175: The Great War Begins

The darkness before dawn was mercilessly torn apart by ten blue, meteor-like magic crystal cannon shells.

Boom! Boom! Boom—!!!

Earth-shattering explosions simultaneously erupted across various points of the Orc Coalition Army camp in Blackstone Canyon. This time, the fire was not concentrated on a single point but accurately covered several pre-set Breakthrough points and defensive nodes. Ten "raging waves class" magic crystal cannons, whose firing angles and trajectories had been meticulously calculated, spewed forth deadly flames, instantly reducing crude wooden fences, piled obstacles, and Orc soldiers who were still asleep or drunk into dust and burning wreckage. The violent shockwaves and deafening noise struck the very heart of the entire camp, which was deep in a drunken stupor, like a heavy hammer.

The camp instantly descended into chaos. The Orcs, forcibly dragged back from alcohol and slumber, were terrified and bewildered. Last night's revelry felt like a hallucinatory nightmare, and the burning flames, pervasive smoke, dismembered limbs of comrades, and mournful screams before them were the chilling reality. They scurried around like headless flies, searching for weapons, searching for their leaders, or simply trying to flee this sudden place of death.

Amidst the chaos, the Orc Coalition's command structure was virtually paralyzed. The leaders of the small and medium-sized tribes were themselves staggering drunk or still reeling from shock, completely unable to organize effective resistance.

Garnett, riding his Winged Tiger Beast, hovered calmly over a high ground slightly behind the battlefield, observing everything. He saw that the magic crystal cannon fire from the Star Sea Territory looked fierce, but there seemed to be only ten cannons, and the rhythm of the bombardment was not the most intense saturated coverage. This gave him a "conservative" estimate of the Star Sea Territory's "true" artillery strength.

He saw the disastrous chaos in the Orc camp, frowning slightly. He felt contempt for the Orcs' incompetence but also secretly nodded in approval at the Star Sea Territory's timing in choosing to attack when the enemy was most relaxed.

However, the anticipated total collapse did not happen immediately. Just when the chaos was at its peak, a low, intimidating wolf howl from deep within the camp overpowered the noise. Immediately after, a disciplined, Killing Intent-filled force marched out from the core area of the camp—it was the thirty thousand elite Wolfmen led by Wade!

These Wolfmen warriors had clearly not participated in last night's revelry. Their armor was bright, their weapons shiny, and their eyes were cold and fierce, forming a sharp contrast with the messy low-grade Orcs around them. Wade rode an exceptionally majestic war wolf, his body radiating the powerful fighting Qi of the Sky Peak, acting like a stabilizing pillar that temporarily held the line in certain areas.

"Why are you panicking!" Wade's voice boomed like rolling thunder across most of the battlefield. "Pick up your weapons! The enemy is right in front of you! Our King, Jokic Your Majesty, is leading three hundred and fifty thousand Wolfmen Elite and rushing here at full speed! The King's banner will arrive in half a day at most! For the glory of the Orcs, for the land beneath our feet, and for the great victory that is coming, follow me—charge!"

His words were full of Gu-like temptation, especially the news that "Jokic will arrive in half a day," which rekindled hope (or perhaps just luck) in the eyes of many panicked Orcs. However, hope could not instantly translate into discipline and courage. Many low-grade Orcs still held back or even tried to slip away.

A cold light flashed in Wade's eyes, and he signaled to the Wolfmen guards beside him.

The next moment, screams rang out one after another on the fringes of the Orc horde. Dozens of low-grade Orcs (mostly Goblins or Hobgoblins) who were slightly slower or attempted to retreat were instantly decapitated by the surging Wolfmen warriors. The bloody scene and ruthless suppression instantly intimidated the other Orcs.

"Those who disobey orders or retreat, die!" Wade's voice was cold and merciless. "Everyone, forward! Crush the humans!"

Driven by the bloody deterrence of the Wolfmen Supervisory Squad and the false hope of "reinforcements arriving soon," the hundred thousand-plus chaotic Orc Coalition Army finally managed to turn around, like a turbid flood carrying silt, crying and roaring as they launched a disorganized charge toward the Star Sea Territory military formation waiting outside the canyon.

Facing this seemingly surging but actually flawed "human wave" charge, the Star Sea Territory soldiers, who had practiced countless times, appeared relaxed and capable. The heavily armored shield soldiers in the front row stood like mountains, spearmen thrust deadly sharp points through the gaps, and archers and crossbowmen in the rear performed restrained volleys. The soldiers strictly followed orders: while ensuring their absolute safety, they engaged the charging Orcs in a back-and-forth manner, deliberately slowing down the kill efficiency to make the battle appear fierce, deadlocked, and full of "hard-fought struggle." The sound of blades cutting flesh, roars, and screams merged into one, and the battle line truly seemed to be in a stalemate, a tug-of-war.

Garnett observed the battle from the air. Initially, he felt a sense of gravity seeing the Star Sea Territory army being "slowly pushed back" and "difficultly resisting" the "vast number" of Orcs. However, after watching for a moment, he keenly noticed something was amiss. The formation of the Star Sea Territory soldiers remained stable, and casualties seemed minimal. Although the Orcs were shouting fiercely, the speed at which they fell was not as fast as in a true bloodbath... it seemed more like... a deliberate war of attrition? Moreover, the thirty thousand Wolfmen Elite, acting as the core and supervisory squad, remained on the edge of the camp the entire time, showing no intention of engaging in combat!

"It seems the Star Sea Territory isn't as powerful and invincible as rumored!"

Just then, the situation on the battlefield seemed to "change."

Yilman was seen waving the command flag in the central army. The twenty thousand Divine Arrow Army troops led by Angus, who had been waiting on the flank, suddenly moved! But their direction of attack was not the deadlocked front line; instead, they bypassed the main battlefield and rushed at extreme speed towards the thirty thousand stationary Wolfmen troops on the edge of the camp!

"Shoot!" With a command from Angus, twenty thousand Divine Arrow Army soldiers drew their bows simultaneously, and arrows flew like locusts toward the Wolfmen formation.

However, the accuracy of this volley of arrows... was rather embarrassing. Most arrows either missed and fell into empty ground or were easily blocked or dodged by the Wolfmen warriors, causing negligible casualties. The Wolfmen formation only stirred slightly before regaining its discipline.

Garnett's mouth twitched involuntarily upon seeing this. The slight change in opinion he had formed due to the Star Sea Territory's "hard fighting" instantly vanished, replaced by a subtle trace of contempt: "This is the Divine Arrow Army, touted as the elite of the Star Sea Territory? With such poor accuracy, it seems the rumors were greatly exaggerated. They must just rely on their equipment and training level to bully weaker opponents."

However, just as this contemptuous thought arose, a sudden change occurred!

Wade, the Wolfmen General who had been watching coldly, suddenly locked his gaze onto Garnett high in the Sky! The Giant Wolf beneath him stood on its hind legs and let out a deafening roar. Wade's body erupted with Raging Fighting Qi, and he charged straight toward Garnett like a burning meteor!

"Human commander! Prepare to die!" Wade's roar was full of "hatred" and "determination," as if he intended to vent all his fury towards the Star Sea Territory onto this Kingdom General who "seemed to hold a high position."

Garnett's face changed drastically! He never expected that with hundreds of thousands of troops fighting below, this Wolfmen Commander wouldn't lead his forces or charge the Lord of Star Sea Territory's main formation, but instead targeted him, the "observer"!

"Damn it!" Garnett cursed. Not daring to be slow, he quickly urged his Winged Tiger Beast to climb higher, drew his longsword, and circulated his Fighting Qi to meet the attack. He himself was a Sky Intermediate Knight, and his Winged Tiger Beast was also a Sky Elementary Demonic Beast. Their combined strength was considerable. But Wade was a genuine Sky Peak expert, and currently in a "Raging" state, making his offensive incredibly fierce.

For a time, Fighting Qi crisscrossed high in the Sky, sword light and claw shadows intertwined, and the cries of the Winged Tiger Beast and the roars of the Giant Wolf echoed through the clouds. Garnett was forced entirely onto the defensive, unable to counterattack. He could only fight and retreat, being intentionally or unintentionally driven away from the main battlefield's airspace by Wade, fighting as he moved towards the distant, desolate mountains.

"Madman! There are so many people down there, why are you fixated on me!" Garnett was both shocked and enraged, but helpless. He could only focus all his energy on dealing with this sudden "beheading" attack, no longer having the leisure to pay attention to the subtle changes on the battlefield below.

Just as Garnett was being "hunted" by Wade and drawn away from the battlefield's sight, the battle situation outside the canyon below underwent a fundamental change.

A deep, powerful horn sounded within the Star Sea Territory formation, which had been "difficultly resisting" the Orc charge.

"The enemy general has been lured away! All troops, heed the order—" Yilman's voice, amplified by magic, spread across the battlefield. "Hold nothing back, exterminate the enemy with full force!"

The moment the order was given, the Aura of the entire Star Sea Territory formation drastically changed! The previously "deadlocked" front line suddenly surged forward! The shield wall became more stable, the spear thrusts faster and fiercer, and the arrows from the archers and crossbowmen, who had been "restrained," now poured down like a storm, every single one accurately seeking the vital points of the Orcs!

Even more deadly, the twenty thousand Divine Arrow Army troops, who had previously shown "terrible accuracy" while rushing toward the Wolfmen forces, smoothly changed direction under Angus's command, as if they had practiced it countless times! They no longer aimed at the well-prepared Wolfmen Elite, who were difficult to kill, but instead directed their cold arrows towards the backs and flanks of the hundred thousand-plus chaotic and defenseless low-grade Orc routed soldiers!

Swish, swish, swish—!

This time, the sound of arrows cutting through the air was sharp and fatal, and the accuracy of their landing points was chilling! Swathes of Orcs fell down like cut wheat, their faces bearing confusion and disbelief even in death.

The massacre, the real massacre, had begun. Having lost the bloody deterrence of the Wolfmen Supervisory Squad and having their morale completely shattered by the sudden, accurate rain of arrows from behind, the hundred thousand-plus low-grade Orc Coalition Army finally collapsed completely. They threw down their weapons, crying and screaming, no longer heading in any direction, seeking only to escape the human army behind them that had suddenly turned into the Grim Reaper.

And the thirty thousand Wolfmen "Elite," who had never truly participated in the battle, seemed to be "leaderless" after Wade "pursued" Garnett and departed. Under the "deterrence" of Angus's Divine Arrow Army changing their target, they offered symbolic resistance a few times before "decisively" abandoning the camp under the shouts of several leaders, "hastily" retreating towards the direction bordering the depths of the Great Wilderness Forest. Angus led the Divine Arrow Army in a "valiant pursuit," and the two sides, one fleeing and one chasing, soon disappeared into the dense forests and mountains on the edge of the battlefield.

When Garnett finally managed to shake off Wade's "relentless" entanglement, relying on the mobility of his Winged Tiger Beast and his own experience, and flew back over the battlefield, battered and lightly wounded, he saw a completely different scene.

Burning camps, Orc corpses everywhere, and fifty to sixty thousand dejected prisoners being guarded by Star Sea Territory soldiers. The Star Sea Territory banner fluttered in the smoke. The soldiers were cleaning up the battlefield and collecting the bodies of their "fallen" comrades (most of whom were feigning death), presenting the picture of a hard-won, tragic victory after fierce fighting.

Garnett landed in the devastated camp, his feelings complicated as he looked at the scene. The Star Sea Territory had won. It seemed like a "tragic" victory, yet also... somewhat suspicious. But he couldn't find fault. He said in a deep voice, "Congratulations, General Yierman, for capturing Blackstone Canyon. This battle... was indeed tragic."

Yilman turned around, his face showing fatigue and "grief." He pointed to the "friendly" bodies being collected nearby: "For the Kingdom, and for this land, my Star Sea sons died a worthy death." His gaze shifted towards the direction where the Wolfmen retreated, and his tone became "solemn." "However, allowing Wade and tens of thousands of Wolfmen Elite to escape is a lasting danger. The subsequent attack on the Royal Court will likely... be even more difficult."