Fugen rested the golden power sword on his shoulder, closely observing the battle.
As the Primarch of the Emperor's Children, he knew that he was more than just a warrior; he was a general and a commander. While his direct involvement in the battle could significantly turn the tide, if the soldiers lost their leader's guidance, the result would be chaos. He had to choose the right moment to join the fray.
Seeing the startled birds and the shadows rising from the jungle that blotted out the sunlight, Fugen smiled. "Hold the line, soldiers. Our reinforcements have arrived!"
"Oh!" The soldiers of the Ash Legion heard the commotion from the jungle. Most of them knew they had good relations with the Lizardmen, especially the veterans who had fought alongside them before. Hearing the sounds from the jungle, the Ash Legion's morale soared as they barely held the line against the vampire pirates.
By this time, the human army had engaged the enemy in brutal melee combat. Thousands of human soldiers clashed with the endless hordes of undead pirates. The battlefield was awash with blood and littered with bones, but nothing seemed to stop the necromantic colossi, those strange undead war machines that harvested soldiers' lives in droves.
Just as the battle reached its most desperate point, the reinforcements arrived.
"Tiktaq'to!" From above the jungle, nearly a thousand Lizardmen Pteradon Riders appeared, riding their pteradons into the sky. Leading them was the skink chief, Tiktaq'to, who led the Pteradon Riders in wild aerial maneuvers, diving directly toward the vampire pirates!
The legendary hero of the Lizardmen, the "Master of Skies," the "Lord of the Heavens," Tiktaq'to, had entered the battlefield!
"Damn cold-blooded reptiles! One day, I'll take all your riches and drag those frogs you worship off their golden thrones!" Luther Harkon muttered to himself, his expression growing more manic. "Servants, attack those damned flying reptiles!"
The undead pirates tried to strike back, but the Master of Skies ordered his Pteradon Riders to ascend, climbing hundreds of meters above the reach of the undead pirates' muskets. In turn, the Pteradon Riders hurled a hail of javelins, gravity-assisted, that rained down on the undead deck gunners holding small cannons, significantly easing the pressure on the Ash Legion.
"They've finally arrived," Fugen nodded slightly.
Tiktaq'to, the Master of Skies and ruler of the skies above the City of the Sun, had joined the battle.
This skink hero, the chief aerial commander of the Lizardmen, wore the Heaven's Miracle Mask blessed by the first-generation Slann Mage-Priests and wielded the ancient Sky Sword. He spent long hours each day patrolling outside the City of the Sun, traversing jungle temple ruins and floating islands tethered by mysterious clouds, or scanning from the highest fortress among the jungle's giant trees. His sharp eyes often spotted secret intruders or ferocious beasts, delivering death with precise strikes.
"For Tlaqua! For the Great Plan!" Tiktaq'to skillfully commanded his Pteradon Riders, who flew through the skies like a synchronized aerial display, easily evading the undead musket volleys. His aerial combat skills were astonishing, leading his forces to maneuver effortlessly across the skies of the Vampire Coast, delivering deadly attacks on the enemy.
"Destroy the enemy's cannons and those colossi!" Fugen's shout, infused with psychic power, echoed across the entire coast. Tiktaq'to heard Fugen's call and nodded. The Pteradon squadrons immediately split into smaller groups, forming triangular formations in the air before diving down on the undead positions.
The Pteradon Riders struck the undead artillery positions in a sudden assault. The gathered Pteradons seemed to block out the sun. As they released their payload of boulders, the undead cannons and carronades were smashed into twisted heaps of scrap metal. Hundreds of boulders rained down, devastating the undead artillery. The resisting undead pirates were either crushed into pulp or pierced by javelins, falling lifelessly to the ground.
One particularly large boulder struck the back of a necromantic colossus, snapping its spine and splitting the once-mighty beast in two.
After the successful assault, the Master of Skies led his Pteradon squadrons out of the battlefield.
The rolling boulders wreaked havoc across the battlefield. The undead cannons that had once suppressed the human army were now silent. The Ash Legion's morale surged, and their artillery could finally open fire freely, raining destruction on the enemy.
"Yes!"
"Our allies have come to support us!"
"Counterattack!"
"Drive these undead scum back into the sea to feed the fish!"
"Advance!"
The human army began a counteroffensive, attacking the undead who had lost their firepower advantage. The tide of the battle began to turn.
"Deep Sea Guard, advance." Luther Harkon could no longer sit still and finally committed his personal guard.
The Deep Sea Guard, the blood knights of the ocean, were Luther Harkon's only elite unit.
As intelligence suggested, Luther Harkon had once been a bodyguard of the Blood Dragon Patriarch and a port guard of Lahmia. During the Nagash Revolt, he became a vampire. It was assumed that he was of Lahmian blood, but he was also favored by the Blood Dragon Patriarch Abhorash, who taught him how to train blood knights.
Abhorash's two favorite subordinates were now the leaders of the Blood Dragon Knights: Walach Harkon and Luther Harkon. However, due to an accident, Luther Harkon became the Vampire Pirate King, and his blood knights mutated into the Deep Sea Guard. These Deep Sea Guards, clad in pale blue or bronze armor, wielded double-handed axes or long pikes. Their entry into the battle turned into a massacre; the soldiers of the Ash Legion were no match for these formidable foes.
The momentum of the counterattack was abruptly halted. The Deep Sea Guards advanced together, cutting down human soldiers row by row, staining the beach red with blood. Neither bolts nor arrows could harm these enemies, and the musketeers couldn't find a clear shot amidst the crowded battlefield. In just a short time, the few hundred Deep Sea Guards had broken the Ash Legion's counterattack. After slaughtering hundreds of soldiers, they continued to advance, their target clear—the center of the formation, where Fugen stood!
"Kill him, kill that human! I want his head as my trophy, and I'll wear his silky silver hair on my own head. Charge!" Luther Harkon personally led the charge. With two swift strikes, he slew a greatsword champion. Foot knights tried to block his path, but his cutlass arced through the air, beheading one and slicing another halberdier in two. Laughing wickedly, Luther Harkon flung the mangled corpse into the crowd.
"We charge as well!" Fugen calmly ordered. His Phoenix Guard responded immediately. Hundreds of greatswords and foot knights, led by the Phoenix Guard, launched their own charge. Under the banner of the Ash Legion, the towering figure of their commander filled the soldiers with boundless courage. A swirling vortex of violet-gold psychic energy enveloped all the soldiers near Fugen, filling them with warmth and power, masking the battlefield's bloodshed and chaos. Fugen's piercing cry echoed across the battlefield, disorienting the undead who nearly lost control. The Ash Legion seized the opportunity, thrusting swords, spears, and pikes into the undead flesh, dismantling their bodies.
The Primarch's power was so overwhelming that even the Deep Sea Guards couldn't stop his advance. The golden power sword in his hand moved like a flash of light, slicing through supposedly impenetrable armor as if it were soft butter. A vampire pirate captain tried to block this fearsome foe, but Fugen's sword decapitated him in a single stroke, sending his pirate hat and head flying. The Phoenix Guard immediately followed up, cutting the body into pieces.
"Finally, the commander has taken action!" The Gold Wizard, noticing Fugen's involvement, raised his scimitar and cut down the undead pirate in front of him. His subordinates brought forward an urn, which he smashed open before chanting a spell. "Come forth, Wind Elemental Lord! Your loyal summoner Karīm calls upon you. Grant us victory!"
The sky churned with giant waves, and a fierce wind blew in from behind the jungle. The Ash Legion soldiers, now launching their counterattack, felt the powerful gust aiding their charge, while the undead pirates, facing the wind, struggled to keep their footing.
"Wind, heed my command!" The High Wind Elemental Lord appeared among the clouds. "Blow away, you vermin!"
Bolts of lightning descended from the sky, exploding among the undead pirates. The vampire pirates suffered thousands of casualties as the undead were reduced to smoldering chunks of charred flesh.
"Titan's Arrow!" The Gold Wizard chanted another spell, and a bolt of lightning struck a necromantic colossus, instantly blasting the giant beast into pieces.
The battle had reached its most intense phase.
Julius had lost count of the number of undead he had slain. He only knew that he kept chanting the name of the Lady of the Lake as he fought relentlessly among the undead. Following the Phoenix Guard's lead, greatswords sliced through armor, and pikes harvested victory. Julius suddenly understood why so many were willing to follow Fugen. It wasn't by chance. The commander charged at the forefront like a god descending to the battlefield, breaking through the Deep Sea Guards' defenses with sheer force. Enveloped in a violet-gold radiance, Fugen's presence swept across the battlefield like a thunderous storm. The Phoenix Guard shouted his name as they tore through everything in their path, annihilating their foes just like the Grail Knights in a heroic charge.
Now, Luther Harkon was within reach. Surprisingly, the Vampire Pirate King neither chose to confront Fugen head-on nor to retreat. Instead, he stood his ground, surrounded by his Deep Sea Guards, watching with a maniacal grin as Fugen and his forces closed in.
Fugen's expression remained calm as he moved with purpose. The golden power sword blessed by the Emperor carved a graceful arc through the air, severing the neck and spine of a Deep Sea Guard. He then drew the Sotigo Spear, its golden light exploding outward, disintegrating several Deep Sea Guards who dared to stand in his way.
"Luther Harkon, I bring you judgment and retribution. Your countless crimes cannot be forgiven. I will deliver your sentence," Fugen declared as he faced Luther.
"Stop yelling at me! Stop yelling at me!" Luther Harkon suddenly burst into tears, wailing, "My mother's watching, my family's watching. Please, stop yelling at me!"
"???" Everyone was stunned by Luther Harkon's bizarre reaction, even Fugen hesitated for about 0.2 seconds.
"You shameless scoundrel, dragging people all the way out here. I'll have my cannons blow you to pieces, turning you into my servant!" Luther Harkon abruptly stopped crying and pointed his cutlass at Fugen, shouting hysterically, "Little brother! I'm going to have my fleet fire on you, just you wait, little brother! You've entered my attack range!"
*Clang!* Fugen didn't give Luther Harkon any more time to babble. He charged forward, his first strike nearly disarming Luther Harkon. Sparks flew as their weapons clashed, and Luther staggered backward several steps, screaming as Fugen advanced. Desperate, Luther pulled out a flintlock pistol and fired.
The pistol had considerable power, forcing Fugen to abandon his attack and dodge the bullet. The Primarch of the Emperor's Children adjusted his stance, readying himself for another attack. Despite Luther Harkon's early-stage Sanctuary-level power, he couldn't possibly withstand a second strike from a nearly fully-restored Fugen.
But Luther knew this too, and that was enough for his plan. "Queen Bess Cannon, fire!"
The Vampire Pirate fleet, anchored along the coast, began to move. "Who called for the fleet?"
A massive cannon on the undead flagship was aimed at Fugen and his forces.
"Damn it!" Fugen's expression changed slightly as he raised his sword and spear to prepare for the impact.
*Boom! Boom boom boom boom!*
*Boom boom boom~*
The cannons aboard the undead warships unleashed a devastating volley upon the Ash Legion on the shore. Dozens of cannons fired simultaneously, ripping bloody trenches through the human ranks, sending shattered bodies flying. The super cannon, Queen Bess, aboard Luther Harkon's flagship, was specifically aimed at Fugen. Even amid the chaos of the battlefield, the deafening roar and fiery explosion of the shell's impact, coupled with the mushroom cloud it created, were unmistakable.
"Commander!"
"No!"
"Damn those undead pirates!"
Seeing Fugen engulfed in the explosion, the entire Ash Legion fell into brief disarray. Smoke and debris swallowed the beach.
After a few minutes, when the smoke began to clear, Luther Harkon and his remaining few hundred followers had already boarded his flagship. The Vampire Pirate King danced with glee on the deck. "Retreat, retreat! I'm telling you, little brother, don't let me catch you, or you'll be sorry! Today you win, but wait until we're whole again! I'll be back for you, just you wait!"
As the smoke dissipated, Fugen emerged from the haze, slightly disheveled, his armor covered in dust and soot from the explosion. Watching Luther Harkon's ship rapidly disappearing into the distance, Fugen chuckled coldly.
The Battle of the Vampire Coast ended in a decisive victory for the Ash Legion. Without Luther Harkon's support, the undead pirates were nearly wiped out, with only the Pirate King himself managing to escape with a few hundred of his followers and his flagship. Fugen's forces, however, paid a heavy price, suffering nearly eight thousand casualties.
The Ash Legion seized all of Luther Harkon's remaining undead warships. The loot included over two hundred large chests of gold and silver, countless rare treasures, valuable books, and historical artifacts—Luther Harkon's centuries of hoarding now belonged to Fugen.
"We won this battle," Julius said, his body covered in the blood, filth, and sand of the undead. The crusader was wounded, with cuts on his back, waist, and left arm from halberds. He struggled to reach Fugen's side. "But we failed."
"Failed? How so?" Fugen asked, tidying his silver hair, clearly pleased with the results.
"The Ancient Stone Tablet—we didn't reclaim it!" Julius emphasized.
"Who said we didn't reclaim the Ancient Stone Tablet?" Fugen looked at Julius with interest. "You, young man, shouldn't be so quick to assume our plan failed, eager to criticize me."
"But Luther Harkon escaped!" Julius was still puzzled. Just then, the halfling Habi came running from the distance, carrying the Lizardmen's artifact and the Ancient Stone Tablet that Luther Harkon had possessed. "Lord Fugen, Habi is here! Habi completed the task and stole the Ancient Stone Tablet and the treasure for Lord Fugen. How will Lord Fugen reward Habi?"
"This..." Julius was shocked into silence.
"So, you see, young man, you must learn to make your own judgments." Fugen smiled as he took the Ancient Stone Tablet from Habi, a playful tone in his voice. "If you had asked me earlier, I might have answered 'no comment,' but that wouldn't have made you happy, now would it?"
With that, Fugen ignored Julius and raised the Ancient Stone Tablet high, roaring, "The Ancient Stone Tablet is reclaimed, and the vampire pirates have been utterly crushed! Today is our victory—soldiers, enjoy this moment!"
"Victory!"
"Victory!"
"Long live Commander Fugen! Long live the Ash Legion!"
The cheers on the beach were thunderous, echoing to the heavens.
Meanwhile, aboard Luther Harkon's flagship.
The Vampire Pirate King was frantically searching the deck.
"Where's my tablet? My Ancient Stone Tablet? Where did it go?"
"Where's my tablet?" Luther grabbed his lieutenant, Drekkara, by the throat. "Where's my tablet?"
"I... don't... know..." Drekkara stammered as he was shaken violently.
"Ahhh! My Ancient Stone Tablet! Fugen, Ash Legion, this isn't over!"
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