lpffa Chapter 414 - 97: Tremble! Fear! Flee! This is... His Majesty the Emperor’s Sky Fleet
Chapter 414 - 97: Tremble! Fear! Flee! This is... His Majesty the Emperor’s Sky Fleet
The moment the golden wings of the Holy Light Warhawks cut across the sky and the Heavy Armor Cavalry Corps arrived, kicking up a cloud of dust, a cold smirk played on Qin Feng’s lips. He tapped the hilt of the Beheading Sword at his waist, his tone firm and decisive.
"I knew it!"
"They’re coming."
"Holy Empire Envoy No. 31, relay my orders to Vampire Nesiya! Open the Teleportation Gate at once!"
"All original Skaven Ratmen, retreat from the battlefield immediately! Do not get bogged down in fighting! Do not linger for even a moment!"
"All Skaven Ratman copies, do everything in your power to tie down the enemy! Cover the retreat of the originals at all costs!"
Quickly, the commands were relayed throughout the army by Holy Empire Envoy No. 31. Deep in the Northern Forest, the original Skaven Ratmen immediately ceased their attacks as a deep, dark purple teleportation halo enveloped them.
They paid no heed to their copies locked in fierce battle on the front lines, simply forming orderly lines and stepping into the glowing portal. In an instant, they vanished without a trace, leaving only the copies and the rat tide to continue their frantic struggle against the Holy Knight Order in the center of the battlefield.
Next, the golden Holy Light Warhawks were the first to soar over the battlefield. With a beat of their wings, they showered down a holy radiance. The Holy Mages riding them raised their hands, conjuring several "Holy Light Beams" and firing them viciously at the Skaven Ratman tide below.
But as soon as the beams touched the "Iron Wall" shields generated by the Ratmen’s Divine Gift, it was as if they had hit an invisible barrier, instantly shattering into specks of golden light. The immunity to Ranged Attacks rendered the Holy Light Warhawks’ greatest strength—high-altitude suppression—completely useless.
"Switch tactics!"
"Encircle them! Melee combat!"
The furious roar of an Eagle Country player Commander came from one of the Holy Light Warhawks. All the Warhawks immediately dove low, and the Holy Mages skilled in close combat leaped down to regroup with the Holy Knight Order on the ground.
At the same time, the Heavy Armor Cavalry thundered in, their iron hooves making the earth tremble. The cavalrymen put away their Long-range Spears, gripped their Enchanted Long Spears, and formed an iron phalanx to crush the rat tide.
The long spears pierced the air, stabbing viciously toward the Ratmen’s hunched bodies, only to be deflected by a suddenly appearing dark gold "Invincible" shield. Sparks flew from the spear tips.
The Holy Knights swung their swords, but when the sharp blades struck the shields, a crisp CLANG rang out, and the impact sent a numbing shock up their arms.
The Skaven Ratman copies seized the opportunity to counterattack. Poisoned Bone Spears stabbed at the gaps in the cavalry’s armor, and rusty axes hacked at the plates, making them sizzle. A purplish-black "Cursed Aura" caused the Knights’ Blood Volume to drop steadily. The health bars just restored by the Holy Light Technique were instantly chewed through.
The Eagle Country player Commander, who had already figured out the effects of the Skaven Ratmen’s "Curse," immediately shouted:
"Count five seconds!"
"Avoid their Invincible state!"
"And get out of the effective range of their ’health-draining Curse’!"
"Then, go all out on offense! During the window when they don’t have their Invincible state, kill as many of them as you can!"
At his words, the Holy Mages immediately fell back in perfect sync, while the Heavy Armor Cavalry turned their horses and formed a defensive shield wall, bracing for the frenzied assault of the Skaven Ratman copies.
The two sides constantly shifted their formations, denying the Skaven Ratman copies the chance to use their "Divine Gift Curse" to reduce their Maximum Life Value.
Then, every 20 seconds, a Dark Gold Shield would inevitably appear around the Skaven Ratman copies. At this time, no matter how the Heavy Armor Knights and Holy Mages attacked, it was futile. They could only grit their teeth and hold their ground.
The moment the five-second Invincibility ended and the shields dissipated, the Knights immediately charged. The blunt-force impact of the Heavy Armor Cavalry’s charge staggered the Ratmen, while the Holy Knights’ Holy Swords struck precisely at their necks. The Holy Light Warhawks took the opportunity to descend and unleash "Divine Claw Strikes," using the resulting damage-over-time to chip away at the Ratmen’s Life Value.
Soon, the entire battlefield devolved into a brutal war of attrition. Every 20 seconds, the Ratmen gained a moment of respite, immediately launching a frenzied counterattack while Invincible.
The Heavy Armor Knights, relying on their seamless coordination, defended during the Invincible period and launched fierce assaults during the intervals.
Because of the Divine Gift that nullified Ranged Attacks, the Holy Light Warhawks were completely relegated to being ground troops, forced to deal all their damage in close-quarters brawls.
The Ratmen’s Invincible shields were like an iron wall, bringing the Knights’ offensive to a grinding halt each time they activated. Combined with the continuous health drain from the Curse, many Heavy Armor Knights’ armor had been corroded by the venom, leaving holes. Their faces were as pale as paper, yet they gritted their teeth and persisted, rotating charges and resting in shifts.
A purplish-black Cursed mist mingled with the golden Holy Light, while the deafening clang of armor, the clash of swords and shields, and the shrieks of the Ratmen filled the air.
Although the Heavy Armor Knights had superior numbers, they were pinned down by the bizarre mechanic of "Ranged Immunity + periodic Invincibility." Despite being clearly stronger, they could only slowly chip away at the Ratmen’s stamina, paying a price in blood for every inch gained. The battlefield was locked in a brutal, grueling stalemate.
However, this brutal war of attrition ultimately tipped in favor of the side with the overwhelming numerical advantage.
The Holy Light Warhawks of the "Nine-tailed Fox Rapid Response Team" periodically dove to attack. Their Wing Connection counterparts, the Holy Mages, continuously dealt close-range damage to the Skaven Ratman copies with their weapon Enchantment Magic. The Heavy Armor Knights and Holy Knights formed layered battle lines, outnumbering the Skaven Ratman copies several times over.
Even with the bizarre boons of "Ranged Immunity" and "periodic Invincibility," the Ratmen were ultimately a spent force, cut off from reinforcements from their originals.
The foreign players’ Divine Chosen Soldiers leveraged their numerical advantage to rotate between offense and defense. During the Invincible period, they all fell back to defend, holding a shield wall. During the intervals, they swarmed forward, launching relentless assaults in waves, slowly whittling down the number of Skaven Ratman copies.
As the last Ratman copy’s Invincible shield faded, several Holy Swords pierced its body simultaneously. A purplish-black mist of blood erupted, and the copy dissolved into wisps of black smoke.
This long and grueling battle finally ended with the complete annihilation of the Skaven Ratman copies.
The Eagle Country player acting as the battle’s Commander sheathed his sword. The Holy Light on his Holy Knight Sword slowly faded as he surveyed the field littered with the remains of the Ratman copies. He shouted, his voice filled with unquestionable authority:
"Alright!"
"The enemy has been completely wiped out!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a rousing cheer erupted across the battlefield. The Knights’ frayed nerves finally relaxed, their faces showing the relief of having survived.
The Eagle Country player raised a hand to silence them, and the cheering immediately stopped. His gaze was as sharp as an eagle’s, his tone growing even more decisive.
"Everyone!"
"Rest for ten minutes! Replenish your energy and repair your armor!"
"In ten minutes, we all move out! We must find that Undead Legion that fled in panic and hunt them down to the last man! Leave no one alive...!"
Before he could finish, the sky suddenly changed. The once-clear sky was instantly devoured by roiling dark clouds. The oppressive cloud cover hung so low it seemed about to crush the mountains. The world was plunged into darkness, obscuring even the radiance of the Holy Light.
Everyone instinctively looked up, and in the next second, they were frozen stiff by the sight before them.
Countless colossal Ancient Giant Dragons were diving down from the clouds. Their ink-black, crimson, and gilded scales glinted coldly in the dim light. Their unfurled wings blotted out the sun, like a moving storm cloud of doom.
The beat of their wings kicked up a Gale, sending dead branches and rubble flying. Their deep roars made the earth hum, and a terrifying pressure, ancient and palpable, descended upon the battlefield. It made the Holy Knights and Heavy Armor Knights gasp for breath, their hands trembling uncontrollably on their weapons.
At that moment, everyone—from the Eagle Country Commander on the battlefield who had just given the order to pursue, to the Eagle Country players watching in real-time from the Northern Territory fortress through the "Eye of All-Seeing"—was rooted to the spot by the terrifying spectacle in the sky, lost in utter shock and disbelief.
Soon, a choked curse cut through the dead silence of the battlefield. Trembling with disbelief, it instantly ignited the Fear in the hearts of all the Eagle Country players.
"FUCK!!!"
"Ancient Giant Dragons!?"
"They’re all Ancient Giant Dragons with Divine Gifts!?"
"How many of them are there, for fuck’s sake!? Ten thousand!? Twenty thousand!? Or thirty thousand!?"
Someone’s pupils contracted, their voice cracking:
"No!!!"
"There have to be at least a hundred thousand!!!"
"There are so many, you can’t even count them!!!"
"F**k!!!"
"We’re finished!!!"
Amidst the terrified screams, the sun-blotting swarm of dragons continued to pour in. Their roars shook the heavens, and the terrifying pressure from the Ancient Giant Dragons crashed down like a mountain, making it almost impossible for the Divine Chosen Knights facing them to even breathe.
Kuge, the one in command of the entire "Sky Fleet," sat atop his Winged Dragon Beast. Looking down at the people on the ground, he said slowly:
"Tremble! Fear! Flee! This... is His Majesty the Emperor’s Sky Fleet!"