In the fields, withered reeds formed an undulating ocean in the afternoon breeze, rustling softly like the sleeping breath of the earth, appearing peaceful and serene.
"Vroom—!"
At that moment, the resonant hum of the distant battlefield's battery array charging broke the tranquility of this wilderness, startling several waterfowl from the reed thickets far away.
On the wall top, four devices embedded with spirit stones suddenly lit up. Complex patterns, as if injected with life, rapidly flowed and converged into four increasingly blinding silvery-white spheres of light.
"Is that the magic crystal cannons?!" some goblins shrieked.
Grumg's murky pupils contracted slightly.
This form of highly compressed pure energy immediately reminded him of the legion's magic crystal cannons he had seen from afar in Golden Radiance Valley.
But the texture of this energy was more violent, carrying a disturbing wildness that didn't match the magical craftsmanship in his memory.
"Fire!"
"Whoosh!!"
The instant the light beam was about to erupt, the ogre's instincts let him sniff out danger. His expression changed slightly, and his massive body leaped sideways backward, his wide mage's robe whipping up a gust of wind.
A searing beam of light grazed past the spot where he had been standing. The terrifying high temperature instantly vaporized a deep crater in that patch of earth.
"Damn it!"
A flicker of shock and doubt passed through Grumg's yellow vertical pupils.
"What the hell is this thing? It's like a magic crystal cannon but not quite..."
Is this the strange magic crystal cannon mentioned in the intelligence?
These slimes are indeed not as simple as they appear on the surface.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
As if the previous shot was just a warm-up, the four battery arrays paused for a second before unleashing a torrent of energy, tearing through the air with a screech loud enough to shatter eardrums, and smashing with pinpoint accuracy into the most densely packed goblin areas.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
"Ah! Ah!!"
Silvery-white light exploded like miniature suns. Soil, shattered stones, and mangled green limbs were thrown high into the air by the terrifying energy shockwaves, drowning out the goblins' screams.
Under this savage bombardment, a large swathe of the goblin vanguard was erased as if by an invisible giant hand.
But the goblins were as numerous as locusts, quickly filling the gaps, flooding over the reeds like a tide. More goblins emerged, clad in rusty iron armor and wielding spiked clubs.
"Charge! Trample all these slimes to death!"
"Hahaha! We're having slime soup tonight!"
"Get out of the way, I'm going to become a centurion!"
Goblins shrieked and cackled as they surged forward, attempting to overwhelm this pitifully small fortress with their tried-and-true swarm tactics.
These despicable creatures, almost universally despised by all living beings, were cowardly mice huddled in dark lairs when alone. But when gathered, they revealed their evil and utterly chaotic vile nature, rationality gone, like a plague of locusts, fearless and advancing wave after wave.
For villages and towns on the kingdom's border, these wandering green-skinned creatures were a considerable headache, requiring bounties to be spent every year to hire adventurers for extermination campaigns.
And goblins gathered into legions were, in a sense, a natural disaster. Every summer when the magical tides came, they brought great trouble and destruction to the kingdom's border.
Even the knights of the border garrison detested these filthy green-skinned creatures.
However, at this moment, their swarm tactics failed and they encountered major trouble.
Poison-stinger Wasps, originally social magical creatures of the swamp, were limited by food and natural predators, their nests generally not exceeding fifty wasps.
But the goblins discovered with horror that a buzzing dark cloud rose from the outpost—a massive swarm of Poison-stinger Wasps.
Each wasp soldier had surpassed the racial limit, reaching the size of a fist, their black, glossy carapaces reflecting a menacing light.
And their numbers had far exceeded the limit of fifty, not just that, perhaps even hundreds!
They moved like a well-trained air force squadron, simultaneously contracting their abdomens, unleashing a storm of countless red-glowing stingers that rained down like a tempest.
"Where did so many poisonous wasps come from?!"
"Ahh! Run!"
Just as the goblins fell into chaos, the stingers fell.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Dense stingers shot through, either piercing goblin flesh directly or clanging against iron armor.
"Ah! Ah!"
"It hurts so much!!"
"Damn it!"
Before the surviving goblins could catch their breath, those wasps that fell to the ground soon revealed an even more terrifying aspect—they each emitted a dazzling red light before violently exploding.
Boom! Boom! Boom...
Dense explosions instantly resounded across the battlefield, blasting goblins off their feet, limbs and blood flying everywhere. Screams of agony rose incessantly, turning the place into a veritable hell.
"These things seem stronger than before."
Hammerbone watched the spectacle from the side, leaning on his massive morningstar, utterly indifferent to the goblins' miserable state.
Cannon fodder goblins like these were a dime a dozen in the fortress. Even if they were snatched away by beasts someday, the legion wouldn't bat an eye.
Goblins believed in survival of the fittest. The strong were born to be admired, the weak weren't even worth being slaves, their lives held no value.
He even took malicious pleasure in it, using a thick finger to scratch his ear, itchy from the deafening noise.
"What kind of magic crystal cannon has such poor aim, can't even hit a purple-skinned sweet potato."
Grumg glared back at him. "Shut up, you brainless oaf."
Though he cursed like that, his twisted wooden staff was already swiftly raised. Obscure, rapid syllables burst from his mouth with a primitive rhythm, and the surrounding temperature plummeted.
[Cone of Cold]
Bitter cold air coalesced into countless sharp ice spikes. White frost mist condensed in the air, shooting toward the city wall.
Simultaneously, the gathered goblin shamans also began casting spells, summoning poisonous insects to charge forward.
The Poison-stinger Wasps stood ready, having long prepared for this. They simultaneously lowered their heads, using their mouthparts to tear open the magic leaves draped over them.
The next moment, a series of thick, earthy-yellow lights materialized in front of the wall, combining to form a massive barrier covering the entire forward edge of the outpost, firmly protecting the entire structure.
The ice spikes Grumg conjured crashed against the barrier, only stirring ripples of mana and cracking a few fissures before shattering like waves hitting a reef.
"What?!"
Grumg finally couldn't help but cry out in disbelief, his face etched with shock.
"Hey! What did I tell you?"
Hammerbone's annoying, coarse voice rang out again. "Lord Grumg, that high-level skill you learned in Golden Radiance Valley doesn't seem very useful, huh."
"You muscle-brained fool, the intelligence didn't say these magical creatures possessed so many magic scrolls," Grumg cursed.
"And, are you just going to watch? Where's your endless brute force?"
Hammerbone stubbornly stiffened his neck, grumbling, "Lord Grumg, you took on this defensive mission yourself. If you sincerely call me Lord Hammerbone, I'll step in."
Grumg couldn't be bothered with him, but he also realized this couldn't continue. He had to break the deadlock, otherwise his dignity as a mage would be trampled into the mud by this brainless idiot.
He roared, slamming his staff hard on the ground. Mana rippled out from his feet, infusing the surrounding remaining goblins.
Those goblins' eyes instantly turned blood-red, muscles bulging unnaturally, veins like earthworms writhing beneath their green skin. They howled like beasts, completely losing reason and fear, and began madly charging the wall in a frenzy.
Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!
Under this suicidal, frenzied assault, the barrier flickered violently. The earthy-yellow light dimmed and brightened erratically, even emitting a low, strained hum. Fine but clear cracks finally appeared on its surface.
The Poison-stinger Wasps on the wall top immediately concentrated their fire, diving down like precision bombers, raining explosive stingers on the heads of these berserk goblins, eliciting waves of agonized howls and temporarily checking the mad charge.
However, at that moment, several goblin shamans hiding in the rear fixed their gaze on the metal slime big brother commanding from the battlement.
"That guy's in command, take him out first!"
"They fear fire!"
The shamans seized the moment the barrier showed gaps, completed their lengthy chants, and launched searing fireballs from their hands. The fireballs broke through the barrier and blasted toward the metal slime big brother on the wall.
Boom!
Only one fireball got through, but it struck the metal slime big brother squarely, flames and black smoke instantly engulfing its dark silver, rounded body.
Seeing this, Grumg began to relax slightly.
However, the flames and thick smoke were quickly dispersed by the wind, revealing the metal slime big brother's figure once more.
It still stood steadily on the wall top. Its smooth, polished dark silver carapace reflected a cold, hard sheen in the firelight, not even a single scorch mark left behind.
It even leisurely shook its round body, dislodging the clinging soot and ash.
Damn it... He actually saw composure on a slime.
Grumg's expression was about to crack. Refusing to believe it, he cast several more spells in succession. Even if a ray happened to slip through the barrier, it couldn't deal effective damage to this thing.
Weren't metal slimes supposed to be weak to magic damage?!
"Hammerbone, aren't you going to act?!"
"Hmph, finally know to ask for help?"
Hammerbone snorted coldly, but his powerful fighting spirit was thoroughly ignited. He had been itching for a fight. "Step aside, watch how I smash it into scrap metal."
The metal slime big brother quickly sensed Hammerbone's intent. To prevent this guy from approaching the wall, it directly leaped down from the several-meter-high wall top.
Thud!
Its heavy metal body crashed to the ground like a cannonball, raising a circle of dust.
Facing several roaring, charging goblins, its body instantly extended countless sharp, pointed metal spikes, piercing through their bodies like a sea urchin.
Hammerbone, meanwhile, under the cover of the goblin shamans, charged over with heavy, thudding steps.
Confronting the metal slime big brother directly, he swung down his morningstar, stained with dark red blood spots, without hesitation.
The metal slime big brother reacted swiftly. Liquid metal flowed and gathered on its round body, instantly transforming into a thick, massive metal shield, blocking Hammerbone's path.
"Clang—!!!"
Hammerbone's mighty blow, carrying a terrifying, air-rending howl, smashed hard against the great shield.
The metallic ringing was deafening, instantly spreading across the entire battlefield.
Sparks flew at the impact point. The metal shield was pushed back several meters, but Hammerbone didn't fare well either. The tremendous recoil traveled up the handle, numbing his arms.
"Hahaha! Good at taking a beating, eh?"
Hammerbone laughed instead of getting angry, his competitive spirit thoroughly roused.
"This is interesting, let's see how many hits you can take!"
He roared, the bulging muscles in his arms swelling again. Like a tireless blacksmith, he swung his morningstar, hammering blow after blow.
Each strike was heavy and powerful, brimming with destructive force.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The heavy, funereal tolling of impacts was continuous, almost pounding into everyone's hearts.
The great shield transformed by the metal slime big brother steadily absorbed every impact. The tremendous noise highlighted the fearsomeness of Hammerbone's strength.
Equally fearsome was this hard shield. Even though its surface was dented with increasingly deep pits, sparks constantly flying, it remained unshakable, firmly guarding the wall behind it.
Seeing this, a sinister glint flashed in Grumg's eyes. Seizing this rare opportunity, he quickly waved his staff and chanted.
[Curse of Agony]
[Acid Arrow]
Viscous acid splashed onto the shield's surface, emitting a "sizzling" sound that made scalps crawl, wisps of white smoke rising.
However, the dark silver metal suddenly shimmered faintly. The dents hammered by Hammerbone and the shallow pits corroded by the acid actually began to slowly writhe and repair themselves.
Not only is this thing incredibly hard, highly magic-resistant, but it can also fucking self-repair?!
Hammerbone initially felt satisfied, but as he fought on, he grew increasingly frustrated and irritable. His heavy hammer could produce earth-shattering noise each time, and he could feel the opponent shaking violently too, yet he could never truly break through this damned defense.
"Grumg, can't your spells do anything useful?! At least rust it or something!" he panted, sweat beading on his forehead.
The two of them attacked relentlessly but made no progress, their stamina and mana depleting continuously. Just as they began to consider retreating, the metal slime big brother finally couldn't hold on.
It transformed back into its round shape and rolled toward the city gate.
Seeing this, Hammerbone was overjoyed. Without hesitation, he immediately gave chase.
But before he could get close to the wall, a fireball from Grumg made him stop.
"Fool, get out of there! It's a trap!" Grumg shouted, his gaze involuntarily turning toward the wall.
At some unknown time, a green slime had appeared on the city wall.
Amidst the "squish squish" cluster and excited pheromones of a group of little slimes, it slowly wriggled to the edge of the battlement.
Its round body stood out strikingly under the gray, gloomy sky, like a vibrant emerald.
It was Chen Yu, who had arrived at the battlefield.
Looking up and seeing it, Hammerbone's heart "sank." As if seeing a natural predator, he instantly recognized this as the slime that had toyed with him back in the mining area.
The face of this tall fellow, who fancied himself a bugbear warrior, changed drastically. Without even thinking, he turned and fled without hesitation.
"Grumg, cover me!"
"Discovered so quickly?" Chen Yu felt a bit regretful. He had originally hoped to sneak in an attack, but this strange mage had spotted him.
After experiencing the baptism of the Blacktooth Formation Company, he even felt this outpost defense battle was a bit small-scale.
The once powerful bosses had fallen out of the meta.
Even his subordinate metal slime could hold its own, blocking the bugbear's savage assault.
Even if he hadn't come, these little ones could probably win easily.
After all, these weren't the goblins' main legion forces that had come here. They hadn't even had time to set up supply lines. Heavy magic crystal cannons simply couldn't be transported into this field of reeds connecting to Gray Mist Lake.
Since he was here, he might as well end this farce quickly, and by the way, intimidate these goblins to keep them from coming over every day.
He wriggled his jelly-like, bouncy body and spat out a mana pea seed.
The seed traced an arc, silently landing in the churned, muddy ground beneath the wall, like a stone dropped into water.
[All Plants as Soldiers]
[Promote Growth]
The moment the mana pea touched the soil, it seemed instantly infused with a violent vitality. It immediately split its shell, sprouting pale roots and a verdant green shoot.
The vine grew at a visible, frenzied pace, emitting a faint "rustling" sound, rapidly forming an aggressive magical plant.
Then, Chen Yu concentrated, mobilizing that power closer to the essence of life itself.
[Hixiulong Part One]
The phantom of the Hixiulong Tree sapling flashed briefly, sinking deep into the soil, as if infusing the mana pea seedling with even more immense vitality.
Vroom!
As if breaking through some growth limit, the mana pea seedling's volume began to expand wildly.
The vines grew thicker than a grown man's thigh, their surfaces covered with tough, woody textures. The leaves spread out like giant palm fronds.
Its pea pod, resembling a siege ballista, slowly opened, aiming at Grumg and Hammerbone.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Three mana peas, each the size of an adult goblin, were launched as if thrown by a giant catapult. They tore through the air with terrifying kinetic energy and a piercing shriek.
Over a dozen goblins were directly knocked flying. The mana peas maintained their momentum, crushing everything in their path, painting the withered yellow field with streaks of red blood.
"Run!"
Grumg turned without hesitation. Instinctively, he grabbed a nearby goblin frozen in terror and swallowed it alive, forcibly recovering a sliver of stamina and mana using the ogre's racial talent.
Desperately squeezing out the last bit of mana in his body, he conjured a pitch-black shield before scrambling and stumbling away in a mad dash.
Boom!
The giant pea smashed hard against the hastily raised shield. The shield shattered instantly like paper.
Grumg was sent flying by the explosive shockwave, tumbling awkwardly into the distant mud like a ragdoll, his mage robes torn to shreds.
He lay face down in the foul-smelling sludge, coughing violently, almost vomiting up what he had just swallowed. He was clearly quite seriously injured internally.
As for Hammerbone, facing the shrieking giant pea, his combat instincts overpowered everything else. He roared, the veins on his thick arms bulging, swinging his beloved morningstar with all his might toward the incoming terrifying projectile.
Crash!
The hard mana pea was successfully shattered by him, but the terrifying kinetic energy traveled up the handle, sending excruciating pain through his arms, nearly wrenching the heavy morningstar from his grip.
He couldn't control himself, staggering backward repeatedly. Failing to steady himself, he lost his balance and fell heavily "thump" on his rear into the cold, muddy ground, covering himself in filth.
"Retreat! Retreat now!"
Grumg struggled to rise from the mud, his voice shrill and strained from exhaustion, all dignity lost. He turned and limped away in a stumbling, frantic run.
"Wait for me, you damned bastard!" Hammerbone yelled as he ran, panting heavily, afraid of being left behind.
The two fled the battlefield in panic.
At this moment, all thoughts of legion missions, face, and dignity were tossed aside. They wished they could run back to the fortress immediately.
Chen Yu watched their retreating figures but chose not to pursue. After all, Riftrock Pass lay ahead.
Who knew if marching boldly forward would land him in a goblin trap.
And his real target wasn't them, but those goblin shamans scattering in all directions.
If he remembered correctly, the alchemy seeds he obtained earlier in the dryad domain came from these goblin shamans.
After rounding up and harvesting these goblin shamans, the Poison-stinger Wasps soon flew back carrying two seeds.
Chen Yu's small eyes lit up.
As he guessed, these goblin shamans still had quite a few alchemy seeds hidden, seemingly all gifts from that "Plague" Grolush.
After swallowing and digesting the seeds, his gaze returned to the battlefield. Aside from some goblins moaning on the ground, most had already fled back to the fortress.
The battle was over.
They had achieved a stunning victory.
Realizing their victory, all the slimes on and below the walls began to "squish squish" and bounce up and down, silently cheering and celebrating.