions! Often, several Lesser Undead would recklessly pounce on a single target, using bone claws, sharp teeth, or even directly igniting the unstable sulfur crystals within their bodies, transforming into clusters of dark-red, flesh-and-blood bombs carrying deadly corrosive energy!
The Black Iron Skeleton guards holding their ground faced immense pressure under such a desperate, frenzied assault.
Their ghostly green soul fires flickered violently, and their remaining combat will, amidst the tempest, also gave rise to extreme determination.
The previously cold and precise defensive formations began to show gaps.
Some Skeleton Warrior abandoned their defensive stance and instead launched equally wild, suicidal charges.
When huge bone blades struck down, they carried the wail of mutual destruction; shield-bearing Skeleton no longer stood firm, but roared and charged into the enemy crowd, bearing several times their number of Lesser Undead, detonating their accumulated death spirit rules cold energy and abyssal demonic energy to perish together!
The battlefield was like a giant meat grinder, its brutality far exceeding anything before!
Shattered bones, sparks, dark-red and ghostly green energy fragments mixed with the stench of sulfur and icy death, churned and annihilated in the viscous black-blue mist. (End of Chapter)
