Chapter Fifteen: The Counteroffensive

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Caught completely off guard, Ren Zituo howled in pain as a sharp ache radiated through his backside. The wolf-headed warriors besieging the city below heard the howl and responded with a chorus of their own. "Another of our kin has met misfortune! Brothers, charge!" they cried.

“Pour the oil, ignite it,” Cao De commanded. In an instant, the city walls erupted into a sea of flames, forcing the attacking orcs to retreat en masse. Flesh and blood beings naturally fear fire.

“Run! The despicable humans have set fire to the walls!”

“Kobold archers provide cover! Everyone else, fall back!”

“Brother Bull, run! I’ll cover you!”

Amidst the chaotic shouts, arrows and bullets whizzed through the flames with rapid “bang bang bang” sounds. The battlefield was strewn with orc corpses as they withdrew to a safer distance.

Wang Sheng and the others finally breathed a sigh of relief. “Count how many of us remain. Rest quickly and tend to the wounded,” orders were issued one after another.

At that moment, Cao De received a pigeon post from His Majesty: “Final assault tomorrow morning.”

Cao De and Wang Sheng, along with two others, approached Sect Master Ren and Sect Master Qian. Dean Dianlu said gratefully, “Your esteemed sect’s timely support is deeply appreciated. Please, fellow cultivators, enter the city and rest.”

Sect Masters Ren and Qian said little in response. As fellow human forces, this was only right. They followed the human soldiers’ guidance down the city walls. Before leaving, they cast several lingering glances at the ranks of puppet soldiers standing guard—and noticed Sect Master Ren walking with a slight leg clench.

Wang Sheng stared at the puppet soldiers in amazement. These puppets had played an indispensable role in the defense. The later machine gunners and flamethrower troops seemed almost designed for war. Even more astonishing was the white puppet, capable of healing wounded soldiers—the white beam’s healing power was nothing short of miraculous.

The others marveled as well, gathering around the various human units to examine and experiment—touching, tapping, thoroughly engrossed.

“Third Brother, did you see that white puppet? Just now, one glance from her healed not only my injuries but also my internal ailments. Incredible—I feel like I could punch a dragon to death now!”

“Don’t brag. You punch a dragon? Speaking of which, I have some internal injuries from years of training. Want me to let you cut me so the puppet can heal me?”

“Third Brother, you really want me to cut you?”

“Come on! A true hero would frown at that offer.” Saying this, he closed his eyes.

Just as Wang Sheng and the others were having fun, several soldiers appeared carrying a wounded comrade.

“Sir, my brother is injured. We want the great puppeteer’s puppet to heal him.” The wounded soldier groaned softly as he spoke.

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“Sir, same here. My closest iron brother is hurt. Please, help him heal.”

Wang Sheng and the others stopped their experiments. When it came to military matters, Cao De commanded the most respect, so all eyes turned to him.

Cao De stepped forward, looking at the injured soldier with frustration. “Damn it, I might understand a big wound, but this barely an inch-long cut—do you take me for a fool?” Yet, with manpower so scarce, he quickly looked to Wang Sheng.

“Since they’re all city defenders, treat them all. One by one—after all, we only have ten white puppets,” Wang Sheng understood Cao De’s intent and said to the soldiers.

“Hurry and thank Vice Dean Wang!” Cao De scolded with a mix of sternness and humor.

“Thank you, Vice Dean Wang!” the soldiers exclaimed excitedly before dragging the groaning wounded soldier toward the field medics.

Due to the terrain, the orcs could only attack through the main gate and city walls. Now, the fire blocked their path, so they had no choice but to wait for the flames to die out.

The fire burned from dusk into the deep night, showing no signs of lessening. Wobiao stared with lion-like eyes at the inferno, tears nearly welling up from continuous gazing. Without the flames dying down, the assault was impossible. With a sigh, Wobiao turned away.

Suddenly, a loud rumble echoed. Wobiao snapped back to look at the firestorm. Damn! A section of the wall had collapsed in flames. Are they really not putting out the fire?

Wobiao watched a while longer. The humans truly weren’t extinguishing it; he even saw them throwing wood into the flames, seemingly stoking the fire. He thought, “The fire will eventually burn out. This is just a temporary obstacle. Once the walls are gone and the fire dies, how will you stop my armies? Fools.” He then ignored it and returned to his tent to rest.

At dawn the next day, as the sun was rising—

“Brother Pig, any grain left?”

“I don’t know. The supply convoy should have arrived long ago. Why’s it taking so long? I haven’t eaten either!” a pig-headed warrior said.

“Are you hoarding it? Your belly’s so big, you must be eating it all yourself!” a wolf-headed warrior scowled.

“I’m not eating anything, damn it! You’re crazy. A big belly is just my build.”

The wolf-headed warrior was about to retort, but then noticed a line appearing on the distant horizon behind the pig-headed warrior, freezing in place. Seeing the wolf not respond, the pig-headed warrior was about to say more when a line also appeared behind the wolf’s back on the horizon.

Inside the tent, Wobiao was dozing when a wolf warrior rushed in, panting, “Warlord, bad news! The human forces have arrived. We’re surrounded!”

Wobiao was about to curse but immediately stood, stepping outside. The human troops had already encircled the orc army from both flanks.

The gleaming heavy cavalry armor reflected the first rays of morning light. To the left flew the Great Xia Kingdom’s banner; to the right, the Holy Dragon Kingdom’s flag fluttered in the wind. The dense human army finally bared its fangs at the orcs.

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Wobiao’s heart sank. He hurriedly organized defenses. “Bull-headed orcs, first line—hold your ground! Kobolds, provide cover—hold fast! All troops, prepare to retreat!” Flustered, his words came out jumbled.

The orcs scrambled into formation, but it was too late.

The human coalition gave no time for the orcs to fortify. As soon as they appeared, they launched a charge. Human cavalry on both sides surged forward like a tide, ready to strike.

“Prepare to impact!”

As the front line neared the orc positions, the first row of cavalry, expressionless, lowered their sharpened lances in unison.

A young silver-armored soldier pointed his spear forward, channeling condensed energy into a lance strike that blasted an orc bull-headed warrior far away, his battle fervor burning bright.

The initial charge shattered the orcs’ hastily built defenses. Cavalrymen pierced the orc lines like sharp knives. Riders in the rear wielded swords, cutting down fleeing orcs.

The orcs, exhausted from siege and low on supplies, saw their morale plummet. Where the cavalry passed, beastly howls rang out. “For the tribe! Kill! Orcs never serve as slaves!” Amid the chaos, someone shouted this rallying cry.

The entire wall of Sacred Heart City had long since collapsed. The fire remained unextinguished; nearly everything burnable within the city was reduced to ashes. Seeing the reinforcements engaged in combat with the orcs in the distance, Cao De grew furious.

“General, the fire is too intense. At this rate, it’ll take a while to put it out,” a soldier reported.

“Who’s responsible for maintaining the fire? Didn’t I say no fuel before dawn? Damn it! The front has already finished fighting, but we haven’t even put out the fire yet. Isn’t that embarrassing?”

“Everyone, step aside—watch this!” Wang Sheng drove the Vulture war chariot forward and lobbed a grenade into the blaze. The explosion tore a gap through the fire, followed by more grenades tracing an arc, forcibly carving a path through the inferno.

“You can do that?” Cao De exclaimed in surprise, knocking on the chariot’s hull. “Is there room inside? Let me try!”

“Get on quickly! The troops are already assembled. There’ll be plenty of time to play later—first, we settle the orcs. Didn’t you see the puppets have already set off?” Wang Sheng snapped.

Just then, a thousand sword-clad cultivators flew overhead. Ren Zituo and the others charged toward the battlefield. Machine gunners and other human soldiers automatically sprinted through the newly blasted path toward the orcs. Seeing the passage was narrow, Wang Sheng blasted another route. Cao De shouted, “Forward!”

The remaining fifty thousand imperial holy soldiers tightened their grips on their weapons, eyes blazing with fury as they surged toward the orcs. They sought revenge.

“A lone laugh over the boundless sea...” Wang Sheng quickly answered his phone. “Commander, what’s the matter?”

“Vice Dean Wang, the orcs will surely be defeated this battle. Their corpses are of great use to me for research. Can you provide them?”

“Of course, all of them. We’ve been worried about where to store them. If you hadn’t asked, we would have burned them all after the war,” Wang Sheng replied without hesitation.

“Thank you very much, Vice Dean Wang. There will be a great reward for you later.” Shen Yi said before hanging up, smiling at the hundred orderly engineers standing before him.