Capítulo 1985: Chapter 635: A Bloody Incident Triggered by an Artifact (Part 3)

Compared to the stones for which the impact points need to be calculated using geometric shapes and trigonometric functions, Beamon’s pendulum-style stone throwers require no ballistic skills at all when launching “basket rounds” — just targeting crowded areas and smashing them into a rolling mass.

After the Temple Knights’ Phantom Beast Knights were mobilized, Witherspoon’s attack and defense battle finally reached a fever pitch.

This is due to the inaction of the Summer Palace Guards, who haven’t even lifted a finger yet. Along the approximately three-mile-long city wall on the western side, the Summer Palace Guards weren’t standing at the parapet, but were instead positioned inside the battlement walkway, at least twenty paces from the crenels. At such a distance, attacking the Mulanese was out of the question, let alone even seeing them.

Targeting this most obvious point of attack, the keen-sensed Mulan Warriors used wild grass and vines to build a floating bridge across the moat, approaching the city wall at a relatively small cost. Anchor claws from grappling hooks whistled and latched onto the parapets, and the Mulan Warriors, with daggers in their mouths, scaled the walls like geckos using the ropes.

Witherspoon’s defenders had full confidence in the Summer Palace Guards. Even if Liu Zhenhuan had them all sleeping now, no one would object.

However, there were still the Temple Knights on the city wall. The old lizard couldn’t stand the Summer Palace Guard’s arrogant attitude of abandoning the parapets during a siege, which particularly irritated him.

Like the Summer Palace Guards, the Temple Knights have a massive contingent of archers. They have a total of two thousand musk ox archers, five hundred Serpent Gods, and the skilled bowmen on horseback, the Temple Knights. In the areas they oversee, not a single Mulanese can charge over the moat. Initially, the old lizard had conscientiously let the Temple Knights help the Summer Palace Guards, assuming part of the defense tasks. But the Summer Palace Guard controlled a three-mile-long front line, and relying solely on the Temple Knights’ bows and arrows was far from sufficient. The old lizard wanted to show off but was worried that the Shaman of Divine Songs, that nitwit, would flip out. After much contemplation, he decided to deploy the Phantom Beast Knights instead — how could anyone criticize him for that?

The Temple Knights’ Phantom Beast unit was composed of only four hundred, and though few in number, they were no novices. Setting aside the combat prowess of the Liger Prince, who among the Silver Knights, Bronze Knights, Steel Knights, and Thorn Knights would be easy to deal with?

Having consumed “Nau Platinum” and been modified by “Doppler Rays,” the Temple Knights’ Magical Beast mounts collectively stepped up a tier. Various metal magic spells turned into a kaleidoscope of chaos, sending the Mulan Warriors climbing the city wall on the Summer Palace Guard side scattering like an avalanche.

Four hundred Phantom Beast Knights were still too few. Moreover, Phantom Beast magic couldn’t be used indefinitely. Once the first wave of magic was exhausted, the Temple Knights’ Phantom Beast Knights faced a gap in firepower. During this interval, the Mulanese intensified their charge once more, rushing towards the wall riding the wild grass and vine floating bridges.

The Summer Palace Guards laughed uproariously, their faces filled with teasing intent.

The biggest drawback of the air force at present is the lack of ground attack capabilities. Across the entire Aegean Continent, apart from Emerald City, who else has an air force capable of carrying out prolonged, ground-covering destructive attacks? Even though each Temple Knight is skilled in mounted archery, what difference can four hundred Knights make, shooting arrows from the air, against the Mulanese?

The old lizard’s eyes reddened with anger. He didn’t believe that the Temple Knights were inferior to the Summer Palace Guards. The overly arrogant laughter of the Summer Palace Guards, even if unintentionally lacking in ridicule and malice, still stung his heart like a dagger.

“Switch to ‘Poison Dragon Flight Bombs’!” Brut commanded sharply, waving a staff at all the Phantom Beast Knights.

Under the watchful eyes of the Summer Palace Guards, the four hundred mutated Phantom Beast Knights of the Temple Knights returned to the base under the city tower and swapped their equipment for clay Buddha belly pots wrapped with straw rope.

When these four hundred Phantom Beast Knights soared once again in front of the western city tower, the Mulanese met their doom.

Massive pots were grasped by the Phantom Beast Knights, with their mouths tied to the saddles of the Phantom Beasts, resembling grapevines. Ropes hung from beneath the Phantom Beasts’ bellies, stringing together clusters of drooping pots.

Soon, the grass paper covering the pot mouths was eroded by the liquid within, and the pots began to pour streams of liquid, drenching the Mulan Warriors below and instantly raising thick plumes of smoke.

These clay Buddha belly pots contained a highly corrosive gray liquid, much less potent than nitric acid, but still causing boils and wart-like growths upon contact with skin, rather than corroding flesh and bone. Nevertheless, having their faces doused with it was enough to neutralize their combat capabilities.

The old lizard cast a demonstrative glare at Old Liu.

Since Emerald City’s air force, using dual-action oil gourds and alcohol fuel drums, had achieved numerous glorious groundbreaking results in air-to-ground combat, militaries across the Pan Continent had been trying to learn this advanced yet safe attack method. The old lizard was researching it as well.

However, on the Aegean Continent, most fuels needed flames and high temperatures. It was challenging to manufacture and gather flammable materials that ignite at a mere touch. Emerald City’s use of oil gourds and turtle bead alcohol was an anomaly within an anomaly — a success others couldn’t replicate.