I, the prince in distress, send money

Chapter 553 Frustration
As the first pale rays of sunlight struggled to pierce through the fel clouds that shrouded Mooncrown City and shone on the eastern beach, the Vengeance Fleet's beachhead had already undergone a dramatic transformation.

After a night of frantic work, a ring-shaped defensive wall made of stranded ship hulls, rough wooden planks, sandbags and reefs has been erected. Although it looks rough and crude, it has a wild vitality.

At key points of the defensive wall, various cannons unloaded from the ship were set up, their dark muzzles all pointing towards the ominous Crystal Song Forest.

At the very center of the position, the simple church of the Mechanicus had been completed.

The cold, rocky exterior reflected a faint light in the morning glow, and the faint rumble of machinery could be heard emanating from within... The respawn point has been activated.

This means that all the players on the fleet roster are now connected to this church by their soul imprint.

The Shanghai Pirate King stood behind a gap in the defensive wall, which was the planned launch point.

He chewed on a hard, salty jerky, but his bloodshot eyes showed no fatigue, only a burning fighting spirit.

Behind him was a dense, dark mass of players who had already assembled.

Unlike the worker ants who were busy building last night, the players are now fully armed, with flintlock rifles fitted with bayonets, gleaming scimitars and axes at their waists, and ammunition belts bulging.

Even the logistics team players were pushing wheelbarrows loaded with the Hundred Tigers Charge rockets and carrying heavy Tiger Crouching Cannons, clearly intending to follow behind the combat team players and give the demons a surprise as well.

There was no pre-battle mobilization, nor any lengthy formation adjustments.

The Shanghai Pirate King swallowed the last bite of jerky, patted the barrel of a twelve-pound cannon beside him, drew his sword from his waist, pointed it at the demon forest that was faintly visible in the evil energy mist, like a gaping maw, and let out a simple and brutal roar.

"Brothers, the respawn point is lit, and we've got plenty of ammo! Let's charge in, kill them all! Loot them all! Burn them all!"

"Ow ooh..."

His response was a deafening, undisciplined, frenzied howl.

The players surged forth from the breach like a floodgate opened, or like a pack of wolves drawn by the scent of blood. They were completely disorganized, yet they charged towards Crystal Song Forest with an unstoppable, destructive momentum.

"For Bagnia!"

"For experience and equipment!"

"For Chris!"

"For... pleasure!"

Various slogans mingled together, accompanied by chaotic yet heavy footsteps, striking the earth like thunder.

Several elves watching the battle from atop an armed merchant ship were momentarily speechless with awe at the wild manner of the advance.

They had seen the elegant formations of elven armies and the disciplined square formations of human knights, but they had never seen such a... chaotic and primal scene.

"They... just rushed in like that?"

A young Moonwalker whispered incredulously.

Locelyn pursed her lips, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

"It seems... their so-called tactics are no tactics at all, or rather, their tactics are themselves."

She saw the players rush into the pale purple fel mist at the edge of the woodland, and almost without hesitation, gunshots and explosions immediately came from within.

Elunor sighed and rubbed his temples. To be honest, this was the first time he had ever seen anything like it, the first time he had ever known that his friend's soldiers fought like this.

"Perhaps it's simply because they are all fleet personnel, and therefore, not skilled in land warfare..."

Meanwhile, deep within Crystal Song Forest, the demon lord Grossag, who was observing this scene through magic, once again contracted his burning pupils.

It saw the players surge into the woodland corrupted by its power like a black tide, showing no reverence whatsoever.

The fel mist seemed to have little effect on them; the distorted terrain and corrosive ravines were simply traversed by them in various unbelievable ways, or they simply cleared a path with explosives.

The low-level demons' resistance was like waves crashing against rocks, quickly torn apart by dense firepower and frenzied melee combat.

It even saw several players charging forward against the berserker's axe, recklessly thrusting plungers-like objects into the towering demon's chest and abdomen, before being engulfed in an explosion with maniacal laughter...

"As expected... it's still the same..."

Grossag felt that familiar headache intensify once again. It knew that the outer defenses of the woodland would probably not hold for long against these reckless and unpredictable enemies.

"Order the forward troops to retreat in stages as planned, using the corrupted terrain and summoned creatures to wear them down. All high-ranking demons, gather at the various Corrupted Heart altars throughout the city!"

It growled, determined to turn this corrupted woodland into a swamp that would devour these locusts, or at least to prepare a lavish welcome for them.

Sunlight barely penetrated the haze over the woods, illuminating the players' feverish faces and the guns that kept spewing fire.

This chaotic yet powerful force is carving itself into the demon's territory in the most savage way, bringing death and clamor into this forest that originally belonged only to decay and silence.

The real clash has only just begun.

……

Mooncrown City, West Side Silver Maple Gate.

In stark contrast to the rugged and chaotic scene on the eastern beaches, the atmosphere here is solemn and somber.

Squads of elven warriors clad in moon-white armor trimmed with gold, mixed with half-elven swordsmen and halberdiers in more practical, darker-toned armor, had already formed ranks.

Sunlight shone on their gleaming armor and sharp blades, reflecting a chilling light.

Standing at the very front of the procession was the garrison commander of Mooncrown City, a high elf general named Kalandes.

His face was resolute, his long silver hair was tied back, and his azure eyes contained worry and determination.

He had just received a message from General Lilana and Commander Locelin, informing him that the allies in the east, known as the Bagnians, were launching a fierce attack on Crystal Forest.

Despite finding the behavior of these humans baffling, with a formidable enemy at hand, any force that could alleviate the pressure from the demons was worth fighting for.

"Warriors!"

Kelanders' voice was clear and penetrating, echoing in the silent city gate square.

"Our allies in the east are fighting the demons in their own way, drawing the attention of the main demon forces. This is the perfect opportunity for us to strike, reconnect, and join forces with them."

For Mooncrown City, for the World Tree, for the glory of Everlasting Island!

"For the glory of Eternal Gathering Island!"

The elves and half-elf warriors responded in unison, their voices like the rustling of pines in the forest, filled with discipline and conviction.

Kelanders nodded in satisfaction and was about to give the order to depart.

"Boom..."

A deep, muffled sound, as if coming from the depths of the earth and striking directly at the soul, rang out without warning.

This sound was completely different from the faint background noise that had been heard before. It carried a heart-stopping power and instantly swept across the entire western district of Mooncrown City.

"Ugh!"

"what happened?"

"my head……"

In the group, some elven mages and young warriors who were more sensitive to magic instantly turned pale, clutching their foreheads or chests, feeling a strong wave of dizziness and nausea.

The magical energy that was originally flowing smoothly in the air seemed to be violently fluctuating and distorted as if a pebble had been thrown into the surface of water.

Kelanders himself felt a sudden pang of heart palpitation. He suppressed his discomfort and abruptly looked up toward the direction of Crystal Song Forest.

The sky, which had been shrouded in evil clouds, now faintly revealed an ominous dark red hue, as if huge blood vessels were pulsating within the clouds.

"Boom..."

The second throbbing followed, clearer and stronger, and this time, the impact was more tangible.

"Look at the ground!"

A half-elf soldier cried out in horror.

Outside the Silver Maple Gate, the land that was once only somewhat barren was now decaying at a visible rate.

The lush green grass quickly withered, turned black, and transformed into a sticky swamp, constantly emitting toxic bubbles that smelled of sulfur.

The solid road was cracked inch by inch, and a dark red, corrosive liquid, like blood, seeped from the cracks.

Even several ancient trees near the city wall, some hundreds of years old, were groaning in pain as their bark peeled off, their branches twisted and withered, as if their life force had been drained in an instant.

Even more terrifying was the spiritual impact. A whisper filled with despair, anger, and a destructive urge, like an invisible plague, began to linger in the minds of all the elves and half-elves, attempting to erode their will and ignite the negative emotions deep within them.

Some of the weaker half-elf soldiers had their eyes begin to glow red, their breathing became heavy, they instinctively gripped their weapons, and cast distrustful glances at their comrades.

The long-lived elven mage, with his extensive magical knowledge, quickly realized something terrifying from this series of images. He hurriedly ran to Kalandes' side and whispered the news to him.

"This is a corrupting ritual performed by the demons against the Children of Nature..."

Upon hearing this, Kylandes' heart sank.

"Can you... no, can the mage corps in the city stabilize the current situation?"

The elven mage did not answer, and that silence itself was an answer.

"Commander, the magical communication has been interrupted!"

"The purification barrier's effectiveness is rapidly diminishing!"

"Some new recruits have shown signs of mania..."

Bad news comes one after another.

Looking at the suddenly changed environment and the troop that was beginning to stir, Kelandes glanced again at the direction from the east where faint gunfire was coming from, and clenched his fists tightly.

The attack plan suffered a near-devastating blow in its very first step.

"All personnel, return to the city and rejoin the protected area of ​​the Tears of the Sky!"

He made a decisive decision and issued the order. To launch a forced attack at this moment would be tantamount to sending the soldiers into a death trap, and they might even start killing each other before encountering the enemy.

The elven forces retreated cautiously and swiftly, like the receding tide, leaving behind the rapidly deteriorating land.

"We must inform our allies in the east..."

On the way back, Kelandes gritted his teeth, looking at the completely malfunctioning communication crystal, feeling utterly powerless.

The reinforcements to Mooncrown City were temporarily trapped at their doorstep.

The elven mages in the Mooncrown City Mage Tower were no pushovers; they quickly discovered the source of the anomaly... Fel energy was being detected deep within Crystal Song Grove and in four locations in Mooncrown City that had been taken over by demons.

It is obvious that the demons are setting up a magic circle, or altar, that can corrupt all the elves of Mooncrown City.

If the demon hadn't revealed it beforehand, but instead waited for the opportune moment to activate it, then all the elves and half-elves in Mooncrown City would be in grave danger.

The current anomaly is actually a good thing for the elves in Mooncrown City, because they have discovered a massive landmine that could kill all the elves in the city and have time to defused it.

However, this is not good news for players on the eastern beach.

Within Crystal Song Woods, the players' wild offensive indeed encountered trouble.

Their initial momentum came to an abrupt halt about a mile into the forest.

The trees, which were originally just slightly twisted, have now come alive. Their malicious branches lash and entangle passing players like tentacles, and the ground has become muddy and full of suction. The dark red, corrosive surface occasionally spews out nauseating poisonous gas.

What's even more troublesome is that the demons' methods of resistance have changed.

Instead of mindlessly charging head-on, they use the corrupted terrain and low-level demons constantly emerging from the shadows and corrosive fissures to harass, ambush, and divide the area.

Players' concentrated firepower often hits empty air, or can only eliminate some worthless cannon fodder, while the succubus hidden in the shadows will use mental whip to disrupt the formation, and occasionally jump out to personally lure some vanilla players away alone. Then the berserker will suddenly rush out from underground and tear the lone player to pieces.

"Damn it, these bastards are learning... Holy crap..."

The player named Tin Can had just blasted a small lesser demon that was trying to grab his leg with a shotgun when he was hit by a fel fireball flying from the side, and half of his body was shattered.

"Fire support... support my ass! There are too many trees, we can't see anything at all!"

Another player, who was in charge of a small squad, shouted angrily. He had just organized an assault, but the squad was driven back by fel arrows from three different directions and spikes that suddenly appeared on the ground.

Most importantly, the heavy thumping sound was heard even more clearly here. Each sound made the players feel a slight palpitation and irritation. Although they were not directly affected like the elves, the continuous mental interference still weakened their focus and cooperation.

More obviously, the gunpowder weapons they carried seemed to have been affected, with a significantly higher misfire rate.

Where are the logistics team members? We need more support...

"Damn it, these devils are playing hide-and-seek with us!"

The Shanghai Pirate King roared amidst the chaotic battle lines, having just slashed down a strangely shaped demon that leaped from the shadows with his sword, resulting in a cut on his own arm.

He realized that this fragmented, attrition-based fighting was rapidly eroding the players' initial momentum and ammunition reserves.

Just as the offensive in the woodland was stalled, the rear positions on the eastern beach also faced a new crisis.

"Look at the sky, those black dots!"

One of the players on guard shouted, pointing to the sky shrouded in fel clouds.

More and more black shadows appeared swirling in the dark clouds. These were the winged demons that had appeared sporadically before, but now their numbers surged, like a swarm of locusts, emitting sharp and piercing screechs.

These large, red, bat-like figures looked particularly menacing against the dark red sky.

"Something's wrong, there are more and more of them!"

Inside the position, the rear guard captain, who was in charge of directing the remaining personnel and logistics players, frowned.

He immediately realized that the demons were about to launch an air raid, and he quickly gave the order.

"Brothers, prepare for air combat! Raise the artillery elevation and aim the rocket launchers at the sky!"

His orders were quickly carried out, and the players hurriedly pointed the muzzles of some tiger crouching cannons and light cannons at the sky. Players carrying tigers down the mountain and pushing rocket cars with hundreds of tigers in formation also took their positions.

However, given the Winged Demon's flight altitude and speed, the hit rate of these rudimentary weapons originally designed to deal with ground targets is questionable.

Suddenly, the winged demons in the sky seemed to receive a unified command, stopped circling, let out an even more frantic shriek, and then, like a black waterfall, swooped down towards the beachhead below.

"Fire! Fire!"

Bang bang bang... Boom! Swoosh swoosh swoosh...

Gunfire, artillery fire, and the whooshing sound of rockets erupted from the positions, filling the sky with white smoke and trails of rocket exhaust.

The first few dozen winged demons that were diving at the front were torn apart by a barrage of projectiles and rockets, falling as burning bits of flesh.

But more winged demons nimbly weaved through the sparse barrage of fire. Their target was not the sturdy defensive wall, but rather the relatively vulnerable logistical facilities, stockpiled supplies, and... the newly built Church of the Mechanicus!

"Protect the respawn point!"

The logistics captain saw through the devil's intentions and stood on a high place, shouting at the top of his lungs.

Players unleashed a barrage of fire into the sky, flintlock bullets raining down on the swooping demons. Some valiant players even jumped onto sandbags and used muskets with bayonets to stab the low-flying winged demons.

The rockets exploded continuously in the air, and the scattered fragments sometimes managed to shoot down one or two demons.

But there were too many Winged Demons, and they were extremely frenzied, completely disregarding casualties.

Several winged demons broke through the firepower and slammed into the outer wall of the church, frantically tearing at the cold rock with their claws and teeth. Fel flames ignited at the point of impact.

More winged demons hurled fel fireballs into the position, or swooped down to grab lone players, lifted them into the air, and then cruelly dropped them back down.

In an instant, the entire beachhead was plunged into unprecedented chaos.

Explosions, gunshots, players' roars, the shrieks of the winged demons, and the screams of the wounded mingled together. The position, which was originally the main base for the attack and a safe rear, was now enduring a fierce attack from the sky.

Elunor's expression changed drastically as she stood on the armed merchant ship.

He sensed from the movements that the players' offensive in the woods had slowed down, and he also saw the frantic air raids on the rear positions.

"The devil is applying pressure from both sides..."

Elunor instantly understood the demons' intentions.

"They used the woodland terrain and attrition warfare to tie down the main forces of their allies, while simultaneously sending air forces to try and destroy their logistical bases..."

He suddenly turned to the elven mage beside him.

"Could you contact Admiral Lilana and request magical firepower support from the Kingdom's fleet?"

The elven mage beside him, who had been silently observing the battle, looked troubled upon hearing this.

“I can contact Lady Lilana, but… alas, the Kingdom’s fleet is currently engaged in combat in the dock area, and whether they can come over is not something I can be sure of.”

(End of this chapter)