Fierce battle

The troops began taking up an offensive formation. One mage was preparing an area-wide enhancement spell, while another was constructing an area-of-effect damage spell.

Battle was inevitable. They had to eliminate the Troll threat completely, or Farstrider Lodge, Thas'wether's Tower, Suren's farm, and the other locations would never know peace.

With Ellen's support, the Spirit World unfolded, establishing a three-dimensional remote-sensing image like satellite positioning. Every enemy within Patrick's mental range was marked, just like an advanced digital system from a later era.

"Begin the attack," Alleria ordered.

Arcane energy gathered in Patrick's palm. Through the effects of Arcane Mimicry, the pale blue arcane energy gradually transformed into a blazing bright red. His Spiritual Power field tightly restrained the flames, producing the effect of compressing the spell.

With his Spiritual Power locked on, the compressed Fire Blast shot out. The Amani shadow priest opposite him likewise gathered a mass of dark green voodoo energy from a carved totem and sent it hurtling toward the spell.

The Fire Blast collided violently with the voodoo energy. These two types of energy would not simply cancel each other out upon impact. The two energy balls then exploded violently in midair. The fierce wind from the explosion sent the trees rustling and even swept up the dark green soil on the ground, carrying some maggots along with it.

Using their nimble movements and magical enhancements, the rangers inflicted effective casualties on the Trolls. The Troll Witch Doctors and priests continued praying to the animal gods they worshipped. Masses of green vapor drifted out and flew toward the Amani berserkers, swirling around the Troll soldiers and healing their wounds.

At the same time, the blessings imbued with divine power made the Troll Warriors more bloodthirsty and strengthened their will to fight. The Trolls began attacking without regard for their lives. The blessings of divine power were both protection and a curse, making them forget everything but slaughter.

"Hawkspear, can you keep those Troll Warriors occupied for me? I'll take out that Troll priest." Patrick pointed at the priest in the Troll camp.

Under the effects of the priest's hex, the bodies of the Troll berserkers standing by nearby grew by a third. Veins bulged over their muscles, and the last trace of clarity vanished from their eyes, leaving only a thirst for blood and the will to kill.

Meanwhile, Patrick was also gathering arcane energy, compressing a lethal Pyroblast to give the Trolls a grand gift. Another mage accompanying the troops finished applying Arcane Brilliance and Arcane Blessing, adding arcane damage to every comrade's weapon.

By now, the Amani berserkers were tireless killing machines that felt no pain, charging straight toward Patrick's position. The opposing Troll priest's intention was also clear: eliminate the spellcasters first.

The Troll soldiers on the perimeter began losing ground, yet the Troll priest still showed no intention of retreating. Was he unwilling to give up his plan to attack the Farstriders Camp? Or did he have something else in mind?

The Pyroblast flew from Patrick's hand, locking directly onto the Troll shadow priest. The corners of Patrick's mouth rose. Casting through a Spiritual Power model looked no different from conventional spellcasting, but the spell model was constructed within the Spirit World, and his Spiritual Power had locked onto the target. This Pyroblast was guaranteed to hit.

The Pyroblast exploded, but a green barrier outside the Troll priest's body blocked it. It seemed the Troll priest was protected by the Animal Gods, which was why he had nothing to fear.

Patrick intended to immediately gather another Pyroblast, but something felt wrong. Within the Spirit World, he sensed another large group of Trolls approaching from around them, while a wide-area voodoo curse was taking shape.

"Something's wrong. Another divinely protected one has appeared. It's Chief Zul'Marosh of Zeb'Watha." He relayed the message to Alleria through magic. Voodoo could use the divine power of animal gods to interfere with reality, much like the school of transmutation in magic, modifying and redefining the rules governing other objects.

[It is confirmed to be Chief Zul'Marosh of Zeb'Watha. I recommend a fighting retreat. Your mana is about to run out. Even if I supply you with arcane energy, you will still faint from exhausting your Spiritual Power.

] Ellen advised. "Hahaha! Hurry and prepare the altar for our new guests!" Chief Zul'Marosh's booming laughter came from the distance.

Large numbers of Trolls appeared outside the forest, surrounding Alleria's squad and forming a pincer attack with the Troll priest. The situation was very unfavorable for Patrick and the others.

Within the Spirit World, the Trolls' figures emerged one after another, were locked onto, and were counted: 820 Troll soldiers, seven spellcasters, and Chief Zul'Marosh himself. They were all there. The overwhelming disparity in numbers drove Alleria's squad to the brink of despair.

"Lady Alleria, the Troll reinforcements have arrived. What should we do?" Hawkspear asked Alleria.

"Put everything into breaking out. Cut a path through them. Even if we can't thwart the Trolls' plot, we must at least bring this intelligence back."

The disparity in numbers instantly reversed the course of battle. Patrick panicked. It was his first time facing war, his first time seeing a comrade take a spear and collapse at his feet, splashing blood all over his face. He nudged the corpse at his feet with his foot and looked to either side. The dead elf beside him had a spear embedded in his right arm and another in his chest.

A bloody, vicious battle between elves and Trolls erupted in an instant. It was chance, and it was inevitable! The Trolls had painstakingly laid such an elaborate trap that they could complete their deployment whether or not the elves advanced into Life Forest. They had certainly gone to great lengths.

In an instant, battle cries shook the heavens. Countless throwing axes, spears, and hexes came flying. With their numerical advantage, the Trolls tightened their encirclement of the high elf troops, attempting to wipe them out.

"Alleria, have everyone drop their loads and carry only weapons and rations. Gather together, choose a direction, and fight our way out!" In this crisis, Patrick could no longer concern himself with all those elven formalities and shouted directly at Alleria.

"Huh? You want to break out?"

All the elves felt arcane energy gathering toward Patrick. Almost all the arcane energy in the air was depleted.

"Ellen, give me all your mana reserves. Channel energy into Arcane Mass Point at full power." Left with no choice, Patrick began preparing this unfinished spell.

[You're going to use that now? A spell that isn't fully completed will have a severe effect on your mind.]

"If we can't get out alive, there won't be a future."

[...All right!]

Ellen supplied Patrick with an unending stream of the energy she had absorbed. Normally, Patrick only drew a little after Ellen absorbed it. Afraid of developing a magical addiction, Patrick had never dared let his mind freely absorb the Sunwell's energy.

Ellen's mana reserves instantly replenished Patrick's nearly depleted mana. At the same time, he absorbed the arcane energy in the surrounding air, and an arcane sphere took shape in his hand.

The inspiration for this spell came from an anime he had liked in his previous life: a sealing technique used by a ninja that could inflict devastating damage on enemies. Patrick had originally intended to refine this spell properly, but he had never expected to be forced to use it this time.