The bright moonlight spilled across the snow, reflecting a soft, ethereal white glow, lending the entire area an uncanny beauty!
A Snow Fox, its mouth holding a dead rabbit, arrived at the stream at the foot of Fist Peak of the Ancients. It seemed to be the result of a night's work.
Just as the Snow Fox was about to drink, its sensitive ears perked up, as if it had heard something strange. It then used its nimble nose to carefully sniff the air.
Suddenly, the Snow Fox's body trembled violently, as if it had caught a whiff of something terrifying. It immediately grabbed its prey and fled towards the eastern forest.
Two minutes later, a decaying foot stomped onto the snow beside the stream. Rotting flesh and filth were scattered everywhere. The Wight's body was covered in bite marks, as if it had been killed by a beast.
Its clothes were tattered, and many private areas were exposed. Its intestines hung down, seemingly caught on something, and then dragged a few steps before they completely fell out of its abdomen.
The Ghoul's eyes flickered with a ghostly blue light. Those eyes, long devoid of life, gazed at the distant mountain peak. Behind it, a dense crowd of its Ghoul kin gathered.
At the rear of the group, five Wights held Ice Spears, riding on Ghoul mounts. Leading them seemed to be an aged Wight.
The figure looked somewhat hunched, shorter than the four behind it, with a withered face that seemed to be nothing but icy flesh.
Wights, in some ways, resembled humans in shape and appearance. This particular Wight even had a scraggly beard, which seemed to detract from its otherwise stern and terrifying image. This one likely belonged to the first batch of Wights converted in ancient times.
They were currently exchanging information! The Wights' language was as grating as ice scraping against ice, and the pronunciation was simple, somewhat like an ancient tongue!
After a brief exchange, two Wights led a portion of the Ghouls south, appearing to be planning a flanking attack.
Far away, on the Fist Peak of the Ancients, Marco and his companions were resting in their tents, with only sentries and patrol soldiers in the camp.
Tonight, they had held a simple welcoming banquet to celebrate the Children of the Forest and the Giants joining Griffin Fortress.
Because of the sudden addition of a human tribe, Marco's supplies were being consumed at a rapid rate, making him suspect that Red-Haired Red might have joined the group just to freeload.
The Giants' appetites were truly astonishing. If Marco hadn't replenished some supplies from Kaster, they might have run out of food tonight!
The Shadow Lynx was the first to spot the danger, letting out a loud hiss. Immediately after, the sentries' horns blared.
"Enemy attack!"
With Sas Ting's roar, the entire camp erupted in chaos. A cacophony of sounds filled the air, especially among the recently arrived human tribes, who were in complete disarray.
Under Joman's command, the Skeleton Soldiers had already established a defensive line outside the camp. These dilapidated, man-high outer walls, though seemingly flimsy, were more effective than any shield.
Seeing the situation, Marco used his soul link to arrange the three new leaders. The human tribesmen, responding to the calls of Marco's Snow Bear Knights, moved behind the Skeleton Soldiers, forming a second line of defense.
The Giants, under Naksis's command, began dismantling the stone bases and broken walls around them to use as projectiles. These large beings weren't even properly dressed in warm clothing.
Without any armor, Marco couldn't risk them in close combat. Therefore, they were best utilized as human catapults.
The Children of the Forest were each given a box of enchanted Obsidian. This treasure had been obtained from the Wolf Tail Forest, but Marco hadn't used it before because only the Children of the Forest could harness its power.
Fire-attribute Obsidian did the most damage to the Wights and Ghouls, so Marco wanted to save it for later. Therefore, he used Earth-attribute Obsidian this time.
Marco and the others had just finished making their arrangements when the Ghouls attacked. The eerie blue light in their eyes was like fireflies in the night, stretching as far as the eye could see!
The Ghouls, roaring as they charged, were blocked by the broken walls, and for a moment, they couldn't bring their numerical advantage to bear.
Seeing the Ghouls blocked, the human warriors seized the opportunity to attack with Obsidian arrows. Yezi and the others had also brought many Obsidian weapons this time, which greatly replenished their recent consumption.
The Giants, under Naksis's command, also lifted huge stones and launched an attack. They rarely used stones as throwing weapons, but thankfully, they didn't injure their own people. After a few test throws, they mastered the technique.
Under the attacks of the human warriors and the Giants, a large swathe of Ghouls was instantly cleared. Limbs were scattered everywhere. The severed limbs of the Ghouls that hadn't been hit by Obsidian were still wriggling, looking incredibly eerie!
At this moment, some Ghouls suddenly jumped up from the cliff on the west side, charging directly towards the human soldiers defending the second layer.
For a moment, the second line of defense was thrown into chaos. Fortunately, the Snow Bear Knights held their ground in time, preventing the situation from worsening.
Red-Haired Red also promptly led his troops forward, plugging the gap and preventing a rout.
A Ghoul howled and charged towards a tribal warrior holding a longbow. The soldier, paralyzed by fear, stood rooted to the spot. Just as the Ghoul was three meters away,
a rock spike erupted from the ground, impaling the Ghoul. Then, more stone spikes shot up, bisecting the Ghoul horde that was trying to ambush them.
At this moment, on the western cliff face, a makeshift staircase made of solid ice appeared, extending down the slope towards them.
Crawling on it were Ghouls, climbing from this point up the cliff. The ice staircase could accommodate two people side-by-side, but it looked a bit fragile, so the Ghouls were crawling.
Two Wights stood at the peak, using Ice Spears to maintain the icy staircase. Seemingly sensing the magical fluctuations of the Stone Pillars, they increased their control over the Ghouls.
The Ghouls, blocked from the human warriors by the Stone Pillars, were wiped out under the command of Sas Ting and his men.
Meanwhile, the Ghouls on the other side of the Stone Pillars were gathering in greater numbers. Just then, dozens of torches and burning bundles of firewood were hurled into the Ghoul horde.
Several Ghouls were instantly set ablaze, their screams echoing as they scattered. The flames quickly spread, igniting many more Ghouls nearby.
The flames, a natural counter to the Ghouls' existence, caused them to ignore their master's commands and flee. Some even tumbled from the cliff's edge.
Sensing the loss of his Ghoul minions, one of the two Wights raised his Ice Spear, which served as both a weapon and a conduit for their magic.
The Wight strode into the burning mass of Ghouls, his Ice Spear slashing, and he swiftly dismembered all the out-of-control Ghouls.
Then, with a wave of his hand, a blizzard erupted from his body, fiercely sweeping outwards. The burning wood and torches were extinguished in an instant.
Having done this, the Wight, holding his Ice Spear, charged towards the Stone Pillars. He slammed the Ice Spear against one of them.
The Stone Pillar instantly turned blue-black. The Wight then struck it with his hand, and the three-meter-tall pillar shattered, turning into a pile of ice shards.
Just as the Wight was about to command the Ghouls to attack, over a dozen Obsidian arrows struck him. His face contorted in pain, and with a howl, he turned into a pile of ice fragments.
The other Wight saw this, a flicker of terror crossing its emotionless face. But before it could react, a barrage of stones suddenly rained down from the sky.
The ice steps, maintained by the Wight, were instantly shattered. Over forty Ghouls plummeted, making no sound as they fell. The Wight itself was struck and fell as well.
Fortunately, it managed to use an Ice Spear to pierce the cliff face, barely arresting its fall. The Wight pulled out the Ice Spear and continued to fall, repeating the process until it slowly reached the foot of the mountain.
The Ghouls that had climbed the western cliff weren't so lucky. They were either burned to death or shot down by Obsidian arrows.
However, the fighting on this side had disrupted the main defensive line, increasing the pressure. Eventually, the Skeleton Soldiers at several breaches couldn't hold, and the Ghouls broke through.
Under Marco's command, all troops launched indiscriminate attacks. The mixed mass of Ghouls was struck by all sorts of weapons, suffering heavy losses.
But this only held them back for a moment. More Ghouls surged from the horde. Luckily, the human warriors had prepared their formations this time, preventing chaos.
Just then, a massive brown magic circle suddenly appeared on the battlefield. Marco, who was constantly observing the situation using a soul link, immediately used "Elemental Summoning."
With the sound of grinding stone, a giant Earth Elemental appeared on the battlefield.
As soon as it appeared, the Earth Elemental, under Marco's command, swung its massive rock fists, attacking the surrounding Ghouls.
Its terrifying defense, combined with those indestructible rock fists, made the Earth Elemental a meat grinder on the battlefield. The ground it passed through was like it had been plowed.
All that remained were the limbs of the Ghouls, which greatly reduced the pressure on the human troops in the second defensive layer.
Just as the Earth Elemental was wreaking havoc, an Ice Spear shot from afar and struck the Earth Elemental. The Earth Elemental's thick body couldn't dodge, and it was pierced!
The terrifying ice energy attack caused the Earth Elemental's elemental energy to continuously dissipate, and its movements slowed down.
The surrounding Ghouls also seized the opportunity, jumping onto the Earth Elemental's body, attempting to drag it down.
After a few seconds, the Earth Elemental turned into a pile of rubble, but before disappearing, it still flung away more than a dozen Ghouls.
After the Earth Elemental disappeared, a fierce blizzard suddenly swept towards Marco and his group. Howls echoed from the darkness, suggesting the enemy had deployed a second Ghoul unit.
Marco, with a thought, ordered Joman to use magic. Since it was past midnight, his and Naksis's mana had fully recovered.
"Haha! Come on! Let's see if Bran's underlings have improved over the years!"
Joman let out a cackling laugh, and with a lift of his rune-bandaged hands, many Skeleton Soldiers, previously reduced to fragments of bone, rose from the ground once more.
Under Joman's advanced magic, the undead creatures resurrected this time were composed of the dismembered remains of Ghouls and skeletons, a bizarre sight.
Some of the Skeleton Soldiers' corpses still retained the energy of the Wights, their eyes a mix of blue and purple, which looked somewhat comical.
Seeing the blizzard, Marco instinctively activated his knight hero's exclusive skill, the Blessing Ritual.
After the clash of the two powers, Marco could barely make out the defensive situation on his side. Due to the darkness, even with the moonlight, he couldn't clearly see the number of enemies.
The human forces, shielded by the Giants and the Children of the Forest, managed to maintain their formation, which was a stroke of luck.
Under Marco's command, Joman initiated a second "Undead Summoning," raising 200 Skeleton Soldiers of various forms to meet the second wave of Ghoul troops.
From a distance, purple and blue lights intertwined. Although Marco's side was outnumbered, their combat awareness and strength had been significantly enhanced by the system.
Marco, using the soul link, located the Wights hiding behind the battlefield and was calculating their distance, planning his attack strategy.
Four Wights were mounted on Ghoul horses, wielding their Ice Spear weapons. The Wight that had failed its ambush was standing with its companions.
After eliminating the Ghouls that had breached the second defensive layer, the allied troops behind them unleashed volleys of arrows and stones at the Ghoul forces.
The Ghoul troops were held back outside the ruins by the 200 Skeleton Soldiers. With their combined efforts, the Ghoul troops suffered heavy losses!
Seeing the blocked Ghoul troops, the other three Wights grew impatient and brandished their Ice Spears, preparing to charge forward, but the oldest Wight stopped them!
After a brief exchange, the Wights rode away. Marco, having observed their movements through the Ghoul's vision, abandoned his plan to use "Hades Banshees."
Marco had already calculated the distance, intending to cast "Swift Response" and "Berserk Rune" on the Hades Banshees, hoping to eliminate these persistent pests in one go.
"Lucky for you, you ran off. Next time, it won't be like this! These people beyond the Wall are mine; I won't hand them over to you!"
During this journey, Marco had already planned his future development path. He intended to use Skane Island as his foothold, gradually bringing the wildlings under his control.
With the Wights assisting him, Marco had ample opportunities to subdue them. Red-Haired Red was the best example: under the threat of death and survival, they would do anything, give up anything!
"Free will is never as important as life!"