CHAPTER 264 REINFORCEMENTS ARE COMING

"Send all the spirit manipulators to the east. Assign five hundred soldiers from the south to that

position. Tell them to fight as if their very life depends on it! Do not let the enemies into the military

camp!" The commander of the northern sky military camp knew very well how important his camp was

for the northern defensive line of the Crimson Dragon Group. If this military camp was captured by Content held by .

enemies, the whole northern defensive line would start to fail as they tried to compensate for the loss of

the camp. The commander knew that he needed to defend the camp no matter what the cost.

He was an ordinary spirit manipulator in his forties but it was uncommon among his peers to reach the

Heavenly Stage like he did. He proved himself to be a capable Frontline Commander of the Crimson

Dragon Group. This was one of the reasons why he was assigned to the northern sky military camp, an

important position for the whole northern defensive line.

The number of soldiers under his command was close to two thousand which exceeded their enemy's

number. However, there were three Heavenly Stage spirit manipulators among the enemy's group. The

military camp failed to repel such a powerful enemy squad and the defending army was routed.

Although all the spirit manipulators of the military camp had worked together against their enemies,

they still failed to defend the eastern side. The three Heavenly Stage spirit manipulators of the enemy

led their squad of Earthly Stage spirit manipulators, spirit-manipulated beasts and hundreds of soldiers,

to break into the military camp.

Meanwhile, the northern front of the military camp was attacked by several Earthly Stage spirit

manipulators, who worked with their spirit-manipulated beasts and hundreds of soldiers. Eventually, the

northern front was also destroyed.

And it was in the face of such a situation that the commander of the camp led all the remaining spirit

manipulators and soldiers to defend against their enemies at the center of the military camp. The fight

between the two sides fell into a stalemate immediately.

Flames lit up the sky above the military camp. Black smoke filled the air. Corpses scattered around on

the ground. The injured and the dying wailed loudly and it created a background symphony for the

entire moving picture, the sad picture of war.

"Are you members of the Timber Deity Empire's army?" The emblems and the uniform of the enemy

soldiers answered the question with mute confirmation. The Timber Deity Empire's army was

responsible for the attack. The shock of the realization on the defending soldiers went as quickly as it

came. They prepared themselves to fight to the death defending the camp.

"Surrender the northern sky military camp, and I will spare your lives! Think about it very carefully! That

is the only offer that you will ever get!" the commander of the invading Timber Deity Empire's army

said. He was a timber spirit manipulator at the third grade of the Heavenly Stage. A timber spirit

manipulator was as powerful as a royal spirit manipulator in the Holy Dragon Empire. He was obviously

a formidable opponent. And from the way he spoke to the northern sky military camp's commander, it

was obvious that he was a very conceited man. Contempt was painted all over his face as he stared at

the commander.

"You wish! I will never let you have your way!" the northern sky military camp's commander yelled back

in defiance. Untamed resolve burned brightly in his eyes. He was aware of how powerful the enemy

was. Their three Heavenly Stage spirit manipulators placed them at a disadvantage. Even the

remainder of the spirit manipulators in their squad were all of Earthly Stage. The commander

understood that the chance of winning against such a force was closer to zero than anything in the

world right now. The sheer strength of the enemy's group allowed them to succeed in their attack on

the military camp before anyone in the camp even noticed.

The thought of the final battle's outcome darkened the commander's countenance. But as a Frontline

Commander of the Crimson Dragon Group, such thoughts of defeat could not be allowed. Surrender

was never an option then and even less of an accepted possibility now.

"Well, you have had your chance! Kill them all!" After they heard the order given by the Timber Deity

Empire's commander, the spirit manipulators and soldiers behind him rushed forward without

hesitation.

The side of the northern sky military camp never flinched a bit in the face of such overwhelming odds.

Bellows and screeches filled the air as a massacre ensued on the field of battle.

The military squad of the Timber Deity Empire was so powerful that the defenders of the northern sky

military camp were pushed into a disadvantageous position almost immediately. What made it worse

was that the commander of the military camp got critically injured while fighting against the Heavenly

Stage spirit manipulators of the invaders.

"Commander, we'd best retreat first. When the reinforcements arrive, we can seize back the northern

sky military camp," the deputy commander said as he approached the injured commander.

"No! Never retreat! If I left like this, I would become the biggest joke in the whole Crimson Dragon

Group!" the commander said firmly.

"But we have no way to fight back against them! I'm afraid that we would end up killed or captured by

the enemy before our reinforcements arrive," said the deputy commander, trying to change the

commander's mind. Only a fool would continue such a battle when the end result was obvious.

The commander's face turned grim after hearing the deputy commander's argument. He gave it some

thought and then he finally gave the order to retreat. Unfortunately, the enemy had foreseen this

possibility before the commander even agreed with his deputy commander. The squad of the Timber

Deity Empire had encircled their position while fighting and left no chance for them to retreat.

"Commander! Let's break out!" the deputy commander suggested.

"Let's do it!" the commander replied, nodding his head.

But they failed in their attempt to break through the enemy's perimeter. They lost three hundred

soldiers and many spirit manipulators in the attempt and they were in an even greater danger than

before.

The commander of the military camp fell into despair. His men soon felt the same depression as they

found themselves under such dire circumstances. None of them saw even the slightest glimmer of

hope.

The invaders, on the other hand, were all excited for the upcoming victory. They felt it at the tip of their

hairs, and they tasted it in their mouths. They lost some of their members but they still had all three of

their Heavenly Stage spirit manipulators and this was an overwhelming advantage against the

defenders.

All of a sudden at an unexpected moment, a series of loud noises came from the western side of the

camp. It sounded as if thousands of horses hurried to join the battle. Even the earth itself trembled and

a thunderous sound swallowed the battle's noise as if thousands of hooves rapidly drew closer every

second.

"Are those their reinforcements? That fast? How is that even possible?" The spirits of each and every

one of the defenders of the military camp suddenly lit up amid the surprised look. The commander was

confused. Whether it was the northeast or the northwest military camp, neither had the means nor the

speed to get here that fast. The commander dismissed his doubts immediately. What mattered was that

the reinforcements had arrived.

The commander of the Timber Deity Empire felt uneasy. His plan relied on the fact that they had more

than enough time to complete their task before reinforcements of the Crimson Dragon Group arrived. It

was impossible that the other military camps sent reinforcements that quickly. In his mind he thought

that whatever was coming was not their reinforcements. But what was it?

Even though he was certain in his assessment of the situation, he could not afford the consequences if

he was wrong.

"Go forth and check!" the commander of the Timber Deity Empire ordered a spirit manipulator.

A short while later, the spirit manipulator came back running with a flustered look and then stammered,

"Commander, there are so many, many..."