Chapter 426

"Marquis Austin, what did you just say?"

The Commander-in-Chief suspected he had misheard!

"Commander-in-Chief, I said the orcs won't be able to enter the city—they can't open the gate!" Marquis Austin could only repeat himself again.

"Marquis Austin, you clearly don't understand the current situation—the orcs have thousands of elite troops hidden inside the city, and they're charging straight for the gate like a breaking dam!" The Commander-in-Chief, though certain he hadn't hallucinated, now doubted Austin's grasp of the details.

But Marquis Austin shook his head directly. "No, Commander-in-Chief, I understand—I received an unreliable but early intelligence report saying the orcs would launch an attack inside the city tonight!"

"So I've already ordered Adams to make preparations. If nothing goes wrong, Adams should be able to stop the orcs from opening the gate!"

"Really?" The Commander-in-Chief's eyes widened. Only then did he realize—hadn't they brought Austin here precisely for this very reason?

Hope flared in his eyes, for the Austin family had truly mobilized their forces.

Eight thousand elite troops could indeed hold back the orcs from opening the gate.

"Of course it's true, Commander-in-Chief. I can't guarantee anything else, but at least our Austin family's eight thousand elite soldiers can delay the orcs from reaching the gate!"

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go see!"

Indeed, if the Austin family could hold them off for half an hour, giving other units enough time to assemble and respond, this crisis could be averted.

The Commander-in-Chief wasted no more time.

Now that hope had appeared, he would treat it with utmost caution—he would personally summon and command his troops.

"Roar, brave orcs! The gate is right ahead! Everyone, speed up!"

Meanwhile, on the main street, the orc leader had already spotted the silhouette of the gate against the dark night sky.

Seeing it, he roared again, urging his men to move faster.

Once that gate was opened, their orcish army could slaughter every two-legged sheep inside.

"Green-skinned monsters, you want to open the gate? Did you ask the Austin family's army?"

But just then, dozens of meters ahead, dark shadows surged from both sides of the road.

Among those shadows stood a human youth, his face filled with excitement and mockery as he stared at them.

I understand the mockery toward enemies—that's expected.

But why do your eyes gleam with excitement when you look at us?

When did humans ever feel excitement seeing orc warriors?

"Roar, damn humans! You seek death! Do you really think you can stop our orcish warriors?"

The orc leader, far from panicking, erupted in fury.

He didn't believe this group of humans could stop him.

On the contrary, their reckless act felt like an insult.

"Is that so? Green-skinned monsters, you're overconfident. With the Austin family's army here, none of you will get near the gate tonight!"

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

As Adams spoke, more soldiers surged from both sides of the road.

And in front of these soldiers, wagons had been positioned to block the road entirely.

These wagons weren't just obstacles—they severely restricted the space available for the orcs' subsequent combat maneuvers.

Beyond that, rooftops of surrounding buildings were now lined with archers and spear-wielders, completely surrounding the street.

"This…?" The orc leader finally realized—this force was unlike any they'd encountered before.

They had prepared in advance.

Had they known about our movements all along?

"Well, green-skinned monsters? Surrender now, and I'll spare your lives. Otherwise, kill on sight!"

The orc leader naturally refused to surrender—he unleashed his full ferocity.

"Roar! Brave orcs, charge forward!"

Roar! Roar! Roar!

The orc warriors roared in unison and charged ahead.

"Austin family warriors, fight!"

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Plop! Plop! Plop!

The next instant, the Austin family launched their own attack.

Instantly, the area less than five hundred meters from the gate erupted into fierce combat.

Though the orcs' combat power was indeed formidable, the Austin family had prepared in advance.

Using wagons and debris as walls, and the surrounding buildings as platforms, they suppressed the orcs.

The orcs, despite their strength, were constrained at every turn—they simply could not break through the Austin family's defense.

Their mission was to open the gate swiftly, relying on surprise.

Now, pinned down here by the Austin family, they had already lost.

Seeing this, Adams's lips nearly curled up to his ears.

Because if they could just hold for another ten or twenty minutes—even if they killed few enemies—they'd still claim the credit.

"My shouting pose back there must've been pretty cool, right? Oh, I modeled my tone after Gervas's words from last time on the sea—did I imitate him well…?"

…

"Orc King! Something's wrong!"

"What is it? Hasn't Giltar opened the gate yet? Haven't they reached the gates of Lindongcheng?"

"Your Majesty, according to the Blood Thorn Bat Riders' report, Leader Giltar's force was progressing smoothly—they were moments away from reaching Lindongcheng's gate!"

"But for some reason, a human army blocked their path just four or five hundred meters from the gate."

"That human force is strong—they've pinned down Leader Giltar's troops and prevented any further advance!"

"Damn it! How could this happen!" The Orc King erupted in rage.

This plan had taken him years to devise.

He had accounted for possible interception by human troops.

But three thousand orc warriors, moving fast enough, should have had virtually no chance of failure.

Moreover, unless the human force exceeded five or six thousand elite soldiers, they could never stop them.

This situation was clearly abnormal.

"Blow the Blood Oath Horn! Tell Giltar and his men to open the gate at all costs—or their entire families will be reduced to slaves!"

The surrounding orc leaders froze with dread.

To be reduced to slaves meant anyone could do as they pleased with them.

Their status would be barely above that of two-legged sheep servants.

To fall from a lofty leader to a creature sharing the same rank as two-legged sheep—this was more painful than death.

Especially when it dragged their families down too.

"Yes, Orc King!"

Ooooh!

The piercing blast of the horn echoed swiftly through the city.

Hearing it, every orc in battle—Giltar himself and all his warriors—turned pale.

"Roar! Roar! Roar! Everyone, charge forward!"

Even without Giltar's shout, the orc warriors understood the horn's meaning.

So anyone who didn't want to doom their families had to give everything.

As the orcs fought desperately, the tide of battle—previously tilting toward the Austin family—began to shift slightly.

"Damn it! Why are these bastards suddenly fighting so hard?"

Adams was startled by this sudden turn.

If he hadn't pre-positioned wagons and debris to block the path,

this single surge from the orcs might have shattered the Austin family's entire defense.

"All Austin family warriors, hold firm! Just a little longer—Commander-in-Chief's reinforcements will arrive soon!" Adams didn't dare delay—he immediately rallied his troops.

And indeed, it was true.

"Ha! Austin kid, don't worry—I'm here!"

At that moment, above Adams, the Commander-in-Chief arrived riding a Magic Swift Eagle.

And with him came Duke Hernand, Duke Shatterstone, and Adams's father, Marquis Austin.