The performance of Olaf’s Wolf Pack greatly stabilized the domain’s military morale.
Yan Xing then appropriately used his hero skill "Inspire" to further boost his troops’ morale.
After the initial panic, all the farmers, under the command of Lao Hansi, Gao Sipa, and Eddie, took their positions. The main fighting forces of Eternal Domain concentrated to meet the head-on assault of the Duan’er Wolf Pack.
However, the attacking wolf pack didn’t focus all their strength on a frontal breakthrough.
While running, they automatically divided into eleven squads, continuously spreading out to both flanks.
Four squads of werewolves moved to outflank Eternal Domain from the left and right. They intentionally made louder noises and kicked up more dust, aiming to draw more of the defending forces towards those directions.
The lack of sufficient fighters was indeed Yan Xing’s most troubling problem at the moment.
With only his nine werewolves, he definitely couldn’t afford to split his forces. He could only ignore the Duan’er Wolf Pack’s attacks on the domain’s flanks, entrusting those directions to the defensive system and the several arrow towers positioned there.
The domain is only so large, after all. It’s best to prioritize the front and send support to other areas if a crisis develops later.
"Prepare to shoot!" Yan Xing took a marble from his ammunition pouch, placed it in the slingshot’s pocket, and drew back the elastic bands, aiming at the charging wolf pack.
Hearing the command, the werewolves and farmers also drew back their slingshots.
The Duan’er Wolf Pack approached rapidly, but the trench system before them forced them to slow down.
Each trench was two meters wide. For a werewolf’s jumping ability, this was a negligible obstacle. However, on the other side of each trench stood an iron fence two meters high.
The iron fences and the trenches themselves were thoroughly entwined with thorny iron ropes. The sight of those irregularly shaped barbs alone was enough to send chills down one’s spine, deterring even the bravest werewolves from daring to touch them.
The attacking werewolves slowed before the trench system, then fanned out towards the nearby passages.
At this point, the werewolves were only thirty meters from the defensive wall, close enough for the slingshots to cause effective injury.
But Yan Xing didn’t give the order to fire.
He waited until every werewolf had entered the trench system.
Each of the three trench lines had entrances and exits, but none offered a straight path through. Werewolves entering the trench system had to move laterally to reach a forward passage.
All paths within the trench system were single-file only. On one side was a second trench line, covered with barbed wire netting; on the other was an iron fence, similarly entangled with barbed wire netting.
The werewolves had to tread carefully through these passages; a single misstep could send them tumbling into a trench or becoming snagged on an iron fence.
Yan Xing patiently watched the werewolves enter the trench system one by one, then observed them navigate the labyrinthine paths, searching for a way through the second trench line.
Once the last werewolf had entered the trench system...
"Shoot!" Yan Xing shouted, firing his marble first.
Subsequently, from behind the defensive wall and atop the arrow towers, a continuous POP! POP! POP! emanated as a barrage of marbles rained down on the werewolves within the trench system.
Some marbles struck the iron fences of the trench system, kicking up showers of sparks.
Other marbles zipped through the gaps in the iron fences.
The werewolves moving through the trench system were densely packed and presented a horizontal line of targets to the domain’s defenders.
Though not fatal, the marbles struck their bodies with painful force. Additionally, the sparks erupting around them and the whizzing sound of marbles flying past created considerable psychological pressure.
In their panic, some werewolves stumbled into the adjacent trenches, while others had their clothing snagged by the barbed wire netting on the iron fences.
The trapped werewolves thrashed to free themselves, but the barbs on the wire netting pointed in chaotic directions. The more they struggled, the deeper the barbs dug in, entangling them further.
Blood flowed, and the ensnared werewolves howled in agony.
Some werewolves rushed to help their trapped comrades, but their efforts only tore the wounds wider, providing no real assistance.
Meanwhile, another volley of iron marbles arced overhead.
Wave after wave, the firing rate far exceeded that of bows or crossbows. Under the relentless assault, the werewolves, trapped and unable to advance or retreat within the trench system, could only crouch down, shielding their heads.
Although being hit by these iron marbles was painful, it was still preferable to falling into the trenches.
"Move! Don’t stay here! Move, charge through!" Duan’er, also caught within the trench system, roared as he saw his warriors pinned down in this narrow, perilous zone.
That’s when he noticed the weapons the human defenders were using.
Duan’er couldn’t comprehend how slingshots could possess such power at this range. But he knew that if his warriors didn’t escape the trench system quickly, the casualties would mount.
However, the volley of marbles from the human encampment was too dense. The unprotected werewolves could only prioritize shielding their heads. Blinded, they stumbled easily. If a marble struck a leg, they pitched headlong into a trench.
In a short time, over a dozen werewolves had fallen into the trenches. Many others were impaled on the iron fences, blocking the path for those behind them.
The trench system had become an impassable chasm. The trapped werewolves were now living targets for the domain’s defenders to pick off at will.
Commanding the battle from an arrow tower, Yan Xing hadn’t anticipated his meticulously designed trench system would be this effective.
To think I was so worried before the battle, preparing so many weapons in vain. But... where are Duan’er’s Poison Flies? If he doesn’t release them now, he’ll lose his chance soon.
Yan Xing scanned the battlefield and the sky above his domain. This wasn’t a swamp; the vast grasslands offered a clear view with little cover for stealth. The Poison Flies were large; approaching unnoticed under so many watchful eyes wouldn’t be easy.
With Duan’er’s Wolf Pack trapped in the trench system and posing no immediate threat, the only wild card capable of turning the tide was those five Poison Flies.
But just as Yan Xing focused his attention skyward, several yellow glows suddenly flared up from within the trench system.
Then, Yan Xing saw a few werewolves become coated in a layer of earth. As yellow light suffused it, this layer hardened into stone armor.
What’s happening? Weren’t werewolves supposed to be light infantry units? How did they suddenly acquire armor?! Could it be... Magic?
Yan Xing knew Magic existed in this world. Some of the items he’d brought had even been mistaken by his subordinates for Alchemical Weapons.
But I know what those things really are; they have nothing to do with Magic.
Now, right before his eyes... Earth spontaneously enveloped the werewolves’ bodies and transformed into stone armor!
Magic! This is something I absolutely have to learn!