The rapidly falling crossbow arrows exploded one after another. The resulting shrapnel pierced the hides and armor of nearby monsters, sending them flying. This was a testament to both the terrifying power of the Enchanted Crossbow Arrows and the toughness of the shield.
"Damn it! It’s the composite Magic Array mentioned in the intelligence reports."
"They’re attacking!"
Within the legion’s formation, the Metallic Slime Gunners hopped about busily, making SQUISH SQUISH sounds. They quickly swiveled their crossbows, aimed at the sky, and loaded them with Enchanted Crossbow Arrows that glinted coldly. Together, they cranked the heavy wheels, drawing the bowstrings taut like a full moon.
"THWUMP! THWUMP! THWUMP!"
At Beet’s calm command, more than twenty Enchanted Crossbow Arrows shot out in a volley, likewise letting out a piercing shriek.
A violent, azure wind quickly swirled around the arrow shafts, causing their speed to surge once more. Like a flock of vengeful falcons, they rushed toward the towering city walls in the distance.
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"
The Enchanted Crossbow Arrows slammed violently into the fortress’s Plastic Energy Shield, erupting in dazzling bursts of magical light. Though they failed to break the sturdy shield, the violent explosions and the ripples they created sent an extremely ominous signal—
These monsters truly had the power to threaten Storm Fortress.
Realizing this, many of the Knights on the wall looked grim.
High above, Celeste watched the confrontation below in astonishment. "Incredible. These Slimes actually forced Storm Fortress to activate its highest-level Protective Array."
Princess Louisa’s gaze rested on the plump, green figure in the midst of the demon tide, her eyes glinting thoughtfully. "How strange. I feel a surging life force from His Majesty, the Slime."
"Perhaps I should discard my previous assumption that the Slime Kingdom has no Gold-tier monsters."
She looked down at Celeste. "Dominic won’t just sit back and wait. He’ll likely take the initiative to attack, trying to crush the Demon Legion before it can establish a foothold."
"Celeste, our opportunity has come."
Celeste muttered, "In that case, I’d better keep my distance. I don’t want to get caught in the crossfire."
Below, the sound of crossbows firing and arrows slicing through the air continued unabated.
The arcing crossbow arrows collided fiercely with both sides’ Magic Shields, filling the air with glittering motes of magical light.
On the surface, both sides seemed to be at a stalemate. But the Garrison Legion had to face far more than just the Demon Legion’s crossbows; they also had to deal with the tide of monsters frantically assaulting the city walls.
The shield was under constant attack, putting considerable pressure on the fortress.
Dominic quickly flipped through the intelligence report on the Demon Legion, his face an unreadable mask. "According to our current intelligence, this Demon Legion has apparently never revealed any Gold-tier strength."
He turned to the Half-dwarf beside him, a man built like an iron tower. "Simo, only your Fourth Legion has the ability to move through the surging demon tide while maintaining formation."
"Levin and I will hold the walls. We’re counting on you down there."
Simo stretched his arms, his heavy armor letting out a loud CLANK. In a rumbling voice, he said, "We should’ve done this from the start."
"The Fourth Legion was born to advance the battle lines and crush our enemies. Cowering in a fortress on defense is not the style of the Barnes Clan."
He spun around and roared at the heavily armored Half-dwarf Knights behind him, "Young Knights! Mount up! We’re going to crush these damn monsters!"
"Yes, sir!" the heavy Knights responded with a roar like a tidal wave. Gripping their heavy warhammers and halberds, they followed Simo, racing down from the wall, into the stables, and then charging out on horseback.
Soon, the three hundred heavy Knights of the Fourth Legion were assembled beneath the main gate. Firelight and shadow played across their gleaming heavy armor, creating a solemn and stately scene.
Their stout warhorses were clad in heavy barding. They stamped hooves fringed with white fur, snorting great clouds of breath, fully prepared to charge.
These were Northern Draft Horses. Unlike the delicate breeds from the pastures of the Golden Grain Plain, these massive beasts hailed from the much colder northern territories.
A breed originally used to transport supplies and pull artillery and supply wagons had become the companions of the Fourth Legion’s charging Knights.
The cold had forged their powerful physiques and stout limbs, enabling them to carry heavily armored Knights and run steadily across muddy battlefields. They might not have been the fastest, but they were unquestionably the most sure-footed.
With a great RUMBLE, the city gate slowly swung open, revealing the churning demon tide outside.
At their head, Simo raised his long-handled warhammer—as large as a door panel—with a single hand. His gaze swept over the resolute face of every Knight behind him as he bellowed:
"Young Knights, grip your weapons! Remember the honor and courage of your ancestors! Let the demon tide witness our strength! Charge with me!"
"For the Legion! For glory!"
The Knights erupted in a deafening war cry, a wave of sound that seemed powerful enough to scatter the dark clouds overhead.
RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE!!!
The sound of hooves was like rolling thunder as the three hundred heavy Knights, an unstoppable torrent of steel, burst from the protection of the fortress and slammed head-on into the surging demon tide.
"CRASH! SQUELCH!"
In an instant, flesh and blood flew everywhere. The monsters at the vanguard were ground into pulp by the terrifying torrent of steel.
In the instant of impact, the Knight Team had already torn a gap in the demon tide.
Their advance was not fast, but it was incredibly steady. Even under the relentless assault of countless monsters, with more throwing themselves forward as soon as others fell, the Knight Team’s formation showed no sign of disorder.
Instead, like a wedge, they pushed steadfastly toward the core of the Demon Legion’s formation.
Even more shocking was the display from Simo at the head of the formation. He was fully unleashing the terrifying power befitting his Extraordinary Tier.
His seemingly plain and simple warhammer bore no flashy magical radiance; he just swung it forward in a seemingly casual blow.
"THOOM!!"
A Silver Tier Earth Cave Insect blocking his path didn’t even have time to let out a drone before its entire body, as if detonated from within by some invisible, colossal force, burst into a bloody mist with a soft POP.
Furthermore, a terrifying shockwave radiated out from the insect’s corpse, expanding rapidly forward in a fan shape.
All monsters within a hundred-meter radius, regardless of size or type, collapsed in unison like scythed wheat.
Outwardly, they appeared unharmed, but in reality, all of their internal organs and bones had been utterly pulverized by the aftershock of that pure, brute force.
Single-handedly, Simo had cleared a huge area of obstacles in front of the Knight Team.
’Now *that* is a true Extraordinary.’
In the distance, atop Peggy’s back, Chen Yu felt the aftershock, which was still powerful enough to make his heart pound despite the distance.
He couldn’t help but marvel inwardly. ’This is far more terrifying than that counterfeit, Deng Lun, who merely relied on external power.’
To counter the charging Knight Team, the Slimes within the Demon Legion’s formation immediately leveled their crossbows and cranked the winches. Enchanted Crossbow Arrows shrieked through the air, flying toward the steadily advancing Knight Team.
"GET LOST!!"
Simo let out a war cry, and a visible sonic wave spread out in all directions with him at the center.
Nearby monsters were killed instantly by the terrifying soundwave, blood pouring from their bodies. Those slightly farther away were stunned, left frozen and rigid.
Even the speeding Enchanted Crossbow Arrows visibly faltered as they entered the range of his war cry. The glowing enchantment patterns on their shafts flickered violently before rapidly dimming, causing the arrows to lose all power and fall limply from the air.
These heavy crossbow arrows, meant for sieging cities, couldn’t even get close to him.
Seeing this, the morale of the defenders on Storm Fortress’s walls surged. Cheers and shouts of encouragement echoed across the ramparts.
However, beneath the clamor, an undercurrent was still stirring.
Alice’s eyes met Levin’s up ahead.
’Simo has left the wall.’
’Now is the best chance to move against Dominic.’