The Nightmare Knights of the Evernight World were far from an ordinary race. They were a terrifying force—masters of the night, wielders of darkness. Like phantoms in the shadows, they instilled fear just by appearing. Their combat prowess was formidable, but what made them truly dreadful was their ability to resurrect the dead, transforming corpses into undead warriors, and spawning endless armies of skeletons and undead legions.
In the darkness, their magical power was virtually inexhaustible. They could continuously cast Resurrection of the Dead, turning the battlefield into a breeding ground for unending legions of the undead. Even a single Nightmare Knight on the field felt like facing an entire army that knew no fear or fatigue.
Given time, they could grow an army as vast as an ocean. Wherever there was slaughter, new undead would emerge. The implications were horrifying.
Worse still, this time it wasn't just one Nightmare Knight—they were appearing in thousands, and their numbers were still growing. No one could predict how many would emerge, but it was clear that such a force could unleash a catastrophic storm across the battlefield.
BOOM!
From within the three pillars of light, torrents of soldiers continued pouring out in an unstoppable surge, spreading rapidly in all directions.
Though seemingly aimless, their goal was singular: to conquer everything outside the war cities of the Divine-Demon Battlefield, and launch devastating assaults on every war city, aiming for total annihilation. Anything standing in their path was to be obliterated.
In the skies, Zerg flying dragons soared forth, sweeping across the void in dense waves. Even the thick clouds couldn't hide White Crow City, which quickly became exposed under the swarming Zerg army.
"All forces prepare! Clear the clouds—commence full attack! All soldiers, engage at will!"—Zhuge Liang's order rang out.
There wasn't much need for tactical maneuvering in this kind of siege warfare. Great Yi had long-established protocols for both offense and defense, and every soldier was thoroughly familiar with them. No one panicked.
The clouds scattered.
And with that, White Crow City stood fully exposed to the invading Evernight forces. From within the demonic hordes, countless pairs of bloodthirsty eyes locked onto the city, their killing intent nearly overflowing.
"Interesting… A mobile war city that flies? That's among the rarest of all on this battlefield. We can't let this opportunity go—it must be brought down and destroyed."
From within the pillar of starlight belonging to the Nightmare Knights, a colossal figure of a Nightmare Knight formed from condensed starlight. With apparent sentience, it let out a cold laugh and fixed its gaze upon White Crow City.
"Destroy it. Zerg swarm—begin your assault!"
Within the Zerg's own light pillar, a massive Broodmother appeared. Her spiritual command spread through the entire Zerg force. Among the Zerg, the Broodmother held absolute authority. Though she wasn't the only queen among the swarm, she was the undisputed ruler of this region's Zerg forces.
"Attack! Obliterate White Crow City!"
From a third pillar, a seductive figure emerged—the Spider Queen of the Eight-Armed Demon Spiders, her tight outfit outlining a flawless form. Eight grotesque spider limbs extended from her back as she barked a command, her voice harsh and domineering.
Immediately, the entire Evernight army focused its attention on White Crow City.
A swarm of Exploding Bugs took to the skies, charging like a wave of green fire.
"Careful with those insects! They're Exploding Bugs! I saw them back then with my own eyes—don't let them get close! Archers—burn them to ashes with flaming arrows!"—shouted Cheng Yaojin from the Monster Slayer Army.
His past encounters with these insects had left a deep impression. If they got too close, the consequences were disastrous.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The soldiers needed no further instruction. No one dared underestimate such terrifying bugs.
A hail of bolts fired from crossbows, sweeping across the swarm like a storm. The arrows struck the bugs, whose bodies instantly swelled with green light and ballooned like inflating bladders before exploding violently. Even after being pierced, they couldn't be stopped—their purpose seemed to be to explode, alive or dead.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The chain reaction was instant. One detonation triggered a cascade, as if a carpet of explosives was igniting all at once. Toxic green fluids sprayed in all directions, causing even more explosions. The air was filled with the deafening noise of detonations.
"Terrifying indeed… But far too reckless. If these Exploding Bugs had been spread out, hidden among the regular swarm, and detonated by surprise, their impact would've been far deadlier. Clumping them together like this just makes them easier to eliminate en masse."
The explosions didn't distinguish friend from foe—anything in their way was blown apart or poisoned to death.
"The Zerg must never be underestimated. These Exploding Bugs are just one of their basic units. They're easy to breed, but that doesn't mean they won't evolve. The Zerg swarm fights like a horde of locusts—overwhelming in number."—Yi Tianxing said calmly.
On a conventional battlefield, their tactic of rushing en masse could be terrifying. Anyone nearby would be doomed.
"Something's wrong—look at the aftermath! The green fog isn't dispersing… That might be the real weapon!"—Zhuge Liang's eyes narrowed as he pointed at the field.
Indeed, after each bug exploded, it released a thick green poison mist, which didn't dissipate but instead gathered into a massive cloud that quickly rose over the battlefield.
SPLASH!
Suddenly, it began to rain—a green toxic rain, clearly unnatural and deadly.
Sizzle!
Some flying dragons were touched by the rain. Their wings corroded instantly, holes appearing across the membrane before they melted into puddles of ooze. Death was swift and complete.
The sight was horrifying.
On an open battlefield, this rain would cause catastrophic losses. Who could possibly defend against such an insidious threat?
"Wind, come!!"
Zhuge Liang raised his feather fan and shouted.
He invoked his Life Aperture Divine Ability – Call the Wind.
WHOOOOOSH!!
With a single wave, the fan conjured a violent wind. The air howled, filled with cutting gales. The gusts swept into the poisonous clouds and rain, redirecting the toxic storm away from White Crow City, while countless wind blades shredded the poison mist.
In an instant, the deadly cloud was scattered and neutralized.
"Brilliant! What divine power!"
The surrounding generals cheered, their spirits lifted. The poisonous threat was eliminated.
"Attack!!"
Without hesitation, volleys of arrows rained down upon the Evernight forces. Zerg creatures fell en masse. The Eight-Armed Demon Spiders released fluffy spider hairs into the wind, trying to infiltrate White Crow City—but Zhuge Liang waved his fan once more and blew them away. Not a single one got close.
"Return, dead ones!!"
Nightmare Knights advanced, swinging their black spears. Waves of dark divine light flashed across the battlefield.
CRACK!
Suddenly, the corpses of fallen Zerg creatures began to stir. Bones clattered, and from shattered bodies rose legions of undead skeletons.
These were not insectoid undead, but humanoid skeletons, each one glowing with black soul flames in their eyes. Some carried bows, others wielded swords or shields, and even javelins. Each corpse often gave rise to multiple skeletons—sometimes even a dozen from one body.
Within moments, Hundred of thousands of skeletons had filled the battlefield.
CACKLE!
They let out shrill cries, then leapt atop the Zerg flying dragons and launched a renewed assault on White Crow City—forming a deadly combination of airborne beasts and undead riders.
"What a headache… With these Nightmare Knights around, Evernight's forces are truly unkillable."
Zhuge Liang shook his head with a sigh.
"Hmph. Using Resurrection of the Dead in front of this Emperor? Do you think I don't exist? Let me send them to eternal rest."—Yi Tianxing's gaze grew icy.
With a thought, he raised his hand and drew a circle in the void. The very space seemed to split. Mysterious Daoist runes and martial intent gathered together, forming an ancient, glowing mirror.