The moment Aeldara struck, the entire Snow Mountain Pass erupted into life.
Over a hundred Silent Watch Knights burst forth from the snow, transforming into black reapers of life.
They charged down the slopes, shattered through snowdrifts, and slid out from the shadows of rocks.
No battle cries.
No shouts.
Only the dense clatter of skeletal warhorses' iron hooves, wreathed in ghostly flames, crushing ice and snow—a death march composed of sound.
This silent army surged from all directions, like a giant net tightening around the Blighted Legion, trapping them at the center of the pass just as they had entered.
"Ambush! Form ranks!"
Mograss blocked Aeldara's earth-shattering strike, his Soul Fire flaring violently as he roared in fury.
The Blighted Legion under his command reacted with lightning speed.
True to their reputation as elite undead, they instantly contracted their formation. The knights on the perimeter raised their heavy tower shields, forming a defensive line of steel and bone.
However, Aeldara had no intention of giving them time to regroup.
The instant Mograss roared, dozens of figures rose silently on a ridge three hundred meters behind the pass.
"Loose!"
At the command, a volley of arrows and ice shards tore through the blizzard with sharp whistles, precisely blanketing the densely packed middle and rear ranks of the Blighted Legion!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
As the ranged attacks struck, vast patches of ice-blue runes suddenly flared to life in the snow beneath the Blighted Legion's feet!
A series of violent explosions erupted from the ground. Countless frost shards mixed with runic energy blasted the Death Knights, sending them flying and shattering their formation in an instant.
A pincer attack from above and below—a three-dimensional slaughter!
"Kill!" Aeldara's icy voice finally thundered across the battlefield.
The Silent Watch Knight Order surged forward like a black tidal wave, crashing down upon the stunned Blighted Legion!
"Form ranks! Counterattack!"
Mograss let out a furious roar, the dark vortex beneath his helm spinning violently—a clear sign of his rage and panic.
After his initial strike was blocked, Aeldara twisted her wrist. Her sword flickered, sliding down the shaft of Mograss's great axe and thrusting straight for his chest.
Mograss, startled, dodged clumsily to the side. The blade scraped against his chestplate, sending a shower of blinding sparks.
"Traitor! You dare ambush me here!"
Mograss bellowed, swinging his great axe in wide, sweeping arcs. He whipped up a foul Death Whirlwind, attempting to force Aeldara back.
"I've been waiting for you."
Aeldara's voice was bone-chillingly cold, but her swordplay was even deadlier.
Mograss's combat style was frenzied. As he swung his great axe, black Death Energy swirled around him, coalescing into countless wailing wraiths.
But Aeldara's movements were far more agile.
Her swordplay was precise and efficient, each strike aimed at a vital point.
The powers of Frost and Death merged perfectly in her hands—at one moment freezing her opponent's movements, the next eroding his soul with Death Energy.
On the surface, it appeared Mograss was on a relentless offensive. But Lin Qingyue could see clearly that he couldn't even touch the hem of Aeldara's robes. Instead, her sword strikes left deep gashes across his armor, one after another.
"And let me correct you," Aeldara said during a lull in their clash. "I am no traitor. You and I were never the same."
Mograss was completely entangled by her, forced into a clumsy, desperate defense. He couldn't break away to command his troops.
"You stole the authority of Death, only to use it to protect those wretched mortals! You blaspheme the art of Death!"
Mograss's roar was filled with venom and jealousy.
"Silence, you puppet on strings." Aeldara's voice remained as chillingly calm as ever.
"You have no understanding of true power. You're simply jealous of my freedom."
"Freedom? Hahahaha!" Mograss erupted in a harsh, maniacal laugh.
"Soon, the entire world will be submerged in eternal silence. Then, your so-called 'freedom' will be worthless!"
Meanwhile, on another front, the two elite forces of Death Knights clashed violently!
The Silent Watch Knights, leveraging the high ground, charged downhill, maximizing their momentum to become a black torrent of steel.
BOOM—!
A continuous roar of dull impacts echoed across the field. This wasn't the sound of metal striking bone, but the collision of two opposing wills of Death, unleashing a deafening explosion.
The Blighted Legion's hastily reformed shield wall shuddered violently under the initial charge. Several knights on the outer edge were knocked from their mounts, horse and rider tumbling to the ground.
The Silent Watch Knights gave their enemies no quarter.
The front-rank knights swung their greatswords, ice-blue runes flaring on their weapons. Each heavy blow carried a bone-chilling frost that froze the enemy's armor and slowed their movements.
The rear-rank knights spurred their warhorses, weaving through the gaps between their comrades. Their lances thrust forward, precisely striking the openings in the shield wall and reaping the enemy's lives.
"This... This is insane!"
On the ridge, Lin Xiyue watched, stunned, the piece of dried meat in her mouth forgotten.
"They're both Death Knights, so why do the Silent Watch seem a whole tier stronger than the enemy?"
Of course they are! Lin Qingyue scoffed inwardly. One side is an elite special forces unit with free will and the ability to adapt tactics on the fly. The other is just a bunch of rigid elite mobs following a fixed script. How could they possibly be the same?
Look at the Commander's forces—their coordination is flawless, their tactics clear. Charge, break the formation, weave through, and divide—all in one smooth motion. Now look at the other side—all they know is to turtle up and take the hits. The difference is obvious.
"The Silent Watch Knights have free will," Su Wan explained softly beside her, her eyes fixed on the battlefield below, not missing a single detail.
"They are the living, possessing the wisdom and tactical acumen of the living. Mograss's legion, on the other hand, though also elite, has had their souls branded. Their actions are more like executing a fixed program, lacking adaptability."
"Now that their commander is personally engaged by Aeldara, they've lost their leadership and can only act on basic combat logic. Against opponents of the same caliber, they're just sitting ducks."
Just as Su Wan said, without their commander, the Blighted Legion's formation quickly crumbled under the Silent Watch's efficient and ruthless divide-and-conquer tactics.
The once-solid shield wall was torn open, and the entire legion was fragmented into several smaller groups, descending into chaotic, isolated skirmishes.
The Silent Watch Knights moved like a perfectly coordinated wolf pack, precisely encircling and eliminating their isolated prey.
The battle was decided.
"Alright, time to get ready," Lin Qingyue said, clapping her hands and standing up. "Once the Commander deals with that big guy, we'll go down and help clean up the small fry."
"You got it!" Lin Xiyue had been waiting impatiently, excitedly raising her shield.
Su Wan and Xia Lian also rose, preparing for combat.
Just then, the situation took a sudden, drastic turn!
A teeth-grinding cracking sound echoed from the other side of the valley!
The sound was sharp yet muffled, as if the very spine of the snow mountain were being snapped inch by inch!
RUMBLE—
Amidst the earth-shaking roar, a massive rift shimmering with an icy blue glow tore open in the mountainside!
A figure as burly as a moving hill slowly squeezed out of the rift!
It stood at least three meters tall, its body a mass of knotted muscles. Its skin was a frigid blue, and it wore crude armor crafted from giant beast hides and bones, painted with twisted, blood-red totems.
Behind it followed a large horde of similar blue-skinned creatures, though slightly smaller in stature.
Even more striking was an old, hunched troll among the horde. It clutched a totem staff made from a giant beast's spine and ice crystals, its murky eyes glinting with a cunning that belied its savage appearance.
"What are those?" Lin Xiyue stared, stunned.
"Frost Trolls..." Su Wan's expression instantly turned grave. "They're inherently savage, and according to our records... they are the ancestral enemies of the Elven Race."
Lin Qingyue's heart sank.
Are you kidding me? A third party crashing our raid? That's just dirty!
The massive Frost Troll Chieftain had clearly been drawn by the sounds of battle.
It first glanced down at the two groups of "tin cans" hacking at each other, letting out a low grunt as if to ask, "What's this? Infighting?"
But soon, the Troll Shaman behind it tapped its bone staff on the ground and pointed toward the distant ridge where the ranged units were unleashing a storm of arrows and spells.
There, the elegant figures of the Elven Rangers and Mages stood out starkly against the swirling snow!
The Troll Chieftain's small eyes followed the shaman's gesture, and its gaze instantly flared with intense hatred.
It let out a deafening roar that echoed through the valley, drowning out even the clamor of the battlefield.
"Pointy-ears! It's the pointy-ears!"
Roaring in an ancient, barbaric tongue, it raised its spiked greatclub—crafted from an entire giant tree and tipped with a massive ice crystal—and pointed it from afar at the Rangers and Mages.
"My children! For the Frost Mother! Tear those long-ears to shreds!"
The Shaman simultaneously raised its staff, chanting an incantation. An icy blue aura instantly spread out, enveloping all the trolls.
At the Chieftain's command, the hundred-strong horde of Frost Trolls let out bloodthirsty roars. Like an avalanche, they bypassed the chaotic battlefield below and charged up the slope toward the ranged position!
Their target was none other than the ranged support unit of the Silent Watch Knight Order