The battle immediately plunged into brutal intensity once it began.
Two hundred Saintlight Vampires riding Whispering Bats hurled down searing Large Fireballs from above.
Boom, boom, boom~
Scorching flames erupted from the ground, and each explosion of the Large Fireballs turned an area ten blades wide into a sea of fire.
Two hundred fireballs descended from the sky, falling from the demonic Whispering Bats.
If raindrops were a natural phenomenon, then the fireballs, falling as densely as rain, were undoubtedly an apocalyptic catastrophe, the wrath of deities destroying the world.
Boom!
The light from the exploding fireballs was even more blinding than the remaining glow of the setting sun in the sky.
"Protect Her Highness and retreat first. I'll distract the enemy!"
Grote, staring at the blazing ocean of fire, fell into a fury. The horses of the Northern Warriors had turned to ash after a single wave of fireball bombardment.
Two squads of Northern Warriors rushed forward, carefully carrying the still unconscious Northern Valkyrie out of the carriage.
Amidst the sea of scorching flames, these strong-willed Northern Warriors remained calm and composed.
"Form up! Archers, suppress them!"
A ten-man squad of archers, who had been scrambling to dodge the searing flames, immediately ignored the threats around them upon hearing the order. Drawing their longbows to the fullest, they fired deadly arrows at the Saintlight Vampires above.
Twang~
The bowstrings snapped taut with a sharp sound, and a Whispering Bat diving downward was instantly pierced through from its eye socket to the back of its neck by a sharp arrow.
Roar~
With a painful screech, the massive creature flapped its wings frantically a few times before plummeting toward the ground.
Boom~
Its enormous body crashed heavily onto the earth, throwing up a cloud of grass clippings and blood.
Humans who possessed counter-attack capabilities were nothing like the clumsy Cyclopes. The dive-bombing tactics that had been devastatingly effective against the Cyclopes were far less effective against humans.
However, a few archers alone couldn't inflict significant damage on the vast number of Whispering Bats.
The Saintlight Vampires held an overwhelming numerical advantage.
Moreover, the magic unleashed by the Vampires forced the Northern Warriors to desperately dodge for their lives—no one could afford to ignore those deadly fireballs.
Humans weren't Cyclopes. They didn't possess powerful magical resistance. Unless wearing enchanted armor, even Advanced Warriors couldn't withstand a direct hit from a fireball.
The might of the Saintlight Vampires instantly threw the battlefield into chaos.
Despite commanders working to maintain order, the sudden assault and the relentless offensive by the Vampires left the Northern Warriors in a perilously passive position.
Grote's eyes gradually turned blood-red, and a ferocious rage flared within them as he stared at the Vampires brazenly casting magic from the sky.
"Chieftain, the valley passage!"
At that moment, a Northern Warrior rushed to Grote, his face twisted with grief, pointing back the way they had come.
Grote sharply turned his head. The entrance behind them was now engulfed by a massive inferno, with flames several blades high that could melt steel.
His expression shifted dramatically.
They couldn't wait any longer.
Grote closed his eyes slightly. As a Level 16 Warrior, his keen senses immediately gathered the battlefield information he needed.
Level 15 Warriors would awaken a special innate talent.
Danger Sense.
Just as a Whispering Bat, pierced by an arrow, was about to crash to the ground, Grote suddenly erupted with immense strength and leapt upward with explosive force.
Boom~
One foot stomped on the falling Whispering Bat, making it screech miserably and plummet even faster.
Using the Whispering Bat as a stepping stone, Grote propelled himself higher into the air.
At that moment, another Whispering Bat swooped down and opened its giant maw to snap at him.
Grote's eyes showed no fear. Wielding a broad, two-palm-wide heavy sword, he swung it fiercely across.
Squelch~
Before everyone's eyes, Grote forcibly passed through the bat's gaping mouth.
The Whispering Bat's skull was blown apart, and its massive body crashed heavily to the ground.
Blood blossomed in the air like a death flower—brilliant and horrifying.
Borrowing momentum from the Whispering Bat's body, Grote soared even higher. A second Whispering Bat tried to dodge but was too slow.
With a flash of the giant sword.
Crack!
The bat was cleaved in two, and the Vampire rider didn't have time to escape before Grote smashed his skull with a single punch.
A Level 16 Northern Warrior—sheer, overwhelming violence.
The dense swarms of Whispering Bats provided the perfect stepping stones for Grote. Facing a group of beings who hadn't even reached Level 10, it was a one-sided slaughter.
In just a few minutes, more than thirty Whispering Bats, who initially controlled the skies, were annihilated.
In the heavens, Grote performed a dance of death.
Li De, witnessing this, took a deep breath.
Humans were not Cyclopes; using the same tactics against these agile and intelligent warriors would not easily succeed.
This was the first time Li De had suffered such heavy losses.
"Initiate the second plan."
The previously tightly clustered Whispering Bat swarms began to scatter upon receiving the command.
Without more Whispering Bats to leap off, the Northern Warrior—who had no flying ability—quickly found himself stranded in midair.
At the same time, the ground began to tremble with a heavy rumble.
Northern Warriors, who had been dodging the falling fireballs, turned their heads toward the source of the noise.
What they saw was a sight they would never forget for the rest of their lives.
Over a dozen gigantic creatures, standing six or seven blades tall, were charging down the mountain into the valley.
The earth seemed to shatter beneath their steps, each impact sending booming tremors through the ground.
These terrifying creatures had wrinkled grayish-white skin. Massive black armor covered their gigantic bodies, their bulging muscles wielding iron spiked clubs.
Their heads were protected by horned helmets, each bearing a single enormous eye.
The sheer force of the scene was overwhelming.
"Cyclopes!!" a Northern Warrior exclaimed in shock.
Though it was their first time seeing these beings, they immediately recognized them by the distinctive single eye.
The legendary Cyclopes.
And they were also the Heavy Armor Warriors of Dawn City.
Li De's trump card.
After more than half a year of mining, and thanks to the diligent efforts of the craftsman Golddig, who had half Dwarven blood, they had successfully forged armor suited for these giants.
Each Cyclops' armor weighed six tons. The armor, half a palm thick, could even withstand siege weapon attacks.
Unarmed, Cyclopes were already terrestrial overlords; fully armored, they were a force no other lifeform could match.
Even though Northern Warriors typically stood over 1.9 blades tall, facing these Cyclopes—6 to 7 blades high—they looked like children before adults.
A profound sense of powerlessness gripped them.
It was a racial advantage that could not be overcome by mere strength.
Without exaggeration, even Grote, a Level 16 Northern Warrior, could not compare to a Level 10 Cyclops in terms of raw power.
One could tell how terrifyingly strong these Ancient Giant-blooded beings were simply by looking at the thickness of their armor.
Even the normally fearless Northern Warriors held their breath.
It was simply too overwhelming.
The lead Cyclops was a towering 7-blade-high Cyclops Lord.
The sheer visual impact left everyone stunned.
They had to crane their necks just to look up at these legendary creatures.
"Northern Lands—Fearless!!"
Suddenly, a roar came from behind the Northern Warriors.
The morale of the embattled warriors instantly reignited.
Northern Warriors, even when facing Dragons, dared to charge forward.
What were Cyclopes to them!!
Warriors from the Northern Highlands would never retreat!!
Then, an awe-inspiring scene unfolded in the valley.
Fewer than forty remaining Northern Warriors, wielding greatswords, charged fearlessly at the Cyclopes, who were armored like moving mountains.
Fully aware that death awaited them, yet utterly fearless.
In that moment, the honor of a warrior blazed brighter than the flames engulfing the valley.
Yet no matter how much effort they exerted, they were powerless against the Cyclopes' overwhelming might.
Courage might allow one to defeat stronger enemies, but it could not overcome foes who were incomparably superior.
The Northern Warriors didn't even reach the Cyclopes' thighs in height. They had to leap just to reach the giants' vital points.
Their heavy greatswords could barely leave scratches on the Cyclopes' armor, half a palm thick, no matter how hard they struck.
In contrast, the Cyclopes swung their massive spiked clubs.
Any warrior who failed to dodge in time was crushed by the tremendous force.