What did you do with the dice?

----

"Fuck, is top-tier magic now accessible to everyone?! After that Holy Light-wielding bazooka blew up the northeast corner's mage tower, here comes another archmage who wants to attack us directly! He even dares to set up magic lines at such a long distance. Isn't he afraid of exploding his magic?"

"Teacher, the opponent's magic line has spread here. It takes at least half an hour to prepare top-level magic, and a strike spell like his may take more than an hour. Although I don't think he can hit us directly, for the sake of safety in the future, how about we activate the self-discipline barrier and evacuate the magician tower?"

The old wizard in a red robe cursed loudly, "Retreat! The enemy has no troops deployed at the south gate. If those good-for-nothings who only know how to brag about being men of the North but hide behind our protection every day still have a bit of nerve in their bones, let them send out the cavalry and attack his camp at all costs! The archmage is at his most vulnerable when casting top-level magic. The slightest interruption will cause a backlash. Blow the horn, set fire, or rain hail. I don't care what means I use, as long as I can interrupt his spellcasting, it will be a win no matter how many lives I sacrifice!"

He angrily summoned a mage's hand, and with his right hand, he manipulated two quills to quickly write a letter. He then slapped the chest of the disciple standing nearby. "Find an apprentice in the tower and have him take this letter to the city defense. Tell them we'll rest if they don't agree. You're a bunch of idiots who can't even understand magic. Do you really expect us, the honorable mages, to work for nothing for a bunch of idiots who are worse than apprentices?"

"Good teacher."

After saying that, the young man hurriedly turned around, activated a rune, and shouted rudely into the tower: "Ford, come to the top of the tower. I have a letter for you to deliver. Immediately!"

Chapter 263: Fierce Battle Outside the Kingdom's Capital Castle (3)

The order letter from the chief of the Mage Tower in the southeast corner was delivered to the city defense camp near the city wall by the fat apprentice who was wiping his sweat while running.

"Hey, put away those dangerous weapons of yours! I have a letter from our tower master in my hand! If you damage it, you'll pay with your lives!"

The guard at the door didn't dare to reach out to take the letter with the magic seal on it, nor did he dare to bet that the letter in his hand was a fake, so he could only let him pass.

The commander was in a meeting to discuss countermeasures for the unusual situation in Rusalka's army when he saw the letter from the Mage Tower. He was overjoyed. After all, discussing with words would only lead to a deadlock. Only the mages in the Mage Tower could call themselves experts in explaining the generation of such a strange phenomenon. They really didn't understand what would happen next.

But when he opened the letter and finished reading it, he was dumbfounded. He stood there for a full half minute. Then he came to his senses and grabbed the mage apprentice who had delivered the message by the collar: "Have you guys been corrupted by studying magic? Didn't your teacher teach you a lesson: never interfere in areas that don't belong to you!

You want me to send the cavalry out to charge? That's simply courting death! Look at their position, it's uphill, heavy cavalry can't charge at all, and there must be a large number of heavily armored infantry in the enemy camp. You want my cavalry to charge the spear heavy infantry phalanx that has already set up a defensive line in advance? Don't you expect them to come back alive?

I don't care what kind of powerful magic the other side has prepared. The worst that can happen is that we all die together. But listen, the reason I have the utmost respect for you mages who think you are so superior is because I don't understand magic, and I believe that only mages can deal with mages. But now you tell me that you can't deal with the other side's mages, so you want my people to die for your incompetence. I'm sorry, I can't do it."

As the saying goes, the shallower one's knowledge, the stronger one's sense of superiority. Even though he was just an invincible mage apprentice, Fat Ford spoke in a condescending tone, "That's not my opinion. It's our tower master's opinion. He said that if you don't want to do this, that's fine. We'll have the Mage Tower block the attack, but I'm afraid you'll have to meditate for a long time to recover your magic power. You'll have to rely on yourselves to defend. If any unexpected losses occur, we will report them to the Crown Princes in the Inner City. You will bear all the consequences at your own risk."

"Are you threatening me?"

"I'm just being honest. You just need to hide behind the barrier and attack the enemies below. But we mages in the Mage Tower have a lot more to consider. When to replenish shield energy, when to launch artillery fire, when to counterattack the enemy mages, all of these require careful consideration."

Upon hearing this, the commander was enraged. Blood filled his pupils, and his face flushed red with anger. He shouted, "But when the enemy mages cast spells and the enemy magic cannons fired, it was my men who died on the city walls! Not you! This is simply unreasonable! I don't think you take our lives seriously at all!"

The fat man spread his hands and said nonchalantly, "What else? This is a necessary sacrifice to defend the city. Or how about I go back and report to the tower master and tell him that you guys want to operate those complicated magic arrays in the tower while we go to the city walls and shoot arrows down? How about that?"

The commander suddenly pulled out a dagger and pressed it against his throat. The latter immediately stepped back in fear, questioning in a trembling voice:

"You...what do you want to do? Rebellion?"

"Get out!" The commander slammed the dagger into the table, then pushed the fat man away. Two soldiers beside him supported the stumbling fat man.

The commander took a few deep breaths, waved his hand, and said through gritted teeth, "Report this to your tower master and tell him I'll send a thousand men to give it a try. Regardless of success or failure, this will be the last time I tolerate your behavior. You two, go find the high priest for me immediately and tell him I need his help."

"I will report everything that happened here to the Tower Master!"

"Alright, go ahead, you fat pig! If you're brave enough, ask your tower master to kill me with magic! Oh wait, there's no need for magic at all. After all, you mages are too powerful. At least I can't kill a thousand loyal soldiers at once with just my mouth and a letter! What are you still standing here for? Are you trying to delay the battle on purpose? Get out of here and report back!"

"You...how dare you humiliate us like this...we'll see what happens after the battle!"

Ford swore and pushed past the two guards and left.

----

A few minutes later, a shirtless bald man walked in. His muscles, which looked like they were about to explode, were tattooed with a large number of complex bright red rune patterns, like blood vessels exposed outside the skin, with fluctuations of magic flowing steadily inside.

He has a pair of red eyes and looks very fierce.

"I heard you need a little help? How many people?"

The commander whispered bitterly, "One thousand men."

"Horses too?"

"Correct."

"No problem, but it's a little late to realize it now. Look at the magic power in that cloud over there. It's already reached its condensation stage. This is a sign that the spell is one-third complete. You really should have realized it sooner." The burly man patted the commander's shoulder and took out a horn from his arms. "But fortunately, you still have our help. Although it's a replica, a thousand people are more than enough. However, it can only be used once. Otherwise, to ensure you can achieve your goal, why not send more people? Otherwise, it will be wasted."

"Waste?! You're measuring this with human lives? You're probably crazy! I won't add any more innocent victims!"

The bald man laughed heartily. "As long as the queen and king ants are alive, how can those soldier ants defending their homeland be called innocent victims? This is their birthright, and they should gladly accept it. If death isn't even worth it, then there's no point in them continuing to live. Come on, take me to pick out a thousand soldier ants."

Damn it, it was obvious that these cultists who regarded human life as worthless were the invaders, but as a general he had to obey the arrangements of his family and the nobles. Protecting Alice City was the reason he was alive and sitting here. Those who refused had been liquidated by Grand Duke Oaks, and even several leaders of the Mebius Guards were placed under house arrest. The four wizard towers were also filled with the Grand Duke's subordinates and people from the Church of the Seven Sins. As an ordinary soldier, how could he resist?

The parade ground was desolate and solemn. The selected soldiers ate the last delicious food with tears in their eyes, said goodbye to their comrades, and told their last words.

"Tell my children that their father was a great warrior."

"If Tris loves me, then stop waiting for me and find someone better than me."

"Brother, go well! I will avenge you!"

The horse seemed to have sensed the tragic emotions in its owner's heart and became extremely quiet. It stood there like a statue, quietly waiting for the moment to die with its owner.

"You are all great! Your homeland in the North will be proud of you! The history of Sinidi will always remember your courage!"

The commander of the city defense spat on the ground, as if to vent all the grief and anger in his heart, and shouted in a hoarse voice: "Everyone mount the horses! Disperse the troops! Send the order to open the city gates!"

"Why be so sad? A general's success is built on the sacrifices of thousands of men. But before that, cover your ears."

The bald strong man seemed to be oblivious to this scene of life and death. He even raised his hands and patted the commander's ears with a chuckle. A thin layer of red mist enveloped his ears, and the latter's world immediately fell into silence.

Then, the burly man took out the horn and blew it violently. With this action, the surging power in the red runes on his body flowed through his limbs and bones, converging into the arm holding the horn and the lines around his mouth.

After the horn was infused with energy, it instantly emitted a strange bright red light.

woo-

"Over there are your mortal enemies. Their anger will become your strength. This rage that burns your soul will never be extinguished. Struggle and suffer in hatred! Yes, only by burning your life out, drinking their blood, and perishing with them, can you find the peace of mind you desire!"

"Lord Agent, please grant us the sin of wrath! Destroy me and everything that is my enemy!"

The eyes of the soldiers and horses suddenly turned blood red, as if blood was about to drip out. Without waiting for the order to charge, everyone could not wait to swing their whips hard and rushed towards the open city gate with roars.

The fear of death, the attachment to life, and the messages to family all turned into endless anger that grew wildly in his heart, and he was determined to tear the enemy at the center of the vortex opposite to him into pieces!

----

Phoenix walked through and came to Rusalka, who was resting with his eyes closed, and whispered in his ear: "The enemy is coming."

"What?" Rusalka leaped up from the recliner, her smile as bright as a sunflower blooming in the sun. "Where are you? Where are you? My dear cultists, the last time I saw you was in the Call of Cthulhu group. By the time you got to Dungeons & Dragons, your strength wasn't up to par. So it's been ages since we last met. Oh my goodness, they finally released the enhanced DLC for you! I missed you so much."

Sani Iron Tower has a familiar perspective and can be indecisive. He is indeed a master of StarCraft and is not even blind: (There are no cultists. The enemy has opened the city and has come out. They are light cavalry. There are not many of them, at most a thousand. They look like they are coming to charge me.)

Rushaka was amused. He'd never fought such an easy battle in his life: (Mere light cavalry dared to charge us?! I know how to answer this easy question. I'll immediately have the heavy infantry phalanx deploy barricades and set up a defensive line on the high slopes. I'll teach them a lesson: attacking from low against high is like being imprisoned. I really can't imagine how they can win. This is just giving away lives. I'm requesting to type in the public screen to receive the mount in advance!)

Sani Tieta: (No, wait a minute, the enemy's formation is very disorganized, or rather, completely disorganized. Many of them even carry two-handed shields. As cavalry charging into battle, they don't even carry long weapons or horse armor, but only iron helmets for their horses' heads. Is this normal?)

Rusalka: (I can do this, too. A Soviet tank, an armed pickup truck with a super-invincible tilted steel plate on the front, and a giant cannon mounted on it. No side armor or rear armor at all. This is an Iron Head tank!)

Sanitieta spoke in a thoughtful tone, "You make a lot of sense. I believe there are many foolish commanders in this world, but I absolutely don't believe any commander would make a decision that would cost their men their lives. I choose to respect them. Brother Xiao, quickly lead the light infantry in a counterattack down the slope. Move in small, loose units and stop them at the bottom of the slope."

If it were any other native who had studied some war textbooks, they would definitely think that Sani Tieta was crazy. The opponent's lineup was impossible to be offensive and impactful. They could just stand there and wait for them to rush forward and die like moths to a flame. However, Sani Tieta chose the worst decision and sent the only light infantry who could be harmed by the opponent to launch a counterattack, and even voluntarily gave up the formation.

I can't think of a better way to maximize the damage done to one's own side.

In response, Rusalka replied to his brother: (Received! Mission accomplished!)

I think your tactics are perfect, brother. This counter-charge idea will definitely scare the enemy, both men and horses. If you think there is a problem, it must be because you don't have 19 points of intelligence.

Rusalka called the messenger and, impatiently, used the second-level Paladin spell he had prepared long ago, summoning a warhorse of extraordinary intelligence to come forward. He ignored the horse's disdainful gaze and jumped onto its back. "Come, come, come, come here! Tell the two light infantry regiments to gather their weapons and deploy across the line immediately. No need to worry about formation, just charge with me! Kill as many enemies as you want! It's time to take the initiative and reap the rewards!"

It's no wonder that the horse is a little dissatisfied, because according to the panel in the rule book, this horse has an intelligence of 6 points, and can even understand what Rusalka says.

Rusalka had previously disliked using this because he thought it was useless. It was completely useless against single-target experts, dying to unknown AOEs. It was also useless against elite units, dying to single-shot kills. "I'm riding a horse and I have to protect it?" he thought. "It's better to use the second ring more often, perform a Phantom Step, teleport over, and kill with a single blow."

But it is just right for bullying these miscellaneous soldiers who seem unable to even hurt the mounts.

Rusalka blew the attack horn that Sanita had repeatedly warned him not to blow when he gave it to him, and led the group of infantrymen behind him who were hurriedly running while wearing helmets and chain mail, and rushed down the slope from the camp gate.

Shana also put on her quiver, fastened the buckle of her leather armor, and said to Alijie, "I'm going to get some military merit. What about you?"

"It's such a waste to use magic power against these weak humans. The magic power here is not as strong as that in the Elf Forest. Meditation regenerates magic power very slowly. I'm afraid I won't have enough magic power to blow up that tower. It's better to stay in the camp and protect Teacher Sanita."

"Okay, then you are not allowed to sneak away."

"Okay, I'll give you a blessing and give me a few heads."

"Then you have to give me the corresponding amount of cake next time."

"Huh? That's a lot! When we go out to fight, our snack rations are very limited. Can I give you half first? I'll give you the other half when we get back to Silver City."

"can."

"Okay, Blessing of Wind, Blessing of Precision, and Blessing of Life. Which one do you want?"

"Wind's Blessing, run faster, I have a good idea I want to put into practice."

The two elves happily reached a consensus.

Chapter 264: Fierce Battle Outside the Kingdom's Capital Castle (4)

On the vast open plain battlefield, Rusalka held the inky black [Cursed Giant Sword] in his right hand and the [Mecha Explosion-proof Shield] in his left hand. His posture was as tall as a dragon and his back was as majestic as a mountain. The soldiers were all infected by his heroic demeanor, and countless infantrymen ran wildly under his leadership.

We must follow the Lord's footsteps and kill as much as we can! Chop, chop, chop, chop! As heads fall to the ground, our military exploits will increase!

The Lord of Pearl Tears is invincible!

Rusalka is always the fastest runner, and everyone is used to it. Of course, four legs are definitely much faster than two legs.

He had never felt happy fighting side by side with his own soldiers. Ever since he had Hamlet's shield to help him dominate the battlefield, he no longer understood the concept of advancing and retreating together. In short, he would just kill first and talk later. He rode his horse without hesitation and led the way to meet the enemy alone.

Fortunately, the enemy was also a free and loose individual, and there was no question of military formation or encirclement. It was called a one-on-many attack, but in fact it was divided into an infinite number of small one-on-one battlefields, and Rusalka's side was like a laser cannon hitting primitive people. It only took one encounter, a wave of the sword, 20 strength and extremely fast heavy sword to cut the unlucky opponent who was roaring and didn't even have time to draw the long sword at his waist, and directly cut him into two pieces with the heavy sword.

As the horses' hooves crossed each other, Rusalka immediately found his next target: a strange cavalryman holding a shield.

But it was also very strange. Looking at their bloodshot eyes and flushed faces, as well as the indistinct screams and hoarse roars coming out of their mouths, their mental state seemed extremely abnormal, and it was a familiar kind of abnormality, as if he had seen this kind of irrational charge somewhere before.

"Kill...revenge!"

Just when Rusalka was about to spur his horse forward and smash these ignorant insects that dared to approach him, he felt the scene in front of him suddenly change. The warhorse under his crotch turned around and ran away, leaving him dumbfounded.

"Oh my god! I summoned a warhorse, not a lizard! How come every species I ride has the cowardly attribute attached to it? Chocobos are cowardly, Phoenixes are cowardly, no, man, you're a second-ring transformed horse and you're also cowardly? You're so afraid of death? Man, we need to fight! Wait, you're not a mare, are you? Then I'll forgive you if you transform into a racehorse. But don't be so hasty, let me think about it. You're a white horse, a white horse from the Mejiro family is not bad, but judging from your personality, you're probably a golden ship, which is not impossible. But you're a 'runaway' horse, who are you sending it to?"

Just as Rusalka began to persuade his warhorse, or perhaps was mentally torturing the deserter, he heard a loud explosion behind him. A gust of air blew past him from behind. Looking back, he saw that the few cavalrymen who had raised their shields had exploded on the spot.

If the warhorse had not run so decisively, Rusalka would probably have lost her life by now with her shield raised.

The pony under his crotch snorted to express his dissatisfaction with Rusalka's previous nonsense. In other words, he was just a horse. If he was a camel, he would have turned his head and snorted in Rusalka's face.

With the eagle's God's perspective, the Sani Tower was all too familiar with this scene: (Exploding crystal! Be careful of those cavalrymen holding shields, they are the death warriors holding explosive crystals!)

A suicide truck?

Rusalka was not only calm after hearing this, but also very excited. She immediately communicated with her horse, urging it to sprint: "Charge! Charge! Go find those with shields!"

Warhorse:?

Haha, once I get this new shield, I can immediately find the explosive crystal item that blew me to pieces and take revenge. Thinking of this, I was so excited that even the thing under my crotch was erected!

Of course, it was not just excitement. During the charge, Rusalka could also feel a sense of tragedy and wailing coming from her third brother under her crotch.

"Don't scream, it's no big deal! You know, you're just dying once, but for me, it's a rare chance to encounter an enemy who uses this disgusting thing again! If you were to flee today, it would be incredibly damaging to my spirit. Can you afford to pay for a mere second-level ring?! If you don't want to, there are plenty of people who will. Here in Rusalka, second-level rings are the most abundant! Think about your parents, wife, and children. I ask you, are you going to do it or not?"

Sanita was very glad that Rusalka had a new communication partner, but at the same time she felt deeply unfortunate about the automatic recording function of the private chat channel.

Seeing that the warhorse was finally willing to cooperate and turn around to charge, Rusalka excitedly raised his sword and shield and shouted at the top of his lungs. His voice actually drowned out the roars of the cavalrymen, whose sanity had been melted by anger, and resounded throughout the battlefield.

"Pearl Tears Lament, onboard!!!"

Boom!!! Boom boom boom!!!

As he roared and charged, suicide soldiers continued to detonate crystals, as if they were running wildly in a minefield, causing explosions wherever they passed.

"Great!" Rusalka held up a mechanical shield that emitted life waves connected to him. Explosions and flames were all absorbed and blocked by the shield. Then he saw a prompt popping up in the lower right corner:

[The "Curse of Ages" effect takes effect, and your lifespan decreases by 272 days.]

[The "Curse of Ages" effect takes effect, and your lifespan decreases by 301 days.]

[The "Curse of Ages" effect takes effect, and your lifespan decreases by 285 days.]

Three explosions and only two and a half years? Not as good as Idol Producer.

I have to say that spending money on life is much more satisfying than spending money on gold. Moreover, when she thought that her life span was just like a black card that could be consumed unlimitedly in the eyes of mortals, Rushaka wanted her brothers to throw the prepared top spells at her head to test the effect.

In every confrontation, only one sword was needed to defeat the enemy on horseback, but even so, the opponent still fearlessly drew his long sword at Rusalka and was chopped off the horse. Rusalka let go of the warhorse with the idea of ​​recycling, but he never expected that even the warhorse under the enemy's crotch seemed to be ready to die. Even though the owner was dead, it was different from the normal horses that stood there in a daze or fled before. These warhorses, with red eyes, directly rammed into Rusalka's mount, breaking their skulls, and would not stop until they died.

Fortunately, Rusalka's mount is quite noble, and Rusalka is very inhumane and keeps giving it Holy Healing, causing the horse's blood volume to constantly drop. The whole horse is in a state like a tube inserted, unable to live or die. To describe its mood in simple words, it is: I'm numb.

Although chopping melons and vegetables was fun, Rusalka soon discovered a strange problem: when he approached, the cavalrymen without shields would sometimes even ignore his attacks and rush forward, while those with shields would take the initiative to detonate the explosive crystals in their hands, just like two different programs executing fixed commands and logic.