Lord: I have built a witch's sanctuary.

Chapter 128 Preparing for Battle

Chapter 127 Preparing for Battle

Rewind a few minutes, and the monster army stopped far from Frostwolf City.

The Abyss Spider lay on a low hill covered in snow, its dozens of eyes squinting as it gazed at the city standing in the snow-covered plains to the south.

"No rush," it said in a low voice to the restless lava hellhound beside it.

The hellhound impatiently pawed at the snow, and white smoke immediately hissed from where its paw pads touched the ground.

"Another wait? We've been gone for three days already. I just want to rush up there and tear down that crumbling city wall."

"Shut up," the Abyss Spider said coldly. "Do you remember what I said before? How did Fimbull's Three Winters die?"

The hellhound opened its mouth, then closed it again.

"One by one, they're sent to their deaths," it repeated sullenly.

"That's right." The Abyssal Spider's mandibles moved, exhaling a wisp of purple mist. "So before we attack, we must first understand the situation of Frostwolf City. Your mobility is the highest among the six of us. Run around the city walls, get a clear look at the city's defenses, and then come back."

The hellhound raised its head, revealing an unwilling expression.

"Am I going alone? What if I get beaten up?"

"Watch from a distance, and don't get close to the Witch Tower's firing range."

The Abyss Spider's tone turned stern. "You only need to do two things—first, figure out the rank of the city wall; second, count the number, rank, and type of the witch towers on the city wall."

Its eight segments tightened slightly, pressing its massive body even lower.

"Remember, you should only observe from a distance. Never attack blindly."

Dozens of eyes of the Abyss Spider were staring at the Hellhound at the same time, the dark purple light appearing cold and dangerous in the wind and snow.

"Fimbourne's three winters, each one was stronger than you, each one thought they could take Frostwolf City by themselves, and what happened?"

They're all dead. If you make the same stupid mistake, I won't save you.

The hellhound felt a little uneasy under the stare and dropped its playful attitude.

"Okay, okay, I got it. I'll observe from a distance, not get close, and come back after I've finished my reconnaissance."

It stood up, shook off the snow, and the lava cracks all over its body gleamed.

"I'll be right back."

After saying that, the hellhound exerted force with its limbs, and its huge body shot out like a burning cannonball, leaving a long black scorch mark on the snowfield.

The Abyss Spider watched the Hellhound's departing figure, then slowly turned around and gave commands to the four fourth-tier monsters behind it.

"All troops stand by. No one is to move without my order."

The four fourth-tier monsters each responded and turned to restrain the miscellaneous troops under their command.

The Abyss Spider lay back down on the hill, its dozens of eyes fixed intently on the south.

It is waiting.

The Lava Hellhound is indeed very fast.

Instead of charging directly towards the front of Frostwolf City, it took a large arc, starting from the east and circling far around the outer perimeter of the city walls.

It always maintains a great distance, far exceeding the effective range of a typical Witch's Tower, making it safe enough.

As the hellhound ran, it carefully observed the defensive layout of Frostwolf City.

The first thing that catches the eye is the outer city wall.

The city wall was very high and thick, covered with a layer of grayish-white stone material that gleamed coldly in the wind and snow.

The hellhound narrowed its eyes, carefully discerning the magical fluctuations emanating from the city wall.

"Tier 3," it muttered to itself. "The outer city wall is a Tier 3 stone wall."

A third-tier city wall is not an insurmountable obstacle for a fourth-tier monster.

If six Tier 4 units attack together, breaking through the wall would be a piece of cake.

Next up is the Witch's Tower.

The hellhound slowed down and began to carefully count the towers on the city wall, which were of varying heights and emitted different colors of light.

The blue one is some kind of mechanical tower.

It's purplish-white and looks like it's related to lightning.

It's silvery-white, but I'm not sure what type it is.

There are also some green ones, like plant-based ones.

The hellhound ran around most of the city wall, memorizing the number and general types of witch towers on each section of the wall.

"That's about it."

It took one last look at the entirety of Frostwolf City from afar, then turned and ran back to the hills where its army was stationed as fast as it could.

The Abyss Spider had been waiting for it.

"How is it?"

The hellhound took a few breaths and reported all the intelligence it had gathered.

"The outer city wall is a third-tier stone wall, not very sturdy. I counted the witch's towers on the wall."

It paused, recalling the scene it had just witnessed.

"There are nearly a hundred towers in total, of various types, including blue, purple, silver, and green. But judging from the magic fluctuations, most of them are third or fourth tier."

"How many are at the fourth tier?" the Abyss Spider pressed.

"Fourth-tier—" Hellhound tilted its head. "There are roughly three types of fourth-tier towers, with about twenty-four of each type."

That means there are roughly three fourth-tier witches.

The Abyss Spider remained silent for a few seconds.

"Three fourth-tier witches—"

Its mouthparts moved slowly, emitting a low, cold laugh.

"really."

The hellhound looked at the Abyss Spider with some confusion.

"What are you laughing at? Three fourth-tier cultivators are quite a lot, aren't they?"

"Quite a few, but not many either."

Dozens of eyes of the Abyss Spider lit up at the same time, their dark purple light shimmering in the wind and snow. "Three fourth-tier witches, plus those third-tier miscellaneous towers, that's all the wealth Frostwolf City has."

It turned its massive body to face the army behind it.

"We have six Tier 4 soldiers. Three to six, we have an absolute advantage in terms of manpower."

The hellhound bared its teeth: "Then what are we waiting for? Let's charge!"

"No."

The Abyss Spider decisively denied it, its tone carrying a confident certainty.

"Not sending you to attack the city alone was the right decision."

The hellhound paused, then asked, "What do you mean?"

"Think about it, why did Fimbull's Three Winters die?" the Abyss Spider retorted.

"Didn't you say we'd feed the enemy kills one by one?"

'

"It's not just a matter of dividing their forces," the Abyss Spider interrupted. "There's another reason: their attack is a frontal, encircling assault."

Its eight segments slowly unfolded, drawing a rough circle on the snow.

"The walls of Frostwolf Castle are circular, and the Witch Towers are evenly distributed along the walls."

"If we launch a strong attack like Fimbull's Three Winters, it means we'll be facing crossfire from all directions of the Witch's Tower on the city walls."

The hellhound's expression changed.

Although it wasn't as clever as the Abyss Spider, it could still understand this principle.

The combined firepower of nearly a hundred Witch Towers would be enough to take a heavy hit from even six fourth-tier monsters attacking together.

"But," the Abyss Spider jabbed heavily at the bottom of the circle, "what if we only attack from one direction?"

The hellhound's pupils contracted sharply.

You mean—

'

"Concentrate all forces and attack only the north side of Frostwolf City."

The Abyss Spider's voice was cold and resolute.

"The city walls are circular, and the Witch's Tower is distributed along the walls. If we only attack the north wall, then the south wall..."

The witch towers on the east and west sides became useless—their range couldn't cover the battlefield to the north.

Its mouthparts moved, exhaling a thick wisp of purple mist.

"In other words, we only need to face about a quarter of the Witch Tower's firepower in Frostwolf City."

The hellhound's breathing became heavy.

One-quarter.

That's a quarter of the nearly one hundred towers, or about twenty.

Six fourth-tier monsters and tens of thousands of miscellaneous soldiers, trying to withstand more than twenty witch towers?

This deal is a good one.

"Moreover," the Abyss Spider added, "the outer wall is only Tier 3. If we six Tier 4s concentrate our forces to bombard the same section of the north wall, it won't be long before we blast a hole in it."

"Once the walls are breached, those witch towers will lose the protection of the walls, and our ragtag troops can pour in directly and tear the entire city apart from the inside."

It turned around, and dozens of eyes simultaneously looked south, towards the city that was faintly visible in the wind and snow.

"Fimball lost three winters due to underestimating the opponent and dividing his forces. But we will not make the same mistakes."

The Abyss Spider's voice was deep and sinister.

"Six Tier 4 units, concentrated forces, attacking only one side. That's our tactic."

The hellhound could no longer contain itself, its tail swishing excitedly, the lava light at the tip of its tail particularly dazzling against the gray sky.

"Then what are we waiting for? Give the order!"

The Abyss Spider did not answer immediately.

It glanced one last time in the direction of Frostwolf City, a glint of light flashing in its dozens of eyes.

"Pass down the order—the entire army will maneuver to the north and prepare to attack the north wall of Frostwolf City."