Chapter 22: Wolf Cavalry
The Grey Orc army completely surrounded the territory of the Dire Wolves and captured the Dire Wolf leader alive, causing the Dire Wolves outside to fall into chaos, with howling sounds continuing without end.
A few hours later, every Dire Wolf had a metal ring shackle around its neck. Without knowledge of Alchemy, it would be difficult to recognize the array patterns on the shackles.
The Dire Wolf clan did not wish to sit idly by and wait for death, but the infamy of the Chaos Legion was too great. Joining the Chaos Legion was almost equivalent to opposing all other forces, so they chose this relatively compromising method.
Su Xiao did not care about the specific terms of cooperation with the Dire Wolf clan, as long as the Dire Wolves could display combat effectiveness on the battlefield. Cooperation in this manner was acceptable.
[Tip: The Hunter has formed an alliance with the Dire Wolf clan and has signed the Wolf Blood Oath.]
Seeing this prompt, Su Xiao turned his gaze to the one-eyed old wolf. The one-eyed old wolf's aura weakened slightly, and its wolf eyes were still filled with anger, but the Wolf Blood Oath was the sincerity it had demonstrated.
"Lock them up."
At Su Xiao's command, several Grey Orcs locked the one-eyed old wolf and the Dire Wolf leader into two large iron cages. Seeing these two large iron cages, the one-eyed old wolf was truly startled. The ally it had allied with this time was far too well-prepared.
Su Xiao walked out of the cave. Amidst the sky-filling wind and snow, Grey Orcs were already mounted on the backs of Dire Wolves. The Dire Wolves were clearly reluctant, but driven by their leader, they could only choose to accept.
The Dire Wolf clan numbered over a million, but they could not all leave their territory. This time, Su Xiao had brought 540,000 Orc soldiers and 700,000 shackles, so he could take away at most 700,000 Dire Wolves.
This quantity was sufficient. 540,000 Orcs + 540,000 Dire Wolves equaled 540,000 Wolf Cavalry. During the Sand Emperor World, Su Xiao had already discovered the power of cavalry. Their charging ability and mobility far surpassed that of infantry.
The Dire Wolf clan had been able to contend with the Extreme Ice Lord for so many years, so their combat power was self-evident. Orc soldiers were already renowned for their warlike and ferocious nature. Becoming Wolf Cavalry would undoubtedly enhance their combat power even further.
Moreover, the Dire Wolves being ridden by Orc soldiers could also receive the bonus of the War Lord title. Grey Orcs + Dire Wolves was definitely not as simple as 1+1=2.
Besides these improvements, the most obvious change was in the overall marching and charging formation. The greatest weakness of the Grey Orcs was their difficulty in being commanded. After battle, they would be a chaotic mess. The Dire Wolves compensated for this.
The Dire Wolf leader possessed strong mental power. There was a bloodline-level resonance between it and ordinary Dire Wolves, allowing it to command the Dire Wolves to form various formations for hunting.
Once battle began, the Dire Wolf leader would use bloodline resonance to enhance the coordination of the Dire Wolves. However, the Dire Wolves were still controlled by the Orc soldiers riding them. The Dire Wolf leader was only responsible for improving overall coordination.
In this way, the Wolf Cavalry would advance and retreat in an orderly manner during charges, and could form various formations, inflicting heavy damage on the enemy.
In layman's terms, the Grey Orc infantry had successfully advanced and become Wolf Cavalry.
This was not Su Xiao's analogy, but was certified by Reincarnation Paradise. The detected information was as follows:
Name: Wolf Cavalry
Strength: 140 (True Attribute)
Agility: 142 (True Attribute)
Stamina: 135 (True Attribute)
Intelligence: 54
Charm: 2 (Charm reduced due to Grey Orc)
Skill 1, Wolf Blood Oath (Passive, LV.59): Increases Health Points by 2700 points, overall coordination increased by 30%.
Skill 2, Wolf Riding (Passive, Lv.59): Marching speed increased by 67%.
Skill 3, War Cry (Combination Skill, Lv.50): The Grey Orc lets out a roar, causing a stun/vertigo effect within a 30-meter radius.
Skill 4, Bite (Combination Skill, Lv.50): After the Grey Orc's War Cry, the Dire Wolf will carry the Grey Orc and pounce on the enemy, knocking them to the ground and biting, causing high bleeding and tearing damage.
Skill 5, Fatal Strike (Combination Skill, Lv.50): After the Dire Wolf successfully knocks the enemy to the ground, the Grey Orc, having ended the War Cry, will deliver a fatal blow to the enemy. If this attack hits a vital area, damage is increased by 50% to 65% (depending on the weapon used).
Skill 6, Bloody Battle (Title Class · Passive, Lv.40): Each time an enemy is attacked, there is a certain chance to absorb the enemy's life force, restoring a portion of lost Health Points.
Skill 7, Soul Burning Power (Title Class · Passive, Lv.50): Weapons can be imbued with Soul Burning Power, dealing 40 points of True Damage on attack. This ability increases Stamina consumption rate.
The reason Grey Orcs could directly advance to Wolf Cavalry was due to many necessary factors. First, both the Grey Orcs and the Dire Wolves were receiving the bonus of the War Lord title, which qualitatively changed their compatibility.
Because the Chaos Legion had been continuously losing battles, the Grey Orcs who survived to the present were all accustomed to war. They were veterans on the battlefield with rich combat experience.
The new partners, the Dire Wolves, were no pushovers either. They were one of the overlords of the icefield. The harsh climate made them all strong; weak individuals had long been eliminated.
At first glance, a single Wolf Cavalry might not be much in a Seventh Rank world, but with 540,000 Wolf Cavalry, quantity created a qualitative change.
On the wind-swept, snow-covered icefield, Wolf Cavalry formed ranks. Most Grey Orcs were still unaccustomed to the riding state. The return journey would allow them to gradually adapt.
Two large iron cages were hanging from the two War Tree Behemoths, containing the Dire Wolf leader and the one-eyed old wolf. From beginning to end, the Dire Wolf leader had only been observing; the one who decided everything was the one-eyed old wolf.
After the entire army assembled, they turned back along the original route, heading towards the location of the 'Ice Hoof Fortress'.
Besides the Dire Wolves being ridden, there were also 160,000 Dire Wolves with shackles around their necks following behind. They all looked dejected, as if they were being controlled.
A War Tree Behemoth strode forward. Su Xiao, Bubu Wang, and Amu all stood on its crown.
"Boss, there are at least over 1.2 million Allied Forces blocking the Ice Hoof Fortress. Is that okay?"
Baha landed on Amu's shoulder, shaking the snowflakes from his wings.
"The garrison there has probably already withdrawn by half."
"Withdrawn?"
"The Extreme Ice Lord won't allow the Allied Forces to be camped right outside their 'home'."
"Oh~"
Baha suddenly understood. The Six Tribe Alliance was not a monolithic bloc; this was easy to judge. The Ice Hoof Fortress being breached was already a great shame. If the Allied Forces were allowed to block the outside of the Ice Hoof Fortress, the Extreme Ice Lord would lose too much face.
Moreover, Su Xiao had previously forced his way through the Ice Hoof Fortress only to avoid completely enraging the Extreme Ice Lord, lest the latter mobilize all forces from the Fierce Winter City at any cost.
If Su Xiao had done something specific when he arrived, the Extreme Ice Lord would have mobilized all troops within the Northern Border to encircle and annihilate Su Xiao's Orc army.
The marching speed of the Wolf Cavalry was extremely fast, so fast that the War Tree Behemoths could barely keep up. After familiarizing themselves with the Dire Wolves beneath them, the Grey Orcs were all delighted. They no longer had to run on their own; with just a command, they could go wherever they wanted.
The Wolf Cavalry army advanced at high speed, soon reaching the area near the Ice Hoof Fortress. In the wind and snow, several Northern Border scouts saw this scene and immediately reported it to their superiors.
A few minutes later, the Deputy Army Commander within the Ice Hoof Fortress learned of this news. This Deputy Army Commander's face darkened. He knew that the chance to avenge their previous disgrace had come. The 300,000 Ice Descendant soldiers he had just summoned were the key to his ability to hold the 'Ice Hoof Fortress'. He only needed to hold out; the troops within the territory would come to reinforce swiftly, trapping the War Demon's army in a pincer attack from front and back.
The Deputy Army Commander stood on the rear wall of the 'Ice Hoof Fortress'. The newly blocked breach on the wall was particularly conspicuous. Unfortunately, he would never get the chance to wait for Su Xiao to attack the Ice Hoof Fortress.