Throne of the North.

Chapter 727 The Second Orc War (Thirteen)

Devouring gods.

Ryan had learned of this term before during his conversation with Master Lyman.

That is closely related to the authority of the gods, and in this context, killing a god and devouring a god are two completely different things.

Gods are immortal; even if their divine essence is extinguished, they can be revived over a long period of time.

But if even authority is lost, then the gods will completely disappear.

Even the greatest beings are not invincible.

However, Ryan was also surprised that his legendary gift required killing a god.

"It's very difficult."

Standing on the dragon, Ryan glanced at the Royal Knight of the Sanctuary beside him. The Knight was the deputy commander of this extraordinary legion and the actual controller of the dragon cavalry. Through their conversations along the way, Ryan knew that the Knight had once been a member of the royal guard of Emperor Columbus III and a member of the Grand Duke of Fleming's family.

The Holy Knight named Eller looked at the fortress war ahead with a chill running down his spine, instinctively resisting.

“Your Excellency, this… fighting dragons is not suitable for combat inside the fortress.”

"Then let's deal with those wolf riders; they're not suitable either."

"But……"

“You have no choice, Sir Knight.”

Ryan stared at him with unwavering resolve, and Eller finally gritted his teeth and drew his knight's lance.

"attack!"

He had no right to object to Ryan's orders; it was the Emperor who had given Ryan command, and no matter how worried he was about battle losses, he could only move forward.

A massive legion of dragon knights descended from the sky. Their ordinary wings landed, and blazing fireballs spewed from their mouths. They couldn't yet unleash beams of dragon breath, but the power of the fireballs was comparable to that of a powerful mage.

Even the werewolves were helpless against such top-tier monsters. The dragon army that descended from the sky cleared out a large area of ​​land outside the Xiangshan Plain fortress in less than a minute, and then charged towards the werewolf cavalry.

Beneath the sky-covering dragon wings, the dragon roared incessantly. The dragon's physique was more robust than anything else, and the werewolf's claws could only leave shallow marks on their skin.

Like a runaway locomotive, the flying dragons crushed the wolf cavalry army with their impact, constantly spewing fireballs from their mouths. Explosions sparked across the wild battlefield, changing the color of the Xiangshan Plain in the face of this extraordinary life and power. Blood-red moonlight and blazing flames illuminated the sky. At this moment, the flying dragons were like chariots plowing through the land, leaving behind ferocious ravines.

In the past, the fearless werewolf cavalry would have maneuvered like human cavalry to avoid powerful monsters like the dragon. But on this night of the full moon, under its blood-red light, the will of the gods superseded all reason. The werewolf army charged at the dragon from all directions, tearing at its flesh with their claws and fangs.

The army of flesh and blood ultimately prevented the dragons from charging. One after another, the two-legged dragons roared and tried to take off. The lances in the hands of the dragon riders on their backs served this purpose, constantly knocking away the werewolves that pounced on them. They were professionally trained and remained as steady as if on the ground on the back of the dragons.

Charging, taking off, and bombarding with fireballs are the most formulaic warfare tactics of the Wyvern Cavalry Legion.

Their ability to fly made them invincible in war, but on the Xiangshan Plain today, facing countless werewolf armies from all directions, these bipedal dragons have lost their former advantage.

Because this battlefield holds legends.

Draco, the leader of the werewolf clan, roared to the sky. His muscles bulged, his hair became as hard as steel needles, and sharp, bony claws grew on his hands, easily tearing apart the giant wolf blocking his path.

As the legendary roar echoed across the sky, the eyes of the rising bipedal dragons turned to terror. They felt their bones grow heavy, as if filled with lead, dragging them back to the earth.

One by one, the dragons that had just escaped the wolf riders crashed back to the ground. And upon landing, their heavy bodies could not even lift their feet. They could only stand still, enduring the frenzied attacks of the werewolves from all sides.

This is the change that legends bring to war.

The legendary werewolf let out a beast-like howl; a legend who has lost his mind is terrifying. No dragon could defeat Draco, not even the Holy Knight Eller.

Just as this legendary werewolf, in its berserk state, attempted to slaughter the dragon legion, the flames burning on the Fragrant Mountain Plain came to life, coalescing into a giant fiery dragon under the blood-red sky.

The dragon roared, and thousands of flying dragons looked up in fear. They felt the extreme pressure from the depths of their blood, but their wisdom told them that the fiery dragon in the sky was an illusion.

Ryan stood atop the dragon's head, the dragon spewing its breath at Draco, engulfing him.

Roar--

With a savage roar, completely devoid of reason, the legendary werewolf stared intently at Ryan. The next moment, he leaped, his claws tearing through the flames, the sharp claws making Ryan feel an extreme threat.

"A beast without a brain, no matter how powerful, is just prey."

Ryan said in a low voice. The next moment, the fiery dragon beneath his feet twisted and transformed into a greatsword of blazing flames, which Ryan held in his hand and slashed downwards in an instant.

The dim battlefield was illuminated for a moment by the intense light of the flames. A scorched trench hundreds of meters long was carved into the earth, leaving only the corpses of the werewolves within. The only one still standing in it was the legendary Draco, whose condition was no better. His body was charred black, his fur burned, and his flesh torn open, emitting a rich aroma of meat. His legendary life force enveloped his still-beating heart, allowing him to continue to let out hoarse roars.

Standing frozen in place, Draco's voice was muffled. He dared not take another step forward, for the terrible burning still raged across this scorched earth.

The dim battlefield, made even darker by the sudden end of the bright light, saw the human soldiers inside the Xiangshan Plain Fortress launch a frenzied counterattack against the werewolves.

The clash of legendary powers finally brought a sliver of clarity to the eyes of the legendary werewolf king, Adun. He struggled to shake his head, trying to control his beast-like body.

The outcome was not as expected, but fortunately, this brief moment of clarity prevented any more legends from emerging on the battlefield of Xiangshan Plain.

"Damn it, Erdie!"

The werewolf king let out an angry roar, the sound in his throat still retaining its beastly quality.

Without the suppression of the legendary power, the Flying Dragon Legion finally took to the air once more. In the brief moment just now, they had also suffered considerable losses. Ryan's sword strike was intended to stop the legendary werewolf, and there were still a large number of wolf riders surrounding the Flying Dragon Legion.

As the elite army of the Orcish royal court, the wolf riders are quite powerful. Wyverns cannot fly, and their bones are as heavy as lead, which not only throws the dragon legion into disarray but also greatly reduces their combat effectiveness.

Ryan landed at the Fragrant Hills Plains Fortress.

This is the bloodiest battlefield. Ever since the werewolf army stormed in through that gap, the human soldiers have had no chance to drive them back.

Flames burned everywhere inside the fortress, and all the houses where the werewolf army was located collapsed. The werewolves were too powerful; the houses built of stone and wood could not stop them.

While in the air, Ryan had already seen the situation inside the fortress. He landed next to Viscount Landa, who was much more relaxed but couldn't help asking questions nervously.

"Ryan, what should we do now? There are too many werewolves." Viscount Landa looked at Ryan hopefully, hoping that Ryan could come up with a suitable solution to win this war.

But given the current situation, what other options does Ryan have besides taking matters into his own hands?

He couldn't continue fighting, not because he feared the legendary figures in the werewolf pack, but because he was worried about the gods involved in this war.

He could clearly feel the power of the great being covering the Fragrant Mountain Plain, but he, Baron Ryan, was not the emperor of the empire and had no means to deal with the gods.

If the gods were to intervene directly, Ryan would have no choice but to flee in panic.

What other options does he have?
There are three extraordinary legions here: the Dragonblood Warrior Legion is holding back the werewolf army on the city walls, while the Flying Wolf Cavalry and Flying Dragon Cavalry Legions are circling in the sky above the fortress.

None of the three extraordinary legions could change the course of the war here through Ryan's command alone, and apart from the extraordinary legions, Ryan also couldn't command the remaining 100,000 Imperial troops.

With things in such a chaotic state, Ryan's orders can't reach any specific person. He can shout, his legendary power allowing the entire fortress to hear his voice, but how many of the soldiers can understand him?

Even if he could understand, Ryan still wouldn't know what to do.

War is about logistics and the command and planning that precedes the battle. Once the fighting breaks out, it's too late to make changes.

That's 100,000 people, not 100,000 machines.

"Drag it."

“The werewolves are acting very strangely. Their losses are far greater than ours. I suspect it’s the change caused by the moon in the sky.”

Ryan said that the gaze of the gods made him uneasy, and he was helpless in the face of the desire to kill the gods. If the divine source here was really the moon, how could he be qualified to lay a hand on that lady?

However, Ryan also understood that when the moon fades, the sun rises, and on the continent of Norris, the great Lord of Dawn and God of Light still holds the final say.

Once the sunlight appears, no matter how much that great being wants to influence the werewolf army, it will certainly be limited, and it may not be willing to pay such a huge price.

At this moment, Ryan felt that his faith in light was incredibly devout.

"What about the magicians?"

Ryan asked, and Viscount Landa shook his head and said:

"Their magic is depleted. They are now on the mountain, protected by soldiers and supplied with magic crystals. It will probably take the mages about an hour to fully restore their magic."

Magic's influence on war is second only to legendary power, but the number of mages in Northwind Province is clearly inferior to that of Hot Spring Province, which can launch continuous magical bombardments.

Ryan was helpless about this outcome.

This war in the darkness can only be fought by stalling for time.

"Wait for the sun to rise at dawn!"

This hopeful message traveled far and wide from Ryan, and all the humans in the darkness raised their heads, looking hopefully at the sky obscured by the blood moon.

"Wait for the sun to rise!!!"

The soldiers gritted their teeth and roared as they charged toward the werewolves. At that moment, their inner faith converged, and a light called hope shone in their eyes.

With faith, the army's fighting power naturally increased, and although it was still being pushed forward by the werewolves, it was no longer in defeat.

In fact, due to the lessons learned from the previous battle at the Xiangshan Plain Fortress, all the soldiers understood that if they lost at this fortress, they would not be able to escape.

The Xiangshan Plain Fortress is quite a distance from the nearest city, Hanshan County, and in between lies a flat plain without any obstructions.

Fight to the death, and victory is the only chance to survive.

The human soldiers, fighting with their backs to the wall, ultimately displayed a resilience that surprised even Ryan.

Time passed slowly, and the mages floated in the sky once more, using their magic to activate the magic scrolls from the empire until their magic power was exhausted again.

If werewolves possessed reason, they would have already stormed the mountains where the mages resided. But now, this army of werewolves is consumed by savage, violent instincts; they have no brains left to think.

Viscount Landa was on edge, waiting for time to pass, fearing that the news of the army's defeat would come in the darkness of the war.

Ryan was also waiting anxiously. If the Xiangshan Plain Fortress were to fall, it would affect not only the nobles and lands of the North Wind Province, but also the newly gained voice within the empire, which would likely plummet again due to the emperor's anger and dissatisfaction.

This war will have far-reaching consequences for a very long time.

Finally, Ryan turned his head to the east.

As dawn breaks, the sun rises from the horizon, its brilliant rays piercing the darkness of the eternal night. Even the moon's radiant glow pales in comparison to the sun's splendor.

That being, arguably the most powerful among the gods, used this method to tell one world after another that the sun's greatness is supreme.

The crimson hue that had permeated the Xiangshan Plain finally dissipated like mist.

On the battlefield, the ferocious werewolves panted heavily, exhaling waves of heat from their thick blood and qi. A tremendous sense of powerlessness and exhaustion erupted from the depths of their bodies, and the once towering werewolves began to shrink, returning to their normal size.

The fighting wouldn't end because of this change. The human soldiers, who were already bloodthirsty and had little rationality left, seized the opportunity to plunge their weapons into the werewolves' flesh and blood. They were also surprised to find that these werewolves didn't seem to be so tough anymore.

"Kill!"

"By the God of Light, slay the evil orcs!"

The soldiers' eyes shone with light; their faith and the magic potion allowed them to maintain the ability to attack even when exhausted.

On the other side, the werewolves, gradually regaining their senses from their wildness, were filled with fear and unease. It was a fear and awe from the depths of their bloodline, from the curse of the gods. It was also the first time in many years that the werewolves had felt the great terror of losing their minds and being unable to control their bodies and souls.

This deep-seated fear caused even the mighty orcs to instinctively flee when faced with human spears.

"Erdene!"

Amidst the panic and rage, the werewolf leaders were naturally the ones who howled furiously, surrounding the werewolf high priest Erdi tightly in the middle, their eyes, now back to normal, filled with the extreme killing intent unique to the wolf pack.

(End of this chapter)