Chapter 820 - Gawain’s Reinforcements
“Thump thump thump…”
One after another, the bodies thudded as they were thrown into the deep ditch that the Gravedigger Demons had dug out. The Flame Dragon Army took the most losses, as tens of thousands of bodies created a hundred-meter-wide path. The soldiers laid down wooden planks on top of the bodies, allowing the cannons to roll over smoothly. There was a strong contrast between the Royal and the Flame Dragon Armies as the Royal Army’s losses only created a single pile in the ditch. Han Yuan, Long Xing, and Xia Ye scattered hot oil on the bodies and lit them on fire. “Pa, pa, pa.” The smoke burned our eyes red. Han Yuan turned around with his blade over his shoulder and shouted, “Nevermind, let’s go!”
Long Xing nodded and solemnly followed behind. The Royal Army fell back into formation and marched forward. In the distance, the men from the Flame Dragon Army indignantly glared at us, as though we had committed some injustice.
The player group also crossed over the ditch using the human bridge. The wind elf players on the other hand chose to fly across. I urged my Flying Scythe Horse forward and led the Steel Blade Horsemen and the Royal Army across the bridge. Behind us were carriages that held the cannons and the machinery. “Ji, ji.” The planks creaked as they rolled across — it was as though the bodies beneath the planks were crying out. Han Yuan and the other generals couldn’t help but wrinkle their brows and slightly cringe with each sound.
The great army quickly passed over the ditch and continued its journey north. Theodore rode on his great horse with his head held high. Despite the past losses, the aura of heroism only increased as the journey progressed. He looked at the distant city and said, “The Revered One’s kingdom. This time I want to see just what other tricks you have up your sleeve!”
One of the lieutenants asked, “Your Highness, are we launching a siege directly on the city?”
Theodore gave a curt nod, “Yes. No need to hesitate, full speed ahead!”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
I led the Royal Army and took the rear. Seeing how ernest the Flame Dragon Army was in their plan, I couldn’t help but feel restless. Even though the Revered One had lost many troops in the Battle of the Sea of No Return, that must’ve been only a fraction of his real forces. Besides, the Revered One’s City isn’t a particularly fortified stronghold. Both Frost and I visited the place before. Using that city to hold off the tens of thousands of Tian Ling City forces was not the smartest move on their part. If that were the case, what was Luo Lin’s true plan for this battle?
Even I couldn’t come up with the answer to that question. I tightened my grip on my Dragon Reservoir Sword. Whatever, nevertheless, we were here now. There was no other choice but to deal with the city before us as we could only continue to march forward.
“Prepare, and attack!”
Theodore raised his Marshall Sword above his head and gave the command. The sword itself was a symbol of military authority. It was a weapon that could command entire armies. The moment Theodore raised this Marshall Sword, all of the Flame Dragon Army knights rushed at the city. They were less than a thousand meters away from the city. We were so close we could see the countless soldiers they had on the walls.
“Ji ya….”
Right then, the great gates of the city suddenly opened up. Closely after that, a ferocious group of heavily armored silver soldiers rushed out carrying a mixture of halbers, swords, and battle axes. Behind the footsoldiers was a clean formation of knights. Each one was outfitted in a full suit of silver armor and a large, thick shield. Just as I had predicted, Luo Lin had asked for reinforcements. These troops were the Storm Abyss Kingdom’s troops and their marshall was the Son of the Storm - Gawain, ranked seventh among the Demon Kings!
“They’re here!” Han Yuan roared.
I immediately ordered, “Defense formations! Do not charge them head on!”
“Yes, sir!”
I could already see the level and stats of these monsters. They were Level 156 Tier 6 Hybrid Demons. These monsters were on another level compared to the ones we faced at the Sea of No Return. If we charged at them head on, I’m afraid that all ten thousand of the Royal Army horsemen would be killed with one blow. The difference in their strengths and stats was too high. We could only defeat these monsters by fighting alongside the players.
Li Mu barked out more orders, “Steel Blade Horsemen, defense formations!”
Dong Cheng, Dancing Forest, and Thousand Suns all raised their weapons, ready to cast their attack spells. [Legend], [Hero’s Mound], and [Vanguard]’s guild all sent out their orders to raise defenses. All of them knew just how terrifying these Hybrid Demons were and didn’t dare underestimate the enemy. Liu Ying, on the other hand, raised his sword high in the air and shouted, “[Wrath of Heroes], charge! We’ll charge with the Flame Dragon Army!”
[Wrath of Heroes]’ Dawn Hero, Drunken Cold Rain and the other knight class players rushed forward. On the side, Ye Lai was stupefied as he muttered, “D*mn, those [Wrath of Heroes] players have guts. Do they not care about their lives anymore?”
Far in the distance, the Blizzard Army cavalry corps began accelerating. All of them raised the shield on their left arm up high, while they reached for the throwing spears beside their saddles. “Shua!” The spears flew into the air and pierced through the player troop of the Flame Dragon Army. [Wrath of Heroes]’ Dawn Hero took three hits in a row. One after another the damage numbers flew up——
“26136！”
“22441！”
“27569！”
“Ah….” With a cry, Dawn Hero clutched his chest and fell off his horses. “Pa ta!” His corpse was trampled underfoot by the Blizzard Army.
Drunken Cold Rain parried the projectiles with his shield. It wasn’t until he had lead his several thousand knights halfway across the field before he realized that only a few [Wrath of Heroes] players were left. His face turned green, “F*ck, what kind of attack power is this?!”
Little Piggy’s eyes were red. He raised his musket and shouted, “Everyone retreat! Assume a shield formation and protect all the ranged players. We can’t take these Hybrid Demon Troops head on!”
Liu Ying was stupefied. He tightened his fist, “Sh*t, isn’t this too OP?”
On the other side of the field, Wang Ze Cheng had appeared as well. He was dressed in awe-inspiring armor with a halberd that looked like it was painted with the colors of the sky. He rode in on a fiery red horse. Despite the costume, it was clear that this trash’s strength was nothing compared to the real General Lu Bu. On the other hand, with Yan Suo sitting on his horse, it did look as though General Lu Bu was carrying the legendary beauty, Diao Chan*.
[Hero’s Mound: Division One], which was under Wang Ze Cheng’s command, was practically a separate entity from the original [Hero’s Mound]. They only worked together on the surface due to their respect for Wang Ze Cheng. Under Division One, there were about a dozen other divisions, giving Wang Ze Cheng around 30,000 troops. Of course, this was an army raised purely on money, and as such their battle power was nothing great. But, they did have strength in numbers, and they weren’t easily provoked.
There was a long history of enmity between [Zhan Long] and Wang Ze Cheng. The only issue this time was that there just wasn’t enough time to deal with them. No matter what, Luo Ling and Gawain’s armies were enough to throw Wang Ze Chang’s 30,000 men into chaos.
Yan Suo sat on Wang Ze Cheng’s lap. She picked up her dagger and slid off his horse, “My love, when are you going to help me get my [Unrivaled Spirit]?”
Wang Ze Cheng’s mouth twitched, “That skill book is just too hard to get. Out of everyone in Tian Ling City, only a few assassins possess it. Are you envious because [Zhan Long]’s Lin Wan Er, Qing Qian, and Wei Liang all have it?”
Yan Suo stuck her chest out and glanced at [Zhan Long]’s front, “Hmph, Lin Wan Er? You must still be pining for her, aren’t you?”
Wang Ze Cheng’s expression turned cold, “So what if that is true?”
Yan Suo stiffened, and she murmured, “Just what am I to you? Am I your lover or am I just a plaything?”
Wang Ze Cheng chose not to answer. He raised his halberd and charged ahead, shouting, “Set up a defensive formation and prepare to receive this wave!”
In the next moment, the Blizzard Army troops arrived right before them, Battle Horses whinnied as they rammed against the shields. “Peng, peng, peng!” The impact was terrifying. Some of the knights were thrown back from the force. The first charge was enough to push through 4 to 7 layers of defense before they were finally stopped. The Demon troops raised their spears and charged ahead, their blades flashing in the light. The spear cut through the mass of people. In a split second, AOE skills flashed, dealing massive damage to the knights. Just that one attack was enough to make [Zhan Long] lose close to a hundred Steel Blade Horsemen.
“Ranged players, increase the pressure!” I shouted.
[Zhan Long]’s ranged players were already firing away. Facing these fierce Blizzard troops with their numbers was incredibly difficult to deal with, making it impossible to not take losses.
I raised my blade and rushed into the fray. As I slashed and cut through the monsters, my attacks were starting to lack strength and power. I roared, activating [Ice Wing]s, gaining those boosts. The icy power seeped into my body, creating a pair of wings on my back. My Zhen Yue Blade and Dragon Reservoir Sword now displayed a 5-yard long attack range. Just one slash dealt AOE damage. Not to mention, this sword range could be overlayed with other skills. The killing power was incredible. The price of this was 1G per second. However, my bag was filled to the brim with gold, I paid no mind to it!
I swept through the Blizzard Troops with my Zhen Yue Blade. “Shua!” The icy blade flashed through, and I dealt a [Tempest Sword], dropping the health of all the monsters around me. Level 6 Hybrid Demons couldn’t defend against my attack at all——
“27161！”
“26171！”
“57784！”
That critical attack was the most fearsome one. The Steel Blade Horsemen around me were all gaping, “D*mn, the guildmaster’s attack power is just inhuman!”
I didn’t have the leisure time to chat with them. I was switching between giving orders to the Royal Army and roaming the front and the back lines of the [Zhan Long] formation to decrease the pressure on them as much as I could. At the same time, Wan Er activated her [Unrivaled Spirit], and her [Heavenly Armor] as she walked back and forth on the frontlines. Li Mu, Wang Jian, and the others were leading a group of knights dressed in Deer Cry Armor to hold off the onslaught of attacks, while Darling Duck and the other healers locked their spells onto the players in the front row, fighting to maintain the root of our formation. It was only because of these efforts that we were able to prevent these Tier 6 Hybrid Demons from breaking through our formation.
Unfortunately, the good times don’t last. Not long afterwards, another group of people charged out from the Revered One’s City. They were all archers riding on horses. This time, it was Luo Lin’s troops. Players began to die in the droves around them. These were Tier 6 ranged attackers. There was no difference between those and a nightmare for cloth armor type players like archers, ranged attackers, and assassins.
*Translator's Note: General Lu Bu is a famous general in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and Diao Chan is fabled to be Lu Bu’s lover. She is well known as one of the legendary four beauties of China.