Chapter 216: A Desperate Stand Against All Odds

In the place Qian Ye pointed, there was a particularly dense cluster of caves, nestled in the angle between two cliff faces. Howard was startled and said, “This place is indeed easier to defend, but it’s too dense. Wouldn’t it be perfect for the Demonkin’s long-range snipers to unleash their full potential?”

The Demonkin army had a large number of ultra-long-range shooters, and almost every soldier in the Parliament’s direct forces could serve as a sniper. When the number of snipers exceeded a certain limit, the defenders on the narrow front would be entirely at their mercy.

According to the long-standing enmity between the Blood Race and the Demonkin, such an arrangement by Qian Ye was a major taboo.

Not only did Howard have doubts, but Nighteye also looked at Qian Ye with confusion.

Qian Ye waved his hand and said, “Most of the area in front is open ground, with no cover. The Demonkin can’t build fortifications within our range. If they try to do so, it would be ideal for us, but I doubt their commander is that foolish. Therefore, their most likely response will be to use the cliff faces on both sides as cover.”

There were also some caves and crevices on the natural extensions of the cliff faces, but not as many as in the defensive area Qian Ye advocated. Moreover, in front of the Blood Race’s fully deployed forces, the capacity of the cliff-side positions was very limited, and the Demonkin could not deploy many troops there.

However, Howard did not show any joy and instead frowned, “If all the Demonkin set up are elite snipers, we won’t have much of an advantage. Don’t forget, the Demonkin have a constant supply, while our troops are only those on the ship.”

Howard’s concerns were not unfounded. Though the Hall of Valor brought here the direct descendants of the Blood Race, who were generally more powerful than the ordinary Blood Race sent to Yonglu, their combat effectiveness varied, and they couldn’t compare to the Parliament’s forces. Even with the positional and numerical advantages, the actual losses wouldn’t be as significant as on paper. Perhaps a one-to-one exchange rate would be achieved.

Even if the Blood Race exchanged their elite Demonkin snipers, such an exchange would not bring victory, for this was no ordinary holy war, and the Demonkin would have a constant stream of reinforcements.

While Howard was silently calculating, Qian Ye already said, “Here, we might achieve a one-to-one exchange ratio, roughly speaking.”

Howard frowned, “Wouldn’t our losses be too great then? If we arrayed in the center, the losses might be smaller.”

Qian Ye shook his head, “At first, the losses would indeed be smaller, but a fortress on flat ground would eventually be breached. Once it is, the entire force would be annihilated, and no exchange ratio would matter.”

“Under my personal guard, they might not be able to breach the fortress.”

Howard was not boasting; known as the Dark Gospel, his greatest strength was his power to enhance large armies. Wherever he was, the combat power of any Blood Race force would rise by a level.

“Then they won’t attack but wait for their reinforcements.”

“But we can’t deploy all our forces on these cliff faces either.” Saying this, Howard suddenly understood, “You intend to grind down the Demonkin in a war of attrition?!”

“Exactly,” Qian Ye admitted.

“How do you know the Demonkin won’t outlast us?”

“In fact, back in the Black Sun Valley, we tested the endurance limits of each race, including the Demonkin and the Blood Race.”

Howard asked, “Since you know the endurance limit of our Blood Race, how can you be confident that they can hold out until the end?”

“Because they have no way out; they must fight to the last man. Even if they want to escape, there’s nowhere for them to go.”

Howard pondered for a long time before slowly nodding and went to summon the Blood Race soldiers already off the ship to begin constructing the fortifications and camps.

Nighteye watched the busy Blood Race and sighed softly, “You still don’t see yourself as a member of the Blood Race, do you?”

“No, I am indeed a Blood Race now.”

“Then why would you arrange such a tactic?”

“Because we have no other choice. Only with the fiercest, cruelest tactics can we force the Demonkin to retreat.”

“What if the Demonkin refuse to retreat?”

“If that happens, perhaps all our clansmen will be annihilated. But the price the Demonkin pay will be extremely heavy, so heavy that they will never wish to remember it.”

Nighteye sighed again, “Fine, if the Demonkin don’t retreat, then the bloodlines of four ancient clans will be cut off by you and me.”

Qian Ye replied, “The Demonkin will retreat. Zi Ning tested their bottom line in the Black Sun Valley.”

Mentioning the Black Sun Valley, Nighteye fell silent, sighing inwardly.

Back then, she and Song Zining led opposing forces in a desperate battle. Though she could spare Wei Potian and show mercy to Zhao Jundu, she showed no leniency to Song Zining. Song Zining, knowing this, defended flawlessly, turning each fortress into a meat grinder, causing heavy casualties to the dark races, including the Blood Race.

Even with her cold and detached nature, seeing the sea of corpses sometimes made her heart tremble.

The human race, too, suffered unbearable casualties, with ships of dead being transported to the rear daily. By the end of the battle, even the strongest among the dark races began to question whether humans were a rational species, for how could a rational species face death without fear?

Unexpectedly, the once superior Blood Race now faced endless sacrifice and consumption like the humans. Once-proud long-lived beings now rolled in mud and blood, competing with their supposed inferior short-lived enemies to see who could last the longest. Perhaps the only hope for the Blood Race now was that there were no servant troops to be consumed on Xi Ri’s battlefield.

Within a day and night, a fortress was constructed in a corner of the valley. Half of it was built against the mountainside, with various sized cave entrances transformed into firing points. The trees extending from the cave mouths served as natural cover.

Howard was directing the Blood Race in excavating the mountain, trying to connect the caves into a cohesive system. However, the rock of Xi Ri Continent was exceptionally hard. Although these direct descendants of the Blood Race were individually strong, digging through such durable material was extremely taxing.

The excavation of the mountain passageway was agonizingly slow. Just when they managed to dig through a small section of the caverns, all the Blood Race heard a dragon’s roar from the dragon warship.

The Demonkin had arrived.

Over a dozen airships appeared in the sky above the valley, forming a battle formation and advancing slowly. On the deck of the leading flagship stood a dignified Demonkin elder. The family crest on his chest clearly indicated his identity.

It was the Duke of the famous Demonkin House Yelusheng, the Moving Wall Brocks.

His pupils narrowed, and his gaze fell on the dragon warship perched on the cliff. A nearby noble Marquis of the Demonkin said, “That must be the Hall of Valor. It has previously shot down two Duke flagships in the void outside the floating land.”

Though Brocks had only one Duke flagship, he was not intimidated. He coldly ordered, “If the Hall of Valor is here, then Qian Ye must be here too. Order the troops to land and launch a ground assault. All warships, form battle formations, target… the Hall of Valor!”

Seeing the approaching Demonkin fleet, the Earth Dragon would not tolerate such provocation. With a loud roar, it charged forward!

Brocks, capable of commanding a massive Demonkin fleet, was naturally no fool. Despite knowing the Hall of Valor’s record of downing Duke flagships, he still dared to launch a bold attack, confident in his own resources.

Brocks narrowed his eyes as he watched the dragon warship take off from the distant cliff. “All ships, prepare to intercept!”

The Duke’s flagship began to accelerate, charging straight at the Hall of Valor. Its exceptional speed quickly left the rest of the fleet behind. In front of the Hall of Valor, the 300-meter body of a Duke flagship looked like a young beast facing an adult. Yet, Brocks launched a full-speed charge, showing no fear or hesitation.

Standing on the dragon warship, Qian Ye did not quite understand the actions of the Demonkin Duke’s flagship but welcomed them. At least, the floating land battle had proven that the Evernight’s Duke-class flagships were no match for the Hall of Valor.

Qian Ye accelerated the Hall of Valor, while its main cannon began to charge, preparing for a frontal assault.

Inside the Demonkin warship, Brocks suddenly turned to ask, “Final confirmation, is that the main cannon you once possessed?”

By his side was the Demonkin Duchess Lin Jiayi, who had reappeared and reached the rank of Duchess, though no one knew what resources she had traded for it. Her eyes, augmented by her noble rank and the innate perception of the Demonkin, allowed her to see every detail of the main cannon, now fully charged, inside the Hall of Valor.

Gritting her teeth, she said, “Yes! That’s the Sinking Land! I spent most of my life creating this main cannon, which could match a Duke flagship. This bastard sank my warship and took my Sinking Land! I must…!”

“Enough, return to your post,” Brocks interrupted, his gaze locked on the rapidly approaching Hall of Valor, his eyes growing sharper.

In an instant, the two massive warships entered range, and their main cannons thundered almost simultaneously!

The main cannon of Brocks’ flagship was clearly enhanced, with a range far exceeding that of typical warships of the same class. The Sinking Land, installed on the Hall of Valor and continuously modified, now drew almost limitless primal energy from the Earth Dragon’s heart, greatly increasing its power and making it a formidable match for its opponent.

As the Sinking Land fired, Brocks’ eyelids twitched, and his cheek muscles spasmed. He lunged forward, slamming his palm onto the control panel, channeling a storm of terrifying magic into the ship.

The Duke’s flagship executed an impossible drift in mid-air, moving laterally to avoid the full brunt of the Hall of Valor’s main cannon. Simultaneously, a wall of black fog formed in front of the ship, with countless twisted and tormented faces appearing on its surface.

The armor-piercing bolt fired by the Sinking Land hit the ethereal wall, slowing significantly as if stuck in a swamp. By the time it pierced through, its power was drastically reduced, embedding only part of its length into the exterior of the Duke’s flagship, failing to penetrate the armor.

An attack that failed to penetrate the outer shell posed minimal threat, rendering this cannon shot almost useless.