The Elven Cultivator

Chapter 172: Chapter 166: Sinister Backup Plan

From the scroll cases at their waists, they drew stacks of Magic Scrolls, aimed them at the azure light curtain right before them, and simultaneously infused them with Magic Power.

Thousands of Scrolls activated in the same instant. A multicolored torrent of light burst forth like water from a breached dam, transforming into a dense barrage of Magic that bombarded the azure light curtain.

The first volley alone, at a glance, consumed at least two thousand Magic Scrolls.

It was followed by a second volley, then a third...

For a moment, it seemed as if nothing existed between heaven and earth but Magic.

As far as the eye could see, the world was a frantic blossoming of multicolored magical light.

Their ears were filled with the shriek of tearing air and the roar of colliding elements.

The two destructive forces—one from the sky, one from the ground—converged and merged in midair, forming an unending torrent of destruction that slammed against the gossamer-thin azure light curtain again and again.

The azure light curtain trembled violently. The Runes on its surface flickered at an unprecedented, frantic pace, flashing in and out of sight.

The entire curtain was like a lone skiff in a raging storm, looking as if it would be torn to shreds at any moment.

After five volleys, the Dragon Race Warriors had consumed over ten thousand precious Magic Scrolls in total.

Across the entire Eldron Plain, only Kresol Dragon City, with its deep reserves and immense wealth, could afford such an extravagant, cost-is-no-object expenditure on the battlefield.

Yet even so, when the radiance faded, the azure light curtain remained completely unscathed.

The Consuls’ expressions darkened slightly, but they were not overly surprised.

They hadn’t expected to shatter an Array in a single go when even their City Lord had been powerless against it.

The true purpose of this reckless, costly bombardment was to deplete the Array’s energy as much as possible.

The Dragon Race Casters in the sky began chanting anew, preparing for the next magical bombardment.

Meanwhile, the Dragon Race Warriors, having exhausted their personal supply of Scrolls, drew their magic Long Swords in unison. Raising the dragon-emblazoned Kite Shields on their arms, they let out a deafening war cry and charged the azure light curtain just ahead.

They intended to continue draining the Array’s energy with the most direct method: physical attacks.

But just then, the Elves who had retreated behind the light curtain charged out again.

The Five Camp Divine Soldiers and Oak Guards at the fore slammed into the Radiant Flame Legion, and a chaotic melee erupted in an instant.

But the Elf Guards following closely behind them did not immediately draw their swords for close combat this time.

Then, from special leather pouches at their waists, they drew out palm-sized, faintly glowing slips of paper in perfect unison.

In the next instant, the Elves aimed the Talismans at the nearby Dragon Race Warriors and simultaneously infused them with Spiritual Qi.

In a flash, countless palm-sized, golden blades of light shot out from the small slips of paper.

The golden light instantly merged, forming an impenetrable rain of golden light capable of tearing steel, and it swept over the most densely packed ranks of the Radiant Flame Legion in an overwhelming wave.

Golden Blade Talisman!

SSSSHK! SSSSHK! SSSSHK!

A cacophony of grating sounds erupted—of sharp blades tearing through flesh and cutting through metal.

The Dragon Race soldiers in the front rank didn’t even have time to grunt before the dense golden blades of light shredded their Scale Armor and the flesh beneath into countless fragments.

Severed limbs, shattered armor, and broken weapons flew everywhere in a gory spray.

And this was only the beginning of the nightmare.

The Elves didn’t pause at all. Before the light from the first wave of Talismans had completely faded, they had already activated the second and third batches of differently colored Talismans in their hands.

Blast Talisman!

Five-Thunder Talisman!

Gangfeng Talisman!

Enormous, blazing fireballs fell into the dense ranks of the Dragon Race soldiers and detonated. The searing heat and concussive shockwaves violently flung the surrounding figures away like rag dolls.

Bolts of sapphire lightning as thick as a man’s arm shot out from the Talismans and swept through the crowd. Countless Dragon Race soldiers convulsed as acrid black smoke poured from the gaps in their Scale Armor.

The pale-green Gangfeng transformed into countless invisible blades that crisscrossed the formation, slicing through shields, armor, and bodies alike.

At this moment, the Radiant Flame Legion finally experienced the terror of the concentrated magical fire they had just unleashed.

The difference was that the Elves had been protected by the azure light curtain, emerging unscathed. The Legion, however, could only endure it all with their mortal bodies, completely exposed.

For a moment, blood flew and screams echoed across the field.

In the span of a few breaths, the vanguard of the Radiant Flame Legion had suffered heavy casualties.

At least a thousand elite Dragon Race soldiers, completely unprepared, fell under this sudden assault.

On the knoll, the Consuls’ faces paled.

"What is that?"

"Magic Scrolls? But they’re too small!"

"Where did the Silver Moon Clan get so many Scrolls!?"

The Consuls had seen it clearly. During those few relentless volleys, the Elves had used, at a minimum, four or five thousand of those strange "slips of paper."

Even for the deep-pocketed Kresol Dragon City, deploying over ten thousand Scrolls had been a painful expenditure.

How could the Silver Moon Clan, an Elven faction from some remote forest, possibly afford to produce so many Scrolls?

However, the brutal reality of the battle gave them no time to ponder. Just as the Consuls were reeling with shock and anger, the battlefield shifted once more.

After unleashing one volley of Talismans, the Elf Guards did not retreat behind the light curtain. Instead, they slapped another batch of Talismans onto their own bodies.

Instantly, countless rays of multicolored light flared from their bodies.

A pale golden barrier of light appeared on some Elves, clinging to them like a second skin.

Others were wreathed in an azure halo, their movement speed instantly soaring.

The muscles in some Elves’ arms bulged, veins standing out in sharp relief, as if they had been infused with immense power.

Still others had weapons that became coated in layers of frost, radiating a bone-chilling cold.

Vajra Talisman, Light Body Talisman, Barbarian Spirit Talisman, Cold Soldier Talisman...

In an instant, every Elf Guard was empowered by several enhancement effects.

Their strength now soaring, the Elves were like tigers that had grown wings. Coordinated with the Five Camp Divine Soldiers and Oak Guards, they charged fearlessly into the Radiant Flame Legion’s formations.

The green vines that had retreated into the ground and forest surged forth once more, snaking toward the Dragon Race Casters in the sky.

The Casters were forced to maneuver their wyverns to evade, unable to cast any Magic for the moment.

The Radiant Flame Legion, still reeling from the sudden assault, was struck by this new offensive. Caught completely off guard, they were forcefully suppressed.

The scales of the battlefield began to tip.

The Consuls stood before the Water Curtain, their faces a terrible, ashen color.

It was all clear to them now. The Silver Moon Clan had never intended to face the Radiant Flame Legion head-on.

They had deliberately abandoned the outer perimeter and consolidated their defenses to lure the Radiant Flame Legion toward the light curtain. Their plan was to use the Array to weather the Legion’s first and most ferocious assault. Then, just as Dragon City’s forces believed victory was in their grasp and committed all their troops, the Elves would finally show their hand, catching the Radiant Flame Legion completely off guard with those strange scrolls.

Dragon City had never considered that the Silver Moon Clan could possess so many Scrolls. Completely unprepared, they had walked right into the trap.

Having lost the initiative, turning the tables would now be exceedingly difficult.

"Dammit!"

Walt slammed his fist on the small table before him, sending the flags on the sand table scattering.

The other Consuls’ expressions were just as grim.

’It wasn’t that we weren’t suspicious of the Silver Moon Clan’s retreat,’ they thought, ’but we never imagined their follow-up move would be so insidious and vicious.’

The battle had fallen into a complete stalemate.