Thunder and Fire Roar

Night truly was excellent cover, Alpha thought silently as he moved through the darkness.

A vast number of Scourge spiders slowly approached Dauntless Fortress, their rustling sounds chaotic yet strangely orderly, creating an indescribably contradictory feeling. The people atop Dauntless Fortress stared intently at the area illuminated by the burning oil piles, waiting for the spiders to emerge.

The sound of claws scraping across the ground grew louder and louder, seeming to come from every direction and shrouding the entire area. Beads of sweat ran down the soldiers' faces.

Closer, closer. The outlines of the Scourge could already vaguely be seen in the darkness. The instant the first claw appeared, Adona spoke a single word: "Fire."

Musketeers immediately appeared along the walls, firing incendiary rounds. The instant they struck the spiders, flames flashed and the Webweavers' wails rang out. Bullets kept flying, and the illuminated area grew larger and larger, meaning that more and more spiders were arriving. Yet the incendiary rounds and blazing fire barely managed to halt the army's advance.

Alpha paid no attention to the battle behind him. His entire focus was on what lay ahead. The enormous Crypt Lords had not advanced with the troops. Like generals or emperors, they remained in the rear, commanding the Webweavers as they fought desperately at the front.

It would be best if they stayed there and didn't move. If I can blow them all up together, Dauntless Fortress won't have to worry about the Scourge for quite a while. Even at a time like this, Alpha could still think so much.

He made one final check of his target from a hill. Once he destroyed the first one, he would have to move immediately to the second. Please let the ones after this succeed. Alpha silently prayed before vanishing into the darkness.

Carefully avoiding the remaining Webweavers and the powerful Crypt Lords, Alpha alternated between quick and slow movements as he dodged and ran. Once he reached the furthest point near the cave, he took a deep breath and said, "I hope this works. It'd be best if it draws some attention."

He threw in the bomb and immediately sprinted toward the second location. Before the first bomb had even finished burning, the second and third had already been lit and thrown into their caves. Just as the fourth was thrown in, the first bomb finally exploded. The nearest Crypt Lord was decisively blasted away. Then the second and third exploded without hesitation. First, deafening thunder rang through heaven and earth, then the ground began to shake. The shockwaves from the bombs even reached Dauntless Fortress. At last, an ultimate blaze appeared, first as a point, then growing brighter and larger until it burst into raging flames. The Crypt Lords' armor sizzled as it burned, yet astonishingly, even after the Crypt Lords had been blown to death, the inscriptions on their armor still glimmered faintly, having suffered little damage. Unfortunately, the armor did not cover their entire bodies.

On the walls, Adona felt the ramparts shaking. As though he had received an order, he said, "Melee troops, prepare. Mages, prepare." Spears swished through the air as the mages began chanting their spells. The instant the flames rose, he commanded, "Attack." Simple and decisive.

Frostbolts, fireballs, and arcane missiles flew from the mages' hands, striking their targets accurately. Ice fragments scattered, releasing chilling air; fireballs burst, radiating scorching heat; arcane energy created strange ripples. The damage they inflicted was no less than that of the incendiary rounds, perhaps even greater. After all, they were heaven's favored children. Even the most basic spells were immensely powerful, though they consumed a great deal of energy. After casting several spells, the mages began drinking potions to restore their mental strength.

The warriors charged out with long spears in hand. These were not the mercenaries and adventurers from that day. They were warriors clad in heavy armor. Carried by the momentum of their charge, their spears pierced spider after spider without slowing. Yet because of that same momentum, they found it difficult to turn, and were viciously torn apart by the spiders' sharp claws. Red and green blood sprayed across the earth.

Watching flames erupt in the distance, Adona counted silently. One, two, three, four... Damn it, it's been so long. Why hasn't the fifth one detonated yet?

Alpha was now in grave danger. Spiderweb after spiderweb spread out behind him, while he also had to evade all manner of attacks coming head-on. The spiders were not fools. They had reacted after the first explosion, but the second and third Crypt Lords had been too close to escape and were blown to death immediately.

The fourth had a little time to react, so only half of it was blown away. Worthy of being a Crypt Lord, it could still entangle Alpha despite being half crippled, buying the last Crypt Lord ample time. Although Alpha ultimately dealt with it and brutally shattered its core, its rune-covered armor bore deep claw marks. Alpha, meanwhile, was completely surrounded.

Alpha kept dodging. When he could no longer dodge, he struck back. Though these spiders were easily shattered, there were simply too many of them. That damned Crypt Lord had long since hidden outside the encirclement. The longer this dragged on, the more anxious Alpha became. As long as even one Crypt Lord remained, the attack on Dauntless Fortress would not cease.

Am I supposed to blow up this entire area? Alpha thought helplessly. But he only had two explosive packs left, and their fuses took so long to burn. He feared the Crypt Lord would escape. Damn it, I can only do it that way.

Alpha gritted his teeth. He trusted his own recovery ability. Suddenly accelerating toward the Crypt Lord, he lit an explosive pack and threw it out. Just as he had expected, the instant the pack left his hand, the spiders in front of the Crypt Lord pounced on it. One after another, they covered the explosive pack. Instead of moving away from it, Alpha appeared between the explosive pack and the Crypt Lord. The bomb exploded, blasting the pouncing spiders in every direction with the force of the shockwave. Alpha was also struck by the blast as if a fireball had hit him. Blood gathered in his mouth as his body flew toward the Crypt Lord. To make it easier to be thrown back, Alpha had shifted into his werewolf form when he threw the bomb. While flying toward the Crypt Lord, he lit the last explosive pack. At the very last moment before the explosive detonated, Alpha finally flew close to the Crypt Lord and hurled the bomb at the final Crypt Lord with all his strength.

Seeing the bomb flying toward it, the Crypt Lord turned and fled. Unfortunately, before it could even take its first step, the explosive pack burst apart. The shockwave sent Alpha flying again, but this time the impact came directly from the front. The blood in his chest could no longer be held back and surged into his throat. He finally spat blood, slammed heavily into the ground, bounced up again, and rolled several times.

Because of its massive size, the Crypt Lord was not blasted away. But this was no ordinary explosive. The instant it burst open, flames engulfed the Crypt Lord. Everything had happened so suddenly.

Seeing the belated fifth and sixth bursts of flame, Adona finally let out a breath of relief. Looking at the Scourge, who had abandoned their attack, Adona ordered, "Kill them all." Then he went beneath the walls, mounted his horse, and raised his spear.

The gates opened, and Adona led the cavalry out in a stream, charging down the collapsing Scourge army.

In the distance, Alpha finally stopped rolling and staggered to his feet. His mind was muddled, and the scene before him overlapped in countless double images. Suddenly, the world spun. With a bang, Alpha fell to the ground again. Through his haze, he seemed to see a werewolf appear—a very familiar werewolf, one he felt he had seen somewhere before. Then he completely lost consciousness.

Looking at the unconscious Alpha, then at the cavalry charging through the battlefield, the black werewolf confirmed that Alpha's life was not in danger before turning and disappearing.