Real Mount and Blade Game

Before the dilapidated entrance to the Yeno Ancient Ancestral Tomb in the ruins of Longcheng, time seemed to have frozen at the moment when the undead legion was completely defeated and the pillar of abyssal filth shot into the sky.

The terrifying pressure of the impending birth of the false god was like an invisible boulder, crushing heavily on the hearts of every warrior. The light curtain of the thorny barrier trembled violently, and the air was filled with an acrid atmosphere of destruction and blasphemy.

However, this suffocating fear, like ice falling into a cold furnace, was instantly evaporated by the decisive fire ignited by Shen Mu.

"All troops—attack!"

The cold, hard commands were instantly imprinted on the consciousness of every commander through the Tallinn network, and in the blink of an eye, they were transmitted to the very soul of every soldier on the entire front.

Like a sleeping lion being injected with ferocious power, the destructive torrent of the human alliance, which had been fortified with strongholds, suddenly erupted in the fatal gap when the Abyssal Corpse Legion thought it had succeeded and had exhausted its old strength and had not yet generated new strength!
The defeat of the Abyss Corpse Force began almost simultaneously with Shen Mu's orders.

They had just gone through a war of attrition far more brutal than any previous battle.

While devouring the remains of the Seventh Dynasty's undead legion granted it immense energy, it also completely tore apart its already weak formation. Furthermore, the excessive "feeding" caused its core troops to become bloated, sluggish, and severely disrupted its energy channels.

Many of the corrupted giant gnolls still had undigested bone fragments and scattered ashes on their bodies, and their movements were stiff like marionettes; while the ordinary abyssal undead gnolls were severely damaged in the previous undead army's last counterattack, their numbers were greatly reduced, and now they were caught up in the chaotic and expanding energy flow, unable to advance or retreat.

The iron hooves of the human alliance trampled upon such a chaotic, stagnant, and disorganized abyss!

With the Thorn Barrier vanguard as its spearhead, the human legions surged forward. The Rhodok Legion's heavy Radiant Burst Crossbow array unleashed its first roar of volley!

That was no longer a point-and-click attack, but a comprehensive bombardment of the most densely packed and slowest-moving areas of the Abyss Forwards.

The light arrow, imbued with the power of annihilation and purification, was like a divine punishment spear descending from the sky. The bursting flames instantly engulfed the large group of corrupted giants and the surrounding minions.

The filthy flesh and blood charred and disintegrated in the holy light, like frost and snow under the scorching sun, clearing a large, charred path for the subsequent assault.

The Sharpshooter of the Vegia followed closely behind, accurately hurling his icy arrows to cover the edge of the explosion and the area further behind.

The extreme cold instantly froze the abyssal remains that were trying to fill the void or barely rise from the chaos.

The movements of countless gnolls were frozen in place by the ice crystals, turning them into sitting ducks.

This fatal delay exacerbated the already disjointed command and response system of the Abyss.

The abyss did not fail to react, but their counterattack seemed so hasty and powerless.

The scattered Abyssal wrecks, whether they were undead gnolls wielding corrupted claws or staggering giant skeletal mutants, suffered devastating blows on their way to the human advance.

The Vygian archers' follow-up volley of arrows, the Khergit volleyers' radiant barrage, and the Rhodok crossbowmen's heavy crossbow fire wove together a three-dimensional net of death, nipping any enemy who dared to show themselves in the bud.

The Abyss forces were like sandcastles swept up by a whirlwind, their front lines collapsing and disappearing at a visible speed.

The advance of the human alliance was overwhelming from the very beginning.

The so-called "rear force" of the Abyss's inferior remains—those reinforcements that had been forcibly catalyzed and had just emerged from the shadow of the ancestral tombs—had not yet formed an effective impact before being swept away by the tide of the collapsing front-line troops and plunged into deeper chaos.

Just as the front line of the Abyss was being torn to pieces by long-range firepower and the middle section was in unprecedented chaos, the human alliance's true spear of destruction was unsheathed!
"Knights of the Holy Tree—Spear of Judgment Formation! Charge!" Knight Commander Caranzo's roar drowned out the clamor of the battlefield. The Judgment Spear in his hand erupted with dazzling purifying light, and his entire being resembled a burning star.

boom!
The purifying spear, which gathered all the beliefs and divine power of the Knights, suddenly shot out from in front of him. It was not a physical object, but a torrent of energy condensed purely from the rules of order and purification!

The spear of light pierced through the battlefield in an instant. Along its path, the filthy flesh and blood of the abyssal wreckage that were frozen, slowed down, or knocked over by the aftershocks of the explosion dissolved like wax as the abyssal aura howled and dissipated when touched by its edge!

The spear of judgment did not directly attack the center of the enemy group, but instead pierced with unparalleled precision the area where the black mist was thickest and most viscous—the place where the Abyss Undead Core Guard was trying to regroup and build a defensive line, and also the key pass leading to the entrance of the Ancestral Mausoleum!
Previously, the Abyss was able to devour the undead without restraint largely due to the cover and defense provided by this filthy black mist.

The purifying spear slammed into the thick black mist like a hot knife through butter. A piercing hissing sound echoed across the battlefield, carrying a nauseating stench. The foul black mist boiled, churned, and evaporated violently before the holy light! A huge rift, its edges burning with purifying flames, was forcibly torn open!
"Swadia—crush them!!" Almost at the same moment the spear of judgment pierced the black mist, Bandak's rough, thunderous roar exploded behind the ranks.

Following closely behind the invincible holy spearhead of the Holy Tree Knights, the steel torrent of Swadian knights and Swadian heavy cavalry, like a heavy and resilient spear shaft held tightly in hand, crashed into the filthy gap that had just been torn open!
This was a textbook example of a cavalry charge. Thousands of Swadian heavy cavalrymen, clad in full plate armor and resembling human fortresses, formed a dense and orderly wedge formation.

Their lances had already been lowered, their tips pointing forward, advancing layer upon layer to form an indestructible steel jungle of thorns! Under the full power of the "Thorn Garden" rules, the knights' armor shimmered with a halo of interwoven dark blue and pale gold, as if they were draped in a flowing shield of rules.

The warhorse beneath him was also covered in thick armor, its nostrils spewing out scorching white vapor, its pupils blood-red from the fighting spirit.

The torrent of steel crashed into the hastily assembled rearguard of the Abyss Corpses, revealed by the tearing apart of the black mist.

In an instant, it was a terrifying collision of flesh and steel!
Snap! Sizzle!
The corrupted gnolls tried to defend themselves with their claws and weapons, but their movements appeared so fragile and laughable under the onslaught of steel.

The heavy plate armor shattered the gnolls' bones, and the sharp lances easily pierced the bodies of the smaller, inferior skeletons, even showing the horrifying sight of piercing the weak points of the massive, corrupted skeletons.

Where the steel behemoths rolled, the sounds of bones shattering, armor clashing, and warhorses neighing mingled with the mournful howls of abyssal creatures, composing a symphony of death!
Bandak took the lead, wielding his heavy hammer not to smash, but to ram forward like a battering ram. Each strike carried a shockwave, sending several Abyssal Undead flying, bones and flesh, and smashing down a group of enemies that followed.

The steel spear shaft, bearing the shattered remains of the abyss's wreckage, pressed resolutely forward.

The filthy gap that had been torn open was not healed; instead, it was widened further by the continuous influx of steel. The black mist was dispelled, revealing the outline of the dark passageway leading to the depths of the ancestral tomb!
The Holy Tree Knights did not stop at the first charge. They followed closely on both sides of the passage opened by the heavy cavalry, their Judgment Spears flashing with a purifying light, precisely piercing the powerful Abyss entities that attempted to pounce out from the shadows on both sides of the passage to disrupt the heavy cavalry formation, ensuring the safety of the backs of the steel spear shafts.

When the spear of destruction formed by the Holy Tree Knights and Swadian heavy cavalry pierced deep into the enemy ranks, completely tearing apart and penetrating the Abyssal Scourge's middle and rear defenses, and desperately holding open the passage to the Ancestral Tomb, the heavy infantry group, composed of Swadian heavy infantry and Rhodok veteran spearmen, symbolizing the absolute resilience and strength of humanity, transformed into the ultimate force for advancement—an unstoppable heavy hammer!

"Shield wall! Advance!" The voice of the frontline infantry commander was like a landslide.

boom! boom! boom!
With a resounding shout and the thunderous thud of boots hitting the ground, the infantry formation began to move.

The soldiers at the front row slammed their massive tower shields down in unison, their edges embedding deeply into the scorched and shattered earth, instantly forming steel walls that shimmered with the eerie blue glow of the "Thorn Barrier"!

From the gaps between the tower shields, thick spears emerged like venomous snakes, their dense tips gleaming with a chilling light.

This is not a defensive stance, but a signal to attack!
Once the shield wall was in place, the entire heavy infantry formation, like a wedge being hammered by an invisible giant hammer, began to slowly, steadily, and irresistibly roll forward!
Their target was the Abyss Scourge, whose core formation had been torn apart by heavy cavalry, whose vanguard had been crippled by ranged fire, and who were now fighting individually in a state of chaos and confusion.

The advance of the infantry formation was like a fully powered bulldozer, or an incredibly heavy sledgehammer, slowly but irresistibly crushing everything in its path. The shield wall was the most solid ramming force. Soldiers, their shoulders braced against the inner supports of the shields, channeled their strength into the entire line with the shouts of "Ho! Ho! Ho!" With each "Ho!", the massive phalanx took a synchronized step forward, and the entire shield wall slammed forward with tremendous force!
*Thud!* *Bang!*

The chaotic onslaught of the Abyssal wrecks, whether ordinary undead gnolls or half-destroyed corrupted giants, met only two fates upon crashing into this moving steel wall: either they were riddled with spears like sieves, their blood flowing freely down the spear shafts; or they were smashed to pieces by the heavy shields, their bones shattered, and they were sent flying backward, only to be smashed into a pulp by the warhammers and battleaxes of the infantry squads that followed, pouring out from the pre-drilled passages in the shield wall!
Advance! Crush! Strangle!

The scattered resistance of the Abyssal Corpses seemed so futile in the face of absolute power and organization.

The heavy infantry's armor clanged and clashed with a sickening metallic sound in the melee, the dull thuds of axes and hammers shattering flesh and bone echoing incessantly. The power of the Thorn Barrier's rules revealed another side of its "garden" nature at this moment—it was not merely a defensive boost, but a powerful amplification of infantry strength, defense, and even endurance.

Each infantry attack seemed to have a tearing effect like thorns, easily ripping open the rough, corrupt skin and decaying bones of the Abyssal Corpse.

The battlefield was filled with a pungent stench, a mixture of the unique stench of the abyss's filthy blood and the burnt smell purified by holy light.

Wherever the infantry formations passed, they left behind only pools of indescribable, blackish-purple, viscous substance on the ground, along with countless fragments of broken armor and weapons—proof that the abyssal wrecks had been completely "flattened" and "strangled."

The torn formation was completely reduced to dust under the crushing force of the steel wall.

This devastating offensive, with its fluidity and oppressive force, came not only from the spearheads and crushing hammers at the front, but also from the tacit cooperation of the "eyes of death" from the rear and the "deadly venomous bees" on the flanks, which were ubiquitous throughout the battlefield.

Behind the relatively safe, high ground and well-constructed bunkers, the Vaegir archers once again drew their legendary compound longbows.

A chilling, frost-like aura lingered around their fingertips and arrowheads. Their targets had shifted from slow, large-area motifs to a more lethal, precise sniping mode.

call out!call out!call out!
Arrows of icy light pierced the air, swirling with energy turbulence, like the cold, calculating ruler of death.

They precisely pierced through the gaps in the chaotic energy flow and fierce fighting on the battlefield, nailing into the joints, necks, or core nodes of corrupted energy of those Abyssal Scourges who were trying to flank the heavy cavalry groups or who were gathering in the blind spots on the sides of the heavy infantry shield wall to launch a sneak attack!
The person hit by the arrow not only experienced an instantaneous sluggishness as if trapped in quagmire, but the foul energy flow within their body was also frozen and halted by the cold air, greatly reducing their threat and making them an easy target for their infantry comrades to eliminate.

Meanwhile, the Rhodok sniper crossbowmen operated the even heavier Radiant Burst sniper crossbows.

Their firing arc is higher and farther, and their target lock is more lethal. The heavy trigger pull is accompanied by a deep, rumbling mechanical roar.

Bang!Bang!
The specially designed, thick, radiant burst crossbow bolts, trailing dazzling contrails, resembled miniature purifying artillery fire, precisely targeting any abyssal node behind the battlefield attempting to mount an effective resistance—

For example, those minor leaders who were commanding the remnants further back; for example, the newly emerged, corrupted giant skeleton of the Abyss, which was exceptionally large and had a fierce aura, seemingly carrying orders and attempting to gather the defeated soldiers, just emerging from the shadows of the ancestral tomb entrance; and even the exceptionally thick cloud of black mist from the Abyss that was emanating from the nodes of the command chain!
The moment the crossbow bolts reach their targets, the explosive flames are not merely lethal; they contain powerful annihilation and purification rules, often reducing the targeted abyssal remains and the area within several meters around them to ashes, or completely purifying and erasing the critical point.

Each successful sniper kill only exacerbated the already chaotic command situation of the Abyss remnants.

On the vast left and right flanks of the battlefield, the Khergit veteran horse archers were like the most agile and deadliest swarm of bees.

They would never fight against overwhelming odds, nor would they confront the powerful Abyss swarm head-on.

These elite riders, who had grown up on horseback, led by veteran Khergit warriors, propelled their small, powerful warhorses at high speed along the vast, curved edge of the war zone.

"pull--!"

"put--!"

With each brief command from the commanding officer, the mounted archers, like a pack of wolves circling their prey, unleashed wave after wave of dense, radiant arrows towards the flanks and rear of the Abyssal Skeleton formation.

Arrow rain is not about high damage, but about continuous harassment, interruption, attraction, and distraction!

In the areas covered by the arrow rain, the Abyssal Corpses had to be distracted by defense or evasion; some enraged or simple-minded Corpses tried to pursue these agile targets, but the Khergit riders immediately used their skillful horsemanship to change direction and speed away, while another wave of mounted archers hurled arrows from another angle, constantly pulling at the Abyssal formation, making their already scattered forces even more dispersed, unable to concentrate their strength to counterattack the core infantry and cavalry.

Even occasionally, smaller detachments of mounted archers, with their high mobility, would pierce the enemy's unguarded or particularly weak flanks like sharp cones, causing massive casualties and local chaos in a very short time, before quickly retreating like a tide and returning to the main force's wandering ranks.

This tactic made the remnants of the Abyss feel as if they were trapped in a thicket of thorns, with stings all around, yet they couldn't catch the cunning "poisonous bee."

Long-range sniping is responsible for precisely suppressing key points and eliminating threats; cavalry harassment is responsible for disrupting the rhythm, diverting forces, and creating chaos. The perfect coordination between the two is like an invisible giant hand, firmly controlling the rhythm of the battlefield, greatly weakening the resistance capabilities of the Abyssal Beasts, and clearing away most of the unexpected events and worries for the frontal assault troops, making the overall offensive as smooth and efficient as a sophisticated war machine.

The Holy Tree Knights cleanse and clear the way, while the Swadian Heavy Cavalry tears apart the core!

Swadian heavy infantry crushed the remaining enemy like bulldozers!
The Vigia Sharpshooter and the Rhodok Sniper Crossbowman are like battlefield scavengers, precisely eliminating any emerging threat!
The Khergit veteran horse archers, like deadly peregrine falcons, relentlessly pinned down and tore apart the flanks of the abyss!

With the precise scheduling of the [Tallinn] network and the powerful amplification of the "Thorn Garden" rule, the offensive power displayed by the human alliance commanded by Shen Mu truly demonstrated what it means to be utterly devastating and overwhelming!

The resistance of the Abyssal Corpses, under the multi-layered and all-encompassing destructive onslaught of the human alliance, quickly evolved from chaos into defeat, and from defeat into utter collapse! A torrent of steel and magic swept forward with unparalleled force.

After only a few quarters of an hour of fierce attack, the filthy black mist that had originally covered the entrance to the ancestral tomb had been mostly dispersed, and the ground was covered with the remains of abyssal creatures and their foul-smelling, sticky blood.

The banner of the human alliance fluttered before the newly captured makeshift position, built of shattered rocks and filthy bones.

Ahead lies the entrance to the dark passageway of the Gnoll Ancestral Tomb, where the Shadow of the End Wolf resides!

That underground passage, reeking of a chilling stench of decay and faintly audible howls of greedy wolves, is now completely exposed to the onslaught of the human alliance.

The gleam of the thorny ramparts illuminated a few meters of the entrance to the dark passage, which resembled the gaping maw of a prehistoric behemoth.

Deep within the tunnel, the extremely unstable yet incredibly powerful foul fluctuations emanating from the core of the End Wolf Shadow, or rather, the core of the corrupted divine remains, resounded clearly like the beating of a drum. Each beat carried a greedy desire to suck and destroy, as if the embryonic form of a false divine abomination was howling madly on the verge of madness.

Shen Mu stood at the command post, his data vision penetrating the physical rock and darkness, firmly locking onto the ominous black core throbbing violently deep within the tunnel.

The pace of progress far exceeded everyone's expectations.

The final judgment is drawing near. (End of Chapter)