Defensive Battle I

Suddenly, the two of them felt an unusual tremor coming from the ground beneath their feet. Jialan turned around alertly, ice-blue magical power already gathering in his hand.

"Don't be nervous, it's me." A familiar voice came from underground. Immediately afterward, the ground rippled like water, and a dirt-covered figure slowly rose from below. It was none other than the earth mage Albert!

"Mage Albert!" Jialan was both shocked and delighted. "You're alive!"

The old mage looked utterly bedraggled, his robe torn to shreds and his face covered in scrapes, but his eyes remained bright and sharp. He brushed the dirt from himself and gave a bitter smile. "I may be old, but if there's one thing I'm good at, it's staying alive."

Argyle warily scanned the surroundings. Only after confirming that no one had noticed them did he ask in a low voice, "What about the others?"

Albert shook his head. "They all died in there. The moment I realized things were going bad, I used the Earth-Walking Technique to escape. That was the only reason I got out alive."

The three fell silent for a moment. Jialan thought of the soldiers and mages who had traveled with them. They had not even known why they were dying—for a hypocritical agreement and a filthy deal.

"The fortress is completely surrounded now. We can't get in," Argyle broke the silence.

The old mage smiled mysteriously. "I know a secret passage."

"A secret passage?" Argyle raised an eyebrow.

"That's right." Albert nodded. "When the fortress was built, we earth mages secretly left ourselves some... escape routes. This passage runs from the warehouse district on the eastern side of the fortress straight outside the city. Very few people know about it."

Jialan and Argyle exchanged a glance. This was undoubtedly a gift from heaven.

"Lead the way," Argyle said gravely. "We need to get back inside the fortress as soon as possible. There's no telling when the deputy commander and the others will return. With no one in charge inside the fortress, we have to go back and stabilize the situation."

Albert nodded and led Jialan and Argyle through twists and turns to a mountain hollow. He then pressed both hands against an ordinary earthen wall. The soil parted to either side as if alive, revealing a narrow passage. Its walls were covered in glowing moss, barely providing enough light.

"Stay close," the old mage said as he entered the passage first. "The route is a little winding."

Jialan followed closely behind, while Argyle brought up the rear. The air inside the passage was damp and stifling, but the way was fairly clear. By the moss's faint light, Jialan could see dense roots covering the tunnel walls.

The passage rose and fell, and sometimes they even had to bend over to move forward. Jialan could feel that they were heading toward the center of the fortress. About half an hour later, Albert suddenly stopped.

"The exit is ahead." He pointed at an ordinary-looking stone slab above them. "Once we get through, we'll be in the storeroom of the eastern warehouse."

Albert muttered a few incantations, and the stone slab silently shifted aside. The three climbed out one after another and found themselves in a storeroom piled high with wooden crates. They had barely gotten to their feet when the storeroom door was suddenly pushed open. A familiar figure stood in the doorway—it was Jack, the military physician! When the young doctor saw the three of them, his eyes widened in shock, and the medicine case in his hand fell to the ground with a slap.

"Mage Jialan! You're back!" Jack shouted excitedly, his voice echoing through the cramped storeroom. He hurried forward, his eyes filled with delight. "I heard from Priest Anna that you went out on a mission. The fortress is surrounded by magic beasts and monsters now, and I was worried that you..."

Jialan cut him off and immediately asked, "How is the fortress holding up? Can we still defend it?"

Only then did Jack remember why he had come to the storeroom. His face changed. "Damn it, the medical tents are almost out of medicine! I came here to get supplies!" He hastily grabbed the medicine case from the floor, speaking at a rapid pace. "Things are bad at the walls. There are more and more magic beasts, especially the flying ones. The soldiers have suffered heavy casualties, and Captain Kendy is barely holding on..."

Argyle immediately interrupted him. "There's no time. We split up!"

Jialan nodded and turned to rush out of the storeroom. Chaos reigned inside the fortress. Soldiers ran back and forth, the wounded were carried toward the medical area, and the air was thick with the smell of blood and burning. He quickened his pace, pushed through the crowded corridors, and headed straight for the walls.

When Jialan climbed onto the wall, the sight before him made his heart tighten.

Under the night sky, the barrier protecting the fortress had already shattered. Countless magic beasts roared outside the walls as the black mass of the Beast Tide crashed against the defenses without end. Even more dangerous were the Flying Magic Beasts circling overhead. Some resembled giant bats, while others looked like massive eagles. Shadow Energy covered their bodies, and they had sharp claws and pointed beaks. Every dive took another soldier's life.

Not far away, Jialan spotted a familiar figure—John Marcus, the Squad Leader of the border garrison and an old acquaintance of his.

John and several soldiers were surrounded by three Flying Magic Beasts, and the situation was extremely dire. His armor was covered in claw marks and blood, and his movements were noticeably slower than before. He had clearly been fighting for far too long. One soldier had his chest pierced by a magic beast's claws and fell with a scream, while another beast opened its bloody maw and bit toward the back of John's neck.

"Watch out!" Jialan shouted. Without hesitation, he tore open a scroll that had somehow appeared in his hand. The moisture in the air instantly condensed into a sharp Ice Crystal Spear that shot through the air.

"Pfft!"

The ice spear pierced the magic beast's head with perfect accuracy, sending black blood spraying out. John abruptly turned around. When he saw Jialan, a trace of surprise appeared on his exhausted face. "Mage Jialan? You're back!"

"Don't lose focus!" Jialan warned sharply as he gathered magic power again and rapidly chanted an incantation.

The other two magic beasts let out piercing shrieks and lunged at him from both sides. Blue light flashed in Jialan's eyes. He crossed his hands and gave a low shout.

"Frost Shield!"

"Boom!"

A solid ice shield barely formed around him in time. The magic beasts slammed into it and howled in pain. Jialan did not stop. With a flick of his finger, the ice shield instantly shattered into countless sharp ice spikes that rained down upon the magic beasts!

"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!"

The two magic beasts were riddled with holes and crashed heavily to the ground. After the string of battles he had gone through recently, he was no longer the inexperienced novice he had been at the academy. His combat experience had become exceptionally rich.

John seized the chance to catch his breath, supporting himself with his longsword as he stood. He gave a bitter smile. "You came at just the right time... A little later, and I might not have held on."

Jialan strode over, frowning as he examined John's injuries. "You don't look like you're in good shape!"

John shook his head with a bitter smile and looked beyond the walls. "The magic beasts' attacks are getting fiercer. We don't have enough men, and the defense line could collapse at any moment."