Surprise Attack! A Host of Big Shots Arrive! (Bonus Chapter for "One")

During the day, Rein helped the Witch Doctor treat the wounded soldiers sent from the front lines, and at night he went to the Bamboo House to learn the "Ancient Demon Language" from Mafat.

Days passed by like this.

The fighting on the front lines is becoming increasingly intense.

As the massive Mechanical City of City of Radiance gradually advanced to the edge of the Ashen Forest, more and more of the surrounding Kolman Tribe were slaughtered and destroyed.

A few days ago, the Blue-tailed Hawk sent the latest battle report, saying that large armies had been found gathering in several directions on the outskirts of the forest, and it seemed that the Five Great Families of City of Radiance were ready for a large-scale invasion.

Upon hearing the news, the remaining three elders of the tribe—Habu, the first warrior of Coleman, Dale, the "Ghost Mushroom Elder," and Mikhail, the "Wind Demon Elder"—led warriors from various tribes to the front lines to provide support.

This day.

No one expected that a group of uninvited guests dressed in cloaks would suddenly appear in a mountain valley less than three kilometers from the Central Temple.

Judging by the number, there must have been several hundred people.

Upon closer inspection, their cloaks were quite peculiar; they were not textiles, but rather woven from living plants.

Even more strangely, the cloak was not only covered with fresh green leaves, but also with blooming flowers of various colors. Like a chameleon, it could change the color of the cloak's surface according to the surrounding environment.

To the eye, this group of people looked as if they were wearing an invisibility cloak, blending seamlessly into the surrounding forest.

Suddenly, the group stopped.

An old man looked at a compass-shaped magical artifact covered in intricate magical inscriptions and pointed out a direction.

"It's confirmed! The concentration of magical markers is three miles to the southeast, which should be in that valley. It looks like that's where those barbarians' lair is!"

Upon hearing this, everyone could not hide their excitement.

"Did we finally find it?"

"Hehe, those barbarians probably never expected that we would launch a surprise attack on their Midgard."

"It's all thanks to Clan Head Kid's strategy. He deliberately severely injured some barbarians, leaving magical marks on them, which allowed us to track them and find our way here. Tsk tsk, otherwise, if we had relied on the Mechanical City to sweep through, it would have taken several more months, and the cooked duck would have flown away."

"."

Looking into the distance, one can already see wisps of smoke rising from the valley, as well as thicker clouds of black fog than anywhere else in the forest.

Everyone looked delighted.

After traveling for so many days, they finally found the barbarian's lair!

"The effect of the strategy was negligible, and I dare not take credit for it."

Praised, one of the leading Red Robe Archmage smiled and shook his head, then said, "Great Wizard Dia's 'Cloak of Nature' is the real reason; otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to evade the barbarians' scouting and silently infiltrate the heart of the forest."

The Red Robe Archmage who spoke was none other than Kid Miller, the patriarch of the Miller Family, one of the Five Great Families of City of Radiance.

Behind him stood a group of several hundred people, almost all clad in varying shades of red Mage Robe beneath their cloaks. This was clearly the high-ranking Mage Corps of the Five Great Families of City of Radiance!

Upon hearing this,

A sinister old woman's voice rang out, echoing in everyone's ears. "It's not just those barbarians who know how to control the forces of nature; we wizards also originate from nature."

As she spoke, she raised her head, revealing a sharp and mean-spirited old wolf-like face, and sneered, "That old codger Kipling Winster obtained the [Fire Totem] and broke through to the Grand Magus realm in one leap. Tsk tsk. I didn't expect such a valuable treasure to be passed down in these Barbarian Tribe."

The fact that someone could speak to the head of the Winst Family, the head of the Five Great Families of City of Radiance, in such an elder's tone, was certainly not simple.

If anyone were here, they would surely recognize that the old woman speaking is a well-known figure.

It was none other than Dia Bannira, one of the "Top Ten Legendary Demon Hunters" and known as the "Black Witch".

The most powerful wizard in the realm of black magic!

As the old woman spoke, she rubbed her staff with her withered, claw-like hands.

A gentle breeze blew, and the plant cloaks on the group immediately grew even thicker. Having finished casting the spell, she said, "I don't care what you want, that [Wood Totem] must be given to me as promised."

Upon hearing this, the patriarch of one of the Five Great Families readily agreed, saying, "Of course!"

Just then, another burly man at the front of the group said, "I, Rocky, am also very interested in that [Strength Totem]. After we massacre this barbarian Midgard today, I hope the city lords will assist me in besieging and killing that powerful barbarian named 'Habu' as promised."

The person who said this was none other than Rocky Lefar, the only Grandmaster of Combat in the Oma Empire! Although not a legend, his combat strength was by no means inferior.

Just then, a lazy voice interrupted everyone.

"Hey, hey, hey, let's talk about the loot after we've finished fighting! I'm only interested in that super-skilled barbarian you mentioned. Let's get going, my dual swords are itching for a fight!"

The man who spoke was dressed in an incongruous manner.

He wore a straw hat, had long, black hair, a thick beard, and a slovenly swordsman's robe. A gourd of wine hung at his waist, and large patches of pink cherry blossom tattoos could be seen on his bare chest.

This man was unremarkable in appearance, but he was none other than one of the "Ten Great Legends"—the renowned founder of the Dual Blades style in the Xid Empire, the headmaster of the Musashi Kendo Dojo, and the "Frost Moon Sword Master" Carlo Gracey!

Besides these few top-tier fighters, swordsmen, and spellcasters, the team also includes some equally formidable "big shots," all of whom are renowned top professionals in both empires.

In addition, the Red Robe Mage legions of the Five Great Families of City of Radiance, though small in number, are absolutely a force capable of destroying everything.

Seeing that everyone was starting to get impatient, Kid Miller spoke again.

"Gentlemen, we of City of Radiance will certainly fulfill our promises to you. However, I believe that this Barbarian Tribe possesses more than just a few valuable heirloom totems; there are likely many more treasures within. I urge everyone to give it your all when we engage in battle."

"Yes, according to the information we obtained from soul-searching, the temple of the 'Seventy-Two Divine Generals' should be located in that pit emitting black smoke not far away. Perhaps we'll gain even more after we slaughter all these barbarians."

"Let's kill them first. That temple is hardly a safe place. Whether we can find the 'Divine Power Crystal' then is up to each of us!"

"Good!"

The group then exchanged a few more words about tactical arrangements.

At that moment, the Black Witch Dia suddenly let out a soft exclamation, "Huh, we must have been discovered by that Great Shaman!"

"Wow? Looks like you're really good."

Hearing this, Carlo, the Frost Moon Sword Master, stroked the longsword at his waist, his fighting spirit growing stronger. With an expression that said, "That suits me perfectly," he said, "Then there's no need to hide anymore, let's go straight for it! The barbarian elites are already tied down on the outskirts of the forest and won't be back for a while. Let's wipe out the barbarians in the valley first!"

"Hehe. I'm also very curious, what kind of treasures can the barbarian Central Courtyard Tribe find!"

"Let's get started!"

"."

Everyone was filled with fighting spirit.

At that moment, Kidd acted decisively, shouting, "Clan, prepare a multi-target area-of-effect spell! Fourth Tier mages, chant [Exploding Flames], and fifth-tier mages, coordinate with [Arcane Spell: Falling Rocks], and try to cripple those barbarians with the first wave of area-of-effect magic!"

"Yes, Chieftain!"

The Mage Corps removed their cloaks, their expressions solemn, and began chanting magical incantations.

Hundreds of people chanted in unison, and in an instant, an enormous and terrifying magical power surged straight into the sky!

Meanwhile, the "Temple Tribe" was almost completely unaware of the arrival of the uninvited guests.

Rein was treating the wounded in the village.

Suddenly, Bazel appeared beside him, shouting, "Something's happened! Let's go!"

Before Rein could react, the legend grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the Witch Doctor's hut.

While Rein was still pondering Bazel's "shout," he suddenly saw his surroundings change and he found himself on a hillside several hundred meters away.

What happened?

Rein was about to ask something, he turned to see Bazel beside him staring solemnly at the sky.

Upon seeing this, Rein's gaze immediately froze, and his expression changed drastically!

Hundreds of six-pointed Hexagram Magic Array suddenly appeared hundreds of meters above the ground, half of them fiery red and half of them pale yellow earth, and the patterns of the circles became clearer and clearer.

Rein understood immediately and exclaimed inwardly, "Someone is casting a spell!"

In that instant, dense fire and earth elements condensed above the tribe, and huge rocks the size of water tanks materialized out of thin air.

Then, enveloped by fire elements, it burst into flames, turning into clumps of "fire meteors".

"This is... a group spell?"

Rein was horrified. Although it wasn't the first time he had witnessed such a large-scale area-of-effect spell, this was on a completely different level from the spellcasting groups he had seen at the Plague Base!

Neither elemental condensation nor casting distance and range can compare.

The sky at this moment looks like a meteor shower falling on Earth, terrifying as if it were the end of the world!

Bazel, standing nearby, also looked wary. He squinted and followed the traces of the surging magic to find the source of the spell, saying, "This is a group spell, Meteor Fire Rain. There are at least two or three hundred high-level Mage Corps casting this spell on the cliff to the north."

He paused, then said in a solemn tone, "Only the City of Radiance can field a high-level Mage Corps of this scale!"

"The Mage Corps of City of Radiance has attacked this place?"

Rein's expression also changed drastically.

Although the fighting on the front lines was fierce, it was by no means at the point where the enemy was forcing them to retreat to their stronghold.

"Lure the tiger away from the mountain!"

His eyes darted around, and he instantly realized that this might be a scheme.

The reason they amassed a large number of troops in the forest before was to draw away the main force of the Kolman Tribe!

However, even if one knew about this scheme in advance, there would still be no way to solve it.

After all, they had an overwhelming advantage in numbers and manpower.

If the tribe doesn't send people out to wage guerrilla warfare, the Mechanical City will rampage through the forest unimpeded. At that point, the only remaining option will be for the Kolman Tribe to concentrate their forces for a decisive battle.

That played right into the hands of those guys from City of Radiance.

The Mechanical City has never been afraid of head-on confrontations. They were just worried that their various tribes were scattered, and it would be even better if they could unite them for a decisive battle!

Although they hadn't expected the Five Great Families of City of Radiance to launch a surprise attack on the Central Courtyard Tribe, and they didn't know how the five families had managed to evade the Kolman Warrior' reconnaissance and infiltrate this place, they were still surprised.

But now, it's too late to say anything!

Judging from the number of high-level Magic Array in the sky, it is clear that the high-level magic groups of the Five Great Families of City of Radiance have probably all come out in full force!

In the instant that Rein's thoughts raced, the raging boulders in the sky had already materialized and were falling to the ground like raindrops.

Whoosh~ Whoosh~ Whoosh.

The fiery boulders rubbed violently against each other in the air, producing a series of chilling whooshing sounds that sent shivers down one's spine.

Plunging hundreds of meters from the sky, gravity accelerated the fireballs to a terrifying speed. Like cannonballs, they exploded upon impact with tremendous force, scattering debris hundreds of meters and easily embedding themselves a foot into wood!

Thud! Thud! Thud.

The raindrops fell like raindrops, so densely packed that it sounded like a mountain collapsing and the earth splitting open.

How could those thatched huts in the tribe withstand a meteor shower? They were smashed to pieces in an instant.

Those high-level warriors could dodge some attacks with their agile reflexes, or even shatter them.

But this meteor shower was too dense!

In the most densely built areas of the valley, a fireball falls on almost every square meter, making it impossible to avoid.

At this moment, nearly 100,000 people in the tribe, 80% of whom were wounded, elderly, weak, sick, or disabled, had no chance of escaping.

The fireballs continued to fall, accompanied by endless screams of agony.

Waaah... waaah... waaah.

The war horns have sounded in the tribe, and the warriors are beginning to assemble.

They formed a defensive array, holding up their massive shields, trying to block the fiery rain from the sky and protect their people. But while the high-ranking warriors could hold out, how could the lower-ranking warriors withstand such immense force?

Moreover, these shields were made of rough iron sheets and were not enchanted for shock absorption. After several rounds of impact from the boulders, the shield-bearing warriors were smashed to pieces, suffering heavy casualties.

Rein looked at the tragic scene before him, but there was nothing he could do.

This kind of area-of-effect spell is simply beyond human resistance.

The power and resources of City of Radiance's top-tier Mage Corps are indeed as terrifying as the rumors suggest.

This first round of spells alone has probably killed or injured tens of thousands of Kolman people!

Meanwhile, Bazel, standing beside him, turned his gaze to the cliff not far away, where the magic was surging most intensely. His expression grew increasingly solemn as he said, "Rein, many top experts have arrived, and at least two legends!"

Thump, thump, thump

The Meteor Fire Rain continued to rage, and despair and panic spread like a tide throughout the tribe.

Just then, suddenly, the wind howled.

A strange wind suddenly blew through the village!

Whew! Whew! Whew!

The wind was so strong that it extinguished the flames of hundreds of fireballs in the sky, and even blew the rain of stones off course.

Someone shouted, "It's the High Priest who has made his move!"

Rein stared intently and saw a hunched figure performing a strange dance on the altar not far away.

The old man's body was covered in shimmering totems, and he roared to the sky, "Summon the wind!"

His voice was so deep it sounded like a demon god's, echoing throughout the valley.

Rein understood; it was the Ancient Demon Language!

He knew that it was the shaman pleading for the power of the gods!

Knowing that a powerful enemy was approaching, Mafat immediately activated his ultimate move.

Then came another series of loud shouts.

"Calling the wind," "Calling the wind," "Calling the wind."

The demonic wind grew stronger and stronger, until it finally blew away the fire and earth elements that had gathered in the sky!

"Damn invaders are here! Warriors, follow me and kill them!"

"May the Morogos God protect us! Charge! Slay the invaders!"

"Rush"

The Kolman Tribe warriors in the tribe had a chance to catch their breath and regrouped. The knights whistled, summoned their magical mounts, and charged towards the magically surging cliff.

"So powerful! There's actually such a top-tier expert among those barbarians!"

"It must be that Great Shaman. Ha, that old man's cultivation level is actually so high!"

"He's probably not much different from Master Cavo."

"Tsk tsk, there's a strange power in my senses. Otherwise, no matter how high his rank, his spells couldn't possibly possess such power. That altar must be something similar to our Magic Tower."

"What a pity, all the barbarian experts are tied up at the front lines. No matter how strong that old man is, he'll die here today! I refuse to believe that his magic power alone can rival our hundred-man squad. Prepare the fourth-ring area-of-effect spell [Wheel of Departing Fire], and use the wind to burn these barbarians to death."

"Heh heh, that old guy is indeed very strong. If he were only concerned with himself, we might not be able to do anything to him. But to still be thinking about protecting these barbarians, he's just courting death!"

"."

The people on the cliff were also quite startled by this strange wind, but that was all.

They had anticipated resistance, but they were not afraid at all.

The City of Radiance's most prized "Mage Corps" is not so easily resisted.

Even if Ten Great Legends were gathered here, they would absolutely not dare to confront its sharp edge head-on.

Years of teamwork had made the spellcasting of these Red Robe Mage perfectly coordinated. With a wave of their hands, the magic incantation was completed, and hundreds of wheel-sized fireballs suddenly appeared on the cliff. In the blink of an eye, they rolled down the cliff.

But the next moment, a bizarre scene unfolded!

That demonic wind could scatter boulders, yet it couldn't disperse these light, floating elemental fire wheels!

The wind blew it away, but instead of extinguishing it, it sped up faster and faster.

Wherever the fiery wheels passed, only scorched earth remained!

On the altar, the hunched old man was still dancing that strange sacrificial dance, his aura growing ever stronger.

Behind him, a majestic phantom of a divine general slowly materialized, which was none other than "Morogos," the god of faith of the Monkel Tribe!

Upon seeing this, Bazel's pupils constricted sharply, and he blurted out, "This... this Great Shaman Mafat, his 'Demonization Body' is actually this powerful?!"

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