Ignoring pain and damage the rage-fuelled lizards swiftly advanced the frontline. It didn't take long until they finally managed to reach the wall in high numbers. Letting out excited roars they raised their claws and began to chip away at the defence.
The walking cannon fodder didn't deal that much damage but with their numbers they posed a small threat. Since it was the first time that the wall took damage over its entire length, the defending soldiers felt their chests tighten. Some of the last-minute recruits had visibly shaking legs.
"Get a grip! What are you, little children?! Can't withstand a bit of pressure?!"
"Attack, attack, attack! Don't stand there in a daze!"
Harsh voices spread as the officers urged their soldiers. Movement came into the army. Everyone pushed close to the edge, unleashing their attacks at the lizards below.
[Bleary Mirage: Use the hot pitch from points three, five, and twelve! Burn them to death!]
Observing the situation Bleary Mirage finally allowed the army to pour hot pitch from the walls to alleviate some pressure at the places where the lizards stood the densest. Those spots were naturally those where the poison had caused a lot of trouble earlier.
Some players had their eyes light up. Eager to take revenge or perhaps just happy to play with fire they swiftly followed Mirage's orders.
Large cauldrons were fastened to the wall containing a black, viscous liquid which bubbled ominously. The players loosened a few hooks and three of the cauldrons immediately tipped over, pouring the hot pitch onto the lizards.
Pained cries could be heard. But those didn't come from the lizards but from the few mist dwarves who were still hiding in the crowd. As they were doused in hot liquid, they couldn't keep their composure and threw their bodies to the ground.
Elsewhere the mages didn't forget to do their jobs. Seeing the hot pitch being unveiled they used quick fire spells. Instantly flames shot towards the sky, causing a raging inferno as the pitch erupted with violent flames. The flames spread swiftly, causing terrifying damage among the attacking army.
Multiple lizards and dwarves succumbed to the flames. The rest was forced to avoid the burning area, reducing the pressure there.
While keeping an eye on the wall Liam naturally didn't forget to fire at the giant lizard. The monster's HP were soon reduced to 10.000HP. Just as everyone thought that the most intense situation was about to be over, new enemies emerged from the mines.
A new division of about eight hundred mist dwarves came into view, moving openly. They wore grey robes and crowns made from thorny twigs looking like some kind of strange priests. They were escorted by soldiers in heavy armor carrying large shields. When Bloody Edge saw the newcomers he showed a solemn expression, knowing that finally the real army had appeared.
[Bleary Mirage: Ignore the lizards! Fire at the dwarves!]
Liam instantly came to a decision. Right now, the ballistae were recharged. In a few seconds they could fire and take out the giant lizard, which would also weaken the smaller ones. Thus, it was more important to focus on the new threat.
The mist dwarves moved silently, marching towards the wall. The mist billowed around their bodies, giving them a ghostly appearance. Soon, they arrived withing the range of the defenders, receiving the first hits.
Cyclone stared at the mist dwarves, knowing that those were the real enemies. She finished the cast of her [Chain Lightning] skill and targeted the leading dwarf.
[-2453!]
[-1438!]
Magical damage and lightning damage erupted, taking about one fifth of the dwarf's HP. Immediately the lightning began to jump between the nearby dwarves, hitting two tanks and three priests. The skill dealt considerable damage as the dwarves didn't boast a high resistance against all kinds of elemental damage.
Receiving the focus of the entire defending army the dwarves quickly had to suffer the first casualties. However, they remained stoic, pushing forward with great discipline.
A few seconds passed. Finally, the giant lizard fell as it was nailed to the ground by eight heavy bolts, making for quite the tragic sight. A wave of EXP swapped over all the players, way stronger than usual. Liam, Quickstep, and Fortune were the first players to reach level 45, taking back the top spot in the ranking list.
Instantly the global chat was filled with discussion. Since it was impossible to hide the fact that Dream Avenue started a territory war, no one was confused by their quick advancement. However, seeing it with their own eyes brought a lot of pressure to the other guilds. Everyone hastened their preparations fearing that they might be left far behind.
The situation was even worse for smaller guilds. They didn't have much information about the various territories, making it difficult to choose a target. In general, territories which were easily accessible were less valuable, but many guilds didn't have a choice but to go for those.
Yet all of this was of no concern for Dream Avenue. They continued firing at the approaching dwarves, decimating their numbers. Meanwhile Cyclone watched the lizards still scratching their walls. Although the damage wasn't much, Cyclone was afraid that they wouldn't be able to repair it before the next wave. Thus, she came to a decision.
With a thought a menu appeared in front of her, displaying five spells. From top to bottom they were increasingly more powerful but also had longer cooldowns. The spell at the top had a cooldown of thirty minutes. According to Cyclone's estimation it was the only one which would be available again before the next wave began.
Cyclone didn't hesitate for long. She immediately chose to activate the spell [Surging Giant Fist].
Back in Greypine Town an old man with greyish skin and white hair stood on a balcony close to the top of the prominent mage tower. It was the troll shaman Lekraxc. He had his hands behind his back, calmly overseeing the battle. Suddenly he felt a certain mental note.
Lekraxc closed his eyes and pulled a staff out of thin air. He pointed it towards a spot above the wall and a giant magic circle appeared, instantly attracting an unbelievable amount of mana.
"Ah, what's that?!"
"Are we being attacked?"
"Are the enemy mages making a move?"
Confusion spread among the army. Cyclone felt awkward as she noticed her oversight, quickly explaining the situation in the chat. Instantly the anxiousness turned into anticipation as everyone stared at the sky. Fortune made sure to record the process, eager to witness Lekraxc's power.
It didn't take long for the spell to be prepared. The magic circle began to revolve as the mana instantly fuelled an enormous amount of water magic.
Suddenly the circle stopped moving and something formed within it. A giant fist made from condensed water came out of the circle. Its size was massive enough to seriously hurt an adult war troll should the fist hit their chest.
And this terrifying attack was now about to land on a bunch of lizards. Some of them tried to escape but it was already too late. The massive fist landed in the densest area, crushing a dozen lizards to death. But this wasn't all yet as the fist exploded, shooting bullets made from water in all directions, claiming even more lives.
The players were exhilarated watching this scene.
"Damn, so awesome!"
"When can my spells have so much power?"
"Haha, show it to those dumb reptiles!"
Liam, though, watched the scene with a frown. He had also contemplated using Lekraxc's spells, but he wouldn't have targeted the lizards.
[Bleary Mirage: Cy, why did you aim for the lizards?]
[Cyclone: Well, they are destroying our wall…]
[Bleary Mirage: But a wall can be repaired. The dwarves are a danger to the soldiers' lives. They take priority.]
[Cyclone: Oh… should I switch targets?]
[Bleary Mirage: Yes, please!]
Cyclone felt quite awkward. She could only hope that her decision wouldn't have any serious consequences. Luckily, the spell had two more instances. Cyclone's thoughts moved and a circle only she could see moved towards the rows of mist dwarves.
Two more fists fell one after the other, taking out more than two hundred dwarves. The spell caused a vast devastation since the dwarves had already taken varying mounts of damage.
This time the mist dwarves couldn't remain apathetic. They shouted angrily, closed their ranks, and advanced even faster. Soon, they finally got close enough to the walls to attack.
The tanks hid behind their shields, protecting the priests with their lives. The latter swiftly began to cast, stirring large amounts of mana, creating an ominous atmosphere.
A few seconds later the dwarves finally began with a barrage of their own. Spears made of dark magic shot towards the wall, poised to take revenge for the fallen dwarves.
"Take cover!"
"Duck!"
Frantic shouts spread as the defending army was attacked on a large scale. At least three out of the ten wall segments were met with concentrated fire. The soldiers hid behind battlements or below some prepared shields. Tanks put away the spears they had been throwing, blocking as many projectiles as possible.