Chapter 178. Massing Heavy Forces at Despair Fortress
The reinforcements led by Kru arrived at Despair Fortress on the seventh day.
The moment he saw the frost-covered battlefield outside the fortress and the ice dragons circling in the sky, his expression instantly darkened.
The intelligence had indeed been accurate. The rise in the Barbarian tribes’ combat strength was no empty rumor.
“Legion Commander Kru, the enemy’s Lesser-Dragon Rider legions are currently resting, while the ice dragons are perched on the western hill. It looks like they’re waiting for the next round of attacks.”
The messenger pointed toward the distant scene as he delivered his report.
Kru climbed onto the fortress wall and looked down at the densely packed barbarian encampments below, his brows tightly furrowed.
The Legion Commander of the Second Gold Legion came forward to meet him. His armor was covered in scratches, and exhaustion showed clearly on his face.
“Kru, the hides of those lesser dragons are too thick. Ordinary blades can’t pierce them at all, and even armor-breaking arrows can barely leave light wounds. Only attacks infused with Golden Dou Qi can seriously injure them.”
“If the fortress’s Magic Barrier hadn’t been able to block the ice dragons’ breath, we wouldn’t have been able to hold out this long.”
Kru nodded and turned his gaze toward the Magic Crystal Cannons that had been brought with the army.
They were weapons Kroll had purchased from the Radiant Sun Empire at enormous expense. Powered by Magic Crystals, their shells could unleash force strong enough to rip through defenses.
“Set up the crystal cannons. Aim at the ice dragons on the western hill.”
He gave the order in a deep voice.
“We’ll take out their aerial deterrent first.”
The soldiers moved quickly, pushing the three crystal cannons to the edge of the wall and adjusting their angle.
At Kru’s command, brilliant beams of light tore through the air and blasted precisely toward the hill where the ice dragons were perched.
“ROAR—”
An ice dragon let out a cry of pain. Although it had raised its wings in time to block most of the impact, it was still shaken hard enough to slide from the hilltop, and a large section of the ice armor coating its wings shattered apart.
The Barbarian tribes below immediately fell into unrest.
Kru seized the opportunity and ordered, “Keep firing. Target the resting zone of the Lesser-Dragon Riders.”
As beams of magical light struck one after another, the Lesser-Dragon Rider legions were caught completely off guard. Although they hastily raised protective barriers, the units closest to Despair Fortress still suffered heavy losses.
Quite a few Barbarian Shamans quickly rushed to the encampment of the Lesser-Dragon Riders and began treating the injured lesser dragons.
Kru stood atop the fortress wall, staring into the distance.
He knew this was only a temporary advantage.
The ice dragons were injured, but they had not lost their combat power, and those Lesser-Dragon Riders would soon reorganize their formation.
Sure enough, before long, the ice dragons took to the sky again, diving downward with fierce waves of frost as they tried to freeze the fortress gates.
Kru immediately ordered the crystal cannons to fire once more, but the ice dragons dodged with agile movements.
“Legion Commander Kru, there is news from the Shadow Guard.”
A knight rode up beneath the wall and handed over an encrypted letter.
Kru tore it open and looked inside. His expression changed at once.
The letter said that deep behind the Barbarian tribes’ lines, a group of soldiers wearing unfamiliar armor had been discovered gathering and landing from the Sea of Despair.
Judging by the style of the insignia on their armor, they appeared to belong to the Orc Alliance.
“So the people from the Western Continent...”
Kru clenched the paper in his hand.
“They really have entered the field themselves.”
He looked up at the ice dragons circling in the sky, and his expression grew even graver.
This war was no longer merely a slaughter within the Eastern Continent. It had become a chessboard for the struggle of many powers.
As the sun set in the west, the fighting on the battlefield gradually died down, and both sides began tending their wounds.
Standing atop the fortress wall, Kru watched the darkening sky and knew that the truly brutal battle still lay ahead.
He immediately used a Communication Crystal to inform His Majesty and His Highness that the enemy was far more troublesome than they had imagined.
Inside the Council Hall of the Royal Capital, William put away the Communication Crystal with a grave expression. Outside the window, the first snowflake of the winter was falling.
After a moment of silence, Kroll II lowered his gaze to the location of Despair Fortress on the map and spoke slowly.
“William, I think we can agree to the Radiant Sun Empire’s terms. They are willing to lend us three Heavy Dragon-Lion Legions. The price is steep, but it would solve our urgent crisis.”
William rubbed his fingertips lightly across the tabletop. He remained silent for a long while before finally nodding.
“There’s no other choice.”
But then his tone shifted, and his gaze sharpened.
“However, Father, I think we can still wait a little longer. Despair Fortress’s defenses are strong enough. As long as we can hold it, we still have room to maneuver.”
He walked to the map and pointed at the region marked as the Southern Frontier Secret Realm of Silver Oakleaf.
“I intend to redeploy the Fourth and Fifth Gold Legions from the Secret Realm, along with the reorganized First and Second Monster Legions, and send them all to Despair Fortress.”
Kroll II suddenly lifted his head.
“You want to pull all the Gold Legions out of the Secret Realm? That’s...”
“Father, we can’t worry about that now. According to the original plan, they were meant to serve as the vanguard for the attack on Reinhardt, but at the moment we have no other choice.”
William cut him off, his tone firm.
“Those two Gold Legions are equipped with Enchanted Armor and Armor-Piercing Spears. They are perfectly suited for dealing with the Orc Alliance.”
He paused, then added, “The Radiant Sun Empire’s Dragon-Lion Legions can remain as a reserve option. Once our main forces arrive, we’ll first see just how tough the Orc Alliance’s legions really are.”
“If we can hold the fortress through our own strength, then there will be no need to accept those terms. The Radiant Sun Empire’s conditions have never been easy to repay.”
Kroll II looked at the calculations in his son’s eyes and fell silent for a moment before finally nodding.
“Very well. We’ll do as you say. I will personally sign the deployment order for the Secret Realm legions.”
He understood William’s concerns.
In recent years, the Radiant Sun Empire’s ambitions had begun to show more openly. This loan of troops looked like help on the surface, but in truth, they wanted to use the opportunity to interfere in the affairs of the Eastern Continent. Once they owed them a favor, they would inevitably be constrained in the future.
“In addition, tell Kru and the other Legion Commanders to contract their defensive line and not launch any proactive attacks.”
William added, “Once all our legions have arrived, we’ll concentrate our strength and catch them off guard in a single blow.”
“I want those foreign powers meddling in this to understand that the land of the Eastern Continent is not something just anyone can lay their hands on.”
Tos immediately bowed and accepted the order before turning to relay the command.
Inside the Council Hall, father and son looked once more toward the map, their eyes fixed on the tiny mark representing Despair Fortress.
That place was not only the shield against the Barbarians, but also Kroll’s final line of defense against the foreign powers.
Outside, the snow fell harder and harder, as though it meant to bury the entire Royal Capital.
But William knew that no matter how fierce the wind and snow became, Despair Fortress absolutely could not fall. It was Kroll’s bottom line, and it was a battlefield that had to be held.
Three days later, the Teleportation Array of the Secret Realm flared with dazzling light.
The soldiers of the Fourth and Fifth Gold Legions marched out in perfect formation, the enchantment runes on their armor glimmering across the snow. Once they had assembled, they immediately made a forced march toward Despair Fortress.
The First and Second Monster Legions had also already set out early for Despair Fortress.