Defensive Battle II

Jialan followed his gaze and saw the black mass of the Beast Tide still closing in. The soldiers on the walls were already exhausted. He murmured a few words and formed a complex hand seal with both hands. Fresh moisture filled the air as tiny droplets condensed in midair, turning into specks of fluorescent light that entered John's body and slightly healed his superficial wounds.

Jialan stood atop the city wall. The battle had already lasted more than two hours. The cold night wind carried the stench of blood straight into his face. More than half of his magic power had been depleted, yet Magic Beasts continued pouring in from outside the city.

The fortress's remaining five official mages were stationed at various key defensive points. Protected by guards, they focused on killing mutated monsters that ordinary soldiers struggled to handle, such as giant burrowing spiders, flying serpents that could spit venom, and the most troublesome corrupted demon wolves. They were swift as the wind, and their cold, gleaming claws could easily tear through steel.

Jialan was responsible for the eastern wall. The terrain there was higher and the view broader, but that also made it the primary target of Flying Magic Beasts. After more than two hours of continuous fighting, his mental strength was already at its limit.

"Lord Mage! Another group is coming from the left!" a guard beside him shouted.

Jialan gritted his teeth and looked up. Three Corrupted Wing Demons were diving toward them at high speed. Their wings were covered in disgusting pustules, and every flap scattered corrosive liquid. Suppressing his headache, he raised a hand and gathered magic power. A crystalline ice wall rose from the ground in an instant, blocking the corrosive spray. But one of the Corrupted Wing Demons cunningly circled around the ice wall and pounced straight at Jialan...

Clang!

A longsword slashed through the air, cutting the Magic Beast in two. Argyle's tall figure stood in front of Jialan, black blood still dripping from his blade.

"Can you hold on?" he asked in a low voice.

Jialan was about to answer when a commotion suddenly erupted from the southern wall. Through the sea of firelight, he saw several soldiers hurriedly carrying away the unconscious Fire Element mage. The Wind Element mage on the western wall was also being supported by two medics, the hem of his robe riddled with holes where it had been corroded by venom.

"Priest Anna has already gone over," Argyle said, his voice as heavy as stone. "But we can't hold out much longer."

As if confirming his judgment, the city wall suddenly shook violently. Several Stone Trolls nearly three meters tall were battering the gates, each blow making the stone walls tremble. The defenders' arrows struck their granite-like skin and left only faint white marks.

"Prepare the boiling oil!" Captain Kendy shouted himself hoarse, but Jialan could see that the hand gripping his sword was trembling so badly he could barely hold the hilt.

Jialan's heart sank. They were only Junior Mages. Holding on until now against a Beast Tide of this scale had already been their limit.

"At this rate... we won't be able to defend it..." a guard beside him murmured despairingly.

At that moment, Albert's voice came from below the wall.

"Move! Move aside!"

The old mage charged onto the wall, filthy and disheveled, with a black crystal emitting a dim glow clutched in his arms. Jialan recognized it at once. It was a Shadow Crystal, one of the targets of their expedition. He had not expected Albert to actually obtain it. As for the other target, Star Brilliance Grass, that team had probably been wiped out.

Albert rushed, panting, to the defensive magic array at the center of the wall. "Help me activate it!"

Jialan immediately understood his intention. Forcing out the last of his magic power, he pressed his hand against the magic array. The other mages who could still move also hurried over and poured in their magic power.

"Shadow Barrier—Activate!"

Following Albert's chant, the Shadow Crystal slowly merged into the magic array. In an instant, a pitch-black energy barrier spread out like a tide, swiftly covering the entire fortress. The Magic Beasts battering the walls let out piercing screams the moment they touched the barrier, their bodies rapidly melting away as if being corroded.

"It worked..." Jialan's legs gave out, and he nearly dropped to his knees.

The situation temporarily stabilized, but everyone knew this was only a stopgap measure. The Shadow Crystal's energy was limited. At most, it could last a few hours.

Argyle stood at the edge of the wall, staring solemnly into the distance. "I don't know when Deputy Commander Raymond and Master Calvin will return. If..."

He did not finish, but Jialan understood what he meant. If they could not return in time, the fortress would undoubtedly fall.

On the wall, the exhausted soldiers seized the chance to rest. Priest Anna led the healers through the wounded, doing everything she could to treat them.

Several spellcasters took the opportunity to meditate on the wall, recovering their nearly depleted magic power and mental strength. Jialan sat cross-legged in a relatively quiet corner, closed his eyes, and regulated his breathing as he sensed the slowly recovering flow of magic within his body. However, he did not dare immerse himself completely in deep meditation. The beast horde still lingered outside the barrier, their low roars rising and falling as though they were waiting for something.

Something wasn't right...

Jialan frowned slightly. These Magic Beasts were behaving far too strangely. They were not simply attacking a human stronghold. Instead, as though drawn by something, they stared fixedly at the fortress's interior and relentlessly threw themselves against the Shadow Barrier. Some Magic Beasts did not attack directly at all, instead roaming the outskirts as if waiting for an opportunity.

Two hours later, Jialan woke from meditation. His mental strength had recovered considerably, but his magic power had only returned to around sixty percent. He did not dare delay any longer. After hurriedly eating some dry rations and drinking water, he returned to the wall to observe the situation.

"Mage Albert." Jialan walked to the old mage's side and lowered his voice. "The behavior of these Magic Beasts... isn't normal."

Albert stood at the edge of the wall, his cloudy eyes fixed on the distant beast horde. Hearing Jialan's words, he turned his head slightly but did not answer at once.

Jialan continued, "Magic Beasts attacking cities is common, but an assault this frenzied... has never happened before. And they do not seem to simply want to breach the fortress. They seem to be searching for something."

Albert's frown deepened. After a moment of silence, he slowly said, "...You're right."

"You know the reason?" Jialan keenly caught the hesitation in the old mage's words.

Albert's fingers unconsciously rubbed his staff, his gaze drifting toward the command tower at the center of the fortress. "More than ten years ago, when this place was still a temporary camp, Magic Beast attacks were only minor disturbances." His voice suddenly became vague. "But ever since three or four years ago, especially after the new fortress was built, there have been more and more mutated Magic Beasts. Even those low-level Shadow Beasts that originally came from the Shadow Plane have risen in rank. They..." He paused, seemingly hesitating over whether to continue. "They seem to have been drawn here by something."