SQUELCH!
ROAR!
Blood splattered across the demon tide as the monsters let out piercing shrieks and agonized roars.
The power of the crossbow arrows was terrifying. Even a Silver-rank Swamp Giant Crocodile was pierced by several bolts and heavily wounded. But against the seemingly endless demon tide, this frightening assault was like a few insignificant splashes in a vast ocean.
The corpses of the slain monsters were instantly submerged by their kin surging from behind.
"Rotate! Second sequence, prepare!"
The officer on the wall remained calm, continuing to command without a hint of panic.
Another row of crossbows, already in position, immediately adjusted their angles and unleashed another continuous volley at the demon tide.
The demon tide’s advance only slowed slightly before a large swath of monsters charged into the effective range of the Alchemy Magic Crystal Cannons.
However, they were not met with the panicked response they might have expected, only ruthless cannon fire.
Explosions repeatedly lit up the battlefield, blasting large groups of monsters to pieces, sending limbs and wreckage flying everywhere.
At the same time, the various Magic Traps laid out before the fortress—Erupting Earth Fire, Rings of Frost, Lightning Chains...—began to trigger one after another, turning the entire front line into a deadly meat grinder.
For a moment, the unstoppable momentum of the demon tide was forcefully halted.
The war raged on. High above, unnoticed by anyone, the thick, gray demonic mist was suddenly stirred by an unseen current. A pair of enormous wings parted the fog, and a Giant Eagle appeared over the battlefield.
On its back sat a figure in a simple mage’s robe, her long golden hair flying in the strong wind—it was Princess Louisa.
Louisa reached up, gently tucking a windblown strand of hair behind her ear. Using mental magic, she said, ’As expected of the Garrison Legion that has guarded Storm Fortress for generations. Their defensive measures are astounding, and they’re clearly very experienced in dealing with the demon tide.’
The Giant Eagle’s thoughts echoed back, in the voice of a mature woman, ’Yes, Your Highness. But these little critters won’t be enough to break through the fortress.’
’Shouldn’t we go down and cause them a little trouble?’
That’s right—the Giant Eagle was actually Celeste in her transformed state.
The Half-Elf who was always clamoring to go pan for gold in Golden Glow Valley couldn’t rest easy after all and had followed her princess here.
Louisa slowly shook her head, her gaze sweeping over the wall below. ’It’s not time yet. If we rashly reveal ourselves now, we’ll only arouse Dominic’s suspicion and hostility, disrupting our plans.’
’We’ll wait patiently until... the army of the Slime Kingdom appears.’
Celeste flapped her wings with a hint of resignation. ’Alright, alright. You’re the princess, so I’ll listen to you.’
’But it looks like those guys down there have run into some real trouble.’
She circled in the sky, but her gaze was fixed on the horizon behind the demon tide.
At almost the same moment, an officer on the wall scouting with a brass telescope suddenly paled. He cursed in his hometown dialect, then shouted.
"It’s those damned wyverns! Quick! Everyone, ready your anti-toxin potions! Crossbowmen, to your positions! Magic Towers, prepare to intercept!"
At the edge of the horizon, sharp, piercing screeches could be heard. Pairs of leathery wings churned the gray mist, revealing dozens of ugly, green-scaled wyverns.
These monsters had the rough appearance of dragons, but their eyes held only the madness and bloodlust of beasts, with no sign of intelligence.
However, once a wyvern reached adulthood, it possessed at least Silver-rank strength, equivalent to a human Elite Professional.
Their venomous breath was especially feared; if they were allowed to get close to the fortress, their poison could incapacitate a large number of soldiers in an instant.
The heavy crossbows and Alchemy Magic Crystal Cannons on the wall immediately swiveled, launching a fierce assault on the rapidly approaching green figures in the sky.
Occasionally, a wyvern or two would be struck by the dense fire. They would let out a wretched cry and, with tattered wings and spraying toxic blood, plummet from the sky like a meteor, smashing into the demon tide below and creating a ripple of chaos.
However, most of the wyverns, relying on their green scales that possessed decent physical and Magic Resistance, as well as their agile flight, managed to push through the barrage of arrows and cannon fire, gradually closing in on the wall.
They opened their fanged maws, and a dark green light began to well up from deep within their throats, ready to spew venom.
On the wall, Alice calmly surveyed the approaching aerial threats, her eyes showing little concern.
She knew it was time for the fortress’s four towering Magic Towers to display their power.
Sure enough, Dominic, who had been closely monitoring the battle, merely shot a cold glance at the arrogant wyverns before decisively waving his hand and ordering, "Magic Towers, target the aerial wyvern flock. Saturation strike."
The order was quickly relayed to the four Magic Towers through messengers and magical communication.
The mages, who had been on standby, immediately got to work. Some began chanting rapidly around the core Magic Array in the center of the tower, channeling immense Magic Power, while others focused their Spiritual Power, locking onto the wyvern flock in the sky.
"Fire!"
The top of one Magic Tower lit up with a golden radiance as blinding as the midday sun. A golden Magic Array composed of countless sacred Runes unfurled above the tower’s peak.
The next moment, a downpour of countless Holy Light Arrows rained down, illuminating a vast stretch of the sky.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
When the Holy Light Arrows fell upon the wyvern flock, it was like a red-hot iron meeting snow. The wyverns’ green scales rapidly dimmed under the glow of the Holy Light.
Several young wyverns were purified directly into ash. Even some of the stronger ones had their wing membranes riddled with holes, and they plummeted from the sky with wails of agony.
The battlefield on the ground suffered an even more devastating blow. Monsters below Silver-rank were instantly vaporized, and the ground itself was left pitted and scarred.
Although most of the wyverns survived, another Magic Tower soon began to shine.
"Fire!"
A piercing blue light erupted from the top of the second Magic Tower. Moisture in the air instantly condensed into sharp icicles, which shot toward the approaching wyverns with a bone-chilling cold and a shriek that tore through the air.
SQUELCH! SQUELCH! SQUELCH!
The icicles easily pierced the wyverns’ already damaged Scale Armor and wing membranes, freezing and tearing them apart.
With the help of precise shots from the archers on the wall, the wyvern flock’s assault finally weakened, no longer posing a threat to the wall.
High in the sky, Celeste let out a soft cry of surprise.
’Their power is a bit weaker than a strategic Magic Array, but the casting range is enormous. It’s as if they were designed specifically to counter the demon tide.’
Lying on the eagle’s back, Louisa nodded. "You’re right. Storm Fortress was designed from the outset with consideration for how to efficiently defend against the periodically erupting demon tides."
"Rather than pursuing ultimate single-target destructive power, this kind of large-area magic that can be charged quickly is what’s most suitable for Storm Fortress."
Celeste couldn’t help but tilt her enormous eagle head curiously. ’With these four Magic Towers, plus the elites of the Garrison Legion... My dear princess, do you really think the Slime army can break through Storm Fortress?’
Louisa’s gaze drifted into the distance. "Graystone Citadel’s ancient defense systems and Magic Defense are not much inferior to Storm Fortress’s, and they also possessed a shockingly powerful ancient Alchemy Cannon."
"Those Slimes were able to breach Graystone Citadel, something even the Kingdom’s regular army couldn’t manage. I’m afraid they are far more formidable than either of us imagined."
Celeste was about to ask another question when her eyes suddenly focused. She slightly adjusted the angle of her wings and fixed her gaze on the distant horizon.
’Wait... what’s that sound?’
The soldiers on the wall noticed something strange as well. Before they could even catch their breath, they heard a different kind of noise amidst the clamor of the battlefield.
It sounded like a buzzing, low-pitched and dense.
A swarm of bees?!
Dominic’s gaze sharpened instantly. He looked in the direction of the sound, his hand tightening on the hilt of his sword.
"The Venomous Bee Legion. The most common war unit of the Slime Kingdom."
"Levin, you were right. The Slimes... they’re finally here."