Real Mount and Blade Game

The resounding crash of the heavily fortified inner gate closing was like a blow to the taut heart of every defender.

Outside the gate, the inky black mist surged and crashed against the ancient tree roots and city walls that emitted a faint green glow, producing a chilling "sizzling" sound, as if countless unseen, decaying claws were scratching at it.

Inside the gate, soldiers who had just experienced a brutal retreat leaned against their comrades, panting heavily. Their fine armor was covered in scratches and filth, and their eyes, though tired, burned with the flame of survival and a wariness of the unknown.

Shen Mu leaped off his horse, his mithril heavy armor gleaming coldly in the flickering firelight within the fortress.

Without pausing, he quickly ascended to the central watchtower, the highest point of the fortified stronghold, where Captain Legolas and the officers in charge of the ranged units were already waiting.

"My lord!" Legolas bowed, his emerald eyes fixed solemnly on the west, into the depths of the churning black mist. He said in a deep voice, "That thing... it's sending its minions here. I can feel the entire forest's will wailing, and that terrifying will at its core... is closer than ever before! It has its sights set on this place!"

Shen Mu's icy gaze pierced through the thick black mist, as if he could feel the gaze of that abyss's gaping maw.

Just as he had expected, the awakened terror did not retreat because of the daytime cleanup. Instead, it was thoroughly enraged and followed closely behind, determined to bury the legion that had penetrated deep into its territory and destroyed its power on the edge of this forest.

"It won't wait for us to rest." Shen Mu's voice, as cold as frost, echoed clearly within the noisy fortifications: "Prepare to engage the enemy, immediately to the highest level of combat readiness!"

His command was like a spark igniting a fuse, and the entire Elf Forest Fortress instantly erupted into an even more intense war clamor.

"All ranged units—ascend to the top!" Shen Mu's voice rang out like the clash of metal: "Rhodok crossbowmen, Forestwood Fortress ballistae! Vaegir archers, aerial platforms and outer Ancient Wood outposts! Wood Elf Twilight Rangers, Forest Rangers—canopies, vine bridges, mid-level firing ports! I want every inch of the firing line to be covered with arrows!"

The soldiers roared in response, their movements as swift as lightning.

The heavy Rhodok sniper crossbow was carried to a reinforced firing position next to the forest crossbow position, which was protected by huge, gnarled tree roots.

Like nimble lynxes, the Vaegir archers swiftly climbed the suspension bridges between the ancient trees to the aerial platforms hidden deep within the branches and leaves of the giant trees. These platforms were connected to the treehouses built by the elves, forming a three-dimensional upper layer of firepower.

The wood elf archers blended into every corner of the fortress like shadows—some disappeared among the dense foliage of towering tree canopies, some crossed natural vine bridges formed by intertwined giant roots, and some occupied the honeycomb-like wooden firing ports in the middle layer of the ramparts.

Below the fortress, Rhodok sergeants and Swadian infantrymen, under Shen Mu's orders, quickly reinforced their defensive line.

Tower shields sank deep into the ground, and spears pointed diagonally outwards from the walls, forming a flesh-and-blood defensive line on the outer side of the fortified walls, ready to meet any impact that might break through long-range firepower.

The Holy Tree Knights, serving as the final reserve and the core of the strongest defenses, stood in formation around Shen Mu, their swords planted firmly on the ground, their cold gazes fixed on the area beyond the high walls. The faint light on their mithril heavy armor appeared both sacred and chilling under the black mist-shrouded night.

By this time, night had completely fallen.

Without the moon, only in the black mist, "its" will became even more condensed, and a cold roar resounded at the level of the soul!
"Woo-woo-hoo-!!!"

Like a war horn, a mournful, angry, and immense roar pierced through the thick black fog, striking straight into everyone's heart!
Immediately afterwards, the depths of that churning ink boiled over!

tide!

A terrifying tide of countless skeletons burning with dark red soul fire surged toward the fortified wall!
No longer the relatively "complete" Black Iron troops encountered during the day.

This time, it was a complete and utter wave of death, filled with endless resentment and destructive desire! It was mixed with extremely fast black bone predators, self-destructing corpses burning with dark green phosphorescent flames, giant skeletons dragging huge iron chains and trying to smash the barrier, and skeletal spear throwers hiding in the depths of the black mist, hurling cursed black mist-wrapped bone spears!

What's most chilling is the shadow hovering at the edge of the churning black mist—a horde of winged skeletal archers!
They are no longer confined to high-rise buildings, but have access to the boundless, dark sky!

Like a swarm of startled bone bats, they let out piercing shrieks and darted back and forth over the ramparts, searching for an opportunity to dive and fire!

The real siege has begun!

“Shoot!!”

"Fire freely! Give them a good beating!"

Legolas's voice, mixed with the officer's roar, instantly ignited the bulwark's fury!

Crash! Crash! Crash! Crash!
The Vigia Archer's composite longbow emitted a muffled thunderous roar, and the armor-piercing arrows transformed into streaks of meteors, tearing through the viscous night!
Buzz! Bang! Buzz! Bang!
The sound of the Rhodok sniper crossbow firing was like a heavy hammer striking a drum. The steel bolt, carrying terrifying kinetic energy, accurately struck the largest and most threatening targets in the skeletal wave!

The head of a Blackbone Abomination that had just crashed into the tower shield defenses was instantly blasted into a shower of bone dust!
call out!call out!call out!
The Wood Elves' arrows are everywhere!

He appeared silently yet deadly, from the shadows of the towering tree canopy, from the gaps across the vine bridge, and from the firing ports in the middle of the fortifications!

It precisely drilled into the eye socket joint of an ordinary skeleton, pinning a predator that was trying to climb a wall to death in mid-air!

The dense rain of arrows, like a torrential downpour, poured into the wave of undead with a sharp whistling sound.

The cracking sounds of bones breaking echoed continuously, and the dark green soul flames went out in patches in the darkness!
The tide seemed to have crashed into an invisible wall of thorns, instantly shearing off a thick layer of it.

However, there are too many!
One after another, the skeletons trampled over the broken bones of their comrades, ignoring the casualties and continuing to surge forward!

The winged skeletal archers finally found their opportunity! Taking advantage of their aerial superiority, they avoided some ground fire and circled around to the relatively weaker side, launching a deadly attack!

collapse!collapse!collapse!
Dozens of bone arrows, like black raindrops, rained down from the sky with a shrill shriek!

The targets were the exposed firing ports in the middle of the wooden wall and the wooden sprites on the rope bridge!

"Raise your shields! Take cover!" the officer roared.

*Pfft! Pfft! Thud!*
Arrows were embedded in the thick wooden walls and the rope bridge planks.

However, a few Wood Elf warriors who were on guard at the intersection of the vine bridge at a high point reacted a little slower, and a few painful groans were heard in an instant!
One soldier was pierced through the shoulder blade and fell from the vine bridge, but was caught in time by the Rhodok soldiers on guard below; another soldier was shot in the calf with an arrow, but he endured the excruciating pain and clung tightly to the vines.

"Protect the elves!" Shen Mu's icy voice rang out clearly amidst the whistling rain of arrows.

Just as the winged skeleton archers were preparing to launch a second, even more lethal, dive-bombing volley, Shen Mu in the center of the fortress moved.

He suddenly raised his left hand high, palm facing up!

A boundless, ocean-like power of faith erupted, gathering in his palm and instantly forming a dazzling golden ball of light!

"In the name of my God, grant me arrows, the light to purify!"

Shen Mu's voice seemed to come from the heavens above, carrying a vast and sacred will that resounded throughout the entire Elf Forest!

The golden orb in his palm suddenly burst forth with dazzling light, instantly spreading throughout the entire fortress!

The light did not shine continuously, but rather flowed like living water into every ranged archer—the Rhodok crossbowman, the Vaegir archer, the Wood Elf ranger, their bows and crossbows, and even the arrows in their quivers!

Om-!
All the arrows, whether nocked or lying in their quivers, simultaneously ignited with pure, white-gold holy flames flowing with sacred runes!

The flames were not scorching, but they emitted a purifying light that had an absolute restraining effect on the undead!
At that moment, every archer felt their weapon become hot and full of power!
"Fire!" Shen Mu's command was an unwavering conviction, requiring no further words.

The next moment, the counterattack on the ramparts suddenly escalated into a sacred storm of flames!

Boom——!
The first to erupt were the ballistae of Senmu Fortress!
The tip of the enormous elven spear, which was originally only engraved with runes, was now engulfed in a blazing white-gold holy flame, and was violently hurled out by the power of the giant winch like a meteor shower!

boom! boom! boom!
The Holy Flame Root Spear, like a burning spear of the god of war, slammed into the most densely packed area of ​​the undead tide!
The explosion upon landing was not only a storm of physical debris, but also a visible shockwave of platinum-gold holy flame that spread out in a ring!
The bones and rotting corpses caught in the splatter, regardless of their form, were instantly purified into ashes with a piercing "sizzle" sound!

Even the black mist was briefly dispelled! This was a purifying bombardment comparable to area-of-effect magic!
Next came the heavy arrows from the Rhodok sniper crossbowmen!
The adamantine crossbow bolts trailed long, white-gold flames, like precision-guided holy light missiles, piercing through the air with a deafening roar!
Whether the target is a small skeletal spear thrower or a thick-skinned abomination, once hit, the holy flame will erupt violently from within!
The black iron-like bone armor melted and crumbled in the platinum flames as if it were thin ice being branded with a hot iron, and the core soul fire let out a desperate shriek and was instantly annihilated!

Each hit was like igniting a small holy light bomb in a churning black tide!

The Vayne Archer's longbow has become a true holy light jet!

After the triangular armor-piercing arrows left the bowstring, they transformed into dazzling white-gold beams of light, easily tearing through the darkness!

Not only can they accurately kill their targets, but the holy flames emanating from their arrows can also carve a burning path of purification through dense hordes of undead!
Any undead that is grazed by the beam of light will instantly be engulfed in an inextinguishable platinum flame, turning to ashes in agony!
The most agile and deadly is still the wood elf!

The Twilight Rangers and Forest Rangers, already adept at navigating complex environments, have now transformed into hunters of light in the forest, thanks to the Holy Flame Arrows!
Their arrows were fired silently, yet they illuminated their flight paths!
Every beam of light shot from the tree canopy, the vine bridge, and the firing port was incredibly accurate!
Those winged skeletal archers who attempted to flank or dive-bomb became the most conspicuous targets!
When the elven arrows, imbued with holy flame, easily pierced their decaying bone wings and penetrated their skulls, their pride in speed and aerial maneuverability instantly became meaningless.

Amidst piercing screams, it fell from the sky with blazing platinum flames, like a rain of fire, crashing heavily into the sea of ​​bones of its comrades outside the city walls, triggering an even more violent secondary explosion!
A sacred rain of arrows, burning giant crossbows, beams of light aimed at the enemy, falling fire meteors... The entire outer battlefield of the Elf Forest was instantly ignited into a platinum-colored fiery hell!
Faced with the light and purifying power of the holy flame, the black mist quickly receded and evaporated, like snow falling under the blazing sun.

The elite undead of the Seventh Dynasty of Black Arrow Tower, driven by a terrifying will—whether they were the fearless Black Iron Skeleton melee elites, the elusive Skeleton Spear Throwers, or the once troublesome aerial killers, the Winged Skeleton Archers—appeared so fragile in the face of the destructive ranged firepower imbued with the holy flames of Shen Mu's faith!

Like moths drawn to a flame, they charged forward fearlessly, only to crash into that absolute death zone of holy light and flames a few dozen to a hundred paces away from the fortified walls!
Then... silently turned into flying burning bone fragments, even his soul was completely purified!
The jet-black tide was forcefully blocked, ignited, and evaporated by the platinum-colored flames!
Beneath the barrier, the piled-up remains quickly rose high, but these remains soon turned into charcoal and ashes in the embers of the platinum-gold holy flames.

Occasionally, a few predators that managed to slip through the net or an abomination that charged into the tower shield defenses were quickly cut down and smashed by the heavy infantry and sacred tree knights who had been eagerly anticipating the victory in the distance and were roaring with excitement!
Beyond the fortified walls, it has become a burning ground where the sacred flame is consumed!
The crimson moonlight spilled down, illuminating this area where light and darkness clashed violently, while only the platinum-gold holy flames burned and spread victoriously!
Legolas stood beside Shen Mu, watching this sacred yet cruel scene with awe.

The wood elf was extremely sensitive to natural elements. He could clearly sense the vastness and grandeur of the faith power that Shen Mu had mobilized, as well as its overwhelming destructive effect on the laws of necromancy.

This is not just a defensive battle, but more like a... sacred purification ritual!
Shen Mu stood atop the highest point of the watchtower, his gaze sharp as an eagle beneath his hood, coldly surveying the battle as he maintained the output of his faith power.

The terrifying will in the distance seemed to sense this provocative holy flame power as well. The invisible roar emanating from the thick black fog became even more frenzied and furious, like a wounded behemoth that had been provoked.

The barrier, for the time being, remains as solid as a rock.

But Shen Mu knew that the terrifying consciousness hidden deep within the core of Longcheng would never give up.

The real test may have only just begun.

His icy voice rang out again: "Conserve your faith power and maintain the Holy Flame effect. Be vigilant; its counterattack... is coming." (End of Chapter)