After a frenzy of revenge, all members of the Blackbeard Family were scalded to the point of near death. Blackbeard was the most severely injured, was still in a coma, but given the extent of his burns, he would be crippled for life even if he didn't die.
The Blackbeard Family is essentially extinct. People treated them like trash, throwing them into a small room, locking them up, and leaving them to fend for themselves.
After the soldiers finished looting the supplies, Unas began to choose his next target. Following the principle of proximity, Blackbeard's neighbor was doomed.
They attacked each slave house one by one, displaying the heads of those who dared to resist to the end with spears, while sparing the lives of those who surrendered obediently. Soon, they had captured more than a dozen slave houses of all sizes.
Unas's assets have skyrocketed, nearly breaking the million mark. Others have also made their own gains: the two mages acquired some valuable documents, Darian and Erigor obtained a pair of two-handed swords made of Blacksteel, and Nightmoon also obtained several daggers. More than a thousand slaves were liberated, mostly Dark Iron Dwarves, and the military strength has increased rather than decreased.
By this time, other slave armies had also arrived. They were very envious of Unas's spoils and immediately joined in the looting.
The remaining slave owners finally understood the principle of mutual dependence and wanted to unite to launch a preemptive strike, but it was too late. The endless stream of slave soldiers was simply beyond their ability to resist.
Unas learned the latest military intelligence from those who came later: the tactic of flooding the city had been a great success. Although they were outnumbered, the Water Elementals had broken through the enemy lines and rendered the Fire Elementals helpless.
Rendaen's main force was surrounded by the city guards and Fire Elementals in the Residential District, making it difficult to advance. The flood also weakened the offensive capabilities of both sides. However, as more and more slaves were freed, the pressure on the city guards would increase, and defeat was only a matter of time.
With the situation looking very promising, Unas relaxed and realized that maximizing his own gains was the most important thing now.
Two hours later, the wealthy district was completely ransacked. The once high and mighty slave owners were killed, tortured, and looted, which boosted the morale of the slave army.
As the most powerful force in the slave army, Unas's wealth doubled, and his men also amassed a fortune.
After a short rest, Unas discussed the matter with several leaders of the slave army and set their next target as the West District barracks.
Firstly, they are close by; secondly, the Water Elemental is in the north and Rendaen is in the south, so the enemies must be concentrated in these two directions. The West District barracks are poorly defended, making it the perfect opportunity to strike.
With so many slaves locked up in the city, the prisons certainly wouldn't be enough; there are probably many people being held in the barracks as well.
Picking on the weak is indeed a sure way to succeed. Only three hundred city garrison soldiers remained in the barracks, and faced with five or six thousand slave soldiers, they offered only token resistance before scattering and fleeing for their lives.
Sure enough, there were a large number of slaves in the barracks. Apart from women, children and the wounded, there were five or six thousand who could immediately join the battle.
Weapons are not a problem; the slaves, who have just been looted, are all covered with confiscated weapons. With a little distribution, everyone will be armed.
After idling for most of the day, and now having amassed an army of over ten thousand slaves, Unas felt it was time to get down to business.
After a brief discussion, the group decided that going north was neither advisable nor necessary. The floodwaters were too deep, and the Water Elementals were currently in control; going there would only be adding insult to injury. It would be better to support Rendaen. Thus, the slave army drew a counter-clockwise circle and launched a renewed attack on the Residential District.
Seawater continuously surged in, flowing into the lava river through the gap beneath the Residential District. It was instantly evaporated into water vapor by the high temperature, then floated back up again, and this process repeated itself endlessly.
The entire area was enveloped in white steam, and the area affected continued to expand. The soldiers fighting here were not only affected by the water flowing under their feet, but also had to endure the sauna-like high temperature, making the battle increasingly difficult to continue.
Rendaen, feeling suffocated, took off his helmet. His beard and hair were soaking wet, as if he had just taken a shower. All his men around him looked just as wretched.
They were in the very heart of the steam, the hottest and most stuffy place. They had never imagined this would happen, and he was at a loss for what to do. Fortunately, the battle reports from elsewhere were all good news. As long as they held on, victory would be theirs.
When Unas's slave army returned from their attack, this was the scene they witnessed: steam mixed with sulfur and a salty, fishy smell filled their nostrils, causing many to sneeze.
Unas scratched his nose and asked the female mage beside him, "Angela, can you clear away this water vapor?"
"Without cutting off the source of the moisture, my efforts to eliminate it in the short term are useless."
If the breach is blocked, the water level will inevitably rise, which is why Rendaen hasn't done so. The current seawater only reaches the calves, and if it's blocked, even Dwarves could drown.
Despite her words, Angela still activated her Ice Barrier. The steam and heat loss naturally disappeared, and those within the barrier immediately felt a refreshing coolness.
Having taken a long detour, they are now located in the northwest of the Residential District, practically right behind the city defense forces, making them vulnerable to a pincer attack.
Due to the laxity of the battle at the front, the city's defense forces were well-prepared on all sides, and the attack failed to achieve its intended surprise effect. However, Angela thrived in this environment.
Gathering water into waves to disrupt the enemy's formation, freezing the seawater beneath their feet, Summon Water Elementals to assist in battle... As a water-specialized Archmage, she has too many methods at her disposal in the water, dazzling all who see them.
Unas and his men used this opportunity to quickly turn the tide, forcing the enemy to divert their left flank to attack them from both sides.
The movements of the city's garrison were immediately known to Rendaen, who was inside the encirclement. No matter how you looked at it, this did not seem like a trap, so the Dwarf lord immediately ordered a fierce attack on the enemy's left flank.
This time the effect was immediately apparent. The city defense lines began to falter, and Rendaen was overjoyed. The long-awaited opportunity to counterattack had finally arrived. No matter how hot or humid it was, they had to endure it. Now, there was only one word: All-out attack!
The battle intensified once again. Unas was at the forefront, relentlessly unleashing a barrage of attacks— Divine Storm, Consecration, Crusader Strike —on the enemy.
One has to admire the tenacity of the city's garrison. There were already more than a dozen corpses piled up in front of him, but the enemy still charged forward fearlessly, just to stop him from advancing any further. This was nothing compared to the enemy in the Black Furnace.
Angela recited a spell, waved her staff, and unleashed a wave of freezing air, freezing the enemy's feet in the seawater. Huoye released a series of Fireballs, each Fireball hitting these "dead targets" precisely, exploding instantly, and limbs and remains flew through the air.
The two mages worked together flawlessly, quickly clearing the room of enemies, allowing the Paladins to Charge forward and attack the next room.
Although the battle was quite intense, it was steadily progressing towards victory.