Chapter 88: The Broken Defense Line

"What on earth is that idiot Aquilon doing?!" Fire sparks sprayed from Iroge's nasal cavity, and the roar shook the walls of the council hall with a rustling sound. "Only three days! Just three days! The Lizardmen lost 120,000, and the Murlocs died 300,000!

The Murloc is an inferior race, and no matter how many die, it's just a pile of numbers, but the Lizardmen are our important assets! If he squanders them like this, how many more days can this defense line hold?!"

"Calm down, Iroge. Aquilon has successfully repelled the first wave of demon attacks. According to reconnaissance, it will take the enemy at least five days to complete the next round of assembly. More importantly, the first line of defense is still in our hands to this day.

Relying on this advantage, it should be possible to hold on for another fifteen days, and we only need twenty days to complete the comprehensive evacuation of the Bohe Plain." Vilna said slowly.

Su Lai De: "Vilna, your plan needs a more cautious assessment. After the enemy advances to the Bohe Plain, the Claw Hills will inevitably be exposed to threats. Our Goblin guerrillas are good at surprise attacks but difficult to block infiltrating demons.

Excessive casualties will not only weaken our Mobile Corps Commander strength but also cause damage to the hilly area that is difficult to recover. This is a profound impact we must consider! We are losing not just a piece of land, but the ability to continue fighting and future war potential!"

Vilna: "What is this price? We have already preserved the true core and transferred it to the dwarf mountain fortress. What is left there now is just a 'tail' destined to be abandoned."

"Past decisions need not be mentioned again." Sakavi interrupted coldly, pulling everyone's thoughts back to reality. "The real test has just begun. We must go all out to deal with the next wave of offensive. The demons will surely crush us with a stronger posture, and the Saltwater Swamp defense line will face a real bloody battle."

…………

No probing, no tide of low-level demons first. The Abyssal crack expanded violently like a festering wound. The next second, disaster descended on the heads of the defenders in the most direct and violent way.

The gloomy sky of the Saltwater Swamp was torn apart by countless dark-red meteors dragging long tails of flame. These were not meteorites, but Balors burning with evil energy flames! These Abyssal disasters up to twenty feet tall were like being thrown by a plane catapult, carrying the aura of sulfur and destruction, accurately and fiercely smashing into the second line of defense.

The deafening sound of impact connected into a piece, and the earth shook violently. The landing of every Balor triggered a small-scale doomsday. The flame shockwave spread in a ring, instantly vaporizing the carefully repaired wooden camps, stockade walls, and the soldiers stationed inside.

Charred craters replaced the original works, and hellfire burned in them, evaporating the moisture in the swamp and turning the soil into a glassy state.

The descent of the Balors was just a prelude. Immediately following, in the depths of the crack, several terrifying wills locked onto the defense line below. The legendary demon lords did not even bother to come to the front line, but launched large-scale erasure magic across the plane channel.

Within the range covered by the magic, whether it was wood, stone, metal, or flesh, they were decomposed, corrupted, and annihilated at a speed visible to the naked eye. The first line of defense, at this moment, truly "vanished into thin air," as if it had never existed.

When the blasphemous magic radiance had not yet completely dissipated, and the Balors stood up from the craters, emitting victorious roars that shook the plane, a new, larger demon torrent stepped on the beach without any obstruction, once again surging like a tide of death.

Aquilon in the command center had a cold, long-expected light in his bronze-colored vertical pupils. "Execute the 'Broken Sword Plan'." His order was short and clear, instantly spreading through the remaining second line of defense.

In the remaining, specially reinforced arrow towers and fortresses, the giant ballistae covered by thick canvas were suddenly uncovered. The crossbow arms and bases of these ballistae were engraved with order-disintegration runes specifically targeting various Abyssal creatures, especially fire and evil energy protection.

They quickly loaded giant anti-magic crossbow bolts, also engraved with runes, into the slide. The arrowheads were sharpened from exorcism holy wood and inlaid with elemental magic crystals.

"Aim! Fire!"

Following the order, these silent giants roared. The runes were activated the moment the bolts left the string, making them drag blue-green trajectories in the air, like meteors traveling backward, accurately shooting at the Balors who were waving flaming whips and creating chaos.

The purpose of these special crossbow bolts was not direct killing, but neutralization and destruction. When some bolts hit the Balor's flame shield, they would erupt into a patch of elemental stasis force field, temporarily extinguishing the protective demonic flames around them. Others would pierce directly into their bodies, and the order runes on them would spread in the demon's body like highly toxic poison, interfering with their control over evil energy and bringing huge pain and stiffness.

The most effective ones were those shot directly into their giant mouths while they were brewing roars, exploding energy inside, causing fatal interruptions and highly destructive internal explosions. Just as the anti-magic crossbow bolts successfully interfered with or even severely damaged the Balors, the second wave of counterattacks followed.

"Lizardmen, attack!"

The hunting squads composed of high-level Lizardman warriors, shamans, and warlocks, who had been waiting in the safe area, surged out like ghosts from ruins, trenches, and fortresses that had not yet collapsed. They pounced on the Balors that had been temporarily "marked" and weakened by the crossbow bolts in the form of flexible squads.

Heavy armored shield guards charged at the front. They held giant tower shields engraved with anti-magic arrays, hard-topping the aftermath of hellfire, using shields to heavily collide and squeeze the Balors' lower bodies, limiting their movement.

Following closely behind were armor-piercing warriors. They held heavy battle axes and giant hammers enchanted with ice or holy attributes, specifically aiming at the Balors' joints, wing roots, and other fragile parts, launching fierce slashes.

Lizardman warlocks provided key support from a distance. They chanted binding and weakening spells, and Abyssal chains emerged from the void, entangling the Balors' limbs. Terrifying soul screeches directly impacted their chaotic spiritual cores. Earth binding made the Balors unable to move an inch.

Just as the Lizardman hunting squads were entangled in a bloody battle with the Balors, and the war situation was in a delicate balance, a heart-stopping vibration from deep underground suddenly came, and several earth giants like moving mountains arched up violently from the ground behind the defense line without warning!

The thick rock strata shattered like rotten wood under their giant claws capable of tearing the earth. The seemingly sturdy foundation and walls of the warehouse were instantly torn and arched. The special anti-magic crossbow bolts, spare ballista components, enchanted weapons, and a large amount of alchemical materials stored inside turned into scattered fragments and waste under the collision and trampling of the giants.

The enemy underground waited patiently for the Balors to attract and contain the defenders' most elite strength and full attention, and then at the most lethal moment, destroyed the logistics lifeline that sustained combat capability in one blow.

The collapse of the warehouse not only meant that the decapitation system carefully built by Aquilon to counter high-level demons was forcibly torn a huge gap from within. However, as a bronze dragon known for his wisdom, Aquilon did not intend to give up the second line of defense.

"Anvil Battalion, crush them! Norakan, I give you 600 heartbeats. If you can't solve these underground scum, you and your Minotaurs can roll back to the wasteland! I don't keep trash under my command!"

Aquilon's order echoed in the air, but did not get any verbal response. Instead, it was the low roar of the battalion commander Norakan that shook the battlefield. He buckled that special steel helmet heavily on his head, his giant battle axe already in hand, like a volcano erupting, charging toward the demon group that had broken through the ground first.

Behind him, the Minotaur warriors gave their answer with actions. They silently gripped the giant inscribed battle axes like door panels in their hands, and the special runes on the axes lit up one after another, flashing with cold killing intent.

These powerful high-level Minotaur warriors were like moving siege hammers, smashing fiercely into the underground demon positions. The underground worms had just probed their ugly heads covered in mucus when the battle axes had already fallen with the power of ten thousand jun, splitting them in two, and the filthy blood splashed like a waterfall.

Some earth giants tried to use their rock-like bodies to block, but the axe blades containing armor-piercing runes easily split their thick carapaces, severed limbs, and smashed cores.

This was a crushing victory without suspense. In the face of the absolute power and violent combat skills of the Minotaur warriors, the underground threat was quickly and violently physically cleared. However, in a moment, those arrogant demons had turned into shattered corpses and were thrown into the wilderness.

However, the entire second line of defense was already riddled with holes and could no longer withstand the incoming demon torrent. Due to the fall of the first line of defense and the destruction of the trench system, repair time no longer existed.

However, at this moment, the entire second line of defense was already a broken shield, riddled with holes, and could no longer block the torrent of destruction. From the moment the first line of defense fell and the trenches turned into scorched earth, the time for repair and regrouping had completely passed.

"Lizardman 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Legions, set out immediately and line up five miles outside the camp to meet the enemy! Shadow Claw, you have full authority to command. I give you ten hours. If a single demon crosses the defense line, your head will be hung on the city wall of Agrik as a symbol of incompetence!"

"No need to trouble you to do it, Lord Aquilon. If there is a moment when a demon crosses the defense line, you and I will not be able to find my complete head."

He said no more, turned, and walked toward the scorched earth soaked in blood and fire with firm steps, his back as resolute as iron, going to write his own bloody finale for this desperate defensive battle. ===== CHAPTER 89 =====