"Stop those wall-climbing pests!"
Suddenly, a roar came from the human guards above.
The Lizardfolk were exposed.
At the same time, the Lizardfolk leader let out a sharp hiss.
The climbing Lizardfolk lifted their heads almost simultaneously, opening their mouths filled with small, sharp teeth, and streams of dark green viscous liquid sprayed out like water arrows.
Sizzle—!
The corrosive liquid landed on the stone platform, visibly eroding the rock. The archers felt the ground tremble beneath their feet, throwing their aim off slightly.
The Lizardfolk stopped concealing themselves and rushed up at full speed, attempting to assassinate archers, sorcerers, shamans, and other ranged units.
However, things did not go as planned.
Swish, swish, swish!
Barbarian guards climbed the cliff face like agile apes, moving as easily as if on flat ground, rushing toward the Lizardfolk. In the close-quarters combat, battle axes and greatswords were unstoppable, and the Lizardfolk were quickly cut down and eliminated.
Rampage Strike!
Flames seemed to ignite in the Barbarian's eyes, and his movements suddenly accelerated.
The Lizardfolk leader's head flew into the air, decapitated by an axe, but the monster was tenacious and didn't die immediately; its sharp tail blinded the elite Berserker's right eye.
Silently, as the Barbarian minor leader roared, a shadow emerged from behind him.
Doug's dagger sliced across the Berserker's neck, and blood gushed out like a fountain.
Hrrk, hrrk, hrrk. The Barbarian's eyes widened. He swung an axe backhanded, but it struck empty air; the treacherous Kobold assassin had already vanished silently.
"Smash it open!"
The Ogre leader, Baroque, roared hoarsely.
He and the other strongest Ogres rushed side-by-side beneath the massive gate, swinging heavy, solid fine steel weapons inscribed with alchemical enhancement runes, striking heavily.
Thud—!!!
A dull, heart-stopping crash echoed through the pass.
The immense impact caused the entire gate to tremble violently, and dust and rubble rattled down from the top.
The heavy gate continuously dented inward, and the bolts groaned under the strain. Although it was forged from hard metal and protected by magical defenses applied by sorcerers and shamans, it still could not withstand the Ogres' assault.
As the Ogres attacked fiercely, more rubble fell, and large cracks appeared on the gate panels.
"Hold it! Hold the gate!"
Roars from the human warriors came from behind the gate, mixed with the creaking of wood being pressed to its limit.
The archers on the cliff top were distracted by the Lizardfolk's poison attacks, and the rain of arrows briefly thinned.
The Gnoll leader seized this fleeting opportunity, letting out a bloodthirsty growl in his throat: "Wolf cubs! Follow me!"
He no longer clung to the wall. Like a gray bolt of lightning, he led the Gnoll through the sparse arrow rain, charging toward the narrow, relatively safe blind spot beneath the gate.
They intended to use their claws and teeth to tear apart the spears attempting to poke through the gap in the gate, buying time for the Ogres.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Crack!
Accompanied by a crisp snap, a thick bolt completely broke.
The gate was knocked open, creating a gap large enough for an Ogre to squeeze through sideways.
"Roar—!" The Ogre leader let out a victorious bellow, gripping the edge of the door panel with his huge hand, his knotted muscles bulging like granite, intent on tearing this obstruction completely apart.
However, the instant the gate was breached.
A scorching, violent Aura, mixed with sweat, metal, and blood, rushed forth, causing even the Ogre to feel a wave of trepidation.
Just as Baroque squeezed half his body through the gap, his vision was suddenly enveloped by a surging shadow!
Those were not human soldiers.
They were Orcs! The elite Berserkers of the Ironblood Tribe!
They were like fiends crawling out of the lava of Hell, each over two meters tall, their knotted muscles covered in scars, smeared with dark red battle tattoos. Rough, thick plate armor covered their vital points, and the muscles of their exposed arms and calves resembled coiled tree roots.
In their hands, they wielded massive double-bladed battle axes nearly the height of a man, their edges serrated and chipped, heavy flails, and enormous war hammers tipped with vicious barbs.
The Orcs at the very front had eyes red as blood, their muscles spasming like living things, and inhuman roars rumbling in their throats.
—This was the reaction of simultaneously activating the Frenzy and Rampage states.
"Kill!!"
A thunderous Orc war cry erupted from behind the gate, almost shattering the scent of blood in the air.
What greeted Baroque was a war hammer whistling sharply!
The war hammer smashed squarely into his thick chest, emitting a dull thud like hitting tanned leather. Baroque's massive body violently shook; the skin on his chest split open, revealing tough muscle fibers, and embedded iron fragments clinked against the flesh.
The intense pain drove the Ogre into a rage.
He roared, his massive fist striking the Berserker who attacked him with tremendous force.
Boom! The fist missed, smashing heavily into the adjacent rock wall, sending shattered stone flying.
The Orc Berserker dodged sideways with astonishing agility. The battle axe in his left hand chopped into Baroque's thick arm; the blade sank deep into the tough flesh but became stuck on the hard bone beneath.
Baroque used his other hand to grab the Orc's helmet, violently slamming him into the ground like a rag doll, then lifted his heavy leg and stomped down furiously.
Crunch!
The sound of bone cracking was sickeningly sharp.
The Orc's skull shattered like a rotten watermelon, splashing Baroque with red and white matter.
But more Berserkers swarmed forward frantically, like sharks smelling blood! Heavy weapons rained down on the Ogre like a storm, producing frightening, muffled impacts.
Baroque's massive body became the perfect target.
Roaring, he swung his spiked club, sending two Orcs who couldn't dodge flying against the rock wall, but instantly, more weapons struck him.
"Hold on!"
The other Ogres finally squeezed in as well, their enormous bodies temporarily blocking the breach.
They swung their weapons, each strike causing a bloody slaughter. One Orc Berserker was struck in the waist by a stone club, flying out like a broken sack, knocking down several comrades, with fragments of internal organs spurting from his mouth.
But the Orcs' counterattack was equally fierce. An Orc wielding a massive flail spun the spiked iron ball, smashing it hard into the side of an Ogre's knee. A spine-chilling crunch sounded, and the Ogre's mountain-like body painfully dropped to one knee.
Another Orc Berserker seized the chance, leaping high and bringing his double-bladed battle axe down with all his might onto the back of the Ogre's neck.
The axe blade severed the thick neck bone. The huge head flew into the air with a spray of hot blood, and the headless corpse crashed down.
The cramped space behind the gate instantly became a meat grinder.
The roars of the Ogres, the war cries of the Orcs, the cracking of bones, the sound of weapons sinking into flesh, and the screams of the dying merged into a cruel symphony.
Thick blood flowed freely across the rough ground, mixing with dirt and shattered organs, making the footing sticky and slick.
Outside the gate, Lac and the other Gnolls and a few Centaurs tried to rush into the breach for support, but the Kobold leader roared, stopping them: "Idiots! Look up!"
Lac looked up and saw that because the gate had been breached, the human archers were free from the poison interference and were nocking arrows once more. Even more critically, he saw several figures wearing thick animal skin robes and painted faces appear at the edge of the cliff top.
—The Shamans of the Dawn Tribe.
One of the Old Shamans held high a staff inlaid with mammoth tusks and unknown crystals, chanting obscure incantations. The crystal atop the staff suddenly flared with blinding white light!
"Scatter!"
The Gnolls were terrified out of their wits, screaming hysterically.
Boom! A thick bolt of white lightning tore through the air, descending from the sky with deafening thunder.
The Gnolls' worry was unnecessary; the target was not the Gnolls on the ground, but the Ogres.
The lightning struck an Ogre holding a war hammer precisely. The blinding white light instantly engulfed it. Before it could even scream, its body was charred and carbonized, trembling violently, and its life was ended by the follow-up attack from an Orc Berserker.
And when the other monsters tried to rush to aid.
The Barbarians of the Dawn Tribe jumped down like cannonballs, charging into the tide of Gnolls and Kobolds. Coupled with the attacks from the archers, sorcerers, and shamans, the monsters were overwhelmed.
The battle inside the gate also took a sharp turn for the worse.
The Old Shaman brandished his staff, and pale lightning struck down again and again. The Ogres suffered heavy casualties, one by one being killed by the coordinated efforts of the Berserkers.
Now only Baroque and one other Ogre remained.
Though both were incredibly brave, two fists could not contend with four hands. Under the fearless siege of the Orc Berserkers, they were covered in blood and riddled with wounds.
One of Baroque's arms was severed at the elbow by a great axe, blood gushing from the wound.
His remaining arm swung a spiked club, forcing back several Orc Berserkers, but an Orc Berserker behind him, wielding a heavy two-handed greatsword, seized the opening.
That Orc Berserker had a large wound on his chest, yet he seemed unaffected.
He took a deep breath, his muscles bulging, his eyes bloodshot. The greatsword, carrying the full force of his body and the momentum of his charge, struck fiercely at Baroque's back like a black lightning bolt.
Pfft! The greatsword pierced through the Ogre's thick back, emerging from his chest with dripping flesh and blood.
The Ogre's movements instantly froze. He looked down in disbelief at the blood-stained sword tip protruding from his chest.
His massive body swayed a few times, a strange gurgling sound escaping his throat, and the fierce light in his eyes rapidly dimmed. But just as he was about to fall, he had a moment of clarity, and his spiked club suddenly erupted again, smashing into the Orc Berserker's head, causing it to burst like a watermelon.
At this moment, the last Ogre was also simultaneously pierced by several weapons, and after a final mournful cry, he crashed to the ground.
At the gap in the gate, the Orc Berserkers stepped on the massive corpses of the Ogres, brandishing their dripping weapons, letting out earth-shattering roars of victory! Their crimson eyes swept over the blood-stained gate, fixed on the Molten Iron cannon fodder outside, who were in brief disarray due to the death of their leader.
The Molten Iron Tribe's offensive, after paying a heavy price, was forcefully stifled outside the pass.
Black Stone Pass was like the bloody fangs of a giant beast, chewing up and swallowing waves of charging Molten Iron soldiers.
"Still not coming down?"
Skull the Skull-Eater whispered in his heart.
He was an Advanced Barbarian Chieftain of the Dawn Tribe. He did not directly participate in the battle, but merely gazed at the sky from the shadows of the pass, his eyes fixed on the white Dragon shadow soaring high above, standing by in full readiness.
This offensive and defensive battle was extremely fierce.
The Molten Iron Tribe was at a disadvantage, but their counterattack was not weak, causing them considerable casualties. The entire Black Stone Pass seemed to have turned into a meat grinder.
However, by now, the outcome was decided.
The Ogre corpses blocked part of the gate gap, but could not stop the Orc Berserkers' bloodthirsty desires.
They roared furiously, like Vicious Beasts freed from their shackles, stepping over the corpses of comrades and enemies, roaring as they charged out of the narrow shadows of the pass, pouncing on the chaotic vanguard of the Molten Iron Legion on the plain.
"Hold the line, hold the line!"
The Gnoll Overseer's voice was shrill and distorted with fear. He wielded a long whip, desperately lashing out at the Gnolls and Kobolds who were flinching due to the death of the Ogre chieftain. The crack of the whip and the overseer's screams seemed so weak against the Orcs' battle roars.
Kobold Doug flapped his wings, appearing silently where the Shaman was.
Rip!
His dagger sliced across the Old Shaman's neck, slitting his throat, and then he vanished again under the angry gazes of the surrounding Barbarian guards. When he reappeared, he was flapping his wings, suspended in mid-air.
"Retreat!"
This Steel Will Battle Group Leader issued the retreat order.
The already demoralized monsters fought and retreated, leaving behind a trail of corpses under the pursuit of humans and Orcs.
"Why hasn't it attacked yet? What is the purpose of this white Dragon's existence?"
Skull-Splitter frowned deeply, feeling a vague sense of unease.
Just then, his communication device vibrated violently.
—Ancestral Spirit Altar under attack!
Dozens of seconds ago, in the northern Borderlands, the ancestral worship grounds of the Dawn Tribe.
The spine of the Iron Ridge Mountains was silent in the night. The Ancestral Altar was embedded at the very top of the main peak, on a leveled ground carved with ancient rock paintings depicting ancient hunts, wars, and star totems.
Ancestral Guardians stood like ancient mountain rocks, their totem patterns faintly glowing in the shadows.
Their physiques far surpassed those of ordinary Barbarian warriors. They wore hard leather armor inlaid with thick bone plates, and their exposed skin was branded with complex, dense tattoo patterns, telling stories of the Dawn Tribe's ancestors challenging nature and hunting Vicious Beasts from ancient times to the present, exuding a profound sense of age.
Ancestral Shaman Leone, a thin yet upright old woman, had long silver-grey hair braided into countless thin plaits, hanging down to her waist.
She was the most powerful Shaman of the Dawn Tribe and the oldest wise woman. The current leader, Buren Xierde, was born under her watchful eye and received her blessing in his infancy. She was highly respected and held a lofty position in the Dawn Tribe.
Leone's eyes were slightly closed, her lips moving silently.
She seemed to be listening to whispers from deep within the earth, or perhaps praying to the sleeping ancestral spirits.
Suddenly, her heart tightened, as if gripped by an invisible hand, and she felt an extreme sense of danger.
Buzz—!
A sharp tearing sound abruptly pierced the deadly silence.
It wasn't mountain wind, nor thunder.
Rather, it was the sound of death, produced by something tearing through the air at an incredibly terrifying speed, a sound powerful enough to make rocks tremble!
Shaman Leone suddenly opened her eyes, her ancient gaze completely clear. Her bone staff struck heavily against the altar's stone surface.
"Enemy attack! Ancestral Spirits protect us!"
Her hoarse voice carried a strange resonance, almost overpowering the piercing shriek, as if awakening the sleeping mountain spirits.
At the same time, the surrounding Ancestral Guardians were as if struck by an invisible heavy hammer, instantly erupting with terrifying Aura from their tranquil state.
The four Guardians protecting the core area of the altar instinctively looked up simultaneously, their weapon-gripping arms bulging with muscles like steel cables, and the totem patterns on their bodies instantly lit up with dazzling light.
But it was too late.
That majestic, ferocious Dragon shadow, resembling an peerless weapon all over, was already right before their eyes.
death star, he has arrived!
"Listen, to the silence of extinction!"
Boom! The Dragon shadow, blazing like a falling meteor, tore a long tail in the sky, carrying flames, lightning, and destructive shockwaves capable of igniting the air, striking the peak with incredible precision.
Crack-crack-crack—! Rumble-rumble-rumble—!
The earth shook and mountains swayed. The mountain rock ground, hardened like iron by Spell enhancement, shattered, pulverized, and buckled like fragile thin ice.
The Guardians at the center were killed instantly, leaving no bones behind. A deep, circular impact crater formed instantly, and giant, cobweb-like cracks spread wildly in all directions from the point of impact, making the entire peak teeter.
Subsequently.
The majestic figure slowly rising from the dust and rubble made the air solidify into iron.
The Red Iron Dragon spread its wings. Black-Silver Dragon scales with numerous cracks covered its entire body, and chilling Qi billowed out, freezing the surrounding ground inch by inch, covering it in frost.
"Humans, with the remains of your ancestral spirits, I shall consecrate my battle banner and comfort the souls of the Molten Iron warriors."
The Red Iron Dragon slowly spoke, his dangerously aggressive gaze sweeping over the surviving Ancestral Guardians and the Old Shaman.
As his words fell, two shadows simultaneously enveloped the mountain ruins.
Iron Dragon Sorog and Red Dragon Samantha, two Young Dragons, soared on their wings, one to the left and one to the right, circling the Red Iron Dragon, their eyes gleaming with ferocity.
The Ignas Brothers, taking advantage of the war at Black Stone Pass to attract the attention of the Dawn Tribe, utilized the Dragon's advantage of dominating the sky to launch a surprise attack on the Dawn Tribe's Ancestral Altar.
With the Ancestral Altar present, those Barbarian chieftains, as long as they weren't killed on the spot, could be saved.
Moreover, this place also embodied the beliefs of the Dawn Tribe and was the spiritual anchor for them.
As long as this place was destroyed, plunging the humans of the Dawn Tribe into despair, whether they became more enraged or their morale plummeted, the casualties suffered at Black Stone Pass would all be worth it.
PS: The end of the month is approaching, please vote for me. I will update more tomorrow.