A Grim Battle

The army continued its march toward Flying Bear Fortress, while Bertley City was already awash in blood.

"Haha... I'm back!"

A shout soared into the sky, and could be heard clearly even deep within the secret passage.

"Our chance has come, let's go!"

After saying that, Anthony rolled over and lay down in the canoe without any hesitation.

Only the tears in the corners of his eyes betrayed the sadness in his heart.

The rebirth of the sealed lich means that his father is already dead.

To break the ancestral seal, obtaining the key is not enough; Blood Sacrifice by a direct descendant is also required.

The canoe moved slowly forward, and the escape officially began, marking the end of the once illustrious Laibolong Family.

Perhaps one day they will reclaim their family business, but that will be the beginning of another legendary story.

The phantom gradually solidified, and the lich, having broken free of its cage, was stunned by the scene before it the moment it opened its eyes.

A group of menacing Beastfolk experts came to his door, surrounded him, and started fighting without saying a word.

Explanation is pointless; just look at the city full of Undead Beastfolk, and you'll know he's caused trouble again...

Whether it's a curse or not, ever since he became the Lich King, he's either on his way to cause trouble or causing trouble.

The direct consequence was that he was hunted down throughout the entire continent until he suffered a severe blow more than a hundred years ago, when he was seized and sealed away by the ancestors of the Laibolong Family.

After a century of silence, the Laibolong Family finally faced its end, only to be besieged by powerful Beastfolk just as it was beginning to be reborn.

Deep down, he had already cursed Count Landon's entire family. If that guy hadn't been completely annihilated, he would have dragged Count Landon out and turned him into Undead, burning his soul every day.

Faced with the overwhelming attack from the enemy, the Lich King instantly regained his senses.

He had stumbled into Beastfolk's lair, and the group surrounding him was at least on par with human Earth Knight. (7)

The most powerful of them even reached the level of Sky Knight, truly a deadly weapon in the human world. (8)

Besides the dozen or so Beastfolk warriors, there were also three Beastfolk Ritual, all of whom were comparable to human Magister. (7)

Faced with such a lineup, let alone his recent resurgence, even if he were at his peak, he would still be doomed.

If it weren't for the buff from the Undead Sky, the Lich King would have perished here in that instant.

"Stop it! Let's talk this out!"

It's hard to believe that such words came from the mouth of a lich.

However, the Lich King knew his own predicament; facing so many powerful figures, even the Undead Sky couldn't hold out for long.

He was thoroughly fed up with the little dark room he had been confined in for over a hundred years and had no desire to come back a second time.

There might not even be a second chance. The casket is the lich's lifeblood, but that doesn't mean that if you can't find it, you can't destroy a lich.

Although the process might be a bit troublesome, given the hatred he's generated, he reckons these powerful Beastfolk won't mind putting in a little effort.

"Hmph! Now you know you're going to regret it? Too late. You'd better just leave your life behind!"

While responding verbally, their hands didn't stop, clearly indicating their intention to wipe them out completely.

The negotiations failed, and in the blink of an eye, the Lich King's still-unformed body was severely injured.

The Undead Sky, which provided a combat power boost, was now teetering on the brink of collapse.

The brutal battle thoroughly enraged the Lich King. His anger subsided, and he roared, "You forced me to this!"

Upon witnessing this scene, the experienced orc Beastfolk retreated hastily, but it was too late.

The Lich King's self-destruction was like a fuse, and the entire Bertley Fortress exploded, resembling a towering mushroom cloud that could be clearly seen from dozens of miles away.

The Bertley City was destroyed, and the Beastfolk army that had entered the city was also buried. Even the Beastfolk army camp outside the city was affected by the explosion.

The entire city was a giant self-destruct formation, and the self-destructing Lich King was just a trigger. One can't help but admire the grand scale of the ancestors of the Laibolong Family.

Faced with such an explosion, the group of powerful Beastfolk who participated in the siege also failed to gain any advantage.

The three relatively fragile Beastfolk Ritual were completely wiped out, and the Beastfolk warriors also suffered heavy losses.

After the explosion, only one person was able to stand up. Of the dozen or so people who fought together, only three were still able to groan on the ground; the fate of the rest was unknown.

The astonishing explosion shocked the Bearman Emperor, who was commanding his army outside the city.

He dusted himself off, not bothering to tidy his appearance, and in his panic, hurriedly gave the order:

"Quickly send men in to search for survivors!"

The Bearmen suffered a huge loss in this battle.

Just by looking at this city reduced to ruins, it's clear that few of the soldiers who entered it survived.

The loss of soldiers was already irreversible. However, the powerful figures sent into the city still needed to be dispatched to search for and rescue them.

Looking back, the camp that had once stretched for miles was now completely bare.

All that could be heard were cries of agony, clearly indicating that the Beastfolk army outside the city had also been affected.

The exact losses have not yet been tallied, but the Bearman Emperor is certain that this is the most devastating loss the Orc Empire has suffered since the start of the war.

Most importantly, the one that suffered the heaviest losses in this wave was his Bearman Imperial Court.

If he had known that Bertley Fortress contained such horrors, he would never have chosen it as his point of attack.

The border of the Moxi Duchy stretches for hundreds of miles. It doesn't matter where you attack, so why bother with such a tough nut to crack?

Regret is useless now; this battle was orchestrated by the Bearman Imperial Court. The main force participating in the siege was also the Bearman Heavy Infantry.

It doesn't take much thought to know that the elite legion responsible for the main attack on Bertley City is now essentially useless.

The next thing to consider is not how to restore the legion's combat effectiveness, but whether to abolish the legion's organizational structure.

Fortunately, he had a slight obsession with cleanliness and disliked the bloody atmosphere of the city after the recent battle, so he didn't rush to move the main camp into the outer city; otherwise, the losses would have been even greater.

The Bearman Emperor was not only troubled by his own heavy losses, but also by the need to give an explanation to his allies. The Eagle Man Air Force, which came to assist, also suffered heavy losses in this wave.

The three Eaglemen thousand-man flying regiments were relocated to the outer city yesterday. Except for the Eaglemen soldiers who went out on patrol, the rest were all taken away in one go.

If this matter is not handled properly, it will not be as easy as it is now to get air support from allies in the future.

The deafening explosion also caught Hudson's attention. He even sent Beldens with Projection Stone to investigate what had happened.

The unknown is the most terrifying thing. An explosion of this magnitude, even just the aftershocks, could kill him.

For safety's sake, let the tough-skinned Beldens.

With the Earth Bear's defensive capabilities, its scattered area-of-effect attacks pose little threat, and its resilience is absolutely top-notch.

Hudson's expression changed drastically as he looked at the ruins recorded in the Projection Stone.

What on earth could possibly destroy a city?

Forbidden Spell, Magic Array, or perhaps something else entirely?

In any case, Hudson could not recall a way to create an explosion of this magnitude.

"Beldens, have you figured anything out?"

Hudson asked with concern.

Strength determines perspective. Just because a weak knight or mage like him can't see the big picture doesn't mean Beldens can't see the problem either.

After all, he comes from a family with a long tradition of learning. Thanks to the knowledge passed down from generation to generation by his ancestors, he has accumulated a great deal of expertise.

"The battlefield still bears the scent of liches, and there are many torn Undead soldiers. I reckon there was a lich among those who participated in the battle."

As for the explosion, it was likely caused by numerous self-destruct Magic Array pre-planted by the city's lord, which detonated after the city fell.

Beldens said nonchalantly.

It was clear that the Young Bear didn't take the assembled Magic Array seriously.

This kind of formation, with its dispersed power, is not very effective against tough-skinned individuals, but it would be a deadly weapon against ordinary people.

Setting up a self-destruct Magic Array is simple, but that only applies to small Magic Array.

Hudson had never heard of anything like this before, where multiple Magic Array were linked together and detonated simultaneously.

If this could be rolled out on a large scale, I reckon Beastfolk would be terrified when attacking cities. They wouldn't dare enter a city without checking it five, six, seven, or eight times.

Once it was confirmed that it was their own people who caused it, Hudson felt relieved. He had been worried that the Beastfolk army might come to intercept them separately, but now he didn't need to worry about that anymore.

Just from the image on the Projection Stone, it's clear that the Beastfolk suffered heavy losses this time.

The losses were not only in the number of soldiers killed, but also in the blow to morale.

Every living being is subject to fear.

It's estimated that the massive explosion just now will be etched deep into the hearts of countless Beastfolk, becoming an indelible mark.

Though he didn't say anything, Hudson couldn't help but applaud the Laibolong Family in his heart; they had done a fantastic job.

And then, that was it.

The Beastfolk army suffered heavy losses, which was indeed the best time to take advantage of the situation, but the problem was that Hudson couldn't do it!

The two sides were several dozen miles apart, and by the time the infantry slowly passed by, the other side had already come to their senses.

A cavalry raid would be the best option, but unfortunately he only had one cavalry regiment, not a cavalry legion.

With such a small force, it's a bargain, and it's only thanks to the Lord of Dawn's blessing that they didn't get killed in return.

"Kill!"

"Kill!"

Anthony and his group were clearly not very lucky.

Having just emerged from the underground river and traveled less than thirty li, they encountered Behemoth Cavalry had come to investigate after hearing the news.

No need for many words; the single word "kill" perfectly encapsulates the relationship between the two parties.

Despite the numerous skilled warriors of the Laibolong Family, their numbers were far too disparate compared to the Behemoth Cavalry before them.

On a vast, flat plain, two legs are destined to outrun four, especially when you're carrying a few burdens.

If we can't leave, then we have no choice but to fight.

With their formidable individual fighting skills, the two sides fought back and forth to a standstill.

However, as time went on, the disadvantage of having fewer people gradually became apparent.

Faced with the overwhelming number of Behemoth Cavalry, even though the Laibolong Family was not weak, they gradually showed signs of defeat.

Watching his guards die one by one in battle, Anthony's heart was bleeding.

These are the fruits of the Laibolong Family's hard work; it would take more than ten or twenty years to cultivate them.

Especially when the family suffers a major disaster, there will be no way to replenish the bloodline for a long time to come.

It can be said that with each loss of a person, the difficulty for the Laibolong Family to rebuild increases.

Without the protection of these experts, let alone rebuilding the family, it's uncertain whether the brothers could even survive in this chaotic world.

There's no use in being anxious. This new patriarch has limited strength, and even if he joins the battle, he won't be able to play much of a role. Instead, he'll only distract the guards in the battle.

As his men fell one after another, the Behemoth officer riding on his war beast gradually darkened his expression.

The losses are simply too great.

The ongoing fighting has resulted in the death toll of Behemoth soldiers reaching triple digits, almost matching the casualties of a single battle.

If it weren't for his intuition telling him that they had caught a big fish, he wouldn't have been willing to lead his men to fight to the death here.

I wanted to rush forward several times, but I ultimately suppressed the thought.

Although he is quite strong, there are also experts among his enemies. If he were to be ambushed by one of them, it would be another tragedy.

Seemingly sensing something, the aloof Behemoth officer's face lit up with joy, and he immediately gave the order:

"Go and arrest those kids first!"

Upon receiving the order, the Behemoth Cavalry instantly changed their target and charged straight at the children who were being protected by the crowd.

Forced by the guards to separate and intercept, the three old men, unaware of what was happening, exchanged glances. Suddenly, two Earth Knight broke away from the group, shouting, "Get out of here!"

The figure darted out and headed straight for the Behemoth officer.

Both sides had a remarkably similar goal: to capture the king.

Upon seeing this, the Behemoth Cavalry along the way hurriedly intercepted them.

Seeing the enemy approaching, the Behemoth officer sneered, raised his greatsword, and charged forward to meet them.

The reason I was wary earlier was because the enemy also had a Magister, and I was worried about being attacked by all three of them.

Now that the enemy's Magister is tied up by the cavalry, there's no need to back down.

The moment they exchanged blows, the two old men's expressions changed drastically. The aura emanating from this Behemoth officer was almost on par with their own.

Two against one should have given them a significant advantage, but unfortunately, the enemy was a Behemoth Knight, who also had a giant beast beneath him to fight alongside him.

For a time, the two sides were evenly matched and locked in a stalemate.

The two old men looked increasingly solemn, seemingly worried about the battle unfolding around them, but the middle-aged Behemoth grew more and more courageous with each battle.

As a Behemoth, the gene for war was already ingrained in his bones, and a battle of equal strength was exactly what he wanted.

The struggle for life and death is what truly unleashes the potential of living beings.

Both sides were busy fighting, and neither noticed the scouts that appeared several miles away.