Chapter 186 - 126: Irresistible
On the other side of the Teleportation Gate was a hilly area. The guide sent by Gu Di pointed out the defenders’ location to Amuti.
In truth, there was no need for him to point. Directly in front of the Teleportation Array was a small mountain range, with three large strongholds standing on three adjacent hilltops in a triangular formation.
Amuti didn’t wait for Gu Di’s scouts to give him information about the enemy. Instead, he dispatched scouts from his own territory to investigate.
The Shadow Reapers slipped into the shadows and swiftly made their way toward the three strongholds.
Behind him, over a hundred more soldiers streamed continuously out of the Teleportation Gate. They were observers sent by the various nearby lords to assess the combat strength of this mercenary force dispatched by Lin Yu.
While waiting, Amuti commanded his legion to form a standard battle formation and slowly advance toward the nearest stronghold.
Soon, the Shadow Reapers returned with information about the strongholds.
"Lord Amuti, the enemy army is composed of three races: the Eagle Race, the Catman Race, and the Lizardman Race."
"Their total force is around sixty to seventy thousand strong. The unit tiers range from a minimum of Excellent to a maximum of Legendary, with an average level of 20."
’Whoa! Not bad at all! No wonder Lord Gu gave up immediately.’ The enemy’s strength was a bit greater than Amuti had anticipated, but it was still within his legion’s capabilities.
"What about their defensive structures?"
"The strongholds are all built from Profound Iron Stone, which has extremely high durability and considerable magic resistance."
"There are also numerous traps outside the walls, including some Magic Traps. We’ve marked all of them."
"They have casters, too? Elemental Druids, look alive! You’ve got some competition." After hearing the Shadow Reaper’s report, Amuti called out to the Elemental Druids with a smile.
"Commander, let them come!"
"When it comes to a contest of Magic, we’ve never lost!!"
...
The Elemental Druids laughed as well. As Legendary-tier caster units, they were confident they were second to none. Moreover, having been the main force in numerous major battles, their average level had already surpassed 30. Some of the more diligent among them were even approaching level 40. The sheer stat suppression alone was enough for them to crush ordinary units.
"Alright then, let’s show these lords our combat prowess."
"ROAR!"
With a battle cry, the legion began to advance in an orderly fashion toward the nearest stronghold.
Before heading up the mountain, Amuti had the Elemental Druids try using Earth Magic to see if they could collapse the entire mountain.
Following his command, the Earth Element Druids jointly cast "Earthquake."
Everything in the vicinity began to move. After the earth-shaking tremor subsided, the flat ground was riddled with fissures, and several nearby hills were flattened into plains. Unfortunately, the small mountain before them showed no change.
The earthquake spell had shaken all the soil from the mountains and cleared away the vegetation, revealing the rock beneath. Just by looking at the seamless, pitch-black stone, Amuti knew the spell would have no effect.
’What a shame! It’s actually a massive Profound Iron Stone vein!’ Amuti cast the Eagle Eye Technique on himself, examining the small mountain range closely and sighing with regret.
If this vein were within his territory, it would bring immense benefits. Profound Iron Stone was incredibly useful, serving as a material for many buildings and items, as well as a raw component for many high-level composite materials.
But with it being here in the Otherworld, his territory was fated to, at most, loot a few stones to take back—a mere drop in the ocean for their vast domain.
"Steel-backed Porcupines, advance! All traps on the mountain have been cleared."
The Steel-backed Porcupines formed a line and began to climb. With the vegetation gone from this Profound Iron Stone mountain, both the stronghold on the peak and the ascending porcupines were clearly visible, allowing each side to see the other plainly.
This battle was a straightforward frontal assault. All that was needed was to clash head-on; it was a pure contest of raw power.
As the Steel-backed Porcupines advanced, the corpses of Catmen continuously appeared before them.
"SNORT! SNORT SNORT SNORT~~"
Watching this amusing scene, the Steel-backed Porcupines couldn’t help but laugh.
"TWEEET~~" A whistle sounded from the stronghold, and one by one, the blurry figures of the Catmen retreated toward it.
"SNORT SNORT SNORT~"
The Steel-backed Porcupines laughed even more heartily, following the Catmen toward the stronghold.
The Catmen had no idea that as they moved in stealth, preparing to launch a surprise attack, they were surrounded by numerous Shadow Reapers who were also stealthed.
The difference was that the Catmen entered the shadows to become invisible to the physical world.
The Shadow Reapers, however, took it a step further. Not only did they enter the shadows, but they also became invisible *within* the shadows. This made them the natural counter to these stealthy assassins.
And so, the Shadow Reapers near the Steel-backed Porcupines reaped the Catmen who were attempting to ambush them.
In the end, the Catmen, completely baffled and unable to find their attackers, had no choice but to retreat to the stronghold.
As the Catmen quickly returned to the base of the fortress, the main gate opened, and they filed through it back into the stronghold.
The Shadow Reapers’ eyes lit up. They exchanged hand signals, about to charge forward and seize the gate.
"K-CHAK~ K-CHAK~"
Just then, a mechanical sound came from behind the gate, and the Shadow Reapers immediately stopped, cautious.
Then, huge boulders appeared from behind the gate. A group of burly Lizard-men pushed these boulders out and sent them rolling down toward the Steel-backed Porcupines on the mountainside.
"RUMBLE~"
"RUMBLE~"
Accompanied by thunderous noise, the boulders rolled down the mountainside.