Chapter 67: The Lord Will Take Action!
Chapter 67: The Lord Will Take Action!
"Kill...!"
Old John roared furiously as his long-handled sword slashed down through a gap in the wooden barricade, clashing against a blocking axe.
The poorly made axe chipped from the impact.
Old John’s newly replaced iron blade remained intact, as he locked eyes with the blood-red gaze of the gnoll brute, seeing its unbridled cruelty and malice.
After a long, grueling battle, Old John took a step back, panting heavily.
The fight had already lasted more than 30 minutes.
Thanks to their indomitable fighting spirit, the advantageous terrain, their perfect teamwork, and the exceptionally crafted iron gear, the soldiers had managed to withstand the fierce assault of the gnolls.
Many soldiers had been injured, and Old John even saw two or three gravely wounded comrades.
However, they were quickly pulled back by their comrades, and the blood-restoring potions provided by the lord played a crucial role.
The initial charge of the gnolls was repelled.
The cunning gnolls soon devised a plan to break through from multiple directions.
With the soldiers outnumbered and stretched thin, the defenses began to falter.
Sensing the worsening situation, Matthew was about to intervene personally when reinforcements from Bay Village arrived just in time!
Exploiting the element of surprise, they swiftly took down dozens of gnolls attacking from the rear, forcing the gnolls to abandon their split assault.
Nevertheless, the gnolls continued their relentless assault, using their superior numbers and strength.
By now, over a hundred gnolls had fallen.
Around thirty to forty soldiers were injured, and some had already perished.
Both sides were fighting with everything they had.
At this moment, a powerful gnoll brute led the last of the gnoll forces into battle. Old John fought desperately to hold the line.
But the strength of the gnoll brute was overwhelming, and it was clearly overpowering Old John.
Using its sheer strength, the gnoll brute pushed Old John's sword aside, readying its axe to cleave the annoying little human in two.
Soon, it would tear out the human's warm, beating heart and devour it whole.
Suddenly, the gnoll brute felt a deadly threat. Instinctively, it turned to the side just as an arrow pierced its arm.
The arrow should have hit its chest!
Enraged, the gnoll brute glared around with bloodshot eyes, but before it could react, two swift spears stabbed toward it.
Seizing the moment, Old John slashed again, targeting its left side. The gnoll brute, caught off guard, was unable to dodge, and a spear drove deep into its abdomen.
"Aargh...!"
The gnoll brute grabbed the spear and yanked it out, only to have Old John slash its chest once more, forcing it to stagger back.
Several arrows struck the brute at once.
The gnoll brute raised its arms to protect its vitals but was riddled with more wounds.
The sharp pain finally snapped the brute back to reality.
"There are no gnoll watchers left to command me, so why should I keep fighting to the death?"
"No, it’s precisely because the gnoll watcher is dead that I must show my strength!"
"If I kill enough humans, I might become the new leader!"
This thought sprouted like wild grass, growing uncontrollably.
If it could read, it would have recognized this thought as ambition!
It glanced at the blood-soaked barricades and the corpses of fallen gnoll warriors.
It also saw the small yet resilient human soldiers who had not retreated even an inch.
Occasionally, a human soldier would fall back due to injury, but they would quickly return to the battlefield, as fierce as ever.
The gnoll brute found the humans' stubborn willpower annoying, yet it had the patience and skills to hunt down troublesome prey.
With this in mind, the gnoll brute let out a thunderous roar:
"Kill them all, and the forest will be ours!"
The surrounding gnoll warriors, already engaged in a bloody battle, seemed to become even more frenzied.
Faced with the larger, stronger gnolls, even the most determined soldiers were beginning to falter.
Crack!
A section of the wooden barricade was shattered by the gnolls.
The howling beasts clashed with the soldiers in close combat.
Both sides fought fiercely over the broken barricade, engaging in brutal hand-to-hand combat.
Angela led by example, and with the two new feats she had recently mastered, her combat effectiveness had visibly improved.
The intensity of the battle also deepened her understanding of her feats and abilities.
Brutal and grueling, the battlefield became a proving ground for all involved.
The soldiers who survived would grow significantly stronger.
Despite being outnumbered, every soldier maintained high morale.
Not only were they well-equipped, but the blood-restoring potions also saved lives, keeping the death toll low.
More importantly, their mysterious and powerful lord stood behind them.
Just seeing his tall, imposing figure filled everyone with strength.
They were certain of victory!
If necessary, the lord would step in!
"Ding! Your soldier, Lasinian, has fallen."
Hearing the third death notification, Matthew slowly opened his eyes, feeling the weight of soul strain pressing on him. With a sigh of resignation, he muttered:
"As expected, learning too many advanced feats in a short time places a tremendous strain on the soul..."
Matthew could feel that learning the "Advanced Feat – Mana Drain" from Silverfang was particularly slow and difficult to internalize.
Fortunately, his experience from two lives and the help of Yaya allowed him to persevere.
Although his dream of becoming an overpowered spellcaster in a short period had crumbled, Matthew's initial plan had been successfully completed.
Unlimited casting as an Arcane Master + faster casting with Quick Cast + mana recovery through Mana Drain = a relentless spell cannon and an unstoppable battlefield powerhouse!
As Matthew prepared to unleash his frustration, the gnolls came charging straight into his line of fire.
To replenish his spent experience points, Matthew unleashed his spells without hesitation!
First up—double-cast Fireball!
Boom!
The gnolls surging through the broken barricade had no chance to react and were instantly engulfed in fiery destruction.
More than 20 gnolls were annihilated in one go!
The shockwave left two to three times as many wounded.
The heavy casualties—nearly 100 gnolls dead or injured—immediately halted their savage assault.
The soldiers of Bay Village, filled with renewed vigor, cheered for their lord and swiftly slaughtered the remaining gnoll stragglers, sealing the breach once again.
Angela ordered thick wooden planks to be brought in and used ropes to lash them to the remnants of the barricade. Wooden supports were added for temporary reinforcement.
Freed from immediate combat, the soldiers quickly rushed to assist their comrades.
The wounded soldiers downed their allocated blood-restoring potions, bandaged their injuries, and promptly returned to the front lines.
They waited for the gnolls’ next attack!