novelnext Chapter 116 Joint Offensive
Chapter 116 Joint Offensive
Chapter 116 Joint Offensive
The last vestiges of darkness before dawn, like thick ink, permeated every inch of the edge of the 12th District Highlands.
The dwarf Gren stood on the edge of the rock face, leaning on his warhammer. His left arm was charred and hung at his side, and every breath he took aggravated the wounds all over his body.
His cloudy blue eyes swept across the dark, worm-like ocean of demons below the highlands.
"One hundred and ninety-seven, one hundred and ninety-eight..." the dwarf captain counted silently in his mind, his voice as dry as two rocks rubbing together.
The paladin Alfred beside him also had a solemn expression.
The longsword in his hand was already chipped, its blade stained with a mixture of black, green, and dark red blood, gleaming eerily in the faint light of dawn.
"One of the Thorn Demons has disappeared," Alfred said in a low voice, his eyes searching through the horde of demons.
Five minutes ago, they could still see the figures of three Thorn Demons—two in front directing the demon charge, and one roaming on the flank.
But now, the dark red demon elite on the flank has vanished from the battlefield as if it had evaporated.
"Damn it," Glenn gritted his teeth. "These beasts are more cunning than we thought."
He turned to look at the center of the camp.
Winter Wolf Frostfang lay beside Sylvester, its massive body rising and falling slightly with its breath.
Its silvery-white fur was now covered in blood, mud, and scorch marks. The bandage on its left foreleg was completely soaked, and dark red blood dripped down its fur.
The necromancer remained unconscious, his pale face resembling a marble sculpture in the morning light.
His black robe was covered with marks from the battle, but he still held the bone and wood staff tightly in his hand, the dark purple soul gem at its tip emitting a faint but steady glow.
"If Sylvester were still awake..." Glenn didn't finish his sentence.
If the necromancer could still cast spells, even just summoning a few skeleton warriors, the battle would be completely different.
But there is no if in reality.
Lily dragged her festering right leg to the edge of the rock wall, clutching a dagger tightly in her hand, her knuckles white from the force.
The female wanderer raised her dust-covered face and looked down at the horde of demons gathering below.
"They... are about to charge again."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a sharp screech came from the horde of demons.
That was Thorn Demon's order.
Instantly, the black tide began to surge. The Primal Demon dragged its muddy body up the steep slope, the Fear Demon opened its mouth and spewed poisonous mist, and the Lesser Demon made famous Abyss language gestures behind it, a fireball forming in its palm.
"Ready!" Alfred raised his longsword high, his voice hoarse but firm. "For justice!"
"To survive!" Glenn roared, raising his warhammer with one hand.
Old Jack drew back the bowstring, the bow arm groaning under the strain. Only three silver-plated arrows remained in his quiver; he had to use them at the most crucial moment.
The sword-and-shield warrior raised his tattered shield and stood in front of Lily. The silent young man had at least five wounds, but he still stood there, his eyes showing no fear, only an almost numb determination.
Then, the demons surged forth.
The first wave was the Primal Demons; more than twenty lower-level demons made of sludge surged towards the high ground like a black tide. They had no tactics, no coordination, only the purest form of overwhelming numbers.
The warrior knocked one shield away, but a second and a third immediately pounced. He swung his sword, the fine steel longsword slicing through the primal demon's body, black slime splattering everywhere.
But even more Primal Demons surged up.
Lily's dagger pierced the eye socket of a primal demon, and the sludge-like creature let out a piercing scream, wildly flailing its claws. The female wanderer tried to retreat, but the festering wound on her right leg slowed her movements—
puff!
A primal demon's claw slashed across her lower abdomen, tearing her leather armor and causing blood to gush out.
Lily groaned and staggered backward, only managing to stay upright by leaning against the rock wall. She looked down at the wound on her abdomen, her face instantly turning deathly pale.
"Lily!" Alfred tried to help, but the three cowards had already spewed out poisonous mist. The green mist enveloped the edge of the highlands, and the paladin could only retreat, using his longsword to disperse the poisonous mist.
Glenn's warhammer smashed the head of a primal demon, but the excruciating pain in his left arm hampered his movements. The next second, two small fireballs hurtled towards him, and the dwarf captain barely managed to roll away, the flames exploding where he had just stood.
boom!
Debris flew everywhere, and a small crater was blasted into the edge of the high ground.
"Jack!" Glenn roared, "Deal with those lesser demons!"
Old Jack gritted his teeth and aimed at a little imp below that was chanting.
call out!
The silver-plated arrow left the bowstring, leaving a trail of white light in the air.
The little imp sensed danger and tried to dodge, but the arrow was too fast. The sharp arrowhead pierced its neck and emerged from the other side. Dark red blood gushed out, and the little imp's chanting came to an abrupt halt.
But there's more.
At least five lesser demons chanted behind them, and fireballs formed one after another, whistling as they flew toward the high ground.
Alfred swung his sword, cleaving a fireball in two; the explosion burned his arm. The paladin groaned, but didn't retreat, continuing to swing his sword and deflecting a second fireball.
But the third, the fourth...
Flames exploded on the high ground, rocks crumbled, and dirt flew everywhere.
The warrior's shield was struck head-on by a fireball, and the oak shield instantly burst into flames. The sword-and-shield warrior threw away the shield, gripped his sword with both hands, and continued fighting.
Glenn's situation became even more dangerous. The dwarf captain only had one arm to use, and could only desperately dodge the endless stream of Primal Demons and the constant fireballs flying at him.
A fireball grazed his left leg, instantly burning through his leather armor and causing his skin to blister and ulcerate.
"Ouch!" Glenn yelled in pain, nearly falling over.
Just then, a Primal Demon pounced from the side, its mud-like body crashing into the dwarf captain.
Glenn barely managed to raise his warhammer to block, but due to the hasty parry, he was knocked back several steps, his heel striking a loose rock at the edge of the cliff—
"Captain!" the sword and shield warrior exclaimed.
Glenn lost his balance and fell backward. Below him was a steep slope thirty feet high, the bottom of which was teeming with demons.
At this critical moment, a silver-white figure suddenly flashed by.
Frostfang!
Despite the excruciating pain in its left foreleg, the winter wolf leaped into the air, seized Glenn's belt in its jaws, and flung the dwarf captain back to the center of the highlands. Then, propelled by its own momentum, it continued forward, crashing heavily against the rock wall.
boom!
The rocks crumbled, and the winter wolf let out a painful whimper, lying on the ground panting heavily.
"Winter Wolf..." Glenn struggled to get up, and seeing that Winter Wolf had several more wounds on its body, he felt an indescribable sense of guilt.
Winter Wolf glanced at him with its icy blue eyes, then stood up again and staggered toward Silvers. Every step was difficult, but it persisted in guarding its master.
The demon horde beneath the highlands was briefly thrown into disarray by Frostfang's sudden intervention. But quickly, amidst the howls of the Thornfiend, the demons regrouped, preparing for the next charge.
Meanwhile, the vanished Thorn Demon had already silently circled around to the back of the highlands.
"The three-headed Thorn Demon, we can only see two of them now."
Xiuqi quickly calculated in his mind, and the "Bavarian Moonlight" in his hand drew a cold arc of light, cutting a Primal Demon that pounced from the side in two.
Black slime splattered, but the glow on the longsword's surface completely kept the filth away.
They had been on the battlefield for five minutes.
In those five minutes, the 11th Regiment was like a red-hot dagger, piercing the flank of the demon army.
Ado walked at the very front, the ogre's enormous body resembling a moving fortress.
Each swing of the spiked club clears an area, and the oak shield, when pushed forward occasionally, can smash demons that try to surround it, breaking their bones and tendons.
Max positioned himself slightly behind and to the side of Hodor, demonstrating the goblin warriors' extremely precise tactical positioning.
It always appears in the blind spots where Ado's mace is swinging, sweeping or slashing with its greatsword to catch those who slip through its net.
The two have achieved near-perfect teamwork—this is the effect of the [Warband Leader] talent, as well as the tacit understanding cultivated through numerous battles fought side by side.
Xiuqi himself stood ten steps behind the two, responsible for clearing out all the demons that crossed the defensive line.
His fighting style is simple and efficient.
A primal demon emerged from the edge of Ado's shield, its mud-like body lunging at Xiuqi.
Xiuqi didn't even move his feet, he just raised his left hand with his five fingers slightly spread.
[Shuqi's Elementary Deflection Field] instantly unfolds.
The original demon plunged into the force field as if it had crashed into an invisible swamp; its movements suddenly slowed, and its trajectory began to deviate.
Xiuqi thrust out his longsword with his right hand.
puff!
The sword tip pierced the demon's throat with pinpoint accuracy, emerging from the back of its neck. A single, fatal blow.
He drew his sword, flicked off the black slime from its blade, and continued to scan the battlefield.
On the left, the 31st Squad's defensive line was as solid as a rock.
Captain Cade stood at the forefront, his fine plate armor gleaming with a cold, hard sheen in the morning light.
The shield captain held a large oak shield reinforced with iron in his left hand. The edges of the shield were reinforced with iron plates, and the raised metal dome in the center stared at the enemy like a single eye.
But in Cade's hands, this shield is more than just a defensive tool.
A small lesser demon spewed out an acidic liquid, and the green slime whistled towards the formation of Squad 31.
Instead of retreating, Cade took a half step forward, raising his shield diagonally.
laugh-
Acidic liquid splashed onto the shield's surface, making a corrosive sound.
However, the angle of Cad's shield was extremely tricky, and most of the liquid slid down the shield surface, with only a small amount splashing onto the iron edge, leaving shallow corrosion marks.
Then, the shield moved.
It wasn't a block, it wasn't a defense, but a sudden, powerful thrust forward like a warhammer.
boom!
The edge of the shield slammed squarely into the face of a Primal Demon. The sludge-like creature retreated, and Cade's right-hand mace followed closely behind, smashing the Primal Demon's skull.
Clean and neat.
Blake was on Cade's flank. Although the greatsword warrior was not yet a professional, his combat skills were quite solid.
His greatsword had an extremely wide swing range, and each sweep could cover a large area, effectively preventing the demon from flanking him.
Lynn moved like a ghost along the edge of the battlefield. The wanderer held a short sword in one hand and a crossbow in the other, specifically targeting lone or wounded demons.
His crossbow shots were accurate, and his short sword thrusts were deadly; each strike took the life of a demon.
From the rear, the archers' support, though not as sharp as the ranger captain's, was more consistent. He fired an arrow every five seconds, each shot targeting the most critical targets—the lesser demons who were chanting.
On the right, Squad 32's tactics are somewhat different.
Sword and shield warriors and axemen formed a close coordination in the front row.
Sword and shield warriors focus on defense, using their shields to block and their longswords to thrust, fighting steadily and surely; while axemen are responsible for burst damage, their heavy two-handed battle axes capable of cleaving demons in two with every swing.
The two always maintained a three-step distance, allowing them to support each other without interfering with one another.
Behind them, Captain Allen's archery skills were on full display.
The captain of the rangers stood on a slightly elevated earthen slope, his longbow seemingly alive in his hands. He drew three arrows at once, nocked them on the bowstring, and swoosh! swoosh! swoosh!
The three arrows were released almost simultaneously, drawing three white lines in the air.
The first arrow struck the throat of a small demon that was chanting, interrupting the spell.
The second arrow pierced the venom sac of a cowardly demon, and the green venom spilled all over the ground before it could even be released.
The third arrow struck a Primal Demon that was stealthily approaching from the flank; the arrow pierced its eye socket and went straight through its brain.
Three arrows, three kills.
Allen's shooting rhythm was astonishingly fast; he didn't need to aim for long periods, and each draw of the bow was an instinctive reaction.
That was the Ranger's unique "rapid firing" ability, which, combined with his superb archery skills, created a terrifying suppressive firepower on the battlefield.
Selena stood at the very back of the battlefield, while the young priestess clasped her hands together and softly chanted a prayer.
A soft white light emanated from her, spreading outwards and enveloping the entire 11th Regiment.
[Blessing Spell]
The warriors, empowered by the divine magic, felt a warm current flowing through their bodies. Their fatigue was dispelled, their bodies became stronger, their reactions more agile, and even the pain from their wounds lessened.
Xiu Qi could clearly sense the effects of the divine spell. His thinking speed was already extremely fast, and with the blessing spell, his grasp of the battlefield situation reached a new level.
It seems that the buffs the priest brings to the team are truly unique.
If a priest can join your team, it will not only ensure divine healing but also improve the team members' combat effectiveness and fighting spirit.
He fought while he pondered.
The number of demons was indeed large, with over two hundred primal demons, cowardly demons, and lesser demons combined. However, lacking unified command, their attacks appeared chaotic and disorganized.
Two Thorn Demons, one commanding the demon siege of the 12th Legion from the high ground, the other...
Xiuqi's gaze swept across the battlefield.
The Thorn Demon was barely visible three minutes ago, but now it has vanished.
"Concealment..." Xiu Qi narrowed his eyes. "Is the target the rear? Or..."
""
He turned his head sharply and looked towards the rear of the position.
In the woods, a dark red figure moved silently close to the ground. Its wings were drawn close to its back, and its six-foot-tall body was almost invisible in the dense shadows of the forest.
However, Xiuqi's keen senses, combined with the spiritual energy enhancement from the rare meditation stone, allowed him to detect that faint, evil aura belonging to the demon elite.
"Princess," Xiuqi commanded in his mind, "that Thorn Demon behind you is your prey."
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