Chapter 78: A Critical Moment

“Back row, take the front! Front row, fall back!” Wu Qingsong bellowed his orders. 

Two bearmen, clutching large shields, advanced to the frontline, taking advantage of a moment when one of the ant person’s scythe-like claws was broken, leaving it off-balance. They stepped in to relieve the houndmen, who, after nearly ten minutes of intense combat, were showing signs of fatigue.

Another of the antman’s claws slammed hard against a shield, producing a grating metallic screech. A pigman, summoning his courage, lunged from the protection of the shields, hammering down hard on the antman’s leg. However, his strike fell short of its intended effect, and he quickly retreated back to safety.

Around the arrow tower, nearly a hundred antpeople had gathered, including one colossal ant soldier, which was shielded by its comrades and had not yet joined the fray.

Beneath the wall adjacent to the tower, almost twenty bodies of antpeople had accumulated, alongside a similar number of their wounded. This unintended ramp made it easier for the other antpeople to scale the wall, stepping over their fallen brethren.

Although there were few injuries among the defenders, the warriors were visibly worn out after several shifts of relentless fighting.

The inspiring impact of Wu Qingsong’s earlier words was fading as the battle dragged on, and the promise of imminent rescue started to lose its effect as more fighters sustained injuries.

From the top of the arrow tower, Wu Qingsong could see that nearly all of Esola City had succumbed. Several areas were engulfed in flames, sending up thick smoke that billowed high into the sky before finally dispersing.

Many structures had fallen victim to the destructive force of the ant soldiers, and the antpeople were now rummaging through the debris, dragging beastfolk who were either buried beneath or seeking refuge within. They relentlessly unearthed each one.

At a few stone-built locations, like the city hall, resistance persisted in a manner akin to Wu Qingsong’s group. But with the antpeople’s aggression intensifying there, their situation appeared even more grim.

It was clear that if those areas succumbed, the ant people would swiftly redirect their focus to their current position. Faced with such an overwhelming onslaught, how long could they possibly hold out?

“How many Molotov jugs do we have left?” asked Wu Qingsong, his breaths heavy.

Bearing the weight of command, his stress was immense. Though he hadn’t rejoined the frontline, his efforts had been ceaseless, continuously rallying and directing the warriors with all his vocal strength, keenly observing their surroundings, and swiftly making strategic decisions. Had he not been spared physical combat, his voice would surely have been hoarse by now.

“Eight,” Harold responded, having consolidated all the incendiary bottles and stringently managing their deployment.

These bottles had become their critical lifeline. On several occasions, just as the ant people were about to overrun their defenses, it was the well-timed use of these bottles from behind that had prevented their total annihilation.

“Only eight?” Wu Qingsong passed a hand over his face, wiping away the mix of sweat and blood.

With just eight bottles, they could manage at most three counterattacks. Should the giant ant soldier join the fray, they might exhaust their entire stock in a single go.

Were they nearing the last stand?

“My lord!” Angus suddenly interjected at his side.

Behind the besieging antpeople, a massive spider creature was advancing slowly. Its elongated legs effortlessly stepped over the ants, heading straight for the arrow tower. Wu Qingsong noticed its unsettling array of eyes and the squirming tentacles around its mouth, making it one of the most grotesque beings he had ever encountered.

“Be alert,” Wu Qingsong instantly warned. “Get the stones ready!”

The creature’s abdomen seemed large, perhaps not as heavily armored as the ants. Hitting it there might just do the trick.

However, the spider abruptly reared up on its front end. As the beastfolk looked on in bewilderment, a stream of white fluid jetted from an opening at its front, stretching out like a vast white ribbon. It spanned over ten meters in a flash, ensnaring the two bearmen at the forefront, completely encasing their bodies.

The gluey substance appeared toxic. Their screams of pain erupted immediately. While the warriors behind hastily attempted to sever the sticky strands, the spider rapidly began retracting its web with the tentacles near its mouth, unbalancing the bearmen and sending them tumbling off the wall.

The frontline was now fully exposed, and two or three antpeople pounced without delay. Before the shield bearers could fill the gap, these antpeople viciously attacked the now vulnerable hammer wielding warriors.

Their lethal scythe-like claws tore through the leather armors. A pigman warrior and a houndman soldier were snagged and mercilessly dragged back by the antpeople. As the houndman soldier struggled, one of the antman violently clamped its jaws shut and flung him away, ending his resistance on the spot.

The pigman, like the bearmen before him, was violently hurled down the wall, where countless slashing scythe-like claws awaited, swiftly mutilating their bodies with numerous wounds.

“Molotovs! More Molotovs!” Wu Qingsong had to shout once again.

The antpeople at the forefront writhed in the flames, but this time, their counterparts pressed forward undeterred. Four or five warriors were swiftly struck down and hauled away by the relentless claws.

In a final act of defiance, a bearman bellowed, shattering the skull of one antman with his hammer. But he was swiftly decapitated from behind by another ant soldier, his blood gushing forth like a fountain, soaking those around him. The ants, unfazed, quickly dragged away his corpse, as more swarmed over the wall.

“Liuli!” Wu Qingsong called out urgently.

Ling’s power had been called upon earlier, and now, as they reached a critical juncture, it was Liuli’s strength they needed.

“This is not the time for emotions, take Ram and Harold and escape,” he instructed Liuli.

She looked up with wide, innocent eyes, feeling aggrieved, but Wu Qingsong’s directive was aimed at the transformed version of Liuli.

The houndmen nearby, though unclear about his words to Liuli, distinctly understood the order to flee.

In moments like these, when years of training come to a head, what else is there to say?

Thus, Angus surveyed the houndmen and bellowed, “Brothers, our time to die fighting has come!”

The houndmen’s roars erupted fiercely.

Their unwavering spirit stirred Wu Qingsong’s own resolve. He suddenly turned his gaze to Ram, contemplating whether it was time to awaken the dormant power within her.

Should they take that gamble?

At that moment, a series of continuous explosions sounded from outside the city.

Several swift horses were rapidly approaching Esola, each accompanied by brilliant flashes of red light. The antpeople in their way were quickly engulfed and incinerated by the fiery glow.

An ant soldier raised its jaws in a futile attempt to block the oncoming charge, but in an instant, it was bisected. A forceful, transparent magical shield slammed into the creature, sending its body fluids and shattered limbs flying, instilling terror in the antpeople behind it.

Beside one of the horses, a massive fireball materialized and swelled in size. Seconds later, it shot up into the sky.

“Elves,” Harold uttered, his voice laden with a complex mix of emotions. “They’ve finally come.”

The fireball exploded spectacularly, creating a sun-like radiance in the sky. Countless fireballs burst forth, raining down like a meteor shower upon the ant swarm, charring them to cinders.

For the first time, the ranks of the antpeople were thrown into disarray.