By the third hour of the truce, the atmosphere on the field had already shifted toward that of a final showdown.
Xia Jin did not add the 500 zerglings and 100 hydralisks she had just received as reinforcements to her main line. Instead, she stealthily moved them to a long slope two kilometers away.
Then, she used her existing forces to launch an attack.
This battle was almost a carbon copy of the previous one, with both sides continuing their slaughter on the great plains.
And, quite cleverly, Xia Jin’s insects once again exposed their vulnerable flanks, giving the grey wolves an opportunity to exploit. After a charge scattered the zerglings attempting to block them, a large pack of grey wolves sprinted toward a few dozen hydralisks.
As if their weakness had been discovered, the hydralisks immediately fled toward the southeast with all their might.
The zerglings also charged forward frantically, seemingly trying to protect the hydralisks.
This delighted the Wolf King, who had long considered these hydralisks to be the greatest threat.
Without a second thought, the beast ordered the main wolf pack to continue striking the gap, preventing the surrounding zerglings from closing it.
The Leopard King’s side also provided timely support.
Somehow, the battle turned into a pursuit of the swarm.
Unknowingly, the main force arrived at a small valley two kilometers away.
This area was over 200 meters wide with a relatively gentle incline, but it featured a drop of dozens of meters on both sides.
The open area in the middle happened to be the easiest path to pass through. Seeing the hydralisks flee inside, the beast didn't even think before ordering the wolves to continue the pursuit.
After all, the distance between the two sides had closed to less than 100 meters. At the hydralisks' speed, they would be caught in twenty seconds at most.
But...
Just fifteen seconds later, countless globs of acid fell from the sky like cannonballs, splashing down onto the wolf pack with a wet thud.
Nearly a hundred hydralisks appeared on the slopes on both sides, while waves of zerglings came charging down toward them.
“Not good.”
The Wolf King realized it had fallen into a trap and raised its head to let out a sharp howl.
The entire wolf pack immediately abandoned the pursuit and began to retreat.
In reality, if they had continued their attack at that moment, they could have killed a few hydralisks, but their own losses would have been far greater.
“Close the net.”
Xia Jin let out a chuckle.
To think such a simple tactic could succeed; it seemed these magic beasts really lacked experience.
Seeing the wolf pack and the leopards mixed among them trying to retreat, the zerglings that had been fighting them on the perimeter immediately wove a massive net. They formed a crescent-shaped pincer, cutting through the long line of magic beasts and sealing the entrance to the valley.
Exactly 700 magic beasts were trapped inside.
Another portion was, of course, blocked outside. But that didn't matter; Xia Jin’s primary goal was to annihilate the group of magic beasts in the valley in one fell swoop.
As for those on the outside, they received orders and chose not to join the beasts inside to sandwich the “massive pincer.” Instead, they chose to retreat.
This was because the main force of the swarm was essentially all nearby now.
Nearly 800 units circled around from both sides to attack.
And the 500 fresh troops charging down from the slopes of the valley sounded the death knell for the surrounded magic beasts.
Much like humans, these wolves and leopards did not perform particularly well in such a moment. They fell into chaos, and like headless flies, they were completely encircled.
Some magic beasts tried to escape to the other end of the valley, only to discover in despair that the dozens of hydralisks they had been chasing earlier were blocking the way.
By now, those hydralisks had hidden behind over a hundred zerglings and were unleashing a frantic barrage of attacks.
...
The Wolf King’s spirit broke.
In this single wave, one-third of its pack was gone.
The Leopard King had also seen 100 of its kin surrounded, and its mood was equally foul.
“These detestable creatures... when did they learn such insidious strategies?”
Was it not better to fight head-on?
To actually design such a trap.
No, in truth, this was merely a reasonable use of terrain.
Most armies would not perform well when caught in such a desperate situation.
The rain of acid from the sky and the predicament of having no way to escape completely crushed them.
Ten minutes later, the battle of encirclement ended.
Not a single one of the 700 magic beasts survived.
At that moment, the overcast sky suddenly unleashed a torrential downpour. Everything within sight was shrouded in a misty haze, making the scene feel incredibly desolate.
After annihilating this portion of the enemy, the hundreds of insects began to detour north. They joined the insects fighting in other areas to launch a combined assault on the remaining magic beasts.
“It looks like I’ve won.”
Although the battle wasn't truly over yet, this blow to the enemy had been significant.
In the battle of the valley, the total losses of the zerglings were less than 40, yet they had wiped out an enemy force containing many Tier 4 magic beasts.
The subsequent swarm moved like an unstoppable tide, crushing everything in its path.
The once-powerful magic beasts actually began to rout in several areas.
“Let's go. It's time to retreat.”
The Wolf King stood up helplessly and howled toward the sky, ordering the remaining wolves to retreat together.
All they could do now was try to preserve as much of their effective strength as possible.
Before arriving, it never could have imagined that they would be beaten so miserably even after joining forces with another lord.
The enemy was cunning and insidious; it could only be said that their defeat was not undeserved.
...
“Do these guys want to run?”
Seeing the enemy sprinting away recklessly, Xia Jin immediately ordered the swarm to pursue with everything they had.
The insects, with an average strength of Tier 3, did not disappoint her. Using a massive encirclement, they cornered the enemy against the side of a mountain cliff.
What followed was a war of annihilation without a shred of mercy.
The two magic beast lords displayed combat power beyond imagination.
However, under the continuous erosion of the hydralisks' corrosive liquid, they eventually exhausted their magical power and collapsed in a pool of blood.
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