Blood tax

The outlines of an army emerged.

An aura full of anger and ferocity swirled in the outer city north of Zul'haka, condensing into a thundercloud that seemed to have substance.

The Lord of Dreams sensed that his divine hand had become stronger and gave gifts generously. Under the shadow of boundless will, the trolls could no longer resist and threw themselves under Commodus's command. Even the giant beasts in the rain forest went against their nature and gathered from all directions. Their heavy and powerful bodies made the earth tremble.

It’s as if the entire world’s hostility is under the control of a great will!

This army is like a torrent flowing into the ocean. The end point of their advance was Zulhakar, which was shrouded in dark green clouds.

At this time, the thick black mud on the vast wetlands and rainforest outside the Zulhaqa Pyramid seemed to be alive, stretching out tentacles. Wherever it went, the soil began to squirm and expand, as if something was about to break out of the ground.

Finally, the black mud exploded into bubbles like exploding slurry. On the soft earth covered with black mud, densely packed mounds of earth rose. With a slight but powerful commotion, the black mud solidified and the sand scattered. The gloomy atmosphere rushed straight to the dome of the underground world, surging in the clouds and mist.

Several shrill howls sounded in the air. The pungent smell of amniotic fluid hit his face, and a series of extremely ferocious and strange black shadows emerged from the rows of egg shells under the black mud.

These were a group of mummies that were as skinny as skin and bones, with faint green fire flashing in their eye bones. Their limbs were lying on the ground, and they were moving at an extremely fast pace like wild beasts!

This is the ghoul! After Griffith's psychic powers were enhanced, the ghouls completely replaced the old-fashioned living corpses, becoming more ferocious and agile.

Resurrected ghouls make up the most basic and cheapest of soldiers. They are undead creatures enhanced by skeletons or mummies. They move quickly and attack powerfully. Some of the elite units may even retain some thinking and master evil spells. However, they are still fragile and cannot wear powerful armor. In the absence of shield cover, ghouls are as easy to be destroyed by long-range firepower as living zombies.

However, once these crazy monsters kill a creature, the undead plague will transform the dead into living corpses and self-exploding balls. The transformed corpse retains the corrosive acid in its body, shrinks up and rolls across the battlefield, detonating itself through impact or active tearing.

A little later, two more powerful combat units joined the sequence.

Swollen and sluggish, oozing with ichor, Stitches tear apart their foes with bone knives and chains. The foul bodily fluids are foul-smelling, and any creature wounded by them or that comes too close will become infected.

The Stitches are the human shields of the army. Under the cover of the swollen body, the long-range troops in the rear can launch attacks continuously.

The beast, which is also composed of fragmented limbs, has long-range attack capabilities. Thick bone shards sprout from the exposed bodies and fleshy torsos of these twisted monsters, becoming armor or projecting as sharp bone spurs.

The undead creatures with heavy armor sacrifice their movement speed, but their attack and defense are greatly increased. Their slow speed is enhanced by the black mud, and they fight at the rear of the undead hordes.

The Hand of God crystal is suspended on the top of the pyramid ruins, spinning rapidly amid bursts of buzzing. Under the radiation of crystallized spiritual energy, the black substance like snakes and insects is crawling and squirming in a twisted manner.

Zul'Haka was corroded by these plants and tentacle-like substances, like a black palace, emitting a strange dark green light all around.

Griffith has poured all his spiritual energy and most of his will into the gathering of the undead army, and has also explained his plans to his allies, Princess Diana de Mirantis of the South, Alandel and Amber. Tactical concept:

"Our mission and current situation are as follows -

"I gathered the undead lieutenants and armies scattered nearby, and built an army with the remnants of Zul'haka's Eternal Stairs as the core.

"The first thing that fought us was half of Commodus's army. After receiving the increase in Domon's power, his control over the trolls and local creatures was better than before. With the blessing of the Lord of Dreams, Commodus Antoninou Sri Lanka's army is extremely aggressive and organized, and will go all out to attack.

"The other enemy is Erza, who has been transformed into a natural disaster. The power of the thread of life in the virtual world is still entangled with her, but her willingness to take the initiative to fight is low. As an alternative to the eternity ladder that is on the verge of destruction, she will be the best choice for the life in the virtual world. The threads preserve the physical form of the world.

"For these two enemy forces, I want to defeat Erza as soon as possible while holding on to Zul'Haka base, and deprive the outer gods of their control. This is achievable now that the authority of the Hand of God is gradually crystallizing;

"Then, focus your forces to turn back and fight Commodus' army, surprise and destroy his headquarters at the right time, and the remaining army will be taken over by the southern border."

Positional warfare and pursuit.

This is the decisive battle between Griffith and Commodus. Both sides mobilized all their strength and did not give the other side any chance to breathe.

The two armies came closer. The blazing sun poked its head out from behind the dark clouds, illuminating the body with a burning heat. The entire ruins of Zul'Haka seemed to be wrapped in a layer of burning gold. Just on the golden edge, four large groups of troll spearmen and spear throwers were on both sides, covering thousands of human infantry. One after another, huge phalanxes and horizontal formations came overwhelmingly.

A team of ghouls and self-destructing balls immediately pounced on them. Commodus sent a large number of musketeers and troll spear throwers to drive away the undead attacks.

Before the heavy troops on both sides are in place, the light infantry takes the first round!

The trolls moved extremely quickly, like a group of tireless worker ants, quickly seizing the position and even erecting a fence at the edge of the black mud.

Densely packed ghouls and self-destructing balls rolled over silently. A crazily black tide of corpses hundreds of meters wide was formed. When these seemingly dry and decaying creatures were running, they didn't even make a sound, only the "rustling" sound of running across the ground on all fours. "Voice.

Hundreds of undead armies marched silently, sprinted silently, and silently gathered into a shocking and terrifying wave and resonance. attack! ! Under the impact of the rolling self-destructing balls, Muzha and some soldiers flew into pieces as soon as they came into contact.

The silence suddenly exploded, and Commodus' defense line was almost broken by the chain of explosions.

But more spear-throwers and musketeers hid behind the palisades, and all the weapons that could fire were thrown with full force. Lead bullets and armor-piercing muskets were fired together, and the dense barrage even dimmed the light.

A buckshot penetrated the ghoul's head. The spear thrower jumped up quickly and threw a short spear to nail the self-destructing ball to the ground. The rolling tide of corpses was like a tide rushing into a reef, split into fragmented waves in the blink of an eye.

Looking down from the sky, the tide of corpses is like a black belt, broken into large and small blocks of color. Every wooden fence and pit became a battlefield for fighting. The skirmishers and spear throwers who were rushed into the face by the ghoul grabbed all their weapons and fought in all directions.

Another wave of ghouls seized the opportunity of the chaos on the front line and tried to charge again, and a cloud of shotgun shells was fired from the hillside in the distance. The light artillery had arrived and took up positions on the surrounding low hills. The dense rain of bullets blocked the path of the follow-up troops and swept directly over the ghouls, beating these fragile monsters to pieces and flying everywhere.

When the last ghoul died tragically and fell to the ground, the miserable cry for help from the wounded soldiers rang out. The black mud, like a slime carpet that has absorbed enough nutrition, has unconsciously covered the area where the forwards are fighting. The new undead army is hatching at a high speed and entering the battlefield.

At this time, Commodus' second wave of offensive came.

This time, more regular troops joined the battle. At the same time, something seemed to be crawling under the black mud that had spread to the front line. A group of ghouls and self-destructing balls lurked in the melee, setting up deadly traps, waiting for the phalanx and battle lines to pass by.

As long as a self-destructing ball explodes in the crowd...or a ghoul good at melee combat rushes to the Musketeer...

However, there are still many extraordinary people in these phalanxes. Once they join the battlefield, the Extraordinary's perceptions begin to spread.

With the blessing of these invisible threads, ordinary soldiers could clearly see the movement under the black mud, and quickly locked the location of the self-destructing balls and ghouls hiding in it. The agile troll spears and spear throwers jumped out and directly killed the lurking undead creatures through the soft soil!

The efficient killing shocked Amber: "Look, this is the first time I have seen an army of living people more determined than the undead."

"You can also call it efficient," Alandel sighed. "Look, even impulsive trolls can be restrained by order. They don't care about pain and fear at all, and they seem to have forgotten even their unruly nature...

"This army is a giant beehive, and Commodus is the queen bee."

Griffith nodded: "This also makes me understand why you resolutely resisted. I suspect that the army and relatives of the Lord of Dreams will fall into an illusion that cannot reach reality, producing excitement and concentration like hallucinogens. Only Such a talent is more efficient than the mindless undead in my hands."

Griffith issued an order and immediately asked the Stitch Monster and the Wild Beast to come forward. Dozens of behemoths swayed through the lightly armored troops and arrived at the intersections of roads and battle lines. As soon as the heavily armored troops arrived on the battlefield, their thick bodies were locked there like falling ship locks.

……

Commodus stared at the battlefield with furrowed brows and said to his adjutants:

"The undead creatures do not have high-end combat power, nor do they have the energy to suppress magic. They cannot stop our army after all."

As soon as he finished speaking, as if to prove how correct his words were, an infected building exploded and collapsed in front of everyone's eyes. In the light of the sky, one could even see the Extraordinary team under Commodus evacuating safely.

Rays of green light shot straight into the sky. Terrifying screams echoed through the valleys and wetlands.

More ghouls and suture monsters rushed out of the evil building, pouring out like a tide, and with indomitable momentum and hysterical madness, they crashed into the troll army in front of them.

Fresh lives kept dying, and then a new monster roared. The battle of the undead creatures is like a reef in a strong wind and waves. One wild wave after another rushes in and drowns the living. When the tide recedes, the undead monsters stand on the earth again. To end this battle, they must be completely eliminated.

Although the combat effectiveness of the undead cannot be equal to that of humans and troll armies, every warrior killed is a new undead soldier. After repeated consumption, the army of the living cannot persist for a long time.

The two armies collided fiercely, like a flesh and blood mill, devouring life crazily and squeezing out decaying living corpses.

In the violent attack, Griffith's defense line was breached in several places. The human phalanx launched a determined charge and even approached the city wall of Zuharka.

The battle seems to be hanging by a thread.

Whenever the front line is crumbling, the Corrupted Pyramid will gather a mixed force of ghouls, self-destructing balls, suture monsters and beasts to fight back to stabilize the collapsing front line. From the perspective of humans and trolls, their battle lines are constantly advancing on the battlefield. Wounded soldiers can retreat to be bandaged and rest, and the bodies of the dead can also be taken back and cremated. Therefore, the advantage should be on their side.

As long as you work harder, you can conquer that ominous pyramid!

The stalemate continued for about an hour, with the two sides constantly fighting for positions hundreds of meters in front of the city wall of Zuharka. Lives are falling on the battlefield every second. Commodus's face was as dark as water, he calculated his military strength and casualties, turned to his adjutant and said:

"Inform the trolls to send up the reserves. I need to gather more troops."

"His Majesty."

A strong and burly cleric came to Commodus, and it was Bishop Horus Osiris!

"My master would like to kindly remind Your Majesty that your enemies are deploying a trap.

"Griffith de Ravenel had a very clear understanding of war. What he wanted to demonstrate was the art of war."

Another person traveling with him, Sword Master Lanthanis, also nodded in agreement: "Griffith is luring His Majesty into investing the behemoths and Beyonders. Our reliable intelligence officer reported that he is still tracking the huntress.

"In the game of divine combat power, the party with the high-level combat power trump card seizes the opportunity to win."

"Oh?" Commodus chuckled, and glanced at the two of them with cold eyes, "Then, I will show you something unexpected."

He took out a conch horn from the saddle beside him.

This horn is filled with a layer of dark and deep color, with complicated and dizzying textures on it. Gazing at it will make people feel dizzy, as if they are being swallowed by the endless abyss of the sea, and have a breathtaking tremor!

This is an artifact from the Outer Gods, a gift given by the Hand of God - Kraken's Nightmare Horn!

Commodus held his head high and blew the horn, and a long and desolate voice sounded in the air, sweeping across the earth like a tidal wave.

All who were near the horn fell into a state of utter terror and trembling. The horn seemed to awaken some sea-demon of the abyss, seizing upon the primal terrors of the deepest instincts.

"Deploy the giant beast and launch a general attack."

Commodus put down his horn and stared at the back of the pyramid, with a determined smile on his lips.

"Griffith would never have guessed what was waiting for him."

……

From Griffith's perspective, everything was going according to plan.

Commodus's army was constantly consuming flesh and blood. Even if they are more powerful and efficient, it will be difficult to break through the defense line of the undead army in a short time.

In the dark, he heard a strange, indescribable horn sound...

Griffith, who was already confident, felt a strange hesitation and uneasiness inexplicably. It seems that I missed something important.

Well, our army's battle line has indeed been pushed back, almost reaching the city wall, and the enemy's fighting strength is relatively strong... Diana and the others still look worried. At this time, I'd better do something to stabilize our allies. Confidence... When he thought of this, despite the unfavorable battle situation, Griffith still laughed.

"Hahahaha!"

"?"

The friends on the side did not expect that he would still laugh now.

"What are you laughing at?"

"I laughed at Commodus for being too resourceful and decisive. I was just stalling for time so that I could gather a light and elite force to find and capture Erza first." Griffith nodded confidently, "Front If you hold on to this battlefield firmly, you will have a chance of victory."

"But how are you going to find her?" Diana asked, "I also have some reliable intelligence agents who are also searching for Erza's whereabouts."

"It doesn't have to be so complicated..." Griffith said while concentrating.

There is some kind of induction between the hands of God. And earlier, Griffith handed Erza the ancient troll gold coin in his hand. Originally this was given to the more fragile Huntress as a means to counter control and bleed skills during combat. This purpose was not used. Now, because of the undead aura of the gold coin, it has become a search beacon.

As long as Erza is recaptured, the elite are gathered to attack Commodus, and the command center is laid down, the combined forces of trolls and humans will be like chickens and dogs, and the probability of victory is 1000%!

"found it……"

The vague aura was captured as expected. On the chaotic battlefield, Griffith sensed it. A pursuit force that had just been prepared immediately gathered over.

"Great!" Amber clenched her fists happily, "Let's go together. Where is she?"

"She is..." Griffith's face suddenly turned pale, and his voice was a little surprised and wavering, "She is...

"here?!!"

Dark clouds swirled in the sky, thunder rolled, and a pair of huge glorious wings swept across the field of vision in the pure white mist.

"Be careful!" Amber rushed over, hugged Griffith and rolled over.

"Buzz!"

The arc gun set off sound waves, melting the ground where Griffith was standing and rolling it like waves.

Alandel protected Diana and hurriedly evacuated. The aftermath of the explosion shattered their shields, and blood dripped from their noses and ears.

Erza has actually arrived at Griffith's core position!

She holds lightning in her hand, her flying red hair flying in the flaming petals, and her noble eyes embody the spirit of hunting, which makes people dare not look up.

Mythical creature form "Liberator"!

With a single squeeze of his smooth and flawless hand, he condensed a powerful beam of light and threw it downwards.

"boom!"

The dazzling bright light could even make people unable to open their eyes. The elite team that had just been assembled were hit by the beam of light and all fell to the ground. Griffith rolled like a small leaf in the violent wind of the shock wave.

What's even more frightening is that in the chaos of the surprise attack, a fierce bugle sounded from the front line again! At this moment, Commodus's messenger raised his horn, blew it hard, and issued the order for the whole army to attack!

In the rapid sound of horns, more than ten terrifying giant beasts rushed out of the hidden dense forest. Commodus personally commanded as the forerunner, thousands of sergeants and warriors formed a dense square formation, and with thunderous momentum, they aimed at Zulhakar's undead camp and crushed it in one fell swoop! (End of chapter)