297: Chapter 232: Orc Tactics, Shamanic Curses and Berserk

That eerie curse totem was like a maggot on a bone, emitting disturbing dark red light and withered black energy. Lin Zhou did not rashly use brute force to destroy it; Orc curses often carried backlashes or traps. He had Li Mo continuously monitor the totem's energy changes and diffusion range while he himself combined the deductions of the Temple of Civilization with some Shaman knowledge previously provided by Qin Qing to attempt an analysis of its structural principles, seeking the safest method of purification.

“The totem has three core energy nodes arranged in a distorted triangular distribution, connecting the weak negative energy flows of the ley lines with some kind of... resentment remaining from blood sacrifices.” Li Mo projected a scanned map. “Directly destroying it might cause an energy explosion or spread the curse. Conventional purification divine arts will have reduced effectiveness; it's estimated to require a large amount of Divine Power.”

Lin Zhou stared at the map, his thoughts racing. The Legalist 'Holding Names Responsible for Reality' might be able to forcibly define it as 'illegal,' but it could trigger a conflict of rules. The Confucian 'Vast Righteous Qi' had a restraining effect on it, but area purification was not its forte. The Daoist 'Nature' or the School of Medicine's 'Expelling Evil' might be more appropriate... Just as he was weighing his options, the [Scout Eye] responsible for the outer perimeter sent another alarm!

“Massive energy reactions! From the direction of the northwest spatial fold! Quantity... over a hundred! No, it's still increasing!” Li Mo's voice suddenly rose. “It's the main Orc force! They are approaching rapidly!”

Lin Zhou's eyes sharpened, and he immediately set the totem issue aside: “All personnel to maximum combat readiness! Enter defensive positions according to the contingency plan! Zhao Hao, aerial reconnaissance—confirm the enemy composition! Li Mo, full power on analyzing enemy data!”

“Understood!” Zhao Hao once again summoned two young Red Dragons (the one injured previously had returned to the Divine Kingdom to recover) and took to the sky, using the dragons' superior vision to look into the distance. Li Mo turned all scanning equipment to maximum power.

Soon, intelligence was compiled.

Through the main screen of the observation platform and Zhao Hao's shared vision, Lin Zhou saw a daunting sight: over twenty Orc landing craft—larger and sturdier than the previous assault boats—swarmed out of the spatial fold like a school of sharks smelling blood! These landing craft were more rugged in design, with massive rams mounted on the bows and firing ports on the sides. Circling and guarding the landing craft were dozens of Orc Wolf Riders mounted on giant bat-like flying creatures.

More importantly, the composition of the enemy ground forces clearly displayed the classic tactical system of the Orc Empire:

[Front Row: Orc Berserkers]

Quantity: Approximately eighty.

Appearance: Exceptionally tall and burly (average height 2.5 meters), with muscles bulging like rocks. Their skin was dark green or dark red, and they wore only crude leather or studded armor, with most of their scar-covered bodies exposed. They held massive double-edged battle-axes, maces, or cleavers, their eyes burning with undisguised, violent Battle Intent.

Data Scan (Li Mo's preliminary analysis):

Rank: LV35-LV40 (Common units), mixed with several elite captains around LV45.

Base Attributes (Estimated): Strength 55-65, Agility 30-40, Physique 60-70, low Intelligence, high Mental Resistance (influenced by berserk will).

Core Skill [Berserk] (Passive/Active): Triggered after a certain time in combat or activated manually. Strength attribute doubles (reaching a terrifying 110-130!), attack speed +30%, pain perception reduced by 80%, but defense drops by 20%, and they will to some extent lose the ability to distinguish friend from foe (prioritizing the nearest unit).

Tactical Role: Absolute frontline Breakthrough and disruptors, relying on terrifying explosive power to tear through defense lines.

[Middle Row: Orc Shamans and Attached Units]

Quantity: Approximately ten Shamans (including the apprentice who escaped earlier), plus over twenty slightly weaker [Shaman Assistants] responsible for carrying totem poles and Spell Materials.

Appearance: Shamans wore robes made of feathers, bones, and tattered cloth, holding various bone staves, totem staves, or skull Magical Artifacts, with their faces covered in war paint. Shaman Assistants carried heavy packs.

Data Scan:

Rank: Shamans LV38-LV45 (Apprentice to Full Shaman), Assistants LV25-LV30.

Core Ability: Manipulating 'Ancestral Spirit' power (actually a primitive faith power mixed with nature, blood sacrifice, and chaos). Skilled in area curses, healing, elemental attacks (primarily lightning, fire, and venom), and summoning weak ancestral ghosts to aid in battle.

Signature Skills:

[Healing Wave]: Heals Orc units within a certain range.

[Bloodlust]: Temporarily increases the attack power and speed of a single or small group of Orc units.

[Lightning Bolt/Chain]: Mid-range elemental attack.

[Curse Totem]: Requires pre-deployment or rapid placement during battle, possessing various effects, such as:

[Weakening Totem]: Non-Orc units within range have Strength -20% and Movement Speed -10%.

[Searing Totem]: Continuously deals fire damage to enemies within range.

[Tremor Totem]: Periodically releases fear waves, with a chance to send enemies into a brief state of fear.

Tactical Role: Battlefield support, crowd control, and core long-range Spell support; can greatly enhance the Orc troops' sustained combat capability and weakening effects on the enemy.

[Back Row: Troll Spear Throwers]

Quantity: Approximately thirty.

Appearance: Taller and leaner than Orcs, with grey-blue or dark green skin and extremely strong regenerative abilities. They wore little armor, only animal skin skirts, and carried large wicker baskets on their backs filled with heavy spears over three meters long, with tips made of obsidian or sharpened biological teeth.

Data Scan:

Rank: LV36-LV42.

Core Attributes: Strength 50-60 (for throwing), Agility 45-55 (reloading and aiming), Physique 50+ (high regeneration), possessed the [Farsight] talent.

Core Skill [Deadly Throw]:

Range: Effective range up to 800-1000 meters! (Far exceeding ordinary bows and most Early Stage firearms).

Power: Extremely high single-target damage with a strong piercing effect (chance to ignore partial defense for light and medium-armored units), and spears are often coated with poison or corrosive substances.

Attack Frequency: Relatively slow; requires time to retrieve a spear from the back after each throw.

Tactical Role: Ultra-long-range fire suppression and precision sniping, specifically targeting enemy mages, commanders, key defensive nodes, or dense formations.

[Other Units]: A small number of Orc Infantry (shield-bearing, balanced attributes), Wolf Riders (mobile harassment), and several War Beasts—resembling a mix of rhinoceros and lizard, covered in thick bone plates and bound by thick chains (slow-moving but with extremely high health and defense, used for charging fixed defense lines).

“A standard Orc medium attack cluster.” Lin Zhou quickly assessed in his mind. “Berserkers for the charge, Shamans for weakening and support, Trolls for long-range suppression, Wolf Riders for flank harassment, and War Beasts for Breakthroughs... The coordination is quite perfect. That apprentice really did lead the main force here; it seems our little outpost is being treated as a 'nail' that must be pulled.”

“Boss, how do we fight this? Their numbers are more than four times ours! And those damn Trolls—our range can't reach them!” Zhao Hao's voice came through the comms, tinged with anxiety. Although his Red Dragons were strong, they didn't dare rashly charge into the Trolls' spear coverage area.

“Don't panic.” Lin Zhou's voice was steady, his brain working rapidly as he used [Civilization Deduction] to quickly simulate various response plans. “Orc tactics seem complete, but they rely on Shaman curse buffs and Berserker bursts. Break their rhythm, and we can collapse their offensive.”

He quickly issued a series of commands:

“Wang Meng, take all your Behemoth Warriors and hold the lower entrance and surrounding cover! You must withstand the first wave of the Berserkers' impact! Don't fight them with raw strength; use the cover and formations to stall for time! I will have the Literary Heart Elves provide you with [Wenxin Aura] and [Subtle Influence] to boost morale and offset some of the weakness curses!”

“Zhao Hao, your Red Dragons are not to charge head-on. Use your mobility to prioritize attacking those Shamans and Shaman Assistants who are setting up totems! Disrupt their curse rhythm! Watch out for the Trolls' spears!”

“Li Mo, all Ballista towers and mechanical units, concentrate fire and blanket the Troll Spear Thrower positions! Don't aim for total annihilation; just disrupt their aiming and throwing rhythm! Use [Logic Interference Bolts] and smoke bombs (if available)! Simultaneously, activate the [War Fog Generator] we brought to cover the two-hundred-meter area in front of the tower, interfering with enemy vision and long-range locks!”

“All Wenxin Elf scholars and sharpshooters, mount the observation platform and activate the [Vast Righteous Qi] Domain. Focus on purifying negative statuses released by the Shamans and snipe exposed Shamans and Trolls from a distance! Law Fishmen Inquisitors will act as a mobile reserve to fill gaps in the defense line and prepare to handle any elite units that might break through!”

The instructions were clear and precise; everyone acted immediately.

By now, the Orc landing craft had approached within less than two kilometers and began deploying troops. A dense mass of Orcs poured out like a tide, unfolding their formation in the Void Realm (relying on some crude anti-gravity equipment or their own strong Physiques to briefly step on air). Protected by a group of assistants, the Shamans began waving bone staves and chanting piercing syllables. Crude wooden totem poles carved with runes were violently 'stuck' into the void (actually fixed onto small floating plates), beginning to emit various colored lights!

Among them, three [Weakening Totems] emitting a greyish light were placed in front of the Orc charging cluster. An invisible force field rapidly spread, enveloping the Berserkers about to charge and... the direction of Watchtower No. 7!

Lin Zhou immediately felt a heavy pressure hit him; his own strength seemed bound by invisible shackles, decreasing by nearly twenty percent! Wang Meng and the Behemoth Warriors also let out muffled groans, their movements becoming visibly sluggish. Simultaneously, several other [Searing Totems] began to emit high heat, and the [Tremor Totems] released unsettling waves.

“Now! Literary Heart Elves, Vast Righteous Qi—dispel the evil!” Lin Zhou shouted.

On the observation platform, twenty Wenxin Elf scholars, led by Elena (via remote consciousness guidance), chanted Confucian classics in unison. A gentle yet firm pale gold light spread out from them, merging with Lin Zhou's [Civilization Order Field] to form a more solid [Radiant Virtue Domain]!

The Domain collided with and neutralized the Shamans' curse field! Although it couldn't completely eliminate the effect of the [Weakening Totems] (Strength was still -12%), it successfully dispelled the fear influence of the [Tremor Totems] and significantly weakened the damage from the [Searing Totems].

“Red Dragons, strike!” Zhao Hao saw his chance and commanded the two young Red Dragons to dive, their Dragon Breath accurately spewing toward the area where several Shaman Assistants were presiding over the totem rituals! The scorching flames engulfed two assistants and ignited nearby totem Materials, causing a small-scale chaos!

“For the Horde! Waaagh!” Under the red light buff of the Shamans' [Bloodlust] and the weakening effect of the [Weakening Totems] on the enemy, the Orc Berserkers let out earth-shaking roars. Their eyes turned crimson, and their muscles expanded further as they entered a state of total [Berserk]! They were like runaway tanks, ignoring the formations still being set up and charging madly toward the base of Watchtower No. 7! Their footsteps on the void (floating plates or anti-gravity paths) produced a dull, booming sound!

“Behemoths! Hold fast!” Wang Meng roared. Five heavy-armored Behemoth Warriors stood like boulders, their massive shields slamming into the ground to form a tight shield wall. The frenzied Orc Berserkers slammed into them like waves hitting a reef!

“Boom! Crack!”

Great axes collided with great shields, sparks flying! One Behemoth Warrior was knocked back half a step by the massive force, cracks appearing on his shield, but he held on grimly. Another Berserker's axe hacked into a Behemoth's shoulder armor, sinking several inches deep, but the Behemoth countered with an axe strike that split the Orc's chest open! The battle instantly entered the bloodiest and most brutal stage of melee combat!

Meanwhile, in the Orc Ranks at the rear, thirty Troll Spear Throwers were in position. Their long arms stretched, muscles tensed, and heavy obsidian spears were raised, aiming at the observation platform, the Red Dragons, and the rear of the Behemoth battle formation!

“Trolls preparing to throw! Ballista towers, blanket fire! Smoke bombs, release!” Li Mo's commands rang out simultaneously.

Several hidden firing ports on the watchtower opened, and several Ballista towers hummed as specialized arrows (a mix of armor-piercing, explosive, and logic interference runes) shot toward the Troll positions like a torrential rain! Although the distance was still great and the hit rate wasn't high, the exploding flames and scattered shrapnel, along with the occasional Logic Interference Bolt (causing individual Trolls' arms to twitch briefly and their throwing motions to deform), successfully disrupted the Trolls' first volley.

At the same time, in front of the tower, the [War Fog Generator] activated. A thick, greyish-white mist that blocked Divine Thought and vision rapidly spread, enveloping the large area in front of the tower base.

“Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!”

Despite the interference, some Trolls still completed their throws! Dozens of obsidian spears, carrying a shrill whistling sound like javelins from Hell, tore through the void and slammed down fiercely!

Most spears had their accuracy affected by the smoke and distance; some struck the outer wall of the tower (leaving deep dents), some fell into the mist and disappeared, but three spears still penetrated the smoke. One grazed a Red Dragon's wing (taking away a few scales), one nailed deep into the ground near a Behemoth Warrior's foot (sending stone fragments flying), and the last one narrowly grazed the edge of the observation platform, completely destroying an external sensor!

The threat of ultra-long-range, high-penetration, poisoned spears was presented so realistically to Lin Zhou's team for the first time.

“We must deal with those Trolls as soon as possible, or force them into melee!” Lin Zhou's eyes were cold as he looked at the battlefield. The front-row Berserkers and Behemoths were locked in a struggle, the Shamans were trying to re-stabilize the totems and release Healing Waves, the Red Dragons and Wolf Riders were fighting in the air, and the Trolls were watching from the rear like tigers...

The battle had just entered its most intense stage. And in Lin Zhou's hands, there were still several cards left to play.