Invasion Underway

"Foolish, ignorant humans."

Standing on the hillside, gazing at the tall, sturdy fortress not far away, Angela sneered and whispered.

"This level of defense, you think you can stop me? You're utterly absurd. As expected, trash is trash. Even a tortoise shell can be flipped over and covered up."

The appearance of tens of thousands of undead soldiers naturally attracted the fortress's attention. In fact, before arriving at the fortress, Angela had already slaughtered all the nearby residents, turning the surrounding villages into a wasteland. This slowed down her attack and gave the fortress enough time to react. At this moment, the city walls were filled with soldiers and priests wielding fire bows, and figures could be vaguely seen running back and forth. The tunnels dug along the city walls were now filled with oil, ready to burn these invaders to ashes at any moment.

"Angela, siege warfare is very difficult, you know? Do you have any plans?"

Kalin leaned against a tree trunk and asked listlessly.

"If that big-breasted cow were here, I could ask her for a quickie, but now..."

As she spoke, Angela narrowed her eyes smugly.

"Plans? Before absolute power, all schemes are nothing but a pile of waste paper. My plan is only one: charge forward and kill everything that stands in my way. You just watch here, watch how those weak and incompetent humans kneel down at my feet."

As she spoke, Angela snapped her fan shut and pointed forward.

"Kill."

The simple and clear command spread instantly through the undead army. Like wild beasts freed from their restraints, the undead charged forward madly, their jaws agape, revealing sharp teeth, saliva dripping with each movement. Facing the surging undead army, the priests on the fortress began to chant loudly, and holy light descended from the sky, falling upon every soldier, giving them courage and strength to confront this terrible, evil wave.

"You lowly god, you dare to stop me? You are not worthy."

Gazing at the sacred light, Angela smiled slightly, then extended her right hand and slowly clenched it.

A thunderclap from a clear sky.

With a deafening roar of thunder, crimson lightning shot out from the clear sky, and dark clouds, seemingly appearing from nowhere, slowly enveloped the entire heavens. They began to spread outwards, blocking out the sunlight and casting heavy shadows upon the earth below. Wherever the dark clouds reached, all light dimmed, and even the blazing torches seemed to be held tightly by an invisible hand, their range reduced.

A stench, a putrid wind, swept across the land, bringing death and despair to everyone.

Before the fortress lay a strange and unforgettable sight—pure sunlight streamed down from the clear sky, acting like a transparent barrier that blocked the rolling dark clouds. Crimson lightning flashed intermittently among the clouds, accompanied by bursts of thunder.

As the dark clouds were blocked by the sunlight, cheers erupted from the fortress. Seeing this, everyone felt a sense of reassurance. The warriors drew their bows, gripped their weapons, and watched the approaching undead army with unprecedented fighting spirit. At this moment, there was no longer any panic in their hearts, only boundless confidence and courage, as if they could hold out here until the end of the world.

The undead creatures, now free from the protection of the dark clouds, were indeed much weaker. When the holy light shone upon their bodies, wisps of smoke immediately rose from them. The pain, penetrating to their very bones and souls, was unbearable even for the undead. However, Angela's will was paramount. Although these undead creatures were in excruciating pain under the holy light, they could only continue forward. They had no choice, no way back.

After being bathed in holy light, the bodies of the undead were extremely fragile. Many undead were struck by the rockets raining down from above before even reaching the fortress walls, then screamed and turned to ashes. Even those undead that managed to dodge the rockets were unable to complete their mission—the massive boulders falling from the sky easily crushed them into mincemeat. These fragile undead had no chance to resist at all.

Despite suffering such losses, Angela showed no intention of changing her tactics. She simply stood at the rear of the undead army, watching the undead die one by one with an evil and cold smile.

You have no chance anymore.

The soldiers didn't hear Angela's evil whispers, but as the battle progressed, things became increasingly bizarre. Although these undead were easily killed under the holy light, they had already slain so many, yet their numbers seemed unchanged; the hillsides were filled with those blood-red, malevolent eyes. Moreover, as the dark clouds drew closer, they sensed that there were even more undead than before.

Finally, the sunlight began to dim.

The priests' divine magic was not limitless. They had to defend, protect their soldiers, and summon holy light to fight these undead creatures. Although they had chosen to take turns resting to defend, the massive consumption of divine power had already overwhelmed them. Soon, the barrier of holy light could no longer be sustained and became almost nonexistent, while the dark clouds seemed to seize this opportunity and began to advance again, devouring the clear blue sky.

Finally, the holy light completely disappeared, and the dense black clouds, now free of obstruction, occupied the entire sky in the blink of an eye.

The world instantly turned dark and lifeless.

Before anyone could react, the frigid wind extinguished all the torches, leaving the already dim fortress shrouded in deep shadow. The soldiers couldn't even see each other clearly. They tried to light torches and continue their attack, but the icy wind clearly had no intention of restoring warmth and light to the world.

Under the cover of dark clouds, pairs of bright red eyes, filled with greed, death, and desire, slowly gathered together.

The entire fortress fell silent for a moment. The soldiers stared at the terrifying crimson, involuntarily swallowing hard. The battle just now felt like a dream; it was as if they were dreaming of victory when they were suddenly awakened by a bucket of cold water, unable to escape the cruel reality.

"Division of labor and cooperation? Weak humans like to use petty tricks, but strength is ultimately everything."

Angela, with a ferocious yet excited expression, felt completely under control, her canine teeth slightly showing at the corners of her mouth.

"The powerless die, the fittest survive, die, you worthless trash."

A massive shadow, pitch black mixed with crimson, surged onto the fortress, engulfing everything in its path.

Without the holy light and shrouded in darkness, the soldiers were no match for the undead. They cried out, flailing their weapons in vain, unable to even see their opponents. The dense darkness had already enveloped everything. Although a few priests struggled, attempting to unleash more divine spells, Angela had already memorized their locations. The exhausted priests had become their most delicious meal after the first wave of Ghoul stormed the walls. The soldiers were even worse off. Everything prepared at the fortress and in the library was now meaningless. Although they had many countermeasures, the boundless darkness rendered them powerless. They could not relay orders, use their weapons, or even retreat or attack!

Conversely, for undead creatures, there is no better environment.

Their roars echoed from all directions, and with each shift of the black tide came several shrill screams. No one was spared; those soldiers who stumbled and fell off the city walls didn't even get to die from the fall—even while their bodies were in mid-air, they would be caught by Ghoul, torn apart, and devoured. The stench of blood and death intertwined, forming a new dominant theme.

The Kasel Fortress held out for only half a day before falling completely.

This news quickly reached Li Lin.

"Angela did a really good job."

Gazing at the dark clouds that were slowly spreading forward, Li Lin spoke, rubbing his temples before accepting the milk tea offered by Suoxiate.

"Indeed, the Divine Punishment Legion's combat strength is not an issue."

Nia stood quietly to the side, a faint yet gentle smile on her face.

"But... Lord Luoxia..."

However, Nisi, who had just become Arcane Mage, was clearly not yet accustomed to Angela's cruel and brutal fighting style.

"Is this all we have... an army of undead? I think things will get very complicated if the Magic Empire doesn't have other forces."

"Of course I understand that."

Li Lin didn't avoid Nisi's question; he knew perfectly well that while Angela's undead army was powerful, that was all it was. An army's purpose wasn't merely to win wars; maintaining stability and protecting territory were also its responsibilities. Angela's undead legions clearly lacked the strategic thinking to handle such complex matters. Furthermore, although Angela claimed she could imbue some undead creatures with higher intelligence to assist her in battle, she disliked doing so, for a simple reason.

"I do not wish to keep a dog that might bite its owner at any moment."

In this respect, Angela and Li Lin are very similar, both possessing an absolute desire for control and not allowing others to interfere. However, Angela is clearly stronger.

"The Magic Empire naturally cannot be without its own army, but under the current circumstances, this is the only way we can do it. After all, building an army is not an easy task, and we can only make use of everything we have at hand."

At this point, Li Lin looked at Nisi.

How's the situation on the elf side?

"Everything went smoothly. Her Majesty's assault was a great success. With the help of the Chromatic Dragon, we have recovered most of the lost land and forests."

"Very good."

Li Lin lightly flicked his fingers.

"This time, we will not fail."

Looking at the map before him, Li Lin spoke with confidence.

The lush green grasslands were still breathtaking, but now, the incongruous charred black patches on that verdant landscape were starkly contrasting. Giant dragons flapped their wings and soared through the sky, while below them, several small towns had been reduced to infernos. The raging flames and black smoke mingled together, slowly releasing a nauseating stench.

The elves, swords in hand, advanced cautiously and warily, stepping over the corpses of humans.

For these border guards, this was undoubtedly a bolt from the blue.

Although they had received orders from their superiors and made all necessary preparations, these soldiers never imagined that the elves, whom they had enslaved for hundreds of years, would dare to leave the forest and launch a direct attack on humanity. Moreover, these elves were equipped differently than before; their small, strange contraptions could fire multiple crossbow bolts in succession, and not a single knight could even reach them. Just as the humans were about to use heavy weapons to stop the elves' advance, several enormous and terrifying red dragons flew down from the sky.

No human is a match for dragons.

With wave after wave of scorching dragon breath, the human camp quickly crumbled, and they were no match for the elven army.

"A boring trick."

hovering in the sky, looking at the red dragon that no longer had anything worth destroying, it couldn't help but let out a cold snort.

"I really don't know why we have to do this kind of thing."

"There's absolutely no profit to be made in such a poor place."

Another red dragon flew to its side, carefully observed its surroundings, then widened its pupils and looked at the city standing in the distance on the horizon.

"Perhaps we should take the initiative and collect the payment ourselves."

After a brief exchange, the two red dragons turned and swooped down towards the distant city. Their purpose was simply to assist in the battle, but how they would do so would depend on their improvisation skills.

At that moment, behind those ruins, pairs of hateful eyes were intently watching the departing red dragon.

"Those damn bastards are gone. Remember, wait until these elves enter the ambush area before attacking!"

"Yes, Captain!"

Not all the soldiers died in the previous attack; a significant portion of them fled the horrific battlefield. However, they didn't leave. Instead, they chose to hide behind the destroyed walls, concealing themselves and planning to ambush the elves. No matter how powerful the elves were, they were still no match for humans in close combat. Moreover, if they could divide and surround them, they would still have a chance of victory.

Now that those two annoying red dragons have left, we certainly can't let this opportunity slip by.

"Now!"

Seeing the elves enter the ruined town, the soldiers immediately sprang into action. They tentatively threw stones and lit smoke trails, slowly waving them around. Soon, a small group of elves rushed towards them. Although they approached cautiously and with serious expressions, upon discovering there were no humans in sight, the elves quickly realized they had been tricked. But at that moment, dozens of soldiers leaped out of their hiding place, surrounding the small elf group of just over ten people.

"Damn slaves! How dare they invade humanity! Slaughter them all!!"

Gazing at the elves before them, who remained calm despite being ambushed, the soldiers' eyes were bloodshot. What a joke! For so many years, the elves had been slaves, and now they dared to attack humans—an unimaginable act of arrogance and provocation. Moreover, these elves had not only killed their own comrades, but also the women, children, and the elderly. They spared no human, not even those who begged for mercy; they were mercilessly stabbed to death with their scimitars. The soldiers witnessed a woman holding a child pleading desperately for her life, only to have her head severed by a single sword stroke.

"Kill them immediately, lest you attract more patrols!"

The leading soldier immediately gave the order and then charged forward with his sword drawn. In their view, although the elves were agile, they were trapped in this narrow alley and had no advantage in numbers, so they were no match for them at all.

However, to everyone's surprise, the elves did not immediately counterattack when faced with the charging soldiers. Instead, they picked up their longswords, muttered something to themselves, and then, with a flash of cold light, metal women made entirely of metal with sharp blades beneath their arms appeared beside them. Several soldiers who were at the forefront of the attack did not even have time to dodge before being sliced to pieces by these metal women.

"What the hell is this?!"

Staring at the metallic woman before them, the soldiers screamed in terror. At that moment, the elves swiftly retreated behind her, drawing their short crossbows from their waists. With a soft whooshing sound, more than a dozen soldiers immediately fell to the ground with screams. The elves' God of Elves shooting skills, combined with these short crossbows capable of rapid fire, meant that almost no one could dodge them.

"Damn it, let's fight them!!"

Seeing their comrades fall once again to the elves' arrows, the soldiers no longer hesitated; they brandished their longswords and charged forward.

However, the soldiers' attacks were ineffective.

Those strange metallic women perfectly withstood their attacks, preventing them from harming the elves they were protecting. Moreover, their sharp, blade-like arms would simultaneously launch surprise counterattacks while deflecting the soldiers' attacks. Many soldiers only felt a flash of cold light before their heads were severed, leaving them lifeless.

"Damn it! Damn it!!"

Watching his comrades fall one by one, the young soldier frantically swung his longsword. But his attacks, like those of the others, struck the metal women without even leaving a mark.

"You elves! You elves! Die!! Die!! Die...!"

He didn't finish his sentence.

Because the metal woman in front of him had already extended her right hand, and the sharp blade on her arm pierced his throat with perfect precision. The young soldier didn't even have time to struggle before he became a corpse.

"Let's go."

Putting away their humanoid weapons, the leading elf coldly stared at the corpses lying on the ground.

"Report to Her Majesty immediately that the first phase of the suppression has been declared over."