The shouts of slaughter. The shouts of men driven by terror. Our nature is to be in conflict. We are a battle-borne species, and the battlefield is our orchestra.

~ Wisperium's Code

With the momentum in the invader's favor, the entrance of Welton's Furnace became a warzone. Dozens of battles took place as the hooded foot soldiers pushed forward against the weakened paladins at the frontline.

The dwarves and vampires remained largely the same in terms of power, holding their own against the enemy partly because of their superior equipment. Damien remained vigilant in his duty as a protector while overseeing the entire battlefield from the far corner, furthest from the conflict. Archbishop Romero was struggling, holding his hands up as he tried to maintain the Dispersion Barrier and regain control of the empowering effects that the elf had taken with her mysterious abilities.

As one of the more valuable targets, the high-ranked priest was protected by several of the most elite paladins they could muster, including Major General Brigatin. Armed with a shield and javelin, he easily deflected any attacks coming toward the backline. It seemed as though his shield was of higher quality than average, gleaming with a magical aura as he scoured the warzone.

"FIRE!"

The sound of a bolt being fired was loud enough to alarm Damien, and he watched as the impossibly fast projectile made its way towards the protective formation around Archbishop Romero. Brigatin, preparing himself for the attack, seemingly activated several skills as the massive arrow careened towards him.

A golden barrier was activated around the Archbishop but was broken through with ease before making contact with the Major General's shield. He had tilted it at an angle where it veered off-course, upwards into the city square. The sheer speed of the ballista had almost knocked the man over, despite wearing heavy armor that tripled his weight.

Damien inwardly breathed a sigh of relief as more reinforcements poured in. It took time for the other soldiers all around the kingdom to converge in the same spot. Coming from the Royal Palace were several dozen more dwarven soldiers, armed to the teeth with a variety of weapons. It didn't last long, however.

"Tch. Elson, activate it. The second phase starts now." Irene said, falling back to avoid an errant lightning bolt from Archie. Delont, the enemy vampire, was blowing away nearby soldiers with simple swings and thrusts with his lightning spear. The demon contractors were being very passive, almost as if they were waiting for the defenders to act first.

The hooded figure staying in the middle of the formation raised his hand and whispered something inaudible from the distance. Its effect was immediate, bringing up another notification for every single person on the battlefield.

"You didn't think we had spies placed in the kingdom for nothing, did you?"

You have been poisoned.

Due to the poison being diluted in water, the length and severity of the effects are reduced to ten minutes. Those farther than 350 meters will not receive the effects of the activated poison.

Stamina depletes 15% faster. Breathing is slightly more difficult.

Movement and attack speed are reduced by 10%. Small chance of paralysis occurring every 10 seconds.

A slight sluggishness could be felt and the momentum of the defenders was halted. Even the approaching reinforcements paused after feeling the effects of the activated poison. General Drake's face contorted into pure rage after seeing the effects.

"You bastards...They poisoned the water supply! The citizens are..!"

Damien realized just how horrifying the implications were. Although the likelihood of any more severe poisons being caught by the treatment facility meant it was hard to kill them that way, the fact that the invading forces were able to weaken the entirety of Welton's forces showed how thorough their planning was for the invasion. They had no regard for the health and well-being of the citizens, which showed they didn't care about conquest; they wanted destruction.

Thanks to the fact he was positioned beside the healers, the effects of the poison were worn out quickly. But it would take some time before the entire army could be cured. The healers began going deeper towards the frontlines, meeting with the injured soldiers in the middle and healing them before returning to the battle. The defenders were steadily losing ground in exchange for reduced casualties. Jensen began to approach the frontlines, cutting down enemies standing in his way with a single swing of his ax.

'This must've been months...no, years in the making!'

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General Drake seemingly had enough, and she hopped atop the black panther and pounced at the center of the invading forces. Many of the hooded figures scrambled, but the three contractors stood strong. Combining Delont's spear with Irene's shield, they were able to hold back the massive black panther, but not before the hooded figure sent a blindingly fast projectile from his hands and into the panther's underside.

"Beelzlebub: Monster's Bane."

"MREEOOW!" It howled in pain, falling back as it struggled with the mysterious attack. General Drake looked stunned at how effective the attack was. The defenders corralled the duo, protecting them from any incoming attacks as Natalia checked in on her familiar. Shields were raised in an attempt to protect their vulnerable general.

"Poison? Romero! Drop the barrier and focus on purifying Archie!" Natalia barked out her orders, before getting off the black panther's back and standing in front of the contractors, who proved to be too much to handle for the regular foot soldiers. "I'll hold them down. WISPERIUM! TO ME!"

At once, she activated several abilities. Damien could see blue and black mix together as she became infused with magic. The demon contractors instantly became on guard as Natalia Drake reared her head and let out an almighty roar. Many of the surrounding foot soldiers collapsed from the sheer volume, letting the beast tamers of Wisperium pick off the stragglers along the edges. Romero began pouring his efforts into healing the injured panther, which had its tongue lolling out at the side trying to recover faster.

"Unification."

The female vampire's hair whipped around wildly. Her posture and ragged breathing were beast-like; surpassing a vampire's regular bloodlust. Every single soldier from Wisperium, including Damien, felt their heart thump as the sheer amount of killing intent she possessed aroused their own. Lightning began to spark around her as she tried to control the raging power which was so similar to her own familiar.

With her bare hands, she lunged for the poisoner, Elson. He stepped back quickly, showing nimble feet as the barrier protecting him was sliced to pieces by magical claw marks. Before the translucent barrier could recover, Natalia broke through and raised her other hand to slash at the contractor. The attacks created waves of dark and lightning mana that cut through the ground with ease even from a distance.

The spear-wielding vampire moved and thrusted his spear once more, with lightning erupting from the tip. General Drake blurred, dropping low to the ground and pouncing at Delont. He bared his teeth in a frightening smile as he blocked her attack. Three large cuts appeared on his forearms and shoulder, destroying the hood and revealing a muscular body covered in plated armor. It was a simple design, but the purple sheen along the unmarred chest plate showed it was made of adamantium.

"The general attacking head-first? Foolish..." Irene chuckled, making sure to stay behind the only melee combatant amongst the contractors. "Refraction!"

Multiple beams of light were aimed at the raging vampiress, who was unable to dodge them all. She hissed, seemingly blinded by the attack and taking a moment to regain her bearings. A price she paid for her recklessness.

Damien watched as the ballista aimed straight for the stunned general, and a scream tore through his throat as the projectile clicked into place. A black blur went and collected the vulnerable woman just as the arrow destroyed the ground she was standing in. With the force of the arrow blowing back several soldiers, it was hard to see what happened until the dust cleared.

Jensen placed her down gently, before brandishing his axes at the contractor who tried to pierce him through the back. Covered in cold iron and adamantium, it was clear that the contractor would have a difficult time pushing past the Lieutenant General of Wisperium.

"You will be the only ones to live. We will need to find those who dare to oppose Wisperium." The Lieutenant-General said pointedly to Delont. His face contorted into one of anger, showing his strength as he pushed the larger vampire back. "Your death will not be easy."

Using his off-hand, he parried away the spear and used his second ax to strike the contractor in the face. Delont raised his head, showing a massive gash that had cut his cheek open all the way to the ear. It began to heal rapidly, already beginning to close up as he raised his spear once more.

"Good, good. I can't fight at my full strength without someone who can hurt me. Let's kill each other, shall we?" He bared his teeth in a terrifying smile as he tried to impale Jensen once more.

With Jensen and the other demon contractor in a death match, General Drake was occupying the other two on her own. From both sides, spells and arrows flew to change the tide of battle in whatever way possible. Although their focus was on each other, all three were capable enough to dodge or protect themselves from any of the projectiles. Damien got closer as the priests he protected went around the outside to heal the status ailments their army was suffering from. Sensing an opportunity, he inclined his head towards his squadron.

"Sorry, but I need to help them. Please be careful."

Before they could say anything, he darted off into the crowd, shoving past allies and making it into the epicenter of the conflict. A hooded man made his way towards him but was quickly cut down in one stroke of his new blade. The dark-red liquid dripped from the ground as he took a life on the battlefield. There was no time to think, and his heart began to pound in his ears as the thrum of battle got louder and louder.

You have slain Elf (level 12)

"Darkness Infusion. Mana Infusion."

The rhythm of the battlefield was beginning to take hold. All of Wisperium's forces had more frenzied attacks despite being weakened, honing their combined bloodlust on the enemy soldiers as a unit. It showed just how significant the gap was between vampires and other species, pushing back the invaders ever so slightly despite their lower numbers.

At the same time General Drake lunged toward the blond elf, the vampire prince's sword began to pulsate with energy. His helmet emanated a dark aura as he was empowered by pure magic. During the drums of battle, the quiet footsteps of the Shadow Knight couldn't be heard.

It was the perfect moment. With both contractors staring at the rampaging, lightning-fuelled vampiress, they didn't notice the armor-clad child coming just outside of their peripheral vision. By the time Elson noticed the smaller swordsman approaching from the flank, it was too late.

"SHADOW SMITE!"

Shadows erupted from his blade; it was larger than anything he had ever managed to produce, briefly covering his peripheral vision. When the field cleared, he could see that his attack had done a massive amount of damage. to the surroundings and contractor.

Elson was bleeding profusely, with the hood torn to shreds. It revealed a purplish, leather-bound suit and several trinkets along his neck. Some of them had been shattered outright from the attack. His head was dripping blood, and he gasped upon taking the full brunt of Damien's attack unprepared. It was a miracle he hadn't been outright killed.

The light mage couldn't even react, too busy protecting herself from Natalia Drake. With the full focus of a demon contractor on him, Damien raised his shield and prepared for the fight of his life. Elson's face was screwed up in pain and apoplectic rage, gnashing his teeth together as a nauseating, green aura appeared from his hands.

"You've received my full attention, brat." He muttered. "I hope you like what you asked for."

Erasing his anxieties and uncertainties, Damien Rose dove head-first into the battle.