Chapter 434 - 341: Tunnel Warfare? (Part 2)
Chapter 434: Chapter 341: Tunnel Warfare? (Part 2)
The construction of the goblin city couldn’t be interrupted by them.
Shire clenched his fists. "It looks like this will be a major test of our strength."
"Everyone, as ordered! Move to your positions, now!" he commanded loudly. The thousands of surrounding goblins thundered away, brandishing all sorts of weapons as they vanished into the ruins of the City of Ten Thousand Races.
’Let’s drown the enemy in a sea of goblins.’
* * *
"Commander," a squad leader of the Holy Order Army said, approaching Lingard’s side. "There really is a city here."
"If this is a city, then a sandcastle a child makes at the beach could be called a fortress," Lingard scoffed, curling his lip in disdain. "It’s nothing but ruins. What would those goblins know about architecture?"
"The merchant didn’t lie to us. There really must be a Feathered Serpent Evil God here," the squad leader reminded him cautiously.
"Are you afraid?" Lingard shot him a sideways glance, causing the squad leader to take a small step back.
"It’s an Evil God, after all. Are there enough of us for this?"
"Do you take me for an idiot?" Lingard snorted. "It’s winter. The bodies of the Serpent Race will certainly be affected. As long as we seize the opportunity, we will succeed in slaying it. Frankly, I’m more worried about all of you—that your arms will be too tired to lift after chopping off so many goblin heads."
"Your wisdom is profound, Commander. I completely forgot that serpentine creatures hibernate in the winter." The squad leader’s eyes widened.
"I would never trifle with the lives of the Holy Order Army’s warriors," Lingard said with a smile, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding Paladins. "This is our chance to make a name for ourselves, and for the world to once again witness the glorious deeds of the War God Church. Let’s give it our all, men!"
The Paladins raised their weapons in unison, slapping the emblems on their chests with their free hands. They had already entered the goblin "city" and refrained from shouting again to avoid alerting them.
But their battle fervor didn’t last long. Before the Paladins even had a chance to lower their weapons, a dazzling white line shot toward them with a SWOOSH.
A CRACKLING sound followed as a cold wind mixed with white mist blasted them, forcing the entire troop of Paladins to shut their eyes. When they lowered their arms and exhaled puffs of white breath, they discovered that a third of their members had been frozen solid.
"Is this Ice Magic?" The squad leader’s eyes widened in disbelief at the scene before him. The entire ground was coated in a layer of solid ice, trapping the weeds and shrubs within. The unlucky Paladins were frozen in place, their bodies encased in an ice sheet inches thick. The only things they could move were their eyes.
"Help them, quickly!" Lingard yelled. The Paladins had all cast Divine Spells on themselves before the battle, granting them some resistance to Magic. A freeze like this wouldn’t kill them, but it would affect their bodies and slow their movements. Still, they would be more than a match for goblins.
The remaining Paladins quickly rushed forward, shattering the ice with their weapons to free their comrades. They then cast multiple Medical Techniques on them, attempting to ease their partners’ pain.
"How is there Magic with such a large area of effect?" Lingard frowned, looking at the "Ice Rink" before him, which resembled a giant mirror. "This coverage is even greater than the spells of a High Tier Molding Mage. Could this be the Magic of the Evil God?"
His expression wavered as he began to hesitate about continuing the mission. But then he thought of the large cargo ship on Darren Lake, and the sailors aboard it, and a flicker of disgust crossed his face.
’I can’t go back. If I go back, it’s all over.’ He gritted his teeth and looked at the Paladins, who had already recovered their ability to move.
"Everyone, we need to pick up the pace! This must be a defensive Magic cast by the Evil God! If we don’t hurry, it might wake up!" Lingard shouted to the Holy Order Army, his other hand pressing against his hip as if gripping an invisible sword hilt.
"Commander, we..." a Paladin began hesitantly.
Everyone knew what he was about to say, but Lingard cut him off with a wave of his hand. "Paladin, have you forgotten your Blood Oath? Or do you plan to turn back now and stand before those commoners like a deserter, listening to their jeers and seeing the contempt in their eyes?"
"I..."
"Or would you rather charge into the Evil God’s lair, sever its head in a single blow, and let the world know the glorious might of the Holy Order Army?"
"I... I want to Charge with sword in hand!" the Paladin declared, puffing out his chest.
"Excellent. Everyone, advance at speed!" Lingard was pleased with the troop’s morale; they were agitated once more. After all, the Ice Array hadn’t truly harmed them. Other than some who had been running falling behind, there wasn’t much of a difference.
The troop advanced quickly, and the ruined buildings around them grew denser. The men of the Holy Order Army knew they were approaching the city’s center, where a hibernating Evil God was waiting with its neck bared for their arrival.
"Faster! Those in the rear, keep up!" Lingard shouted, urging on the Paladins behind him. It was clear the Ice Array had left a lasting impact. Even after several Medical Techniques, only their surface injuries were relieved; the biting chill had seeped deep inside their bodies.
’They’ll probably need to warm themselves by a fire to get over it,’ Lingard muttered with a frown.
Then, as if a Divine Being had heard his prayer, a series of explosions went off—BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Cries of agony erupted from the front of the column, accompanied by the endless clang of colliding Armor. Through the billowing smoke and dust, Lingard stared wide-eyed as a dozen men ahead of him fell to the ground.
’Explosions? How?’ He immediately organized the remaining men to treat the fallen Paladins. Fortunately, the blasts weren’t very powerful. Many only suffered scratches and internal shock; no one was seriously injured.
A few Medical Techniques later, the wailing from the Paladins subsided, but their movements had become clumsy and uncoordinated.
"Commander, there’s something over there. I think I just saw something," a Paladin said, hurrying to Lingard’s side and pointing to the mouth of a burrow up ahead to their left.
"You’re saying there’s something over there?"
"Yes. A few green heads just popped out. I think they were goblins."
"Goblins?" Lingard sneered. "Then kill them. A few of you, get in that hole and finish them off."
He commanded loudly. They needed a morale boost, and some goblin heads would be the perfect props.
Upon hearing the order, five Paladins immediately drew their swords and charged into the burrow. It was a bit low, forcing them to hunch over as they advanced, but their faces showed no fear—only excitement.
"Footprints here. They must be inside," one Paladin shouted.
"Charge! Kill them!" the others roared in agreement, their excitement palpable.
As they went deeper, the sound of chattering—YIP YAP YIP—echoed from within the burrow. It was clearly goblins. Soon, the squad of Paladins reached the end of the tunnel.
"Hm? It’s a dead end?" a Paladin wondered aloud, reaching out to press the dirt wall before him. "The earth is fresh. Must have been dug recently."
Just as he turned to say something to the men behind him, there was a SWOOSH, and he vanished right before their eyes.
The others froze, stunned. Then they all scrambled backward, even tripping over one another in their haste.
"How... How did he just disappear?" a Paladin stammered.
Another Paladin crept forward, intending to inspect the area. He thought perhaps there was a hidden pit his comrade had fallen into. But as he reached the dirt wall—SWOOSH—he vanished too.
Dead silence. The burrow fell completely still.
Then someone shouted, "Quick! Go report to the Vice Commander!"
"This place is cursed!"
The last few men scrambled toward the exit on all fours. None of them noticed a white stone that had become exposed in the loose earth before the wall.