"Faster! Faster!"

"The stones? Get the stones over here!"

"Fire! Fire! Shoot those Lizardmen off the walls!"

Atop the city wall, countless Elves in Silver Armor rushed to and fro.

Among them were human soldiers in black Cavalry Armor, the eagle-and-sword crest on their helmets marking their identity.

As a cavalry squad from the Thorn Corps, their valuable horsemen would ordinarily never be wasted on a city defense.

But now, facing the enemy’s furious assault, they had no choice but to dismount, climb the city walls, and aid the Elves of the Wind Speech Tribe in their defense.

Below the city wall was a black tide of enemies, teeming like an ant swarm and led by a group of Zor Elves at the army’s rear.

The mix of Races was complex. A closer look revealed nearly every common Race from the surrounding Wilderness: Bear Goblins, Lizardmen, Pigmen, Minotaurs... It was impossible to know if these Minotaurs were from the same Tribe as the group that had traveled south earlier.

Fulina and Ash could hardly imagine how these Zor Elves had managed to gather so many Wilderness Natives.

Broken City, as its name suggested, had a wall that was damaged in the distant past. Though it was later rebuilt, it was only about ten lengths high, compared to its original fifteen.

A group of Pigmen propped long ladders against the city wall. Clenching weapons in their teeth and holding Wooden Shields in one hand, they began to climb.

The ladders, weighed down by the climbers, were far too heavy to be pushed over by hand. Thus, the Wind Speech Elves could only hurl down the Giant Stones they had prepared.

As the Giant Stones, weighing dozens of pounds, plummeted, not even the burly Pigmen could withstand the impact. They were smashed to the ground, their legs broken, only to be trampled by their comrades who continued the climb.

A dozen or so Minotaurs worked together, using a massive log as a battering ram against the huge, silvery city gate.

But no matter how they roared, veins bulging on their arms like pythons as they unleashed their full might, the gate remained unshakable. It didn’t even tremble.

"This wall was built by our ancestors hundreds of years ago. The gate is forged with a large amount of Mithril. It’s almost impossible to shake unless they use a giant Siege Hammer or bombard it with Magic."

"Even though both the wall and the gate have been repaired since, their defenses are nowhere near what they once were. Still, they certainly can’t be taken in just a few days."

Ash explained the wall’s history to Fulina, reassuring herself as much as her companion.

As she spoke, she drew her bow and nocked an arrow. Her Archery was superb. Each Arrow was loosed with deadly precision, piercing an enemy’s eye socket and exiting through the back of their skull.

Ash exclusively targeted the most formidable-looking Wilderness People. All by herself, she pinned down an assault squad of several hundred, forcing them to cower behind their Shields, too afraid to even peek out.

Compared to Ash’s elegant archery, which was like a dance, Fulina’s methods were far bloodier.

Clad from head to toe in exquisite Silver Armor, she shimmered with the unique glow of Combat Qi. With every sweep of her Longsword, she easily pierced the throats of enemies cresting the wall.

In truth, no Combat Qi Master would unleash such a massive amount of their Qi for devastating attacks unless it was a situation of last resort.

Normally, Combat Qi is used to briefly enhance one’s physical Power and speed, thereby increasing lethality.

This conservative approach ensures not a single iota of Combat Qi is wasted, making it the most practical method.

Though the two women looked as delicate as if they couldn’t harm a fly, they were both ruthless fighters. Every one of their attacks aimed for a vital spot.

After what felt like an eternity of fighting, Ash’s hand, the one drawing her Bowstring, grew numb. She continued to fire Arrows mechanically.

She felled another Pigman as it tried to hack at an Elf Warrior. The warrior shot her a look of relieved, grateful reverence.

The frontal assault by the Wilderness People had finally thinned out; the bloody price of their advance was testing the nerves of every newcomer.

At last, unable to bear the mounting casualties, they abandoned their comrades’ corpses and began to retreat.

The battle cries gradually faded, replaced by the wails of the wounded scattered across the ground.

"*Whew.* That’s the first time I’ve seen a mob of Wilderness People fight as fiercely as a regular army."

"From now on, if anyone tells me the Wilderness People are just a bunch of rabble, I’ll grind my boot on their face three times over!"

Fulina tossed her Longsword to the ground and slumped down unceremoniously, her back against a crenellation.

She pulled off her helmet, and a cloud of steam instantly rose from her head.

The fierce battle had left her feeling as hot as if she’d just stepped out of a bath, despite the cold winter air. She panted softly.

Although her Combat Qi Cultivation was profound, her physical constitution was only marginally better than that of an ordinary person. High-intensity combat still left her exhausted.

Fulina couldn’t help but think of someone. ’If he were here,’ she thought, ’he’d probably still be bouncing with energy after the battle. He’d go loot the bodies of the Wilderness People, then angrily complain that the little punks were all dirt-poor, a waste of his time and effort.’

A knowing smile touched Fulina’s lips.

’Honestly, Levi was the first person she’d ever met who could utterly dominate a whole slew of Combat Qi Knights with nothing but his raw Power.’

’Now that he was cultivating the *Glowing Holy Word Treasure Manual*, his Power was probably even greater.’

Ash’s hands were trembling slightly. Constantly drawing her Bowstring without rest was a huge drain on her stamina, and she had nearly reached her limit. Fortunately, the Wilderness People were finally driven back.

"If the first wave was this fierce, I can’t imagine how brutal the next ones will be."

The Elf Queen’s face was filled with sorrow as she looked upon her fallen and wounded people.

"Ash, don’t dwell on it. As long as we hold out until my people arrive, I’ll make those Zor Elves pay a price they’ll never forget."

Having recovered some of her strength, Fulina comforted the Elf Queen.

The two then left the wall together to rest. They needed to recover their strength before the next assault began.

...

"My Lord, once we pass through that Shadow Forest, we’ll be just a meal’s worth of travel away from the Wind Language Tribe."

Atop a high slope, Si Kai said, pointing to a boundless, ink-black forest in the distance.

He had often escorted merchant caravans to do business with the Wind Language Tribe, so he knew the route extremely well.

Levi observed through a pair of binoculars, clicking his tongue. "This doesn’t look good. They’ve already broken through the Shadow Forest."

According to Si Kai, the Shadow Forest was the Wind Language Tribe’s first line of defense, home to peace- and nature-loving Tree-men.

But now, just outside the Shadow Forest, there was a camp garrisoned by a troop of Wilderness Warriors. A rough estimate put their numbers at two to three thousand, at least.

It was obvious the main force had already passed through the Shadow Forest, leaving a contingent behind to guard their rear.

The men gathered to discuss the matter. They quickly reached a decision: to conceal the main army’s movements, one person would lead a team to take care of the enemy camp.

"I’ll lead a team to take them out. Our numbers are small, so we can remain hidden and catch them by surprise."

Panda, massive as an iron tower, stepped forward.

The Panda Warriors always led the charge in these kinds of small-squad assaults, and this time was no exception.

"I’ll assign an Ice and Snow Priest to you," Fujero said with a wave of his hand. A young Priest stepped forward. He tilted his head back, looking up somewhat fearfully to greet the massive Panda Warrior before him.

Panda gave a slight nod, then fastened his Iron Helmet and had the Panda Warriors behind him fall into formation. The young Priest immediately cast a spell. Under the effects of the Magic, the entire group gradually vanished into the snowy landscape.

Only a line of footprints, stretching into the distance, remained.