Chapter 557: The Assault
Soon, the many powerful figures of Inferno Fortress sensed the commotion coming from the alchemy laboratory. Thorne Merlin arrived with several others, glanced at the wrecked lab, then at Leon. Instantly, everyone's expressions turned a little odd.
"Archmage Leon, this..." Thorne Merlin was visibly puzzled. Five days ago, he had returned from the Merlin Family to the Blazeforge Realm. He'd looked for Leon before, but Leon had been holed up in the alchemy lab, refusing all visitors. Only when the disturbance happened did Thorne bring people over.
"It's nothing, just a little accident..." Leon said, somewhat embarrassed, waving his hand to dismiss further questions.
"Oh..." Thorne Merlin nodded and didn't press any further.
Afterwards, Leon, Thorne Merlin, and the others headed to the council hall of Inferno Fortress. Along the way, Thorne briefed Leon on the alliance between the three major powers. It turned out that the Merlin Family and their allies had already moved their troops near the Horn of Plenty and completed a series of pre-battle deployments. The plan was to launch a full-scale attack on the Horn of Plenty the next day.
A half-hour meeting followed in the council hall. In the end, it was decided that Thorne Merlin, Edgar Merlin, and Uriel Merlin would remain at Inferno Fortress, while Leon would lead the remaining Title Archmages and the Merlin Mage Legion in the assault on the Horn of Plenty.
Two hours later, Leon arrived at the Planar Legion's camp. The Black Tower and Watson Family were also present. Upon arrival, Leon was immediately invited by Weiss and Carl Watson to a lengthy war council. By the time it ended, it was already dusk...
This time, Leon only brought the Dragonblood Orc and Reina. As for the Three Merlin Prodigies, they were left in Ghost Valley. Leon could tell that those three young Merlin mages had reached the peak of Archmage level. Even if they came along, they wouldn't make much difference in a large-scale battle like the assault on the Horn of Plenty. It was better for them to spend their time meditating in Ghost Valley—perhaps soon, they'd advance to Title Archmage.
Early the next morning, the allied forces of the three powers officially launched their assault on the Horn of Plenty...
Setting foot in the Horn of Plenty for the first time, the leaders of the three powers were visibly excited. This land was famous for its abundance, coveted by the major forces of Auckland for nearly a millennium. The allure of the Horn of Plenty was irresistible to any faction.
The ground beneath their feet was dark red, and countless active volcanoes dotted the vast landscape. The air was thick with a scorching heat...
The moment the coalition arrived, they spotted traces of mineral veins, but pressed on. The deeper they advanced, the more veins appeared—enough to drive anyone mad with greed. In places rich with magical elements, dense clusters of herbs grew wild...
Actually, the name Horn of Plenty was famous among Auckland's great powers for a deeper reason. As the strongest of the Thirteen Tribes, the Fireblade Tribe had lived at the end of the Howling River for thousands of years. Even after a millennium of competition, with more and more Planar Legions joining the struggle for the Blazeforge Realm and occupying two-thirds of the land, the Fireblade Tribe had suffered little. Compared to the Forgefire Clan, they were leagues stronger...
And the root cause was the Horn of Plenty itself...
To the human powers, the Horn of Plenty meant wealth. But for the Blazeforge Orcs, minerals and herbs held little value—at best, they mined some ore to forge crude weapons. Their smithing civilization lagged far behind...
What the Fireblade Tribe truly cared about was the terrain. The Horn of Plenty was easy to defend and hard to attack, and it was the gateway to their territory. Half the tribe's elite troops were stationed here year-round. Even if the Black Tower and Cloudspire Tower joined forces, they might still fail to break through.
Clearly, in this alliance, the Black Tower's ambitions were great. After seizing the Horn of Plenty, they would surely target nearby fortresses, further encroaching on the Fireblade Tribe.
The coalition army, thousands strong, advanced with overwhelming momentum. Along the way, they encountered several small orc cavalry squads—just a dozen Blazeforge Orcs, likely scouts. Unfortunately, before they could even cry out, they were drowned in a torrent of spells...
About half an hour later, Leon suggested the coalition halt. After a round of discussion among the leaders, his proposal was accepted. Even though few orc troops remained, caution was wise. The army stopped to rest, and each force sent out scout teams...
"What a waste of time..." Councilor Suville sneered at Leon. He'd opposed Leon's proposal throughout the discussion, convinced it was pointless.
Besides, even on a personal level, Suville would have opposed Leon without hesitation. Just thinking about what happened in Ghost Valley more than half a month ago made him grit his teeth. If not for that damned Matthew Merlin, he wouldn't have ended up so humiliated...
If he'd ever resented young mages before, it was all because of Thorne Merlin. But now, after everything that happened, his hatred for young mages was only a notch below Thorne's.
Suville curled his lip in disdain and mocked, "I really don't get it—what's there to be afraid of, Matthew Merlin? Are you saying the coalition of three powers can't even handle the remnants defending the Horn of Plenty? If that's the case, maybe the Merlin Family should just quit the alliance..."
...Councilor Weiss, standing nearby, looked at Suville with trepidation. He was at a loss; originally, Suville was supposed to be transferred back to Northend after the Forgefire Clan campaign.
But just as Suville was about to leave, the Horn of Plenty incident broke out. Someone of Suville's caliber would clearly play a decisive role, so after careful thought, Lord Heron decided to keep Suville in the Blazeforge Realm for now.
"Heh..."
Leon narrowed his eyes. Just as he was about to retort, his expression suddenly changed: "Wait, what's that sound...?"
"What do you mean?" Councilor Weiss, closest to Leon, was puzzled at first. He glanced around, then his face froze. "Damn, that looks like orc troops..."
Before Weiss finished speaking, a dozen red signal arrows shot into the sky from hundreds of meters ahead. Everyone recognized it instantly—it was the scouts sounding the alarm.
"Prepare for battle, prepare for battle..."
With a flurry of orders, the resting coalition sprang into action, readying themselves for the coming fight.
In less than a minute, the coalition's warriors formed dense shield and sword formations at the front, bracing to withstand the first charge of the orc cavalry.
Rumble...
A cloud of dust billowed as countless orc cavalry, mounted on Ashen Direwolves, appeared on the horizon. They charged at breakneck speed, thousands of riders crashing forward, the dark red earth churning—making the ground itself seem to tremble.
Following the cavalry came Blazeforge Orcs wielding long spears, standing atop wyverns. Even before the cavalry arrived, volleys of spears rained down on the coalition like a storm.
Five hundred meters away, a horde of orc shamans chanted in ancient tongues, summoning waves of fire-elemental creatures—Volcanic Imps, Ashen Golems, Magma Giants, and more. These elementals surged at the coalition with ferocious intensity.
The battlefield quickly descended into chaos. Scorching winds and dazzling spells clashed, sparks flying as orc forces and the coalition collided.
Powerful auras erupted from the center as Title Archmages of the coalition joined the fray. Brilliant spells swept the field, obliterating orc cavalry before they could even scream.
Yet amid the chaos, casualties mounted for the coalition—mostly among the Archmages.
At that moment, a dark red figure—Hubert, the Dragonblood Orc—darted across the field like lightning, swinging his great warhammer. With each swing, four or five Blazeforge Orcs fell. Soon, the warhammer was slick with blood, and the ground was littered with orc corpses.
"Damn it, damn it all..." Hubert cursed as he fought, his blows sending orc cavalry and Ashen Direwolves flying. Even as he slaughtered, he kept muttering angrily.