A pillar of fire shot into the sky!
It was followed by roaring flames and massive boulders of stone!
Boom!!
The wall stood fifty meters high and two hundred meters thick, stretching across the entire northeast border of the Kingdom of the Moon and extending nearly to the southern border.
With a total length of nearly six thousand kilometers, it could be called the greatest engineering feat in the history of all races in this world.
The border wall consisted of three layers. The first layer was the shortest at six thousand kilometers, the second exceeded eight thousand kilometers, and the third stretched over twenty thousand kilometers.
Each of the three walls was separated by at least a hundred kilometers!
A thousand years ago, it had exhausted nearly all human and material resources, with other races eventually joining the construction process.
Only through such efforts was this massive Great Wall built in just a century.
Its purpose was singular!
To defend against the demon race.
And now, at the very front line at the foot of the Mountain of Victory—the place where the first Pope had led an army of two million from various races to completely drive the demon race into the sea—the flames of war were ignited once again!
After hundreds of years, the horn of war against the demon race had sounded.
"Hurry!! Reinforce the walls! Where is the Mage Corps? Cover them with fire! Do not let the demon army cross the warning line!!"
"Report! The demon vanguard has crossed the warning line and is heading straight for the Great Wall!"
"Report! Smoke rises from the beacon tower thirty miles to the west! The demon vanguard has begun its assault!"
"Report! Smoke rises from the beacon tower sixty miles to the west! The demon vanguard is attacking!"
"Report! Smoke rises from the beacon tower ninety miles to the west! The demon vanguard..."
"Report! One hundred and twenty miles to the west..."
"Report! One hundred and fifty miles to the west..."
The moment he heard these reports, the words "all-out assault" flashed through the mind of Locke, a Guardian Knight.
"We can't wait any longer. I'm going to support the west side!" Kariel was the first to step forward, whipping his horse and racing along the wall toward the west!
Tristan's eyes were grave as he looked toward Robert.
"Robert, I'll handle things here. You head west as well. If the demon army breaks through the line, we'll be in serious trouble!"
Although a faint smile remained on Robert's lips, his eyes betrayed a cold seriousness.
"Fine, leave it to me! I'll make sure they never return!"
Without another word, Robert mounted his horse and galloped toward the west.
Seeing both Guardian Knights race westward, Tristan frowned as he looked toward the coastline.
Although the Great Wall was near the coast, it was not built directly against it; this was done to leave a buffer zone for war.
Now, despite the deep night, one could see nearly endless signal fires across that buffer zone outside the wall.
Countless demons were charging madly toward the Great Wall like suicidal worker ants. The fall of their companions did not shake them, and neither the heavy crossbow bolts nor the boulders falling from above could slow their pace!
"Awoooo—!"
Within the demon army, countless voices howled frantically. The chaotic sound of footsteps made the earth tremble, and violent explosions rang out continuously. On the distant coastline, over a hundred massive warships could be seen anchored, with countless demons leaping from the ships and charging forward in a frenzy.
"Klo, make a decision! We won't be able to hold at this rate!!"
Tristan understood deeply that on this six-thousand-kilometer border wall, there were fewer than fifty thousand knights and a hundred thousand infantry. Even with nearly a thousand mages and priests, it was like trying to put out a forest fire with a cup of water.
Looking out, the demons were like a swarm of ants, filling the entire coastline and advancing in a dense, suffocating mass.
Klo's expression was grave. Looking down at the endless tide of demons, he thought for a moment before finally gritting his teeth and issuing an order!
"Send riders to the nearest communication post! Report the situation here to the Saintess and immediately request reinforcements from the Seven Nations of the Holy Church! Ring the Saint's Bell! Put the second wall on level one alert!"
The orders were quickly dispatched. Standing atop the wall, Klo watched the demon army surging like a black tide, his heart trembling with a mix of fear and excitement.
After more than two hundred years, the demon race's invasion had finally begun again!
"Roar—!"
Amidst the chaos, a behemoth suddenly appeared before everyone's eyes.
Its massive body was at least fifty meters long and over ten meters high, resembling a giant ox covered in armor.
Most striking of all was the single horn on its massive head, which was already aimed directly at the Great Wall!!
"Tristan, that one is yours! Do not let it reach the wall!!"
Klo's heart skipped a beat at the sight of that massive demonized beast—the One-horned Great Bull!
With such a massive size, its charge would be unstoppable against a wall built of stone and earth!
"Understood."
Tristan responded, stepped forward, grabbed his conical lance, and raised his arm to shout.
"Those who do not fear death! I need twenty Brave Knights and two hundred Fidelity Knights!"
"Yeah—!"
Those nearby who heard him were the fastest to react, mounting their horses immediately.
Tristan led the way, leaping his horse straight down from the fifty-meter-high wall!
"Target: the One-horned Great Bull! Kill!"
"Kill—!!!"
Twenty Brave Knights and two hundred Fidelity Knights raised their lances high and leaped from the wall one after another, following closely behind Tristan as they charged toward the demon vanguard!
The demon vanguard seemed prepared. Seeing people charging from the wall, they immediately gathered hundreds of elite demons!
Leading them was a demonized elf, his body wreathed in dark energy, a frantic and twisted smile on his face.
"Hahahaha—! To think the first person I'd meet on the battlefield would be a Guardian Knight! How thrilling! Kill—!"
"Kill—!!"
Hundreds of demons broke from their formation first, braving the fire, boulders, and heavy crossbows to charge madly at the approaching knight squad!
Seeing this, Tristan's pupils constricted. He raised his lance and aimed it at the demonized elf.
He roared!
"Battle formation skill: Frenzied Charge!!"
"Ohhh—!"
The speed of the twenty Brave Knights and two hundred Fidelity Knights suddenly increased several times over.
In an instant, the two groups collided!
Staring at the demonized elf, Tristan thrust his conical lance forward, aiming straight for the face!
The demonized elf was equally fearless. Facing the incoming lance, he roared and crossed two long blades over his head with a loud clang!
Boom—!
A loud explosion rang out as both their charges were halted simultaneously!
The massive impact instantly spread through the ground, sending spiderweb-like cracks radiating outward.
Dozens of people near the two of them were blown away by the violent blast.
Tristan's fiery red hair fluttered in the wind as he looked down from his horse with a grim expression at the demonized elf who had stopped his charge with nothing but two blades!
"With strength like that, you are no ordinary foe. State your name!!"
"A pleasure to meet you, human knight."
The demonized elf had a smirk on his face, his white hair tied in a ponytail fluttering in the blast!
"My name is Schiram!"
"Demon Blade Schiram!?"
"I didn't think anyone would still remember me after two hundred years. I'm truly honored."
As he spoke, Schiram slowly raised his head, revealing a lewd smile that was completely at odds with the cold and haughty nature of the elven race.
"Your wife and daughter... are they beautiful?"
The images of his wife and daughter flashed through Tristan's mind, and his rage boiled over!
"You're dead—!"
He shoved his lance forward with sudden force. Schiram's brow furrowed slightly; sensing the immense power, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.
However, he did not try to stay and resist. Instead, he retreated with the momentum, and as he backed away, he flicked his dual blades, magic instantly spreading across the steel.
With a boom, the blades in his hands erupted into flames.
He swung them down!
"Blazing Twin Slash!"
"Holy Light Shield!"
Boom—!
Fiery red light and golden light erupted almost simultaneously. In the next breath, the silver knight burst through the flames like a streak of light!
"Cross Impact—!"
The silver armor and the white horse transformed into a golden light in that instant, charging toward Schiram.
Schiram was momentarily stunned, seemingly not expecting Tristan to charge through the Blazing Twin Slash to counterattack.
He made no move, standing frozen on the spot.
The lance pierced through Schiram's body without any resistance... however, Tristan felt nothing as if he had pierced through air.
In that instant, Tristan realized what was happening and shouted.
"Holy Protection!"
However, the shout was a fraction of a second too late. Before he could finish his words, Schiram's figure appeared beside the white horse, his blade slashing across Tristan's ankle.
Slash!
The sharp blade sliced easily through the armor, cutting Tristan's tendon through the gap. At the same time, Schiram swung his other blade back!
Clang!
The blade struck but was blocked by the golden holy light.
"Your reactions are quite fast~"
Schiram did not stay after the failed strike. He retreated several steps to put distance between them, a cruel smile hanging on his lips as he watched Tristan.
Tristan's expression remained unchanged, but he knew his ankle tendon was severed; his control over the horse would no longer be as smooth as before.
Turning his horse around, Tristan stole a glance at the distance. The knights were desperately charging forward with one goal: to kill the One-horned Great Bull.
However, faced with the obstruction of hundreds of demons, even the suicidal charge of the knights struggled to break through.
Of the original two hundred and twenty knights who followed him, half were now trapped within the demon army.
They lunged and parried but could not break out of the encirclement, being slowly squeezed to death by the demons.
One knight, fearless of death, was grabbed by the leg by a frantic demon and dragged bodily from his horse.
Though he drew his longsword in an instant, another demon grabbed his hand before he could swing!
A swarm of demons piled on, hacking madly at the knight whose limbs were pinned.
His screams were drowned out by the frantic roars of the demons.
The next second, with the sound of flesh tearing, the knight's leg was ripped clean from his body.
The demon holding the severed leg didn't even hesitate before stuffing the spurting limb into its mouth.
Soon, the sound of tearing flesh echoed from that direction. Before long, the nearby demons had either arms or chunks of flesh stuffed in their mouths.
One demon was biting down on half a head; the eyelids were gone, leaving the exposed eyeball to stare blankly at the sky.
Having tasted blood, the demons became even more frenzied, their blood-red eyes gleaming as they lunged at the other knights!
Seeing this, Tristan's heart turned cold. He understood that this charge had failed.
He himself was seriously injured. Staying here any longer would only mean more knights sacrificing themselves for nothing!
"Retreat!!"
Tristan raised his lance and shouted. The knights who could still fight began to pull back.
But the demons' bloodlust had been ignited. Countless demons surged forward, fearless of death. Even if they were skewered by lances or had their heads lopped off, their hands never let go of the white horses they had grabbed!
Klo, watching from atop the wall, had a grave expression.
At this rate, Tristan might not make it back.
The influence of a Guardian Knight on a war could be massive or minor, depending entirely on the commander.
Unfortunately, while there were knights here, there was no strategist strong enough.
Furthermore, when the enemy's numbers reached such a level, pure tactics were no longer enough to turn the tide.
"Two hundred Brave Knights, follow me!!"
Locke could not wait a second longer. If Tristan died here, the blow to the Kingdom of the Moon's overall strength would be immense!
Without hesitation, he raised his lance, vaulted onto his white horse, and leaped from the wall, charging straight for Schiram.
By now, Schiram and Tristan had swapped positions. Behind Tristan was an endless swarm of demons, while Schiram stood before him, with the Great Wall behind Schiram!
At this moment, what Tristan had to do was lead the remaining knights back to the wall alive!
"Everyone, charge with me—!"
Tristan gave a furious roar.
"Trampling Awe!!"
"Roar—!"
The knights pulled back on their reins and simultaneously activated their battle formation skill. A massive force traveled through the hooves of their white horses and slammed into the ground!
Boom—!
A shockwave radiated outward from Tristan. With every knight's hoof that fell, the shockwave grew stronger.
By the time it reached the edge of their formation, it was over ten meters high, whistling past like a category ten gale!
The smaller demons were instantly swept into the air!
However, while such a gale was difficult for humans to withstand, it could only serve as a temporary hindrance to the demons, most of whom were massive in size.
Seeing this, Schiram's brow furrowed. He swiped his hand at his waist, and suddenly a dozen pitch-black knives appeared in his palm, which he threw toward Tristan.
Tristan had just released the battle formation skill and didn't even have time to defend. In the darkness... the blades flashed by.
Clang! Clang! Clang!!
A dozen crisp sounds of clashing metal rang out, sparks flying into the night air!
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