The Eastern Army's fortress was several times sturdier than its western counterpart. From the outer perimeter to the innermost section, multiple checkpoints were arranged in layers. Combined with the natural terrain, the result was a position that was easy to defend and extremely difficult to assault.
Nearly a thousand Sarkaz were stationed inside. Every one of them was an elite—many had once fought at the general's side as members of the Military Commission, and some were even fanatical loyalists who believed only the general could save Kazdel. According to what Hoederer extracted from the mercenaries who had assaulted Theresa, a portion of those mercenaries also originated from the Eastern Army.
Dozens of transport aircraft took off together and arrived at the fortress in less than an hour. It was as if the enemy had received forewarning. Every checkpoint was lit with torches, bathing the surroundings in harsh white light.
"They know we're coming," Hoederer said calmly. He tightened the massive sword on his back and glanced toward Luna, the commander for this operation. In theory, high-ranking personnel such as themselves only needed to claim the fruit of victory once the battle ended.
Luna lifted her eyes slightly, neither confirming nor denying.
The aircraft landed. The warriors of Saviadel and the Emperor's Children stepped out into the air, a faint scent of blood and war smoke drifting around them. Their expressions remained composed.
"Mudrock, step forward."
Mudrock stepped out from the ranks.
"Heavy units will lead the vanguard and carve the path."
She continued, "Goliaths, follow behind Mudrock. Ensure their backs remain protected."
Mudrock and Giles accepted their orders and left. Luna then turned to the Vampire casters.
"We need to buy them time. We will handle the Eastern Army's Vampire casters. As for the remaining enemies—Qalaiša, Madam Banshee, they are yours to deal with."
The Nachzehrers and Banshees were few in number, so they were unlikely to be thrown into frontal combat. Luna had no intention of doing that anyway. Nachzehrers would provide long-range Originium support, while the Banshees would weave their oral arts through their bone flutes.
"Emperor's Children, prepare yourselves."
"Here!"
A thousand players answered in unison.
"After we break through the first defensive line, we will secure the ladders for you. You will advance with the main Vampire caster corps to take the first line of defense."
Kumori nodded lightly. The remaining players struck their chests in declaration of loyalty.
Mudrock quickly led her squad forward. Large shields of earth and stone condensed ahead of them as they marched toward the fortress.
Sarkaz mercenaries on the walls fired their crossbows twice, but every bolt was easily deflected by the shields, leaving them grinding their teeth in frustration.
Dozens of Vampire casters gathered crimson arts. Blood-red spheres rose above the walls and dropped downward in a barrage.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
Explosions thundered across the battlefield. But when the Vampire casters peered down, their eyes widened. One of the Gargoyle's shields had shattered, but another Gargoyle had already stepped forward, raising a new shield to take the impact.
This wall of shields made even the Vampire casters uneasy. They requested reinforcements while cursing internally. They should have killed the Sarkaz mercenary who leaked information. He had only revealed Tomorrow's Development's arrival, but never mentioned their actual strength.
The Gargoyles's defense, combined with the towering Goliaths behind them, left cold sweat running down the backs of the defenders. Ordinary Sarkaz had no advantage against these specialized Sarkaz tribes. What the ordinary could do, the specialized ones could do better. What the ordinary could not do, the specialized ones could still do.
In the distance, Madam HR led a small group of Banshees, weaving oral arts into existence. Their support accelerated the advance, and the incoming arrows were deflected with ease.
The main force of the Vampire casters finally began to move. Luna walked at the front. As they marched, strange crimson patterns bloomed across the ground. The blood energy spread forward like liquid, carving a path directly toward the fortress walls before crawling up the stone itself.
"This is the Vampire casters' corrosive Originium technique. After enough attacks, the fortress wall will collapse sooner or later," Ines explained.
Felix narrowed her eyes. "It can corrode any kind of metal?"
"It seems to depend on each Vampire's personal understanding of their Originium Arts. But the Vampire Patriarch can certainly do it. He once performed a blood sacrifice on an entire mobile city."
Ines lowered her voice. "His Originium Arts are extremely dangerous. The Vampire Court deserves its fearsome reputation."
While the two spoke, the Children of Soil closed in on the fortress. They set up ladders and fixed them with packed soil, while the Goliath guards began battering the main gate with their siege hammers. The Vampires unleashed their corrosive Arts against the walls.
At the same time, the rain of arrows and offensive spells from above did not cease. Banshees and Nachzehrers exchanged Arts with the defenders, with continuous explosions echoing across the sky.
The Nachzehrers were unique for their ability to drain the life force of living beings. Felix had once asked Qalaiša whether they could drain the life force of dead objects, but unfortunately the answer was no. It meant they could not reduce the durability of items, yet they could absorb the energy within Originium Arts. Now, as the banshees traded arts with the defenders, the Nachzehrers activated their innate life-draining ability, converting the once-deadly bombardment of Arts into energy for themselves.
Just then, a soldier from the Second Legion arrived before Kumori of the Third Legion. "Emperor's Children, this is Luna's command. Full assault."
"Tell Commander Luna we understand."
Kumori nodded calmly. She raised her arm, and the Emperor's Children, who had been whispering among themselves, fell silent.
"Adventurers, the light of tomorrow has reached this suffering land. Kazdel's mobile city has been liberated, and now the chance to free all of Kazdel stands right before us."
This was perhaps the longest speech Kumori had ever given. She let out a battle cry that stirred everyone's blood. "Children of the Emperor! Death to His foes!"
"Children of the Emperor! Death to His foes!"
There were many things one could nitpick, like how Felix wasn't actually an emperor, but the line was both exciting and amusing. Everyone loved it.
"Children of the Emperor! Death to His foes!"
The players raised their weapons high and charged along the path the Saviadel Legion had carved, rushing toward the fortress.
The war horns of the Emperor's Children resounded as they advanced in long strides. Explosions from Originium Arts thundered overhead. The casters among them did not act, for their task awaited inside the fortress itself: brutal close-quarters combat.
They sprinted past the Goliath soldiers who were corroding the walls and launching their assault, climbed the long ladders built by the Children of Soil, and surged upward.
Kumori reached the ramparts first. Several fierce-looking Sarkaz mercenaries swung their weapons at her. She ducked under a blow that could have taken her head clean off, then kicked a lunging mercenary off the wall. As she completed both motions, another weapon struck her right arm with full force.
"What… what?"
Weapons from the Eastern Army were not cheap scrap. As a direct Military Commission force, they wielded refined gear capable of cutting through ordinary armor with ease. Yet even a full-strength strike from a Sarkaz mercenary failed to leave so much as a mark on Kumori. The mercenary, who had expected to sever her arm, froze in shock for a brief moment—long enough for Yang Yan XF, the second to climb the wall, to drive a blade into his chest. The mercenary collapsed and quickly stopped breathing.
"Fall back, fall back!"
The Vampire commander shouted. He aimed his art at the newly arrived Emperor's Children. To him, these undead warriors clad in purple-gold armor were loathsome beyond words. "Vampires, offer blood!"
A massive pool of blood spread under everyone's feet, swallowing even several Sarkaz mercenaries who had failed to retreat. Their expressions darkened, yet with grim resolve they tossed their weapons to their comrades and turned back, charging the players in a suicidal rush.
"What the hell is this supposed to be?"
The players panicked for a moment, but quickly realized what a blood sacrifice truly meant.
The ground beneath them turned swamp-like, making movement incredibly difficult. Kumori and the other vanguards and tanks all felt their speed reduced to a crawl. The Sarkaz mercenaries rushing toward them did not even reach their targets before they sank into the blood pool, dissolving into red energy.
Kumori noticed her health dropping rapidly. Without their mechs' remarkably high mental resistance, they would likely have been nothing more than fuel for the blood pool already.
In the next instant, a clean sniper shot pierced a Vampire's head, killing him instantly. The single gunshot was followed by dozens more.
Everyone knew: sniper support had arrived.
Yanfei, Uzi, Touka, and the other snipers of the Emperor's Children unleashed their true skills. Blood-red energy surged wildly, but with almost all the casters wiped out, the art lost control and lashed toward the players like a crazed serpent.
Boom!
The Legion's defenders stepped forward, activated their damage reduction, and raised tower-sized shields that matched their own height, forming the front line.
Screee—
A tooth-grinding screech tore through the air. The massive blood serpent rampaged without control, but before the players, the manifested mass of blood energy revealed a visible health bar.
"Squad One, kill the blood serpent! Squad Two, secure this stronghold!"
"Ohhh!"
The players roared. The caster teams split into two groups, hurling a barrage of colorful arts toward the blood serpent. More vanguards and defenders charged into the stronghold, shouting the same line again and again:
"Surrender and you will not be killed!"
At that moment, the wall collapsed with a tremendous crash. The Sarkaz mercenaries and Vampires resisting below were breached by the Saviadel warriors. The Children of Soil raised their heavy shields and rammed into any enemy they saw. Mudrock, wielding her massive hammer, walked at the very front. Ever since joining Saviadel, her armor had been replaced with their official uniform, exposing her youthful face to everyone. It earned her many fans, though all were equally terrified of the power she wielded.
A strong and stunning Sarkaz girl with overwhelming brute force was hard not to love.
Giles swung his great cleaver as he and the Goliath warriors followed closely behind the Gargoyles. Whenever the Gargoyles raised their shields to block, the Goliaths sprang high from behind them and brought their weapons crashing down on the enemy.
Luna led the Vampire forces into the fortress. Her steps echoed as she strode through the blood pool.
"Mudrock, Giles. Take your warriors and support the Emperor's Children. They need some help."
"Understood!"
Mudrock and Giles quickly advanced with the majority of their troops, leaving the battlefield to the Vampires still holding their ground.
"Traitor!"
The Vampire commander spat blood from his mouth. A sniper's bullet wound still marred his chest. He glared at Luna as if looking at something filthy beyond measure.
"The Bloodfallen family dares to betray the Vampire Patriarch? Do you think your bloodline is too abundant? Aren't you afraid your bloodline will fall?"
He shouted, "When the Patriarch descends upon Kazdel, it will be the end for all of you!"
Luna Bloodfallen sighed in disgust. She did not like Sanguinarch, nor did most of the royal courts. As a Vampire herself, she had once questioned her doubts. Were her thoughts a betrayal of the court? A betrayal of her own kind?
But then she met Felix. She joined Kazdel. She learned that better choices existed, that the Sarkaz deserved better lives, and that the one who made it possible was a Sarkaz civilian.
Sarkaz civilian. So what?
"The Patriarch's reach does not extend here. Kazdel will be unified, and obstacles like you will make excellent fertilizer."
"Is that so…"
The Vampire commander grinned. His face split into several sections. If any players had been present, they would probably say he looked like Night Stalker from DOTA2.
This was the Vampires' strongest form, the moment they invoked their fundamental power.
Luna sighed again. A long blood-red spear materialized in her hand without anyone noticing.
"Come."
Her voice was hoarse, her crimson eyes gleaming with killing intent.
———
The blood serpent had indeed caused the players some trouble. To them, it felt like fighting a field boss with unknown patterns and abilities. But sheer numbers worked in their favor. With plenty of defenders and medics, they could afford trial and error. Compared to wrestling with the serpent, the players who pushed into the stronghold carved through the enemies like slicing vegetables.
Soon, reports arrived. The first battle ended in a decisive victory.