Chapter 532 |
【 FIRE—! 】
A biting wind whipped across the battlefield, causing the guild banners to snap and rustle in the air, while blaring war horns echoed far and wide.
Out in the vast desert, the orcs advanced in tightly packed formations, roaring as they pressed steadily toward the players’ encampment.
Standing atop the city walls, the players gazed out at the seemingly endless army in the distance, awe written all over their faces.
They had participated in countless battles before, with some even involving over a hundred thousand troops but the sight before them still stirred something primal within their blood.
Seeing such tightly organized orc formation stretching across the desert horizon sparked a fervor no amount of past experience could dull.
Of course, the Desert of Death’s unique atmosphere with its vast, desolate map for which evokes the feeling of “the lone plume of smoke over the desert, the setting sun sinking into a long river” ¹ combined with the stirring background music in the battlefield voice chat, sent their adrenaline soaring as well.
Witnessing this grand spectacle, many players found themselves overwhelmed by an indescribable surge of heroic passion.
This…
“Damn…although every battle we’ve been so far had gotten my blood pumping, but compared to today’s scene, it really makes everything else look like child’s play, right?”
“Damn… although these recent battles got my blood pumping, but this? This is on a whole other level! Compared to this, everything before feels like nothing!”
“Seriously. We’re talking hundreds of thousands of troops here! Even in ancient times, that’d be a rare sight, wouldn’t it?”
“It’s a literal sea of people… no, actually, I don’t think ‘sea of people’ even begins to cover this.”
“This is crazy… Just a screenshot of this would be enough for me to brag online for weeks!”
“This game’s war campaign is absolutely insane!”
The players stood on the wall, exhilarated and buzzing with excitement.
Nonetheless, they didn’t stop their preparations, as Tank-class players donned their heavy armor and positioned themselves at the very front of the formation, while Archers raised their bows and magical firearms, carefully aiming at the incoming orc army beyond the walls.
Meanwhile, Mage and Druid players chanted rhythmic incantations, layering powerful buffs onto both allies and fortifications alike.
At the same time, atop the elevated earthen wall, specially selected players bustled about, making final preparations on long-range siege weapons.
They loaded pre-prepared ammunition into the catapults and ballistae, readying them to be launch at any given moment.
Jiang Shang was one of them.
He stood on a high platform, awkwardly manning a massive ballista, channeling his mana into the magic stone embedded in the weapon. As he worked, he couldn’t help but grumble under his breath:
“How did I, a Feral Archdruid who specializes in melee combat, end up as a ballista operator?”
“Because you’re a Silver-ranked spellcaster with a massive mana pool, duh.”
His good friend Akai rolled his eyes as he answered.
“…Fair point.”
Jiang Shang scratched his head.
These magically enhanced siege engines were notoriously mana-hungry to operate.
Sure! Here’s an extrapolated version that expands on the ideas while maintaining the original meaning and tone:
While Archers possessed a variety of skills that enhanced their accuracy in traditional combat, those abilities offered limited utility when it came to handling the heavily modified catapults and ballistae used in siege warfare. In contrast, spellcasters had a clear advantage due to their ability to sustain continuous mana output. These siege weapons, now powered by embedded magic stones and complex enchantments, drew heavily on magical energy rather than pure physical strength.
As a result, their destructive capabilities hinged more on the operator’s magical proficiency. In this context, the offensive skills that made Archers deadly on the battlefield simply didn’t measure up.
In short, for these long-ranged giant contraptions, raw mana was the king and the more you had, the harder they hit.
Therefore, as a Silver-rank Archdruid, Jiang Shang had naturally been roped in as a free labor operator for these siege weapon.
Honestly speaking, while he was outwardly complaining, deep down he was actually enjoying himself.
The recent past battles had proven that, in the right hands, these siege weapons were an absolute machines in accumulating war points for the contest.
Seeing Jiang Shang grinning like an idiot as he patted the ballista, Akai rolled his eyes again and asked.
“Oh right—did you get the [Eagle Eye] and [Arrow Heart] skills?”
Jiang Shang nodded.
“Don’t worry, I made sure to purchase them. No way I’m ending up like Miss Little Salty Cat.”
[Eagle Eye] and [Arrow Heart] were auxiliary skills used by archers to enhance their aiming precision, allowing them to hit targets more accurately.
While Jiang Shang wasn’t an archer, but since they were magic-based skills, he could still buy and use them, though they wouldn’t be as effective in his hands.
“Be careful once the fight starts,” Jiang Shang warned, eyes narrowing as he watched the orcs draw closer. “We’re probably going to be prime targets.”
“Relax! I’m wearing the thickest armor I’ve got. You’re the one who needs to be careful. Don’t get too excited and catch a stray arrow right straight in your face.”
Akai chuckled and gave his polished breastplate a proud thump.
Jiang Shang nodded and turned his gaze back toward the battlefield.
The rhythmic, thunderous footsteps in the distance grew much louder, signaling that the orc army was almost upon them.
Through his vision enhanced by [Eagle Eye] he could clearly make out the snarling faces and sharp fangs of the orc warriors at the forefront.
Unlike the orcs they’d fought in previous battles, these ones were clearly far better equipped. Especially the ones in the lead. They were clad in heavy armor, exuding the same imposing aura as tank-class players.
Behind them, the main force was also fully armored, which was definitely a battle-hardened and disciplined fighting troop, not the ragtag militia they typically encountered from the tribes they had vanquished.
This orc warriors definitely was a whole different league.
Without a doubt, this was the true elite force of the orcs.
But Jiang Shang’s gaze quickly swept past the heavily armored orc warriors and locked onto something far more threatening. Specifically, those massive beasts surrounded by orcs as if they were precious war assets.
Behemoths.
These towering creatures, resembling a blend of hippopotamus and lion—with tusks, human-like ears, and tufted tails—stood nearly ten meters tall. There were more than a hundred of them, each clad in gleaming silver armor. The armor looked custom-made, possibly crafted by the Sauron Group.
More importantly, each of them radiated the strength of a Silver-rank being.
Jiang Shang’s expression hardened.
These Behemoths…they’re the biggest threat to us in this battle.
Due to time constraints, the players hadn’t been able to reinforce their encampment’s walls beyond ten meters in height. So, if these Behemoths somehow reached their wall fortifications, the situation would turn ugly fast.
Worse yet, these massive beasts possessed immense strength, and the enormous javelin-like weapons strapped to their backs were clearly designed for long-range hurling with deadly precision. For the players riding their dragons high in the skies, being struck by those projectiles was nothing short of a death sentence.
With these monsters in play, the players couldn’t safely deploy their dragon “bombers” as they had in previous battles.
Still, the players weren’t entirely defenseless against them as the ballistae mounted on the high platforms had been specifically placed to deal with these beasts.
With that thought, Jiang Shang gripped the controls of his ballistae and aimed at one of the advancing behemoths.
The orcs were closing in.
Gradually, the vanguard of their army finally came within five hundred meters of the encampment, well within the effective range of the catapults and ballistae.
The players held their breath.
Excitement buzzed in the air. Hands gripping weapons began to tremble with anticipation.
And then—the battlefield music shifted.
The once-rousing BGM transformed into a barrage of pounding war drums and horns, evoking the grim rhythm of an advancing army. At that same moment, Commander Li Mu’s roar erupted across the battlefield voice chat:
“Catapults—fire!”
At his command, the catapults stationed on the ramparts and atop the encampment walls launched their deadly payloads.
The next moment, magically enhanced ammunition, wreathed in flames, soared through the sky like falling meteors. Arcs of fire streaked across the blue expanse, trailing black smoke as they whistled downward and slammed into the battlefield.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Each thunderous explosion marked the landing of a magical warhead.
Some projectiles fell just ahead of the orcs, while others landed directly amidst their ranks.
Flames and molten iron scattered in every direction, carving out smoking craters in the earth.
Orcs caught in the blast let out shrill screams of pain.
Some were instantly incinerated, reduced to ash by the force of the explosion, while others survived—albeit barely, their bodies a mess of scorched flesh and shattered bones.
In just the span of seconds, the orc formation descended into a commotion. The sheer destructive power of these magical siege weapons was nothing short of terrifying.
But the panic didn’t last long.
More horn blasts rang out from the rear of the orc lines, rallying their troops.
Within moments, the orc army had steadied itself and resumed its steady advance toward the players’ encampment.
The players, undeterred, continued to rain down death with their catapults. From a distance, it looked like a meteor shower—majestic, brutal, and apocalyptic.
Jiang Shang, however, held his shot.
None of the ballistae operators had fired any shots yet.
Unlike catapults, ballistae relied on brute force and magical penetration to do damage.
Even though the behemoths were now within their effective range, the distance was still too great to punch through their thick armor and fatty hides.
They had to get closer.
Soon, the orcs closed to within three hundred meters—now within bow and firearms range.
Another sharp horn blast sounded from within the orc ranks.
Suddenly, the orc archers raised their longbows high and lit the tips of their arrows with fire.
Noticing the change in the enemy’s formation, Li Mu’s thunderous voice roared once more across the voice chat:
“Priests, deploy defenses! Archers, prepare to fire!”
Right on cue, the priest-class players stationed at designated positions along the six-pointed star-shaped walls began to chant in unison.
As their spells took form, a golden pillar of light erupted from the Goddess holy statue in the center of the camp. It shot skyward, then spread out into a shimmering, translucent dome over the whole encampment.
Their divine barrier was finally fully operational.
But those with a keen eye could see that this divine barrier wasn’t perfect. Its glow was far fainter than the barrier that had protected Sandstorm City.
But this was only to be expected—after all, this was a hastily assembled defense, built by players on short notice.
Then, another blast of the warhorn echoed from the orc ranks.
At that signal, the orc archers raised their longbows and loosed a volley toward the players’ encampment.
Over fifty thousand orc archers fired in unison.
A storm of blazing arrows darkened the sky, transforming into a dense rain of fire that descended upon the players.
As the arrowstorm fell, the divine barrier rippled violently with magical pulses.
Most of the arrows lost their flames and momentum the moment they struck the barrier, snuffed out by its radiant glow. Only a small number managed to pierce through and land within the camp, setting a few tents ablaze and sparking mild unrest.
At that moment, Li Mu’s voice thundered again across the battlefield channel:
“Mages, put out those fires! Archers, prepare—fire!”
At his command, the archer-class players released their arrows and pulled the triggers of their magic firearms.
With a thunderous roar, glowing projectiles and enchanted arrows rained down like dazzling lights. The arrows scattered across the orc formation like falling raindrops, while the elemental rounds shot straight down from the walls in streaks of energy.
In response, another horn blared from the orc ranks.
Their warriors raised their round shields overhead in unison, bracing against the counter assault.
The storm of arrows and elemental rounds hammered their defenses with rapid-fire cracks. Though the orcs had prepared, the players’ nearly forty thousand archers—each one more powerful on average—still managed to pierce through.
Shrieks and cries of pain echoed across the battlefield as some orcs collapsed right there on the spot, their vanguard formation wavering under the sudden pressure.
But only for a moment.
The orcs’ numbers were overwhelming. And this was their elite force.
With another blast of the horn, the orc army picked up speed, surging toward the players’ encampment.
The exchange of arrows continued. Brilliant trails of magic and fire wove together into a mesmerizing, chaotic tapestry in the sky.
Meanwhile, the Behemoths, which were the primary force of the orcs, had finally closed to within 150 meters of the encampment walls.
Jiang Shang held his breath, eyes locked onto their massive forms.
His heart pounded wildly, his blood boiling with tension.
Then, the Behemoths reached behind them and drew those massive javelins, aiming them at the walls—or more precisely, at the elevated platforms atop the walls where the ballistae were placed.
In the next instant, they hurled their javelins.
The projectiles screamed through the air—only to slam against an invisible barrier and drop harmlessly to the ground, unable to move even an inch further.
From above, one could see the faint glow emanating from the six-pointed star formation of the encampment’s walls.
Each platform was protected by a translucent magical shield.
This was a Five-ring spell: [Windguard Shield.]
Anticipating the Behemoths’ terrifying throwing strength, the players had modified their defenses from the very beginning.
The star-shaped design of the encampment was not just for aesthetics; it was actually a massive magical formation created by HootyBird. Its purpose was to generate magical shields above each platform, thereby protecting the siege weapons stationed there.
The results were promising—though it consumed an alarming amount of magic stones.
Just then, Li Mu’s voice rang out once more on the voice chat:
“Ballistae Operators! Target those Behemoths—fire!”
Jiang Shang, who was already prepared to hear this command, narrowed his eyes. He quickly activated the magic infused into his ballista as brilliant energy surged along the magical runes engraved on the weapon, flowing into the massive enchanted bolt mounted on it.
Then Jiang Shang pulled the trigger.
“Come on, baby…”
He licked his lips.
With a thunderous gust of wind, a five-meter-long bolt shot out.
It streaked through the air, glowing with magical brilliance as it flew straight toward the Behemoth he had locked onto.
There were more than twenty ballistae lined along the wall facing the orc army. Over twenty massive bolts launched simultaneously—several of them found their marks.
Screeches filled the air as four or five Behemoths took direct hits, severely wounded and instantly rendered combat ineffective.
The rest, however, roared in rage and surged forward even faster.
They pressed onward, pushing siege towers through the hail of arrows and crashing against the encampment walls.
The siege towers were in place.
The orc warriors roared and began pouring into the towers, preparing to scale the walls.
At this point, it seemed melee combat… was about to begin.
But before that could happen, Li Mu’s voice roared again through the battlefield voice chat:
“Mage Corps, get ready!”
“Now! Unleash explosive Magic!”
In the next instant, a terrifying wave of arcane power surged beneath the walls.
Boom!
Accompanied by the sinister laughter from the mage players, the base of the walls erupted into a blazing inferno.
¹ 大漠孤烟直，长河落日圆 – This phrase is a famous couplet from the Tang dynasty poem by Wang Wei. This couplet is widely regarded as one of the most visually powerful and emotionally evocative lines in classical Chinese poetry. It’s often used to represent desolate beauty and stoic endurance in a harsh environment.
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