Volume 2 chapter 33
"Damn it!!"
Inside the fortress command center, Luna slammed her fist onto the table.
"Commander! Report from Claire's unit!"
A communications officer ran over, breathless. "The charging force was Elven Cavalry! Their speed is approximately twenty percent faster than Human Knights! To ensure maximum lethality, Commander Claire decided to detonate manually!"
"What?! Elven Cavalry?! Why are you reporting this only now?!" Luna roared, shock and anger warring on her face.
"The communication array was damaged by the residual mana from the Grand Magi's spell... We just repaired it..." the officer stammered, his face full of shame.
"Forget it..." Luna waved her hand, forcing herself to calm down. "Tch... haven't seen them for five thousand years, and these Long-Ears have learned a few tricks... Five thousand years ago, they didn't know how to use Charge Formations... 'Isolation for five millennia' my ass! It was all a fake isolation to modernize in secret!"
Although it was unbelievable, there was no time for shock. She immediately ordered, "Tell the Shock Troops to prepare! Elves have stronger vitality than humans of the same rank! The kill rate of the explosion might be lower than expected!"
"Yes, Ma'am!"
As the officer left, Luna grabbed her helmet. "Eleanor... hold on!"
She donned her battle armor and strode out of the command center.
___________________
"KILL!!!"
In front of the ruins of the Vanguard Citadel, Eleanor led the charge, piercing through the dust and smoke with unstoppable momentum.
But as she broke through the haze, she saw countless knights charging back at her!
"This is..." Eleanor's eyes widened. But when she saw the pointed ears under the helmets, she understood.
These were the knights on the periphery. They had been outside the lethal blast radius. Although battered by the shockwave and fire, their superior Elven vitality allowed them to maintain combat effectiveness.
"Then let's see who is stronger!"
Eleanor didn't hesitate. She drove her mount forward, her eyes burning with resolve.
Two Mana Drills—one Demonic, one Elven—collided like needlepoints.
BOOM!!!
It was like the collision of two freight trains. A violent mana shockwave erupted at the point of impact, blasting away the dust of the ruins and forming two new, smaller dust clouds.
The stalemate lasted only a blink.
CRACK!
Both drills shattered simultaneously. The soldiers behind lost their mana protection and crashed into each other purely on inertia.
Chaos ensued. Horses flipped, bodies flew. Formations dissolved instantly into a disorganized melee where instinct ruled.
"ARGH!!"
An Elf knocked a Demon into the air, only to be bisected at the waist by another Demon in the next second.
"Guh..."
A Demon impaled an Elf, only to be beheaded by a passing blade a moment later.
"Hah!!" A blood-soaked Demon went berserk, tearing an Elf apart with his bare hands, before having his skull crushed by a stronger Elven captain.
In the chaos, strategy vanished. There were only enemies. Kill one, two, three... it didn't matter. The enemy seemed endless. You fought until your muscles failed, and then you died.
The Demons had the advantage of numbers, bolstered by tens of thousands of low-rank fodder.
The Elves had the advantage of quality; their weakest soldier was Fourth-Rank.
As time dragged on, the injuries the Elves sustained from the explosion began to take their toll. Although their strength was superior, prolonged combat aggravated their internal wounds, and the tide began to turn against them.
...
Squelch!
Eleanor beheaded the last Elf standing in her path. No more enemies stepped forward.
She gasped for air, looking around. The Elven lines had collapsed. The survivors were scattering.
"Ha... Ha... We... we won!" Eleanor forced the corners of her mouth up, a smile breaking through the blood on her face.
RUMBLE...
But then, the sound of thunderous hooves returned from the distance.
Eleanor's smile froze. She turned her stiff neck to look.
Far away, a sea of white heavy armor was approaching. Human Knights, fully armed and in perfect formation, were charging toward them.
In the sky, Giant Eagle Knights blocked the sun. On the backs of the massive raptors, archers in light armor drew their bows.
Twang! Twang! Twang!
The ground knights were still twenty kilometers away, but the aerial knights were already in range. Arrows fell like rain.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
Eleanor deflected the arrows aimed at her, but the exhausted demons around her were defenseless. They were pierced through, dying miserably in droves.
The Giant Eagle Knights didn't carry many arrows. After a few volleys, they ignored the demons below and flew toward the main fortress.
Their speed was terrifying. Among the aerial forces, Griffons had the best payload, Wyverns the best agility, but Giant Eagles were the undisputed kings of speed.
Cruising at nearly 500 kph, they reached the airspace above the fortress in minutes. But they didn't stop to attack. They flew right over the fortress, heading deep into the rear.
"What are they doing..."
Before Eleanor could figure it out, the ground charge arrived.
A Charge Formation led by a Ninth-Rank Knight was infinitely stronger than the ragged Elven force she had just fought. She was exhausted. Her Shock Troops were decimated.
Blocking this was impossible.
"Haha... Claire, I'm coming to join you..."
Eleanor stopped thinking. Her sword arm dropped to her side.
BOOM!!!
Suddenly, the Fortress Guns roared again. A massive shell screamed over her head and smashed into the oncoming human formation.
BOOM! BOOM!
Shell after shell fired, but Eleanor noticed the rate of fire was much slower than before. They were aiming carefully.
"SCATTER!! ALL UNITS SCATTER!!"
She realized immediately: We are in the way! The gunners are holding back to avoid friendly fire!
"Move! Clear the lane! To the flanks!!" Eleanor screamed. The surviving demons scrambled, dragging their tired bodies to the sides.
Clop-clop-clop...
At that moment, the main gate of the fortress opened. Luna, clad in heavy armor, led three thousand fresh Shock Troops out to meet the enemy.
"Luna!?" Eleanor stared in shock.
"Extend fire range!!"
On the Fortress Gun turret, the commander barked orders.
"Fire! Elevation plus one! Load! Fire! Elevation plus one!"
"Commander Luna... I hope you control your speed! These shells don't have eyes..."
The gunnery commander watched Luna's charge through the scope, whispering a prayer.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Eight Fortress Guns fired in sequence, walking the barrage right in front of the oncoming human knights.
CRASH!!!
Luck favored the bold. One shell scored a direct hit on the lead Ninth-Rank Knight.
With a massive explosion, the knight and the dozen elites behind him vanished, turned into ash instantly.
"Great shot! Kane!!"
Luna laughed in delight. The spearhead of the human charge was broken.
Seizing the opportunity, she slammed her fresh troops into the disorganized human ranks, scattering them completely.
She didn't linger. After one devastating pass, she wheeled her forces around and retreated, scooping up Eleanor and the survivors as they fell back to the safety of the fortress.
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