Chapter 498: Chapter 18: The Battle of Yadesi River (2)
The vampires aboard the airship stared blankly, their faces frozen in shock, fear, bewilderment, and disbelief. A complex tangle of emotions overwhelmed them, rendering even the high and mighty Blood Clan Lords incapable of expressing their feelings with words.
This is Giant Snake City.
For the majority of the Blood Clan present, this was the first time they truly saw the true face of the giant that had infiltrated the Kolin Peninsula. It was not only a titan of commerce but an unparalleled force in warfare, employing strategies that far exceeded their imagination.
In just five minutes—only five minutes—the battle on Jones’s side had come to an end. What seemed like the Spliced Monster Army being surrounded by the zombie army turned into a situation where the former easily broke out of the encirclement. Countless goblins swarmed forward, beginning the "corpse cleanup," dragging away every Nikolaus family member trampled beneath the Spliced Monsters, whether dead or alive.
The Nikolaus family, reputed to be the largest of the Blood Clan, lasted less than five minutes—an outright one-sided massacre. In terms of combat ability and awareness, the two sides were not even on the same level.
Only a handful of Nikolaus family members, including Prince Harries and a few other princes, had managed to flee the battlefield. Even so, they were clearly still shaken, teetering on the brink of madness.
On the other side, William’s Giant Snake Silver Moon Knight Order moved as if no one could stop them, charging straight into the zombie horde with unchecked ferocity, leaving behind a field of corpses before retreating. Throughout the entire process, the Ganggro family, who had been dispatched to intercept them, acted like spectators watching a play. They dared neither approach nor intervene, allowing William to do as he pleased.
Tiris’s expression was frozen in disbelief, rigid beyond repair. In her life, she had never been so terrifyingly startled.
The psychological states of war participants can be divided into three levels. The first level is knowing you’re about to go to battle, possessing the courage to face the battlefield. You understand that you might die but remain calm until that moment comes. The second level is not just stepping onto the battlefield but being prepared to kill your opponent without hesitation if given the chance. You also accept that your opponent will do the same, having already overcome fear of death. The third level transcends fear of death entirely; you can dance with death itself, maneuvering with deadly precision.
Jones’s Undead Army has long been at the third level. For that matter, given their nature and existence as undead, they were born into the third level. Their opponents, the Blood Clan Lords, however, are unmistakably still stuck at the first level.
This was a war of complete imbalance, at least psychologically.
Under such circumstances, had the Blood Clan truly lost to Jones? Or, perhaps, they had truly lost to themselves?
Regardless of the answer, losing in such fashion was utterly disgraceful. Based on the comparative strength of the two sides, the outcome should not have been this lopsided. Yet here it was.
The key is that this was just the beginning, and the Nikolaus family—the leading family of the three great Blood Clan families—was already crippled...
The Lords’ feelings are easily imagined.
Elder Adrian, seated in the airship’s cabin, sighed dolefully, unable to bear the sight any longer. "What happens next? Who do we send?"
As he spoke, his gaze fell a short distance away—to the princes of the Sambo family, including Prince Louis.
With just a glance, Prince Louis broke out in a cold sweat. After all, the earlier scene had been terrifying beyond comparison. His eyes pleaded silently as he looked toward Elder Adrian.
"Go on, it’s the Sambo family’s turn. As Giant Snake City’s closest friends, it’s your duty to prove your loyalty to the Blood Clan."
In an instant, the gathered princes turned deathly pale.
...
From afar, standing atop an Undead Giant Elephant stationed in the rear, Adelle could already see the members of the Sambo family steadily flying out of the airship cabin, prompting him to pause in surprise.
"Father..."
Adelle quickly turned his gaze toward the direction where Jones stood.
At that moment, Jones was also gazing distantly at him. Their eyes locked briefly.
A moment later, Jones slowly turned his head away, turning to look at Prince Louis. He now had his back to Adelle.
"Do you think Jones will show mercy?" Belle asked Adelle.
"I don’t know," Adelle said softly, blinking helplessly. "I have no reason to ask him to show mercy. After all... I know my father wouldn’t show mercy either."
...
The raging wind swept through, carrying thick smoke and sparks scattered across the battlefield like ocean waves, drifting toward the Giant Snake City Army’s side.
Jones stood atop the spine of Hydra Snake Ophelia, slowly pulling off his helmet and tossing it aside. His short silver hair danced in the wind.
Sparks flickered around him.
Raising the sword in his hand, he shouted, "All forces, prepare! Shields up—!"
A massive swarm of Skeleton Soldiers surged forward, shields flipping and being raised high. The display resembled the unruly scales of an enraged giant beast, aligning perfectly in sync.
"Draw the strings—!"
Through gaps in the shields, countless skeletal archers pulled their bows taut, aiming for the airborne members of the Sambo family ahead.
Prince Louis’s eyes twitched uncontrollably. Charging forward in this scenario was no better than jumping into a bramble bush.