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Chapter 473: Catastrophe at Scarlet Fortress
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Dense volleys of crossbow bolts and stones struck the advancing "army" of dretches.
These seemingly ferocious demons performed terribly, being torn apart in moments.
Under the sunlight, most of the dretches' corpses disintegrated, leaving only a small portion of undissolved remains.
These small gray fragments, resembling soul crystals, were the only spoils of killing dretches.
Defeating them wasn't difficult, but their sheer numbers were overwhelming.
As one batch was destroyed, more dretches crawled out from the Abyssal Rift.
Seeing this, the Bay Territory soldiers breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as the enemy could be killed, there was nothing to fear.
At the same time, they understood that this would be a tough battle.
After all, they had no idea how many enemies they would face.
The upheaval at Scarlet Pass should have drawn Scarlet Fortress's attention.
No matter the situation, defending against Abyssal demons and resisting Abyssal invasions was always the top priority.
However, the situation at Scarlet Pass was ignored; no units left Scarlet Fortress to provide support.
The reason was rather strange.
The orc army, which had been holding off from launching a full-scale assault, suddenly mobilized every warrior.
Over the past few months, they had quietly amassed over a million orc warriors during their covert operations.
Now, they unleashed a massive offensive!
The towering walls were swarmed by countless orcs, climbing like ants.
All the orcs seemed mad, launching frenzied attacks on the positions and defenses held by the Third and Eighth Legions.
The unprepared legions narrowly avoided being devastated.
Fortunately, at the critical moment, Carlos deployed a large number of battle golems from Bay Territory.
These supposedly obsolete guardian and sentry golems held the orc army's assault at bay with their metallic bodies.
The time bought by these golems allowed the Third and Eighth Legions to rally their forces and withstand the orcs' desperate offensive.
Watching the crazed expressions of the orcs, Carlos held the line while questioning the situation elsewhere.
"What the hell is going on? What's wrong with these orcs?"
"Who knows? There are so many of them, but there don't seem to be any elite or high-tier orcs…"
"Could these orcs have been abandoned as cannon fodder?"
"That's possible, but it's more than just that."
"Demons appeared at Scarlet Pass, and now the orcs are going berserk. There must be a connection."
"Damn it! Everything's happening at once!"
"We must hold the line. Without elite forces, these orcs won't cause too much trouble, but they will stall us."
"If it were anything else, it'd be manageable, but demons are different. Send out a distress call immediately."
"Support will take at least five hours to arrive. Damn it!"
"We need to build another city within a 50-kilometer radius in the future."
"..."
While the orcs' assault was being held back, the defenders of Scarlet Fortress had just started to relax.
Some even mocked the orcs for overestimating themselves and coming here to die.
As for assisting Scarlet Pass, everyone conveniently avoided mentioning it.
Survival was their priority.
Although the orcs' surprise attack was repelled, a vague sense of unease lingered among the defenders.
It felt like something even more terrifying had yet to occur.
"Carlos, look!"
The commander of the Eighth Legion, standing atop the watchtower, frantically shouted at Carlos, pointing outside the walls.
After slaying several orcs charging at him, Carlos rushed to the wall and looked in the indicated direction.
At first glance, Carlos's heart pounded wildly.
In front of the distant orc camp, Carlos spotted dozens of highly distinguished orc shamans.
"This is bad…"
An invisible force began to envelope Scarlet Fortress.
It greedily consumed the souls of recently fallen orcs, growing stronger with each passing moment.
The oppressive aura emanating from it even surpassed the power of legendary spells!
Commanders of the Third and Eighth Legions frantically sent messages to the Seventon Council and the Grand Arcanists.
Yet it seemed it was already too late!
The eerie ritual filled Carlos with a bone-deep sense of dread.
The orcs had sacrificed hundreds of thousands of their own to fuel this terrifying ceremony.
Carlos instinctively thought of Scarlet Pass's situation.
He quickly realized that the siege of Scarlet Pass might have been just a trial run.
The orcs' real target was Scarlet Fortress.
For the orcs, they had compelling reasons to take Scarlet Fortress at any cost.
Now, they were making a desperate final push.
Staring at the twisted ritual, Carlos's unease deepened.
At that moment, an indescribable force, having absorbed countless orc and legion souls, surged explosively.
Controlled by the orc shamans, it struck the walls defended by the Third Legion like a cannonball.
Crack! Crack!
Though invisible, the force's destructive power was immense.
Narrow, almost impossible fissures began appearing on the outer walls of Scarlet Fortress.
The previously sturdy walls started shaking and trembling within moments.
One chunk of stone after another broke away from the walls, tumbling to the ground.
Thick smoke and the orc army's shrill cries of war sent waves of terror through the defending soldiers.
The defenders clearly felt and even witnessed the changes on the walls.
The crumbling stones and gaping cracks were no illusion.
More and more orc soldiers charged the breaches created in the walls.
Some orcs managed to break through the defenders' lines, escalating the battle into brutal melee combat.
Forced into a corner, the Third and Eighth Legions had no choice but to deploy reserves and retreat further into the fortress.
As the force absorbed more orc souls, it grew even more powerful.
It began targeting other sections of Scarlet Fortress's walls.
It exerted its full strength, obliterating the final remaining wall of Scarlet Fortress!
Many orcs and defenders who couldn't retreat in time fell along with the crumbling stones.
Standing tall for centuries, Scarlet Fortress collapsed unexpectedly at this critical moment.
The hidden meanings behind such dramatic events faded with the retreating orc shamans.
What ritual had they performed? No one knew!
To whom had they made sacrifices? No one understood!
Why did they leave after destroying Scarlet Fortress?
That, too, remained a mystery.
At Scarlet Pass.
The neatly aligned Bay Territory soldiers stood guard over the walls.
Occasionally, they hurled stones down at dretches trying to climb up, crushing them easily.
For now, the defenses at Scarlet Pass seemed impenetrable.
"But how can we deal with the Abyssal Rift?"
"If it expands further, more terrifying demons will emerge."
Just as Matthew pondered the dilemma, a violent surge from Scarlet Fortress sent a chill through him.
The drowsy Yaya suddenly opened her eyes wide and shouted:
"Divine presence!"
"A god has intervened!"