Chapter 610: 610: Change In Situation
Although the military strength of the Arcadia Empire had greatly weakened after suffering through multiple wars continuously, the Imperial Family still possessed a terrifying foundation built across several centuries, and hidden beneath the surface were many powerful forces and secret cards that outsiders could not fully estimate properly.
The sudden appearance of the mysterious Knight Order on the border battlefield not long ago was already enough proof of this.
That terrifying force had nearly overturned the entire battlefield by itself while Saints and Divine Knights slaughtered through the coalition army mercilessly, and even now many commanders from the Four Great Empires still felt uneasy whenever they remembered that sudden reversal.
Because of this, everyone clearly understood one thing.
The Arcadia Empire might be weakened.But it was definitely not some simple piece of meat that could be casually swallowed without consequences.
If they truly wanted to destroy Arcadia completely...
Then it would undoubtedly become an extremely deadly war.
However...
Just when everyone believed Arcadia would continue pressing forward aggressively with the support of that terrifying Knight Legion...
Something completely unexpected suddenly happened.The Arcadian Army retreated.
Not a tactical withdrawal.
But a genuine large-scale retreat across multiple battlefronts at once.
The news spread rapidly throughout the battlefield and instantly shocked both the enemy forces and even the people inside Arcadia itself.
"What the hell is happening?"
"Why are they retreating now?"
"Did something happen inside Arcadia?"
Countless rumors instantly began spreading everywhere while confusion overtook both sides.
Even the coalition forces of the Four Great Empires were stunned by the sudden situation because after suffering such heavy losses earlier, they had already prepared themselves for another brutal clash against Arcadia’s hidden forces.
But instead...
The Arcadian Army suddenly abandoned several strategic regions and withdrew deeper into their territory.
The coalition commanders immediately became cautious.Some suspected a trap.
Others believed Arcadia had finally exhausted its strength.
After several days of careful observation and discussion, the Four Great Empires finally decided to continue advancing while capturing the abandoned territories.
Soon afterward, the coalition army successfully occupied four large provinces belonging to Arcadia while establishing heavy defensive lines and temporary fortresses around the newly conquered regions.
The commanders believed Arcadia had likely lost confidence after exhausting too much strength during the previous counterattack.
For several days...
The situation remained strangely quiet.
Too quiet.
And then...
Disaster suddenly struck.
Inside one of the newly occupied fortress regions, several soldiers stood guard atop the massive defensive walls while the cold night wind blew heavily across the endless plains outside, and although the fortress looked calm on the surface, an uneasy atmosphere quietly lingered in the air while many soldiers subconsciously tightened their grip over their weapons as if their instincts were warning them that something terrible was approaching.
One soldier narrowed his eyes slightly while staring toward the distant darkness beyond the plains, and after remaining silent for a few moments, he slowly spoke in a low voice.
"Do you hear that?"
Another soldier standing nearby frowned in confusion while adjusting the spear resting against his shoulder.
"Hear what?" he asked while glancing around carefully.
A strange rumbling noise slowly echoed across the distance while the ground beneath the fortress walls began trembling faintly, and the sound gradually grew louder and heavier until even the armored soldiers atop the walls could clearly feel the vibration spreading through the stone beneath their feet.
BOOM... BOOM... BOOM...
The expressions of the guards slowly stiffened while everyone turned their attention toward the dark plains ahead, and soon their faces completely changed after witnessing the horrifying sight unfolding before their eyes.
Far away beneath the dark night sky, countless glowing lights suddenly appeared one after another across the plains like stars descending upon the earth itself, and gigantic magical circles slowly opened throughout the land while enormous waves of mana spread wildly through the surroundings.
From those glowing gates...
Monsters began pouring out endlessly.
"What the fuck...?" one soldier muttered while his face instantly turned pale.
The next moment, a deafening roar exploded across the night sky while gigantic monsters erupted outward from the dungeon gates like an endless flood, and the terrifying pressure radiating from the creatures caused many soldiers atop the walls to instinctively take several steps backward.
"MONSTERS!"
"Sound the alarm!"
"Dungeon breakout!"
The entire fortress immediately descended into complete chaos while loud warning bells rang frantically across the walls, and soldiers hurried toward defensive positions while commanders shouted orders continuously in an attempt to stabilize the suddenly collapsing situation.
However, the horrifying truth quickly became clear.
This was not a normal dungeon outbreak.
Hundreds of dungeon gates had opened simultaneously across all the occupied territories controlled by the allied forces, and from every single gate massive hordes of monsters continuously emerged without pause.
Gigantic ogres charged directly toward the fortress walls while swinging enormous clubs violently, and every strike shook the massive walls heavily while cracks rapidly spread through the defensive structures.
"Archers! Fire immediately!"
SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!
Thousands of arrows rained down from above while magical spells exploded continuously across the battlefield below, and although many monsters collapsed screaming onto the ground, even more creatures climbed over their corpses while charging forward madly without fear.
At the same time, another terrifying disaster descended from above as giant winged beasts covered the skies while releasing horrifying screeches that echoed across the entire region, and soldiers stationed atop the walls were instantly grabbed by enormous claws before being dragged screaming into the darkness overhead.
One unfortunate soldier desperately struggled while hanging from the claws of a flying beast before his body was violently torn apart midair, and blood immediately splattered across the defensive walls below while panicked screams spread among the surrounding troops.
Meanwhile, armored lizard creatures smashed through the outer military camps while trampling soldiers beneath their massive bodies mercilessly, and entire rows of tents collapsed instantly while supply wagons exploded apart beneath the violent charge of the monsters.
Everywhere across the occupied territory, similar scenes of destruction and chaos continued unfolding endlessly while fires spread throughout the night and terrified screams echoed across the battlefield from every direction.
The most horrifying part was that this monster tide was not merely composed of low-level creatures.
Among the endless horde were terrifying high-level monsters that had already reached A-rank, and several massive S-rank monsters personally led the tide while radiating overwhelming pressure that crushed the morale of ordinary soldiers completely.
One gigantic black-scaled beast smashed directly through a fortress gate while dozens of soldiers instantly exploded into blood mist beneath its claws, and the enormous gate collapsed violently while terrified troops immediately began retreating toward the inner defensive lines.
"Retreat!"
