Chapter 148: Wave of Corpses(2)

A rain of arrows descended.

Within moments, the tightly packed formation of corrupted corpses exploded into clouds of blood mist. Countless unlucky ones tripped over the bodies of their companions and were trampled to death.

The bows of the Nightfall Domain were powerful war bows with heavy arrows—not the weak hunting bows of common folk.

Before the corpse tide had even reached the defensive line, it had already endured three consecutive waves of dense arrow volleys.

“Roar—!”

Braving the relentless barrage of ranged fire, the corrupted corpses rapidly closed in on the temporary defenses.

“Cavalry—charge!”

“Charge!”

Behind the corpse horde erupted a hoarse, fanatical roar, followed by the thunder of galloping hooves. The demi-human cavalry and the newly formed human riders numbered fewer than fifty, yet their momentum drowned out the noise of thousands of corrupted corpses.

The distance of several dozen meters vanished in an instant. The charging warhorses slammed violently into the rear of the corpse horde. The corrupted corpses didn’t even have time to turn their heads before their spines cracked with sickening snaps.

Many more were knocked down or skewered by lances. What awaited them afterward were only crushing hooves.

When the corrupted corpses finally reacted and attempted to counterattack, the cavalry had already turned their horses and withdrawn, reforming their formation to prepare for another rear assault.

During the earlier rebellion campaign, the governor had ordered cavalry to charge directly into infantry phalanxes—an absurd command. Phield had no intention of making the same mistake.

“Annoying cavalry,” the woman said coldly after observing everything through the orb. “But corrupted creatures are not insects to be toyed with.”

“Corrupted hounds—drive away the human cavalry.”

The corpses littered the ground, forming a bloody path.

Kai gripped his longsword and, for the third time, led the cavalry smashing into the rear of the corpse horde. His sword swung wide and powerful arcs, instantly cutting down two tall corrupted corpses from horseback.

The surrounding corpses immediately lunged at him from every direction.

“So fast to react.” A flicker of confusion appeared in Kai’s eyes. “It’s like they have eyes on the back of their heads.”

But such encirclement did not frighten him in the slightest. Kai squeezed his horse with his legs, drew the iron spear at his side, scanned the battlefield briefly, then thrust in rapid succession toward different directions.

With clean and decisive strikes, he killed several corrupted corpses before shouting aloud.

“Woof woof!”

Before he could even catch his breath, a small pack of black-gray corrupted dogs appeared from nowhere, drool dripping disgustingly from their jaws. They chased closely behind the riders, leaping up to bite whenever a horse slowed down.

Left with no choice, the cavalry had to turn their attention to dealing with the hounds first.

Without the cavalry restraining them, the main force of corrupted corpses quickly surged toward the trenches, howling as they charged forward.

“Brace spears! No one is to retreat without orders!”

Phield descended from the wall, mounted his warhorse, and rode out through the gate to the side of the battle formation.

“I will fight with you!”

Upon receiving the command, the soldiers leveled their spears in unison, their eyes fixed on the grotesque faces growing larger before them.

“Puchi! Puchi!”

They didn’t even need to thrust.

The corrupted corpses rushed forward in lines and impaled themselves, like swarms of summer insects flying straight into one’s face. In an instant, strings of corpse-version candied hawthorns were freshly skewered.

More corpses leapt into the trenches that had been dug. Though shallow, the trenches greatly hindered their advance.

The soldiers standing above could easily stab through the corpses’ heads.

Buzz—

The city-defense ballista fired again. Archers also loosed arrows without restraint, and foul blood splattered everywhere.

One particularly bulky corrupted corpse grabbed a spear and dragged a soldier down into the trench.

A heart-wrenching scream followed.

“Heh heh. Fear it. Run.”

Seeing this scene, Ophelia smiled confidently.

“They’re finished.”

The human mage beside her shook his head regretfully.

“Only knights and royal guards among humans possess strong morale. Conscripted militia are nothing but cannon fodder that collapses at the first contact.”

In his view, what would come next was obvious—terrified soldiers dropping their weapons and fleeing.

He had seen such scenes before among his former companions. Being assaulted by enemies several times your number was a massive test of one’s nerves.

However, they had clearly underestimated the power of training.

Even the most basic modern military training produced soldiers with terrifying levels of discipline. Even armed only with spears, their combat capability far exceeded that of soldiers trained for the same length of time—especially when their diet was far better than that of common civilians.

The moment a soldier in the front line died, the one behind immediately stepped forward with determination, stabbing down the corpses climbing out of the trench.

The number of corrupted corpses dwindled like falling snow, yet they could not advance even a single step. The human formation displayed the power of one plus one being greater than two. Spears covered one another, forming a wall that was nearly impossible to cross.

“Heh. Is that all? You can’t even touch the wall.”

Phield gathered magic into his heavy cavalry lance. With a howling rush of wind, he smashed it into the corpse horde, instantly blowing apart seven or eight heads.

The corner of his mouth curled upward.

“You can’t even handle spears. If we switched to iron rods—ah no, if we switched to muskets—you’d be meeting God on the spot.”

Though he said that, Phield had no intention of underestimating the enemy.

“At most ten minutes before we have to retreat behind the walls. Unfortunately, this wall is too low and too long. Layered defenses are still better.”

Defending walls was effective, but the manor’s walls were simply too long. Once the troops were spread out, there would never be enough anywhere.

A flash of silver light appeared.

Phield drew the The Silver Iris Longsword with his left hand. With sword in one hand and lance in the other, he plunged into the corpse tide, slaughtering wildly.

As long as his second-tier magic had not run dry, killing corrupted corpses felt almost like playing a game.

Through the orb, Ophelia observed the fierce battle clearly. The indifferent expression on her face gradually froze into confusion.

The mage muttered in disbelief.

“This shouldn’t be happening. Conscripted soldiers shouldn’t have such strong fighting will.”

“Interesting. No wonder they can survive in a corrupted world.”

Ophelia rotated the orb again and examined the other two battlefields.

Both Ashina and the Corrupted Greatsword Warrior were firmly holding back the corpse tide by exploiting the terrain.

“Perhaps we should deploy stronger forces,” the mage said obsequiously. “If you just grant the corpse horde a buff ability, everything will turn around.”

“No. My level is the same as the enemy’s Divine Chosen. Every piece of information and every bit of divine power must be used precisely.”

Ophelia rejected the suggestion immediately.

As she spoke, the corner of her eye suddenly caught movement.

Her slender claws snapped out from her fingertips as she shouted sharply.

“Who’s there?!”

“Hello, powerful kin. I heard your call last night. I also want to conquer a human city.”

She had opened the Nightfall Domain’s global channel—every corrupted creature had heard it.

Violet stepped out from the twisted, corruption-infested forest. With an innocent expression, she placed both hands behind her back.

Her youthful face looked pitiful and sincere. Yet her complexion was deathly pale, and the grotesque wounds on her body were still writhing.

She stretched her neck, trying to peek at Ophelia hidden among the corrupted creatures, but a second-tier corrupted monster blocked her view.

“That’s wonderful. Your arrival greatly restores the balance of power.”

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