79: Chapter 79 Ambush from Ten Sides

"Rest time is over." That grand, ancient voice rang out punctually, like the beating of war drums. "Will you continue to challenge the second stage?"

Lin Tian and Lord Su Wan exchanged a glance, both seeing determination in each other's eyes. There was no turning back once the arrow was shot; since they had entered, they naturally had to go all the way to the end.

"Yes!" the two said in unison, their voices carrying far across the open plains.

"Second stage challenge: Ambush from All Sides, begin."

Rumble!!

Before the voice had even faded, the earth of the entire plain seemed to tremble violently! It was no longer just four directions; in every direction as far as the eye could see, the horizon was writhing frantically!

It was as if the very borders of the plain were vomiting darkness and filth outward!

Roars and shrieks, denser and more frenzied than those in the first stage, swept in from all directions like a tsunami. They were so loud they made eardrums ache, and hearts pounded along with that terrifying rhythm!

In the blink of an eye, from every direction, endless silhouettes of corrupted demonic beasts poured in like a breached black ocean, flooding every inch of the horizon and closing in to submerge the tiny allied position at the center!

The sheer number was immense; a rough visual estimate put it at around twenty-five thousand! It was a vast, dark mass, looking as if a shrinking, writhing black border had been inlaid onto the emerald-green plain, making one's scalp tingle with dread.

"Hiss... Ambush from All Sides, it really is literal!" Lin Tian sucked in a cold breath, but his gaze instantly became sharp as a blade. Fortunately, the information from the Inspect skill showed that the power level of these monsters was similar to the first stage; they were still predominantly rare quality, with black iron and Bronze making up the vast majority. Although the number of Silver leaders had increased, the proportion hadn't skyrocketed. This meant the threat primarily came from absolute numerical suppression rather than a leap in quality.

"Circle formation! Hold fast!" Lin Tian shouted without the slightest hesitation. Through some technique, his voice clearly suppressed the earth-shaking beast roars and reached the ears of every soldier.

"Hah!!!" Two thousand Heavy Armored Spearmen responded with a thunderous roar like a precision-engineered war machine. Having experienced the baptism of the first stage, their movements were even swifter and more synchronized.

Spears thrust out like venomous dragons, pointing diagonally outward to form a forest of death.

The formation rapidly contracted, becoming tighter and thicker, firmly protecting Lord Su Wan's five hundred elves at the center of the circle. The elves' faces were pale, but under Aelia's command, they also began to chant desperately. Streaks of soft natural green light fell upon the front-row spearmen, enhancing their defense and endurance.

And the key to breaking the deadlock still lay in that moonlight capable of tearing through the darkness.

Almost the instant the beast tide entered the three-hundred-meter range, Lin Yin moved. At some point, she had leaped onto a low platform temporarily formed by the shoulders of several soldiers, gaining a better field of vision.

The wind of the plains blew her moon-white holy robe and long hair. Against the backdrop of the black tide sweeping across the sky, her cold and elegant face appeared increasingly transcendent, yet carried a sternness that seemed to hold the power over life and death.

Without saying a word, the moonlight around her body began to boil like a flame!

A silver radiance, even more majestic and dazzling than when she cast "Silver Moon Arrow Rain" in the first stage, erupted from her body.

"Moonlight, condense!"

With a clear cry, she drew her bow again. But this time, what condensed on the bowstring was no longer a single thick pillar of light, but hundreds of slightly thinner yet more concentrated and intense silver streaks of light!

Her drawing speed was so fast that only afterimages remained. With every release of the string, dozens or hundreds of silver beams, like a meteor shower traveling in reverse, screamed toward the frontlines and densest parts of the beast tide surging from all directions!

Bang! Bang! Bang!!!

When the silver beams fell into the beast swarm, they didn't just pierce through; they also triggered small-scale moonlight explosions!

For a moment, around the perimeter of the allied circle formation, it was as if countless silver-white flowers of death had bloomed simultaneously!

Foul blood and shattered flesh, mixed with purified black smoke, soared into the sky. Swaths of monsters fell like wheat being harvested.

Especially those monsters rushing at the very front, attempting to use their numbers to force their way through, suffered a devastating blow.

Lin Yin calmly shifted her shooting angle, forcefully creating brief "vacuum" zones in front of the surging black tide. This greatly delayed the speed at which the beast tide could surround and squeeze them, while also buying precious time for the spearmen in the rear to breathe and adjust.

In just a few minutes of long-range fire coverage, the number of monsters killed by Lin Yin's arrows likely exceeded several thousand! She was like an untiring moonlight turret, forcefully tearing gaps into the terrifying pressure brought by the "Ambush from All Sides."

At the center of the formation, Lord Su Wan looked up at that figure enveloped in silver light, looking like a moon goddess descended to the world. The shock in her heart was beyond measure, even temporarily suppressing her fear of the massive enemy army.

"So strong... Is this the dominance of a legendary unit?"

However, there were simply too many monsters. No matter how fierce Lin Yin's arrow rain was, it couldn't cover every direction, nor could it instantly annihilate over twenty thousand enemies. Soon, the beast tide, having paid a heavy price in casualties, finally crashed heavily against the steel spears like a black wave constantly battering a reef!

Boom! Crack! Squelch!

The dull sounds of impact, the muffled noise of spears piercing flesh, the death wails of monsters, the roars of soldiers, and the hurried chanting of elves... all these sounds instantly intertwined into a brutal battlefield symphony.

The true bloody battle had begun!

Even though those under Lin Tian's command were all battle-hardened elites with excellent armor and perfect coordination, the pressure suddenly surged under the relentless, suicidal, and frenzied assault of an enemy ten times their number.

Sharp spears were constantly thrust out and retracted, bringing with them bursts of foul blood, but new monsters would soon surge forward, stepping over the corpses of their companions.

Corrosive acid, soul-disturbing shrieks, claws and teeth carrying plague... all sorts of attacks came from every direction.

From time to time, a Heavy Armored Spearman, after blocking several heavy blows, would be knocked back by brute force, only to be pounced upon by several monsters. Although they were quickly saved and the monsters knocked away by the spears of nearby comrades, deep claw marks were left on their armor, and some even groaned as they were splashed by corrosive liquid.

The elves' green healing lights were like darting fireflies, constantly landing on wounded soldiers to dispel corrosion, heal wounds, and boost morale, becoming a vital force in supporting the defensive line.

The battle fell into a brutal war of attrition. Every second, monsters fell, but soldiers were also being injured, and the defensive line was under immense pressure.

Lin Tian's expression was solemn as he closely watched the battle, occasionally calling out to adjust the defensive focus in a certain direction.

Lin Feng had already charged into the most intense part of the fray. His crimson gold coiling dragon spear transformed into a life-taking golden dragon, specifically killing those Silver leaders and large monsters trying to break through the line. Wherever he went, foul blood flew, greatly relieving the pressure on the defense.

After clearing the most dangerous waves of long-range threats, Lin Yin also switched to precision sniping, specifically targeting the most threatening special monsters and commanders.

Time passed slowly amidst the bloody slaughter. Every minute felt exceptionally long. When the beast roars in the last direction gradually thinned out and the final few hideous monsters were stabbed to death by a flurry of spears, the entire plain was once again shrouded in exhaustion and a thick scent of blood.

The circle formation still stood, but it was no longer as orderly as it had been at the start. Almost every Heavy Armored Spearman was injured, their armor covered in scratches and dents. Over a dozen were severely wounded and lay within the formation being treated urgently by the elves; though their lives were not in danger, they had lost their combat effectiveness.