11: In the first battle of the gods, military strategists outmaneuvered a powerful foe! (Part 2)

"Buzz—!"

Space rippled violently like water, and the channel connecting to the "Bone Chewer" divine domain finally stabilized completely. A filthy vortex about five meters in diameter, its edges flickering with unstable energy sparks, appeared in the sky above the designated battlefield at the edge of the divine domain.

In an instant, an even denser aura of blood, decay, and chaos gushed out like a physical substance, making one feel nauseous.

"For the great god Bone Chewer! Kill them all! Loot everything!"

"Fresh meat! Shiny treasures!"

"Awoo—!"

Accompanied by frenzied roars, like a floodgate opening, dense crowds of Mutated Kobolds brandishing bone knives and broken shields, their eyes glowing crimson, scrambled to pour out of the channel! Their numbers were vast, instantly covering a large area in front of the channel's entrance; at a glance, they indeed exceeded two hundred!

[Enemy First Wave Offensive]:

Kobold Minions (approx. 150): Like a chaotic tide, they have no Formation to speak of, relying on numbers and instinct to charge forward.

Kobold Throwers (approx. 30): Mixed among the minions, they began throwing poisoned bone spears. Although their aim was poor, the spears whistled through the air, carrying significant deterrence.

Kobold Plague Priests (approx. 10): Located slightly further back in the Ranks, they waved bone staves and began chanting. A pale green plague aura began to spread, attempting to weaken the front-line dwarf defense and buff the Kobolds with [Fanaticism] (Attack +10%, Sanity decreased).

"Hold steady!" Bronzebeard Stonehammer roared, his voice like thunder, drowning out the clamor of the Kobolds. "Dwarf brothers, Immovable as a Mountain!"

"Ha!" Fifteen Dwarf Breachers shouted in unison, their shields slamming heavily onto the ground. An earthy yellow light merged together, forming an indestructible iron wall! With the School of Military Formation's blessing, their defense instantly soared to a terrifying level, as if they had become one with the earth beneath their feet.

Simultaneously, the three [light mechanical ballista] in the rear, operated by the mixed teams, let out a roar!

"Boing—Whoosh!" "Boing—Whoosh!"

Specialized bolts, their tips engraved with faint armor-piercing runes and loaded with explosive mechanisms, shot into the densest areas of the Kobolds with incredible speed!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The moment the bolts hit the ground, the internal explosive mechanisms were triggered, and flames and shockwaves swept through! Severed limbs and the screams of Kobolds flew everywhere! In just one volley, three huge gaps were torn into the wave of Kobolds, causing more than twenty casualties!

[light mechanical ballista] (School of Mohism/Lightforged Gnome Joint Improved Model):

Attack Power: 45-60 (Area Damage)

Range: 300 meters (Effective)

Traits: [Burst] (Small area splash damage), [Weak Armor Piercing] (Ignores part of physical defense)

Reload Speed: Slow (approx. 15 seconds/round)

The Kobolds' charge faltered! Their innate nature to [Bully the Weak and Fear the Strong] began to take effect. Faced with the solid dwarven defense and the terrifying lethality of the ballistae, the front-row Kobolds showed obvious hesitation and fear.

"Useless! Charge! Their ballistae reload slowly! Tear those runts apart!" From behind the channel came Bone Chewer's exasperated Divine Thought roar. A wave of Divine Power filled with fear and madness swept across the battlefield, forcibly suppressing the Kobolds' cowardice and driving them to charge once more.

The chanting of the Plague Priests also reached a climax, and pale green plague mists began to drift toward the dwarf defense line.

"Law: Define 'Plague' as illegal! Dispel!" Lin Zhou's cold voice rang out at the level of the divine domain's rules.

The Temple of Law blazed with light, and the invisible Net of Law vibrated violently. As the pale green plague mist approached the dwarf defense line, it seemed to hit an invisible barrier, being significantly weakened and purified. Ultimately, only a negligible trace of the aura touched the dwarves, which was easily resisted by their [Rock Toughness] talent and the resistance bonus of the [Immovable as a Mountain] Formation.

"Hahaha! The green-skins' plague isn't as strong as our dwarven ale!" Bronzebeard Stonehammer laughed, swinging his battle-axe. "For my god, for our home, kill!"

The dwarves were like reefs, firmly rooted in place. Using their shields and battle-axes, they efficiently harvested the Kobold Minions that rushed up. The Kobolds' attacks landed on their heavy armor and shields, leaving only shallow white marks, while every swing from a dwarf claimed one or even multiple lives.

Seeing the frontal assault thwarted, the Kobold Throwers began to shift their target to the ballista teams in the rear. Poisoned bone spears whistled through the air!

"As Quiet as the Forest! Raise shields!" Bronzebeard Stonehammer commanded on the spot.

The dwarves and elves operating the ballistae immediately raised the iron-bound wooden shields they carried with them, slightly adjusting their Formation to support each other. As the Laws of the military Formation operated, their defensive posture became even more stable. Most of the bone spears were blocked or deflected, with only a few causing minor injuries that were quickly resolved by the Gnomes' Illumination spell or their own resistance.

"Now is the time!" On the command platform, Elwin's beautiful eyes flashed with sharp light. "Elf Rangers, Swift as the Wind! Flank from the left, Fierce as Fire! Target—enemy throwers and priests!"

The forty Elf Rangers, who had been ready and waiting, moved instantly! Their figures became blurred, and their movement speed surged. Like ghosts of the forest, they quickly circled from the left flank and cut into the battlefield!

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—!"

A dense rain of arrows poured out! Under the blessing of Fierce as Fire, these arrows, accompanied by sharp whistling sounds, accurately covered the area where the Kobold Throwers and Plague Priests were located!

[Elf Rangers (LV 9 Average)]:

Attack Power: 22-28 (Bow) + [Vast Righteous Qi] special damage against evil

Skills: [Precise Shot], [Rapid Movement], [Nature Concealment]

Status: [Swift as the Wind] (Movement/Attack Speed +30%), [Fierce as Fire] (Attack +35%, Critical Hit +10%), [Vast Righteous Qi] (Damage to Kobolds +150%)

The effect was devastating!

The already fragile and low-health Kobold Throwers and Plague Priests were like wheat being mowed down before the arrow rain imbued with Vast Righteous Qi, falling in swathes! Especially the Plague Priests; their deaths directly caused the [Fanaticism] effect on the Kobolds to vanish, and they lost precious long-range support and plague buffs.

"Damn it! Those long-ears! You on the right, go stop them!" Bone Chewer's Divine Thought was exasperated.

A portion of the Kobold Minions tried to turn and intercept the elves, but before the [Swift as the Wind] elves, their speed was as slow as a turtle's crawl. They could only be beaten passively, being easily picked off by the elves as if they were kiting.

The situation on the battlefield reversed instantly!

The Kobold army was completely divided: one part was firmly held at the frontal defense line by the dwarves, suffering heavy casualties; another part tried to chase the elves but was led around by the nose, constantly losing numbers; and the long-range units were almost wiped out by the elves' first wave of surprise attacks.

"Special Forces Team, strike! Target: the channel exit. Cut off the enemy reinforcements and hunt down the remaining priests!" Elwin ordered again.

Ten elite Elf Ranger lurking in the dense woods on the flank suddenly struck like blades in the shadows! They were extremely fast and had clear targets, cutting directly toward the channel entrance where Kobolds were still pouring out, as well as the scattered Plague Priests trying to reorganize.

This move completely disrupted Bone Chewer's deployment. The subsequent Kobold reinforcements were stuck at the channel entrance; as soon as one came out, it was picked off by an Elf Ranger, preventing them from forming an effective force. The remaining priests were also quickly eliminated.

"No! Impossible! My army!" Bone Chewer let out a roar of disbelief. He could feel his followers being efficiently slaughtered, and his lines of faith were snapping one by one! The opponent's command, coordination, and the orderly rules that countered his evil power all filled him with dread.

"It's time to end this." Lin Zhou's Divine Thought sounded like a sentence. He mobilized his Divine Power, not to participate directly in the attack, but to strengthen the divine domain's rule suppression while providing a brief Divine Power buff to the front-line troops.

"Bronzebeard! Elwin! All units, charge! Fierce as Fire!"

"For my god! Crush them!" Red light flared on Bronzebeard Stonehammer as he led the dwarves in a counter-charge! The Dwarf Breachers, buffed by the Fierce as Fire Formation, were like a hot iron cutting through butter, instantly and completely routing the remaining Kobolds in the front!

Elwin also commanded the Elf Rangers to stop their hit-and-run tactics and fire at full strength to sweep the battlefield.

The Kobold army completely collapsed! Their innate nature to [Bully the Weak and Fear the Strong] was magnified to the extreme under absolute disadvantage. The surviving Kobolds began to flee desperately, even trampling each other in their haste to escape back to the other side of the channel.

"Thinking of running?" Lin Zhou's eyes turned cold. You think you can just leave after winning? There's no such cheap deal!

"Divine Domain Rule: Imprisonment! Channel, hold for me!"

He consumed a large amount of Power Of Faith to forcibly stabilize the channel that had begun to become unstable, even applying reverse pressure to prevent the Kobolds from escaping back.

Ultimately, more than one hundred and eighty Kobolds remained forever on Lin Zhou's divine domain land. Only fewer than forty remnants managed to escape back, carrying with them absolute terror.

[System Notification]: Divine War ended! You have gained a glorious victory!

[System Notification]: You have successfully repelled the invasion of the deity "Bone Chewer" and dealt a heavy blow to his divine domain!

[System Notification]: According to the rules of Divine War, you have obtained spoils: [divinity fragment x1], [Power Of Faith (Plundered) x3000], [Rotten Mire Divine Domain Coordinates (Permanent)]!

[System Notification]: Your followers gained a large amount of experience in battle! Elwin's level increased to LV 13! Bronzebeard Stonehammer's level increased to LV 21! A large number of Elf and Dwarf soldiers leveled up!

[System Notification]: [School of Military] thought has been practically verified; unlock progress increased to 5%! Hero Elven learned a new skill: [All Warfare is Based on Deception] (Passive, increases tactical deception and detection abilities)! Hero Bronzebeard Stonehammer learned a new skill: [Terrifying Roar] (Active, area fear effect, special effect against enemies with low morale)!

[System Notification]: Your divine domain has absorbed some of the rules and energy dissipated from the battle, slightly increasing its area (12.2 km²). Environmental rules have a permanent increase in resistance to "Chaos" and "Plague."

Inside the divine domain, thunderous cheers rang out! All the followers were immersed in the joy of victory and fanatical worship of their god. With a minimal cost (only a few people slightly injured, no one killed), they had annihilated a strong enemy three times their size!

Elwin and Bronzebeard Stonehammer looked at each other and smiled, both seeing the excitement and confidence in the future in each other's eyes.

Lin Zhou felt the increased faith and that precious [divinity fragment] within him, but his gaze was cast toward that channel in the void that had become dim but still existed, and toward the other end of the channel—the "Bone Chewer" divine domain, which was now severely weakened and filled with fear.

"Defense is only the beginning." His consciousness swept over the messy but rapidly being cleared battlefield, over the followers whose morale was like a rainbow, and finally locked onto those filthy coordinates.

"The next step will be counterattack and conquest! Your divine domain will be the second cornerstone for the rise of my Hundred Schools Temple!"

A glorious victory opened the door to a broader stage for Lin Zhou, and also allowed him to truly experience the powerful force brought by the combination of Hundred Schools of Thought and digital development. The smoke of the first Divine War had not yet completely dissipated, but the overture of conquest had already begun.