Chapter 358: Prelude to the End

The darkness before dawn was thick, as if it were ink that could not be dissolved.

North of Heroic Prefecture City, on the wasteland where the light curtain distorted the scenery, the silence was broken by a low, continuous vibration.

At first, the sound was like distant muffled thunder, rolling along the ground.

It then turned into a cacophony of countless footsteps crushing gravel, armor clanking, and some heavy object grinding the earth, growing nearer and louder.

Finally, it coalesced into a scalp‑tingling surge, as if rising from the Nine Depths below.

The False Song's Jun Ying finally stopped hiding its ferocious face, revealing its man‑eating fangs at the darkest moment before dawn.

On the battlements of Heroic Prefecture City, countless pairs of eyes stared fixedly northward in the darkness.

Torchlight flickered between the crenellations, lighting up tense faces and hands gripping weapons, knuckles whitening.

"They're here."

Shi Dun stood before the Pacify North Watchtower, his voice low and hoarse, like two whetstones rubbing together.

His iron armor gleamed cold and hard in the faint light.

Chen Wen stood beside him, his Mysterious Armor silent, his gaze piercing the darkness to fall upon the distant, tide‑like black mass that stretched without end.

The mighty Fortune Momentum vortex within him was no longer a steady flow, but like a stone dropped into a deep pool, sending up turbulent waves.

An overwhelming pressure, mixed with violent dark energy, icy killing intent, and countless twisted wills, spread across the sky and earth as the approaching formation neared.

Especially the frontmost part of the formation, a region so deep it almost merged with the darkness.

There walked the monster the False Song had forged with all its national strength—the Divine Martial Army.

Even at this distance, their unusually tall, burly silhouettes could be faintly seen, clad in jet‑black full‑plate armor that seemed to swallow all light, moving with an inhuman, mechanical coordination and rigidity.

They uttered no cries, made no noise—only silent march—yet exuded a deathly aura fiercer than that of the tens of thousands behind them.

And within the gaps of the Divine Martial Army's ranks, occasional hulking, heart‑pounding figures shuffled forward.

Their height far exceeded that of ordinary humans, their twisted forms covered in irregular black carapaces resembling fused beast bone and metal, reflecting a dim glow.

Just a glance sent a chill up from the depths of one's heart.

"Netherbone..."

Qian Gui stood a little farther back, his voice tinged with a barely perceptible dryness.

In the message the Office of Pacification and Stability sent back at great cost, they had emphasized this monster, the Iron Crow Army's trump card.

"They've come too."

Upon the walls, a stifled intake of breath rose.

Even veteran soldiers who had fought a hundred battles found a shadow falling over their hearts at the sight of this beyond‑common‑sense foe.

"What's there to panic about!"

Shi Dun let out a sudden roar, like thunder exploding on the walls, instantly dispelling some of the unease.

"No matter if he's god or ghost, once he's under Heroic Prefecture City, a dragon must coil, a tiger must crouch!"

"Archers! Ready!"

"Dispelling Darkness Crossbow Unit! Take aim at those black lumps and bone frames!"

Orders passed down the ranks, and the defenders on the walls began to operate like a precision machine.

Ordinary archers nocked their bows, arrows pointing down at the enemy ranks gradually entering range.

The thirty Dispelling Darkness Crossbows emplaced at key positions, operated by veteran soldiers hand‑picked for the task, emitted a grating winch‑cranking sound that set the teeth on edge.

The runes etched on the crossbow bodies flickered with a strange light in the pre‑dawn gloom.

Zhao Lao Nian was also at a crossbow station on the walls, personally checking the last bow's condition while muttering, "Hold steady, everyone hold steady, listen for the order…"

Chen Wen remained still, unmoving.

But his mind was sharply focused; the Fortune Momentum within him, like a flood held back, was faintly linked to the breath of the entire Heroic Prefecture City and the tens of thousands of soldiers on its walls.

He was sensing, calculating, seeking the optimal moment to bestow that unique power where it was most needed.

At last, when the first faint dawn struggled to pierce the eastern clouds and barely lit the land, the False Song's formation entered effective range of ordinary bows.

No calls for surrender, no challenge.

War, from the outset, skipped all redundant steps and went straight to its most brutal phase.

"Loose arrows!!"

Shi Dun's hoarse, bellowing roar drew back the curtain on the final act.

Hum—

In an instant, thousands of arrows leapt from the strings like a sudden death‑cloud, their shrill whistling filling the air as they blanketed the surging black tide below the walls!

Yet, faced with this hail of arrows, the front ranks of the Divine Martial Army made no move to block or dodge.

Arrows striking their jet‑black armor mostly produced a faint clink, bouncing off and leaving only pale specks on the surface—unable to pierce!

Only a few lucky arrows that hit the armor's joints managed to inflict any noticeable harm.

Yet to the silent soldiers of the Divine Martial Army, such damage seemed negligible.

Their steps showed not the slightest disruption.

"Indeed… ordinary arrows are useless!" Shi Dun's pupils contracted.

At that moment, the False Song's rear archers also began to return fire, loosing a dense barrage toward the walls.

Shields rose, and the walls rang with the thuds of arrows striking wood or stone, mingled with the groans and cries of defenders hit.

The cruelty of war lay bare in an instant.

"Now!"

Shi Dun locked his gaze on the Divine Martial Army's vanguard now within optimal range, and on the towering Netherbone figures mixed among them, then roared again.

"Dispelling Darkness Crossbow! Target the Black Armor Army and the monsters—fire!"

The soldiers of the Dispelling Darkness Crossbow Unit, long prepared, jerked the trigger!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Unlike the sound of ordinary bow‑crossbows firing, this was a deeper, more powerful thud, as if the bowstring were tearing the air.

Thirty specially made armor‑piercing crossbow bolts turned into thirty black blurs impossible for the naked eye to catch, instantly crossing space and precisely striking their respective targets!

This time, the effect was completely different!

Pfft! Pfft!

Several crossbow bolts slammed into the chests, shoulders, and other parts of the Divine Martial Army soldiers!

The Dispelling Yin rune embedded in the arrowheads was triggered on impact, producing a strong energy interference!

The Divine Martial Army soldiers who had been struck, that seemingly indestructible black armor—

It was as if seared by a hot branding iron, emitting a sizzling sound, with azure arcs of electricity briefly jumping at the wound!

Their bodies, originally stiff as machinery, for the first time showed obvious staggering and pauses, even emitting a repressed, beast‑like low growl!

Effective!

The city‑wall defenders instantly perked up!

However, just then.

Those several slowly moving Netherbone monsters seemed to have been enraged by the attack of the Dispelling Yin Crossbow!

One of them suddenly lifted its head, and the two points of crimson light hidden beneath its twisted bone armor flared to life!

It let out a non‑human roar, like metal scraping rock, and its massive body surged forward in speed.

No longer bothered by ordinary arrow fire, it charged like a runaway chariot, slamming hard into the city wall!

Its target turned out to be a mid‑section of the wall, where a Dispelling Yin Crossbow had just been fired and was now frantically re‑stringing!

"Stop it!" Shi Dun shouted urgently.

But the ordinary soldiers' blades striking its black bone armor only threw up a few sparks, utterly unable to hinder it in the slightest!

That Netherbone lifted its massive arm, sheathed in heavy bone armor.

With the terrifying aura of a city‑smashing, stronghold‑toppling force, it seemed about to come crashing down heavily upon that precious Dispelling Yin Crossbow!

At the critical moment.

Chen Wen, who had stood still all along, flashed a sharp light in his eyes.

He raised his right hand, index and middle fingers together, pointing far away at the precarious Dispelling Yin Crossbow and the few soldiers operating it.

There was no heaven‑shaking phenomenon.

But an intangible, yet vast and mighty force instantly crossed space and descended!

【Conferred Focus—16x!】

Hum!

The runes on the body of the Dispelling Yin Crossbow suddenly burst forth with unprecedented brilliant light, as if infused with life!

The several soldiers straining to turn the winch to string the bow felt a mighty, unstoppable surge of power welling up from within.

Fatigue vanished instantly; the winch, originally immensely heavy, now felt as light as a toy!

Almost simultaneously they finished stringing and loading!

Meanwhile, the ferociously charging Netherbone had already brought down its massive arm!

"Fire!!"

The squad leader in charge of the crossbow, inspired by good fortune, bellowed with all his might and slammed down the trigger!

Bang——!!!

This crossbow report far surpassed any previous one, sharp and piercing, as if it could rend the soul!

A bolt condensed to the extreme, even dragging a faint light tail, shot forth at a speed beyond the naked eye's ability to track, tearing through the air!

Dead on, it struck squarely in the joint of the Netherbone's down‑swung massive arm!

Boom!!!

No longer a mere piercing sound, it was like a thunderclap exploding!

The Dispelling Yin rune within the arrowhead, boosted sixteenfold by Fortune Momentum, surged in power!

Blinding white light mixed with rampant azure arcs instantly devoured the Netherbone's entire arm!

The supposedly indestructible black bone armor, like ice under a scorching sun, cracked and crumbled away bit by bit!

The massive monster let out an earth‑shaking, agonized howl!

The massive body was hurled backward by the tremendous impact, staggering and collapsing heavily to the ground, kicking up clouds of dust!

On the city wall, a sudden silence fell.

Everyone was stunned by this sudden, earth‑shattering blow!

Instantly, a deafening cheer erupted!

"Long live Your Majesty!"

"Victory to Great Chen!"

Chen Wen slowly lowered his fingers, his face slightly pale, but his gaze remained as deep as an abyss.

He knew this was only the beginning.

He lifted his eyes, looking down toward the city.

Behind that damaged Netherbone, more Divine Martial Army soldiers.

And several other intact Netherbones continued to advance silently and resolutely.

The False Song's rear army, with countless siege towers and battering rams, also began to move forward under the cover of infantry.

The true bloody siege battle was only just about to begin.

The final act's curtain had already been ruthlessly drawn in the blood‑tinged twilight where dawn and dusk intertwined.