Real Mount and Blade Game

The thick, asphalt-like black energy torrent shot from the filthy black core precisely penetrated into the mountain of fused pseudo-god remnants piled up at the edge of the battlefield.

In an instant, the lifeless chunks of flesh began to writhe, expand, and merge wildly, emitting a sickeningly loud sound of bones squeezing and flesh multiplying.

A terrifying pressure, surpassing all previous false gods and demons, struck the souls of every allied soldier like a tangible hammer. Even the air seemed to thicken and solidify, with blasphemous whispers echoing in their ears.

"Roar--!!!"

With a roar powerful enough to tear the soul apart, a colossal creature rose from the ground—the Abyssal Titan Abomination! It stood tens of meters tall, its form twisted and terrifying: forcibly fused together from countless jackal heads, broken limbs, and jagged bone spikes, its body flowing with filthy slime and burning with eerie green flames.

A massive vertical pupil, composed of multiple stacked eyeballs, was embedded at the top of the mountain of flesh, locking onto Shen Mu with an overwhelming desire for pure destruction.

It took only one step, and the earth cracked and collapsed like fragile pottery, the foul abyssal stench transforming into visible shockwaves that spread in all directions.

"Thorn Barrier, full power deployment! Sacred Tree Array, Guardian Light!" Shen Mu's voice instantly resounded throughout the entire army via the [Tallinn] network, as calm as a frozen lake.

The core array of the Thorn Barrier hummed, and countless energy roots shimmering with pale golden light burst forth from the ground, weaving together in front of the allied forces to form a massive, spiked energy barrier that withstood the terrifying pressure shockwave.

At the same time, the Holy Tree Knights collectively raised their warhammers or flails, and pure holy light erupted from their bodies, forming a dazzling light curtain that covered the main formation, striving to purify the pervasive blasphemous aura and stabilize the soldiers' will on the verge of collapse.

However, the attack from the Abyssal Titan Abomination followed immediately.

It raised its giant claw, formed from several twisted fleshy arms, and with a wind pressure that tore through space, slammed it down on the core area of ​​the thorny barrier—the location where Shen Mu was!

"Rhodok! Vegia! Target—the Abomination Joint and Energy Node, saturate attack! Khergit, flank them and disrupt their balance!" Shen Mu's commands were swift as lightning.

The Rhodok Heavy Radiant Burst Crossbows erupted with a deafening roar, as dozens of thick beams of purifying light tore through the air, precisely striking the knees, elbows, and the area around the giant vertical pupil of the Titan Abomination, blasting up clumps of filthy flesh and purifying lightning.

The arrows from the Vaegir Icewind Archers followed closely behind, no longer the freezing air of before, but condensed into giant ice crystal arrows radiating absolute zero cold, shooting towards the Titan's ankles and support points. The extreme cold instantly froze parts of the flesh, producing a piercing "crack" sound, and for the first time, the Titan's massive body visibly staggered.

The experienced Kujit horse archers and the steppe scouts swept across the battlefield like two nimble whirlwinds.

Instead of directly attacking the monstrous body, they targeted the churning, foul abyss beneath its feet, which was attempting to replenish and repair its damage. A rain of radiant arrows and specially crafted explosive arrows fell like raindrops, blasting the writhing, living creatures of the foul ground into a bloody mess, effectively slowing the monstrous's recovery and disrupting its next attack.

"Now! Steel Thorns, pierce!" Shen Mu's eyes flashed with a sharp light. The "Steel Thorns" phalanx, composed of Swadian heavy infantry and Rhodok veteran spearmen who had been poised to attack, took advantage of the moment when the Abominations were slowed down by ranged fire and lost their balance, and let out a deafening battle cry.

The Swadian warriors in the front row slammed their heavy tower shields into the ground, their bodies bracing against the earth to form an unshakeable wall of sighs. Meanwhile, the Rhodok spearmen in the back displayed their exquisite skill, no longer thrusting, but instead hurling their spears, imbued with their full strength and amplified by the [Tallinn] network, upwards like javelins!

Countless heavy spears, gleaming with a cold metallic luster and faint purification runes, traced dense parabolas, like a steel waterfall flowing upstream, fiercely striking the relatively vulnerable chest and abdominal joints and the core areas that had not yet been frozen by the Titan Abomination!

puff!puff!puff!

The dense, piercing sounds were chilling. The abyssal giant roared in agony, its massive body thrown backward as countless spears embedded themselves deep within its torso. Holy light and corrupting power clashed violently, emitting sizzling, burning sounds. However, the giant's vitality was unimaginably tenacious. It only swayed for a moment before its enormous vertical pupil erupted with an even more frenzied, ferocious light. From the wounds pierced by the spears, flesh buds writhed wildly, threatening to squeeze out and devour the spears.

"In the name of the Holy Tree, end this filth!" roared Caranzo, Grand Master of the Holy Tree Knights. His raised warhammer, imbued with the will and holy light of the entire knightly order, formed a gigantic spear of light, several meters in diameter, purely composed of purifying holy flames! This was the Holy Tree Knights' strongest single-target attack—"Spear of Purification of the End!" The spear tore through the air, carrying the will to judge all impurity, and shot with unparalleled precision towards the enormous vertical pupil of the Abyss Titan!

Boom——! ! !
A deafening explosion and blinding light of purification instantly engulfed the upper half of the Titan's body! Its vertical pupils twisted and burst like melting wax in the holy flames! The Titan let out an unprecedented, extremely shrill scream, and its massive body finally lost its support, crashing backward like a collapsing mountain, slamming heavily onto the filthy earth, crushing a large number of Abyssal wrecks that tried to surge up, and the shockwave it generated shook the entire battlefield.

"All troops! Target—the gate of the Ancestral Mausoleum! Crush them!" Shen Mu issued the order for a general offensive without the slightest hesitation! The vicious cycle of flesh and blood had to end immediately; the real core lay behind that giant gate!
Suppressed to the extreme by the oppressive aura of the Abyssal Titans and the brutal battle, the allied soldiers erupted in a deafening roar. Led by Kalanzo, the Knights of the Sacred Tree charged forward like a spearhead, continuously unleashing purifying light to dispel the pervasive black mist of filth and clear a path for the following troops. Swadian heavy infantry and Rhodok spearmen, forming an iron phalanx, followed closely behind, advancing like a moving steel fortress over the corpses of the false Titans and Abyssal wretches, mercilessly crushing the remaining, leaderless Abyssal creatures beneath their shield walls and spears. Rhodok heavy Radiant Burst Crossbowmen and Vaegir Icewind Archers continuously extended their firepower, blasting any scattered Abyssal nodes attempting to rally in resistance into fragments or freezing them into ice sculptures. Khergit horse archers darted along the flanks, precisely sniping small groups of enemies attempting to flank and ambush, ensuring the safety of the main army's flanks.

Like a torrent of steel forged in a furnace, the allied forces broke through the last crumbling abyss defenses before the ancestral tomb gate, finally reaching the massive gate of the gnoll ancestral tomb, which exuded endless evil and an ancient aura! The gate was tens of meters high, made of some unknown dark metal, its surface engraved with countless ferocious gnoll totems and blasphemous abyssal runes. A nauseating black mist of filth constantly spewed from the cracks, and the throbbing of the filthy black core behind the gate was like a giant drum, pounding on everyone's heart.

"Sacred Tree End Array! Target—Ancestral Mausoleum Gate! Maximum Power!" Shen Mu's voice carried a resolute determination to sever all ties.

The Holy Tree Knights, already prepared, swiftly changed formation. Hundreds of knights stood around the gate in an arcane pattern, continuously channeling their own and their mounts' holy light into the core of the array. Kalanzo stood at the center of the array, his raised warhammer bursting forth with an unprecedentedly brilliant holy light.

"With order, purify the filth! The end—the light of judgment!"

boom--! ! !
A torrent of pure white holy light, thicker, more condensed, and almost tangible than the one that had previously repelled the black mist, roared forth from the center of the array, like a divine sword of judgment, slamming fiercely into the center of the ancestral tomb's massive gate! The holy light collided and annihilated violently with the foul black mist, emitting piercing shrieks and explosions! The jackal totems on the gate twisted and howled in the holy light, and the abyssal runes shattered inch by inch! Under such a concentrated impact of destructive energy, the incredibly sturdy, dark metal gate finally groaned under the strain, its surface covered with spiderweb-like cracks!

"Swadia! Rhodok! All-out assault! Break through!" Shen Mu led the charge, and the [Tallinn] network channeled his will into the bugle call for all soldiers to charge!

"For order! For humanity!" The Swadian heavy infantry roared, abandoning some of their defenses and channeling all their strength into their shoulders and specially designed siege rams, charging like the wildest bulls against the cracked gate! Behind them, seasoned Rhodok spearmen plunged their spears deep into the fissures, using them as levers to pry open the gate! Khergit horse archers rained arrows down on the cracks, suppressing the billowing black mist and any potential guards behind it. The Holy Light of the Holy Tree Knights continued to scorch the gate, weakening its structure.

Crack... Crackling... Boom—!!!
Under the relentless assault of the human alliance, and with the combined power of holy light and steel, the colossal gate of the ancestral tomb, symbolizing the faith of the gnolls and the power of the abyss, finally collapsed completely! Huge metal fragments, mixed with filthy flesh and black smoke, exploded and crumbled inwards!

An indescribable, terrifying aura, a mixture of extreme heat, pungent sulfur, heavy blood, and the stench of death and decay, surged forth from the broken doorway like a flood bursting its banks! This aura was so violent that it instantly dispersed the foul black mist that permeated outside the door, causing the soldiers at the forefront to gasp for breath, and some were even forced back several steps by the scorching, stinking shockwave.

Shen Mu was the first to be hit. His "Thorn Barrier" protection automatically lit up, blocking most of the impact. However, the moment his gaze pierced through the billowing smoke and heat and he saw the scene behind the door, even with his steely will, his pupils suddenly contracted!
Behind the door was not the hall or mausoleum of the gnoll ancestors as expected, but a terrifying world that completely overturned our understanding!
Before the allied forces lay a vast, boundless, scorching red wasteland! The sky was a churning mass of dark red fire clouds, with enormous meteors, burning with eerie green flames, occasionally streaking across the sky and crashing into the distance, causing deafening explosions. The ground was not soil, but charred rock riddled with massive cracks, flowing with molten, dark red lava! These lava rivers meandered like the earth's veins, emitting a suffocating stench of sulfur and searing heat that distorted the very air it scorched.

Even more chilling was the sight of countless skeletons scattered across this sea of ​​lava, along the edges of the cracked earth, and on the surfaces of the still-unsolidified lava flows! These skeletons were enormous and twisted, mostly exhibiting gnoll characteristics, but far larger and more bizarre than ordinary gnolls. Many still bore remnants of broken armor and weapons, as well as grotesque bone spikes corroded and mutated by the abyss. They piled up layer upon layer, forming pale, bone-strewn beaches, soaking in the lava's edges. Some skeletons even appeared semi-molten, glassy under the lava's intense heat. The air was thick with the smell of sulfur, mixed with a rich, pungent aroma of bone dust, as if baked by the scorching heat for millennia.

There is no sky, no earth, only endless lava, flames, sulfur, and bones! This is a sub-dimensional world of lava and bones, utterly corrupted and twisted, composed of pain and destruction! The remains of Yenogu are far more than just desecrated; the core of its ancestral tomb has become a "hellish pocket" forcibly torn, twisted, and carved out by the power of the abyss in the material plane, filled with extreme destructive attributes!
"This...this is..." Even the battle-hardened Holy Tree Knight, Kalanzo, couldn't help but gasp at the sight before him, his voice trembling with disbelief.

"The erosion of the abyss... has reached such a level!" The voice of the Rhodok crossbowman commander was also filled with solemnity. The remains of gods were being corroded, and ancestral tombs were being transformed into lava hells; the depth of this desecration far exceeded their previous estimates.

A chill ran through every soldier. The apocalyptic scene before them was even more despairing than the carnage of the battlefield outside. This was not merely an invasion of the abyss, but a furnace destined to drag this entire region into its abyss!
Shen Mu stood before the ruins of the collapsed giant gate, the crimson light of the lava reflecting on his cold, stern face, shadows dancing in his eyes. Scorching air currents billowed his tattered cloak, the stench of sulfur and bone filling his nostrils. His sharp gaze swept across the lava and skeletal wasteland, finally settling on the distance—at the center of countless converging lava rivers, a massive, heart-like core, constantly gushing forth a viscous, almost tangible, blackish-red, foul energy flow! That was the source of all corruption and suffering—the core of the gnoll god Yenogu, utterly corrupted and possessed by the abyss! Like a gigantic black tumor embedded in the center of a lava lake, it emitted a nauseating, evil rhythm. Countless thick energy strands, seemingly composed of congealed blood and black smoke, extended from the core, deeply embedding themselves into the earth and the piles of bones of this sub-plane, like roots drawing nourishment.

"The final judgment..." Shen Mu's deep, clear voice rang out, piercing through the roar of flowing lava and the crackling of flames, resounding clearly in the minds of every soldier, "...it has only just begun." His words contained no fear, only an icy resolve and a calm acceptance of ultimate evil. The scene before him did not destroy his will; instead, it confirmed his deepest suspicion—this core must be thoroughly purified, otherwise the entire region and beyond would be swallowed by this ever-expanding "pocket of hell."

He raised his hand, pointing to the corrupted core at the center of the lava lake. The radiance of the [Tallinn] network swirled around him, resonating with the authority of "Thorn Garden - Root Purification." "Target confirmed! All combat units, rearrange formation! Sacred Tree Array, calibrate core orientation! Heavy infantry groups, construct fortifications, utilize the bone piles to create cover! Ranged strike groups, locate high firing positions! Heavy cavalry groups, prepare charge routes! Khergit scouts, expand reconnaissance range, be alert for sub-plane anomalies!" A series of precise and rapid commands were issued. The human alliance, a war machine tempered by countless fires and blood, after a brief moment of shock, immediately began to forcibly adapt to this hellish battlefield environment under the leadership of its commanders at all levels.

The soldiers, enduring the burning sensation of sulfurous gas and the scorching heat from the lava beneath their feet, began to build makeshift defensive positions behind the massive piles of bones. Swadian heavy infantry plunged their tower shields deep into the crevices of the skeletons, while Rhodok spearmen used broken giant jackal skeletons to construct makeshift palisades. Vaegir archers and Rhodok crossbowmen swiftly climbed some of the more stable, massive bone hills, setting up their ballistae and longbows. Cold arrows and gleaming bolts locked onto the pulsating, dark core at the center of the lava lake.

The Knights of the Holy Tree gathered at the front of the formation. Their purifying holy light was especially precious here, dispelling the foul stench emanating from the lava and bones, creating a relatively safe area for the troops. The heavy cavalry calmed their somewhat restless warhorses, while the Swadian knights silently inspected their lances and armor, awaiting the inevitable final charge towards the heart of hell.

Shen Mu's gaze swept past the busy soldiers and the churning lava, locking onto the pulsating, tainted black core. He could clearly feel that with the intrusion of the human alliance and the permeation of the "Thorn Barrier's" power, the core's pulse had become even more violent and hostile. Within the churning energy on the black core's surface, it seemed as if countless gnoll faces were howling and struggling in agony. At the same time, he also sensed that the "Thorn of Rules" he had previously driven into it, forged from the energy of the Thorn Barrier, remained stubbornly intact, like a lighthouse in the dark tide. Though weak, it continued to trigger conflict and pain within the black core, restraining some of its power.

“The Abyss… a false divine abomination…” Shen Mu murmured to himself. He had no doubt that in this purgatory of lava and skeletons, the corrupted core would not stand idly by and allow them to approach. More powerful abyssal creations, adapted to this environment, would inevitably emerge. He gripped his weapon, or rather, the object symbolizing his command authority, his mind highly focused, sensing every subtle change in this lava and skeleton wasteland through the [Tallinn] network. The skeletons beneath his feet emitted a faint cracking sound, and the roar of the distant lava lake was like the whisper of the abyss. He took a deep breath of the scorching, acrid air. The smell of sulfur and death did not deter him; instead, it ignited the flame within him called “Judgment.”

The crimson light of the lava danced in his eyes, like a burning battle intent. The banner of the human alliance fluttered in the scorching wind, planted atop the bone hills that marked the entrance to hell. The final march towards the core of the lava lake, after mountains of corpses and seas of blood, was about to begin once more in this world of bones and flames. The blade of final judgment was already pointed at the darkest heart of the abyss. (End of Chapter)