Their longswords weren't sharp enough to cut through the chitinous shell head-on, but in this situation, they didn't have a good angle to pierce the armor with a thrust.
They could only work in pairs. One person Directed Alienation a large shield, like an umbrella, and hold it above the heads of the two people, while the other would fire at the swooping Soldier Bee.
Even so, a large number of Holy Crusaders were still grabbed by the arms or bodies by the Soldier Bee, carried high into the air, and then thrown down heavily, leaving them to splatter blood on the hard ground.
Some Holy Crusaders, unwilling to be carried into the air, had their comrades pull on their bodies, ultimately becoming the rope in a tug-of-war between the Soldier Bee and other Holy Crusaders, their entire arms being torn apart...
As the commander, Marba showed his cold and ruthless side at this moment. Seeing his men being killed and wounded one after another, he shouted loudly from the front:
"Full speed ahead! Full speed ahead! Take everyone who can walk with you, the rest stay here!"
The orders were relayed down the ranks, and some Holy Crusaders were forced to abandon their severely wounded comrades and continue forward. Those Holy Crusaders who were abandoned because of spinal or leg injuries let out resentful roars, crawling on the ground and gathering together to prepare for a final stand...
However, the Soldier Bee ' attack was not a single wave; as long as the Holy Crusaders remained within the Verdant Corridor, their attacks would not cease.
The Holy Crusaders suffered casualties as they advanced, and after losing several hundred men, the main force finally saw the snowfield again.
These soldiers had never felt winter so wonderful. As they all rushed into the still-snowy winter, the insects stopped at the boundary between the two terrains, hovering in the air and watching them leave, as if the life-or-death battle had never happened.
After leaving the Verdant Corridor for some distance, Marba ordered each knightly order to rest for an hour and assess their losses, while he himself took out a map and marked the place he had just passed.
Meanwhile, in the Sea of Flowers on the other side, things didn't develop exactly as the Holy Crusaders had imagined.
The Soldier Bee lifted the heavily wounded Holy Crusaders from the ground and quickly threw them into the same spot.
These severely wounded soldiers were now like fish on a chopping board, completely at the mercy of others. But to their surprise, the terrifying insects neither killed nor tormented them; instead, the Soldier Bee simply surrounded them, preventing them from leaving the area.
At the same time, Ed also received a message from the Hive Will:
"Ally, we've released those humans as planned; many of them survived..."
"Thank you. I'll send someone to take over. My charcoal processing plant here still needs quite a few people."
"Ally, I have a question."
"What?"
"Since you already know they're about to attack, why don't you let me intercept them all here?"
The Hive Will has sent a new message through the Root Network:
There's no need to worry about my losses.
"Don't worry, I just think this team is not simple. If we push them into a corner directly, things might change. It's better to keep them around and torment them slowly."
"Understood. Please feel free to contact me if you need any further assistance."
"No problem. Also, your communication skills have improved recently."
"Yes, I learned a lot from interacting with those Soul Returner."
"I see."
As Ed pondered the last message from the Hive Will, he worried that the swarm's will might have learned something bad from the players.
Putting aside distractions, Ed began the next step of the arrangement in the Root Network:
" Number Four, Number Seven, Number Ten, Tiya, lead Gungnir into action."
"Yes."
" Jerry, an enemy force is about to enter your territory. Handle it according to the previous plan."
"Yes, sir."
" Motley, are you ready to meet your old colleagues?"
"Of course, Son of God."
Fir City, the players' attack continues.
The residential building, which had originally been used as a stronghold, had been reduced to ruins in the fighting between the two sides.
The battlefield had now expanded from the open space around the houses to the entire residential area where the house was located.
All the locals have left their homes, either voluntarily or involuntarily, and their houses have now become arenas for the clash between the Holy Crusaders and the Soul Returner.
Brutal street fighting erupted every moment. As the attacking force, the Holy Crusaders had to be on high alert, as enemies could appear at any time from every corner, every alley, and every rooftop.
If it were enemies who attacked directly, that would be fine. What they fear most now are enemies covered in grease, who attack them while also wanting to die themselves.
Even if these guys are killed, more and more rebels will emerge from the cave beneath that house like a fountain, as endless as an anthill.
The good news is that the Holy Crusaders, on average, are physically stronger than the rebels, giving them an advantage in terms of lethality.
However, for rebels who can be resurrected, the kill ratio is precisely a factor that does not need to be considered at all.
Whether in the era of cold weapons or in modern times, urban warfare in reality is always brutal, but this is not the case in games at all.
Many gamers who enjoy combat have never felt so excited. They had some prior knowledge of real-world street fighting and knew it was a form of combat known for its bloodshed.
But in games, when life and death are no longer a concern, this kind of close-quarters, hand-to-hand combat can only be incredibly exciting.
In just a few hours, players had already experienced the joy of this kind of combat.
When you appear from an absolutely impossible spot and ambush the Holy Crusaders from the side, back, or even lower body, the look of terror on their faces is enough to send dopamine rushes through your veins.
It is precisely because of their valiant fighting that the area controlled by the rebels is slowly but steadily expanding...
Just as the players were planning to further expand their gains, some bad news arrived—
It was getting dark.
This not only means that some players who spend time doing other things are about to reach their playtime limit, but it also means something else—
Treant Hunter.
Even the Holy Crusaders feared the fighting power of those monsters; each one was like a walking, youthful version of Bennett, not to be underestimated by any player.
As if to verify their idea, a few short whistles suddenly sounded. It was the internal signal of the Holy Crusaders. After hearing the sound, the Holy Crusaders who were still fighting suddenly began to retreat in formation, leaving the players to watch the front vigilantly.
The big one seems to be coming.