Chapter 416: Night Raid
"Alright, let's do it!"
Miris grinned viciously, his eyes brimming with excitement.
Kakada licked his lips in anticipation.
His large fangs clicked together with a "kaka" sound.
Meanwhile, in Menia City.
Inside the royal palace, in the King's Grand Hall.
That night, the hall was brightly lit.
A group of people stood around a huge, long table.
At the head of the table stood King Bartnor, clad in golden armor.
To his right stood the lords commanding the armies, each adorned in exquisite, ornate armor.
To his left stood the god-level warriors.
Among them were the Spear Hero "Caris" and the Bow Hero "Eula."
"We have 300,000 troops. We can't keep defending passively. Even if we can't defeat the demon army head-on, we must find a way to eliminate their living forces. We don't need to annihilate them completely. If we force them to retreat, it would be considered a victory for humanity."
"Then let's launch a night raid!"
One lord suddenly spoke up.
Everyone's gaze immediately shifted to him.
Facing the King's and everyone's scrutiny, the lord who suggested the night raid remained calm.
"The demon army has just finished a long, exhausting march to Menia City and immediately launched an attack. They're at their most fatigued. Their magicians must also be near depletion. If I'm not wrong, the demon army will retreat soon. If we seize the moment and attack during their retreat, we can catch them off guard. Even if we can't inflict massive casualties, if we destroy their catapults and kill a large number of their magicians, the night raid will be a success!"
"Once their magicians are gone, the demon army will be powerless against us. Although the Crystal's power isn't infinite, without magicians, the demons can't breach the crystal barrier. Also, the demons require logistical supplies too. Menia City has abundant grain reserves. Trying to besiege Menia City is unrealistic. The demon army would have no choice but to withdraw."
Night raid the demon army?
Expressions varied around the table.
A night raid carried risks.
But it was better than doing nothing.
"Your Majesty, if you decide to proceed, we must prepare immediately!"
Another lord spoke up.
The demon army could retreat at any moment.
The opportunity would be fleeting and must not be wasted.
King Bartnor took a deep breath.
His gaze swept across everyone present.
"Does anyone have any other opinions?"
Faced with the King's gaze, the room fell into silence.
Seeing no objections, Bartnor's expression hardened.
He looked toward the lords on his right.
"Count Wolf, Count Owen, each of you will lead 10,000 cavalry to stand by at the northern gate!"
Both Count Wolf and Count Owen saluted with a hand over their hearts.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
"Count Corkel, Count Beavis, each of you will lead 30,000 infantry to support the cavalry in the night raid!"
Both counts saluted.
"Understood!"
"Understood!"
Bartnor then turned to the god-level warriors on his left.
"Lord Jeremy, Lord Dewitt, Lord Gustav, I request your support as well!"
Jeremy, Dewitt, and Gustav nodded lightly.
Bartnor then addressed the remaining strong warriors.
"The rest of you, please guard the northern wall. Support the night raiders if necessary!"
All the god-level warriors nodded together.
Bartnor placed both hands firmly on the table.
His gaze heavy and solemn as he swept across the crowd.
"Everyone, the night raid operation begins now!"
As the meeting concluded, Menia City erupted into a frenzy.
The streets echoed with the sound of marching boots and galloping hooves.
Troops stationed throughout the city began moving toward the northern gate.
Columns of soldiers hurried through streets and alleys.
Groups of cavalry thundered down the roads.
This activity drew the attention of the citizens.
The houses along the streets lit up with magic lamps.
Curious residents opened their windows, watching the cavalry charge past.
The commotion lasted over an hour before settling.
Time passed slowly, the night deepening.
Outside the northern wall, fireballs of infernal flames still rose from the demon army.
The demon horde still stretched across the land in a dense, black mass.
Though compared to daylight, they now appeared merely as a dark shadow.
"Retreat!"
When the full moon rose, Adelaide gave the order to retreat.
The demon army began to stir.
The black tide of soldiers started pulling back north like a receding wave.
"The demons are retreating! The demons are retreating!"
Those on the city walls witnessed this scene.
"Charge!"
The heavy city gates slowly creaked open.
The streets inside erupted with the thunder of hooves.
Tens of thousands of cavalry poured from multiple gates into the darkness.
The faint blue crystal barrier closed behind them.
"They're here, they're here, haha, humans actually came!"
The commotion attracted the attention of Miris and Kakada.
Both watched Menia City with excited grins.
"Miris, Kakada, proceed according to plan!"
Miris and Kakada stood up, flashing into the darkness.
Adelaide stood as well and waved his hand.
"Halt the retreat, prepare for battle!"
The horn was sounded immediately.
Its urgent blare echoed across the dark battlefield.
The retreating demon army abruptly stopped.
And turned to launch a counterattack.
"Holy Light: Star Rain!"
Atop the northern wall's watchtower.
A radiant burst of holy light erupted in the dark.
Eula, holding her golden holy bow, drew and nocked an arrow.
Holy light gushed from her body.
An arrow of light formed on the bowstring.
The holy light kept pouring into the arrow.
With a sharp cry, she released the bowstring.
A brilliant flash shot skyward.
At a height of several kilometers, the arrow exploded.
Shattering into countless light arrows that rained down on the demon army.
"Boom!"
A large swath of the demon army was instantly engulfed.
Each light arrow exploded upon hitting the ground.
White mushroom clouds of holy flames rose.
The shockwaves swept through everything nearby.
Those closer were incinerated.
Those farther away were blasted off their feet.
Nearly a thousand demon soldiers were obliterated from afar.
The dazzling holy light boosted the morale of the charging human cavalry.
"Kill!"
The leading lords roared.
Closer, ever closer...
Twenty thousand cavalrymen stormed into the demon army like a whirlwind.
Their target was clear.
Straight toward the demon catapult units.
In the darkness outside the city, human cavalry clashed with demon soldiers.
The sounds of battle and roars filled the night.
"Haha, humans, die!"
A roar echoed across the battlefield.
A black shadow fell from the sky into the cavalry.
"Boom!"
Dust and a shockwave exploded outward.
Nearby cavalrymen and horses were thrown into the air.
As the dust cleared, a ghost beastman wielding a massive sword appeared.
He grinned viciously.
With a flash, he vanished.
Instantly reappearing before a human cavalryman.
One slash from his giant sword.
A flash of cold steel.
The man and his horse were both cleaved in two.
The air blast from the swing flattened those lined up behind.
The ghost beastman blurred again, rampaging through the cavalry at impossible speeds.
Wherever he passed, blood sprayed, and bodies fell.
"Clang!"
Suddenly, a crisp metallic clash rang out.
The ghost beastman was blocked.
A middle-aged man clad in armor had caught the giant sword with his own blade.
"A human sword god? Haha, good!"
The ghost beastman laughed savagely.
The two collided fiercely.
Blades flashed, their figures vanishing and reappearing rapidly.
Each clash sent shockwaves outward.
"Water Flow Sword Technique: Stone Piercer!"
A thin, blue sword beam shot forth like a flash.
Too fast to dodge.
The ghost beastman vanished, reappearing twenty meters away.
The sword beam slashed through the battlefield.
Soldiers—both human and demon—along its path dropped dead.
"Human sword techniques are interesting. Again!"
The ghost beastman grinned and stomped forward.
At the instant his hoof struck the ground, he blurred forward.
Jeremy fearlessly met him head-on.
The two resumed their fierce duel.
Sword light flashed, shockwaves rolled.
The battlefield around them was impossible to approach.
Anyone too close risked death from stray attacks.
"Kill!"
The cavalry charge was not stopped by the duel.
They stormed into the demon catapult units.
"Destroy the catapults!"
Battle aura shimmered.
Cavalrymen used aura-infused slashes and thrusts to wreck the machines.
Massive catapults toppled.
Some cavalry even reached the demon magicians.
But they were met with resistance from demon wolf cavalry.
As more demon soldiers joined the fight,
The human cavalry got bogged down in a bloody mire.
"Kill!"
Fortunately, the infantry reinforcements arrived.
Sixty thousand human infantry flooded the battlefield.
The dark plain turned into a meat grinder.
Roars, screams, and battle cries shook the heavens.
Magic flashes lit the walls.
Magic archers bombarded the demon army from afar.
"We should withdraw. It's not the time for a war of attrition."
The god-level warriors stationed on the northern wall observed the battle.
"Hold on a bit longer. With infantry support, we can keep pushing."
"How many demon strongmen have joined the battle?"
"Three. Only three."
"They won't gang up? How arrogant."
"Demons sometimes start wars just for the fight itself."
Suddenly, the walls trembled violently.
"What's happening? An earthquake?"
Soldiers and warriors alike showed confusion.
"No... not an earthquake!"
Loud rumbling came from within the city.
The ground cracked open in various parts of the city.
Gigantic tunnel dragons burst forth.
Only the upper halves of their bodies emerged.
Despite the name, tunnel dragons looked more like worms.
Their bodies were over ten meters thick.
Over thirty meters protruded above the ground.
They lacked visible heads.
Their ends resembled massive drill bits.
"Tunnel dragons!"
The god-level warriors on the wall turned pale.
Tunnel dragons—rare king-level magical beasts from the Demon Continent.
Tamed by the demons.
How had the demons transported such beasts here?
"This is bad! The demons are breaching from underground!"
The tunnel dragons withdrew underground.
Soon, hordes of demon soldiers poured from the holes.
Two tunnels unleashed swarms of mantis-like flying demons.
The winged mantis demons buzzed forth like bees.
"Haha, all forces, attack the royal palace!"
Demon King Kakada shouted as he flew skyward.
His voice boomed across the night sky.
The mantis demons swarmed toward the royal palace like a locust plague.
"Haha, kill! To the palace!"
On another side, Miris charged out of another tunnel.
Wielding a massive axe, he roared with laughter.
Endless minotaur warriors poured onto the streets.
Hoofbeats thundered, figures surged.
Terrified citizens bolted their doors and windows.
Peeking out, they saw hulking figures racing past—
Minotaur demons, not humans.
"They're targeting the palace! Quick, reinforce it!"
The god-level human warriors on the northern wall turned pale.
The sword gods flashed away, leaping off the towering wall.
They disappeared into the city.
Meanwhile, the royal palace's garrison saw the incoming swarm.
"Archers, ready your bows!"
"Royal mages, prepare your spells!"
Archers rushed up the palace walls, arrows nocked.
Court magicians raised their staffs and began chanting.
Closer... closer...
The sky turned black with the swarm of mantis demons.
"Fire!"
The garrison commander shouted.
Arrows whistled into the sky.
A rain of arrows fell upon the swarm.
"Shhhk!"
Many mantis demons were struck.
They staggered and fell like raindrops.
The court magicians followed up with spells.
Fireballs, water arrows, ice arrows, and stone spears rained upon the sky.
Massive explosions from "Exploding Fireballs" lit the heavens.
Though many mantis demons were slain,
Their numbers seemed endless.