103: Iron Wall, Wolf Hunter

October, late autumn.

The biting winds of the Azure Wolf Continent already carried the sharpness of blades, sweeping across withered yellow grasslands and rugged mountains.

The Empire's First Expeditionary Army Group, with Marshal Adrian as its overall commander and Franco as its forward commander, like a drawn sword, brazenly stepped into the last sanctuary of the orcs, protected by the Empire's steel bulwark.

The mode of warfare was entirely different from any previous campaign.

The expeditionary force did not advance deep into enemy territory like in traditional wars.

Upon entering the first open area on the outskirts of the Broken Cliff Mountains—Shattered Bone Plain—the army halted its advance.

"Right here," Franco declared in the forward command post, his voice like a resounding bell as he pointed at the holographic sandbox.

"We'll set the rules for those blue-skinned beasts! Let them see what it means to be unable to advance, and unable to retreat!"

With the order given,

One hundred thousand iron oath guardians, like awakened metal giants, marched forward with heavy, synchronized steps.

They did not scatter but, in units of one hundred, heavily embedded the giant tower shields on their left arms, inscribed with complex runes, into specially designed ground bases.

"Om—!"

A deep resonance instantly sounded,

Dazzling energy barriers erupted from the edges of the shields, quickly connecting and merging with the barriers of adjacent units, finally forming an energy Great Wall on the vast plain, stretching tens of kilometers from east to west and towering into the clouds!

Streams of light flickered on the barrier, and countless runes could be faintly seen flashing within it, exuding a heart-pounding sense of oppression.

Almost simultaneously,

The Horn of War God was activated!

Invisible waves of mental pollution, like ripples on water, spread outwards from the steel Great Wall towards the orc-controlled territory.

"Roar!!"

On the other side of the plain,

A frost wolf cavalry detachment, sent to probe, instantly lost control.

The cavalry's eyes were bloodshot, saliva uncontrollably dripped from their fangs, and only one thought remained in their minds—destroy that glowing Great Wall!

"For the Horde! Crush them!"

The frost wolf cavalry captain let out a bloodthirsty roar, leading the charge on his wolf, launching a desperate assault.

Thousands of frost wolf cavalry, like a breaching flood, fearlessly crashed into the steel Great Wall.

However!

"Bang!"

"Boom!"

"Crack—!"

The collision of flesh and blood against the energy barrier and solid shield wall erupted in ear-splitting thuds and the crisp snapping of bones.

The frost wolf cavalry at the very front, both rider and wolf, were instantly broken and mangled as if they had hit an invisible mountain, turning into a blurry mess of flesh and blood.

Subsequent cavalry, under the effect of the taunt, continued to charge forward relentlessly, piling up a tragic ramp of flesh and blood before the barrier.

But the steel Great Wall remained unmoving.

Only layers of ripples spread across the energy shield, like a lake disturbed by pebbles.

"Hahaha! What a thrill! This is truly thrilling!"

Franco watched in the command post, beaming with excitement, slapping his thigh forcefully.

"Before, we were the ones using our lives to fill their city walls. Now, it's the other way around! Watching these beasts crash into a steel plate themselves, it brings such comfort to my heart!"

Marshal Adrian, however, was much calmer. He stared at the movements in other directions on the sandbox, saying in a deep voice:

"Franco, don't just watch the show. The iron wall is stable; it's time for our sharp sword to be drawn."

Just as the frost wolf cavalry were smashing themselves bloody against the iron wall, several gates of the steel Great Wall silently opened.

The Empire's First Heavy Armored Legion, reorganized from the former Taji Kingdom's North Wind Knight Order, surged out of the gates like a steel torrent.

They wore thick, enchanted plate armor, wielded heavy armor-piercing spears glinting with cold light, maintained tight formations, and marched with resolute steps.

"For the Empire! For His Majesty!"

The Legion Commander, a grizzled veteran with a resolute face, roared as he waved his battle standard.

They ignored the scattered orcs still futilely assaulting the barrier on either side,

Instead, using the real-time topographic map provided by the sky patroller, they precisely found a shortcut directly to the orc outpost.

"sky patroller Three reporting, target Blood Claw Camp, bearing northeast seventeen degrees, distance five kilometers. Three shamanic energy signatures detected within the camp, marked as priority."

Spirit Eye's clear, calm voice reached the Legion Commander's ear through a miniature communicator.

"Received!"

The Legion Commander's eyes sharpened.

"Magic archer squad, three kilometers ahead, reverse slope of the hill, execute silent assassination!"

A squad of elite human magic archers, already on standby, immediately detached from the main force. Guided by the sky patroller drone's laser, they quickly occupied advantageous positions.

The longbows in their hands glowed with magic, and their arrows were etched with anti-magic runes.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—!"

Three arrows left their strings almost simultaneously, arcing gracefully over the hill and disappearing from sight.

Moments later,

Spirit Eye's voice sounded again: "Target eliminated. Shamanic energy signatures have disappeared."

"Well done!"

The Legion Commander praised, waving a large hand.

"All forces, accelerate! Crush the Blood Claw Camp!"

Deprived of shamanic support, the orc defenders of Blood Claw Camp were easily torn apart like paper under the iron hooves of the Empire's First Heavy Armored Legion.

The entire attack process was fluid, with intelligence, assassination, and assault seamlessly interlinked.

The combat power unleashed by the human legions, under the absolute advantage of information and system, astonished all observers.

At the same time!

In the more distant orc heartland, darkness was as thick and unyielding as ink.

An annihilator special operations team, like true ghosts, silently infiltrated a hidden valley in the coniferous forest sea under the cover of night—the temporary royal court of the Ice Bear Clan.

"Target confirmed, Ice Bear Clan Chieftain, Grom the Skullcrusher, is holding a war council in the central tent."

Spirit Eye's voice sounded in the annihilator squad leader's processing core,

Simultaneously projecting a three-dimensional structural map of the tent and the real-time positions of all guards onto its visual interface.

"Received! Execute decapitation plan!"

The squad leader made a tactical hand gesture.

Fifty annihilators, like liquid merging into shadow,

Utilizing optical camouflage and instant movement,

Perfectly evaded all visible and hidden sentries,

Even passing between two yawning Ice Bear guards without the latter noticing anything.

They scaled the top of the central tent like geckos, finding a gap in the ventilation opening. The next moment!

Their forms disintegrated into finer units, seeping into the tent like flowing water.

Inside the tent, grease torches crackled.

Chieftain Grom was wielding a huge battle-axe, roaring as he assigned counterattack tasks.

Suddenly, he felt a chill at his neck.

As if only a gentle breeze had passed.

The figures of fifty annihilators flashed around him, having already severed the throats of all orc leaders, including him.

Chieftain Grom's eyes widened, he clutched his spurting neck in disbelief, and his massive body crashed to the ground, never seeing the appearance of his enemies until his death.

"Mission complete. Exfiltrate."

The annihilator squad disappeared into the darkness as silently as they had arrived.

Leaving behind only a tent full of corpses and the gradually spreading heavy scent of blood.