Chapter 15: Siege
In the war zone, southwest direction, the Blazing Valley Fortress.
Dark clouds filled the sky. The distant 'Blazing Valley Fortress' stood tall, its nearly hundred-meter-high walls covered with pits, scorch marks, and large patches of dried blood, a chilling aura of slaughter emanating from it.
This fortress, belonging to the Elf race, had a total garrison of over 200,000. As it was the frontline fortress, only a few thousand elven civilians lived here. Their presence was necessary; the shops and such they operated provided the garrison with one of their few forms of entertainment.
Rumor had it that elves were graceful in manner and sharp-eyed, like children of the forest. In reality, the 'Blazing Valley Fortress' had its fair share of brothels and the like, just with a more refreshing style, nothing more.
If elves were truly that ethereal and weary of war, they would have stayed in the Aier Great Forest instead of coming out to carve up the Chaos Legion's territory.
Su Xiao stood atop the crown of a War Treant, gazing at the 'Blazing Valley Fortress' ten kilometers away. He was waiting for Baha's reconnaissance report. If there were no large forces from the Six Races Alliance nearby, the battle would commence immediately.
Compared to Baha's reconnaissance, something Bubu Wang was doing was equally important. It had already sneaked near the 'Blazing Valley Fortress'. Whether it could accomplish that task would determine whether the fortress could be taken.
[Tip: Main Quest: First Ring (Completed). You have regained the position of Chaos Legion: High Lord.]
[You have received True Attribute Points ×5.]
[Main Quest: Second Ring has been activated.]
[Main Quest: War Demon (Second Ring)]
Difficulty Level: Lv.60 ~ Lv.70
Quest Information: As a War Demon, you may attack any location, provided you can succeed.
Quest Duration: 15 natural days.
Quest Reward: Determined by the territory conquered.
Quest Penalty: Forced Execution.
...
Seeing the information for the second ring of the main quest, Su Xiao knew it was time for free rein. This time's War Merit Ranking was destined to make the first few rings of the main quest lack strong direction.
A total of 527 contractors had arrived in the Canglong Continent this time. Over 80% of their targets should be the frontline war zones. In 1 to 2 days, this place would become very lively.
So far, no contractors should have joined the Chaos Legion. The Chaos Legion's situation was too unstable.
A sound of wind breaking came from above. It was Baha returning. There were troops from the Six Races Alliance in the surrounding area, but no large forces. The largest group had about 60,000 soldiers.
Confirming this, Su Xiao decided to immediately launch a fierce assault on the 'Blazing Valley Fortress'.
"Wobor."
"Lord, I'm here."
Wobor's shout came, and for some reason, his voice carried a slight tremor.
"Assemble the entire army. Charge towards the Blazing Valley Fortress."
"As you command."
Wobor, wielding his warhammer, pushed through the orc soldiers and charged forward. Soon, heavy pounding sounds were heard.
"Ah!!"
A high-pitched cry spread, layers of sound waves rippling out. It was the howl of a demonic specter, signaling the charge. Soon, the howls of hundreds of demonic specters merged into one.
"Roar!"
The Grey Orcs habitually roared before battle, baring their fangs, strands of drool flying from their mouths.
Rumble...
The ground began to tremble. Five hundred Ancient Tree clansmen charged side-by-side at the very front. These War Treants, aside from being somewhat afraid of fire, had no obvious weaknesses. Their 8 to 10-meter height and tree-like massive bodies made them natural shields.
With the War Treants charging ahead, 300,000 orc soldiers formed a torrent, following in a massive line behind. No urging was needed; without the War Treants blocking, the elven arrow rain was too deadly.
Hmm~
A horn sounded from within the 'Blazing Valley Fortress'. On the hundred-meter-high walls were concave parapets, perfectly allowing two rows of elves to draw and shoot arrows, one row crouching, the other standing.
Behind them were several rows of tiered wooden racks. Over a dozen rows of elves stood on them, shooting arrows down at the enemies below the wall.
Besides the elves atop the wall, numerous lookout holes were opened on the front of the wall itself, with arrows protruding from within.
Viewed from above, the front wall of the 'Blazing Valley Fortress' looked like a nail board. Elves excelled at archery and light weapon melee; they naturally maximized their advantage.
Atop the wall, a handsome male elf with long golden hair and a crown was looking down. He was Elf Prince: Walen, one of the contenders for the next Elf King.
Given Walen's current reputation and achievements, his succession sequence ranked third. So he volunteered to come to the 'Blazing Valley Fortress', the very frontline of the war zone.
Looking down at the charging War Treants and the endless sea of orc soldiers, a hint of pity flickered in Walen's eyes.
"Being born into a lowly race is your greatest sin."
No sooner had Elf Prince: Walen spoken than a continuous twang of bowstrings rang out.
Bang, bang, bang...
Arrows flew out. These arrows weren't aimed at the frontmost orcs but arced through the air in a parabola, descending upon the charging orc army.
Logically, arrows falling in such a parabola wouldn't have enough kinetic energy to pierce a Grey Orc's body. But just as the arrows began to descend, a whistling wind sound occurred.
The outer layer of these arrows shattered, forming a spiral shape. The green crystals at their tails exploded, re-imparting strong kinetic energy, making the entire trajectory Λ-shaped as they came down from above upon the orc warriors.
One could only say, elves were incredibly wealthy. Even their standard arrows were so finely crafted, with an absurdly long range.
Pfft, pfft...
Countless spiral arrows embedded themselves in the ground, most piercing through the Grey Orcs' bodies. In an instant, a large swath of the charging orc army fell, their screams of agony unending.
No wonder the Chaos Legion couldn't take the 'Blazing Valley Fortress'. The current Grey Orc army was nothing but a living target, with no chance to retaliate.
Didn't the Chaos Legion want ranged weapons? Of course not. When even basic necessities were a problem, ranged weapons were a luxury. They had them once, but not anymore.
Facing this situation, the charging Grey Orcs showed no fear. They were used to it. After reaching the wall, they would be shot at several more times, then climb over the corpses of their kin to scale the walls. That was their last strategy.
"Brothers, charge with me!"
Wobor, at the very front, roared. His eyes were bloodshot, his body seemingly filled with inexhaustible strength, as if he could even smash a hole in the distant wall.
Wave after wave of arrow rain fell. The charging orc army suffered heavy casualties, their morale dropping by 6 to 10 points per minute. At this stage, it wasn't even a war; it was a one-sided massacre of the orc army by the elven defenders.
The elves on the wall watched coldly below. They methodically nocked arrows and drew their bows, their cheeks pressed against the bowstrings, waiting for the order for a volley, the fifth one.
That orc force from a few days ago endured nine volleys before reaching the wall. Today's force must be elites, having reached two kilometers out after only five volleys.
Just as a new volley was about to begin, every elven warrior on the wall felt a chill run down their spine.
The volley was forced to stop. Elf Prince: Walen was no longer looking down with pity. He loudly ordered his personal guards to immediately search the wall, while he himself rushed down the stone stairs along the inner side of the wall.
Almost simultaneously, the leading War Treants stopped. They quickly rooted themselves, intertwining with each other. This was the order Su Xiao had given them before the battle. Commanding 500 War Treants was far simpler than commanding 300,000 orc warriors.
The several hundred War Treants almost formed a wall, forcibly stopping the surging tide of their own orc army behind them. Some orcs were nearly squeezed to death, their screams and curses unending.
Their own army suddenly halted, while the enemy's wall fell into chaos. This bizarre scene lasted for about ten seconds.
Boom!
A deafening explosion came from within the front wall of the 'Blazing Valley Fortress'. Due to the internal blast, the nearly hundred-meter-high wall instantly shattered, debris scattering like flowers scattered by celestial maidens.
Golden flames surged upward. Because the wall had compressed the explosion, the flames from the detonated [Blazing Sun's Wrath: Apollo], combined with the flying debris, looked like a golden spider lily—beautiful yet deadly.
On the open ground inside the fortress, Elf Prince: Walen watched the magnificent flower before him. He was momentarily stunned by the beauty, but then rage surged within him.
"Kill them all! Kill these lowly orcs!"