Craig’s eyes were filled with shock. Emi hadn’t shown himself all this time, and he had assumed this Level 15 Shadow High Priest that Li De had briefly mentioned had gone off to complete some other task.
But now, high in the air, Emi wasn’t idle. Alongside his furious shouts, he hurled blazing fireballs from his hands, the blasphemer had begun casting spells like a madman.
Li De’s improved Scorching Fireball had its casting time reduced to one second. And with Emi being a Level 15 caster possessing the talent Dual Casting, along with various cooldown reductions, he could unleash a fireball every 0.7 seconds.
Two every 0.7 seconds. And Scorching Fireball, with power equivalent to a Tier 3 spell, under Emi’s insane casting speed, brought immediate and devastating impact to the beastmen below.
Boom! Szzzt!
The Scorching Fireball, burning at a terrifying 5000 degrees, exploded within the beastmen ranks, instantly leaving behind two or three dozen charred corpses.
The dense formation of beastmen was immediately thrown into disarray.
In mere seconds, Emi’s sudden assault had thrown chaos across the area in front of the city gate. Hundreds of beastmen were burned to death by the intense heat.
At that moment, Karlist had no time to inspect any more carts. He swung his arm and roared.
“Crossbowmen on the walls, fire at will!! Find the shaman immediately! Also alert the wyvern cavalry, I want that damned vampire dead!!
Lionmane Tribe’s convoy, leave the city at once, do not delay!”
With that, he hoisted his massive great-axe and charged at Emi, but unfortunately, Emi was flying hundreds of blades high in the air and completely ignored the furious minotaur.
Craig, meanwhile, finally let out a sigh of relief and quickly ordered his beastmen to pull the carts and leave.
Up above, Emi seemed enraged by the convoy’s retreat. A shield like shimmering dragon scales rose around him, and the vampire completely ignored the hail of arrows raining down from the city wall, hurling spells directly at the convoy below.
“Trying to flee? Damn beastmen, I’ll burn every last one of you!!”
The deadly Scorching Fireballs struck the carts from time to time, igniting everything around them.
If Craig had been paying close attention, he would have noticed that each cart Emi targeted bore a specific, subtle marking.
And coincidentally, every cart that had such a marking was one without any goblins inside.
The barrels on the targeted carts burst apart, filling the air with the scent of fine wine mingled with the acrid stench of burning.
Seeing this, the minotaurs became even less suspicious of the carts carrying ale. Some even ordered the beastmen shield warriors to raise their shields to protect the convoy’s escape.
The appearance of this external enemy instantly put the previously guarded and hostile minotaurs on the same side as the Lionmane Tribe.
An external threat was always the best way to defuse internal tension. After all, no matter how selfish Craig was, it was still an internal matter among beastmen. But this damned vampire, he was a sworn enemy to be destroyed at all costs.
And though Emi appeared furious as he flew through the sky, every attack he made just so happened to avoid the path the carts were taking.
So while his magic had thrown the beastmen into a state of panic, the speed of the carts exiting the city wasn’t hindered in the slightest, in fact, it increased with the added escort from the minotaurs.
Relying on his aerial advantage, Emi brazenly disrupted the scene alone, the dragon-scale shield protecting him from the volley after volley of beastmen crossbow bolts clanging harmlessly against it.
A Level 14 Li De could block a strike from Level 17 Grote with the same shield, so for Level 15 Emi, shrugging off ordinary bolts was effortless.
Just a few minutes later, thanks to Emi’s powerful intervention, every cart had successfully exited the city gates, and only then did the two massive doors finally shut.
Both Karlist and Craig let out deep breaths of relief.
It was finally done.
Karlist had never wanted to offend such a powerful wolfman warrior. Now that the carts were out, he could turn all his focus to dealing with the damned vampire.
Craig, meanwhile, was even more relaxed. Without the burden of the goblins, he was still the Lionmane Tribe’s leader, a powerful figure among the beastmen.
Whoosh, Whoosh~
Just then, the wyverns arrived in the sky, gaping maws dripping with venomous saliva. These creatures, infused with diluted dragon blood, let out piercing screeches that filled the air with dread.
Seeing the worsening situation, Emi relied on his dragon-scale shield to forcefully kill several wyverns, then turned and transformed into a small bat, vanishing into the night as he escaped through an alleyway within the city.
All that remained on the ground was the infuriated minotaur, staring helplessly at the devastation around him.
“My apologies, Lord Karlist. The Lionmane Tribe recently looted a dark church occupied by vampires. I burned all the vampires there, but I never expected a Level 15 vampire to still be alive.”
Craig looked at Karlist the minotaur with a somewhat guilty expression, as if his words came from the heart.
Karlist, seeing Craig’s expression, felt a flash of anger but didn’t know how to respond. After all, it wasn’t really his fault. Who could’ve predicted that such a powerful vampire would suddenly appear?
As for whether Craig might know that vampire, the thought didn’t even cross Karlist’s mind. What a joke, what dealings could vampires possibly have with beastmen?
There had never been any reports of vampires appearing in beastmen territory. The two were worlds apart. How could people so fundamentally unconnected be in cahoots? No beastman would ever entertain such a ridiculous idea.
“I must head to the front lines. Those damned humans haven’t been crushed yet, they’re still resisting. Lord Karlist, give my regards to the Patriarch of the Bloodhoof Tribe.
Once we claim victory, I’ll treat you to the strongest wheat ale!”
Only then did the minotaur’s expression ease considerably. He managed a smile.
“I’ll be waiting.”
Craig gave a slight nod, then quickly rallied his forces and surged back into the still-chaotic city.
From the window of a spired tower half-collapsed by magic in the distance, Li De silently watched it all. Once Craig departed, a playful smile curved his lips.
Everything was under control.
He had arranged several contingencies, Emi was just one of them. If Emi failed, then the bone dragon and Castro Kachar would take the field directly.
In that case, even three or five thousand beastman guards wouldn’t be enough to hold the line.
No matter what, he would never allow anything to happen to the goblins. They were the prototype of his future air force. Without goblins, how could he play at building bombers?
Once he confirmed the goblins had safely exited the city, Li De turned away. From the top of the twenty-blade-high spire, he looked down, half of Risel City stretched out before his eyes.
The scene was breathtaking, like a cinematic cutscene from a high-end single-player game, bursting with epic grandeur.
One-third of the entire city was in flames. Pointed-roof houses collapsed from the base up, crashing into ruin with thunderous explosions that sent sparks flying in all directions.
Throughout the streets, screams and shouts rang out one after another. Scenes of bloodshed and brutality played out everywhere.
Suddenly, a colossal figure a thousand blades away caught Li De’s attention.
Behemoth.
The terrifying creature, covered in black fur and standing ten blades tall, was swinging a massive two-blade-long claw in battle against a human.
Yes, a petite human stood in the path of this monster, whose every blow could easily demolish a three-story stone building.
Li De narrowed his eyes to get a better look.
That crimson cloak, the way it blazed under the night sky was dazzling beyond compare.