- Fantasy Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence
- FLDI Chapter 180
At the defensive point.
The battle erupted. A third-tier orc tribe was quickly crushed with Thor’s involvement. A large number of orcs were slaughtered, and even the knights who had been tainted by the blood-red aura were swiftly brought under control.
“Ha!”
Brian let out a deep breath, feeling a slight sense of relief.
Though injured, his condition was still manageable.
The others were in a similar state.
“I didn’t expect it, Lord Thor, you actually possess the energy of an alien life form. Truly powerful,” Isabelle couldn’t help but marvel, her gaze curiously studying Thor.
In the battle just now, she had witnessed Thor’s overwhelming strength. Despite only being a Great Knight, he had decisively taken down a third-tier mutated orc, something even she couldn’t have accomplished.
“Miss Isabelle, you flatter me,” Thor smiled and shook his head.
He wasn’t particularly concerned with showcasing his strength.
Since arriving here, he had anticipated the possibility of his abilities being exposed.
With the daily intelligence reports he had received, Thor was well aware of the challenges they faced and had made thorough preparations accordingly.
“Thor, Miss Isabelle, we should rest for now,” Brian spoke up, signaling to everyone to return to the ramparts.
“Brother Brian, the day is far from over.”
“You should send those apprentice knights away for now. This place is no longer safe for them. If they stay much longer, even those not yet tainted will soon be corrupted,” Thor said with a cautious tone, his eyes shifting towards the horizon.
“Not over yet?”
Brian was taken aback upon hearing Thor’s words.
Isabelle also looked at him, surprised.
“Tonight, we will likely not be able to sleep,” Thor nodded solemnly, his expression grim, but he didn’t elaborate.
Soon, reality would prove everything.
At that moment, Thor’s right hand tightened around his knight’s spear, a sense of gravity settling over him.
To reach the Divine Ruins after arriving at Autumn Leaf Territory, the first obstacle was surviving the frenzied orc assaults that were sure to come over the next few days. Even with the kingdom’s preparations, losses were inevitable.
Initially, after receiving the intelligence reports, Thor had hesitated.
After all, he had the daily intelligence system and the means to grow stronger, so there was little need to take risks.
Even the smallest risk, was still a risk.
Moreover, the coming days of orc assaults were anything but insignificant.
But in the end, he made his decision.
This opportunity might not come again in the next ten years. It was the key to his class advancement. If he missed it, Thor wasn’t sure when—if ever—he’d get another chance.
After all, the Holy Domain Knights were nearly monopolized by the kingdom. Although he had found a way to break through to the Sky Knight level, that didn’t guarantee he would have the means to break through to the Holy Domain.
Not to mention what lay beyond the Holy Domain.
The Divine Ruins, if they could be properly secured, could offer not only the chance to break through to the Holy Domain Knights, but potentially even to something higher.
Such an opportunity was something the other powerful noble heirs wouldn’t miss, and Thor couldn’t afford to let it slip by. If he did, he would be unable to justify it to himself.
That was why he had come.
But even so, this orc assault demanded his full attention. He couldn’t afford to be careless.
And just as if to confirm his words, a tremendous noise echoed from the distance, followed by a cloud of dust. At the far edge of their vision, orcs rapidly approached.
With the appearance of the orcs, magic crystal cannons suddenly erupted, their blinding light flashing into the night sky.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Rumble!
Ten magic crystal cannons fired, and the terrifying explosions spread out like a thunderstorm. The large group of orcs that had been charging toward them was immediately consumed by a sea of lightning. In the blink of an eye, a vast area was cleared.
“Prepare yourselves!”
Brian shouted, gripping his knight’s spear tightly once again, ready to face the next wave.
But the next moment, his expression froze.
This time, the orcs charging toward them didn’t scatter like before. Instead, they gathered together, charging in a unified group toward the defensive point.
“What is this?”
Brian’s face showed a hint of confusion.
“Brother Brian, we should fall back and defend at the ramparts.”
“These orcs have likely already mutated,” Thor said quietly, bringing Brian back from his shock.
“Mutated?”
Hearing Thor’s words, Brian’s eyes lit up, and a smile tugged at the corners of his lips.
Mutated orcs, mutating in battle, were different from those who mutated before the fight started.
The fact that these orcs hadn’t scattered meant that the magic crystal cannons could unleash their full potential, allowing for even greater effectiveness.
The casualties would be significantly reduced.
Brian, feeling a rush of relief, quickly ordered everyone to retreat.
As they fell back, the crystal cannons on the ramparts continued to fire, each shot sending forth a terrifying energy.
Thunder roared.
This time, the second-tier and third-tier orc tribes had barely approached the ramparts when the magic crystal cannons obliterated 99% of them. Only a small fraction made it to the ramparts.
They were quickly dealt with by Brian, Thor, Isabelle, and the others.
However, before they could fully rejoice, another wave of orcs appeared on the horizon.
It was clear that the third wave of orcs had arrived.
But at this moment, the group wasn’t as tense as before.
Since the orcs weren’t scattering, the magic crystal cannons could unleash their full strength. Even a strong third-tier orc tribe would find it hard to endure the continuous barrage.
The pressure on the defenders decreased significantly.
As time passed, wave after wave of orc tribes was defeated.
A large number of magic cores were consumed in the process.
Still, everyone’s spirits were lifted.
While the merit points gained from killing enemies at the gates were fewer, they were still merit points. After this battle, everyone’s contribution would undoubtedly rise.
But their joy was short-lived.
In the distance, a dark mass of orcs began to gather once more, and the faces of everyone present changed.
“Gulp!”
“Fourth-tier!”
The captain of one of the knight squads instinctively swallowed, his eyes widening as he looked at the massive group of orcs and the towering figure of a fourth-tier orc appearing in the sky.
Even Brian, Thor, and Isabelle couldn’t help but adopt more serious expressions.
“Fourth-tier!”
“Thor, Miss Isabelle, we need to fall back to the fortifications,” Brian spoke, his voice unusually tense.
Thor didn’t answer. He simply stared ahead, his right hand tightening around his knight’s spear.
“Thor, this isn’t the time for bravado. A fourth-tier orc tribe is beyond our ability to handle. And they won’t just have fourth-tier orcs, but likely many third-tier orcs as well. We can’t hold them off,” Brian urged, seeing that Thor hadn’t moved.
“Don’t worry, Brother Brian. We don’t need to worry about the fourth-tier orcs,” Thor said calmly, his expression unreadable.
“Not worry about them?” Isabelle blinked in surprise before her gaze shifted, as if understanding something.
Amid the conversation, a surge of life force erupted in the sky. The next moment, a figure suddenly appeared high above.
“Eliminate the other orcs!”
“The fourth-tier orc I will handle.”
The calm voice echoed from the heavens, causing Brian, who had been puzzled, to instantly light up with recognition.
“It’s Marquis McKen!”
Brian exclaimed with excitement.
“Brian, prepare yourself. This time, the orcs won’t be dealt with by just the magic crystal cannons.”
Thor’s voice was low, and he quickly took out a vial of life potion, drinking it.
The battle would continue for several more days.
Thor had to ensure he remained at his peak state.
Brian nodded, shaking off his excitement, and also drank a vial of life potion.
As the potions were consumed, torrents of life force surged through their bodies, quickly replenishing the energy they had burned. Their vitality began to rise again.
Boom.
Boom!
The earth-shaking rumble reverberated through the air as the magic crystal cannons fired again, their blasts tearing through the orc ranks.
A large number of orcs were shredded by the explosions.
Yet, many orcs still advanced, especially the second-tier and higher orcs, who suffered minimal damage.
At last, Thor and the others clearly saw the ranks of orcs charging forward. More than forty second-tier orcs, and seven third-tier orcs were in the forefront.
This was an incredibly formidable force.
However, due to the direct assault of the magic crystal cannons, these third-tier orcs had suffered varying degrees of injury. One even had its arm and half its body shattered, yet it continued to charge with just the remaining half of its body.
“Kill!”
Brian shouted, then raised his knight’s spear, charging forward.
Thor, Isabelle, and Rachoss followed closely behind.
Behind them were the knights they brought with them, and further behind, the other knights stationed at the defensive point.
The slaughter began once again.
The battle raged on until the following morning before finally winding down.
The fourth-tier orc that had appeared in the sky had already fallen.
Below the ramparts, there was a mountain of corpses—both orcs and human knights among them.
Even the twenty knights Thor had brought with him had suffered heavy losses. After a full day of fighting, two had died, and five were severely wounded. Only Steve, Pelos, Raine, and thirteen other knights remained by his side.
And this was only the first day.
From the daily intelligence reports, this kind of assault would continue for several more days.
The group’s expressions were weary.
Thankfully, with the fourth-tier tribe’s assault resolved, they could relax for a moment, as no more orcs had appeared in the short term.
During this brief respite, they quickly ate some food and rested against the ramparts.
Blood had soaked through their bodies, and many knights had blood-red eyes—an indication that even life potions could not suppress the divine power coursing through their veins.
Even Thor, Brian, Isabelle, and Rachoss were no better off.
Their golden armor had turned brown from bloodstains.
Isabelle’s once-white hair had turned black, and her body was covered in grime. Her exquisite face was barely visible under the dirt.
Joz’s situation was even worse. As an ordinary Great Knight, his face bore a deep scratch from an orc’s claw.
If not for Thor pulling him out of the way at the last moment, Joz would have been gravely wounded, if not killed.
“Damn it, half an hour… we’ve got another attack coming. Have these bastards lost their minds?”
Joz muttered through gritted teeth, his voice strained with disbelief.
He had never imagined such a brutal fight. It wasn’t that the enemy was too strong, but rather that there were so many of them. It felt like they could never kill them all.
Even now, they could only rest briefly, knowing another orc assault would come soon.
Despite just one day of fighting, Joz felt as though his mind was numbing from the constant pressure.
“Save your strength!”
“This won’t end anytime soon.”
Thor shook his head and took out another vial of life potion. He also handed four vials to Steve, Pelos, Raine, and Brian.
Thankfully, he had prepared a significant stock of life potions for this crisis.
Now, they were coming in handy.
“Lord Thor, you’re truly generous.”
Isabelle smiled and remarked, glancing at Thor.
A vial of life potion was nothing much to her, but given that Thor was only a baron, each vial was worth over a hundred gold coins. Yet he freely handed them out to his subordinates and cousins.
She couldn’t help but be surprised.
Thor chuckled and shook his head without offering any explanation.
For him, low-level life potions were no longer of much concern.
Over the past period, the success rate of the three potion makers had steadily increased. They could now produce two potions a day, and the success rate was expected to improve further.
Materials were no longer scarce, either.
With Ivira’s appearance, even the once-rare Life Grass was no longer a problem.
Theoretically, he could now produce life potions endlessly.
He had brought along thirty vials of low-tier life potions this time, more than enough for their needs.
As they spoke, the horn sounded once again.
The battle had resumed.
=========
Explanation of the Entire Plot:
The Tulip Kingdom has tasked the three major duke families with dealing with the ongoing Divine Awakening event. They have also sent Holy Domain Knights from the royal family, but the Divine Awakening is an extremely dangerous phenomenon. The three dukes are unsure they can resolve it completely on their own, so they begin negotiations with the top aristocrats of the other three great kingdoms to form an alliance.
However, when they finally come together, they discover that the so-called Divine Awakening is just a fourth-tier Bloodthirsty Werewolf. The god that was supposed to descend turns out to be a lower-tier deity, not something they need to fear. The nobles begin to entertain an idea: if they could provoke the awakening of the Bloodthirsty Werewolf without summoning the deity, they could open the Divine Ruins, which would provide their heirs with the chance to unlock their potential and gain access to the ruins.
Such an opportunity was too valuable for them to pass up, and they could easily manipulate the situation to benefit their descendants.
=========
(End of this chapter)