Deep, urgent horn calls echoed throughout Doren City.
Leilin and Fantix floated in midair, arriving directly atop the city walls to observe the scene outside.
After more than a decade of mutual attrition and slaughter, the number of dark beasts had noticeably decreased. According to the latest intelligence, the Beast Emperors were all considering withdrawing.
If not for the Northern Region incident and the interference of dwarves and goblins, this war could have ended within a few years.
But now things were different. Perhaps, the underground humans would face the crisis of annihilation.
"It really is the Cold Spider Knight Corps! And the most elite ones at that!"
Leilin gazed into the distance. On the horizon, three knight formations were slowly advancing.
Enormous spider legs bounced and crawled across the ground without making a single sound. Atop them,
Combined with their handsome faces and lances, Leilin almost thought he was witnessing a royal knight parade.
Though their appearance was extraordinarily splendid — even extravagant — the aura of blood and fire emanating from these knights was all too real.
This was the invincible courage and unshakeable belief in victory that only elite armies tempered by a hundred battles could possess!
"These are the Dark Elves' royal knight corps. I didn't expect them to deploy even this!" Fantix's face was grim.
"Elite Cave Cold Spider knights have strength comparable to or slightly greater than our Great Knights. Squad leaders and above possess the strength of formal Wizards. Each formation is roughly a thousand strong — that's a full three thousand!" The female
"They're planning to take Doren City in one decisive push!"
Leilin sighed softly. "Do we need to step in?"
"I'm afraid it's reached that point!" Fantix forced a bitter smile. "The problem is their Matriarchs will surely move to intercept us as well. We have no confidence we can shake off their entanglement! I can already feel the Abyssal power radiating from them in the air..."
Second-rank Wizards primarily served as garrisons, and the enemy camp held at least three Matriarch-level existences. Their task was to pin down the second-rank Wizards on this side.
Otherwise, the three second-rank Wizards could simply unleash large-scale magical attacks without regard for the cost. With just a few coordinated strikes, they could probably annihilate these entire knight formations!
"There's no other choice. Use 'that'!"
Leilin said suddenly.
"Hmm?" Fantix glanced at Leilin. "That's our trump card — we were saving it for the final battle..."
"This IS the final battle!" Before Leilin could respond, the second-rank female Wizard jumped in. "I agree!"
"Fine! I agree too!" Fantix glanced once more at the Dark Elf army in the distance and forced a smile. "It really is the final battle now!"
With the unanimous agreement of the three Wizards, special commands were distributed through Arcane Marks. Below, soldiers under the Wizards' direction began hauling peculiar objects onto the city walls.
They were enormous wooden barrels — like the massive oak casks used for beer in taverns — with sturdy iron hoops clamped tight on both sides. Across their surfaces, warning characters were painted in blood-red letters of the Dark Pole script.
"Now, let's wait and see!"
The three Wizards exchanged glances and turned their gazes toward the battlefield.
"Attack!!!" With a signal from the Dark Elves, another massive wave of dark beasts charged forward.
"Activate Defense Number Three!"
Glowing light erupted across the city walls, revealing a sturdy runic defense. Massive quantities of energy particles with terrifying destructive power continuously sprayed outward.
Many dark beasts were blasted midway through their charge, energy particles of various elements tearing huge gashes in their bodies. Blood and flesh flew in all directions as they collapsed to the ground.
Some dark beasts, stronger and more agile, dodged the attacks and clambered upward over the corpses of their companions, ultimately clashing with the soldiers and Wizards atop the walls.
In an instant, blood and fire soared to the sky!
Wizards and Knights on the walls roared as spells and energy waves erupted one after another. Dark beasts fell in droves from the ramparts.
But every single one of these dark beasts charged forward with bloodshot eyes, utterly unafraid of death.
Over the past decade-plus, this scene had been staged here almost every few months, and it always ended with the Dark Elves' voluntary retreat.
Now, however, everything seemed different.
Thud thud thud! A rhythmic trembling sound rang out. The elite Cold Spider Knight Corps nearby seemed to have received some order. They began their charge.
Though only three thousand strong, when they charged together, they surged forward like a torrent of steel.
"Go!" The Cave Cold Spiders' barbed spider legs easily gripped the city walls, climbing with the agility of apes.
For dark beasts, the towering walls had been an insurmountable obstacle, but before these Cold Spider knights, they might as well have been flat ground.
"Kill!" A Cold Spider knight urged his mount onto the wall and swept his black lance forward.
Numerous snow-white lance tips blossomed like pear flowers. Several soldiers in leather armor were immediately sent flying backward, spurts of blood trailing from their bodies — among them even a knight in heavy armor!
Before elite Cold Spider knights, ordinary soldiers and knights were utterly helpless. Only Great Knights stood any chance of fighting back!
"Minor Energy Fireball!"
"Vine Entanglement!"
"Ice Pearl!" The Wizards and apprentices waiting on the walls immediately launched their attacks. The Cold Spider knights who had just climbed onto the walls were instantly engulfed in a dazzling array of magical light.
Their prided powerful bodies and mounts were ripped into countless pieces by the various magical forces!
But the remaining Cold Spider knights still charged upward without a shred of fear. Many squad leaders and battalion commanders who had reached the strength of formal Wizards erupted with equally brilliant magical auras and engaged the Wizards on the walls in fierce combat.
"Corrosion Hand!"
A Cold Spider knight with gleaming armor, whose Cave Cold Spider was noticeably larger than those of his companions, let out a cold shout.
Numerous black hands emerged from the void and surged toward the Wizard opposite him.
"Argh!" A third-rank apprentice's face was seized by a black hand and immediately began to corrode. Flesh melted and dripped away.
"Watch out! He's squad leader level — he has the strength of a formal Wizard!"
A middle-aged Wizard with white hair spoke in a low voice, his innate magical defenses fluctuating wildly.
"The situation is looking really bad!"
Leilin observed the scene below and commented flatly.
At this moment, all three Wizards sensed several equally powerful spiritual forces lashing out from the enemy camp, locking firmly onto them.
If they dared to intervene, what awaited them would be a devastating strike from the Matriarchs!
When high-end combat strength was roughly balanced, whoever struck first was at a disadvantage!
Fortunately, Leilin and the others had no intention of doing so.
Though the current situation seemed to demand nothing less than second-rank Wizard intervention to turn the tide.
"Begin!"
Leilin said calmly, the cold detachment in his eyes growing more pronounced.
"The orders have been sent down! I just hope those Matriarchs over there won't go berserk and come after us!" Fantix's ring flashed red as he spoke with a bitter smile.
At that moment, the formal Wizards atop the walls seemed to receive their orders simultaneously.
"Do it! Open them!" they roared, unleashing various spells at the barrels from before, instantly shattering them to pieces.
Boom!
The barrel staves exploded apart, and the red liquid within splattered onto the ground.
This red liquid was very murky, resembling some kind of unsettled red wine. Upon hitting the ground, it quickly evaporated, sending up a cloud of red mist.
In an instant, the entire stretch of walls was enveloped in red mist.
"Beware of toxin attack! Activate protective runes!"
A Dark Elf in golden armor immediately issued the command.
Buzz! In an instant, multicolored light rose upon the Dark Knights' armor.
With this protective layer in place, the knights nonchalantly charged at their enemies once more.
They had confidence in their physical constitution. After all, as members of a high-energy race, while Dark Elves had relatively low fertility, their physical attributes far exceeded those of humans — to say nothing of their racial talents, which made them immune to many types of toxins.
Humanity had previously considered the use of toxin warfare, but in most cases, poisons lethal to humans would only cause Dark Elves mild dizziness and a nosebleed.
Therefore, using highly toxic agents was not worth the cost — it frequently caused heavy casualties among the defending forces instead. After several painful lessons, humanity had completely abandoned this approach.
But now, the situation was clearly different.
"Hmm?"
A Cold Spider knight climbed onto the wall and sent a Great Knight flying with a blow. Just as the knight was about to drive his lance into the opponent's heart, his hand suddenly went limp. His black knight's lance clattered to the ground.
A wave of weakness flooded the knight's mind: "What's going on? What toxin could possibly paralyze me? And didn't I activate the rune specifically designed to defend against toxins?"
Then the knight stared in horror as the red mist in the air passed through his defenses and seeped into his skin without any resistance whatsoever, as if the runes were nothing but decorations.
Yellow pustules and blisters rose rapidly across the surface of his skin, then burst open, drawing a scream from the knight.
"Kill!"
A flash of light — the Great Knight who had been sent flying earlier seized the perfect opportunity, swinging his massive steel sword across the Dark Elf's neck.
A thin line of blood appeared, followed by a torrent of crimson.
The Dark Elf's fair, slender neck was severed, and his head tumbled to the ground.