Antarctica, Chiyo Castle.
The following evening, the setting sun painted the gray-brown wilderness a dark red.
Chiyo Castle stands on the western shore of the Endless Sea and is a typical castle of the Cherry Blossom Country.
The city wall was sixty li in circumference and forty ters high, its bluish-gray bricks gleaming coldly in the twilight.
The city walls are irregular polygons, built according to the terrain. To the east, they are adjacent to the endless sea, and below the cliffs are black waves, so there is no need to defend them.
The city walls on the west, north, and south sides are towering, with arched battlents. Every thirty ters there is an arrow tower, and the top of the arrow tower is a typical hip roof with slightly upturned eaves, which look like eagles spreading their wings in the twilight.
The northern city wall was completely exposed to the open field and was the key point of defense.
Twenty thousand county soldiers and thirty thousand special troops were deployed on the north city wall, with the twenty thousand special troops lined up between the battlents.
Ten thousand special troops and thirty thousand awakened individuals, as reserves, sat quietly on the open ground below the city wall, weapons resting on their knees, and no one spoke.
Every ten ters along the city wall, a catapult or crossbow was set up. The catapult's projectile arm was as thick as a person's waist, and the crossbow's bowstring was taut like a full moon, with arrows loaded and ready to be fired at any ti.
The North Gate is a massive city gate of purple quality, with its doors inlaid with dense defensive runes.
Outside the north gate is the barbican, with the city walls on both sides extending forward, enclosing the city gate into a semi-enclosed killing space.
The gate of the barbican is also of purple quality, the sa specification as the main gate.
Outside the barbican, traps and barricades were densely packed, all the trees had been cut down, and the view was wide open and boundless, with the archers' range covering every inch of land outside the city.
Above the North Gate, seventy-four figures hovered in the twilight.
At the forefront, three figures stood side by side: Igor Petrov, the strongest from the Russian Bear Kingdom; Amir Singh, the strongest from the White Elephant Kingdom; and Nguyen Van Hung, the strongest from the Annam Kingdom.
The three were surrounded by the halos of four golden pieces of equipnt, their imposing presence as strong as a mountain.
Behind them, five level 40 experts stood in a row, each clad in golden armor or robes, their gazes solemn.
Further on, sixty-six level 39 powerhouses capable of flight spread out in a fan shape, their armor, robes, chainmail, and various other equipnt gleaming in the setting sun.
On the city wall, there were also ten level 39 powerhouses who could not fly.
They stood between the battlents, holding scimitars or spears, their gazes sweeping across the open fields to the towering red light twenty miles away.
The red light stretched for dozens of miles, dyeing half the sky a dark red.
That was the orc army's camp, where tens of thousands of bonfires burned simultaneously, turning night into day.
In the firelight, one could vaguely see densely packed tents, wandering dire wolf riders, and mammoth war elephants that were over ten ters tall.
Ruan Wenxiong was silent for a mont before speaking.
His voice was old but steady: "Three hundred thousand orcs, they really all ca to Chiyo Castle. They didn't divide their forces, they committed all their main force. Does the orc commander think that with their strength, they can defeat us head-on?"
Igor, the strongest in the Bear Kingdom, shook his head, his voice deep and resonant: "It cannot be ruled out that Lord Lin's guess is correct. The orcs may be trying to lure all of our human race's main force to Qiandai City, which is the farthest from Hangu Pass."
"That way, once they teleport to the outside of Hangu Pass, even if our high-level combat forces imdiately return to reinforce, it will still take us more than twenty hours to get there, assuming we still have enough stamina to fight after reaching Hangu Pass."
Amir, the strongest warrior of the White Elephant Kingdom, stroked his beard, his gaze deep, and his voice unhurried: "We have already executed the plan of the staff. Lord Lin can use the Awakening of Destiny inside Hangu Pass, and with nearly 100,000 defensive troops, it shouldn't be a problem for him to hold out until we provide reinforcents."
We've all seen the defensive system of Hangu Pass: forty-ter-high walls, purple gates, and the impressive visual effects of the Great Wall. Even if the orcs were to teleport there, they wouldn't be able to break through it in a short ti.
He paused, shifting his gaze from the distant red light to Ruan Wenxiong's face. "What we need to consider now is, if the orcs really intend to launch a full-scale attack on Chiyo Castle, can we hold it? Or rather, how many days can we hold it?"
Ruan Wenxiong twirled his double-edged battle axe in his hand, the runes on the blade drawing a golden arc in the twilight.
His gaze was as steady as iron, and his voice was resolute: "If the orcs really attack Chiyo City with all their might, we can transfer the third-tier combat forces from Dongzhi City and Garou City. With the three cities working together, defending Chiyo City should not be a problem."
Igor nodded, his golden greatsword swaying slightly behind him: "Then let's go with this plan. If the orcs dare to launch a full-scale attack on Chiyo Castle, we'll make them bleed to death here."
Amir stroked his beard, said nothing, and simply nodded slightly.
The three stopped talking and turned their gaze back to the towering red light twenty miles away.
As dusk deepened, torches lit up one by one on the walls of Chiyo Castle.
The orange-red light bathed the brick walls in a warm orange hue, and the sentries on the watchtower held up their binoculars, constantly scanning the distant orc camp.
Outside the north gate, traps and barricades cast jagged shadows in the twilight, while the purple city gate glead with a restrained luster in the firelight.
Twenty miles away, the firelight in the orc camp grew brighter and brighter, like a giant beast awakening and opening its eyes.
The faint sound of horns drifted over, deep and lingering, echoing in the twilight.
...
Twenty miles north of Chiyo Castle lies the orc camp.
Dusk had fallen, and night had enveloped the entire wilderness.
In the center of the camp, a huge tent stood three tis taller than the others, its mammoth hide walls as thick as walls, gleaming a dark, blood-red color in the firelight.
Inside the large tent, candlelight blazed brightly.
Two rows of orc chieftains sat facing each other, five on the left and five on the right.
Their weapons leaned against the chair: double-edged battle axes, spiked clubs, long-handled warhamrs, and greatswords, each gleaming with a dark, bloody light.
A dark red fla burned in everyone's eyes, a mark of a level 40 powerhouse.
On the left, at the head of the table, Bloodaxe Gronn sat upright on a stone chair, with the Bonebreaker's giant axe standing upright beside him. His gaze was steady, and his fingers tapped lightly on the armrest.
On the right, at the head of the table, Hamrhead Salga leaned back in his chair, his giant bone club resting against his side, the fangs at the club's head gleaming with a faint golden light.
King Saruk the Orc sat in the main seat.
Standing nearly four ters tall, he was still half a head taller than the other chieftains, even when seated. His dark gold full-body plate armor glead with a restrained luster under the candlelight, and the golden runes on the armor plates flowed slowly.
Saruk's gaze swept over the two rows of chieftains, his voice deep and resonant: "How many human third-tier combatants does Chiyo City have?"
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