Chapter 589.5: Who's the Real Swarm Strategy?
Matthew sensed the strange, murky aura fading and glanced at the wave of incoming Cole soldiers.
The lightning on his body suddenly flared with explosive brilliance.
Under Annie's stunned gaze, the surging magical energy radiating from Matthew was several times more powerful than hers.
Crack!
A thunderclap from a clear sky!
Terrifying lightning struck the neatly arranged elite elven warriors.
Infused with Matthew's terrifying spell power, the lightning instantly inflicted heavy damage.
The Ail Elves, emboldened, rushed forward and cut them down decisively.
Both sides were now bloodthirsty—only thinking of killing, not of mercy or capturing prisoners.
Lightning struck again and again.
Cole warriors were blasted away in waves.
The Ail Elves, reinvigorated, launched a wild assault.
Under their reckless counterattack, the Cole soldiers fell, and the outer walls were quickly retaken.
At that moment, a signal of three short blasts followed by one long sounded, and the Cole forces, just scaling the walls, began a coordinated retreat.
Still, many retreating soldiers were shot down by ranged fire from the walls.
Seeing the enemy flee, the Ail Elves erupted into victorious cheers.
Their plummeting morale surged back up.
As the enemy withdrew, the exhausted Annie gathered her strength and ordered her officers to clean the battlefield.
She was about to inspect the wall when Matthew gently stopped her:
"You need to rest. Let me handle the defenses for now."
"Of course, you only get three hours of sleep. Then you're back to leading."
"Don't worry, the super teleportation array is active. The first wave of reinforcements has already arrived."
Annie bit her lip, staring at Matthew, her mind full of words unsaid. She simply nodded.
She handed him the Silverleaf Family's golden insignia and declared clearly:
"Reinforcements are coming. I'll prepare food and supplies."
"From now on, everyone follows Lord Matthew. He is our ally—and an invincible commander!"
Noticing countless eyes on him, Matthew simply waved.
Around the Ail Elves—
Over a thousand high-level adventurers took their positions and began distributing supplies.
Matthew's towering figure slowly patrolled the wall.
Several Dragonrider-01 Golems followed behind, shaking the ground with every step.
But to the Ail Elves, it brought a great sense of security.
Jifan quickly coordinated with the elven commanders. Seeing familiar, excited faces, he smiled and said:
"More reinforcements are on the way. Move all wounded to the rear warehouses."
"We're setting up a field hospital there..."
Matthew silently watched the reorganizing Cole army and signaled Jifan to accelerate the defenses.
Jifan gave command authority to adventurer leaders.
He also ordered the logistics troops to bring more magic cannons.
Half an hour later—
The regrouped Cole army launched a new assault.
This time, they didn't try to overwhelm the fortress quickly. Instead, they showed great patience.
Under cover of war treants and magical shields, they crept forward despite artillery, bolts, and spells.
Seeing the endless Cole army, Matthew raised his hand and unleashed lightning.
"Ding, you dealt 72 magic damage to Cole Level 9 warrior."
"Spell penetration check in progress... Passed."
"Target lost 65 HP, critically injured, heart paralyzed..."
"..."
The constant damage prompts left Matthew unfazed.
Hundreds of reckless Cole soldiers neared the towering wall again.
But this time, they didn't know they faced a new opponent.
Dwarven cannons roared, targeting siege weapons.
One by one, the machines were destroyed.
Still, more Cole soldiers scaled the wall.
But to their surprise—
They weren't met by grim Ail Elves, but eager adventurers.
"100 gold per Cole kill!"
A high bounty even for elite adventurers.
The powerful adventurers formed well-drilled formations.
About twenty heavy-shield warriors guarded five battlements.
Behind them, twelve riflemen and two Dragon-Hunter Ballista controllers.
They had also prepared anti-magic scrolls for enemy mages.
The unprepared Cole climbers were struck by axes and blades.
Outmatched in strength, they couldn't break through.
If they delayed, archers from the side towers shot at their backs.
Even falling corpses became dangerous weapons.
Nearly 3000 adventurers held off the first wave.
In thirty minutes, they killed or wounded over 2000 Cole warriors.
But they suffered more than ten casualties and increasing pressure.
Jifan stayed calm, quietly waiting.
After one hour of adventurer fighting—
He rotated in the rested Ail Elves.
With the elves covering them—
The adventurers, no longer outnumbered, unleashed devastating force.
With enchanted bows, they rained bolts on climbing enemies.
Dodging one or two arrows was possible—not mass volleys.
A single poisoned hit gradually drained strength.
Be shot into a pin cushion—or be decapitated.
Battle cries echoed on the walls.
Blood began to melt the surrounding frost.
But in the end, the cold prevailed over dying warmth.
Blood froze on the walls, staining the snowy fortress red.
Jifan watched the furious clash with solemn eyes.
He had assumed elves were too frail for such brutality.
But bloodlust transformed them like any other race.
He carefully monitored and adjusted defenses.
He avoided letting any group take unsustainable losses.
Instead, he rotated them regularly to keep all lines strong.
But growing casualties and dwindling reserves threatened the fortress's manpower.
Jifan realized the Cole intent—nonstop attacks.
They wanted to break Icewind Fortress with pure attrition.
They had more lives—they could afford it.
The fortress only had 50,000.
Once gone, it was undefended.
"Heh. Bold. And very determined."
Jifan sneered and told John quietly:
"Have logistics cook. This will drag on."
"Tell medical—restore the wounded no matter the cost."
"Notify me when the next wave arrives."
Watching John rush off, Jifan suppressed his urge to duel the Cole elites.
He instead directed two reserve squads across the battlefield.
The longer the fight, the more he saw the power of the modified warriors.
Not only were their physical stats superior—their stamina and recovery let them fight far longer.
Regular soldiers had rotated twice; modified ones still fought strong.
Watching Cole warriors fall, Jifan's eyes turned cold:
"Let's see how many more of you can die. How much more blood you'll spill."
......
The sunset dyed the sky red.
Icewind Fortress, once crystalline, was now soaked in blood.
Corpses littered the ground. The stench choked the air.
The Cole commander silently watched his troops scale the walls, calculating the fortress's remaining defense.
A pale elven ranger beside him, still not fully healed, coughed weakly:
"Even counting reinforcements, they've lost about 14,000. We lost 40,000 elite soldiers..."
A steep price.
With years of skirmishes and months of assault—
They had only lost 50,000 total before today.
Now they lost nearly that in one day. All commanders felt the sting.
Yet, despite not taking the fortress, their faces stayed calm.
To them, this unsupported stronghold would soon fall.
The Cole commander hesitated, recalling the storm of lightning and the thousands killed.
"We must end this quickly. The longer it drags, the worse for us."
"Today's losses are temporary. Their sacrifices are not in vain..."
"Tonight—we attack full force!"
His night assault order made Annie's expression change.
She realized—they meant to wipe them out before reinforcements arrived.
The longer they held, the more they'd prove—
The Cole Elves were not invincible!
If they could spark hope, other families and realms might join.
But the pressure was immense. Annie felt overwhelmed.
Especially when she saw—
Fully intact Cole elite units charging the wall.
A deep worry filled her. She turned to Matthew and said:
"We can't hold. Maybe it's time to retreat."
Ail Elves' losses were worse than the enemy guessed: 17,000.
3,000 dead. 2,000 severely injured.
The medical stores couldn't treat them all.
But Matthew simply glanced at her and replied calmly:
"Which is why—you must always project strength."
As Annie watched, confused, Matthew and Jifan led 300 modified warriors into the fray.
A fierce battle began.
Matthew's side held a decisive advantage.
The 500-strong elite unit lost nearly half to his assault.
His team? Only 12 casualties.
Yet other Cole units exploited the opening, breaching Ail Elf lines.
Protected by Dragonrider golems, Annie and her guards charged in.
Inspired, the Ail Elves held the line despite the odds.
After crushing the first elite group, Matthew turned to the second.
Watching the heavy Cole toll and fallen Ail Elves, he whispered:
"So this is your swarm tactic?"
"Let me show you what a real swarm looks like."