Chapter 227
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Chapter 227: What Is That?
At that moment in Aowenduo Town.
"Hey, look there! What’s that?"
The patrolling soldier on the battlements nudged his companion’s shoulder.
"What’s happening?"
His comrade squinted toward the indicated horizon…
Dust clouds billowed in the distance, accompanied by dark shapes advancing toward the town…
When the figures came within discernible range, both soldiers’ faces paled.
"Goblins! A whole horde of them!"
The approaching swarm numbered at least a thousand – a force substantial enough to breach the gates! This was no trivial threat.
Recovering from their initial shock, the pair snapped into action.
One soldier rushed to alert the gate guards about evacuating the remaining human race members still queuing outside, while the other scrambled up the watchtower to inform their captain.
The captain’s eyes widened at the report. Immediately dispatching messengers, he ordered them to gallop toward both the military barracks and the lord’s manor to summon Legionnaire Leader Lit and Lord Simon.
As hoofbeats echoed through stone streets, the goblin tide surged closer – now mere hundreds of meters from the walls.
This time, the defenders got proper reckoning of the enemy’s strength. "By the gods – over three thousand!" one guard choked out. The town’s combined forces barely mustered a third of that number.
Then they spotted the aberrations among the swarm.
Hulking figures lumbered forward – Big Goblins, their D to C-ranked power making ordinary goblins seem like mere vermin in comparison. The soldiers counted thirty of these monstrous brutes through gritted teeth.
Though their limited vision missed the concealed Goblin Warriors and Goblin Wizards within the ranks, the visible Big Goblins alone chilled their blood. Each carried tree-trunk clubs that could splinter the town’s reinforced gates within minutes.
㈤㈡㈥㈥㈤㈡㈡㈤㈠
The captain’s gaze flew to the massive bell crowning the watchtower – their last resort before activating the central square’s Defense Magic Crystal. This ancient bronze instrument, enchanted with sound-amplifying magic, could rouse the entire town when disaster struck.
Below, guards finally sealed the gates behind the last evacuees. As the goblin vanguard closed within two hundred paces, the tower’s silent sentinel awoke with thunderous peals.
BOOOONG— BOOOONG— BOOOONG—
In the central square, guards stationed around the glowing Defense Magic Crystal jolted upright at the resonant alarm. Their leader produced a smaller blue crystal – twin to the massive monolith beside them – and crushed it without hesitation.
CRACK—
The shattering gem released arcane energies that pulsed through the air, priming the town’s final defense.
The moment it was crushed, the massive Defense Magic Crystal guarded by the soldiers suddenly emitted a faint inner glow, and simultaneously, a colossal translucent blue barrier materialized, enveloping the entire town in its protective embrace.
The goblins charged toward the settlement with guttural shrieks of "Gah-ba!" Their frenzied assault ended abruptly as they collided with the azure shield. The barrier remained utterly unscathed while the creatures tumbled backward in a chaotic heap. Witnessing this, the soldiers at the city gates exhaled in temporary relief.
Yet the goblin onslaught persisted unabated. They commenced battering the luminous shield with renewed ferocity. Though the barrier showed no visible damage, the deafening clamor of their strikes raised urgent concerns about the Magic Defense Crystal’s endurance.
…
As the goblins hammered the barrier, the town mobilized its forces with desperate haste. The Adventurer’s Guild once again issued urgent commissions, and given the monsters’ proximity, most guild members accepted the missions this time. Before long, both military troops and adventurers converged upon the South City Gate.
While the blue barrier effectively repelled external attacks, it simultaneously prevented those within from launching counterstrikes through its shimmering surface. The Defense Magic Crystal’s limitations became apparent – sustained bombardment would inevitably breach the shield. The only solution was to confront the horde directly.
Though outnumbered by the goblins, the combined force of three hundred adventurers, over a thousand soldiers, and most of the Guard Knights held superior individual combat capabilities compared to common goblins. When the shield finally dissipated, archers and magic-wielding adventurers stationed on the walls unleashed their projectiles.
Few possessed the rare "Talent of Magic" skill – among three hundred adventurers, only a dozen could conjure basic spells like Fireball, their techniques falling short of proper skill standards. While arrows proved lethal against ordinary goblins, they merely irritated the hulking Big Goblins. Fireballs could injure these larger foes but suffered from poor accuracy and slow travel speed.
Nevertheless, this aerial barrage disrupted the goblin ranks. As the city gates crashed open, screaming soldiers and adventurers surged forth. The already disoriented goblin formation collapsed into utter chaos under this dual assault.
"Press the advantage! Destroy them all!" roared legionnaire leader Lit, charging a Big Goblin. But the horde countered with their own archers – Goblin Warriors – and spellcasters – Goblin Wizards whose ranks surpassed human adventurers.
After initial confusion, magical projectiles and arrows began flying from goblin lines. The counterattack proved devastating: front-line combatants fell in droves, and Lit himself took an arrow mid-duel.
"Grah!" The Big Goblin seized its chance, smashing Lit away with a brutal club strike. Even his Class C resilience couldn’t withstand the full-force blow – the commander collapsed, vision swimming, unable to rise.
Lit’s defeat stunned the soldiers. These goblins clearly surpassed the previous Goblin Tribe in strength. Victory, if achievable, would come at horrific cost.
"Town’s reserves are depleted. Should we intervene, Mother?" Stealth One inquired. The trio of ants observed from a battlefield-adjacent tree. Through shared perception, Lin Yu saw Army Lady quivering with anticipation and Lvzi nuzzling against Stealth One’s arm.
"Mmm." Their position behind goblin lines was ideal. Eliminating the advanced goblin casters and warriors would trigger mass retreat, leaving the remainder for human forces. Moreover, this intervention would significantly boost Army Lady’s reputation as an adventurer.
