Chapter 392
The scene unfolded with a procession led by cavalry, followed by infantry, and eventually, a horseless group. It was evident that those without horses couldn't be considered part of the cavalry. The picture shifted back to the fortress.
William cast a thoughtful gaze at the blood hammer's hand. This hulking brute might not be much of a conversationalist, but it was undeniable that he had a pair of cunning offspring. Engaging him head-on had clearly been the wrong tactic.
His highness chose to sheath his cursed sword slowly, opting instead to play his cards.
Suddenly, a flash of lightning and a roll of thunder shook the atmosphere. Black clouds gathered ominously overhead. The blood hammer's hidden eyebrows beneath his mask twitched, and he darted about with agile movements. But what truly surprised him was the sight of the fearless soldier in front of him drawing a bow and arrow.
"Oh, oh, oh. Did you know a thunder-crazy warrior could wield a bow? Put it down; such a fine bow should be reserved for those who can use it! Come on, my friend, let's engage in a close-quarters battle; that's the true way of a warrior!"
However, his highness remained undeterred, paying no heed to his adversary's words. The lightning bow, constructed entirely of crystalline thunder spar, with a bowstring made from thunder beast tendon, was a dazzling and exquisite weapon. This was the very reason William had been reluctant to reveal it.
This bow was exceptional, to say the least, perhaps even better than an epic bow. William, harkening back to his days as a Ranger, couldn't help but raise his middle finger once again.
The blood hammer's expression remained unchanged, though he couldn't fathom what the man before him was doing. Nevertheless, his highness continued to gesture with his middle finger, drawing forth another surge of electric power.
This time, the blood hammer grew furious. This insolence and mockery had gone too far. Did this human really think he didn't comprehend the meaning behind these gestures? He took a step forward, but before he could react, his Royal Highness swiftly retreated. The lightning bow unleashed a rapid volley of shots.
Three arrows, with visible gravitational fluctuations, were released in quick succession. Their speed was astounding, making it seem as if they vanished and reappeared, but they found their mark, striking the blood hammer's chest one after another with resounding explosions.
Bang, bang, bang.
The blood hammer staggered back three steps, his frustration evident. He charged at William like a raging rhinoceros, unleashing his gravitational field to devastating effect, causing the ground within a hundred-meter radius to crumble, the city to contort, and buildings to collapse. He swung a massive hammer connected to a chain, relentlessly pursuing his foe.
But William kept his distance. He had identified a crucial weakness, the silly magical chain had a maximum reach of just 150 meters. While this was ample for close combat, it was virtually meaningless against a seasoned Ranger like William.
William continued to retreat until he reached the edge of the city wall. When he had no further room to backpedal, he leaped onto the north city wall, turned, and dispatched several orcs attempting to assail him. Then he swiftly pivoted and fired off another volley.
Nine arrows soared through the air with a whooshing sound, their brilliance accentuated by the night. The blood hammer swatted away three of them, but the remaining six found their mark.
The blood hammer grew increasingly frustrated; his formidable physique seemed to serve as a mere target. Yet, he couldn't deny William's uncanny accuracy, which struck at the heart of his vulnerabilities.
William's aim never wavered. If given enough attempts, he could likely shoot down this formidable adversary, turning him into a pincushion.
Tie Hanhan hesitated, realizing that this was a battle he couldn't win. He halted his pursuit, glancing back into the city before shouting at the epic figures standing face to face. With that, he sprinted out of the north gate and made his escape.
William, bewildered by the demon's sudden retreat, couldn't help but question the warrior's once-revered reputation. Were these warlike demons really so timid?
Nonetheless, he couldn't allow this monster to escape, fearing it might wreak havoc among the Dawn City cavalry. No one else was prepared to stand in its way. So, William sprang to his feet, arrows ready, and gave chase.
Whoosh, whoosh.
Bang, bang.
The demon, towering at 2.34 meters in height, proved no match for William's relentless pursuit, whether on the ground or in the air. Within mere minutes, he had been struck by dozens of arrows.
William, witnessing this, couldn't help but feel somewhat helpless. He consistently aimed for the demon's head or upper body, but the gravitational forces at play always directed the arrows to his posterior, resulting in a rather uncomfortable predicament.
This was the unfortunate source of his injuries.
His pursuit continued until they reached the battleground of two heavy cavalry units. The soldiers, engaged in their own combat, scarcely paid any attention to William's duel with the demon. They passed by, unperturbed.
However, a few Elves and orcs, fighting alongside each other, couldn't resist stealing glances at the ongoing spectacle.
Intrigued by the distraction, they took advantage of the moment to score additional kills.
Once again, the Elves triumphed over the surprised and curious orcs, leaving hundreds of them defeated on the battlefield.
In particular, when the fearsome Orc Heavy Cavalry Corps witnessed the Legendary Blood Hammer's hand being driven away, they realized that the city's fall was imminent. The epic leader could only hold on for so long in the town; they wouldn't make their move until the Orc Empire faced complete crisis. But now, they had been struck by the Thunder Heavy Cavalry.
More than half of the 9000–strong Wolf Cavalry had been decimated in battle. With morale at an all-time low, they wouldn't be effective even if they charged into the military fortress. The idea of utilizing the cavalry's advantages to clash with the Dawn Army outside the city seemed futile.
The reason was simple: too many Chosen Ones had died and come back to life. Only slightly over 4000 Wolf Cavalry remained, and it was doubtful they could make any significant impact.
If they allowed the Chosen Ones to hold out while the Dawn Legion's high-level Professionals picked them off, it would Spell certain doom for the Wolf Cavalry. After a moment of hesitation, the Orc Empire's Wolf Cavalry decided to retreat.
Christian, upon seeing the orcs attempting to flee, was determined to pursue them. He didn't have to chase them far, just ten kilometers.
But those ten kilometers seemed like an eternity.
…
Meanwhile, the Blood Hammer's hand and William were moving even faster. The two masters soared across the sky, swiftly approaching the imposing Black Great Wall.
However, they weren't alone on their journey. A constant stream of arrows rained down upon them, targeting the Blood Hammer's hand. But his thick skin, coupled with the fact that they were flying in the same direction as William's arrows, prevented serious harm.
That was until they spotted the Black Great Wall in the distance.
Suddenly, the Blood Hammer's hand came to a halt and turned around.
A sharp, crisp sound pierced the air as an arrow struck him right between the eyebrows.
Grimacing, the muscular orc clamped his teeth onto the arrow and yanked it out, his breath heavy, and uttered defiantly, "Come on, come and kill me!"
In that moment, the world seemed to fall silent.
William, looking at the orc with a mixture of surprise, disbelief, fear, pity, and other emotions, couldn't believe what he was hearing.
Did that sound really come from him?
It sounded so strange, almost comical.
Why had a creature with such a massive frame been given a woman's voice?
Was he trying to be like Nezha?
Before the Blood Hammer's hand could say anything else, he became even more enraged as he observed William's bewildered and terrified expression.
Of course, William wanted to clarify that he wasn't trying to mock him with his gaze. His eyes weren't that expressive. He just wanted to burst into laughter.
But before the two could engage in combat, several figures suddenly appeared on the Black Great Wall, over 50 meters high.
The Blood Hammer's hand wasted no time and turned to flee, taking advantage of his Thunder Eyes.
He even noticed a bald orc on the wall, surrounded by a group of formidable soldiers. This orc seemed significant, perhaps even a prince of the Orc Empire. After all, even if he wasn't good-looking, he should at least be tall; he couldn't possibly be as short as a dwarf. But this particular orc was the ugliest one William had ever seen, and he was unabashedly combing a few strands of hair on his nearly bald head.
"Tut, tut, such shameless behavior," William muttered to himself as he swiftly departed.
Meanwhile, the bald orc on the wall watched William's departure with keen interest. He put his comb into a small box and stored it in a space ring before turning to one of his advisors and asking, "Who is that man?"
"Your Majesty, that man is none other than William Blackleaf, the Prince of the Blackleaf Elves and the vanguard of today's war," the advisor whispered.
The bald orc, Gultai, nodded, seemingly enlightened. "The Spirit of the Great South has journeyed to the far north. Didn't he freeze to death? How did he make it all the way here?"
He snapped his fingers, and a frigid tornado of ice and snow swept through the area, tearing up the earth and uprooting trees before William.
William felt the intense cold closing in, as if he was about to be frozen solid. He couldn't help but wonder if this was some kind of Forbidden Spell meant to terrify him. He crushed a random teleportation scroll, and another crisp sound echoed.
The snow tornado disappeared instantly, sparing William from its icy grip. He didn't dare dwell on it and quickly vanished into the distance.
At the same time, the words of the Black Great Wall's many masters reached Gultai's ears.
"Order a retreat! You kill him, and I'll take on a hundred of your Orc Empire's masters!"
Gultai sneered, "Bring it on! In close combat, I fear no one!"
A loud "click" resounded as a crack appeared beneath Gultai's feet. The Great Wall, which had stood unscathed for thousands of years, finally showed signs of damage.
Gultai raised his hand, motioning for his angry companions to stand down. He seemed eager to engage in combat but secretly wished he could return home. With a grin, he said, "If the Sage won't come down to fight, why should I use a knife or gun? I was merely testing whether he was here."
"Get lost! The king has never seen such an ugly orc!"
"Damn you, shameless woman! No respect at all!" Gultai fumed, but his words fell on deaf ears.
He took a few deep breaths, turned to his men, and commanded, "Don't let them establish a foothold. Continue to send troops tomorrow; we'll fight them on the snowfields. We'll keep them at the Black Great Wall for two more years!"
"Yes, Your Majesty," several Legendary experts echoed in unison.