"Fuck!"
Everyone cried out in shock. They had expected Su Xingyu to counter the fireball barrage with some clever tactic, but not like this. Blasting the entire barrage apart with sheer force? That was brutal.
It wasn't just unexpected—it was terrifying.
None of them dared to imagine attempting something so reckless themselves, let alone actually pulling it off.
"Impressive."
Despite everything happening around them, Lin Ye found time to shoot Su Xingyu a thumbs up in admiration.
"Not bad," Su Xingyu replied casually, though his right hand trembled slightly as he withdrew it. The effort had clearly taken its toll.
"Impossible!"
If the players were surprised, the gnolls were utterly dumbfounded. Their eyes bulged, jaws slack. They couldn't believe what they'd just seen.
"Fang, can your Dragon Blood Legion do something like that?" the Gnoll General turned to the towering red-scaled gnoll beside him.
The muscular warrior, scales gleaming under the sun, considered it seriously, then shook his head. "No. Not even close."
"Where the hell did these people come from?" the general muttered. "We may have underestimated them. We should've sent more of our own kind. With this few warriors, we might not be able to take them down."
The general narrowed his eyes, then barked an order. "Big Head, take your troops and attack from the left. I refuse to believe every one of them is that strong!"
While the Gnoll General repositioned his forces, the jackals on the right were momentarily stunned.
This wasn't how things were supposed to go.
They had expected the enemy's front line to be obliterated by fireballs, giving them an easy flank to storm through and massacre. But the fireballs hadn't even made contact.
Now they stood in awkward silence, caught mid-charge.
"What are you waiting for? That spell drained a lot out of them. Push forward and finish them off!"
The jackal leader didn't hesitate any longer. He gave a battle cry and surged forward with his warriors at his heels.
They had no other choice.
On a battlefield of nearly 400,000 fighters, the scale was massive. But due to limitations in command structures on both sides, the formations were loosely organized, and most of the fighting happened in isolated head-to-head clashes.
Each legion fought its own battle.
In this chaotic arrangement, the Jackal Legion had only two options: advance or fall back.
But a sudden retreat of 10,000 warriors would cause immediate chaos across the entire gnoll front. The only viable path was forward.
"You're courting death!"
Ye Dashan roared, his eyes blazing with fury. He raised his shield just in time to block an incoming slash with a deafening clang.
Then, with a swift motion, he thrust his sword forward. It punched clean through the chest of a jackal warrior who hadn't even had time to react.
Another jackal tried to counterattack, slashing down with a heavy blade. Sparks flew as it struck armor.
The jackal's eyes went wide. The blade hadn't even scratched the surface.
A flash of steel answered him. A clean arc—and the jackal's head was already tumbling to the ground.
The Jackal Legion was quickly outmatched.
Though far more disciplined than the tribal jackals they had conquered, these elite vassals still couldn't compare to the hardened warriors of the Night Tribe.
In moments, their aggressive charge turned into a desperate defense, struggling to keep pace with the overwhelming strength of the dark warriors.
Meanwhile, the left flank had erupted into battle as well.
The Dragon Blood Legion of the kobolds clashed with Lin Ye's Warriors of Light. At first glance, both sides seemed evenly matched—both elite, both heavily armed and armored. The ground trembled as the titans met.
As the initial clash settled into fierce melee, the Dragon Blood commander suddenly bellowed.
A red aura surged through his body. His muscles bulged grotesquely, his already-large frame expanding further. Loose armor snapped into place as his size swelled. The dragon blood within him ignited.
His warriors followed suit, each one erupting with a surge of power. Their blood burned, their strength doubled. The pressure they exuded forced Lin Ye's troops back a step.
"Warriors blessed by sacred blood! Slaughter every last one of them!" the kobold commander roared.
The response came like a thunderclap.
"You think you're the only ones with a trump card?"
Lin Ye's forces answered with their own power.
"For the glory of my Lord!" the Warriors of Light cried in unison.
The blazing sun above seemed to tremble. A divine light poured from the sky, infusing their bodies. Their armor glowed with radiant gold, and their blades shimmered with searing holy light.
Steel clashed again, this time with renewed fury. Ogre strength met divine resolve.
The ogres had expected to overpower their opponents with brute force, but now they found themselves matched—if not overwhelmed.
"Die!" bellowed one ogre warrior as he lunged, swinging his weapon with monstrous force.
The warrior of light raised his shield, absorbing the strike with a burst of divine energy. His armor shimmered, forming a protective golden layer that softened the impact.
Though driven back several paces, he stood firm. Then, with a cry, he retaliated.
His glowing sword cut cleanly through the kobold's thick scales and armored breastplate, carving a gash across the chest that sprayed blood like a fountain.
The ogre warrior staggered, disbelief etched into his face.
He wasn't the only one.
All across the battlefield, those who had tried to absorb the hits of the radiant swords were either cut down or severely wounded. Their usual tactic—tank a blow and counter with overwhelming force—had completely failed.
The divine light seemed to slice through armor like it was paper. The tide turned.
Three hundred kobold warriors fell in that single wave. Hundreds more were left bleeding or crippled.
"Defend yourselves! Do not take them head-on!" the wounded Gnoll General shouted, fury and alarm in his voice.
The ogres, shaken by their losses, finally abandoned their reckless charge. They fell into a defensive stance, shields raised, weapons braced.
The warriors of light did not chase them.
It was clear now that activating their sacred power was a double-edged sword. Their golden glow flickered slightly, showing signs of strain.
They had paid a price for the overwhelming strength they displayed, and they needed to conserve their energy.
With both sides bruised and bloodied, the left flank settled into a tense stalemate.
The battlefield fell into a momentary lull, broken only by the sounds of clashing steel and ragged breaths.
Both armies had revealed their cards.
And neither side was backing down.