55: With the enemy at the gates, the Mohist stratagems shake the fortified city, Part 2.

Following Lin Zhou's Order, the rear of the coalition forces immediately became busy.

Li Mo (consciousness projection) and Clever Hands Mibo directed the Tiangong Dwarves, Mechanical Goblins, and other engineering units of the coalition to quickly retrieve the siege weapons transported in parts and began the intense assembly.

The dwarves chanted work songs, using giant wrenches and hammers to strike sturdy components; the gnomes, like butterflies flitting through flowers, installed precise gears, springs, and energy conduits; even some Rock Golems acted as laborers, carrying heavy bases and counterweights.

Under the combination of Mohist Mechanical Arts and Gnomish engineering (occasionally interspersed with some unreliable explosions), war machines full of violent aesthetics rose from the ground at an astonishing speed!

【Coalition Siege Weapons (Major)】:

【Mohist Heavy Counterweight Trebuchet x5】: Constructed from tough 【Hemlock Wood】 and 【Black Iron】, the counterweight boxes were filled with heavy Ore. With long range and immense power, it can hurl giant stones or special 【Explosive Stone Shells】.

【Explosive Stone Shells】: The stone shells are inscribed with unstable fire runes inside, exploding upon impact to produce area-of-effect fire damage and shockwaves, with additional effects against undead and buildings.

【Gnomish Super Siege Crossbow x8】: The crossbow arms are forged from a composite of 【Elastic Memory Metal】 and 【Dragon Tendon】, and the bolts are like short spears. With extremely strong penetration, it can fire 【Armor-Piercing Bolts】 or 【Chain Hooks】.

【Chain Hooks】: The special bolts have sturdy chains attached to the tail, which can be fired at the city wall to provide a climbing path for infantry once fixed, or used to pull and destroy battlements.

【Jointly Developed Siege Tower x3】: A mobile wooden tower twenty-five meters high with wheels at the bottom, covered externally with soaked leather for fireproofing, and capable of accommodating dozens of archers or infantry inside. It has a folding ramp at the top that can be extended onto the city wall, allowing infantry to charge directly onto the ramparts.

Just as the siege weapons were being assembled, the long-range firepower of the central army had already begun to show its might!

"Target, the wall's Wraith Watchtowers! Three-round volley, fire!" Elwin stood at the front of the formation, his longsword pointing at those watchtowers emitting a ghostly blue light.

The one hundred and fifty Wenxin Elf Rangers, who had long been arrayed behind the 【Law Boundary】, along with all other archers and crossbowmen in the coalition, pulled their bowstrings simultaneously!

In an instant, arrows blotted out the sky like a swarm of locusts, pouring down towards the undead barrier!

The elves' arrows shone with Vast Righteous Qi, like streaks of white light, accurately shooting at the Wraith Mages and skeleton archers. Although the arrows from other long-range units of the coalition were chaotic, under such dense coverage, they also caused considerable damage.

Pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft!

The skeleton archers on the city wall were shattered in droves, and the necrotic shields raised by the Wraith Mages fluctuated violently under the barrage of arrows containing the power of Order, flickering on and off, forcing them to interrupt their spellcasting to defend.

"Gnomish Ballistae, target the dense areas of enemy undead guards, explosive bolts, fire!" Eagle Eye Barrend ordered calmly.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The special explosive bolts trailed exhaust flames, tearing through the sky and smashing fiercely into the undead barrier!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Violent explosions rang out one after another, fire and shockwaves ravaged the undead horde, and severed limbs and shattered bones flew everywhere! Especially against the densely packed undead guards, the effect was significant, instantly clearing several sections of the city wall!

The coalition's long-range suppression achieved a great start!

The undead army clearly would not sit and wait for death.

From deep within The Silent Temple came a mental roar full of anger and majesty (from a Lich?). Immediately after, the city gate of the undead barrier, composed of bones, slowly opened amidst a harsh grinding sound!

"Roar——!"

Like a breached flood, a large number of undead ground troops, with bone warhorse cavalry as the spearhead, mixed with plague zombies and a sea of skeletons, like a black tide of death, launched a counter-charge towards the coalition's positions! Their goal was clearly to destroy those siege weapons being assembled, as well as to assault the coalition's long-range positions!

"They're here! Vanguard legion, engage!" Zhao Hao roared excitedly, and the Young Golden Dragon was the first to let out a heaven-shaking dragon roar, spraying a mouthful of scorching Dragon Breath onto the densest part of the charging undead tide!

The golden Dragon Breath washed over the earth like a waterfall, instantly vaporizing the low-level undead within the area, and the bone warhorse cavalry were also burned and sent tumbling, their charge momentum stalling for a moment!

"For my Lord! For the coalition! Kill!" Bronzebeard Stonehammer brandished his newly forged warhammer, taking the lead, and led the Dwarven Breakers and Mountain Giants to stand at the very front like a rock, colliding fiercely with the incoming undead tide!

Bang! Boom!

The sound of warhammers colliding with bones, the dull thuds of blades entering flesh, the hisses of the undead, and the shouts of the coalition instantly resounded across the battlefield! The front line instantly turned into a meat (or bone) grinder!

With the blessing of the 【Net of Law】, the coalition soldiers were in high spirits and had superior attributes, managing to hold off the first fierce wave of the undead, and steadily pushed forward, maintaining the front line near the Law Boundary, or even slightly beyond it!

On the flank, Su Yueyao calmly observed the battlefield. When the Moon Elf Rangers reported that a force of about three hundred bone cavalry was attempting to bypass the frontal battlefield and attack the coalition's siege weapon position in the rear, she immediately gave the Order.

"Moon Shadow Assault Team, intercept!"

Dozens of Moon Elf warriors leaped out from the shadows like ghosts, their moon blades absorbing moonlight as they ran, becoming brilliant and dazzling! Their speed was astonishingly fast, accurately intercepting that bone cavalry force. Moon Beasts launched a surprise attack from the flank; their sharp claws and teeth could easily tear apart the bones of the undead, and they moved with afterimages of moonlight, making them hard to capture.

The perfect cooperation between the Moon Elves and the Moon Beasts, like a hot knife through butter, quickly divided and annihilated the bone cavalry that attempted to outflank them!

The frontal battlefield fell into a stalemate, and the flank threat was eliminated. The coalition's long-range firepower was able to continue pouring onto the undead barrier without interference, suppressing the defenders on the city wall so they couldn't lift their heads.

And at this moment, the siege weapons in the rear were finally assembled!

"Trebuchets! Target, the middle section of the bone city wall! Explosive Stone Shells, one volley!" Li Mo excitedly waved his wrench.

Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!

The five heavy trebuchets let out a dull roar, the huge counterweight boxes fell with a bang, and the lever arms hurled the 【Explosive Stone Shells】 placed in the leather pouches at a terrifying speed!

Five boulders burning with fire tore through the sky like meteors, carrying a deathly whistle as they smashed fiercely into the pale white undead barrier!

Boom!!!!

A deafening series of explosions rang out! Fire and thick smoke instantly swallowed a large section of the city wall! The sturdy city wall, forged from countless bones, emitted a teeth-grinding cracking sound under such terrifying, violent blows! Large chunks of bone fragments and undead remains were blown into the sky, and obvious cracks and collapses appeared on the surface of the city wall! A section of the city wall about twenty meters wide was almost completely leveled! The undead defenders on it were instantly wiped out!

"Siege Crossbows! Aim at the crack area, armor-piercing bolts, fire!" Barrend immediately ordered.

Eight armor-piercing bolts, like short spears, carried a shrill whistling sound as they accurately struck the crack in the city wall!

Pfft! Crack!

The already teetering city wall structure, after being hit with such precision, could finally no longer support itself and, amidst a heart-wrenching groaning sound, collapsed with a crash! Revealing a huge gap leading to the interior of the temple!

"Siege Towers advance! Infantry prepare to board the wall!" Lin Zhou's voice spread through the entire army via Divine Thought!

The three tall siege towers, pushed by dwarves and Rock Golems, made creaking sounds as they began to slowly advance towards the gap in the city wall and the still-intact city walls on both sides!

"Opportunity!" Zhao Hao's eyes shot out with sharp light, "Golden Dragon, let's go! Open a path for our brothers!"

The Young Golden Dragon let out a passionate dragon roar and, carrying Zhao Hao, charged directly through the collapsed gap into the interior of The Silent Temple! They wanted to clear the undead behind the gap as soon as possible and open an offensive path for the main army!

The coalition had successfully torn open a bloody gap under the strict defense of the undead army! The vanguard pointed directly at the core of the temple!

However, just as the coalition's morale was high and they were preparing to charge into the temple in one go, a sudden change occurred!

From behind the collapsed city wall gap and from the thick death mist deep in the temple, several auras far more powerful, cold, and filled with destructive intent than any previous undead emerged!

At least four 【Death Knights】 (estimated level LV35 - LV38) clad in pitch-black heavy armor, riding Nightmare Beasts, with dark red Soul fire burning in their eyes, appeared behind the gap like messengers from Hell, their rune swords pointing at the charging Golden Dragon and the coalition, as an aura of death rose to the sky!

At the same time, a scalp-numbing, Soul-piercing shriek came from above the temple, and several semi-transparent 【Banshee Queens】 (estimated level LV36) emitting powerful mental pollution energy revealed their figures!

The true strong enemies, the high-level undead lords under the Lich, had finally made their move!

The gate of victory that had just been opened was instantly covered in a thick shadow!