Within a few dozen breaths, thick, impenetrable black mist spread above the military camp, as though night had fallen, blocking even the light.
At the same time, a dark, chilling aura permeated the area shrouded in black mist. The dark forces took to it like fish to water, while everyone else suffered a sharp drop in fighting strength. The Seljuk elite troops in particular showed considerable wavering and disorder in their momentum and morale.
"Purifying Light!"
Just as the Dark Curtain formed, rich, holy radiance rose from the Ritualist Legion on the camp's western wall. Like the first rays before dawn, it swiftly evaporated and purified the black mist.
The Seljuk Dynasty, constantly on guard against invasion by the Dark Council, naturally studied the dark forces' methods of combat in depth and had long anticipated the Dark Curtain. However, the Ritualist Legion needed to chant to cast its spells, whereas Great Adepts could recite them silently, casting almost instantaneously.
Boom, boom, boom...
An unending succession of deafening booms rang out as the Underworld Warriors and the Seljuk Dynasty's Great Adepts clashed first. The Underworld Warriors clearly held a slight advantage, leaving the Seljuk Dynasty able only to fend them off for the moment.
The Blood Clan's four princes and eight dukes each locked onto Jian Shang and his companions, clearly tasked with intercepting them. The dark Grand Mages and the Wolf Clan, meanwhile, were responsible for mass attacks against the Seljuk elite troops packed throughout the camp.
The dark Grand Mages' methods leaned toward weakening, curses, corrosion, and similar effects-at least against those outside the dark forces. Their traits were precisely the opposite of Islam's ritualists. They were somewhat weaker in single combat, but when armies were involved, strengthening and weakening became enormous factors.
Waves of dark ripples and black