Tower Defense Lord, random Wishing Tower at the start of the game.

Chapter 156 Canyon Ambush, Reis's Decapitation Tactics

On the banks of the Holy Blood River, the landing grounds built by human infantry with flesh and steel are now enduring the onslaught of a horde of black orcs.

The roars of orc warriors, the clang of clashing weapons, and the wails of the dying mingled with the thick stench of blood, coalescing into a suffocating iron curtain above the riverbank. At the heart of the defensive line, composed of the Andres family's dragonblood warriors, stood their most resilient bulwark. These half-dragon warriors roared, their scales reflecting a dark luster in the sunlight, each strike accompanied by a piercing shriek that tore through the air.

However, deep within the black orc ranks, a towering figure suddenly sprang to life! It was a man clad in heavy bone armor...

A powerful orc of the golden race, wielding a double-edged greatsword. His muscles bulged like rocks, his eyes were bloodshot, and every step he took caused the earth to tremble. He ignored the spear thrust at him, his greatsword carrying a terrifying power capable of splitting mountains and shattering rocks, transforming into a fierce arc of light!

"roar--!"

A dragonblood warrior from Andres, who was fighting fiercely, had his scales as fragile as paper in the face of that absolute power. The giant axe cleaved his chest without any resistance, and blood and shattered internal organs sprayed out instantly. His massive dragon-like body crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Kill!" The golden-type orc warrior roared to the sky, the sound waves causing the eardrums of the surrounding human soldiers to ache and their lines to waver.

"William!" Lin Chuan, from the central command post, had eyes as sharp as knives, his cold voice piercing through the battlefield's clamor.

"Yes, my lord!" William, who could no longer contain himself, unleashed an astonishing fighting spirit. He took a step forward, and the dark red armor he wore, transformed from divine dragon skin, suddenly lit up with intricate dragon patterns. A majestic dragon might, originating from ancient times and transcending the mortal realm, erupted forth!

Om-!

The air seemed to freeze for a moment. Every orc on the battlefield, whether ordinary warrior or elite, felt a fear and suffocation emanating from the depths of their blood, as if an invisible giant claw had gripped their throat, causing their movements to involuntarily slow. The golden-blooded orc warrior who had just slain the dragonblood warrior felt a flicker of horror in his crimson eyes for the first time. He felt he was not facing a human, but an awakened, ancient beast that looked down upon ants!

William made no unnecessary movements, simply gripping the Dragonblood Halberd tightly. He transformed into a streak of crimson lightning that tore through space! His speed was so great that he left only a blurry afterimage and a sonic boom cloud as the air was compressed to its extreme.

puff!

There was no earth-shattering collision, only a faint yet terrifying piercing sound.

William's figure had already appeared ten steps behind the golden-type orc powerhouse, maintaining his thrusting stance, and slowly came to a stop. A drop of viscous, golden-lustered beast blood was slowly dripping from the tip of the Dragon Blood Halberd behind him.

The once arrogant orcish golden-race powerhouse stood frozen in place, a gaping hole in his forehead from which blood mixed with brain matter gushed forth. His massive body swayed, the light in his eyes quickly dimming, replaced by disbelief and shock, before he crashed to the ground, raising a cloud of dust. One strike, instant kill!

The might of the first-generation Dragon Riders shocked the entire audience!

However, on the high ground at the heart of the orcish camp, the high priest "Skullcrusher" Grom, who witnessed all this, showed no fear on his face, but instead revealed a maniacal grin. "God bless my people!" He raised high the strange crystal in his hand that emitted a faint yet chilling fluctuation—it was the shattered fragment of the ancient fire god's divine essence!

"In the name of my lord, I grant you power!" Grom slammed his staff into the ground, chanting blasphemous incantations.

The fragment of the divine essence suddenly erupted with a piercing crimson light, and a thick pillar of crimson energy instantly injected into the body of an exceptionally burly orc guard who was already prepared beside him.

"Ughhhhh—!" The guard let out a roar that was a mixture of pain and ecstasy. His body swelled up as if he were being inflated, his bones cracked and popped, and his skin was quickly covered with a hard layer of keratin. His eyes shone with the same golden light as the previous orc warrior! In just a few breaths, a brand new golden orc warrior, exuding a violent aura, was born out of thin air!

"Damn it!" Lin Chuan's eyes darkened. The opponent's ability to "create" Gold-level combat power so quickly was almost unsolvable!

He immediately looked at Vivian beside him: "Vivian, do it! Kill the High Priest!"

The opponent's ability is too overpowered; no wonder the five dragon blood families haven't been able to conquer the grasslands for so long.

It should be noted that for a long time, these five dragon blood families were almost able to mass-produce golden seeds.

Lin Chuan had previously thought that the Dragon Blood Clan had short lifespans, but now it seems that this is not the reason at all.

Rather, it's because the orcs' ability is too powerful; they can create golden seeds anytime, anywhere.

Even if the Dragonblood Clan produces a large number of troops, it still can't compare to the mass production of the Orcs.

The only way to win is to eliminate the source and kill the orc high priest.

The Dragon Blood Clan didn't have this strength before, but Lin Chuan has come, and he has it!

Whether it's Vivian, Antonia, or William.

If we really went all out, a mere high priest wouldn't be someone we could easily crush.

After receiving the instructions.

Vivian nodded, her long, ice-blue hair moving without wind, and terrifying ice magic began to gather around her. The air temperature plummeted, and tiny ice crystals even began to condense above the battlefield.

"My lord, you mustn't!" The voice of the Holy Light Dragon Knight Antonia rang out urgently. Her sharp gaze was fixed on the constantly flashing crimson crystal in Grom's hand. "The power of that divine fragment is being rapidly depleted! Every forced catalysis of the Golden Seed consumes its precious divine essence! While Lady Vivian's large-scale war magic is undoubtedly powerful, once it hits, it will inevitably force the High Priest to activate the divine fragment's defense at full power, drastically depleting its divine power, possibly even draining it instantly! Even if we seize it, it will only be an empty shell devoid of divine power, its value greatly diminished!"

The purpose of attacking the Black Orc Plains was to obtain this divine essence.

If this leads to the depletion of divine power within the divine core, then it would be a terrible loss.

Lin Chuan frowned: "Then what should we do? Should we just let him keep creating trouble?"

Antonia stared intently for a moment, having gained even more knowledge after her advancement.

"If my senses are not faulty."

"That's a virtual deity!" Antonia spoke rapidly, clearly her knowledge of the Holy Dragon Knight tradition giving her a deeper understanding. "It's a projection of the true deity's power onto the priest! The real deity must be enshrined in the core of their power source—the orc temple deep within the grasslands! As long as the connection between the high priest and the temple is severed, this virtual deity will become ineffective!"

She pointed to the distant rear of the battlefield, the direction from which the Reis cavalry were being pursued by two elite orc cavalry units: "If General Reis can defeat the pursuers, infiltrate the rear, and storm the orc temple, destroying its core altar, he can sever this connection! I request permission to lead a contingent of the Snow Wolf Knights' elite troops to provide immediate support to General Reis and ensure he completes his surprise attack!"

Lin Chuan instantly understood the key point. A direct confrontation that would deplete divine power was the worst strategy; striking at the heart of the problem was the best approach! He decisively ordered, "Granted! Take three hundred Snow Wolf Knights and depart immediately! We must assist Reis in destroying the temple!"

"Yes, sir!" Antonia's body was filled with holy light and dragon might. She mounted a snow wolf king that had been prepared beforehand. Under the holy light, three hundred of the most elite snow wolf knights quickly left the front line and sped off towards Reis like arrows released from a bow.

On the main battlefield, without Antonia's deterrent and the support of some Snow Wolf Knights, the pressure has increased sharply.

Lin Chuan ordered the formation to shrink, relying on the riverbank and William's dragon cavalry for a defensive counterattack.

The battle entered an even more brutal stalemate, with infantry on both sides fighting like flesh and blood in a meat grinder, repeatedly vying for every inch of land.

William acted as a pillar of strength, frequently intervening at critical moments on the front line. Each burst of dragon might and swing of his halberd thwarted the orcs' offensive. However, he also needed to conserve his strength and could not charge recklessly, leading to a stalemate in the battle.

"Damn it! These green-skinned bastards are really hot on our heels!" A dragonblood warrior spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, several arrows stuck in his mount. Reis's three thousand elite Andres cavalry (mixed with loyal dragonblood warriors and dragonbeast riders) were now like antelopes being chased by a pack of wolves, galloping across the vast grasslands. Behind them, billowing dust rose as two elite black orc cavalry units—the "Bloodfang" and "Bonebreaker" tribes—clung to them like leeches. The orc cavalry, outnumbering Reis and familiar with the terrain, constantly harassed him with volleyed arrows and short-range javelins, attempting to slow him down and encircle him.

Riding on his warhorse, Reis's face was as cold and resolute, showing no sign of panic. As he galloped, he calmly observed the terrain and the formation of the pursuing troops behind him. His gaze, like that of a hawk, swept across the distant, undulating mountain ranges.

"General, this won't do! The horses can't keep up! We must counterattack!" the adjutant shouted anxiously.

"Counterattack? Of course we must counterattack!" A cold, cunning smile curled at the corner of Reis's lips, his eyes burning with the flames of revenge and bloodlust. "But not now! The prey isn't fully trapped yet!"

He yanked the reins sharply, and his warhorse reared up, letting out a long neigh. Reis raised his long-handled sword, its blade pointing towards the entrance to a valley where the terrain gradually narrowed and the hills on either side rose: "All troops, listen up! Turn! Target—Wolf's Throat Pass! Accelerate! Lure them in!"

At the command, the exhausted cavalrymen rallied as if they had seen a glimmer of hope. They spurred their mounts on with all their might, charging toward the narrow valley that Reis had pointed out, which resembled the gaping jaws of a giant wolf. Their speed seemed to increase slightly, but their formation deliberately appeared more scattered, even abandoning some unimportant supplies to create the illusion of a rout and escape.

Seeing this, the pursuing Bloodfang and Bonebreaker cavalry roared with excitement, believing their prey was exhausted and fleeing in panic. The commanders of the two orc cavalry units—the Bloodfang tribe's "Cracktooth" overseer and the Bonebreaker tribe's "Broken Bone" chieftain—exchanged glances, both seeing the greed and murderous intent in each other's eyes. Without hesitation, they urged their armies forward, accelerating their advance into the increasingly narrow valley.

"Cracktooth" Overseer brandished his serrated greatsword and roared, "Kill all these human insects! Their skulls will adorn my tents!" He charged at the forefront, his massive body standing out among the orc cavalry.

Chief "Broken Bone" licked his lips menacingly: "Be careful, Cracked Teeth, don't be too reckless, watch out for ambushes!" Despite his words, he didn't slow down his pursuit at all, clearly blinded by the "victory" that was about to be in his grasp, believing that in the face of absolute power and numbers, humans were already sitting ducks.

When the main forces of the two orcish pursuers, especially their commanders, were completely swept into the depths of the Wolf's Throat Pass by the surging torrent, the cold smile on Reis's face finally blossomed completely.

He whirled around, his gaze fixed on the towering hillside on one side of the valley, covered in jagged rocks and sparse shrubs. His eyes flashed with a chilling light: "Now! 'Wolf Fang,' strike! Target the orc commander! Decapitate him!"

With a command from Reis, a deafening battle cry suddenly erupted from behind the seemingly quiet hillside! A thousand of Andres's most elite ambush troops, composed of pure-blooded dragon warriors, sprang out like venomous snakes that had been poised to strike!

They had been lying in ambush for a long time, both men and horses clad in heavy armor, their warhorses covered in specially made scale armor, only their fierce eyes visible. They charged down the steep slope, using their immense momentum like a thousand red-hot daggers, piercing deep into the "waist" of the orcish pursuers' chaotic ranks!

This attack was precise, swift, and deadly! Their target was extremely clear—ignoring the surrounding soldiers, all the spearheads of the charge were locked on the "Cracked Tooth" overseer who was at the forefront and most conspicuous, and the "Broken Bone" chieftain who was positioned slightly behind and commanding the flanks!

"Boom!"

Reis's thousand ambush troops charged forward.

The orcs' pursuit formation was thrown into chaos instantly.

"There's an ambush."

"Damn it, these cunning reptiles."

The chieftain with broken bones, who was the first to be severed, showed a hint of fear.

Having fought against the Dragonblood Clan for many years, he understood just how terrifying the elites trained by these clans could be.

There is a clear gap in strength between the orcs and the elite of the Dragonblood Clan.

At the very moment of impact.

Reis's cavalry also changed direction.

"kill."

The cavalrymen, who had just been chased, now resembled hungry wolves baring their greedy teeth.

They surged in from all directions, tearing at the black orc cavalry with ferocity.

Reis led his elite troops directly towards the leader, Chief Broken Bone.

"die!"

Reis transformed into a half-dragon, slashing down with the giant blade in his hand.

A strike imbued with the power of the dragon race is definitely not something an ordinary golden-type creature can withstand.

Although Chief Broken Bone was also a golden race, he was no match for this earth-shattering attack.

He simply raised his hand to block it.

Then he froze in place.

Reis's giant blade cleaved down from the middle.

The Broken Bone Chieftain was split in two, along with his mount.

This horrific scene stunned the entire battlefield.

next moment.

The black orcs, who had been resisting, dropped their weapons in terror and fled with loud roars.

"It's Reese."

""

"The Dragonblood Slayer, Reiss, has arrived!!!"