MTLNOVEL Chapter 384: The Reinforcements Have Arrived
The Underworld had no day or night, only eternal twilight.
The dim environment made the Underworld more oppressive and eerie compared to the surface, and for the Death Holy City of Itkazar, this kind of oppressive atmosphere had reached its peak at this moment.
The not-so-large Holy City had already been surrounded by a dense army.
This was the army of the Dark City State Alliance.
Witch Demon King Pelone personally took command, leading fifty thousand undead troops, twenty thousand cannon fodder composed of goblins, monsters, and demon beasts, and fifteen thousand regular troops of Spirit Sucking Monsters and dark Dwarves to besiege Itkazar, which had a garrison of less than eight thousand.
Aside from the main army composed of Black Iron Rank soldiers, the Dark Alliance also boasted nearly two hundred Silver Professionals and seven Gold Professionals!
There were four Death Knights, two spirit-sucking bloodline mages, and a Dwarf Warrior.
Among the Silver Professionals and Gold Professionals, nearly half had been promoted in the past six months.
*It was this significant increase in strength that gave the Witch Demon King the confidence to contend with the Silent Alliance.*
The force besieging Itkazar was already equivalent to more than one-third of the entire strength of the Dark City State Alliance.
The Witch Demon King was determined to take this Holy City.
The Dark Alliance's army had besieged the city for three days.
During these three days, they had launched four fierce assaults.
Although they still hadn't breached Itkazar, they had already brought tremendous pressure to the city's defenses and its garrison.
Anyone with any military knowledge could see that, although the Holy City's defensive divine arts barrier still had ample energy, the city's garrison had suffered heavy casualties.
*Under the repeated attacks from the Dark Alliance, they had suffered over half casualties, and their morale had plummeted to a very dangerous level…*
*If it weren't for their steadfast faith in the Death God, if it weren't for the fact that the majority of Itkazar's soldiers were devout believers, many would have likely planned to escape through the teleportation array.*
There were no more reinforcements.
Apart from Blade City, the remaining ten underground city-states that hadn't been besieged were relatively small in scale.
Not only were they not strong, but in facing the five city-states simultaneously besieged by the five armies of the Dark Alliance, the support they could provide was indeed limited.
Itkazar had already received the most reinforcements, yet in the face of the even larger and more powerful Dark Alliance army, these reinforcements only dwindled with each successive assault.
The Dark City State Alliance, with its fifty underground city-states and well-integrated strength, was far beyond what the Silent City State Alliance, with only seventeen city-states and a loose structure, could resist.
All over the city walls, there were scattered equipment, and the ground was stained a dark red with blood, while countless bodies, purified remotely to prevent them from becoming undead, either lay strewn below the city or piled on the city walls, being burned in heaps by the defenders…
The stench was nauseating.
*There was no other choice.*
*For no one knew if these purified bodies would rise again in the Dark Alliance's next attack, transformed into fallen undead to rejoin the fight…*
In the Dark City State Alliance's camp.
Witch Demon King Pelone was polishing a heavy, gold-edged black tome, quietly waiting for something.
The book cover was adorned with bone-like patterns and symbols of death, and a faint divine power flowed across it.
However, if one looked closely, they would find that the book also had a dark gray, somewhat ill-fitting shadow gem inlaid on it.
The Witch Demon King infused his power into the shadow gem, and the entire book emitted a faint halo…
The halo spread, and for a moment, the undead army of the Dark Alliance bowed their heads.
This was a true divine artifact, known as the Book of Death.
*It was precisely because of possessing this true divine artifact that the Witch Demon King could manipulate fallen undead, making the Silent Alliance hesitant to lightly use their undead army.*
Just as the Witch Demon King was manipulating the Book of Death, a Death Knight suddenly appeared before him.
The figure knelt on one knee, then said in a deep voice,
"Your Majesty, our envoy sent to Itkazar to persuade their surrender has been executed by the Great Temple Director of the Death Church. They placed the body on the city head and publicly cremated it…"
Upon hearing this, the Witch Demon King Pelone paused slightly.
He remained silent for a few seconds, then let out a cold laugh and said,
"I understand."
"Since they are unwilling to surrender, let us proceed with the final siege."
"Pass down the order, all troops, attack the city! After the city falls, allow all soldiers to plunder for three days!"
With the Witch Demon King's order, the roars of subterranean creatures echoed across the battlefield, and the entire Dark Alliance army sprang into action.
Unlike the previous alternating sieges, this time, tens of thousands of troops surrounding Itkazar launched an all-out assault.
The goblins were the first to attack.
Driven by the undead, they waved their crude weapons and carried makeshift ladders, rushing towards the city walls with howls.
Behind them, fifty thousand well-armed, well-equipped undead formed into orderly marching formations…
The ground trembled; the evil and cold power of the gathered fallen undead transformed into endless smoke, shrouding the skies…
As the smoke continued to spread, the bodies on the battlefield that had been remotely purified by the Death Priests stood up again under some strange force, joining the undead army.
In an instant, the already massive undead army grew even larger!
Those goblins, monsters, and demon beasts who had died in previous assaults all transformed into fallen undead, gaining even greater strength, and joined the ocean of the undead.
The guards on the city walls turned pale at this overwhelming momentum.
*Their already low morale was shaken once more.*
The vanguard of the Dark Alliance soon reached the city walls.
Spurred on by the Witch Demon King, their morale was high, and even the undead army showed increased ferocity. Though they did not need to plunder, they had an insatiable hunger for devouring the souls of the living…
Having faced multiple assaults, the garrison of the Death Holy City was already exhausted.
Their resistance was like eggs crashing against a rock, and after roaring and slaying a few goblins that had climbed up, they were soon overwhelmed by more monsters and undead…
Like ants, the Dark Army surged like a tide to the city walls, setting up ladders and ascending the walls, where they engaged in a one-sided slaughter with the remnants of the Silent Alliance.
Seeing this scene, the face of Itkazar's chief pale.
He looked at Great Temple Director Niel, who was standing beside him, remotely managing the entire city's underground defense core with one eye closed in prayer, and anxiously said,
"Lord Niel! The Dark Alliance has launched a final assault, and even with the reinforcements from other city-states, we have less than five thousand warriors left! Lord Niel, if no reinforcements arrive soon, we can't hold on any longer!"
Great Temple Director Niel, however, showed no sign of panic.
He slowly opened his pure eyes, his clear gaze passing over the battlefield to meet those of the Witch Demon King Pelone within the Dark Alliance army.
Seeing that gaze from the city walls, the Witch Demon King's eyes glowed with ghostly fire beneath the demon mask.
He lightly raised his right hand, making a thumbs-down gesture.
Yet Great Temple Director Niel was unfazed by the Witch Demon King's provocation.
His gaze passed over Pelone and his Dark Army, finally settling on a distant place…
"Our reinforcements have arrived."
He said warmly.
Upon hearing Great Temple Director's words, the Holy City's chief followed his gaze.
From the southeastern border, a cloud of rising smoke suddenly appeared…
A peculiar cavalry composed of elves and Earth Cave Spiders emerged in his view.