Chapter 315 - 310: A Turtle in a Jar

Chapter 315: Chapter 310: A Turtle in a Jar

The Dragon Eagle’s talons released him, and Baron Kroo slammed against the wooden wall of the second fortress, stumbling and nearly collapsing.

Rudolph didn’t say much. He simply gave him a military salute from the air before pulling on the reins. His Dragon Eagle let out a long cry and soared back into the clouds.

"My Lord Baron!" A few retreating Knights gathered around him. Their armor was drenched, and they all looked haggard.

Baron Kroo steadied himself against the crenellations and wiped the seawater from his face.

He looked down. Seawater was pouring through the breach in the first wall.

The mudflats between the two ramparts were quickly submerged by the murky water, forming a wide aquatic expanse. The water level continued to rise, eventually leveling with the sea at a height of just under ten meters.

The Multi-Armed Race Warriors roared, becoming agile again in the water.

Most of the Warriors dove underwater, and the defenders’ arrows instantly lost their targets.

"Ballistae! Aim for those big ones that surface!" Baron Kroo roared.

He was the commander of this fortress. Now, everyone’s lives hung on his judgment.

The ballistae on the second wall began to thunder.

The bolts shot into the water, their momentum immediately blunted. They struck the thick carapaces of the Sea Beasts, only stirring up ripples and leaving a few white marks.

Meanwhile, another contingent of the Multi-Armed Race, led by several giant sea crabs, turned to attack the remaining arrow towers of the first wall.

Without the cover of the wall, the isolated arrow towers were like fragile building blocks.

The giant crabs swung their massive pincers, capable of smashing an arrow tower’s base in just a few strikes.

The loud crack of splintering wood was incessant.

Whenever a tower began to topple, a Dragon Eagle would dive from the sky, grabbing the soldiers on top and carrying them away from danger.

This was a planned retreat. The soldiers of the Dawn Territory, though defeated, were not in disarray. They evacuated, regrouped, and moved to new defensive positions in an orderly fashion.

Baron Kroo watched it all, his palms slick with sweat.

Velin’s plan was unfolding step by step, but the cost was watching helplessly as the defensive line was shattered piece by piece.

’This torment was driving him mad.’

After sacrificing a dozen or so arrow towers, the main force of the Multi-Armed Race finally cleared the flank threats and gathered entirely before the second wall.

The siege turtles pushed forward again, ramming their heads against the wall.

"BOOM!"

"CRASH!"

This time, the impact was even more ferocious.

But the second wall seemed much sturdier than the first.

The turtles’ ramming only caused the wall to shake violently and send splinters flying; it failed to cause any structural damage.

"Hold the line!" Baron Kroo bellowed. "Pour the fire oil! Burn these bastards!"

Barrel after barrel of fire oil was poured from the top of the wall, and the ballistae switched to flaming bolts.

Flames spread across the water’s surface, turning the murky depths a brilliant red.

Seeing the fire oil, the Multi-Armed Race Warriors didn’t dare to surface, diving underwater to escape.

But for the thick-hided siege beasts, the situation was not so optimistic.

Their bodies were too large to submerge completely.

Worse still, this flooded area was built over a seafloor reef. The closer it got to the second wall, the higher the ground became, exposing more of their massive bodies above the water.

Alchemical fire oil clung to their carapaces. Even with Casters constantly using Water Magic to douse them, it was difficult to extinguish the flames completely in a short time.

For a moment, the Sea Beasts let out pained and frenzied roars, thrashing in the sea of fire.

The battle reached a stalemate.

The Multi-Armed Race couldn’t breach the second wall, and while the defenders’ flames caused constant harassment, they couldn’t deal a fatal blow to the enemies underwater.

Both sides were locked in a battle of attrition as time ticked away.

The nobles beside Baron Kroo looked increasingly grim.

"Baron Kroo, we can’t go on like this! Our arrows and fire oil won’t last much longer!" a pale-faced noble, also from the Dawn Territory, hurried to his side. "Our arrows and fire oil won’t last much longer!"

Baron Kroo pressed his lips together, not answering.

He looked toward the main city of Minas Tirith. The most crucial part of Velin’s plan had yet to appear.

He could only trust. He could only wait.

Just then, a massive siege turtle backed up several dozen meters, then suddenly accelerated, ramming forward with all its might!

"SCREEECH—"

A tremendous noise erupted.

The wooden wall beneath Baron Kroo’s feet suddenly buckled inward. To his horror, he saw a crack spread from the center of the wall, nearly running across its entire face!

"It’s over..." a soldier whispered in despair. His spear slipped from his grasp and fell to the ground with a CLANG.

The Multi-Armed Race Warriors erupted in a deafening cheer. Victory was at hand.

However, most people on the battlefield, attacker and defender alike, failed to notice.

Behind them, at the breach they had torn open, a figure had silently appeared.

Velin, riding Nefarian, hovered in the air above the breach.

The wind whipped through his short black hair, his eyes reflecting the battlefield raging below.

He stretched out a hand, palm down, aiming at the water below.

[Spring Messenger]

In an instant, innumerable seeds buried in the silt of the seabed were awakened by a will.

The seabed on both sides of the breach began to tremble violently.

In the murky water, something was growing upward at a visible rate.

At first, it was just two inconspicuous points of deep red, which then expanded wildly, connecting into a line.

The next second, it burst from the water with the force of a thunderbolt!

An entirely new wall was rising from the bottom of the sea!

"Wh-what is that?" On the second wall, a sharp-eyed soldier was the first to spot the anomaly. He pointed to the rear, his voice trembling.

"Chief! Behind us! Behind us!" a decurion of the Multi-Armed Race shrieked in terror, pointing at the "giant maw" closing behind them.

Atop the Skeleton Throne, Unas’s laughter died abruptly.

The sea was completely cut off.

The breach was gone.

The twenty-meter-wide gap was sealed shut by a new, solid wall.

"RUMBLE..."

The new wall settled into place, connecting seamlessly with the old walls on either side with a dull thud.

The cheers of the Multi-Armed Race vanished.

Every Warrior turned stiffly to stare at the wall that had completely sealed off their retreat.

The sea wind blew past, bringing with it a bone-chilling cold.

Panic began to spread.

"It’s a trap! We’re surrounded!"

"Charge! Break it down!"

The quick-thinking Multi-Armed Race Warriors had already started turning their Sea Beasts around to attack the new wall.

Kroo reacted immediately as well. Seizing the opportunity while the enemy was distracted, he concentrated fire on the backs of the Sea Beasts.

Arrows pierced the weaker carapace on the giant crabs’ abdomens, sending blood splashing everywhere.

Unas’s eight arms thrashed wildly behind him. He stood up from his Skeleton Throne, staring at the wall, and at the figure in the sky behind it.

’A trick! This is a trick, too!’

’The fragile first wall, the easily destroyed arrow towers—they were all bait!’

’Bait to lure my forces closer to the second wall!’

"Turn around! All forces, turn around! Break through the outer wall at the nearest point! Anywhere is fine!"

Unas roared, furious and exasperated.