Chapter 561.5: Bay Territory's Harvest
After Matthew's explanation, Prince Kreiser visibly relaxed. Seeing the fully prepared city walls, he even began to look forward to the fight.
It was a prime opportunity to evaluate the Cole Elf Kingdom's military strength—worth observing carefully.
Black Crow Fortress's outer wall now stood 10 meters high. It didn't just create immense pressure—it also enclosed the passage to the underground world.
Facing this towering, grand fortress, the Cole Elf commander frowned.
"What's going on? A newly built wall? That's impossible!"
It had been less than a month and a half since Black Crow Fortress fell.
Yet its towering outer wall was clearly a recent construction.
Seamless in design, with no gaps between stones, it even leaned slightly outward. The front was covered in convex-concave ridges.
This bastion-style structure maximized defense against catapults and even cannons.
It also enabled crossfire and alternating fire against any climbing attackers.
What troubled him more was the black metal muzzles protruding from the wall's firing ports.
Understanding dwarven cannon range and power, the Cole Elf commander stared at the unfamiliar and terrifying Black Crow Fortress and fell into deep thought.
"Should we really attack?"
Logically, defenders held the absolute advantage.
History had seen many attackers, even with forces dozens or hundreds of times larger, fail to breach well-defended fortresses.
With strength relatively balanced, this 50,000-strong Cole Elf force likely couldn't take a fortress manned by 30,000 gray dwarves.
Even if he believed in victory, the commander couldn't guarantee how many of his troops would survive.
Unlike him, Matthew looked forward to what surprises the Cole Elf army might bring.
After all, the Cole Elf Kingdom was currently the strongest in both national power and military might in the Northern Continent.
They would decline and suffer in the future—but not yet.
"Will they really attack? With only a bit over 50,000 troops? Do they have the guts?"
Stroking the thick, solid walls, Prince Kreiser felt emboldened and asked with some anticipation.
Matthew glanced back at the busy golem engineers and replied confidently:
"If they're not fools, they'll definitely attack immediately."
"The longer they wait, the higher the price they'll pay."
Matthew had already made the choice for them.
A 10-meter-high wall built in just over a month was a message.
We can build lots of fortifications!
If the Cole Elf commander didn't attack, Black Crow Fortress would only grow more impregnable.
The longer it stood, the harder it would be to take.
As long as the fortress wasn't in Cole Elf hands—
More and more raiders from the underground world would keep pouring out.
Faced with this, the Cole Elf commander had only one option—attack.
As expected, having thought it through, he decisively gave the order to attack.
First to charge were the iron golems leaping down from the floating carriages.
Watching from the walls, Matthew calmly observed the orderly advance of the iron golems.
Silently, he muttered to himself, "Just so you know—I didn't even finish preparing many of the defenses, just to make you comfortable attacking..."
These iron golems each wielded a hammer in one hand and a drill in the other, their bodies pulsing with surging magical energy.
They were the infamous "Rammers"—war golems that had caused massive trouble for Ail Elf castles and strongholds, according to intel.
These Rammers were extremely tough—high defense and thick health bars, practically immune to regular attacks.
The siege hammers and magical drills in their hands could not only break down walls—they were also deadly killing tools.
But the gray dwarves had already prepared for this. Their dwarf cannons, even better than those crafted by the Dwarven Kingdom, showed terrifying destructive power.
Just one volley caused considerable damage to the Rammer golems.
When the Rammers forced their way through two rounds of cannon bombardment and reached the walls—
They met lethal retaliation!
Over 200 dwarf cannons were simultaneously pushed into firing positions.
The fixed firing angles had already been set with precise targeting.
Right at the location the Rammers were charging!
Boom!
The thunderous roar of destruction echoed across the battlefield.
Three to four hundred rotating iron shells pounded the bodies of the Rammer golems.
Though their defenses were formidable, they were still metal constructs—not indestructible.
Over 30 Rammer golems were scrapped on the spot after taking direct hits.
The remaining ones suffered increasing damage under the bombardment. Severed limbs and crawling on the ground became common sights.
A few Rammers managed to reach the walls and began their designated work of destroying them.
However, the rate of loss was too high—one or two went down every minute.
Shocked, the Cole Elf commander immediately ordered the waiting elf soldiers to push the siege towers and ladders toward the walls.
Seeing the enemy's main force advancing, Jifan immediately gave the counterattack order:
"Team 123, fire!!"
Swish! Swish! Swish!
The gray dwarves' enchanted crossbows brought serious trouble to the Cole Elves.
Normal shields couldn't block them, and the poison within was vicious and deadly.
Even slight contact would cause instant paralysis and weakness.
Many elves who couldn't dodge in time were taken down instantly by a few bolts.
Before even engaging the enemy, elven casualties had begun.
The Cole Elf commander winced in pain while silently marveling at the enemy's preparations.
Maze Locks to suppress spellcasters.
Dwarf cannons to suppress golems.
Crossbowmen to handle mass troops.
The enemy's readiness left him greatly frustrated.
But when he saw the siege towers and ladders getting closer to the walls, his tense heart eased slightly.
As long as they could storm the walls—
With the elite nature of the Cole Elf warriors and their 60%+ numerical advantage—
The battle should be in their hands!
Just then, a light mist spread outward.
Fireballs crashed onto the siege equipment with thunderous booms.
Crack!
Crash!
The terrifying impact instantly shattered the wooden war machines.
Several high-level elven spellcasters stepped out from their carriages, their faces grim.
They had cast multiple "Spell Countermeasures" together—but they had no effect on the incoming fireballs.
This left them both frustrated and furious.
They naturally assumed their spells failed because of the Maze Lock.
What was once the Cole Elf Kingdom's strongest weapon had become the enemy's trump card—used against them.
Simple anger couldn't describe their current emotions.
They chanted incantations and waved staves, casting buffs onto nearby soldiers.
Pre-cast magical effects were less hindered by the Maze Lock.
Prince Kreiser, who should've been anxious, watched the siege weapons collapse and suddenly felt déjà vu.
Wasn't it the same?
When he led gray dwarves against Bay Territory's walls, he faced similar spell bombardments.
Boom!
A fireball burst at the waist of a siege engine, snapping it in half.
Wood chips and parts scattered. The heavy upper segment crashed down, killing several Cole Elves who couldn't escape.
The shockwave stirred a gust that knocked down charging elf warriors.
Watching one massive fireball after another flying—
Striking the siege equipment over and over—
All the Cole Elf spellcasters instinctively frowned.
"The enemy has at least 20 high-tier spellcasters, who not only control the Maze Lock but are also specialized in casting Fireball."
Hearing the gathered intel from the enforcers, the Cole Elf commander narrowed his eyes.
Looking at the siege engines reduced to rubble and flames, he quickly devised a desperate plan:
"Notify the other spellcasters to shield the siege engines. Don't forget the Thunder Lizards—give them extra protection spells."
"If they like explosions, let's drain their spells as much as we can."
"Order the 4th and 5th squads to provide cover fire on both flanks."
"Order the remaining Rammer golems to shield the siege engines."
"Tell the other spellcasters to grant various buffs to every Cole Elf warrior entering the Maze Lock zone."
Indeed, once the Cole Elf commander focused and stopped worrying about casualties—
And concentrated solely on taking Black Crow Fortress—his adjustments began to show results.
The frequency of destroyed siege engines dropped by nearly a third.
Gray dwarf defenders on the wall also began to suffer casualties.
The Magus Corps' magical longbows had an excellent range of 200 meters.
Their mastered arcing shots allowed them to hit defenders on top of the walls from below.
The regrouped Rammer golems, using their numbers, endured the punishment and managed to crack a hole at the base of the wall.
Two to three Rammers nestled inside, continuing their relentless damage from within.
Facing the shift in the battlefield, Jifan didn't panic.
He wasn't concerned about a few Rammers.
The newly built wall was 8 meters thick.
Even with their speed, it would take at least three hours to breach a full opening.
By then, the battle would already be over.
He simply focused on the approaching siege weapons, silently ordering the artillery units to target the advancing behemoths.
Boom!
Roaring flames struck a siege tower.
A massive hole tore through its square body.
The spinning shell bounced within, shredding everything in its path.
When the smoke cleared, the siege tower was in ruins.
Cannons might not pierce the defenses of a draconic beast—but against wooden siege engines, they were more than effective.
Meanwhile, the crossbowmen of the gray dwarves and the longbowmen of the elves were locked in intense exchanges.
Both sides used enchanted armor-piercing arrows—unless shielded overhead, a hit meant a wound.
Gradually, the crossbowmen gained the upper hand with wave after wave of continuous volleys.
Except for a small section under direct attack, the rest of the wall defenders fired with ease.
The elven longbowmen below had nowhere to hide, no cover, and had to endure the barrage.
Bearing heavy casualties, they grit their teeth and escorted the Thunder Lizards, delivering the final 10 siege engines to the walls.
Over 4,000 elf warriors died to make it happen.
No matter how skilled, how experienced, or how long-lived, attacking a wall always meant being cannon fodder.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Huge siege towers reached the walls. Hooks dropped and latched onto the wall's edge.
The waiting elf warriors shouted as they surged forward!