WAAAAAGH!
In the midst of the chaos, a wooden puppet collapsed with a crash.
One of the three strongholds on the battlefield has been destroyed.
The puppets collapsed with a deafening roar, sending debris and dust flying everywhere. The scales of victory tipped in Valentan's favor, boosting human morale and shocking the elves. Meanwhile, the culprit or hero who caused all this was already rushing along the inner wall toward the second bridge.
At this moment, the elven horns sounded again, and messengers went out in all directions. The Dusk Warband's battlefield command efficiency was extremely high. The third wooden golem collapsed, and the demon, archer, and infantry forces gathered around it were immediately redeployed.
Long-range troops provided cover and suppression, infantry formations retreated in staggered rows, and deer herds scattered and rushed over to carry the wounded and deliver ammunition, all in an orderly and efficient manner.
While engaging in long-range firefights, the human forces also ordered their elite troops to move to the other two battlefields. Orders were being exchanged and deployments were being made, and the battle was not yet over.
Kang De rushed to the second battlefield. A small section of the city wall had already been captured. The soldiers were charging forward relentlessly, risking their lives to squeeze the elves' bridgehead. The fighting was extremely fierce, and corpses were piled up. The dust and blood mist kicked up by the magical bombardment mixed together, making it look like a scene from hell.
The war is at a stalemate, a stalemate that comes at the cost of countless lives.
This battle was incredibly frustrating!
The legion commander on the command platform deduced through keen observation that the Valentan defenders were equipped with a considerable number of enchanted weapons. However, for the soldiers on the battlefield, it was a completely different experience. They faced it in bewilderment and paid a heavy price for it.
It should be noted that a common tactic of the elven army is to organize officer suicide squads for assaults. These squads consist of elite officers with great strength and skill, forming an unstoppable spearhead force. This tactic has always been effective, after all, the racial advantage of the elves is so terrifying. A spearhead force composed of extraordinary individuals is enough to tear apart any strong line and crush the morale of the enemy... But this time, something went wrong.
In fact, when an elite force mounted the wooden golems and prepared to storm the city walls, hundreds of enchanted Javelin and arrows rained down upon them.
The heavy casualties were secondary; the area commander, whose eyes were bloodshot and destined for court-martial, withdrew the elite troops and could only, like humans, rigidly integrate elite officers into each unit or simply use them as sharpshooters—a lesson that quickly spread to the other two areas.
This resulted in both sides having extremely limited military strength due to the narrow battlefield width. Humans, with their terrain advantage, were able to replenish their forces very quickly, leading to a stalemate in the battle. However, elves are elves after all. Although the human defenders were capable of defending desperately, pushing the elves off the city walls was simply too difficult.
Kang De sped onto the battlefield from the right.
To reiterate, although he lacked experience, he knew a lot. At least he knew that the battlefield was a crowded place, and one should never be surrounded—not even squeezed together with friendly forces.
The elves at the front were engaged in fierce fighting when suddenly a fierce wind arose, and two flying axes came from behind, slicing open the skulls of two elves with two sharp, thuds. The archers hidden in the rear immediately drew their bows to search, but could not find any trace of the despicable human, because Kang De had already climbed over the inner battlements, grabbed the wall with his left hand, and was running at full speed toward the direction of the first battle zone.
He had just observed the battle; it was a stalemate, with soldiers repeatedly charging and fighting at close range. In such a high-intensity battle, he couldn't possibly take advantage of the chaos to dismantle the wooden puppets.
Unless something even more explosive comes along.
He slid and leaped across the battlefield, until he reached the location of the first wooden puppet... That was the area where the first wooden puppet was close to the city wall, and also where Hong San was.
The intensity of the battle here is no less than that of the second one before, but the advantage is that the wooden golems here are already dead. They are only using their last bit of Magic Power to forcibly build a bridge, and their internal structure has collapsed. Their surface is burning fiercely, and the leaf crown can no longer hide or deploy archer troops, so the combat pressure is relatively small.
Kang De grabbed seven or eight spears, enchanted and infused them, and hurled them with force. The elves walking on the bridge raised their shields to block them, but how could they withstand the combined power? They were all knocked off the city wall by the enormous impact.
The leaf crown burst into flames, rendering the archer unable to conceal himself within, thus rendering him unable to counter Kang De's javelin thrower. However, the battle still raged on. An elven officer brandished his Tomahawk, its blade flashing with lightning, the air crackling with a faint roar, divine light swirling around him as he charged forward. "Human, fight me!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than two loud bangs rang out. The officer instinctively dodged, but all of this was already within Kang De's calculations, who was operating at double speed! The next moment, a bloody hole burst open between the elf's eyebrows, and a scorching, violent force blasted through the back of his head, causing the heavily armored, robust body to kneel down with a thud.
"Times have changed! You idiot!"
Kang De didn't stop, rushed over, snatched the Tomahawk from the other's hand, weighed it in his hand, and then swung it around and cleaved it, sending the two unsuspecting elves flying in the waist.
Surrounded by elves who pressed forward, Kang De drew his pistol again and called out to them one by one, "Damn, didn't you know I know martial arts!?"
He fought his way out of the encirclement with his superb martial arts skills, shouting loudly, "Hong San! Hong San!"
"Here!"
A call came from afar, Kang De's spirits lifted; he fired in that direction.
Before long, the space ahead cleared up, and Hong San swung his spear, lifting an elf into the air and throwing him into the city. Kang De then split his head open and kicked the corpse aside.
The two men locked eyes. Hong San brandished his spear and thrust it forward. Kang De's face turned cold, and he raised his pistol.
The spear flew past Kang De's head, piercing the elven soldier approaching from behind, and the blazing bullet ripped the skull off the wounded elven soldier who had risen behind Hong San.
Hong San turned and kicked back, sending the elf's corpse flying. He then snatched the shield from the elf's body. Kang De took a few steps back and grabbed the flying spear shaft.
He tossed the spear back to Kang De Hong San, and the Hong San stood back to back. He said, "It still looks intact."
Hong San chuckled softly, "Don't forget what I'm best at, sir."
Kang De continued, "The thing didn't explode, did it?"
Hong San pointed back at the tower in front of Kang De: "It's hidden inside."
"Then bring them back!"
With his Tomahawk twirling in his hand, Kang De strode forward.
Hong San held a gun in one hand and a shield in the other, standing guard beside him.
The two fighters have complementary fighting styles.
Kang De came from an unorthodox background and had never formally trained in martial arts. His so-called combat experience was basically accumulated and imitated from fighting with animals on the Holy Seal Archipelago. He had no method, but was just fierce, swift, and relentless, often attacking the enemy and forcing them to defend themselves. He had an amazing combat intuition.
Logically speaking, this kind of untrained, self-taught approach has fatal weaknesses and is quite dangerous against experienced enemies. However, Kang De relies on three layers of buffs: crystal enhancement, Dou Qi enhancement, and magic potion amplification, and he even has an unreasonable time acceleration. As long as he is fast and powerful enough, the so-called weakness is no longer a weakness—what kind of weakness is a weakness that can't be hit?
However, it is ultimately limited. For example, it is not good at group battles. Although it can make up for this with its unparalleled martial arts skills, it still lacks the corresponding experience. This is why Kang De always avoided head-on attacks.
--But it doesn't matter now. Hong San is highly skilled in martial arts, with exquisite techniques, and is very adaptable to battlefield combat. He has extremely sharp intuition and can identify and fill gaps in defenses. As Kang De's deputy, he is the best bodyguard.
The two worked together to charge and wipe out the elves, while soldiers continued to gather around them.
They stormed into the occupied tower.
On the command platform, the legion commander of the Dusk Warband stared intently at the two battlefields. Suddenly, he heard a thunderous roar, not the sound of any magic. He saw a burst of intense light and a visible shockwave explode on the root bridge of battlefield number one. He saw many soldiers being blasted off the city wall and the bridge being cleared of debris.
Then, the part of the wooden golem that was attached to the city wall collapsed with a roar!
Exactly the same situation as the third wooden golem!
The adjutant beside him immediately handed him binoculars. The legion commander looked over and saw many human soldiers who had been lying on the ground getting up and cheering loudly. More importantly, he saw the Cathayan.
"Kang De! Kang De! Kang De Cathayan!"
A flash of inspiration struck the legion commander, and a raging fire ignited within him. His admiration and curiosity for this Goth prince consort vanished to the winds!
"It's him again!" he shouted, his killing intent palpable. "He destroyed the third wooden golem, and he killed the first one! Even yesterday, when our raid was about to succeed, he was the one who instantly collapsed the earthen mound! This ability to destroy Arcane artifacts in an instant... it must be him!"
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. The legion commander was furious. If it weren't for that Cathayan, they might have successfully launched a surprise attack and taken the city yesterday! And now... he's the one ruining everything!
"Those damned Cathayan!"
The legion commander, enraged, his eyes gleaming with murderous intent, roared, "I've figured it out! He's probably the one who set the trap, trying to devour our Dusk Warband!"
"A Cathayan is fighting and working for the Goth People —does Cathay still harbor its ambitions and want to preserve the old alliance?! No wonder Princess Goth wanted to marry a Cathayan! Is such a thing even possible?!"
By this point, his anger had subsided—no, not subsided, but rather restrained; the roar still burned within him, but it coexisted with calmness... These two are not actually contradictory.
The legion commander's face revealed a cold smile, "Unfortunately, your delusions and your mission have already sealed your fate... Kang De, the Cathayan, it's best that you're here!"
"The minor setbacks and frustrations of the siege are utterly insignificant compared to the glory of capturing you and the achievement of discovering the collusion between Cathay and Goth!"
He ordered his adjutant, "There's only one wooden golem left. He'll definitely go and turn the tide... Issue the order: I will personally command the battle surrounding that last wooden golem!"
At this point, the battle situation had changed once again.
Three wooden golems were positioned close to the city wall, forming a bridge. The core of the attack and defense lay in these three areas. Now that two of the three golems have been destroyed, the focus of the battle has shifted.
This is both good news and bad news.
The good news is that the battlefield is limited in width, so even if the elves are strong, the number of troops they can deploy at the same time is extremely limited. The bad news is that there is only one battlefield left, which means that the elite forces of the Dusk Warband will converge here, rather than being divided into three groups.
Kang De and Hong San did not rush to the battlefield immediately, but instead looked at each other from afar, frowning and remaining silent.
Hong San whispered, "Master, your alchemical bomb is unusable."
Kang De nodded solemnly.
Elves possess strong learning and reaction abilities. For example, when targeted by city defenses with enchanted projectiles, they quickly adapt their tactics accordingly. Similarly, when bridges are cleared by massive bombs, they place even greater emphasis on intercepting and defending against strange projectiles...
Kang De had just tried throwing out a large wooden barrel, which was blasted to pieces by at least four arrows and two spells. Now only one battlefield remains, and the elves' defensive and interception capabilities have been greatly enhanced.
This means the Big Bomb... isn't working anymore.
"We need to think of a way," Hong San said. "Even with only one wooden golem left, the elves still have a huge advantage, or rather, their strength has actually increased with just one."
"Besides the continued limitations on battlefield width, preventing us from deploying too many troops at once, all their projectile units and mage legions are deployed around this area, nearly doubling their support capabilities. The current situation remains a stalemate; they are struggling to advance, but we have even less of a way to push them out..."
He turned to look at Kang De: "Unless you use that method..."
Before he could finish speaking, Preston shouted from behind, "Dong Zhuo! Dong Zhuo!"
The two looked back and saw the field commander on the west city wall rushing towards them with several officers. He came to Kang De's side and said in a deep voice, "You're the one who took down those two wooden golems?"
Kang De nodded.
"That's good!" Preston pointed to the city walls. "All of Valentan's available spellcasting power, war machines, and projectile forces will serve you. A suicide squad is ready, and I will lead the charge. Our mission is to create the environment and opportunity for you to defeat the last wooden golem at all costs—do you have any other needs or requests?"
Before Kang De could speak, Hong San said, "We need a feint attack force to test the elves' reaction, and after it's done, who will cover his safe retreat from the elves' retaliatory attack? What's your plan?"
Preston gritted his teeth and said, "What perfect solution is there now? Now..."
Before he could finish speaking, the city wall suddenly shook, and the wooden puppet actually moved! Thick roots spread and grew from its feet, burrowed into the soil, and climbed up the city wall!
The mage beside Preston's expression changed. "Not good! The enemy only has one battle zone left, their spellcasting power is concentrated, and they can even draw Magic Power from mages to control wooden golems to destroy the city walls..."
The commander cried out in alarm, "Dong Zhuo! What are you waiting for!"
"They won't sit still." On the command platform, the legion commander gazed at the last remaining wooden puppet. "Just a little scare and they'll rush into action. The core of that action will inevitably be Kang De; he'll be on the battlefield in person... Hmph, Blade of Dusk, are you ready? Once he appears, then..."
The next moment, he looked puzzled. "What was that sound?"
The adjutant was initially bewildered, then he heard it too—a sound he had never heard before, like a booming and roaring noise, and it was getting closer, approaching from the east of the battlefield...
The command platform was very high, offering a panoramic view of the entire battlefield. The adjutant turned his head and looked out. Under the blazing sun, the vast battlefield stretched out before him. The area that served as the siege battlefield consisted of flattened farmhouses and houses. To the east of the battlefield was a rolling hill. Scouts and scouts scattered in all directions, and sentries were on guard. They had all heard the thunderous roar.
Behind the hills, thick plumes of black smoke rose into the air.
The adjutant shouted, "On alert! Dispatch the scouts... What is that thing?!"
He cried out, for amidst the roar, a colossal steel beast soared high from the highest slope of the hill and crashed to the ground. It resembled the body of a carriage, but was not pulled by any pack animals. Covered in iron armor and shimmering with magical light, it charged toward the city of Valentan at an incredible speed.
Adjutant Ailras blew the horn, ordering the mobile defensive cavalry to encircle and attack. The deep horn sound rang out leisurely—then quickly turned into a flat, inaudible sound.
The adjutant had a stroke.
He saw the most bizarre thing he had ever seen in his life!
Behind the rampaging steel beast, swift black shadows rose from the hills, roared, and landed with lightning speed.
They were strange two-wheeled contraptions, huge and heavy wooden wheels covered with iron, with fangs standing upright, enormous in size, bizarre in shape, even decorated with elven spear tips, shields and heads, messy and tasteless, with thick black smoke spraying from their rear ends.
The strangest thing is that those riding on these two-wheeled monsters are...
"Green skin!"
The legion commander, forgetting to reprimand his adjutant, was taken aback by what he heard.
He thought of the skilled strategist who had appeared in the city, repaired the destroyed catapult, and operated it, posing a great threat to the elven soldiers... and now...
These two things must be related!
Green-skinned... Could they be colluding with the Goth People!? Why? Who started it?
Filled with doubt, he raised his binoculars and looked over. He saw black smoke rising, and green-skinned creatures riding two-wheeled monsters he had never seen before were following the steel behemoth, howling and charging wildly.
Upon seeing this, the legion commander was speechless for a moment, and even understood his adjutant's loss of composure.
What on earth is that green-skinned guy riding?
The largest of the greenskins was riding the biggest monster and wielding the biggest machete. They clashed head-on with a scout unit, blood gushing and limbs flying everywhere. The greenskin cleaved a scout and his war deer in two with a single blow, raised his machete high, and roared into the wind. Although only his mouth could be seen, the legion commander knew exactly what the other was shouting, and that all the greenskins were roaring together!
"WAAAAAGH!"
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PS1: 5000 words!
PS2: Today Song Joong-ki got divorced, Fan Bingbing got divorced, and so-and-so got divorced. I was completely unmoved, and even wanted to laugh. I just thought the entertainment industry was really messy. Then, I saw another piece of news: Wang Feng is having a concert today... Haha...