Chapter 562: Commanding the Enemy
Swish! Swish! Swish!
A volley of sharp arrows burst out from the siege towers the moment the rails dropped.
The frustrated warriors of the Magus Corps were eager to hear the enemy's screams and wails.
But unexpectedly, the arrows clanged off iron shields with a "ding ding dang dang."
The gray dwarf shield warriors stood in tight formation right before them.
Not far away, crossbows were slightly raised, taking aim.
Alarmed, the elven warriors instinctively raised their shields and shouted loudly:
"Beware the crossbows!"
A dense wave of bolts came howling toward them.
Their penetrating power was overwhelming.
The new iron shields of the Cole Elves were pierced clean through, the bolts embedding into flesh.
The first row of elven warriors was instantly turned into a hive!
The horrifying scene of death struck every elven warrior with visual shock.
Even with considerable combat experience, they immediately sensed grave danger.
If they couldn't break out, they'd be pinned down and butchered like lambs.
The quick-reacting elven commander didn't hesitate and tore open a spell scroll.
Wind Gust!
A blast of wind surged forth.
The incoming wave of bolts was blown off course.
Elite elven warriors seized the chance and leapt forward.
But before they reached the wall, Jifan decisively gave the order:
"Thrust!!"
Five-meter-long spears jabbed forward in perfect unison.
The elves had no room to dodge.
They could only swing their thin blades in vain, trying to deflect the spears.
Clang!
Sparks flew, shattering their final hope.
Sharp spear tips pierced through breastplates and into their chests.
Gushing blood marked the elven warriors' last trace.
Falling corpses piled atop those already below the wall.
Over 50 elven warriors died in this desperate charge.
More than 40 fell under crossbow fire, and 10 were skewered by the spear wall—utterly powerless.
Another batch of elven warriors rushed up from below.
But before they could steady themselves, they met the same grim fate.
The crossbow barrage and spear-shield phalanx became an insurmountable barrier.
The elves had already paid dearly just to reach the walls.
Normally, once atop the walls, they could rely on their elite skills to break defenses and seize control.
But this time, at the brink of success, they suffered a devastating blow.
These elite warriors stepped unprepared into a whirlpool of death.
Resolute and unflinching!
For a full 15 minutes!
Even after the fourth siege tower reached the wall, no breakthrough was achieved.
Instead, over a thousand elven soldiers vanished into the meat grinder, barely making a ripple—finally alerting the Cole Elf commander.
But their detection spells failed under the Maze Lock, and they had to rely on griffon riders for aerial observation.
By the time reports came in, more than 2,000 elite elven warriors had fallen.
Their bodies nearly covered the ground in front of the walls.
Corpses on the siege towers piled up like a hill.
Blood flowed like streams, chilling the bones of the approaching elf reinforcements.
Shocked, the Cole Elf commander immediately ordered a halt to the assault.
The hesitant soldiers were confused at first.
Until scouts peered over and saw the hellish scene—then they finally understood.
Without a solution, they dared not charge again.
Taking advantage of the lull, Jifan decisively rotated the defending troops.
He also ordered the cleanup of corpses on the wall.
Most elven corpses were dragged into the city, looted for spoils, and burned.
For many elves, death wasn't frightening—
What they feared was their corpses not returning home, their souls unable to rest in the hall of the elven gods.
The gray dwarves and Bay Territory had no interest in such customs—they routinely incinerated all bodies.
To the elven warriors, this became yet another insult.
It enraged them!
But rage was meaningless.
In the following battles, the Cole Elf commander ordered troops with better shields to advance under crossbow fire.
But he forgot to defend the tops of their heads.
In two towering arrow towers—
Over a hundred elevated firing slits rained death on shield-bearing elves.
Unshielded elves became sitting ducks with no cover.
After five such assaults, the elves only lasted a bit longer—but never secured a foothold on the walls.
Finally, the commander abandoned the suicidal orders.
But then, he played a hidden card.
These elves were used to fighting only after magical bombardments and golem charges cleared the way.
They had never experienced such brutal fighting!
Since regular troops couldn't prevail—it was time to show the true strength of the Cole Elf army!
Two elite squads of around 50 transcendents silently blended into the attacking force.
Braving the hail of bolts, they charged the defenses.
These transcendents fought like humanoid tanks.
Just by channeling aura and combat skills, they broke through the shield line.
Hundreds of gray dwarf warriors were slaughtered as other elves surged forward.
The defense line was on the brink of collapse!
But Jifan, prepared in advance, led transcendent gray dwarf warriors to the front and repelled the assault, stabilizing the line.
A fierce battle unfolded atop the wall.
The elves tried to hold a foothold so reinforcements could ascend.
The gray dwarves used terrain advantage to feed soldiers in, surrounding and crushing the attackers.
Jifan's modified warriors always led from the front—
Eager to duel transcendents, they relished chopping off enemy heads.