Werewolf Assault

Castian's gaze remained fixed on the Sand Table; although it was only a rough draft, he could see its feasibility.

This dead end, which could only be solved with lives at stake, has now been completely turned around.

White Fang Fief and Grasshawk Fief are no longer indispensable strongholds.

The Sacred Flame is no longer just a fire for defending the city; it can support the defense line, lure the enemy, and eventually become a trap buried under the enemy's feet.

Blackpine Fief is no longer just a remote new territory; in Shien's deduction, it is the anchor point of the entire inner line.

The Holy Knight need to be replaced with new horses, the wounded need to be recovered, supplies need to be transferred, orders need to be compiled, and there needs to be a place for flank maneuvers.

Without such a node, the troops moving back and forth along the mountain ridge would just be running around aimlessly, without a place to settle down.

Castian stared at the terrain, his breathing momentarily subsiding.

He spent the first half of his life guarding the Eternal Night Wall, so he knew how to survive in the Blood Moon Season.

They constantly calculated how many more rounds the Knight, rouge, arrows, and city walls could last, and then used these to exchange for the Magic Creature's corpse.

But Shien's approach was completely different.

He wasn't calculating how many people would die; instead, he was designing from a more macro perspective, transforming the entire Graymist Defense Zone into a battlefield machine that would devour people.

Castian was deeply shaken.

This boy is like a mine that hasn't been fully explored yet.

You thought you'd seen the most valuable part, but there was more below, and even more below that!

Having just witnessed a miraculous defense of the city, he then unveiled a new tactic that could transform the entire Defense Zone.

For a moment, Castian even doubted whether what he was seeing was still not Shien's true nature.

What he didn't know was that Shien's purpose in laying all this out was actually quite simple: he wanted the bishop to concentrate his troops, supplies, and attention on the vicinity of Blackpine Fief.

Of course, this wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision he made after standing in front of the Sand Table; it was already before Blackpine Fief was even landed.

Even earlier, as he rushed to the Graymist Defense Zone, this outline had already slowly taken shape in his mind.

At that time, however, he did not yet have a decisive victory or an opportunity to convince the bishop.

Castian slowly raised his head, his gaze passing over the Sand Table and landing on Shien's face.

The boy's face was still pale, and he hadn't quite caught his breath, but his posture was very steady.

When he presented the entire plan, his tone was not pretentious at all; it was as if he were calmly placing something he had already figured out in his mind onto the table.

Castian stared at him for a couple of moments before finally speaking, "I need to give you a promise that takes effect immediately."

He raised his hand, his fingertips landing on the white chess piece in the Blackpine Fief.

"From this moment on, Blackpine Fief is the inner anchor point of the Graymist Defense Zone and a node to be maintained at the highest priority."

Then I'll give you a second promise: if you survive until the end of the Blood Moon Season, I will personally take you to the Tear Knight Governor's Residence to meet Governor Yasol.

At that time, you will receive commensurate power, fame, and rewards.

Shien's expression remained unchanged, and he didn't take a single step back. He simply raised his right hand, clenched his fist, and tapped it on his breastplate.

After outlining the initial plan, the two decided to grab something to eat before summoning the other generals to complete the plan.

As soon as the Oak Door was pushed open, a cold wind carrying the stench of blood rushed in from the corridor.

Before Shien and Castian could even descend the steps, a piercing wolf howl pierced through the depths of the Gray Fog outside Blackpine Fief.

One sound was followed immediately by a second and a third.

--

It was as if a whole group of things were simultaneously raising their heads along the shadows between the snowfield and the ruined walls, tentatively emitting a chorus towards the direction of Blackpine Fief.

The alarm bell on the tower immediately began to shake wildly, its chimes ringing out repeatedly.

The Deep Blue Grid beneath Shien's eyes instantly opened.

At the edge of the field of vision, a group of Crimson Light Points, much faster than Ghoul, were pressing forward at high speed along the edge of the Gray Fog.

Unlike the previous Ghoul that huddled together and pushed forward, they split into several groups and kept changing direction, clearly looking for the weakest point in the defense.

The speed is too fast; the makeshift wooden stake array between the Dark Bunker and the bomb crater probably won't be able to hold them back.

Shien knew all too well how much strength Blackpine Fief had left. The lower-ranking soldiers had been pushed to their limits, and many were still standing only because of military orders and their last bit of grit.

In that previous bloody battle, if it weren't for his last trump card, the Inner Fortress would have been smashed open long ago.

Now, another batch of faster and fiercer Werewolf will arrive. Even if there aren't many of them, as long as they charge accurately, the skeleton that has just been pieced together will break again in less than half an hour.

Just as his hand was about to touch the hilt of the sword, his shoulder suddenly felt heavy.

However, he knew very well that Castian was right there, and it was impossible for him, a lord who had just crawled out of a bloody battle, to personally go into battle again.

Raising his hand to touch the sword now is merely a formality, to let the bishop see his heroic bearing.

Sure enough, a hand covered in cold, hard iron armor pressed heavily on his shoulder, with such force that it felt as if he were nailed to the spot.

Shien turned his head to look, and Castian had already strode past him, his cloak sweeping across the stone steps, creating a gust of wind.

In the bishop's deep gray eyes, the White-Gold Sacred Flame was slowly burning.

He stood atop the steps, looking down at the courtyard and city walls below, which were being alerted by the alarm bells, and his voice boomed outwards.

"Enough, kid, you've already shed enough blood for the Graymist Defense Zone."

As he finished speaking, he didn't loosen his grip on Shien's shoulder, as if he were pressing down on the still taut string for him.

"You can just stand here and watch tonight."

The next moment, Castian raised his hand and drew the Holy Silver Longsword from his waist.

The White-Gold Sacred Flame shot up along the spine of the sword, instantly illuminating half of the surrounding stone wall.

The Holy City Army and the Mobile Holy Knight, who had just been resting below, looked up almost simultaneously, their gazes fixed on the high ground.

Those people got up almost without any hesitation; they rolled over, lined up, raised their shields, and lowered their guns, all in one smooth motion.

The Holy Silver trim on the armor lit up in the firelight, and even the warhorses quickly calmed their agitation, leaving only heavy but orderly snorting.

Castian pointed his sword forward, the sound like a striking bell, exploding in the air above Blackpine Fief.

"Holy City, form battle lines! Let these beasts taste what the Church's sharp blade truly means!"

The Holy Knight responded with a resounding roar.

They began to advance in ranks, their armored boots striking the stone ground with a series of resounding, rhythmic thuds.

The heavy shields at the front were lowered, the spears in the back were held horizontally, and further back, several high-ranking Clergy had already raised their hands to ignite the Sacred Flame Sigil.

The entire team advanced with almost no superfluous movements, like an iron wall being pushed forward by the Platinum Flame.

The Blackpine Fief garrison, who had just been looking exhausted, subconsciously stopped what they were doing at the commotion and stared blankly at the figures illuminated by the White-Gold Sacred Flame.

Beyond the Gray Fog, the howls of wolves grew ever closer.

Shien stood still, his icy blue eyes looking past Castian's back, silently staring at the red dots that were rapidly approaching.

Study