Chapter 186. Breakout
Kalgari chopped down the orc soldier who had come to deliver the message with a single slash. Warm blood splashed across his face, yet it did not move him in the slightest.
He pulled a fresh Communication Crystal from inside his clothes. His knuckles had gone white from the force of his grip. After taking a deep breath, he spoke in a voice as cold and hard as iron.
“Pass down my order. Have the Lesser-Dragon Rider Legion and the Frost Giant Legion at Despair Fortress withdraw at once and return at full speed to reinforce the altar!”
There was a brief hesitation from the other end of the crystal, followed by an acknowledgment.
Kalgari crushed the crystal in his hand, then turned to look at his deputy commander. A vicious gleam flashed through his eyes.
“Send the Ice Dragon Riders into the air. Use dragon breath to seal off the western canyon and buy time for the legions returning to reinforce us.”
“Yes.”
The deputy commander cupped his fists, turned, and strode off at once.
Very soon, several ice-blue figures tore across the sky. The roars of the ice dragons carried a bone-chilling cold, and wherever their dragon breath swept past, thick layers of ice instantly formed along both sides of the canyon, temporarily halting the Gold Legion’s pursuit.
Meanwhile, in the dense forest beyond the altar’s perimeter, twelve Barbarian Legions lay silently in ambush.
They wore hides and iron armor, and the bone blades and battle axes in their hands reflected a cold glint beneath the scattered light filtering through the woods. It was obvious that they were elites drawn from the various tribes.
Agula, their chieftain, crouched halfway along a tree branch, his sharp eyes fixed on the chaotic battle around the altar. A cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
“Wait.”
He uttered only that single word, his voice low and heavy.
The soldiers behind him tightened their grips on their weapons in perfect silence, without making the slightest sound.
They waited like that in utter stillness, waiting for the two sides beneath the altar to slaughter each other until the fighting reached its most brutal point.
At that moment, no matter which side held the upper hand, they would become the final weight that tipped the scales.
The wind swept through the forest, stirring the dead leaves on the ground, but it could not disperse the killing intent lying in wait there.
An even greater storm was quietly brewing in that silent anticipation.
Agula’s fingertips lightly rubbed across his bone blade, and the blade’s surface reflected the greed that flashed through his eyes.
He knew that buried beneath the altar was the Divine Artifact left behind by the old shaman of the Orc Alliance: the Blood Soul Pearl.
It was a Divine Artifact that could control magical beasts. He could never forget the sight of that artifact subduing the three-headed hellhound.
“Chief, the Ice Dragon Riders have sealed off the canyon. The Gold Legion has been held back.”
A Barbarian scout crawled forward, keeping his voice extremely low.
“Kalgari’s men are almost done for. Cracks have already appeared in the altar’s defensive barrier.”
Agula leaped down from the branch and landed without a sound. The hem of his hide skirt brushed over the dead leaves, stirring a faint rustle.
“Tell everyone to wait for my command.”
He licked the corner of his mouth, baring his sharp canine teeth.
“The instant the barrier shatters, kill Kalgari’s men and the human legions first. Then seize the Blood Soul Pearl. Leave no survivors.”
The explosions from the direction of the altar grew denser and denser. The roars of the ice dragons intertwined with the battle cries of the Gold Legion, shaking loose showers of leaves from the trees.
Agula looked up and could see the light atop the altar flickering on and off. It was a sign that the barrier was on the verge of collapse.
“Almost there...”
He tightened his grip on the bone blade, his knuckles turning white.
“I heard from my father that the Blood Soul Pearl recognizes a master. Whoever gets it can control whatever magical beast they want.”
Behind him, the twelve legions were like a pack of beasts coiled and ready to spring, even their breathing tinged with suppressed excitement.
They had waited too long for this moment. From the instant they were enslaved by the orcs, the flames of revenge and the desire to seize power had been burning in their chests.
Then suddenly, a shrill cracking sound ripped across the sky, and the light from the altar went out at once. A sharp gleam burst from Agula’s eyes as he raised his bone blade high.
“Kill!”
Twelve dark waves surged out of the forest. Bone blades and battle axes carved arcs of death beneath the sunlight as they charged madly toward the altar.
Their howls mixed with the chaos of the battlefield like a horde of evil spirits breaking free of their shackles, pouncing toward that collapsing war zone.
Kalgari had just cleaved through a Gold Knight’s helmet when he suddenly heard a savage roar behind him. He turned and found Agula’s bone blade slashing straight at his face.
In his haste, he raised his shield to block. The tremendous impact forced him staggering backward, and a crack was actually split across the shield’s surface.
“Barbarians?”
Kalgari’s pupils shrank violently. In that instant, he understood that he had fallen into a double trap.
“You actually colluded with the human legions?”
Agula let out a cold laugh and swung his bone blade again.
“Colluded? No. We’re just here to pick up the spoils.”
His voice rang out with startling clarity amid the chaos.
“The Blood Soul Pearl is mine. Your life is mine too. I’m going to avenge my father.”
At those words, Kalgari let out a scornful laugh.
The melee beneath the altar fell completely out of control.
The Gold Legion was suddenly assailed from both front and rear, while Kalgari’s men were caught in the middle and forced to fend desperately in every direction.
The Ice Dragon Riders’ dragon breath was fierce, but they could no longer tell friend from foe, so they could only circle restlessly high in the sky.
William’s gaze swept over the suddenly appearing Barbarian Legions, and his pupils contracted sharply.
Twelve fully armed elite legions had clearly come to sit back and reap the benefits.
He made his decision at once and pointed his longsword toward an open stretch of ground to the side.
“All legions, rally on me. Tighten the formation and prepare to break out.”
The horn calls of the messengers pierced through the sounds of slaughter. The soldiers of the Gold Legion immediately adjusted their direction. The golden torrent twisted together like a steel cable, forcing open a gap in the orc battle line.
The shield bearers formed an airtight shield wall on the outside, while the archers used the gaps to pick off any enemy trying to approach, buying time for the rear units to regroup.
“The Gold Legion at Despair Fortress is standing by in the western canyon.”
William spoke into the Communication Crystal in a deep voice. “Once we break out, merge forces immediately and wipe out the Lesser-Dragon Rider Legion and the Frost Giant Legion that are coming back to reinforce them!”
Karen’s reply came from the other end of the crystal, accompanied by the crisp clash of metal.
“Ready at any time.”
Before long, most of the legions had already regrouped in front of William, their formation as tight and orderly as iron.
Only a Noble Legion and a Royal Legion on the eastern side were still tightly surrounded by the orcs, their banners wavering precariously in the chaos.
“First Gold Legion, with me to the east.”
William turned Darwin in that direction, and the dragon’s roar made the air tremble.
“Second Gold Legion, cover the rear. Raise a Magic Barrier to hold back the Barbarian Legions.”
“Yes.”
The First Gold Legion shot forward like an arrow loosed from the bow, following William straight into the eastern battlefield.
Darwin’s dragon breath burned open a path through the orc ranks, while William’s longsword swept up golden Dou Qi. Wherever it passed, orc armor and bone shattered together.
When the two trapped legions saw reinforcements arrive, their morale surged. They immediately launched a counterattack from within. Under the pincer assault from inside and out, the orc line swiftly collapsed.
“Withdraw.”
William grabbed the noble legion commander by the arm and hauled him up onto the warhorse.
“Don’t get carried away.”
Just as the last soldier burst out of the encirclement, the Second Gold Legion’s Magic Barrier rose into place. The pale golden wall of light blocked the relentlessly pursuing Barbarian Legions behind them.
The Ice Dragon Riders’ dragon breath slammed into the barrier, sending fragments of light scattering through the air, yet they still could not break through that temporary defensive line.
William pulled on the reins and looked back at the battlefield, where the slaughter was still ongoing. A cold glint flashed through his eyes as he issued an order into the Communication Crystal.
“Advance at full speed toward the western canyon. Have Karen continue the pursuit and drive the Lesser-Dragon Rider Legion over here.”
Seventy thousand troops raced beneath the afterglow of the setting sun, galloping in the direction of Despair Fortress.