118: air strike

Clay stood atop the broad back of the Griffon "Wind Wing," overlooking the chaotic Orc camp below that had turned into a purgatory. Smoke and fire intertwined, while the sounds of panicked flight and helpless roars were clearly audible. His eyes were as sharp as an eagle's, devoid of any pity, filled only with the absolute calm of victory.

"All Griffon Knights, hear my command!" His steady voice reached every knight's ears clearly through his Battle Qi. "Deploy Battle Qi shields immediately, stabilize the formation, and provide a steady casting platform for the Mage Corps!"

"Understood!"

Fifty well-trained Griffons let out clear, long cries in unison. The knights on their backs simultaneously erupted with golden or azure Battle Qi. These lights quickly expanded and connected, forming a solid shield around each group of Griffons. This not only resisted stray arrows or spears from below but also greatly neutralized the impact of high-altitude air currents on the Griffons and their passengers, creating a nearly static, excellent environment for spellcasting.

Elise stood beside Clay, her moon-white mage robes flapping in the morning wind and the glow of Battle Qi. Her stunningly beautiful face was cold now, her golden eyes looking down at the earth like a deity inspecting ants. She did not raise her Staff; instead, she slowly drew back the exquisite longbow in her hand, which had been magically enhanced several times. An arrow condensed purely from wind elements silently notched onto the bowstring. But when she spoke, her voice spread through the entire aerial cluster via magic:

"Colleagues of the Mage Corps, the time has come to prove the magical power of the Star Sea Territory. Target: the routing enemies below. Choose your coverage areas freely, three rounds of saturation strikes! Attack!"

The moment the order was given, the aerial battlefield was suddenly ignited by a majestic elemental radiance!

Fifty aerial combat units (each Griffon group carrying six mages) began to circle and weave in an orderly fashion, like performing a deadly and magnificent dance across the firmament. Crimson fire clouds gathered and rolled during the mages' joint chanting, then transformed into a Sky full of scorching meteor fire rain that poured down.

Fifty groups of mages, three hundred Bronze Rank casters, unleashed their power simultaneously; the scene was nothing short of world-ending. The magical radiance illuminated the gradually brightening Sky, and the roar of various energy explosions drowned out all other sounds on the battlefield. It was as if the Sky were raining a storm of pure destruction, covering every corner of the camp and ruthlessly purging all life.

Below, Kustu and Bedrock, who had just barely recovered from the bombardment of the magic crystal cannons and were trying to regroup, were completely shocked by this second, even denser and more terrifying strike falling from the Sky.

"This... this is no ordinary army! The border guards of human kingdoms never have this kind of power!" Chief Bedrock slammed his giant hammer into the ground, looking up at the Griffon groups weaving through the Sky and the brilliant, deadly magical storm. For the first time, a look of near-terror appeared on his coarse face. "Aerial knights, coordinated with a structured high-level Mage Corps... this is definitely an elite force that only the human Core Royal Court or those rumored top-tier high nobles could possess!"

Kustu's blood-red eyes were almost dripping blood. His renowned brute courage felt a deep sense of powerlessness and rage in the face of such an incomprehensible, high-level strike. "Disperse! All clansmen, disperse with all your might! Don't huddle together and become sitting targets! Find cover and avoid the magic coverage areas!" he roared hoarsely, waving his battle-axe, trying to restore some semblance of order to the chaotic army.

Even as he roared his commands, a sharp arrow entwined with a Spiral Wind Blade shot silently but lightning-fast from a great height, aimed straight at his face! Before the arrow even arrived, the sharp cutting intent made his skin sting.

Kustu was, after all, a Earth Rank Intermediate expert with extremely keen combat instincts. In the nick of time, he jerked his head to the side while swinging his battle-axe upward to parry.

"Clang!"

The wind element arrow collided with the heavy battle-axe, exploding into a burst of sharp air currents that sliced a small bloody gash on Kustu's face. Although he wasn't seriously injured, this precise and insidious sniping from high above made him fly into a rage.

"Damned bugs! Can you only hide up there and shoot cold arrows?! Have the guts to come down and fight me face-to-face!" He roared at the Sky, but there was nothing he could do. The Griffons' flight altitude was far beyond his jumping and throwing range, and the opponent clearly possessed extraordinary vision and range.

Elise stood on Wind Wing's back and expressionlessly drew her bow again. This time, it was a three-arrow rapid-fire, aimed at three locations where Kustu might dodge. The arrows automatically swirled with different elemental glows in mid-air! Bursting fire, slowing frost, and disruptive arcane. She did indeed prefer combining magic with archery; this precise and versatile long-range strike was much more comfortable for her than simply chanting large-scale Spells, and it was more effective at harassing and pinning down the enemy leader.

Kustu dodged and wove clumsily, his battle-axe swinging in defense. Although these arrows couldn't cause him fatal damage, the shadow-like, tricky, and ruthless sense of threat, along with the frustration of having to be distracted, made him extremely irritable and greatly interfered with his command of the troops.

"Keep moving! Don't stop! Avoid the center of the magic!" Bedrock was also shouting, swinging his giant hammer to shatter several falling boulders, covering the surrounding Minotaur warriors as they retreated toward the relatively sparse woods at the edge of the camp.

The aerial magic saturation strikes continued for several rounds. With each round of coverage, the number of fallen figures in the camp increased in swaths, and wails rose one after another. The Battle Intent of many Orc warriors completely collapsed; they cared only for fleeing in panic, their formations totally disintegrated. Although the Mage Corps' attacks were efficient, such high-intensity joint spellcasting was also a massive drain on Mental Energy and mana. Many mages' faces began to turn pale, with sweat appearing on their brows.

Elise keenly noticed the state of the mages under her command. After firing a Concussive Arrow to pin down Kustu, she quickly shot a glance at Clay.

Clay understood and immediately ordered: "All Griffon Knights, the Mage Corps' strike is over! Maintain formation, cover the mages, and return at full speed! Repeat, return at full speed!"

The Griffons let out a coordinated cry and began to gain altitude, adjusting their direction and flying swiftly toward the safe areas of the Thorn Barricade and the valley behind, leaving behind a mess of smoke-filled, corpse-strewn battlefield.

The rapid bombardment of magic crystal cannons in a short time, combined with several rounds of devastating saturation magic coverage from the aerial Mage Corps, had caused the Orc Coalition Army its heaviest losses since the start of the war. Initial estimates put the death toll at over ten thousand, with countless others injured and losing their combat effectiveness. More importantly, being hit consecutively by two types of attacks that were completely beyond their understanding and against which they were powerless left them with no morale.

Kustu and Bedrock looked at the devastated camp and their terrified, headless-fly-like subordinates. Their hearts bled, and they were filled with towering rage and a cold chill. What kind of enemy was this?

However, before they could catch their breath from these successive blows, or even have time to regroup the routing soldiers, a new, even more heavy and terrifying threat had already struck from the ground!

From the east came a low, rhythmic roar like rolling thunder. It wasn't the sound of hooves, but the sound of heavy objects trampling the earth evenly and heavily, making even the ground begin to tremble slightly.

"What is that sound?" Kustu looked toward the source of the sound, filled with uncertainty.

On the eastern horizon, shrouded in morning mist and gunpowder smoke, a torrent of steel was surging forward with unstoppable momentum!

It was a group of burly figures, generally nearly three meters tall, with muscles knotted like rocks! They were clad in heavy, cold-glinting, custom-made metal plate armor, holding giant axes broader than door panels, war hammers that required a normal person's both hands to swing, and several-meter-long, hideous maces... With every step they took, the ground shook. They were silent, with only their heavy breathing and the clanging of armor friction merging together. That condensed, pure, and frenzied Bronze Rank Battle Qi and Evil Qi joined together like a literal dark cloud pressing down, making the air thick and oppressive.

"O... Orcs?!" Chief Bedrock cried out, his eyes filled with disbelief. "How can they be here? Why would they fight for humans?!"

Orcs were known among the various beastman tribes for their powerful individual combat strength and violent temperaments. Although their population was small, they had always been an existence that no race wanted to provoke lightly. Batu and his legion were the best among them. Seeing Orcs, who should have been "their own kind," now charging at them with the Aura of destroying everything as human allies, was a psychological shock to the two Orc leaders that was even more intense than the previous magic bombardment.

"Engage the enemy! Quick! Group up! Block them!" Kustu hissed madly, trying to organize a defensive line. He knew that once this heavy-armored assault legion, entirely composed of Bronze Rank members, charged into their already disintegrated formation, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Bedrock also suppressed the shock in his heart and swung his giant hammer: "Warriors of the Minotaur! Form ranks! Use our strength to let these bastards who betrayed their Bloodline know what's what!"

Some of the more courageous Minotaur and Pig-Headed People gathered together at their leaders' shouts, hurriedly facing east to prepare for the impact of that steel torrent.

The five hundred Orc Legion, under Batu's personal leadership, grew faster and faster, finally transforming into a steel storm flying close to the ground. With the will to crush everything, they slammed fiercely into the Orc Coalition Army's hastily assembled front line!

At the moment of collision, flesh and blood flew, and the ear-piercing sound of bones shattering rang out densely. The Orcs' heavy weapons, bolstered by frenzied power, easily tore through the Orcs' crude shields and armor, smashing and hacking them away along with their weapons! This heavy-armored spearhead, entirely composed of Bronze Rank members, was like a hot knife through butter among the enemy troops whose morale had collapsed and whose formations were scattered, sweeping through everything in its path!

Behind the gap torn open by the Orc Legion, an even louder roar of battle shook the heavens.

Angus, Karl, and Shirei led the ten-thousand-strong main legion of the Star Sea Territory, who had been resting for many days and were bursting with Battle Intent. They followed the path opened by the Orcs, surging into the core camp of the Orc Coalition Army like a bursting torrent! Battle flags fluttered, blades and spears were like a forest, and the roars of revenge and victory drowned out everything!

The true general offensive had only just begun. The blade of the Ocean General was still hanging over the only path for the coalition's retreat. Kustu and Bedrock were already in a desperate situation.