Ch. 47
Chapter 47. Surviving the Dead End
The defensive line was like a dam being gnawed apart by a rising tide, shrinking inward inch by inch.
Prince Kande and the only remaining Sky Knight swallowed several more High-Tier Healing Potions and recovery potions.
The warmth of the potions had barely begun to spread through their bodies before they lifted their swords and rushed back into battle.
The Dou Qi arcs carried by their knight’s swords continued to fall in sweeping strikes. Each swing tore open the carapaces of several Crawlers, spraying black fluid all over them.
But against the relentless assault of tens of thousands of Crawlers, such damage was nothing more than a drop in the ocean.
The moment they cleared one patch of ground, it was instantly filled again by new Crawlers surging forward. Countless claws and fangs packed together so densely that they nearly blocked their vision entirely.
Their Dou Qi was draining rapidly. If not for the constant support from the potion bottles stored in their Spatial Rings, they would have already collapsed from exhaustion.
Prince Kande’s breathing grew heavier and heavier, and the amplitude of his sword swings gradually slowed.
He watched as the encirclement tightened and tightened, while the soldiers’ screams echoed without pause. His heart clenched.
They were Sky Knights, specialists in aerial assaults and precise eliminations—not in this kind of grinding battle while surrounded on all sides.
If a Sky Mage had been present, a single area spell could have cleared large swaths of enemies. The efficiency would far surpass their sword strikes.
“This cannot continue.”
The Sky Knight beside him roared. A tail spike from a Crawler had ripped open his left arm, leaving a wound so deep the bone was visible.
“Your Highness, we must tear open a gap and let the soldiers break out.”
Prince Kande clenched his teeth and suddenly poured Dou Qi into his blade, releasing a thunderous roar.
The knight’s sword burst with dazzling golden light, forcibly carving open a path ahead. But before the soldiers could follow, Crawlers surged in from both sides like a tidal wave and instantly sealed the gap.
“Damn it.”
He cursed fiercely as the golden glow on his blade dimmed slightly.
The potion’s effects were fading, and the Dou Qi within his body was now like a candle flickering in the wind. Every time he forced it to circulate, sharp pain stabbed through his meridians.
William saw everything clearly from below, anxiety burning in his chest. He swung his knight’s sword to protect the soldiers before him while scanning the surroundings.
The cliff walls were steep. The forest was already occupied by Crawlers. The only path to survival seemed completely sealed.
At some point, the mist within the canyon had thinned slightly. By chance, he caught sight of a narrow pass deep within the canyon.
“Your Highness, retreat that way!”
He shouted toward Prince Kande while pointing his sword toward the narrow pass in the distance.
“That passage can only allow a few Crawlers through at once. We can hold it!”
Prince Kande looked in that direction, a flash of determination appearing in his eyes.
He nodded to the knight beside him. Together they once again carved a bloody path forward and advanced toward the pass.
“Everyone, follow us! Hold the pass!”
The soldiers clung to the command like drowning men grasping a final straw. They gathered their remaining strength and followed behind them.
The shrieks of Crawlers chased close behind. The defensive line was shrinking faster than before—but this time, their retreat had a clear direction.
The Vanguard Battalion was the last to withdraw. Like an iron shield hammered again and again, they endured over five hundred casualties before finally retreating into the narrow pass with the main force.
The cramped passage temporarily blocked the flood of Crawlers. The soldiers leaned against the cold rock walls, gasping for breath. Blood and sweat streamed down their armor, yet none dared lower their weapons.
Outside the pass, the dull thuds of Crawlers smashing against the rock echoed endlessly like the pounding of war drums.
Marquis Peter leaned on his sword and stared at the dense shadows filling the end of the passage. His throat tightened.
Though the pass offered temporary refuge, it had also become a cage. Crawlers were now using their claws and heads to slam violently against the rock walls on both sides. Loose stones fell constantly, and the width of the pass was slowly expanding.
“We cannot wait.”
Prince Kande wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his voice hoarse.
“If we drag this out any longer, our Dou Qi and potions will run out before they break through the pass.”
At the same time, three dazzling flashes of light appeared at the Secret Realm Entrance.
Three Legendary Archmages, surrounded by halos of elemental light, rose into the air like three meteors and plunged into the Secret Realm.
After entering the Secret Realm, they barely paused. After confirming their directions, they instantly separated and flew toward three different directions, the sharp whistle of their robes cutting through the air as it echoed across the sky of the Secret Realm.
Inside the canyon, the vibrations of the pass grew increasingly violent.
One Crawler’s claw even managed to reach inside, only to be severed by William with a single strike.
Black fluid splashed onto the rock wall, producing a sizzling sound as it corroded the stone.
“Rest briefly, then prepare to break out.”
Marquis Peter suddenly spoke, his gaze sweeping across the surviving soldiers.
“William, you will follow His Highness in a moment.”
“Your Highness, you guard the right flank. I will lead the Vanguard Battalion in a frontal assault and try to tear open a path to give you a chance to withdraw.”
“Grandfather!” William said urgently. “Breaking through head-on is suicide.”
Prince Kande burst into loud laughter.
“Peter, I am the Legion Commander of the Royal Ninth Legion. It is not your place to command here. You are not qualified yet. I will lead the Vanguard Battalion to break through.”
He turned toward the soldiers and raised his sword.
“Warriors of the Ninth Legion—do you still remember our oath?”
“Fight until death!”
The remaining soldiers roared in unison. Though their voices were not as loud as before, they carried the resolute determination of those prepared to shatter their own retreat.
Outside the pass, the Crawlers’ collisions suddenly became even more frantic, as if they had sensed the soldiers’ intentions.
Prince Kande gripped his knight’s sword tightly as Dou Qi gathered within his body.
“Let these monsters see that the soldiers of the Kroll Kingdom are not prey trapped in a cage.”
At that moment, a thunderous explosion suddenly erupted outside the pass, as if a bolt of heavenly thunder had detonated within the canyon.
Immediately afterward, a scorching shockwave mixed with the smell of sulfur surged into the passage. Pebbles on the rock walls shook loose and rained down.
The soldiers instinctively covered their ears, yet they could clearly feel the overwhelming surge of magical power.
The elements themselves were roaring wildly, carrying a destructive force capable of tearing apart the heavens and earth.
“It’s fire magic!”
A soldier shouted in disbelief, overwhelming joy flashing in his eyes.
Prince Kande abruptly raised his head and exchanged a glance with Marquis Peter. At the same time, light burst into both their eyes.
The intensity of that magical fluctuation was far beyond anything an ordinary mage could produce.
Who else could it be except the Legendary Archmages who had come as reinforcements?
“Reinforcements… have truly arrived.”
Marquis Peter’s voice carried a barely perceptible tremor, and the tension in his shoulders finally eased slightly.
Yet they did not move immediately.
The explosions outside the pass continued one after another. Flames illuminated the shadows at the entrance of the passage, indicating that the magical bombardment was still ongoing.
Charging out now would be like rushing into a burning inferno. They would only be thrown away by the aftershocks.
“Hold steady.”
Prince Kande suppressed the excitement in his heart and shouted in a deep voice, “Wait until the bombardment stops before going out. Do not let reinforcements turn into a death sentence.”
The soldiers nodded one after another. However, their hands gripping their weapons trembled slightly with excitement.
The shrieks of the Crawlers became chaotic and miserable amid the explosions. Clearly, they were suffering heavy casualties.
The force of their attacks against the pass also weakened. Those monsters seemed to be forced back by the flames, struggling only to survive within the sea of fire.
William looked at the flickering flames near the entrance and felt the scorching heat that seemed capable of igniting the air itself. A deep sense of relief from surviving the brink of death rose in his heart.
“How much longer?” a soldier could not help but ask.
Marquis Peter listened carefully to the sounds outside. The frequency of the magical fluctuations was gradually slowing, and the intervals between explosions were becoming longer and longer.
“Soon. Even the mana of Legendary Archmages cannot sustain such reckless expenditure. The bombardment is nearly finished.”
Sure enough, a moment later the final explosion sounded.
Then everything fell into an eerie silence.
Only the crackling of burning flames and the faint wails of dying Crawlers echoed through the canyon.
Prince Kande took a deep breath and raised his knight’s sword.
“Prepare yourselves. Stay close behind me. Do not fall behind.”
Marquis Peter cast a glance toward William. The latter understood immediately and tightened his grip on the knight’s sword given to him by Aganzo.
The air inside the passage seemed to solidify. Everyone stared at the entrance, waiting for the chaotic magical fluctuations to finally fade.