117: Magic Crystal Cannon Makes its Debut

Three days later, all combat deployments for Star Sea Territory were completed in absolute secrecy.

The two reserve legions of ten thousand elite troops that landed by sea quietly merged into the Thorn Barricade like a dark tide, increasing the available force within the fortress to fifteen thousand.

Ocean General personally led his most elite five thousand Star Sea Legion warriors. Using the cover of night and complex terrain, they detoured far beyond the usual scouting range. Like a silent dagger, they precisely inserted themselves into the deep forest twenty miles behind the Orc Coalition Army's main camp, lurking silently to establish a lethal blockade.

Inside the hidden valley to the southeast, the atmosphere was solemn and scorching. Elise's Mage Corps was fully assembled; 300 Bronze Rank mages, clad in Star Sea Territory's standard-issue robes, were conducting their final coordinated spellcasting drills in groups of six. The air was thick with restrained yet heart-palpitating elemental fluctuations. Beside them, the 500 warriors of the Orc army led by Commander Batu stood in silence. Their physiques were far more brawny than humans, clad in heavy armor and wielding terrifying heavy weapons. Each man's Bronze Rank berserk aura faintly merged together, like a volcano about to erupt. They were only waiting for a signal.

The twenty magic crystal cannons within the fortress shed their disguises. Their dark muzzles were aimed at the massive distant camp, where lights were sparse and snoring was faint, in the deepest darkness before dawn. Angus personally supervised the magical runes engraved on the cannon barrels, which were infused with sufficient high-purity energy crystals. A faint blue light flowed through them, ready to be unleashed.

Meanwhile, at the Orc Coalition Army's main camp, inside the central command tent.

On a huge animal-hide rug, the Boar King Kustu and the Minotaur Chieftain Panshi sat opposite each other, with crude wooden cups and wine skins between them. The irritability from days of fruitless attacks seemed to have been replaced by a blind optimism.

"Those human bugs, their arrows are getting sparser, and those annoying nighttime harassments aren't as frequent as a few days ago." Kustu gulped down a mouthful of strong liquor, wine dripping from his tusks, his bloodshot eyes flashing with ruthlessness and urgency. "No matter how hard their wooden walls are, they can't withstand our non-stop pounding day and night! I see they're about to break; their supplies must have hit rock bottom!"

Chieftain Panshi tapped the table with his thick knuckles, his voice deep like a muffled drum: "My warriors also report that the human defenders' counterattacks are weakening. They're just hunkering down to buy time, hoping those kinsmen to the north can work a miracle... But according to the news we've received, the main human forces in the north are far from here. The Dwarves won't allow the Human Race coalition to act high and mighty in the Great Wilderness Forest."

"Exactly!" Kustu slammed down his wine cup. "So, we can't give them any more breathing room! Let the warriors eat their fill tonight and get a good sleep. Tomorrow, when the sun reaches the treetops, the elites of our two tribes will set out together. No more testing—a direct total assault! Fifty thousand against a few thousand; we'll drown them! We'll trample those pathetic wooden walls in one go and cut off the heads of all the humans inside to sacrifice to our fallen warriors!"

"Just as I thought." Chieftain Panshi nodded slowly, a cruel cold light flashing in his eyes. "Tomorrow, the final battle."

The next day, the darkest moment before dawn.

A faint sliver of white just began to appear on the horizon, while the outlines of the mountains and forests were still immersed in the ink-like night. In the Orc Coalition Army's camp, except for a few patrol teams dragging their weary steps and sentries about to change shifts trying to stay alert, the vast majority of warriors were still deep in sleep. Snoring rose and fell as they waited for the total assault a few hours later, which they believed would be a certain victory.

At the edge of the camp, a Minotaur sentry rubbed his bleary eyes. He seemed to hear an unusual, low, and rapid humming coming from afar, followed by the sharp whistle of something tearing through the air at high speed.

He instinctively looked up toward the Thorn Barricade.

Under the dark canopy of the sky, twenty dazzling points of light suddenly lit up, like meteors soaring upward, piercing the night sky. Trailing long tails of flame, they lunged toward the massive camp with suffocating speed! The light rapidly expanded, illuminating the sentry's terrified and distorted face.

"That's..." another Boar-headed sentry gaped.

"Enemy attack—!!!"

The shrill warning finally broke from his throat, but in the next second, it was drowned out by the deafening, continuous roar of explosions!

Boom! Boom, boom, boom! Boom—!!!

The first round of magic crystal cannon shells landed precisely on the watchtowers, fences, and densely packed tent areas at the front of the camp. Blinding white light and orange-red fireballs instantly consumed everything. The violent magical energy mixed with physical shockwaves, easily tearing apart wooden structures and flinging, shredding, and vaporizing the Orc warriors along with their armor and weapons! Every bursting flame meant the instant loss of dozens of lives.

The earth trembled, tents burned, and screams and panicked roars had just begun when the second and third rounds of rapid shelling followed! The short-duration rapid volley ordered by Angus achieved maximum effect. The shells were like the scythe of the Grim Reaper, harvesting lives in swaths. Warriors in deep sleep were ended in their dreams, while those who rushed out of their tents head-on were met with a wave of destruction. In the area towards the center-back of the camp, several shells were clearly aimed at where the larger, more ornate tents were located, turning the area into a sea of fire in an instant.

"Steady! Don't panic! Grab your weapons!" Kustu's berserk roar came from the chaos. He and Chieftain Panshi rushed out of the partially collapsed main tent, disheveled. Witnessing the purgatory-like scene before them, their eyes nearly split with rage. The camp was a mess; flames soared, thick smoke billowed, and fleeing figures, fallen corpses, and burning ruins were everywhere.

"It's the humans' magical weapons! Despicable!" Chieftain Panshi swung the giant hammer at his feet and smashed it into the ground in fury.

But the bombardment did not stop; several more rounds followed before it gradually subsided. The Orc Coalition Army was terrified, fleeing in all directions.

The two leaders immediately tried to calm the army.

However, before they could effectively regroup their forces, a new sound came from the horizon! It wasn't the whistle of shells, but the dense, powerful sound of wings beating against the air.

Kustu and Bedrock jerked their heads up.

In the eastern sky, dozens of black dots were rapidly growing larger. Their forms were elegant and powerful—they were the Griffins of Star Sea Territory! On the broad back of each Griffin, besides the rider, several figures in robes stood steadily. On the largest Griffin at the lead, Commander Clay's gaze was cold as he surveyed the chaotic camp below. Beside him, Elise, in a moon-white robe, stood against the wind, her long golden hair fluttering in the growing daylight and the reflection of the fires below. At the tip of the Staff in her hand, a heart-shakingly massive glow of magic had already gathered.

The Aerial Strike Group arrived above the battlefield. A lethal shadow loomed over the Orc Coalition Army, which was still dazed and disoriented from the magic crystal cannon bombardment.