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Chapter 446: Copper Walls and Iron Bastions
Retreat!
The ogre soldiers, sensing danger, looked at the corpses of their fallen companions and the advancing modified warriors, hesitated, and began to retreat.
Risking their lives for a bit of food was not worth it!
Seeing the slightly more cunning ogres, Jifan swung his spear, impaling a leaping drow elf in midair, then swept horizontally with his spear.
Only then did Jifan fully understand the battlefield truth: "Longer weapons are stronger."
These drow elves were not weak, but their reach was too short.
In such narrow terrain, no matter how agile they were, they could not get close enough to attack.
Deepening his understanding of battlefield strategy, Jifan patiently worked with his teammates to clear out the drow elves who had rushed in.
However, he allowed the frightened ogres to flee the cave entrance.
There had to be "mutual understanding" in battle.
This was something he had learned from the lord!
The howling wind was merely a prelude; a spinning Fireball Spell flying out was Matthew's greeting to the drow elves.
The drow elves, sensing danger, immediately scattered in panic.
At the same time, they shouted, "A spellcaster!"
The drow elf commander instinctively raised her eyebrows, lifted her staff, and waved her hand.
A mysterious wave of magical energy collided with the Fireball Spell.
Spell Counter!
Unexpectedly for the drow elf commander, the seemingly ordinary Level 3 Fireball Spell wasn't completely nullified.
After a violent wave, it suddenly exploded.
Although it didn't cause much damage, the burst of firelight still scorched the eyes of many nearby drow elves.
They screamed as they retreated, making their already scattered formation even more chaotic.
Witnessing this, Jifan immediately felt relieved, his eyes flashing with anticipation.
If only he had a cavalry unit now to charge into that chaotic breach…
Boom!
Another spinning Fireball Spell exploded with a bang.
The scorching fireball landed directly in the midst of the following drow elf soldiers.
More than ten drow elves were burned to cinders.
Over twenty were thrown into the air by the fierce impact.
Such terrifying destructive power made Jifan's heart pound, instantly snuffing out some inappropriate ideas. He recalled the lord's words:
"Unless absolutely necessary, avoid direct combat with teams that have spellcaster advantages."
Area-of-effect spells were too devastating for clustered soldiers and warriors.
Bay Territory's ability to consistently defeat numerically superior enemies by relying on the advantages of soldier formations…
Was because their opponents lacked sufficiently powerful spellcasters, while they held the upper hand in this aspect.
"Impossible!"
The drow commander cast another Spell Counter.
Previously thinking she was careless, this time she channeled more magical energy.
And yet?
The Fireball Spell ignored the counter effect entirely, landing precisely in the middle of the drow elf soldiers.
The resulting shockwave was like a slap, viciously striking her face.
Moreover, more Fireball Spells were rapidly flying in behind the first!
The drow commander couldn't even discern from what distance Matthew was casting these Fireball Spells!
This realization filled her with a chilling dread!
Suddenly, a thought struck her. Watching the continuous barrage of Fireball Spells, she immediately grasped a crucial point.
The opponent was only casting Fireball Spells?
Their power must be limited!
Otherwise, they would have used a greater variety of spells before striking.
This meant the opponent likely had limited spell slots and mana reserves!
If the battle dragged on, the opponent would surely burn out!
With extensive combat experience, the drow commander made a relatively "reliable" judgment.
She fixed her gaze on the incoming Fireball Spells and shouted in a grim tone:
"You'll make an excellent slave!"
Level 5 ranged spellcasting combined with Level 5 spell enhancement.
Even the high-level peak spellcasting drow commander was helpless.
She could only resort to attritional tactics!
The drow elf commander took a deep breath, surging magical energy erupting from her.
It transformed into a brilliant azure radiance that enveloped every drow elf soldier at the forefront.
Level 6 Spell—Magic Resistance!
While it couldn't completely defend against spell damage and destruction, it significantly reduced the residual impact.
With this familiar spell activated, the battle-hardened drow elves advanced quickly at their commander's urging.
This time, no one would retreat.
Because the drow elf army's frontline slaves were already swarming toward the narrow cave entrance.
The slaves included, but were not limited to, gnolls, lizardfolk, kobolds, minotaurs, and even humans.
Amid the barrage of Fireball Spells, the scattered drow elf soldiers followed closely behind.
At their rear, the drow commander and her enforcement team had drawn their weapons.
Any retreating soldiers would be the first to bleed.
Jifan didn't continue advancing but instead led his team to take a few steps back, leaving half the space for the oncoming slaves.
This had several advantages.
They wouldn't face long-range attacks from drow archers and could focus on defending against melee and nearby enemies.
Additionally, they could use the corpses of fallen enemies to gradually block the narrow passage.
Bang!
Crack!
Clang!
"Kill…"
"Charge in…!"
"They're too strong!"
"Run!"
"…"
The slave warriors charging in were not lacking in mid-level or even high-level elites and specialists.
If they had better equipment and a more spacious battlefield, the outcome might still be uncertain.
But here, they were forced by the drow elves to charge straight into the copper walls and iron bastions of the modified warriors.
Facing the ceaseless thrusts of long spears, most of them were helpless and could only take blows passively.
Occasionally, some desperate individuals managed to get close, but their sporadic attacks couldn't breach the mithril shields.
Then, Jifan would clean them up with his short sword to prevent them from causing trouble.
The sounds of combat echoed continuously through the passage.
Wave after wave of attacks only left behind a growing pile of corpses.
Any discerning person could see that if the situation continued, the drow elves might not be able to break through.
Realizing this, the drow elf commander tightened her grip on her staff, then slightly relaxed it, speaking to a pitch-black box beside her:
"Release them!"