Real Mount and Blade Game

Before Shen Mu's cold warning had even finished, the air in the entire Elf Forest Fortress suddenly became as still as iron.

It wasn't that the black fog was thicker, but rather that all the defenders, whether human soldiers or wood elf warriors, felt a tremor deep in their souls, a tremor that came from the ancient abyss and originated from their very souls!
The terrifying will that lurked in the deepest abyss of Long City... moved!
In the depths of the churning black mist in the west, as if an invisible giant claw had violently torn open space.

A massive, distorted shadow is slowly coalescing and taking shape.

It is not a physical entity, but a massive projection that exists between reality and illusion, constructed from the purest abyssal magical energy and condensed necromantic power.

Its outline vaguely carries the cunning and ferocity of a jackal, and its thick, ethereal limbs contain an explosive sense of power. However, what freezes the soul the most is its head—where the eyes should be, two deep, dark blue soul flames, as cold as the starry sky, are burning!
But this is not simply the Eye of the Dead.

Deep within the core of that azure flame, a dark red abyssal fire, even more filthy and violent, seemingly capable of burning one's will to ashes, beats like a pulsating heart, each beat radiating outward ripples of tangible coldness, hatred, and destruction!
"Roar--!!!"

A silent roar exploded at the level of the soul!

It is not a sound wave transmitted through the air, but is directly imprinted on the depths of the consciousness of every sentient being!

In an instant, the hearts of all the soldiers guarding the city wall clenched as if gripped by a cold, demonic claw!

Even the most resolute Rhodok sergeants felt their knuckles turn slightly white from an uncontrollable tremor as they gripped their tower shields; the wood elf hunters perched high in the treetops hesitated for a moment; cold sweat beaded on the palms of the Vaegir archers as they drew their bows; even the ten Holy Tree Knights surrounding Shen Mu seemed to experience a subtle wavering in their icy resolve beneath their mithril armor as they faced this projection that mingled with the evil of the abyss and the despair of the undead—

This stems from life's instinctive fear of a deeper destruction!
This monstrous projection, born from the abyss and death, is scrutinizing this bulwark of life, which is about to become scorched earth, with its eerie blue-red demonic eyes!
Fear, like an invisible plague, spread across the glorious victory ignited by the holy flames.

The iron-solid defense, as if eroded by an invisible chill, showed a slight crack.

Just as the immense fear stemming from the soldiers' primal instincts was about to spread and become the fuse for their defeat.

There was no fear in Shen Mu's eyes, only extreme cold that could freeze lava and absolute control!
He suddenly took a step forward!
hum!
There were no dazzling beams of light or grand displays of force.

A completely different, cold and orderly white light emanated from Shen Mu's body!

This white light was neither the holy golden light of faith nor the radiance of nature; it was like a cold “data stream” composed of countless tiny, orderly, flowing streams of pure will and logic.

It's Mount & Blade data stream!

This invisible force of rules instantly spread out rapidly in a net-like pattern, centered on Shen Mu, sweeping across the entire fortified city wall and touching every soldier who fought bloody battles!
The mental wounds inflicted on the soldiers by the abyss projection seemed to be instantly repaired and smoothed out by countless cold, precise threads of rules!
Although the immense external pressure still lingered in my mind, the fear and chaos caused by the unknown and evil thoughts within me were forcibly suppressed and dispelled by this cold, orderly force!
Fear remains, but the will is firm!

Their fighting instincts and fierce courage, honed through the blood and sweat of the battlefield, allowed them to retake the high ground.

The Vaegir archers on the ramparts once again sharpened their eyes like eagles, their fully drawn bowstrings remaining motionless; the Rhodok crossbowmen's minds were as firm as rocks, their crosshairs locked firmly on the fog; the Wood Elf hunters' figures once again blended into the shadows, like the most precise hunting instruments; the Rhodok soldiers roared in their throats, their tower shields pressed firmly against the ground; the eyes of the Tree Knights beneath their mithril helmets returned to their icy coldness, that momentary wavering replaced by a deeper resolve!
That power of rules originating from the system became a solid barrier against spiritual pollution!

Roar--! !

The enormous jackal-shaped projection seemed to sense the frustration of its mental pressure being blocked, and its eyes, burning with eerie blue and red flames, suddenly erupted with an even stronger demonic light that was a mixture of rage and malice!
A distorted roar swept across the battlefield once more!
This time, it was not only a shock to the spirit, but also the clearest order to attack the entire death domain of Longcheng City!
boom! ! !
It was as if ice water had been poured into a boiling oil pan!
Outside the city walls, the undead army, whose offensive had been slightly slowed by the heavy blows from Shen Mu's holy flames of faith, was now completely boiling and berserk!
The ground is shaking violently!

The waves of bones were no longer a chaotic charge, but rather, driven by the invisible will projected from that abyss, they formed a terrifying war frenzy.

At the forefront was still the fearless tide of inferior skeletons; in the middle were swarms of extremely fast black bone predators and huge skeletal monsters wielding rusty chains; behind them were heavy flying bones hurled by bone throwers as densely as rain, and skeleton spear throwers hiding in the shadows, constantly shooting out bone spears wrapped in cursed black mist!
Higher up in the sky, shrouded in a thin black mist, the surviving or newly recruited winged skeleton archers gathered once more!

Like a flock of ravens being whipped, they let out piercing shrieks and swooped down from all heights and angles, pouring a deadly rain of bone arrows upon the upper levels of the fortress!
They seemed to be blessed by the evil of the abyss projection; the phosphorescent flames wrapped around the arrows were even more pale green, and even had a hint of unsettling dark red!

The entire Elf Forest seemed to have become the epicenter of a storm, with ferocious, roaring necromancer claws appearing from all directions!

"Counterattack!" Shen Mu's voice, like the sharpest military knife, pierced through the chaotic battlefield noise, cold and resolute!
His arm, covered in mithril armor, was raised high, pointing towards the surging tide of despair beyond the barrier!
This order was like a spark that ignited a powder keg!

"Balloons, fire! Target: Corpse Giant!"

"Sharpshooters! Cover the skeleton javelin throwers!"

"Wood Elf Hunter! Shoot those flies down from the sky!"

"Sergeant, hold your ground! Spearmen, draw your spears! Don't let those skeletons get stuck on the wall!"

On the ramparts, the commanders' roars blended together, instantly drowning out the howls of the undead!

Buzz - boom! ! !

The ballistae of Senmu Fortress roared with deafening fury, and the giant elven root spear, burning with pale golden holy flames, was like a world-destroying spear thrown down by a god, dragging a long tail of light, and smashed into the back of the surging bone tide!
A grotesque skeletal monster, roaring and raising a giant chain in an attempt to smash it against the base of the barrier, was hit precisely in the head!

The holy flames burst forth, instantly blasting its massive body, along with dozens of skeletal warriors around it, into burning fragments!
The shockwave unleashed a wave of bone fragments!
collapse!collapse!collapse!
The Sharpshooter Vayne's arrows soared into the air once more, creating a howling storm of metal!

This time, their target was not the winged monsters, but the array of skeletal spear throwers who were constantly throwing bone spears from a distance, using the corpses as cover!

A precise rain of arrows fell, as if death itself were calling their names. The black iron bodies that were nocking their bows and spears fell in droves, smashed to pieces!

call out!call out!call out!
At the highest point of the fortress and deep within the canopy, the figure of the Wood Elf Twilight Ranger leaps like a spark!

Their arrows transformed into precise streaks of holy flame, soaring upwards against the sky! The winged skeletal archers that swooped down were intercepted by these arrows of light from all directions, and dark figures, enveloped in burning white flames, fell to the ground with mournful cries!
Below the fortress, the Rhodok sergeant's tower shield defenses faced unprecedented pressure.

The fearless rotting corpses rammed their bodies against the shields and tore at them with their poisonous claws; the black-boned predators, like black lightning bolts, tried to slip through the gaps between the shields or under the soldiers' feet!

The extended halberds and broadswords slashed and thrust wildly through the gaps!

The ear-piercing sound of bones shattering echoed from the base of the wall!

"Hold on! For Deherim!" the Rhodok soldiers roared, their power unleashed by the power of the rules, forcefully pushing back the charging skeletons!

The ten Holy Tree Knights did not stay by Shen Mu's side.

Like ten silver lightning bolts, half of them, like sharp knives, charged fiercely into the enemy ranks when the soldiers' defenses were at their most strained!
The Mithril Knight's Sword transformed into a series of holy light moons that reaped rewards. Wherever it passed, whether it was the black bone predators that pounced on them or the piles of bone shield soldiers, they were all purified into ashes by the holy energy amidst a piercing sizzle!

The battle has once again descended into a brutal stalemate!

The city walls, like giant reefs in a torrent, were bathed in a rain of bones, fire arrows, and deafening battle cries!

The abyss projection's cold blue and red demonic eyes still hovered above the black mist, emanating a suffocating aura.

This round of attacks is more violent and ferocious than any before!
But the barrier has not been breached!
Shen Mu's power of rules stabilized the morale of the troops, and the soldiers unleashed even greater power in the face of blood and fire!

The balance of power, amidst fierce attrition, has once again reached a bloody equilibrium!

The gnoll phantom from the abyss coldly watched this crucible of war, which was destined to continue.

Beyond the city walls, the inferno of blood and fire continues.

The Holy Tree Knight's silver armor moved through the dark holy flames and crimson moonlight, each swing of the knight's sword bringing up a cloud of purified ashes; the Wood Elf's arrows flew upwards like a meteor shower, pinning the swooping winged skeletons to the ground in mid-air.

The Rhodok soldiers' tower shields groaned under the impact of the skeletal tide, while sharp spearheads pierced through the gaps in the shield walls with precision, reaping the swarming corpses and predatory beasts.

The rain of arrows from the Vaegir archers and the devastating root spears from the Forest Ballista relentlessly cleaved through burning voids in the surging tide of undead.

However, the enormous jackal phantom suspended above the black mist, constructed from azure soulfire and filthy crimson abyssal demonic light, possessed a cold will as frozen as ancient ice, driving endless death to follow one after another.

The battle was extremely fierce. The walls of the fortress were covered with scratches from bone spears and black spots of corrosion, and the charred marks left by the holy flames were a shocking sight.

The soldiers' physical strength was rapidly depleting; their arms were sore and numb, and they were consuming a great deal of arrows. The continuous use of the power of the rules to combat mental pollution was also a heavy burden.

But change often occurs at the most tense moments.

Shen Mu's icy gaze pierced through the boiling battlefield, like the most sophisticated instrument scanning data.

He keenly detected a subtle yet fatal flaw in the desperate surge of energy—the influx of new undead from the deeper core of Long City had slowed down!
The numbers are visibly decreasing!

At the same time, the undead army's offensive also revealed unprecedented chaos and disorganization.

No longer a unified and tactically disciplined elite force, they have reverted to a chaotic, disorderly, and instinct-driven group of flesh and blood puppets.

Behind the fearless front-line chargers, the subsequent echelons showed a noticeable slowdown, and even began to push and trample each other!
Some fast-moving predators were running around aimlessly, causing the spear throwers' attack density and accuracy to drop sharply.

The winged archers in the air also appeared hesitant and timid under the attack of the wood elves. They were no longer diving for their lives, but were more like being whipped by invisible whips, barely managing to drop a few arrows.

This change clearly caught the eye of that terrifying abyss projection!

"Roar--!!!"

A silent roar, more violent and insane than any previous roar, exploded deep within everyone's soul!
The enormous jackal phantom suddenly shook its head, and the eerie blue soul fire that made up its face flickered violently, like a candle in the wind, dimming at an alarming speed!

In contrast, there was the filthy, sticky, blood-red abyssal fire, like congealed scabs!

The moment the azure faded, they burst forth like venomous dragons freed from their restraints, suddenly and fiercely expanding!
The crimson light quickly devoured the remaining dark blue, turning the entire enormous phantom into a hideous scarlet.

The red light was no longer just burning, but like molten steel melting in a furnace, flowing and churning, radiating a terrifying energy that seemed on the verge of explosion, forcibly pushing back the black mist that shrouded the barrier and reflecting a blood-red color that made one's heart tremble.

What's particularly bizarre is that as the Deherim army continues its efficient slaughter beneath the barrier, and each undead is completely annihilated, the blood-red demonic light in the jackal phantom's eyes suddenly intensifies!
It was as if... every bit of necromantic power that was completely destroyed on the battlefield was providing the core abyssal projection with its last, distorted nourishment!

The blood-red light grew increasingly viscous and dazzling, with a destructive and unstable fluctuation even faintly emanating from its core!
Shen Mu's brows furrowed suddenly beneath his helmet, his sense of unease rising to its peak. This was by no means the prelude to victory.

This is the terrifying core completely abandoning control of the outer legions, desperately concentrating all available remaining power into a single point, brewing a final, mutually destructive end.

"Not good!" Shen Mu roared sharply, his voice piercing the battlefield, "Attention everyone! Concentrate your defenses! The core power is about to backfire!" (End of Chapter)