Chapter 684 - 673: Confrontation
Chapter 684: Chapter 673: Confrontation
The first wave of probing attacks began.
Swift Lizardman warriors charged at the forefront, and as they sprinted across the ice surface, some of the keen-eared Lizardmen could even hear the sounds of Puki digging beneath the ice, though these sounds soon vanished.
The ice surface, magically frozen, was at a much lower temperature than the surrounding environment.
Beneath the ice, the frozen area continued to expand.
The Puki that initially approached were trapped by the spreading ice; though not dead, they were rendered immobile.
On the ice surface, the Lizardmen shot arrows and magic at the two positions.
The Dwarf Camp, even if it was only a temporary setup, had formidable defenses.
Arrows clinked and clanked as they fell on the rune-hardened steel bunkers, incapable of harming the Dwarves behind them.
Magic had some effect on it, but using these highly cost-effective bunkers to drain the limited magic power of the Demon Race mages was clearly what the Dwarves wanted.
And as the first Lizardman crossed the river surface, trying to approach the Dwarf Camp, a hidden Gale Technique trap rune blew the unfortunate fellow skyward, and as he landed, he triggered another Magic Burst trap, dying in a gruesome manner.
Subsequently, even those with both strength and luck who jumped into the bunker were met with axes and hammers that the Dwarves had long prepared.
Clearly, attacking the Dwarves’ bunkers required either siege-level magic items or diligently clearing the traps for a large-scale assault.
Compared to the Dwarves’ iron bunkers, the Mushroom Camp next to Fungus Castle looked much easier to deal with.
The improvised bunkers of coarse boulders found somewhere showed no traces of enhancement runes, and each strike dislodged a large number of debris.
The other gigantic Mushroom Trees nearby used for cover were even more fragile; two Magic Bursts aimed at their roots could bring them crashing down.
The only troublesome aspect was the hallucinogenic spores emitted by the Mushroom Trees; however, once the gale dispersed most spores, it was no longer an issue.
Evidently, in comparison, Fungus Castle seemed more like a soft target.
However, when the Lizardmen truly got close, waves of Puki surged from the camp, soon overwhelming them.
The Lizardmen, thwarted on both sides, withdrew for the time being.
Eugene, looking unfazed, knew this was merely a probing attack and had now roughly gauged the defensive measures of both sides.
With Eugene’s command, armored horned Demon warriors herded groups of Goblins onto the battlefield.
Initially, prisoners were to be used here, but they were depleted during transport, leaving only the option to use expendable Goblins.
Goblins were aware of their predicament; retreat meant certain death at the horns of Demons, while advancing held the slim chance of survival.
Through the sacrifice of numerous Goblins, the horned Demons braved the rocks and magic thrown from the Dwarf camp and finally reached the front.
A horned Demon leaped high, clearing nearly ten meters, instantly crossing several steel plates and landing within the camp.
The two Dwarves at the landing spot tried to retaliate, but were sent flying by a helicopter sweep of the horned Demon’s Wolf Fang Club.
Yet, in the following moment, a Giant Axe came swinging.
The horned Demon attacked without defending, swinging the Wolf Fang Club in return.
"You don’t have enough strength!"
Bardo took the hit solidly, even denting the armor on his shoulder, yet his body didn’t budge, let alone got thrown away.
Opposite him, from shoulder to waist, the horned Demon was sliced open obliquely.
The upper half collapsed to the ground, while the blood-spurting lower half remained standing, momentarily refusing to fall.
However, this was just the beginning, as more armored horned Demons mingled with Goblins, charging the positions and engaging fiercely with the Dwarves.
Amid the chaos, some unusual happenings inevitably went unnoticed.
Such as a dying warrior on the ground being dragged little by little into a nearby ground hole by something invisible...
Despite the fierce fighting, the battlefield wasn’t piled with bodies and wounded...
Or during the fight, after a weapon was swung, a Puki corpse unexpectedly appeared in front...
Lin Jun controlled the invisible Puki, diligently providing medical support to the Dwarf allies.
Coincidentally, adhering to the Mushroom Path ideology, Lin Jun didn’t spare the injured Demons either.
As the leader of Fungus Castle, Lin Jun focused almost entirely on the Dwarf positions; the defense at Fungus Castle headquarters was entrusted wholly to Little Pig’s command.
Eugene deployed more mages specifically toward the Fungus Castle positions; against vast forces of Puki, large-scale spell attacks often proved highly effective.
However, the dense openings of underground networks made the mages cautious in their casting.
The fate of the mage who charged too aggressively, surrounded and overwhelmed by Puki emerging from underground holes, was still vivid in memory.
Other mages had to slow their advance, consorting with soldiers to clear openings, progressing slowly.
During this time, attention had to be paid to the potent Resonance Cannons within the Fungus Castle defenses.
Almost no mage could single-handedly withstand a Resonance Cannon; fortunately, the substantial commotion from magical power accumulation before firing was very evident, allowing ample time for evasion preparation.
So far, most mage casualties weren’t directly from Resonance Cannons.
Instead, it was the frantic movement to avoid Resonance Cannon threats that inadvertently led to being encircled and killed by Puki.
Nevertheless, the battle lines continued to press toward the rudimentary stone walls of the Fungus Castle positions.
...
"Quick, quick! The Resonance Cannon is about to shoot, aim your tentacle stingers at its feet to pin it in place!"
"Damn it, Cyclops, where are your Puki? Why aren’t they attacking together?"
"They were killed! An Earth Mage pushed the soil, crushing my hidden ones!"
"They’re getting closer; should we prepare for engagement?"
Puki Masters took up their weapons, none opting to burrow for retreat even as the enemy neared, for Marshal Louisa hadn’t ordered a withdrawal. Leaving their posts might turn them into Mushroom Puppets, revoke death benefits, and make them mockery subjects in idle gossip.
Besides, the Truth Division has stated that those truly loyal to Fungus Castle and the leader, even post-mortem...
"Here we come, brothers!"
The sound resonated through the Fungal Network as a dark swarm of Puki zipped across the sky.
It wasn’t Lin Jun controlling them, but Second-Generation Mushroom Race after Mushroomification!
Some were members of the Mushroom Worship Sect from the United Kingdom, while others were former members of Fungus Castle.
With a Puki body and independent soul, they could not only command Puki but also seamlessly integrate into the Puki battle lineup, perfectly suited for leading high-mobility units like flying Puki.
It was Will’s first time on the battlefield, a former farmer, who despite earnest pre-battle flight and command training, felt tense and instinctively apprehensive amidst the chaotic battlefield below.
Relying solely on unyielding faith, he courageously charged forward with his mushroom hat.
Yet, this threw his actions into disarray, and seeing the enemy, he instinctively led his Puki in a rush towards them.
The mage also noticed Will’s Puki squad, raising a hand for a Gale Technique, scattering the Puki into disorder.
The ensuing Wind Blade cleaved Will in half, taking him out on the spot.
Poof—
Will sprang up from the mycelium cocoon, the scene of his recent death still vivid.
Once calm, he noticed a new piece of information in his consciousness.
[Will]
[Current Battle Record: 0]
[Evaluation: D-]
Eyeing this lowest rating, Will felt somewhat embarrassed.
Turning around, a new batch of flying Puki squadron linked to his command.
Alongside him were several similar Mushroom Race converts, who were eliminated shortly after engaging for various reasons.
This time he couldn’t afford embarrassment—thought Will on his second attempt.