Unexpected Twist

With a thud, Archer Captain Ina dropped to her knees. Her right hand gripped her longbow fiercely, her body half leaning against its shaft.

At this point, the Night Elf faction's Moon Well water had all been used up. Though they had conserved it carefully, compared to the seemingly boundless army of monsters, it was merely a drop in the ocean—not nearly enough. They had reached the point of running out of both supplies and strength. Ina felt pain throughout her body, and her right hand, which had constantly drawn the bowstring, was practically ruined. Repeatedly drawing the bow could be temporarily healed with Moon Well water, but it did not come without damage, much less now, when there was no Moon Well water left to replenish them.

At the very least, Ina's numb right hand was the clearest proof. Archer Captain Ina could no longer fire even a single arrow. At this moment, the archer captain no longer had even the slightest strength to fight—or resist.

If there had still been Moon Well water, she might have been able to recover her combat strength. But now, even the last drops had been turned into magic power and poured into Tyrande's body. That meant the power to decide the outcome of this battle was now in someone else's hands, no longer something she could control.

In this battle, Ina was basically without any combat ability. All she could do was drag down the entire team. Of course, "drag down" was not quite accurate, because only a handful of people in the entire force still had the strength to fight. The rest had either collapsed from exhaustion or been wounded and were staying in the rear.

Although Archer Captain Ina was only one of them, it made her feel even more ashamed. Among so many Level 6 experts, she alone had lost her combat strength in such a short time. This result was hard for the normally cold and aloof Ina to accept.

"Captain, it isn't your fault. You killed Level 6 magical beasts—nearly forty of them, at the very least. Even the Priestess of the Moon could not possibly be dissatisfied with such a record. You've already done your very best!" Farsna stood alone in front of Archer Captain Ina and spoke to her. Her face was stern as she blocked every monster that came to attack.

"Farsna, don't worry about me. Go help the other sisters kill the enemy!" Seeing Farsna like this, the usually cold-faced Archer Captain Ina could not help but be moved. Her eyes reddened, but she forcibly held it back. She knew this was not the time to discuss such things.

"No. You are everyone's hero. Fighting for you is the honor of me, Farsna the archer. I will never leave you!" A resolute look appeared on Farsna's face, and the determination in her voice made Ina's heart tremble.

"No matter what, as a member of your team, I will never abandon my companions!"

"Thank you." Archer Captain Ina said softly. The frozen chill in her eyes slowly began to melt.

"We're all sisters, and you are the captain of us archers. Farsna cannot bear to accept those words of thanks!" Surprise flashed through Farsna's eyes, but she refused them.

"No. I, Ina, swear that as long as I can escape this crisis, I will treat my comrades as my dearest sisters and never let them down!" Archer Captain Ina said with a smile. Even in this desperate moment, she appeared remarkably calm. For some reason, the heroes who represented justice in every story always seemed to be fearless in the face of death. Perhaps heroes were destined to be heroes, beyond the understanding of ordinary people.

"Yes, Captain!" A faint smile appeared on Farsna's previously solemn face, but it quickly vanished as she focused on the enemies before her.

"Master, you have to come quickly. Otherwise, we truly won't have any way out!" Archer Captain Ina let out a soft sigh, her eyes flickering as though she were considering how to deal with the situation before them.

Searing Arrow! Priestess of the Moon Tyrande raised her hand and fired an arrow, instantly piercing what appeared to be a Level 5 monster. But after that monster turned into a cloud of black smoke, even more creatures surged forward in a packed tide.

Tyrande's head ached slightly. Although she was much stronger than before, even a fierce tiger could not withstand a pack of wolves. Against these fearless monsters, no matter how powerful she was, it would be difficult for her to repel their army. Besides, large-scale combat was not her specialty; support and scouting were what she excelled at.

In this kind of group battle, she could provide considerable support to the archers and Huntresses, but she lacked the commanding presence that could inspire everyone and lead from the front. Thus, she could hardly become a blazing beacon that stirred the army's morale. Tyrande clearly understood that in any army, her skills were suited to serving as an accompanying strategist and adviser, not to taking on the vital role of commander.

"I really don't know why these things can't be killed off. Something must be controlling all this from the shadows, closely watching the current situation. So unless we reach a critical moment, we absolutely cannot reveal all our strength. Otherwise, our side will have no chance of survival at all." Priestess of the Moon Tyrande looked over the battlefield. Although quite a few monsters had broken through the defensive line, Tyrande did not act rashly. She used Searing Arrow to save her allies only when they faced genuine danger.

It was precisely because Tyrande had adopted this tactic that the Night Elf faction's forces had not suffered any actual deaths from the beginning until now. Some Night Elf soldiers had sustained minor injuries when they were not paying attention, but more had been forced to leave the battlefield due to exhaustion, taking time to recover before hunting down more enemies.

"Priestess, what should we do now? The sisters can barely hold on any longer!" While resisting the monsters' assault, Huntress Captain Elisa slowly approached Tyrande and spoke. Her normally frosty pretty face was now unsettled, and she panted heavily. As the battle dragged on and its pace continued to accelerate, her physical strength and magic power were steadily fading away.

"Until the very last moment, we absolutely cannot give up. As a temple guard, don't you know that?" Tyrande frowned, her voice turning cold. "If you keep disrupting morale like this, I'll be the first to kill you!"

"Yes!" Seeing Tyrande's expression, Huntress Captain Elisa knew that Tyrande was truly angry. She immediately fell silent and rejoined the battle.

Priestess of the Moon Tyrande sighed inwardly. She knew Elisa had not meant any harm, but under these circumstances, her words were clearly raising the enemy's spirits while crushing their own. Such words would drive the morale of her troops into the depths, making their chances of victory even slimmer.

Although Priestess of the Moon Tyrande had spoken rather harshly to Huntress Captain Elisa, Tyrande did not regret it in the slightest.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Suddenly, a fierce black wind rose, and countless black wind blades surged forth in an instant, vaguely forming the aura of a massive, sheer wall that radiated an incomparably pure dark presence.

At that moment, four figures slowly emerged from the black mist, revealing their towering forms.

The leading figure was not particularly tall, and for some unknown reason, no one could see his face clearly. Silver crown-like patterns flickered all around him, shining with a strange light that made him seem mysterious and noble.

Behind him stood a more conspicuous thin figure draped in a black cloak. His appearance could not be seen, but several enormous scroll-like objects were strapped to his back. His aura seemed to be the weakest, yet the people around him—even the leader at the front—appeared to keep their distance from him, as if wary of him. Since even his master stood some distance away, this thin figure became all the more eye-catching.

Another had an ugly face, with two horns atop his head forming a spiraling vortex. Two huge fleshy wings were bound behind his back, his upper body bare, while his lower body was covered by a short skirt made from the scales of some unknown magical beast. The knotted muscles exposed beneath it radiated endless destructive power.

The figure at the very back looked even stranger. He had the head of a bull and the body of a man. Two rows of saw-like fangs dripped saliva, while a huge black claw gripped a giant axe. A snake-like tail trailed behind him, its forked tongue occasionally slipping from his mouth to lick at the drool he could barely restrain.

"What an annoying bunch. Looks like we'll have to act personally. Otherwise, Lord will be very displeased." The monster at the rear saw the Night Elf faction's forces desperately resisting. He split his bovine lips in a savage grin as he spoke. A violent aura seemed to perpetually surround him, and he stared bloodthirstily in Tyrande's direction.

"Fine. Bullhead, you go. Dealing with those few should not require the rest of us to act, should it?" The monster with the silver patterns at the front pondered after hearing Bullhead's words, then gave an almost imperceptible nod in agreement.

"Haha! Got it, I'm going!" Bullhead's face lit up with delight. He charged toward the battlefield without a care, as though Tyrande and the others were beneath his notice.

"You can all die for Lord Bullhead!"