Chapter 542: Zergs At The Doorstep
Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_
None of the soldiers on Ross’ team were afraid of dying on the battlefield, and had prepared themselves for the ultimate sacrifice. Many soldiers and warriors had done so before them to save the last bit of hope for humanity, and now, they knew that it was their time.
Fear was just a passing thought on the minds of Lun Duo and his comrades. These soldiers were heroes who were ready for risking their lives for the freedom of others. Maersa District needed them, and so did Mars.
Yin Tainzong didn’t let the others doubt his credibility as the branch leader of the Divine Master Sect, quickly arranging roles for one thousand or so civilians inside the wall to prepare for the war. Some of them were drafted as reserves for the coming battle, and others took up the role of caretakers for the wounded and assistants to the field medics. The rare ones who were too squeamish to witness the imminent brutality were allowed to pack up and retreat deeper behind the front line.
“I hope everything is OK with Wang Tong.” Guan Dongyang looked concerned. Despite the motherload of explosives that Wang Tong had prepared for the Zergs, it was no joke if his plan failed. Being surrounded by swarms of high-level Zergs spelled dome for even legendary level warriors.
“Fret not! The young master would never walk into such a situation unprepared. ” Yin Tianzong’s voice was calm and confident. However, a twitch of his lip betrayed his stress that was otherwise so perfectly hidden. After all, Wang Tong was the only hope left for all humans, and a lot was at stake on his success.
After a while, silence crept into the fields just outside the camp. The tired soldiers took advantage of the precious reprieve for taking much-needed naps, while those who were less tired started to meditate and cultivate their tactics.
Although they had warded off the attacks of the Zergs, it had been a costly victory. The men and women who survived the first battle did not find it in themselves to celebrate. More Zergs were on their way, and the soldiers needed rest.
“It is us whom you need to worry about.” Ye Zi announced. “Other than Yin Tianzong and Vorenus, we have lost all the high-level warriors amongst us.” She added.
Everyone knew that the key to their next survival lied in four warriors: Vorenus, Yin Tianzong, Xiao Yuyu, and Guan Dongyang. Without them, the entire group would be doomed.
As the field medic, Xiao Yuyu could have stayed behind the front line. However, her recent ascent to the legendary level had lent her confidence. That being said, she was not entirely sold on the second battle while being severely outnumbered. However, she never forgot about the oath she swore when she took up the cloak of a field medic. She couldn’t leave the wounded on the battlefield unattended; it was her sworn duty.
Clearly, the strength of the Divine Mastery Sect did not entirely lay in their young master, but in the unswerving faith of its followers as well.
It wasn’t before long the Battle Wolf received messages over the skynet, informing the defenders about the movement of the Zerg armies in the Maersa District. The resistance forces outside the city were on the move, nibbling at the heels of the Zergs’ marching column, harassing them but unable to cause any real damage.
The earth started to tremble before the dawn break.
“Sh*t! They are here!” Ross sprung to his feet; his booming voice wrenched the soldiers’ sleeping minds out of their dreams.
“Weapons ready!”
The campground outside the city was suddenly lit up by beams of white spotlights. Soldiers took up their assigned posts before giving each other a few knowing glances.
“They are here… It’s the vanguard. There are dark ones among their ranks.” Yin Tianzong broke the silence.
As the earth trembled more violently, people on the city wall started to see the outline of the Zerg army on the horizon, where the tip of the rising sun was eclipsed by rolling hills.
Ross saw his enemy and roared, agitated and eager to fight. “Brothers and sisters, this is your moment! Kill every single one of them!”
“Yes, sir!”
Everyone knew that as soon as the Zergs crossed the line of defense, the mastery casters, which made up the bulk of the humans’ offensive force would be unable to inflict any meaningful damage to the enemy.
The forest of concrete and cement, as well as the twisted alleyways, provided cover for the human defenders. In addition, since the Zergs had already made a home in this city, even the brutes in the Zerg army would tread carefully and try not to damage any of the structures which they used to call home. The Zergs’ reservation had given the humans another edge while defending themselves.
After a while, Guan Dongyang and the mastery casters started to cast the spells. Hearing the chanting, the dark ones sent in their flying units; however, the sky was guarded by Yin Tianzong and Vorenus. Unable to best two of the best human fighters, the flying Zergs fell to the ground.
Holding the energy crystals in their hands, the mastery casters pronounced the magical words one word after another as they weaved a hybrid elemental spell using each and every syllable. They had been practicing this hybrid spell for months, and by now, they could cast this powerful spell even with their eyes closed. Only the original mastery casters from the Battle Wolf had partaken in the casting, and those casters from the Divine Mastery sect were ordered to stay put for now. Casting such a powerful spell required tremendous energy, and resting was necessary after each casting. The second team of casters would need to keep the pressure on the enemies during the first team’s rest.
The front edge of the Zergs’ formation was near, and behind them was a dark sea of monstrosities. A few dark ones were scattered around the roiling sea, their glinting eyes looking like the moonlight reflected off the sea waves.
The dawn-lit sky was brightened by a warm red glow, and in a blink, the red glow turned into flames, setting the sky on fire. The fire sucked the power out of the energy crystals as the latter dimmed. As the fire danced more violently, the sky started to spin. A second later, the dancing flames gathered together and formed a tornado which quickly grew in size and brightness. The mastery casters’ eyes were lit up with anticipation and the promise to kill. There was no way back: this was the final battle!
The fire tornado wiggled its tail like a dragon, but it didn’t lash out at its target; it was waiting for them to get closer.
Sweat started to form and trickle down Guan Dongyang’s cheeks. The longer he held the spell, the more powerful it grew. At the same time, it got more and more taxing on the casters’ system.
The Zergs were still not close enough, hence, Guan Dongyang gritted his teeth and swallowed down the pain while waiting.
When the frontline of the Zerg formation finally reached the defense line, Ross led his warriors out of their covers and engaged them. Not far from the heat of the battle, a column of the casters from the Divine Mastery Sect stood anxiously, waiting for orders. This was going to a long battle, and every soldier counted.
Guan Dongyang waited; he wouldn’t unleash the spell until the Zergs’ heavy artillery came within the range.
Finally, four Tank Zergs moved their massive bodies across the defensive line and started shooting deadly flames at the human soldiers.
Tornado Fire Drake!
“KOM!”
Guan Dongyang finally unleashed the spell, causing the fire serpent to bear down on the dark sea of Zergs below it. The deadly flame melted the thick shells of the Tank Zergs almost instantly, not to speak of the lower tier Zergs.
The fire drake carved an ugly scar on the moving mass of Zergs and filled the air with the stench of charred meat and chitin. Seeing the powerful spell work, the human soldiers cheered in joy. However, the opening in the Zergs ranks was quickly filled by more of them.
“Formation!” Ross shouted.
The human soldiers tightened their formation and blocked the choke point, leaving only two small exposed sections to engage the attackers. Behind them, the mastery casters from the Sect were already busy at work. Xiao Yuyu had also replaced Guan Dongyang as the caster’s captain while the latter recuperated his strength.
The human force had the advantage of terrain, but were outnumbered and outranked. Still, Yin Tainzong and Vorenus were in charge of taking out the dark ones. Leveraging the terrain advantage, the two warriors were able to fend off the attacks of a dozen dark ones at the same time.
Every minute or so, Guan Dongyang would send a dark one to its maker along with an ear-piercing shriek. Not only was he a legendary level warrior, but also a veteran who had survived many wars. Therefore, he was much more powerful than a normal level twenty-one legendary warrior.
The human warriors stood their ground firmly while the Zergs kept on pouring through the choke point. Many of these warriors were survivors of the horror during the Zerg occupation of the city, and therefore, they fought with vindictiveness and courage that were unseen before.
After all, they would rather die while fighting than becoming the Zergs’ slaves again.