Chapter 90 - 89: Fierce Bat

Chapter 90: Chapter 89: Fierce Bat

Seeing that everyone had taken their positions, Rillo clapped his hands. Once he had the attention of Squad Seven, he added a few more instructions.

"A few more things before we start.

"The Earth Vein Creatures we will be facing shortly are Fierce Bats. They are primarily 0th Ring, though some of the stronger ones can reach the 1st Ring level.

"Our only objective is to ensure that no 0th Ring Fierce Bats breach our section of the wall and enter the city. If we do that, the mission is a success.

"If any 1st Ring Fierce Bats appear, don’t panic. The High-Ring Mages will deal with them.

"The strength of this Earth Vein Creature invasion isn’t considered high for Bremen. The main issue is the sheer volume of these Fierce Bats. Most of the city’s Mages have been dispatched to protect the surrounding villages and towns, leaving us a bit short-handed. That’s why we needed to call you all in to help with the defense.

"Do your best to ensure there are no casualties!"

Fierce Bats, capping out at the 1st Ring, indeed posed little threat to the city of Bremen. To ordinary people, however, Earth Vein Creatures were still incredibly formidable. This was especially true for the rural towns around Bremen, which completely lacked any effective defensive measures to stop the Fierce Bats.

Residents of nearby villages could be safely relocated into Bremen. But for those farther away, the city officials had no choice but to dispatch High-Ring Mages for their protection. As a major city, Bremen had an exceptionally large number of affiliated villages and towns. Consequently, a vast majority of the city’s official Mages had been sent out, which led to the conscription of unofficial Mages to aid in the city’s defense.

"Additionally, although they are called Fierce Bats, they are completely different from the ordinary bats we are used to," Rillo continued.

"These are massive Earth Vein Creatures. Their bodies are as large as horses, and their wingspan stretches over ten feet. They are covered in a layer of fine fur, and their standard method of attack involves diving from the sky to batter with their wings and tear with their teeth.

"They do not possess any Extraordinary Power, so as long as you are careful, you should be fine.

"However, be warned—Fierce Bats carry fatal diseases. Whatever you do, do not let them scratch you, or it will absolutely become your worst nightmare!

"Furthermore, you are all Mage Apprentices. Your Mana is limited, and the Magic you have mastered is even more so. Therefore, cast your Magic conservatively. The City Guards will form the core of our defense.

"Our main task is to plug the gaps. We are here to execute targeted kills on any Fierce Bats that luckily break through the City Guards’ defensive lines and approach the wall.

"Do not waste your Mana. Ensure that every spell is used where it counts!

"Do you all understand?" Rillo asked loudly.

"Understood!" the crowd answered, nodding in unison.

Ultimately, this was just an invasion by Low-Tier Earth Vein Creatures that posed no significant threat. In such low-level siege defenses, ordinary City Guards were the main force, with Mages playing a supportive role. This approach was both cost-effective and practical—a trained archer could fire dozens of arrows in one breath, whereas how much Magic could a Mage Apprentice actually cast?

Similarly, 0th Ring Earth Vein Creatures were not yet immune to damage from conventional cold weapons. Therefore, aside from the sheer, headache-inducing numbers of the Fierce Bats, there was nothing else truly noteworthy about this attack.

"They’re here!" Rillo shouted a warning after the crowd on the wall had waited in focused anticipation for another ten minutes.

They didn’t need his warning; everyone had already seen it. At the edge of their vision, where the forest met the sky, it looked as though drops of ink had been splattered across the horizon. The ink quickly bled and spread, forming clusters of black mist.

Thousands upon thousands of these dark clouds surged from the depths of the forest, accompanied by piercing screeches. They blotted out the sun like a massive storm cloud, hurtling toward Bremen, the city situated by the edge of Deep Flow Lake. Those were massive bats, their numbers so vast they were impossible to count.

With the appearance of the Fierce Bats, everyone instantly snapped into a combat-ready state. As the swarm drew closer, their shrill shrieks echoed through the air, sending chills down everyone’s spines. The archers had already lined up neatly behind the defensive fortifications, nocking their arrows and drawing their bows.

When the swarm finally closed in on the wall and entered range, the archers immediately launched their attack. Arrows poured out like a torrential rain.

SWISH SWISH SWISH!

The sounds of arrows leaving their bowstrings and tearing through the air echoed endlessly.

Facing the storm of arrows, the Fierce Bats—each the size of a horse—showed not a shred of fear. They flapped their fur-covered wings, using them like twin shields to sweep the projectiles aside. However, it was impossible for the Fierce Bats to block such a dense volley completely.

Inevitably, arrows would accurately pierce through their bodies. Yet, even this failed to significantly hinder the bats’ movements.

"These beasts barely have any meat on their bones. A single arrow does minimal damage to them; we can only rely on the accumulation of wounds or a lucky strike to a vital spot," Rillo noted, unsurprised by the sight.

Wave after wave of arrows rained down relentlessly. Accompanied by mournful screeches, some Fierce Bats finally succumbed to the onslaught, plummeting from the sky to the base of the city wall.

As if triggered by a signal, the fall of the first Fierce Bat was quickly followed by another, and then another, raining down in droves. But the deaths of their kin did not strike fear into these Earth Vein Creatures; instead, it seemed to ignite their feral instincts. They launched themselves at the wall with even more suicidal frenzy.

Under such a mad rush, despite the raining arrows, a few managed to slip through the net. Shielded by their comrades, they miraculously broke past the volley and closed in on the wall.

Now, it was time for the Mages to act.

"Attack!" Rillo roared.

The prepared Mage Apprentices of Squad Seven immediately unleashed their abilities, each locking onto a target and casting their signature Magic. Accompanied by ripples of Magic Power, various spell effects—acid jets, transparent blades, and bursts of fire—manifested and blasted toward the Fierce Bats.

The number of Fierce Bats that had slipped through was small. Moreover, because they were already carrying injuries from breaking through the arrow barrage—most with several or even dozens of arrows sticking out of them—their combat effectiveness was severely compromised. Usually, a single spell was enough to utterly obliterate them.

This was where Mage Apprentices outshined a full formation of City Guards. Ten City Guards couldn’t kill a single Fierce Bat in the span of one or two seconds, but a Mage Apprentice could.

Hidden among the crowd, Gaode immediately activated his Magic Model. As Mana surged within him, a dazzling red light erupted from his hand.

[Flaming Arrow+]!

Guided by his will, the fluctuation of Magic Power transformed into a scorching jet of flame, coalescing into a lethal flaming arrow that shot straight toward a Fierce Bat pierced by over a dozen physical arrows. The Flaming Arrow carved a perfect arc through the air and struck the bat with absolute precision.

BOOM!

An explosive blast of fire instantly swallowed it whole. The already wounded Fierce Bat let out a shrill cry before tumbling from the sky, turning into a lifeless corpse.

It was just that simple!

In their suicidal siege, the Fierce Bats made virtually no effort to dodge; they simply relied on their sheer numbers to brute-force their way forward.

Gold Coins +1.

Fierce Bat Origin +1/7!

In Gaode’s eyes, those weren’t bats falling from the sky—they were quite literally money and experience!

However, this wave of Fierce Bats approaching Squad Seven’s defensive sector only numbered around seven or eight. Some members of the squad hadn’t even reacted, let alone launched an attack, before the wave was completely wiped out. The fact that Gaode managed to snatch a kill meant his reflexes were quite sharp.

"I can only wait for the next wave," Gaode thought to himself, suddenly out of targets again. He sharpened his focus, preparing to "steal" the next kill.

His current Mana was enough to cast seven Tricks in a single breath. If he could guarantee a kill on a Fierce Bat with every cast, he would gather exactly enough of the Fierce Bat Origin to meet his goal.

However, there was no margin for error.

Therefore, Gaode had to concentrate fully. He needed to single out the most heavily wounded Fierce Bats nearing the wall to ensure a 100% kill rate.

There was still competition, after all.

Even though the others couldn’t reap Origin from slaying the Fierce Bats like he did, the extra reward of 1 Gold Coin per kill was highly tangible. They were undoubtedly eager to use their limited Magic Amount to score as many kills as possible.

It all came down to quick eyes and fast hands.

Fortunately, as a Shaping Series Trick, [Flaming Arrow] didn’t just boast exceptional destructive power—its Casting Distance was also among the best for Tricks. A Casting Distance of 120 feet was more than enough to make it stand head and shoulders above the rest.