Almost no monster could stop the charge of the Fourth Legion’s heavily armored Knights.
Even the Mud Elements, capable of turning the ground to sludge, could only bog down the horses’ hooves for a moment before the Mages with the column used their precise Fireball Technique to burn them into hard, dry clods.
The warhorses thundered past, trampling these bizarrely shaped clods to dust, then continued their unwavering charge toward the Demon Legion’s lines.
Beet, the legion commander, ascended into the sky and began to direct the entire battle.
Under its command, rank after rank of the Blood Legion’s Poisonous Sting Bees rose into the air. Their dark-red carapaces nearly blotted out half the sky, emitting a hum that struck fear into the heart.
"It’s Bee Swarm Magic! Quick, switch to Crossbow Arrows with Flame Enchantment! Stop them!" an officer on the wall roared, his voice raw.
The soldiers scrambled to heft the heavy Enchanted Crossbow Arrows, their tips inscribed with Flame Runes, into the firing grooves.
At the targeting officer’s command, the soldiers adjusted the firing angle to be nearly vertical.
"Fire!"
"BANG! BANG! BANG!"
The unique nature of this volley of Enchanted Crossbow Arrows became apparent the moment they were loosed. The steel bolts pierced the gray mist and erupted into furious flame, resembling dozens of roaring fire dragons that stained the sky crimson.
The swarms of Moldable Blood Balls, cast by the Blood Legion’s bees to blot out the sky, were instantly vaporized by the oncoming sea of fire.
Even the few projectiles that luckily made it through the curtain of fire were greatly diminished in power. They struck the Knight Team’s protective Magic, causing little more than a few ripples—nothing the accompanying Mages couldn’t handle with ease.
Chen Yu, of course, knew the Garrison Legion would have a counter for the bee swarm. He never expected the blood balls to accomplish much.
During the lull as the Flaming Crossbow Arrows burned out in the sky, four massive, pitch-black Rippers were shoved to the front lines by the Metallic Slime Gunners. Their black muzzles took aim at the Knight Team, which had closed to within a few hundred meters.
Two of the four cannons were "veterans" that had seen action on the Greystone Bulwark battlefield. The other two had been hastily constructed by Anvil, who had worked overtime using stockpiled black steel.
The structural stability of the new cannons had not been fully tested, so to prevent the barrels from exploding, their firing power was intentionally reduced. Even so, their might was still far more than an ordinary Silver-rank monster could withstand.
An intense, ominous premonition welled up inside Simo. The four black muzzles seemed to radiate the cold aura of death, making even this battle-hardened Extraordinary Knight vaguely uneasy.
"Shields, prepare!" His resonant voice rang out across the battlefield.
For the first time, the Knight Team halted its charge. Dozens of heavily armored Knights wielding massive tower shields quickly emerged from the ranks. Like mobile fortresses, they formed an unyielding line at the very front of the formation.
At the same time, the Elite Mages in the formation began chanting an ancient, obscure spell in unison, praying to the earth and the Earth Elemental Lord for strength. Then, as one, they thrust their hands upward.
RUMBLE...
The ground shook violently as one after another, thick, solid earthen walls shot up in front of the Knight Team, creating layered fortifications.
Just then, the metal surfaces of the four black Rippers seemed to come alive, their plates opening and closing rhythmically like scales, greedily devouring the surrounding Magic Power.
Deep within the muzzles, the Secret Skill Energy mixed with the absorbed Magic Power. The charging was complete.
"Fire!"
The Big Brother Metal Slime in the lead decisively swung down the small flag in its hand. Simultaneously, its command shot through the Gel network to the four cannons, positioned ten meters apart from one another.
With serious expressions on their small faces, all the Slime gunners raised their little Gel hands in a crisp, unified salute before resolutely firing the cannons.
"VMMMM! BOOM!!"
Four thick beams of silver light spewed forth from the muzzles. Any monster in their path was instantly vaporized. The beams then slammed into the thick earthen walls conjured by the Mages.
"THWUMP! THWUMP! THWUMP!"
"BOOM!"
Under the terrifying energy impact, the layers of earthen walls rapidly melted and burst apart. The residual energy slammed violently into the heavy shields held tightly by the front-rank Knights.
"BANG!!"
A terrifying force crashed into them like a tsunami. The Knights in the front rank felt a violent jolt run up their arms. The iron shields in their hands heated up at an alarming rate, blistering their palms.
But they grit their teeth and, drawing on the incredible endurance granted by their Dwarven bloodline, refused to budge an inch.
The Goblin Ripper could eliminate Silver-rank monsters because its power already surpassed the Silver tier. While it was still far from reaching the Gold tier, its strength was not to be underestimated.
"Make way!"
Just as the shield-bearing Knights felt they were reaching their limit, a voice called out from behind the shield wall. A stocky figure shouldering a massive warhammer parted the ranks and strode forward.
"Heavy Steel" Simo Barnes!
This Extraordinary Knight was renowned for his brute force and terrifying defensive prowess. Though he stood less than 1.6 meters tall, in the eyes of all the Knights of the Barnes Clan, his figure was as reliable and unshakable as a mountain.
He fearlessly braced himself against the torrent of silver energy and took several resolute steps forward.
He gripped the thick handle of his warhammer with both hands, took a deep breath, and raised the weapon high above his head. Then, with all his might, he slammed it down.
[Mountain Quake]
"DOOOM!!!"
The great hammer smashed into the ground.