Refining the Heavens 4 (炼天四)

Chapter 55: The Horde Swarm

The soil bridge hovered slightly above the soldiers on the wall walk. An oppressive pressure seemed to crush down upon the Frosthral defenders.

They could not tell what their enemies are up to by raising the structure, but it is the unknown that frightened them.

Many took an unwitting step backwards while the Barbarian Lords in command shouted fiercely at them.

But before they could rein in their soldiers, the end of the soil bridge burst apart. From it came a horrifying scene as if the gates of hell had opened. Strange creatures rushed out of the soil bridge and swarmed into the area. The space that was hard fought and won by the vanguards gave them enough room to climb onto the walls without knocking any allies over.

All of a sudden, the clash of battles was deafened by the cries and roars of terrible beasts.

The monster horde had finally arrived.

Most towns and cities are used to such raids and have countermeasures in place. The frequency of being attacked isn't rare as creatures that are enlightened are no less intelligent than humans and they know the resources that human civilisations are sitting on.

There are many places where man may not tread, and the Endless Plains on the east which belongs to beasts are one of them.

Unfortunately, the Ku Kang Plateau never had a history of being overran by beasts. Their natural defences is more than enough to deter the usual horde, and this place – while territorially perfect – lacked the natural resources that attracts beasts.

The cries of death came first, before anyone could get a good look at the monstrosities that attacked them. And, then, they finally saw.

Horrendous blood-coloured bats flew out of the hole in the soil bridge like a great swarm.

The Deathsinger Bats.

They swooped in from all around, shrieking in the air. Any person that was hit by the sound became disorientated, and when prolonged under the effect: death. It didn't matter that these external practitioners had honed their bodies into weapons, no one could improve the toughness of their brain. A single burst from one of the tiny blood capillaries in the head is enough to take down the toughest cultivator.

As they fly through the air, they accurately attacked the Frosthral defenders amidst Kairos' army. Their shrieks are like sound beams that precisely struck their targets.

Then there were the crows. Beady red eyes and black winged. Their feathers fell from the skies covering the battleground. These creatures of nightmares had been seen as the symbol of death since ancient times. They are the messengers between this world and the next and any warrior worth their grain of salt knows that it's bad luck to have crows follow them. And these ones are especially unnatural. They are the variant known as the Death Crow.

They are carrion birds that could smell the scent of death. Oftentimes, veterans would consider their very lives and the entire campaign forfeit should too many of these birds came with them.

Somehow, in this place there are as many crows as there are people. The birds from a single forest wouldn't be enough. These few years, Aisa had been busy gathering pets. This is a gift she prepared for the Snowdrifts, and the enemy could hardly receive. Restrained from combat, the little dragon still wanted to protect the friends she found here, and thus she had been finding another way.

The crows attacked directly while the bats hovered above, but these flyers are not the cavalry.

The ones that tore the frontline defenders to pieces are ugly child-sized cave trolls with bone-plated bodies seated on top of armoured wolves. Each of those wolves had strange black patterns on their grey fur, so vivid they appeared having a life of their own.