Chapter 386
The command center of the Dark Alliance's army was situated atop a hill and from this vantage point, everything around could be seen clearly.
At this moment, the high-ranking officers of the dark army witnessed an unforgettable scene.
That is, an army of over ten thousand cavalry, composed of elves, crypt spiders, and various magical beasts, glittered with magical light, as they all surged forward like a prismatic torrent into the ranks of the dark army...
The military formation organized by the Dark Alliance was easily torn apart like paper by the cavalry's charge.
Amidst screams, wails, the clash of weapons, and the cracking of bones, the dark dwarven warriors at the forefront were easily trampled into pulp by the spider cavalry.
The Dark Alliance's forces managed to hinder the elves' advance, but it was only for a moment as the immense strength of the adult crypt spiders, with their hard shells and rapid speed, sent everything they encountered flying away...
The elven tanks at the forefront quickly pierced through the Dark Alliance's ranks.
Whereas, the elves following behind attacked the demoralized soldiers of the Dark Alliance, simultaneously shooting at distant enemies or unleashing pre-chanted offensive spells one after another...
Across the battlefield, numerous arrows flew, and explosive magic blossomed in the Dark Alliance's army with colorful brilliance. The chaotic magical waves could be faintly sensed even on the walls of the holy city of Itkazar.
The arrows and magical attacks prevented the Dark Alliance's troops from encircling the elven army that had slowed down due to the charge, and not only that but it also caused them even greater casualties as a result...
In just this one engagement, at least three thousand Dark Alliance warriors fell under the cavalry's metal hooves, with many more succumbing to the accompanying arrows and spells...
Looking at the battlefield, it was filled with wails and heavy casualties.
Yet, the elves easily broke through the Dark Army's formation.
They maintained their wedge-shaped formation, leaving behind only a few scattered beast corpses in their wake...
At that moment, an eerie stillness settled over the entire battlefield for a few seconds.
The soldiers defending the city walls of Itkazar watched the shocking scene with their mouths agape.
Then, a deafening cheer erupted within the city walls.
However, in contrast to the Hermetic Alliance forces, whose morale had been rekindled, the high-ranking officers of the Dark Alliance atop the hill fell into a deathly silence.
In particular, the Lich King cast a cold glance at Dorulu, after witnessing the heavy losses inflicted by the charge of the Elven cavalry.
Sensing the palpable killing intent emanating from the Lich King, Dorulu almost fainted in fright...
"Twenty thousand infantry mercenaries, huh."
The Lich King sneered.
The grey-hooded mage who had previously supported Dorulu tried to opened his mouth but ultimately lowered his head in shame.
Watching the nearly shattered formation of the Dark Alliance's army, which had been routed by twenty thousand elven cavalry, and seeing the elven forces regrouping for a second charge, the Lich King Perone finally adopted a serious expression.
Even at this moment, he did not show any panic at all.
He only sighed lightly and said,
"I underestimated these elves."
"Pass the order down. Since their reinforcements have finally arrived, there's no need to wait any longer."
"Proceed with the original plan and ensure these elves are trapped here."
"Even if these elves can resurrect, I will make sure they die here today..."
"As for their mounted beasts, not a single one is allowed to leave the battlefield alive!"
Perone had already noticed that only the dead elves' bodies disappeared, which meant that their mounted beasts couldn't resurrect, unlike the elves themselves.
Following the Lich King's command, two enormous magic arrays suddenly appeared on the flanks of the Dark Alliance's army.
They were actually two teleportation magic circles that had been pre-drawn long ago!
Then, as the teleportation arrays was activated, two new armies emerged from them...
They formed a well-organized formation, including well-equipped undead knights, creating a dark mass of no less than ten thousand of them!
Moreover, the teleportation array still continued to flicker nonstop, with an endless stream of Dark Alliance soldiers emerging from it.
These were the dark soldiers from other army units that had been besieging other underground city-states!
The two armies appeared in such a way that they surrounded the Dark Alliance Army and the elves' cavalry unit, as if they had been prepared in advance.
Clearly, the Dark Alliance had laid out an ambush specifically for the elves!
On the hill, none of the Dark Alliance high command seemed surprised by this development, except for Dorulu, who, upon seeing the arrival of their own reinforcements, gaped in shock and looked at the Lich King with even more reverence.
It was obvious that the higher-ups of the Dark Alliance had anticipated the Hermetic Alliance's reinforcements right from the beginning!
They planned to entrap and annihilate all the reinforcements from the beginning!
Although the strength of the elven cavalry had caught them off guard, the arrival of their two ambushing armies allowed them to encircle the elven army effectively.
This time, with their retreat cut off and no room for a long-distance charge, the elven cavalry wouldn't be able to execute another piercing strike like before...
Their previous tactics seemed futile now, as the encircling grip of the Dark Alliance army closed in methodically, their ranks spreading like a tightening noose around the outnumbered elves.
"Encircle and kill them!"
Perone commanded coldly.
With the roars of underground beasts, the vast Dark Alliance army moved again, launching an assault on the somewhat panicked elven forces.
However, the situation took another unexpected turn.
The elven army seemed to be guided by an invisible hand.
Nearly twenty thousand elves moved in unison, quickly shaking off their panic.
They turned without hesitation, charging towards the encircling forces...
Their efficient command and coordinated movements made the Lich King pause in surprise.
This level of organization, efficiency, and response capability exceeded his understanding of military tactics!
Even the undead army would take considerable time to achieve such rapid response and perfect execution of orders.
In large-scale battles, successful encirclement depended on position, terrain, strength, and exploiting the enemy command system's sluggishness.
Yet, these elves acted as if they were one entity, without the usual delays and clumsiness of large armies!
They roared, shouted with excitement, and focused in a single direction, tearing through the encircling Dark Alliance forces and successfully breaking out!
Thus, the Dark Alliance's ambush plan failed in a bizarre manner.
It wasn't due to a lack of strength or poor positioning, but simply because the elven response and actions defied conventional logic.
It was as if every individual received direct commands from the same source.
"How is this possible? How are they being commanded?! Have all the elves mastered telepathic magic?!"
The high-ranking Dark Alliance commander couldn't help but exclaim incredulously.
Telepathic magic?
No... Telepathic magic could only work one-on-one and such large-scale coordination was unimaginable.
But the Dark Alliance high command had no time to ponder upon this mystery.
At that moment, clouds of dust rose on the horizon...
Accompanied by a wave of battle cries, new figures suddenly appeared on the southwestern border.
Tens of thousands of a combined force of elves, dark dwarves, and subterranean gnomes emerged in the Dark Alliance's view...
They glow with polychromatic acceleration magic, moving swiftly despite being mostly composed of infantry units.
Then, as soon as they appeared, they charged towards the Dark Alliance in well-ordered formations.
Despite being far from the battlefield, the elven cavalry, which had just broken out of the encirclement, immediately turned as if receiving a signal...
They quickly reformed their ranks and launched a second charge against the Dark Alliance forces!
Hence, with accompanying troops charging from two different directions, the Dark Alliance army, whose originally the besieging party, found itself surrounded instead!
In an instant, the tide of battle reversed against the Dark Alliance's favor.
— 386 —
[ THE BATTLE IS REVERSED ]
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