Chapter 340: Chapter 313: Stop Holding Back

The ripples caused by the Taiyin Body did not disrupt the rhythm of war preparations in the Nine Nether City Domain.

「Chenxi Calendar, Year 9409. Spring.」

The grand army of the Silver Moon Race finished assembling in the borderlands and immediately began to advance toward the Red Blood Fertile Soil.

Meanwhile, the army of the City-States Alliance had also gathered in a natural basin in the heart of the fertile soil, where they formed ranks and waited, ready for battle.

Within a temporary command post erected in the deepest part of the basin.

The seven great Dark Elf Queens of Vion City, including Marais, twelve City-State Lords, and a host of other high-ranking leaders were all gathered together.

All eyes were fixed on the Water Curtain suspended in the air, which displayed a real-time, panoramic view of the battlefield.

The atmosphere was exceptionally tense.

Everyone understood the importance of this battle.

They had no path of retreat.

If they were defeated, the best they could hope for was to become prisoners of war.

"Is it really alright to move the battlefield here?"

"It’s better than fighting in the borderlands. Our soldiers are no match for those ethereal puppets."

"At least here, the advantage of those ethereal puppets will be greatly diminished."

"The Elf Race has a small population and lacks the forces to sustain heavy casualties. As long as we make them feel the pain, even if we can’t win, we can try to sue for peace."

A comment from the Mushroom-man Lord made the other lords’ eyes light up.

’That might actually work.’

’If we really can’t defeat Nine Nether City, as long as we can drag this battle into a meat grinder and show them that continuing to fight isn’t worth the cost, there might still be room for negotiation.’

’Even ceding some territory or a portion of our Blood Soul Crystal share isn’t out of the question.’

’It’s better than total defeat.’

Marais watched on with a cool detachment, saying nothing. She only occasionally exchanged glances with the other Dark Elf Queens.

Just then, the image on the Water Curtain suddenly changed.

A horde of figures poured forth from the far edge of the screen, like a dark tide surging up from the depths of the earth.

The massive, moving figures blotted out the grayish-white rock walls, spreading from one corner until they gradually filled the entire screen.

"It’s those Alchemy Puppets..."

The Kuo-toa lord began to speak in a low voice, but he trailed off mid-sentence, his expression changing abruptly.

The other lords wore similar expressions.

The number of Alchemy Puppets appearing on the screen far exceeded their expectations.

The dark-golden figures formed one tight phalanx after another, spreading out in layered formations. Like spilled ink bleeding across a page, they expanded from one corner of the screen and, in the blink of an eye, occupied nearly half the battlefield.

"How is this possible...?"

"Why do they still have so many Alchemy Puppets?"

"But we already destroyed so many of them..."

The lords were aghast, their faces drained of color.

In the previous assault on the Nine Nether City Domain’s defensive lines, they had destroyed at least a thousand Alchemy Puppets.

’We thought that was the majority of Nine Nether City’s forces.’

But now, it seemed they had completely misjudged the number of Alchemy Puppets their enemy possessed.

The puppet army before them numbered at least four to five thousand.

Following the phalanxes of Alchemy Puppets was the Elf army.

The Elf soldiers marched in neat lines, their steps perfectly synchronized. Their armor was gleaming, and the weapons in their hands shimmered with a faint light—clearly high-quality Magic Equipment.

They marched in silence, yet the grim, murderous aura they exuded pressed down on the onlookers like cold iron.

Watching this scene, the faces of the assembled lords all turned grim.

In previous battles, they had mostly faced Alchemy Puppets, Nine Nether City’s Vassal Races, or small contingents of Elf soldiers.

This was the first time they had ever witnessed a fully organized Elf army.

’Well-equipped and highly trained.’

That was their first impression of this army.

Even the least discerning observer could see that this was an elite and powerful force.

Farther back, even more columns were on the move.

Their view was limited, so they couldn’t make out the details of what was happening farther away.

But the dense mass of figures did not halt. They continued to surge forward, pouring onto the battlefield, filling every gap, and making the enemy’s battle line ever thicker.

The lords were silent. No one spoke.

The air in the command post felt as heavy as lead.

The battle erupted amidst the silence.

The Yellow Turban Warriors advanced first, their steps heavy and uniform. They were a dark-golden torrent, crashing violently into the Alliance army’s front line.

The Gleystone-men, who served as the Alliance’s main vanguard due to their massive physiques, had been able to hold their own against scattered Yellow Turban Warriors in previous skirmishes, relying on their thick, stone-like skin and physical prowess.

But now, as the Yellow Turban Warriors advanced in dense, perfectly coordinated formations, the Gleystone-men’s vaunted size and brute strength were utterly inadequate.

One Gleystone-man had just raised his warhammer, not yet bringing it down, when he was flanked by two Yellow Turban Warriors. Their Golden Melon Hammers smashed precisely into the sides of his knees.

His stone-like skin shattered. His thick leg buckled, and he lost his balance, pitching forward. A third Yellow Turban Warrior then stepped up, brought a hammer down, and his skull shattered like stone.

With the Yellow Turban Warriors’ seamless coordination, the Gleystone-men fell one after another like stalks of wheat before a scythe.

A breach was quickly torn in the vanguard’s defensive line.

At the same time, the Elf Casters in the rear began their incantations.

A torrent of multicolored light poured forth from their ranks, landing in the most densely packed areas of the Alliance army.

Fireballs, Ice Cones, and chain lightning wove together into a blinding curtain of light.

Other Elf soldiers drew Talismans from the leather pouches at their waists and swiftly activated them.

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