Chapter 477: One Against Ten Thousand

Lei En and the others' expressions changed instantly.

"He's defected!" Aimilisi wore a look that said "I knew it" yet was full of anger; the transmission device in her arms crackled with Ding Laji's voice, "Your Majesty, the Dens family has turned traitor, they have been secretly in contact with Ma Er Ke…"

Ding Laji's words were cut off by the sounds of fierce fighting.

Lei En looked toward the Jin Si Lan West Gate; per the plan, the Dens family's two thousand Transcendent Army, together with Prince Dilun, were to encircle the West Gate. Suddenly, battle erupted among the crowd, attacking the thousand Scale‑riding Blood Guard and two hundred Sturgeon Warriors protecting Ding Laji.

"Ding Laji is in danger," Waluogen said anxiously.

Aimilisi didn't want the strategist who had followed her for years to be killed, but she wasn't overly worried; the three hundred who guarded Ding Laji were elite Transcendent beings, plus three Legends, enough to hold out for a while.

The most urgent task now was to block the charge of the Ice Wolf Knight Corps.

And the Golden Lion Corps that would turn back afterward.

These two of Kangjiatuo's largest Transcendent armies totalled over seven thousand, and with the more than two thousand makeshift cavalry from Ma Er Ke, the count exceeded ten thousand! The Centaurs, facing an enemy twice their number and stronger, could not hold and would suffer heavy casualties.

Aimilisi looked at Lei En; the only way to break the deadlock now was to dispatch the Gun‑Wing Knight Corps and the Wizard Corps.

Fortunately, she had long been wary of the Dens family, keeping the Centaurs at a distance from the Golden Lion Corps, so they were not immediately hit by the Ice Wolf Knight Corps and still had half a minute of buffer time.

"Gun‑Wing Knight Corps, take off!"

Lei En understood her intent without her speaking and shouted the order.

The Gun‑Wing knights tucked their legs, and the bronze flying horse beneath them galloped forward dozens of meters, spreading its broad translucent wings. A light wind swirled, accompanied by a high‑pitched whine; the hooves seemed to run on air, and in an instant they surged into the sky, racing at top speed toward the battlefield beyond the West Gate.

Kelaoaosi, the speaker, split the Wizard Corps in two.

Two Legendary novice Wizards each took twenty Wizards, quickly granting themselves flight, and moved together with the Gun‑Wing Knights; some Wizards landed directly on the bronze flying horse's back, their bodies alight with spells, the multicolored glow exuding a dangerous aura.

Lei En roughly gauged the distance.

The Gun‑Wing Knights and Wizards were swift, but still too far to arrive before the first wave of impact; the Centaurs would suffer considerable losses.

The previously assured situation suddenly introduced a variable.

What he didn't understand was where Duke Dens got the confidence to defect.

Perhaps Aimilisi' constant pressure played a role, but judging from the coordinated actions of the Golden Lion Corps and Ice Wolf Knight Corps, Duke Dens didn't decide to defect overnight; it was premeditated, and Ding Laji's message confirmed this.

Could it be based solely on an unknown Legendary High-rank Wizard?

Lei En looked up at the sky; that Legendary High-rank Wizard was still grappling with Speaker Kaidejia, neither gaining the upper hand, and could no longer intervene, causing the Snow Eagle Guard to be mowed down by Extreme Warriors.

One Legendary High-rank Wizard was insufficient to turn the tide.

Before the thought settled, Lei En suddenly sensed a void fluctuation nearby and abruptly turned his head toward a spot a dozen steps to his left.

"Key of Doors" and "Void Resonance" made him extremely sensitive to spatial shifts.

That space rippled like a water surface, and a figure was teleporting in, also shrouded in light and shadow, wearing a mask that hid its face; his Soul Eye caught a fleeting glimpse of hundreds of Arcane Elements and a soul structure spanning nineteen layers.

Nineteenth‑level Wizard!

Lei En was horrified and, without hesitation, hurled the Thunder Hammer from his hand.

Boom!

The warhammer's whoosh sounded like an explosion, startling everyone nearby.

A flash of lightning illuminated the scene; several Legends saw a figure appear ahead of the warhammer, clearly just teleported.

The person hadn't expected his teleport to be detected early; the teleport hadn't finished, and his prepared instant spell hadn't been released before the warhammer struck him directly.

Puff...

A strange muffled thud sounded as the heavy warhammer bounced back, no lightning discharged, and it slammed into the ground at an angle, kicking up a spray of earth.

But the thrown hammer wasn't without effect.

The nineteenth‑level Wizard had his casting and teleport interrupted; under the double backlash, everyone heard a muffled groan from his mouth, indicating injury. Lei En's Soul Eye saw more clearly: the wizard's soul quivered violently, his soul power in disarray, and the wound was serious.

Yet the opponent didn't surrender; he reacted swiftly, instantly activating a magical item on his body.

It was still a void fluctuation.

"He's trying to escape."

Lei En raised his hand and unleashed a Space‑Time Shock, while nearby Kelaoaosi also emitted an almost invisible dark‑red ray.

Both acted instantly; their casting was swift, yet still a half‑step too slow.

When the Space‑Time Shock's ripple took effect, the nineteenth‑level Wizard within the spell's radius had already vanished. Kelaoaosi's dark‑red ray barely skimmed the opponent's chest, and with a pop, it pierced the ground, leaving an invisible deep hole and a wisp of blue smoke.

From Lei En hurling the warhammer to the spell missing, the whole sequence unfolded within a single breath.

The Scale‑riding Blood Guard hadn't even reacted.

"Protect the Sovereign!"

"Who is that..."

Amid a panicked, chaotic shout, a flame shield finally manifested around Aimilisi; Waluogen, as a Ten Thousand Spirits Wizard, sensed the figure's aura and exclaimed in shock, "Legendary High-rank Wizard!"

Lei En and Kelaoaosi exchanged glances, seeing the weight in each other's eyes.

Their expressions confirmed Waluogen's words.

Aimilisi felt a sudden dread; a Legendary High-rank Wizard was impossible to guard against—teleporting in and unleashing a prepared spell could devastate the surroundings even if he survived.

"How does Ma Er Ke have two Legendary High-rank Wizards assisting?" she asked, both shocked and angry.

Lei En shook his head.

Both Wizards deliberately concealed their identities with spells and wore masks; even with Truth Willpower and Soul Eye they were indistinguishable. The only certainty was that they hailed from the Empire—no place besides the Oriense Empire would field so many Legendary High-rank Wizards.

This meant an Empire Holy Soul Wizard was meddling in Kangjiatuo.

Duke Dens' bold defection must have been prompted by Ma Er Ke revealing their existence and informing him of the two Wizards' origins, giving him enough confidence.

Lei En swept his gaze rapidly several times, finding no enemy in sight.

A faint glint flashed in Kelaoaosi's pupils as he cautiously scanned the surroundings, also finding nothing.

"He's injured," Lei En whispered, "When he fled he triggered the Six‑Ring Teleportation; because I interfered, the distance was between 120 and 140 li, so he should have landed to the north."

Kelaoaosi couldn't help but be greatly surprised.

Lei En's displayed ability exceeded imagination; not only did he detect the enemy's teleport in advance, causing it injury, but in an instant he judged so much information, including loop count and teleport direction, even precisely calculating teleport distance, making him feel inferior.

"This person is very cautious, probably won't return," Kelaoaosi said, looking north.

Lei En thought the same.

Any Legendary High-rank Wizard is a very hard opponent, far surpassing other transcendent professions; the higher the rank, the harder to kill, and the more they cherish life.

But perhaps the opponent is an exception.

"We must be on guard," Lei En said. "Speaker Kelaoaosi, please protect the Majesty; I will hold off a wave of Ice Wolf Knight Corps, otherwise the situation will be hard to control."

Kelaoaosi nodded, waved a crystal‑like crimson wand, erected an Arcane barrier protecting Ai Mili Si, Luo Wagen and others. The remaining ten Wizards of the Wizard Corps also laid alertness techniques around, forming a defense with the Scale‑Controlling Blood Guard.

"Lei En, be careful!" Ai Mili Si said concernedly.

"I will." Lei En reached out to recall the Thunder Hammer that had sunk underground, opened a teleportation portal, and stepped through.

The other end of the teleportation portal was outside Jin Si Lan Xi Men.

Lei En emerged, and straight ahead the Ice Wolf Knight Corps rushed at high speed, less than three hundred meters away, reaching him in under ten seconds at the speed of an ice wolf.

He glanced left and right; the passage the Ice Wolf Knight Corps had left open in the middle had already closed again.

After the Golden Lion Corps passed, it turned left behind the Ice Wolf Knight Corps, either to reverse direction or to flank from the left.

Over three thousand ice wolves spread a line half a mile long. Each of these beasts from the frozen wasteland was as large as a warhorse, weighing six or seven hundred pounds; the cold they exhaled made the already chilly weather colder, the ground frosted as if entering an ice realm.

A booming tremor made the soil and stones on the ground jump wildly.

Behind Lei En, the centaurs also charged, but they were farther away; a narrow strip formed between the two sides, shrinking rapidly like two towering waves in the sea crashing at each other.

Everything caught in that crevice would be destroyed within the next few dozen seconds.

Even a legend could be crushed on the spot amid the charge of ten thousand knight corps, but Lei En was no ordinary legend.

He stood there as if to face ten thousand troops alone!

At that moment, everyone's gaze on the battlefield focused on Lei En; his allies sweated for him, the enemies' eyes flashed cruelty, yet Lei En remained calm, his body unmoving, composed, raising his hand to cast a spell on himself.

Wind‑Thunder Wings;

Dragon Power Technique;

Blood Frenzy;

Lei En's body swelled to over two meters tall, a resonant heavy music rang, power surged, approaching level‑eleven strength, as if endless force filled him, soul energy roiled, entering his peak state.

Then his shoulders quivered, and he performed Mirror Image.

Five identical Lei En appeared around him, each Mirror Image wielding a Thunder Hammer; their over‑two‑meter sturdy frames were layered with amplifications, the Wind‑Thunder Wings behind them crackled, a blood‑red cloak fluttered without wind.

The Mirror Images, spaced several meters apart, together with the original Lei En, raised their Thunder Hammers toward the Ice Wolf Knight Corps already within a hundred meters.

Boom…

Several thunderclaps overlapped, a true sky‑splitting lightning; the freshly bright sky darkened for an instant like flickering lights, and six war hammers each erupted with massive bolts.

Chain Lightning!

Lei En and his Mirror Images released all three chain lightning charges attached to the hammers in one burst.

The Thunder Hammer can release three chain lightning attacks per day, a total of eighteen four‑ring spells, which in a single breath surge out, forming a massive electric net hundreds of meters wide, its power comparable to a seven‑ring Thundercloud Storm.

An ice wolf at the front surged into the net, and instantly a dozen were turned to charcoal by the lightning, the ice‑wolf swordsmen on their backs crying mournfully.

And this was only the beginning.

The ice wolves behind could not slow or stop; the eighteen chain lightning strands formed a fearsome net, like a huge sieve, mercilessly pushing forward through the corps, sweeping everything like autumn wind scattering leaves; no ice wolf or swordsman could escape the lightning barrage.

The vast majority of ice‑wolf swordsmen were merely low‑rank transcendent beings; although they wore thick cold‑resistant furs granting some resistance, against such a massive spell they had almost no chance of survival.

Some ice‑wolf swordsmen wore magical items, but those could only block one or two spells.

Chain lightning attacks continuously, jumping back and forth between targets; each jump increases its power, and after a few jumps it shatters magical items, then strikes the bearers, following the trail of comrades.

"Ah…"

The giant wolf's wail and the transcendent's cries were endless, drowned beneath the thunder.

In an instant, corpses littered the ground.

A hundred‑meter‑wide gap appeared in the Ice Wolf Knight Corps formation, like a cookie bitten off; within this gap were at least three to four hundred ice wolves, and the formation grew chaotic.

"Kill him!"

"Avenge our brothers!"

"The North Wind God shields us, the blood of winter knows no fear!"

The Ice Wolf Knight Corps, though not shattered, became even more blood‑frenzied; each ice‑wolf swordsman, eyes reddened, shouted slogans, trampling their brothers' corpses toward Lei En. Their blood‑linked aura formed a massive wolf phantom above, soaring like a plume of smoke.

"Courage is commendable."

"Such brave and fierce enemies, destroying you feels even sweeter."

Lei En muttered to himself.

Yet his movements showed no pause; after releasing chain lightning, the five Mirror Images flashed out, scattering left and right, allowing him to face more foes.

"Roar!"

Six deafening dragon roars exploded, bearing terrifying draconic might, forming a visible white vapor wave that nearly dispersed the blood‑wreathed smoke above the Ice Wolf Knight Corps.

The wolf phantom nearly vanished, counteracting the draconic intimidation.

Lei En and the Mirror Images leapt high, trailing Wind‑Thunder Wings and blood‑red cloaks, raising their hammers, breaking through the blood‑wreathed smoke into the corps, stamping an invisible shockwave that knocked down a swath of ice wolves, then the hammer struck the ground.

Boom!

Thunder Strike!

Six dazzling bolts of electricity erupted among the crowd, countless massive lightning bolts sweeping all around like huge blooming flowers, beautiful yet lethal. Every ice wolf and swordsman struck fell like cut wheat, and six circular clearings appeared in the corps, the formation completely chaotic.

The Ice Wolf Knight Corps' charging momentum was abruptly cut off, its vigor stalled, even the blood‑wreathed smoke was dispersed.

At that moment, the centaurs charged forward.

(End of Chapter)