Chapter 859: Chapter 841: Ascend the City Wall!

Originally, the trench dug earlier, combined with the fleet’s intense bombardment, had managed to keep the Demons outside Qingyuan City. But with the arrival of the Flying Demons, everything changed.

The appearance of the Flying Demons immediately disrupted Bernardo’s defensive rhythm. The warships, which had been focusing on ground bombardments, faced a severe threat. Though he promptly deployed the Void Magic Corps to provide escort, the overwhelming difference in numbers was insurmountable. Even with the Void Magic Corps fighting desperately to intercept, a significant number of Demons managed to break through toward the fleet. To ensure the fleet could still function in combat, the Fleet Commander had no choice but to reassign some warships, shifting their firepower from the ground to target the Flying Demons.

That was the turning point. Already stretched thin to provide adequate defensive firepower for Qingyuan City, the fleet could only barely hold off the ground Demon assault. The reassignment of warships immediately weakened the ground firepower, allowing more Demons to break through the firepower net and surge forward.

Still, thankfully, the trench was able to play its role. Even though more Demons emerged from the smoke, more were still falling into the trench, and the situation seemed temporarily under control.

But unfortunately, that sense of control was a mere illusion. In reality, the precarious situation didn’t last long. With more Flying Demons arriving on the scene, it became clear that if the fleet didn’t deploy additional forces to protect the Void Magic Fleet, the Void Magic Warriors would inevitably be overwhelmed by the Demons outnumbering them several times over. And once the Void Magic Corps was annihilated, the fleet would face certain destruction.

Consequently, as the fleet was forced to prioritize self-preservation, the ground bombardments weakened further and allowed more Demons to gleefully charge toward Qingyuan City.

What followed was a terrifying spectacle–the Demons rushing toward Qingyuan City were fully aware that a deep trench lay ahead of them, yet not a single one hesitated. Every Demon charging toward the trench leapt into it without a second thought. And as more and more Demons jumped into the trench, the barrier that had been intended to hold them back began filling up visibly!

When thousands–no, tens of thousands–of Demons leapt into the trench without hesitation, the once-imposing trench, dozens of meters deep, lost its purpose entirely. The later-arriving Demons trampled over the fallen ones as if the trench had become flat ground, charging toward Qingyuan City unhindered, closing in on its walls in the blink of an eye.

“Tank Corps, fire!”

Seeing the Demons reach the city walls, Bernardo immediately ordered the Tank Corps stationed on the wall’s walkways to open fire. Though these Tank Armors were designed for close combat, their dual arms were equipped with weapons capable of firing up to several hundred meters away, providing a degree of suppressive firepower at close range. When hundreds of Tank Armors fired simultaneously, Magic Energy Bullets rained down from the city walls like a torrential downpour.

It must be admitted that a decent number of Demons were struck down and fell to the ground under the heavy fire. But only a small fraction of them were affected, as the bullets fired by the Tank Armors, despite being numerous and dense, were still Magic Energy Bullets. Their relatively limited power and firing rate could not inflict significant damage on the Demons. Moreover, as more Demons surged toward the city walls, the attacks that were already not particularly effective became increasingly dispersed, resembling mere drizzles of rain.

As time quickly passed, the first Demon climbed onto the wall!

One Magic Antelope Devil leapt onto the wall with just two agile jumps. Unfortunately, before it could stabilize itself, a Tank Armor nearby swung its blade horizontally and sliced it cleanly into two halves from the chest.

Soon, two more Demons climbed up the city wall. One was a Toothed Lizard Demon, the other a Sludge Demon. The Toothed Lizard Demon resembled a meter-long lizard, with teeth harder than steel, capable of shattering metal into fragments. Meanwhile, the Sludge Demon resembled a walking pile of mud, emanating a nauseating stench, with its toxic mud body posing a threat to anyone it touched. These two types of Demons, like the previously encountered Demon Bell Devils, were common in the Kalhan Plains.

But barely had these two Demons climbed up the wall when the Toothed Lizard Demon was crushed into a pulp by a nearby Tank Armor, while the Sludge Demon was swiftly killed by another.

It was evident that during the defense of the city wall, where fewer Demons were encountered simultaneously, the close-combat Tank Armors could exert a clear advantage. Their massive forms effectively shielded against Demon attacks, and their sharp blades could instantly kill Demons. As such, for a considerable period, while the Demons surged to the base of the walls, none of them managed to gain an upper hand on the ramparts.

This tenuous balance began to change as the Demon numbers continued to increase.

The number of Demons swarming at the base of Qingyuan City was gradually growing. Consequently, the number of Demons climbing the walls was also steadily rising. At first, when the numbers were relatively lower, the defense troops could handle the situation with relative ease. But as the numbers grew too large, the pressure on the defenders became overwhelming.

Fortunately, the close-combat Tank Armors performed admirably in this battle. Faced with increasing numbers of Demons on the ramparts, the Tank Armors’ operators did their best to repel them, whether by slashing with their blades or even directly ramming them. This effort managed to keep the situation barely under control.

The fact that the defenders could hold on despite the relentless Demon assault was a near miracle. For Bernardo, who commanded the defense, and Cyril, who remained ready to join the battle personally, there was a moment of relief. After all, being able to defend the city walls against such overwhelming odds was an achievement worthy of their families’ histories. This battle was bound to be recorded for posterity.

Yet, at this very moment, a Tank Armor operator had just forcefully rammed a Magic Antelope Devil off the wall. Before they could stabilize the Armor’s position, a shadow flashed before them–and moments later, the Armor exploded!

A thunderous explosion shook the air, drawing everyone’s attention. As the guards turned toward the blast, they saw a figure darting through the flames at an incredible speed. The figure streaked past multiple Tank Armors, and each one it approached erupted into a fiery inferno!

When the figure finally stopped amidst the explosions, the defenders could see what it was.

The figure resembled a standing fox at first glance, but in its hands were two gleaming scythes!

“This is…”

Upon seeing the figure clearly, many of the defenders froze momentarily. Then, someone shouted in recognition–it was the Knife Fox Demon!

“It’s a high-level demon!”

As soon as the Knife Fox Demon was identified, a warning shout echoed across the battlefield. The defending troops had been trained to prioritize issuing warnings upon detecting a high-level demon instead of engaging them immediately. Yet, before this warning could be fully uttered, the Tank Armor from which it came exploded. The Knife Fox Demon’s shadow shot through the flames without hesitation!

The defenders’ worst nightmare had become reality. A high-level demon had appeared on the battlefield at Qingyuan City!