Chapter 180. The Final Offensive Begins
On the frozen plains outside Despair Fortress, the tents of the Orc Alliance stretched for miles, their banners snapping loudly in the bitter wind.
The Orc commander Kalgari stood atop the highest watchtower, his thick fingers resting on the rough wooden railing as his hawk-like gaze locked onto the outline of the fortress in the distance.
When he saw the golden dragon circling above the fortress, a meaningful smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
“Heh. William Kroll has arrived.”
His deep voice carried the harsh rasp of metal scraping against metal, and it sounded especially clear amid the howling wind.
“As expected. We’ve finally waited for him.”
Beside him stood his deputy commander, Lailan, a somewhat leaner Orc whose gaze was no less sharp. Following Kalgari’s line of sight, a flash of excitement crossed his eyes.
“Commander, it looks like we can launch the full assault now. I’ve long since grown tired of these feigned attacks.”
Kalgari slowly nodded, his fangs showing faintly at the corners of his lips.
“William Kroll is worth more than ten fortresses. The intelligence says he can raise a legion’s combat power in a short time, and can even accurately uncover potential...”
“If we can capture someone like that and present him to those people behind us, the benefits the Orc Alliance will gain will be worth far more than a single fortress.”
He turned around, and his heavy armor gave off dull, muffled clangs as he moved.
“Lailan, mobilize the reserve legions at once. Bring out all those treasures we’ve kept hidden.”
“You mean the Frost Giants and the warriors of the Lava Clan...” A look of understanding flashed through Lailan’s eyes.
“That’s right.”
Kalgari cut him off, his tone carrying unquestionable authority.
“I want to see whether this Crown Prince of Kroll is really as valuable as the reports say. Let him have a taste of the true strength of our Orc Alliance.”
Lailan bowed without the slightest delay, then turned and strode away.
Before long, urgent horns began sounding below the watchtower. The once-dormant encampment instantly erupted into commotion as more heavily armed Orc warriors poured out, accompanied by several earth-shaking roars from giant beasts.
Those were the unmistakable bellows of the Frost Giants and the Lava Clan.
Kalgari turned his gaze back toward Despair Fortress, his eyes gleaming with certainty.
To him, William Kroll’s arrival was not pressure, but opportunity.
As long as he could take this man, the Orc Alliance would not only tear open the defenses of the Eastern Continent, but also gain enough bargaining chips from those foreign powers.
The cold wind swept up powdered snow from the ground and made it crackle against his armor.
Slowly, he drew the giant axe from his waist, and its blade reflected a frigid gleam beneath the sunlight.
“It’s time for the horn of the final assault to sound.”
Far off, Despair Fortress seemed to sense the disturbance from this side. The banners atop its walls began waving frequently, and disciplined battle cries could faintly be heard.
Standing atop the highest watchtower of Despair Fortress, William watched the Barbarian legions surging across the ice fields like swarming ants, his gaze as cold as frost.
He turned sharply and issued an order to the messenger behind him in a deep voice.
“Tell Kru to move every Magic Crystal Cannon onto the walls. We have enough Magic Crystals. There’s no need to conserve them.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The messenger accepted the order and ran off at once. Soon, the heavy grinding of machinery could be heard atop the walls as dozens of pitch-black Magic Crystal Cannons were secured in place along the battlements. Their muzzles glimmered with a dark blue radiance, magical energy so abundant that it seemed ready to overflow.
“First Gold Legion Mage Battalion, prepare.”
William’s voice rang out loudly, and a unified response immediately rose from the walls.
Nine hundred and ninety-eight mages in robes swiftly formed ranks, each raising a staff high. Vast torrents of mana gathered into visible streams of light.
They wove together above the fortress, forming a heavy cloud of energy overhead.
Out on the frozen plain, the horns sounded in shrill, miserable blasts. The Barbarians, driven forward by the Orc overseer squads, charged toward the fortress like livestock being whipped onward. Their faces were filled with terror, yet they did not dare stop.
Behind them, the battle axes of the overseer squads rose and fell without pause. Every second, those who faltered collapsed into pools of blood, becoming stepping stones for those behind them.
“First volley. Target the Barbarian legions.”
William’s voice spread across the walls through amplification magic.
“Magic Crystal Cannons, blanket the field. Mage Battalion, follow up.”
“BOOM—”
Dozens of Magic Crystal shells screamed through the air and slammed into the frozen plain. At the points of impact, dazzling bursts of light exploded, blasting the frontmost Barbarians into pieces.
Almost at the same instant, the mages of the Gold Legion completed their spells. Thousands of beams condensed from pure elemental force rained down with perfect precision upon three Barbarian legions, killing them in swathes.
The charging Barbarians froze for a moment, and the momentum of their attack immediately faltered. Some even began to collapse into panic.
“Continue. Don’t stop.”
William’s eyes sharpened. He knew this was the key to shattering the enemy’s offensive.
“Second volley. Clear out the front-line Barbarian legions. Let their own people kill their own people.”
The Magic Crystal Cannons roared again. This time, the shells landed farther forward, blasting out a broad isolation zone in front of the Barbarians. It did not harm them directly, but it completely cut off their path of advance.
The surviving Barbarians stared at the scorched earth ahead, then looked back behind them. Suddenly, signs of a rout began to spread.
“Well done.”
William clenched his fist as he watched the Barbarians fleeing in all directions, then looked toward the Orc formations assembling on the frozen plain, a cold smile curling across his lips.
With fifty thousand Gold-Rank Combatants and abundant magical support, let alone ten formations, he was confident that even if twice that number came, he could still hold Despair Fortress.
From the watchtower, William watched the Barbarian legions gathering once more on the ice field, and his brow furrowed slightly.
Kalgari’s intentions could not have been more obvious. He was using Barbarian lives to wear down the fortress’s magical energy and ammunition. It was the crudest kind of attrition warfare, but also the most effective.
Three Barbarian legions surged forward again like a driven tide. Their densely packed figures spread over the frozen plain, making even the ground seem to tremble faintly.
The soldiers on the walls tightened their grip on their weapons, and the mages gathered their strength as well, waiting only for William’s command.
But William raised a hand and stopped the messenger beside him.
“Not yet.”
He watched the Barbarians draw closer and closer. Their steps staggered, their eyes full of numbness and terror, yet the beastly roars behind them forced them onward with no choice but to charge.
“Let them come closer,” William said quietly, his voice tinged with coldness.
“Adjust the angle of the Magic Crystal Cannons and aim at their advancing line from behind. Archers, prepare fire arrows. Loose only when they enter fifty paces.”
Though puzzled, the messenger still swiftly relayed the order.
The soldiers on the walls suppressed their agitation and watched the Barbarian legions approach step by step, until the foremost men were close enough to clearly see the crenellations atop the wall.
“Fire—”
At William’s command, flames erupted along the walls in an instant.
Fire arrows fell like rain, striking the ice beneath the Barbarians’ feet with deadly precision. The ground there had already been secretly drenched in fire oil.
“BOOM—”
A raging wall of fire instantly ignited across the ice, the flames racing along the oil and cutting straight through the charging Barbarian legions at the waist.
The front ranks were blocked by the sea of fire and tried to retreat in panic, but the warriors behind them kept shoving forward, plunging the entire force into utter chaos.
“Magic Crystal Cannons, fire!”
The cannons, whose angles had already been adjusted, roared again. This time, the shells did not target the panicked crowd, but struck the frozen plain behind them with perfect accuracy. The shockwaves froze vast sections of the ground, completely sealing off their retreat.
Fire before them, walls of ice behind them, the Barbarian legions had instantly become trapped beasts in a jar.
The soldiers on the walls lowered their spears and thrust them at the Barbarians trying to climb upward. Screams mixed with the crackling of flames, becoming the cruelest symphony upon that frozen plain.
From the watchtower, William watched all of it without expression.
He knew that to Kalgari, the lives of these Barbarians meant nothing. But every effective interception further wore down the enemy’s morale.
Deep within the frozen plain, Kalgari stood atop his watchtower and watched the Barbarian legions collapse once more. His face showed little reaction.
He merely said to Lailan beside him, “Continue. Send all the remaining Barbarian legions forward.”
Lailan bowed and withdrew.
Soon, deep and powerful war horns sounded again across the ice field. William then saw eight or nine more Barbarian formations being driven forward by the Orcs into another charge.