The Fate of Ancient Beast Summoner-Chapter 37: When the Wall Screamed Back

The galloping hooves of Liora and Elowen's horses kicked up sand, dust, and gravel. In the distance, the massive defensive wall grew increasingly visible, stretching to separate the inner and outer parts of the kingdom.

Standing as tall as a four-story building and about 10 meters thick, this fortress—the frontline of humanity—held steadfast against the relentless attacks of the demon race.

The sounds of battle and the intense cries of combat echoed from behind the walls, growing louder and clearer as they approached. The clashing of steel, spirited shouts from soldiers mixed with groans of the wounded, and high-pitched screeches clearly marked the presence of the demon race.

Approaching the North Wall, Elowen urged her horse up the steps of the fortress, while Liora followed closely behind. The combination of well-trained horses and the skilled riding of the two women allowed them to reach the top of the wall in no time.

From above, the battlefield revealed an intense fight. From this vantage point, the numerical disparity between the human forces and the demon race was stark—perhaps around 1 to 10. Little by little, the human troops maintaining their defensive formation were pushed back.

Despite managing to take down a large number of enemies, the overwhelming difference in numbers rendered their efforts seemingly futile.

Below the fortress wall, the remaining troops formed a circular defense, with warriors in three outer layers protecting the mages positioned within. They fought with all their might against the demon race's onslaught. Meanwhile, archers stationed atop the wall provided support by raining arrows down on the enemy.

Elowen dismounted her horse and asked one of the soldiers, "Why are they trapped out there? What happened?"

An archer paused for a moment and replied, "At first, only a small group of demons attacked, as usual, so General Arnav led the troops outside to deal with them quickly. But unexpectedly, midway through the battle, reinforcements appeared and surrounded our forces before we could retreat."

"That's why you must never let your guard down, not even for a second!" Elowen shouted, visibly frustrated.

"Come on, Liora, let's save this reckless unit," Elowen said to Liora as she prepared her voodoo doll.

"I'm ready," Liora responded firmly, gripping her magic staff tightly.

They walked to the edge of the fortress wall and stood there. Elowen cast her spell, *Root Surfer*. Two roots as thick as a human thigh emerged from the ground beneath them, rising high until they were level with their feet.

The tips of the roots instantly flattened into platforms. Elowen stepped onto the root platform, followed by Liora doing the same. Immediately, the platform enveloped their feet and began descending, carrying the two mages like an elevator.

As they descended, Elowen spoke to Liora. "Let's take out the demon race on the nearest side, Liora, so the troops have a way to retreat back to the fortress."

"Okay," Liora replied firmly.

"They're just Peons; it won't be too difficult. Let's hope there aren't any Bishops or even Rooks among them," Elowen said with a serious expression.

"What? Rooks?" Liora asked, confused.

"It's their rank, Liora. We assign ranks based on the strength of the demon race forces," Elowen explained, keeping her focus ahead.

Before they knew it, they had reached the ground. Elowen spoke again. "Don't worry, you'll figure it out soon enough. Let's go, Liora."

"Alright, Elowen," Liora answered, fully focused.

The two mages stepped forward, ready to annihilate their enemies.

The human forces sweated blood and tears as they held off the attacking demon Peons. Warriors in the outer layers blocked incoming attacks, while mages behind them launched spells.

Some mages specialized in healing and buffs, supporting their allies by healing wounds and strengthening warriors. Spells like Lightning Arrow and Lightning Ball were unleashed by mages from Tempestia, while mages from Mindhaven rapidly drew magic formulas on sheets of paper, one after another, tossing them into the air.

The papers then fired elemental magic marbles at the demon forces, dealing moderate but effective damage to the Peons, who were subsequently finished off by the warriors' slashes. Meanwhile, some mages from Sanctora tirelessly supported their comrades with buff and healing spells.

Suddenly, on the side of the defensive circle closest to the North Wall, demon Peons began falling in droves in a matter of seconds, leaving the warriors on that outer layer confused.

From behind the thinning ranks of demon Peons on that side, the figures of two mages responsible for the carnage became visible. One was immediately recognized, while the other remained a mystery. Still, they trusted she was an ally.

Elowen relentlessly bombarded the demon Peons with her *Seeds Bullet* spell, while Liora alternated between casting *Wind Cutter* and *Fruitstorm Barrage*.

The mages on that side were momentarily stunned by how quickly the Peons fell. When only two layers of attacking Peons remained on that side, Liora unleashed *Mapple Blade Cyclone*, slicing through them one by one from end to end.

The Peons were decapitated and cleaved in half, collapsing in pools of blackened blood. All the warriors and some mages on that side froze, their minds lagging. The once chaotic and hectic situation suddenly turned eerily silent, with only the sound of their labored breathing filling the air.

Elowen shouted at the top of her lungs, "General Arnaaaavvv... Retreat gradually toward the North Wall gate!"

The general, busy fending off Peons on the other side of the defensive circle while issuing commands, didn't respond—he was too preoccupied. Finally, one mage approached him and pulled on his shoulder.

"What? What are you doing?" General Arnav barked at the mage, gasping for breath and visibly irritated.

"General, retreat toward the gate! Verdant Blade is here!" the mage replied, pointing toward Elowen and Liora.

Recognizing Elowen from afar and startled by the now-idle side of the defensive circle, General Arnav quickly grasped the situation and shouted orders.

"Retreeeeat... Retreat... Change formation into columns! Everyone, break the circle and guard every side!" he commanded, gesturing toward the warriors on the side assisted by Liora and Elowen.

The troops slowly retreated while shifting their formation. The warriors who had been idle for a moment sprang into action. From atop the wall, the circle could be seen opening slowly but surely—a testament to the hard training, discipline, teamwork, and experience of the allied forces.

Bit by bit, the circle transformed into a rectangular column. With a little imagination, the scene resembled ants herding a long chocolate bar toward the North Wall—except this chocolate bar couldn't be eaten and instead bit back at the ants.

Step by step, the warriors retreated, holding off attacks with their shields and occasionally slashing with their swords when opportunities arose. The mages also worked seamlessly together, launching attacks and providing support.

The synergy and chemistry within the formation were excellent. Adding to this, Elowen and Liora began eliminating the smarter Peons attempting to flank and attack the rear of the formation.

Finally, the troop formation successfully regrouped with Elowen and Liora. They continued retreating slowly, and to speed up the retreat and regrouping process, Liora unleashed two AOE (area-of-effect) spells.

Firmly chanting her incantation, she cast *Dreamleaf Cascade*, which drove the first ten layers of Peons mad—they began attacking each other or stood frozen with blank stares.

Immediately afterward, she cast *Dawn's Embrace*. The frenzied Peons were instantly incinerated, turning to ash blown away by the wind after being struck by pillars of light from the sky.

Liora panted heavily, sweat pouring down her face. Her body slumped slightly, supported by her hands resting on her knees. It was clear that casting those two area spells had consumed a tremendous amount of mana.

Elowen asked Liora, "Are you alright? Want to drink my mana potion?"

Still catching her breath, Liora smiled and replied, "No, thank you. I'm fine."

"Are you sure? I've offered, don't blame me if I end up drinking it all myself," Elowen teased with a mischievous tone.

"Hehe, it's fine," Liora chuckled softly, thinking to herself how Elowen still managed to joke in such a tense situation.

At the same time, all the soldiers suddenly froze for a few seconds, confused. A clean area devoid of Peons stretched several meters around their formation. Only dust, sand, and black smoke from the burning Peons moved slowly and randomly in the wind.

And it wasn't just the human forces—the demon Peons also stood still, bewildered as their comrades vanished before their very eyes.

Elowen's shout snapped the soldiers back to reality: "Move, move, move... or I'll turn you all into tadpoles!!!"

Like toy robots whose "ON" buttons had just been pressed, the soldiers resumed their retreat, this time a bit faster. Simultaneously, the demon Peons charged forward again, running fast and shouting. They waved their rusty weapons, full of spirit and emotion, determined to avenge their fallen comrades.

The sound of clashing steel rang out once more. It didn't take long for the demon race's peons to reach the human forces, but even that brief pause was used effectively. The distance between the allied human forces and the North Wall gate was now just 200 meters and slowly decreasing.

However, it wouldn't be the demon race if they didn't find a way to complicate things for humanity. Suddenly, a boulder the size of three basketballs fused together came crashing down on the allied soldiers.

Five mages were instantly killed as their heads were crushed by the impact of the rock bomb, while about ten others were left severely to lightly wounded.

Everyone was stunned, and the retreat progress halted momentarily. Meanwhile, from the air above, four more boulders could be seen hurtling toward the human forces from the rear ranks of the demon race.

Liora quickly cast her spell, *Prismastic Barrier*, three times in succession. Three of the boulders that struck the barrier disintegrated into fine grains of sand and dust, which were then blown away by the wind, while Elowen deflected the fourth boulder with *Root Grasp*. The human forces were momentarily safe from destruction.

"Hold the formation! Help lift the wounded—move, move, move!" shouted General Arnav, giving orders amidst the chaos of peon attacks and the rock bomb assault. Liora assisted by casting *Dawn's Embrace*, healing the ten injured soldiers.

However, her breathing became increasingly labored, clearly showing how exhausted she was. Liora's mana capacity had grown exponentially thanks to the power bestowed by the ancient beasts, but her physical stamina still lagged far behind, unable to keep up with the demands of her vast mana reserves.

Fortunately, the rock bomb attacks from the demon race ceased, possibly because they had run out of large enough boulders to launch like grenades. Elowen approached Liora, pulling out a small box from her pouch. Inside was a dark brown marble-sized pill.

Handing it to Liora, Elowen said, "Don't pass out now, Liora. Honestly, we still need you very much." Liora, gasping for breath, managed a small smile toward Elowen, too exhausted even to speak.

Elowen continued, "Swallow this pill, Liora. It will help a lot." Without hesitation, Liora took and swallowed the pill, too tired to think or ask what it was. "General... give us a little time!" Elowen shouted to General Arnav. "Yes, my lady," replied the general amidst his busy commands. He continued issuing orders to the troops: "Mages, focus on the peons to the right and left! Warriors, hold steady!"

It took about three minutes for Elowen's pill to take effect. During this time, Liora crouched, resting her weight on her knees. Elowen stood back up, occasionally assisting from behind the formation.

But their trials were far from over. In the midst of Liora recovering and the fatigue haunting the soldiers, a long trumpet blast echoed from atop the North Wall. Elowen turned toward the fortress and saw four yellow flags and one red flag being waved by the soldiers stationed there.

"Are you kidding me? Seriously?" Elowen shouted in frustration. Liora, who now had a bit of energy to speak, asked, "What's wrong? What's going on, Elowen?" Gasping for breath, Elowen responded, "Are you recovered yet, Liora?"

"I'll be back to normal soon. Your pill is truly miraculous." Liora answered.

"I think we're being pranked. There's one Rook and four Bishops in this demon army—they're heading this way," Elowen joked. "What? Are they the stronger ones? Were they the ones throwing those boulders?" Liora responded, to which Elowen replied, "Liora, I'm sorry, but can you handle the four Bishops? I'll hold off the Rook."

"Of course, Elowen. Are you sure you'll be okay?" Liora answered innocently, standing upright again. "Hahaha... seriously? You doubt me too?" Elowen joked back, but Liora, ever the earnest one, took it seriously and felt a twinge of guilt. "N-no, that's not what I meant..."

"It's alright, Liora. I was just joking. Honestly, I've never faced a Rook alone before, but there's always a first time for everything, right?" Elowen said, trying to stay calm. Liora could only look at her senior with concern.

Then, a short, continuous trumpet blast sounded, like an alarm clock. From atop the fortress, four Bishops dressed in bright silver armor with maroon skin could be seen, along with one Rook wearing bright silver armor accented with gold and dark red skin.

Their appearance was easily distinguishable from the gray-skinned peons wielding rusty black weapons and armor. They were now just 100 meters away. "Are you ready, Liora?" Elowen asked. Liora nodded and gave a thumbs-up in response.

Elowen then instructed one of the mages to relay a message to General Arnav, who was busy in the front lines. "Hey, tell General Arnav to retreat slowly to where I'm standing now, form a 'V Gate,' and have 15 warriors split off and join me."

"Understood, Green Mage," the mage replied promptly. Afterward, Elowen shouted orders to the Mindhaven mages: "Mindhaven mages, create a 'Dirt Wall' trap formula where I'm standing—quickly!"

In unison, the mages swiftly carved magic formulas into the ground. It didn't take long for them to finish, and immediately Elowen shouted to General Arnav: "General! Retreat, retreat, retreat! You heard the order—go, go, go, go!" General Arnav relayed the command to his troops. The formation retreated slowly, positioning themselves directly behind the etched magic formation.

At the same moment, a Rook and four Bishops leaped from behind the front lines of peons, unsheathing their weapons and swinging them toward the human front line.

"Activate!" Elowen shouted loudly to the Mindhaven mages. Instantly, a thick half-meter wall of earth, gravel, and sand rose up, forming a protective barrier for the frontline warriors.

Like a programmed automatic gate, the warriors ignored the incoming slashes from the Rook and Bishops, splitting into two columns, leaving a one-meter gap in the middle. Each end of the columns moved backward slowly, forming a 'V' shape with the bottom edges not quite meeting.

Instead of hitting the human forces, the Rook and Bishops' strikes slammed into the earthen wall. With a single swing, the magical barrier shattered into pieces, proof of their overwhelming power compared to the countless peons.

From behind the destroyed wall, two rows of human forces could be seen. The Rook and Bishops walked arrogantly toward the human troops. Suddenly, magical projectiles resembling plant seeds from Elowen's spell struck them, exploding into smoke that lingered for a few seconds before being blown away by the wind.

"Keep firing at them! We need to draw their attention!" Elowen shouted to Liora. "Got it—*Fruitstorm Barrage*!" Liora responded, launching her spell. The Bishops and Rook blocked and deflected the shots with their weapons.

Some of the magical fruit projectiles hit them, causing slight tremors but no injuries—though it was clear their attention had been captured. The Rook's sharp gaze now locked onto Liora. Speaking in their own language, the Rook commanded the Bishops: "Get them now!" Immediately, the four Bishops charged toward Liora and Elowen, followed closely by the Rook.

Without wasting the opportunity, General Arnav shouted new orders: "Close the gate... close the gate! Form another column!" In perfect unity and precision, the soldiers obeyed, reforming into a single column, holding their ground and continuing the fight against the swarm of peons.

However, something unexpected happened—instead of running toward Liora, the four Bishops targeted Elowen, while the Rook charged straight at Liora.

A situation that validated the old saying: "Man proposes, God disposes." Whether they liked it or not, the rice had been cooked into porridge—they had no choice but to continue the battle to survive, to achieve victory, and to fulfill their divine destiny.

The human allied column held off the peons, Elowen and ten warriors faced the four Bishops, and Liora, alongside five warriors, confronted the lone Rook.