"Elevation 45 degrees, northwest direction."
"Wind... no need to worry about the wind, mu."
At the front of the army, Big Brother Slime put down the simple telescope and began to command.
"Hmm mu!"
The gunners solemnly raised their gel little hands in salute, then hopped "squelch squelch" to their predetermined positions, beginning to work together to adjust the two pitch-black artillery emplacements, each as large as a slime wooden cabin.
"Eeek!!"
With the cooperation of the Metal Slime Artillery, the heavy artillery base emitted a thunderous roar and slowly began to rotate.
The muzzle continuously raised, aiming at the area of the Graystone Bulwark where the magical defenses were most concentrated.
Watching the dark muzzle on the Earth Elemental Giant's chest and the two equally strange black steel artillery emplacements behind it, the vampires on the city wall felt an inexplicable sense of panic and unease.
"Can the Ancient Alchemical Cannon still fire?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the Blood Bat flapped its wings and flew back to Casimir's palm, bringing urgent reports from below.
"It can still be used, but the barrel is already overheated, with minor structural cracks. It's nearing its limit."
Dunlan hesitated no longer. He raised his skeleton staff again, and viscous black mist, like boiling ink, surged out in large quantities from his staff and mage robes.
[Cloudkill]
The churning black mist quickly enveloped the sky above the battlefield, shimmering with a green, highly toxic halo. It was so thick it even momentarily obscured the radiance emanating from the Arcane Ancient Tree below.
Although this poison was nothing to the swamp magical creatures with their absurdly high poison resistance, Dunlan's goal of obscuring the enemy's vision and perception had been achieved.
"Now, concentrate fire, destroy those emplacements!"
The Blood Bat in Casimir's hand once again emitted a shriek that pierced through the battlefield. This sound wave became the signal for the all-out attack.
"It's the attack signal, cover the alchemical cannon!"
The mercenaries hiding behind the cross-shaped firing slits leaned out again, straining to draw their bows and shoot arrows, or chanting spells, beginning a new round of attacks in an attempt to disrupt the actions of the Magical Creature army.
Under their cover, the muzzle of the Ancient Alchemical Cannon at the center of the bulwark once again began to gather chaotic energy, its glow growing brighter and brighter.
"We have a chance!"
"Wait, they're preparing to fire too!"
Deep within the spreading poisonous cloud, three blinding silver cross-star lights pierced through the thick toxic mist and darkness, beginning to shine.
The charging aura of these was on a completely different level from the previous ordinary emplacements, seemingly not inferior to the Ancient Alchemical Cannon.
A sense of foreboding instantly rose in the hearts of the Vampire Elders.
"Just how much stuff did those elves give them?"
In the army's position, the black steel armor on the Earth Elemental Giant began to undulate slightly like a living thing, "breathing" the surrounding mana, causing Mana Turbulence and frantically drawing energy to gather at the muzzle on its chest.
"Hummm..."
Compared to the pure silver radiance of the two emplacements behind it, the light at the giant's chest gradually took on a mysterious hint of pale purple. The kinetic energy brought by the immense power even caused its massive body to sink uncontrollably.
In just a few seconds, the Goblin Ripper Type IIs were fully charged, awaiting the command to fire.
Chen Yu watched the charging Ancient Alchemical Cannon on the city wall and bounced once.
"So you want a big artillery duel, huh."
"Blast it."
The little earth elemental receiving the order became excited.
"Alright, boss."
"Quick, quick, fire!"
In this moment of standoff, despite the layers of poisonous cloud between them, both sides simultaneously activated their artillery with unspoken agreement.
The poisonous cloud, drifting slowly a second ago, was torn open by energy torrents the next. The energy torrents dispelled the habitual darkness of the Dark Realm.
"BOOM!!!"
The colored torrent and three silver light beams roared and shot out, then collided together, splashing countless brilliant sparks. The deafening roar that seemed to tear the sky instantly drowned out all sounds on the battlefield, including the buzzing of Poison-stinger Wasps and the shouts of mercenaries.
"BOOM!!!"
The torrents were still intensifying!
The resulting shockwaves even triggered Mana Turbulence covering the entire battlefield. In the drizzling rain, countless round, plump slimes materialized out of the mana, blinking innocent eyes as they fell.
It was actually raining slimes here.
Dunlan desperately gripped the thick stone at the edge of the battlements. His mage robes flapped wildly in the gale. He dared not look directly at the blinding light generated by the collision and could only turn his face away, shouting loudly:
"How is the alchemical cannon?!"
"What?!"
Despite being right next to him, Casimir couldn't hear what he was shouting at all amidst the deafening roar and howling gale.
"The Ancient Alchemical Cannon... how is it..."
He shouted again, but before he could finish, he saw the Vampire Elders beside him struggling to stand firm in the gale, shielding their eyes with their hands, peering through their fingers at the scene below with horrified expressions.
"How can this be!"
"The Ancient Alchemical Cannon's fire is being pushed back!"
Dunlan couldn't hear what they were saying. He could only follow their gaze downward.
He soon discovered the clue—the Ancient Alchemical Cannon's fire seemed to be retreating!
His heart was greatly shaken.
"Where on earth did they get that alchemical cannon?!"
Before the stunned crowd on the city wall could retreat, the Earth Elemental Giant's legs plowed deep into the ground. The silver radiance erupted once more, completely swallowing the struggling colored torrent.
The silver radiance instantly crossed the remaining distance and struck the Graystone Bulwark.
"BOOM!!!"
In an even louder explosion, the magical protective formations on the bulwark couldn't even hold for a second. They shattered and dissipated instantly, as if made of paper.
That Ancient Alchemical Cannon, symbolizing the vampire clan's ancient heritage and final hope, was submerged in the artillery fire. Along with the thick city wall, it was blasted apart, turned into fragments and hurled into the sky.
The entire Graystone Bulwark trembled violently from the single blow, as if it might collapse at any moment.
"Ugh!"
"Hurry, stabilize!"
The vampires on the city wall staggered like drunks, unable to stand steady, falling to the ground one after another.
Falling rubble and dust landed on their luxurious formal wear, making them look utterly disheveled.
But they could no longer care about noble appearances. They grabbed the battlements, struggling to get up, their gazes fixed dazedly on the Earth Elemental Giant and the two black steel artillery emplacements below. Their hearts were filled with boundless shock and terror, unable to utter a single word.
That Ancient Alchemical Cannon, which had once blasted a Magical Creature Lord to death with a single shot... was just gone like that...
With each blast from the Rippers, the dignity and pride the vampire clan had inherited for centuries seemed to shatter piece by piece with each tremor of the bulwark, turning to dust in the deafening roar of the artillery.
"Boom! Boom!!"
Then the Rippers adjusted their firing angles, blasting through layer after layer of magical formation defenses, continuously pounding the Graystone City Gate that symbolized never falling. This actually caused the ancient gate to groan under the unbearable strain.
Before the thick gray stone shattered, the massive metal hinges connecting the gate were the first to fail under this terrifying force. They emitted a piercing sound of twisting metal, then with a loud "BANG!", snapped apart.
"CRASH!!!"
The Graystone City Gate, now unsupported, collapsed toward the interior of the city with a sound of despairing thunder, stirring up clouds of dust that were then swallowed by the curtain of rain.
This heavy, muffled sound, symbolizing the fall of the Graystone Bulwark, struck hard on everyone's hearts.
The tremendous noise finally jolted Dunlan back to his senses.
He took a deep look at the unstoppable Magical Creature army below, glanced at the ashen-faced vampires around him, took a deep breath, and said:
"We've lost."
"Now, retreat to the inner city bulwark immediately. Take as much as you can, go!"
"We... lost..."
"The Graystone Bulwark... was actually breached..."
The vampires murmured in a daze. They took one last look at the collapsed city gate and the tide of magical creatures surging forward, finally accepting reality. They fled in disarray, following Dunlan toward the inner city area.
...
Below the city wall, the moment the city gate was blasted open, a wave of enthusiastic cheers erupted from the Magical Creatures within the gel network covering the entire army.
"Success, mu!"
"Great, we won!"
"King, great King!"
Chen Yu stood on Peachy's back, feeling the joy of victory. His round body rippled slightly with excitement.
He waved his gel little hand spiritedly and said, "All units advance, completely occupy this fortress."
"Yes, King!!"
The Magical Creature army advanced triumphantly. Poison-stinger Wasps surged over the towering city wall like a tide, catching up to the panicked fleeing mercenaries.
To prevent these humans from not understanding the Magical Creatures' language, Little Ka specifically carried a Lizardfolk warrior who understood the Common Tongue and several demi-human languages, flying low over the top of the city wall.
That Lizardfolk warrior used all his strength, shouting loudly down below:
"Surrender! Lay down your weapons, we do not kill prisoners!"
The mercenaries, still trying to mount a final resistance using the complex terrain and scattered cover, were all stunned upon hearing this shout.
"That green guy... what's he shouting?"
"Sounds like he's telling us to surrender, says they don't kill prisoners?" A mercenary who had once dealt with swamp demi-humans translated uncertainly.
"Are you kidding? You dare believe what a magical creature says?"
As soon as that mercenary finished speaking, there was a loud "clang" sound. Not far away, a mercenary without hesitation threw down his longsword and raised both hands high.
"Magical creature lords, I'm a good person!"
The other mercenaries saw this, were stunned for a moment, then threw down their weapons one after another, shouting: "Me too!"
"Magical creature lords, I'm a human traitor!"
"You know, I've always admired Slime Majesty."
The trend of surrender quickly spread among the remaining defenders. The clanging sounds of weapons hitting the ground were incessant.
The occasional few who stubbornly resisted were quickly dealt with by the Poison-stinger Wasps circling nearby.
When the main force of the Magical Creature army marched grandly through the massive city gate and completely occupied all key internal areas and camps of the fortress, this fierce battle for the Graystone Bulwark was finally declared over.
...
Half an hour later, Chen Yu was bouncing around the chaotic fortress camp, investigating everywhere, casually devouring a few Undead. Soon, the battle report summarized by the Command Group was transmitted to him via the gel network.
After this bulwark war, the Poison-stinger Wasps suffered a total loss of over three hundred. Most of these were units responsible for activating magical shields while withstanding the artillery fire.
Several Arcane Ancient Trees that served as vanguards suffered varying degrees of damage—broken branches, scorched leaves—but fortunately, they could recover quickly after being nourished by natural energy.
As for those mercenaries, most hid behind the sturdy bulwark, so direct combat deaths were few. The main casualties occurred during the final escape and mopping-up stages, totaling about a hundred people.
Fortunately, they surrendered quickly. Otherwise, given the Magical Creature army's efficiency in clearing the battlefield, that number would likely have skyrocketed.
As for the vampires, only three who were slower runners were captured, and they surrendered even faster than those mercenaries.
It almost made Chen Yu suspect these three had secretly eaten his gel and deliberately stayed behind to pledge allegiance.
What was a bit regrettable was that the Graystone Bulwark was only a military fortress. No valuable gold, silver, or treasures could be found inside.
However, the various enchanted weapons, armor, magic scrolls, alchemical potions, and other items seized were piled up into several small mountains.
Of course, among them were also his favorite Magic Organs.
The surrendered mercenaries were escorted by Poison-stinger Wasps, lined up in a crooked, long column, and gathered in the wet, open area at the center of the camp.
They squatted on the ground uneasily, squeezed together with those newly born little slimes.
They didn't even dare to move randomly when slimes jumped onto their shoulders and heads.
Soon, Chen Yu rode Little Ka, flying down majestically to land before this group of prisoners.
"A subdrake?!"
"That slime is riding a subdrake?"
"Hey, Ark, didn't you call yourself the Slime Slayer?"
"Shut up, I was just talking nonsense. Don't get me in trouble. I am forever loyal to Slime Majesty."
The mercenaries squatted on the ground, discussing in voices filled with awe.
Chen Yu listened to their words and shook his gel contentedly. It seemed only cannons and fists could make these mercenaries obedient.
However, managing so many mercenaries would be a huge hassle, and they were running out of time. The summer Magical Tides were approaching. The army had to conquer the Evernight Domain at an even faster pace and could not linger here.
He planned to have one group of mercenaries stay at the Graystone Bulwark. Under the supervision of Slime Engineers, they would be responsible for repairing the severely damaged city gate and parts of the city wall.
Another group would be escorted in batches back to the rear outpost fortress to participate in construction work.
Under Beet's efficient command, one group of mercenaries was quickly selected and, under the "escort" of Poison-stinger Wasps, set off on the road back to the outpost.
The remaining mercenaries, tempted by money, also worked quite diligently to clear the ruins and transport stone materials.
...
Finally having dealt with these tedious prisoner matters, Chen Yu at last had time to properly enjoy his spoils.
He bounced over to the small mountain piled with Magic Organs and Undead bones.
Whatever it is, devour it first.
Gluttonous Slime, activate!
"Gurgle..."
The Abyssal Big Belly opened, instantly turning into a black hole, continuously sucking in and digesting the mountain of spoils.
[HP Max +5]
[HP Max +8]
[HP Max +3]
[Fire Resistance Lv.7 → Lv.8]
[Devour Digestion Lv.8 triggered—Partial features of Gargoyle recorded. Talent gestating (2/3)]
[HP Max +10]
...
His Health Points maximum rapidly soared, increasing faster than ever before, instantly breaking through thirty thousand points and continuing to rise.
The panel was also refreshing non-stop, occasionally popping up messages about gaining talents or talent upgrades.
What he didn't notice was that, as time seemed to pass, his green gel was emitting a faint glow of life. Even a natural aura, centered on him, quietly began to spread.
The muddy, sodden ground beneath his feet, nourished by this life energy, actually sprouted tender green grass shoots at a visible rate.
"So... so fragrant..."
Little Ka, who had been quietly lying beside Chen Yu on guard duty, was suddenly attracted by a fresh, clean fragrance. It turned its head in confusion, surprised to find the scent was emanating from the King.
"Kaka! King, glowing! So fragrant!"
"Glowing?"
Chen Yu snapped back to attention. He took a look at the condition inside his body and was startled by what he saw.
Whoa, it's so bright I can't even see the gel anymore.
Am I about to turn into a Light Slime?
Seems like it's because my Health Points are too high.
Huh? Wait.
When did he gain another new World Tree Talent?
[Devour Digestion Lv.8 triggered—Complete features of ??? recorded. Talent gained: Hixiulong Part Two Lv.2]
It seemed because of this talent, he also gained a title.
Something like... Forest Sage?