"Fire arrows! Fire arrows! Fire arrows!"

Zhen Tiannan's terrified voice echoed throughout the Central Pass.

With a whoosh, a crossbow bolt as thick as an adult's forearm shot out first, piercing the air with a shrill sound. It pierced the head of a skeletal monster standing on the city wall, its immense momentum carrying it a long way through the air before finally pinning its head to the exposed rocks in the canyon. The skeleton, however, was not dead. Its back was on the ground, its two skeletal arms gripping the arrow shaft tightly, but it could not break free no matter what it did.

The shrill sound of crossbow bolts rang out simultaneously on the city wall. Hundreds of arrows pierced the heads of one skeleton monster after another on the wall almost at the same time, pinning them firmly to the ground hundreds of meters away.

The bronze-level skeleton monsters that jumped onto the city wall were instantly wiped out, with more than half of them cleared out.

"Archers, focus fire! Mages, unleash control spells! Quickly eliminate those on the city walls!"

"Artillerymen, immediately load silver-grade energy crystal shells."

"Crossbowmen, immediately load silver-grade energy crystal arrows and prepare for the next wave of attack."

"Bronze-level shield guards will immediately ascend the city wall and take charge of the crenellations."

"All soldiers of the Dauntless Fortress shall immediately ascend the city walls and carry down the bodies of the fallen soldiers."

Zhen Nantian's face was deathly pale, but his years of battlefield experience kept him calm. His voice, amplified by the magic array, echoed throughout the central pass. The soldiers, their hearts pounding with fear, instantly found their anchor and began to work diligently according to orders.

The Zhenyuan Legion boasts the largest and highest-quality elite force in the Eastern Kingdom. Its soldiers have fought year-round against the gnolls in the south of the kingdom; which one hasn't shed blood? Which one's blade isn't stained with blood?

Although screams could still be heard from the city wall, after the initial fear and panic, the soldiers had begun to calm down and were carrying out their orders in an orderly manner.

A squad of bronze-level shield guards had just scaled the city wall when they saw it littered with the dead bodies of shield soldiers and spearmen. Closer to them, a skeletal monster, battling several spearmen, archers from a high platform behind the wall, and mages' spells, was gnawing at a spearman's neck. The shield guards instantly became enraged, charging towards the monster and smashing their shields horizontally towards its head. But it was too late. The spearman's health bar had already turned red. Three shield guards swiftly and decisively killed their mutated comrade, then, with the help of the other five, forced the skeletal monster to the edge of the wall. The bronze-level skeleton was then quickly decimated by the combined fire of the archers and mages.

After the bronze-level shield guards scaled the walls, the commotion on the walls gradually subsided. This attack, due to the failure to quickly fill the gaps in the shield soldiers' positions, resulted in the loss of nearly half of the spearmen. Taking advantage of the situation, the Dauntless Fortress soldiers scaled the walls and quickly dragged the corpses of the fallen shield and spearmen down.

"Artillery, listen up! Prepare for canyon coverage strike!"

Zhen Nantian held the sword of command, his calm orders echoing throughout the valley.

On the city wall, artillerymen took out round shells from wooden crates, carefully inserting a tiny white crystal, about the size of a grain of rice, into an inconspicuous hole before loading the shell into the cannon barrel. Meanwhile, the artillerymen operating the cannons were adjusting the firing angle.

Zhen Nantian's heart was bleeding. Those fallen soldiers were all men he had personally trained. While bloodshed was inevitable in war, he had never imagined the Skeleton Legion would deploy bronze-level monsters so quickly. Because of his oversight, these soldiers had closed their eyes forever.

In the canyon outside the city walls, swarms of bronze-level skeleton monsters were slowly approaching. From the city walls, the ground appeared as a vast expanse of white, their formation even denser than the previous bronze-level monsters. They came from another world, yet seemed to harbor a grudge against Qiongfeng Pass and the Eastern Kingdom, launching relentless and suicidal attacks on Qiongfeng Pass time and time again.

They have taken over the entire northern ice field, and I heard that all life there has died out.

The lives of 200,000 soldiers from the Eastern Kingdom have also been taken by them.

Don't they want enough?

What else do they want?

Do they also want to wipe out the entire Eastern Kingdom?

Outside the nearly four-kilometer-wide city wall at Zhongfeng Pass, the entire area in front of the pass was teeming with countless bronze-level skeletal monsters. Even a single glance was enough to send chills down one's spine. Through their empty eye sockets, Zhen Nantian seemed to see their mockery and disdain, their arrogance and contempt.

On the city wall, Zhen Nantian felt anger—the anger of the soldiers. It was anger that rose after the initial fear and panic. It was anger that rose after watching his comrades being killed. It was anger that rose from being coldly and emotionlessly scrutinized by his opponents.

Especially on the spearmen, the anger seemed to materialize, etched into their faces with each stroke, making them look as if they were wearing a hideous mask.

The silver-grade energy crystal was the last trump card that Legion Commander Nok had entrusted to him. He repeatedly instructed him not to use it lightly unless absolutely necessary.

Nock certainly didn't use it lightly.

He was confident he could keep Iron-level monsters out of the city walls, but he was useless.

He was confident he could wipe out the few remaining bronze-level monsters on the city walls, but he didn't need to.

Now, facing countless bronze-level skeleton monsters outside the city walls, if he didn't use it now, he might never have another chance.

"Artillery, prepare to fire!"

The drawn-out command echoed throughout the pass. Zhen Nantian finally shouted out the emotions he had been suppressing for so long.

The screeching sound of cannonballs leaving the barrels on the city wall drowned out his voice. With a buzzing sound of air friction, 50 cannonballs exploded first, 200 meters in front of the city wall. Then, with another boom, the remaining 50 cannonballs exploded 500 meters in front of the city wall.

As if the world were ending, the entire canyon began to tremble violently. The soldiers on the city wall lost their footing and nearly fell. In the distance, rocks kicked up from the valley fell like rain, and soon small stones began to fall on the city wall, hitting the soldiers and leaving them covered in dust.

Standing on the high platform of the city wall, Zhen Nantian held the Blade of Supervision inserted into the platform with one hand and shielded his eyes with the other, gazing into the distant canyon.

All that could be seen in front of the four-kilometer-long city wall, within a 600-meter radius, was a dark expanse of exposed rocks and huge pits. Where could one find a single skeleton?

Zhen Nantian's lips curled into a grin, but before he could laugh out loud, a skeletal arm emerged from the large pit in front of him.