Chapter 391
The war was far from over.
For Dawn City to claim full control over the five remaining fortresses, it depended on whether the Dawn and Elf cavalry could halt the orc reinforcements.
It wouldn't be long before this became clear.
However, at the very least, the advantage had shifted away from the orcs within the city walls.
Meanwhile, William had also received news.
Among these ten fortresses, there was a master formidable enough to make things explode.
William acknowledged that Burned Cinders and the others were strong, but in some cases, they were only on par with ordinary Legendary bosses and fell short when facing Professionals who possessed the bearing of Sages.
However, five out of ten fortresses didn't make a war!
William gazed at the imposing figure of the Blood Hammer Hand. He twirled his sword skillfully in his right hand and provocatively extended his middle finger with his left.
The Blood Hammer Hand, unaffected by the provocation, advanced towards William with measured steps, the weighty armor clanking with every movement.
When they stood just ten meters apart, the Blood Hammer Hand suddenly slammed his foot onto the ground, sending shockwaves rippling outward. Cracks appeared beneath William's feet, and sharp rocks jutted upwards.
Prince William, reacting swiftly, evaded and darted toward the heavily muscled adversary.
Swish!
The Blood Hammer Hand swung his super-heavy, chain-wrapped hammer with a resounding sonic boom, aiming directly at William in mid-air.
William's eyes widened in surprise; he hadn't expected the Blood Hammer Hand to be so swift. He swiftly used his cursed sword to block the incoming attack.
Bang!
Upon impact, the Heavy-Hammer caused the sword to bend, emitting a vibrating hum.
As the Heavy-Hammer recoiled, the bluestone beneath the Blood Hammer Hand's feet ruptured, sharp rocks jutting upwards. But he closed the gap between himself and William in an instant, hurling another blood-soaked hammer at the prince.
At that moment, the air seemed to freeze.
It was as if a mountain was about to crush William.
The prince swiftly sidestepped the attack, and as the Heavy-Hammer struck the ground, the earth within a 100–meter radius sank more than three inches. Nearby orcs were turned into bloody pulp by the impact.
"Gravity?" William gasped. During his evasion, he felt an overwhelming heaviness that threatened to crush him. If he hadn't possessed immense strength, he might have had his face crushed by the hammer!
William's knowledge had faltered; he only knew that this level 139 Demon Warrior had a Dark natural attribute. Yet, among the demon race, it was not uncommon for talent attributes to be Dark. What set the demon race apart was their often unique talents.
Finally, he understood that this demon warrior's talent was gravity!
"You have quite the exceptional talent!" William exclaimed. He had met his match. While the gods' talents were varied and diverse, there were only a few fixed attribute talents.
Talents like William's thunder ability were commonplace in the eyes of regular people. However, talents like his own "handsomeness" were extraordinary, akin to the talent of gravity, boasting abilities beyond imagination. One excelled in combat, while the other excelled in charm.
The battle, however, was far from over.
The Blood Hammer Hand clenched his fist and charged at William.
Boom!
Countless stones, corpses, swords, and armor were sent hurtling toward William from all directions.
Prince William was forced to retreat, using his Thunder ability to break through the obstacles. He dashed toward the Blood Hammer Hand, his body crackling with dazzling lightning as he pierced through all obstructions, aiming straight for the orc's chest.
But the heavily muscled brute had other plans.
He allowed the lightning to pass through his chest armor, forming a bloody wound. At the same time, he swung his chained hammers towards William's head.
William raised his left hand, adorned with the power of a god, to block the attack. As he did so, his body was slammed into the ground, with only his head exposed.
But the Blood Hammer Hand had no time to retaliate.
Another Heavy-Hammer, crackling with sonic booms, swept across the ground.
"Even if I remain calm, you think I'm a pushover?" William's body instantly transformed into a Sage Ray. He burst out of the soil unobstructed, charging at his adversary like lightning.
The Blood Hammer Hand was taken aback by William's sudden move.
Despite his manipulation of gravity, he couldn't restrict William's speed.
He watched as William approached.
Suddenly, a surge of rage erupted from the prince.
Countless lightning flashes lit up the sky.
A thunderous sword, over 100 meters long, descended upon the orc's head with the force to cleave mountains and split the earth.
Yet, the unexpected happened.
The enemy before him released the chained Heavy-Hammer from his grip, using his blood-covered hands to block the lethal sword strike. Despite being brought to one knee by the force of the blow, with the earth crumbling around him, he still managed to withstand the strike. The Blood Hammer Hand wasn't merely a wielder of hammers; his hands were formidable weapons themselves.
However, once William used his abilities, he revealed his true form, shedding his Sage Ray incarnation.
The cursed sword in his hand neared the orc's face, poised to pierce through his eyebrows.
A gravitational shockwave exploded.
William was thrown uncontrollably backward.
Slowly, the Blood Hammer Hand stood back up. He touched his helmet, pierced by the sword's Battle Energy, and a few drops of blood dripped from his brow.
Once again, he employed gravity, lifting the North Gate and hurling it at William with a thunderous roar.
Prince William gritted his teeth, summoning the power of Thunder God with his left hand to send the steel gate flying.
But the Blood Hammer Hand seized the opportunity, swinging both chained hammers simultaneously, sending them hurtling toward William with an arc of sonic booms.
This time, William had no Sage Ray form to rely on.
His strength and agility were unparalleled, but the Blood Hammer Hand primarily focused on increasing his strength.
In the Blood Hammer Hand's gravitational field, he was a deity, and no amount of speed could save him.
It was as if this adversary possessed the power of an Epic Level talent.
In this battle, William not only had to avoid the two chain-wrapped Heavy-Hammers but also engage in a constant power struggle against gravity.
It was a daunting challenge.
However, just as the Blood Hammer Hand seemed poised to deliver the finishing blow to William, a glimmer of hope emerged.
In the blink of an eye.
William regenerated most of his injuries.
The battle had raged for only a minute, but Prince William's resurrection armor was already depleted. Had he not possessed extraordinary resilience and defensive talents, a single blow might have been enough to finish him.
As they locked eyes once more, both warriors couldn't help but acknowledge that they had met their match.
One was concerned that his opponent might possess a continuous resurrection ability.
The other was contemplating how to defeat this formidable foe.
…
Meanwhile, to the north of the ten military fortresses, five cavalry units, each numbering nearly 10000 soldiers, stood ready in the biting cold snow to confront the vanguard of the approaching orc reinforcements.
Though their numbers were not overwhelming, these were no ordinary orc cavalry units. They were the feared Wolf Cavalry of the orc empire, each rider mounted on a formidable, heavily armored wolf.
From the highest-ranking riders to the lowest, heavy rider to heavy rider, they awaited the imminent battle. In this precarious situation where high-level Professionals risked being shot down if they took to the skies, the real battle of elites unfolded on the ground.
The orc empire's cavalry corps was not to be underestimated, particularly due to the unique advantage possessed by the wolves that the Dragon Blood War Horses lacked – razor-sharp teeth and unparalleled agility.
While the dragons were unmatched in speed and explosiveness during charges, in a head-to-head confrontation, cavalry against cavalry, the horses would find themselves at a disadvantage.
Christian, the former commander of the Fearless Legion, a Half-Elf Lord who had sworn allegiance to William, surveyed the approaching Wolf Cavalry from atop his warhorse. He gripped his weapon tightly as he realized the gravity of the situation.
The Dawn Cavalry Regiment had rarely faced a formidable adversary in the past. Their battles had been strategic, and Prince William had always been reluctant to engage in costly conflicts. However, this time, they had no choice but to stand their ground.
The Dawn Cavalry Regiment had yet to be tested in a true battlefield engagement. While they had successfully cut a path through countless dark creatures in previous battles, leaving behind scattered enemy infantry legions, the current situation demanded a different approach.
This time, they couldn't afford to hold back. The fate of seizing the fortresses rested on the outcome of this battle. Victory was their only option.
With determination in his heart, Christian led two Thunder Horse Heavy Cavalry Legions and one Thunder Horse Light Cavalry Legion. He signaled, and the 3000 light cavalry soldiers split into two groups, fanning out to the left and right, forming an arc as they advanced toward the approaching Orc Heavy Cavalry.
Every member of the light cavalry was an Elf Ranger, a natural archer, known for their incredible accuracy and rapid firing. Despite the orc's heavy cavalry charging towards them, they remained unfazed. Even if an orc rider was felled from their mount or a cephalopod wolf tumbled to the ground, they would not break formation to pursue the swifter light cavalry.
The Orc Heavy Cavalry had a singular objective – to breach the city and eliminate the Dawn Heavy Cavalry that blocked their path. If the Dawn Cavalry hid behind the walls, so be it. If they engaged in battle, then the Elves from the south would bear witness to the ferocity of the wolf cavalry, born in the far north.
Ow!
As the two forces closed the gap to a mere 3000 meters, the thunderous howl of wolves reverberated through the snowy terrain.
Christian took a deep breath, urging his warhorse forward as he led the charge. In a matter of seconds, the two heavy cavalry legions formed into a wedge-shaped formation, picking up speed and maintaining their formation as they accelerated. They moved faster and faster, yet their formation remained unbroken.
Until now.
"Throw!" The order was given.
The entire cavalry force, comprising 6000 heavy riders, filled their prepared enchanted short guns with fighting spirit and launched them forward using inertia.
At that moment, the sky was filled with colorful short guns imbued with fighting spirit, forming a dazzling array of projectiles that rained down upon the orc heavy cavalry below.
"Charge!" The orc commander couldn't resist the thrill of the impending battle, despite the ominous sight of nearly 10000 short guns raining from the sky.
Truly, the orcs were more daring than the Elves, unflinchingly marching into the storm of projectiles.
However, the purpose of this barrage was not to inflict casualties upon the orcs. Instead, it was to dismount them and disrupt their formation, creating chaos within their ranks.
After all, a heavy orc, mounted atop a heavily armored wolf, charging at full speed, posed a far greater threat in terms of sheer impact than the cavalry's light armor and dragon blood horses.
But there was more to come.
Under this barrage of short guns, a Griffin Legion of 3000 suddenly appeared from the skies, launching another salvo of short guns upon the orc heavy cavalry.
The orc cavalry, numbering 9000 strong, suffered unimaginable casualties in the face of this onslaught.
Then came the relentless barrage of arrows.
As the two cavalry forces collided, the formation of the orc heavy cavalry showed signs of wavering. Despite the numerical advantage of the wolf cavalry, the Elves' prowess in close-quarters combat was evident.
But then, a decisive moment arrived.
As the two forces were on the brink of collision, a total of 6000 Thunder Horses, each with a horn on their heads, unleashed a dazzling burst of lightning simultaneously.
When the countless bolts of lightning converged, they formed a colossal electric surge that pierced through the ranks of the orc heavy cavalry.
In that instant, the formation of the orc cavalry crumbled completely. A thousand orcs and their wolves were struck by the electric surge, while those outside its center were surrounded by arcs of electricity, causing even the wolves to throw off their masters.
"Charge!" Christian finally gave the order.
The two waves of cavalry, one white and one black, collided with earth-shattering force!