Chapter 653.5: Behind Enemy Lines
Seeing victory on the horizon, Ashes finally let out a sigh of relief.
He immediately directed the gray dwarf adventurers to adjust their stance. Watching the slave warriors charge in from the distance, he turned regretfully toward Morak.
"Now, it's their time to shine."
Although each gray dwarf adventurer he selected had high-level Professional strength and was equipped with high-grade enchanted weapons and gear—
The short training period and lack of enthusiasm during practice meant they were still green.
This was their first large-scale battle.
To win without a single casualty against over 500 slave warriors—how could he not be thrilled?
In the past, even with a force of over 100 gray dwarves, victory would come at the cost of nearly half the troops.
The difference now was the overwhelming power of Bay Territory's enchanted armor and weapons.
Seeing this, Ashes realized the next stage of battle would be the stage for an even stronger unit.
With the threat behind them resolved, the 2,500-plus slave warriors charging from the outpost had arrived.
Chris took a deep breath and shouted decisively:
"Thunder Warriors, advance!"
In the distant darkness, a surge of blue arcs lit up, and tall figures strode forward.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
As they quickened their pace into a charge, the entire ground trembled.
Looking at the smooth, streamlined sapphire armor and feeling the intense visual impact of their speed, Chris licked his lips, muttering to himself:
"Still need 30,000 more merit points..."
The Thunder Warrior commander, staring at the mob of charging slave warriors, gave a cold command:
"Thunder Surge—release!"
The dazzling Thunder Armor flared with brilliant blue lightning, condensing into spheres of electricity at their chests, which they hurled at the enemy using combat targeting systems.
Balls of lightning shot forward, crashing into the front ranks of the slave army.
Crackle!
Boom!
The lightning spheres exploded, sending tendrils of electricity jumping across the slave warriors' armor.
The frontlines were torn apart by the violent blast.
Warriors caught dead-center were reduced to shattered remains.
Charred corpses littered the ground; those still twitching were finished off by returning bolts of electricity.
The shockwave even slammed into the 200-plus warriors at the rear.
They convulsed violently under the arcs of lightning.
Before they could recover, the charging Thunder Warriors—like blue hammers of wrath—smashed into the opening.
The lead Thunder Warrior charged with shield and blade, smashing into the slaves with unstoppable force.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Standing over three meters tall, the Thunder Warriors sent the sub-two-meter gnoll slaves flying.
Dozens of slave warriors were knocked back like cannonballs, scattering the formations behind them.
Ignoring the blood splatter, the Thunder Warriors drove their shields forward and hacked down at the disordered enemies.
Crack!
Gleaming blades sliced off numb heads one after another.
The slave warriors tried to counterattack, surrounding the Thunder Warriors.
But in the eyes of the Thunder Warriors, they were sluggish—little more than target dummies.
They pressed forward without pause, blocking and slashing in one fluid motion.
Even the armored gnolls couldn't survive a casual swing.
If they tried to parry, the unstoppable Thunder Blades would cleave through both weapon and wielder.
Slaves fell in droves as the Thunder Warriors pushed forward.
The surrounding slaves posed no threat to them.
The slave general watching felt an inexplicable sense of impending doom.
He took a deep breath and ordered the front-line slaves to surround the Thunder Warriors, while directing the rear troops to retreat.
Though granted some independent thought, he still had to obey the mind flayers' commands:
"Destroy the enemy, or preserve strength."
With the former now impossible, the latter became the priority.
Unfortunately, the order came too late.
The Thunder Warrior commander, noticing the enemy's movements, immediately gave the command for a full charge.
Thunder surged from their armor, stunning all nearby enemies.
Facing helpless foes, the Thunder Warriors showed no mercy, decapitating them as they surged forward.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Their heavy steps pounded like waves.
Though the slave general felt no fear, the situation was clearly dire.
He split his forces again, sending 500 more troops to intercept the Thunder Warriors.
But to his shock, as the Thunder Warriors neared those troops, jets of fire burst from their backs.
Jetpacks!
Co-invented and manufactured by Yaya and Oriana.
Designed to help Thunder Warriors traverse terrain, avoid unnecessary fights, and boost speed.
This was a commission Matthew gave them, inspired by player research into special flight gear.
Though long developed, today was its battlefield debut.
The gray dwarf adventurer versions were simplified, sold as adventurer gear for profit.
The slave general watched in disbelief.
The Thunder Warriors traced arcs in the air, lightning flaring as they crashed toward his position.
Boom!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Like cannonballs, the Thunder Warriors slammed down.
The commander swung his blade at the slave general.
Two ogre warriors beside him howled and lunged.
But the spreading lightning struck them squarely.
They froze, watching helplessly as the blade cleaved the slave general in two!
Only then did the lightning around the general fade.
With his death—
The remaining slaves continued following his last command.
Even the ogres who'd meant to attack the Thunder Warrior commander turned to retreat.
This bizarre sight played out before everyone's eyes, sparking collective fury.
Killing mind flayers is everyone's duty!
Seeing the general slain head-on, Chris, stunned by the Thunder Warriors' might, gave a decisive command:
"Attack!"
The Thunder Warriors ignored the retreating slaves and charged straight for the distant outpost.
A terrifying psychic wave suddenly surged toward them.
Mind Blast!
Soul Shock!
Psychic Spike!
But the Thunder Warriors didn't stop.
Only the flickering shields before them showed they'd been hit.
The commander quickly identified the attack's origin and gave new orders:
"Direction 10:00, distance 325 meters—Rocket Jump, engage!"
Scorching pale-blue fire burst from their jetpacks.
Massive thrust lifted the 1.5-ton Thunder Warriors off the ground, launching them diagonally toward the outpost.
The rushing wind struck fear into the watching mind flayer.
He turned to flee, ordering nearby slaves to protect him.
But before he took two steps, a massive bolt of thunder fell from above.
Crack!
The leaping lightning slammed into the magical shield around him.
Under his terrified gaze, the bolt—thick as a wrist—shattered two-thirds of the shield.
Realizing the imminent threat, he yanked the green-black necklace from his neck.
Distorted spatial energy enveloped him.
He looked up at the descending Thunder Warrior, eyes full of hatred and malice.
Hoo!
The commander's blade shattered his remaining shield.
The mind flayer's grin froze as he watched the blade draw near, terror flooding his mind.
"Teleport failed?"
"Impossible!"
Slash!
His twisted, ugly head was severed instantly.
Before it hit the ground, it was stuffed into a jet-black storage box.
Calmly, the Thunder Warrior commander said:
"Beheading mission complete—retreat!"
As the slaves closed in, the Thunder Warriors used their jetpacks again, landing atop the city wall.
Just then, the retreating slaves returned—
Only to be blocked by the Thunder Warriors, unable to re-enter the outpost.
Yet the Thunder Warriors didn't attack. They simply held the gate.
The excited adventurers surrounded them, ruthlessly killing the still-resisting slaves.
They also bound and captured those who had fallen into a stunned state.
In just over ten minutes—
The entire outpost was cleared.
But the adventurers didn't leave. They crouched nearby, waiting for the next wave of reinforcements.
Similar battles played out across the region.
Numerous adventurers and Bay Territory strike teams attacked mind flayer outposts and camps in various ways.
While the main army was away, adventurer squads struck deep behind enemy lines.
This was a mission and strategy set by Sera before her departure.
It had several advantages:
First: Proactively eliminating mind flayer forces and bases boosted Bay Territory's control over the region.
Among the ruins of dozens of gray dwarf cities—
Without enough outposts and camps as footholds, the mind flayers couldn't maintain large armies.
Second: Fighting mind flayer troops honed adventurer combat skills.
Current enemy bases were still arranged like before—
Each with 4,000 to 6,000 slave warriors—formidable forces.
Mind flayers, being cautious, built very sturdy defenses.
When attacked—
They went all-in on defense, never counterattacking.
With slave armies averaging challenge level 8+, they could hold off triple their number in elite troops.
And with no morale factor, they always fought to the bitter end.
No one wanted to trade lives with such fearless enemies.
Neither gray dwarf nor drow armies had the stomach to assault these mind flayer bases.
This was why the mind flayers acted so brazenly.
But their constant dispersal of forces had serious downsides.
In each mid-sized base or outpost—
Apart from 1–2 slave generals, control of thousands of warriors was centralized in one mind flayer.
So if that core was eliminated—
All slave troops would be left leaderless and lose threat value.
Hence, adventurers needed to use their heads and detailed plans.
Completing such missions massively boosted their experience and strength.
Of course, generous rewards and loot followed.
Third: Cut off mind flayer supply lines.
Even with Bay Territory's wealth—
Supplying a force over 10,000 strong still relied on golem trains.
Not because teleportation was unaffordable—but golem trains were more cost-effective!
The mind flayer vanguard included nearly half newly captured slaves—
But the remaining force still numbered in the millions.
As their units grew, food and supplies were consumed rapidly.
Though they looted plenty from drow cities—
If their snowballing front stalled, the sheer consumption of a million-strong army would become unbearable.
Unless they gave up, rear supply lines were essential.
Even war-machine-like slave warriors were still flesh and blood.
They needed constant resupply for high-intensity combat.
Without nearby outposts or camps, supply lines would be stretched 3–4 times longer.
Escort troops couldn't be spared.
The massive logistical burden would crush the lagging productivity of the mind flayer empire.
More behind-enemy-lines warfare!
That's Bay Territory's strategic directive!