Chapter 797: Chapter 411: Heavenly Blade! Heavenly Blade!

Even so, Saruman Lane had never realized something so clearly.

That was, the seemingly insurmountable walls of the Kalina defense line also had their limits.

If the Empire didn’t reinforce in time, they wouldn’t be able to hold this place much longer.

At that moment, he didn’t know how to describe the thought of abandonment in his heart.

Panic?

Not quite, as he didn’t even have time to be flustered then.

Fear?

Also not quite, since as an experienced soldier, his mental state was usually stable.

If anything, it was a feeling of helplessness.

He truly hadn’t expected the pressure from the Demon King Army, which had been talked about by the Empire’s folk for so many years, to be so overwhelming.

Once, twice, three times...

In the overwhelming assault of the Demon King Army, Saruman felt his movements becoming stiff, and his weapon-wielding hand as exhausted as if it belonged to someone else.

This made him realize that without external intervention, they truly wouldn’t be able to hold out.

Fortunately, the reinforcements arrived just in time.

Following behind the Empire’s army were coordinated priests and holy knights from various churches.

They were undoubtedly the elite among elites.

Upon arrival, they immediately poured their firepower onto the enemy.

But there was a problem.

Their combat felt like a loose heap of sand.

In some ways, even though they had strict combat discipline, their combat mentality couldn’t match that of the demon-formed Demon King Army.

Clearly, this was a "disjointed" legion.

They might have elite combat capabilities at a squad-level, but on a broader battlefield, they were at a noticeable disadvantage compared to a true legion.

After realizing this, Saruman Lane couldn’t help but sigh.

Even if they managed to compensate for the lack of legion cooperation with their strong individual capabilities, greatly reducing the pressure on the Kalina defense line, he couldn’t help but harbor one thought.

That was — this reinforcement couldn’t handle the extreme pressures of legion warfare.

It wasn’t about the strength of their resolve.

For those who had advanced to the exemplary level, almost everyone present had something to show for.

But the problem was, they lacked a core to unite everyone.

Dissipated power struggles to break through a tough stone.

Clearly, there was a mastermind behind the Demon King Army.

Even with reinforcements arriving, they unhesitatingly launched a new wave of attacks.

And this time, they committed even more forces than before.

Even the basic level of the demons had been raised to LV9.

This was the demon army, aimed not at destroying the Kalina defense line, but... at crushing this group that had gathered together.

Realizing this, Saruman Lane immediately relayed the information to the Commander.

However, the Commander stayed silent for a long time and eventually said softly, "The reinforcements were already aware."

"Then why..."

"Because the reinforcements had no choice."

"No choice?"

"This reinforcement group was specifically selected to fight the Demon King head-on, whether they liked it or not. In the coming time, they will be sent everywhere to continuously fight against the Demon King Army."

"So, they need time to hone their coordination with their ’teammates’?"

"Yes, even if it means many will die, the current situation doesn’t allow them the luxury of delay."

"But this... could mean losing half, or even most of them!"

The Commander looked at Saruman Lane with a peculiar expression and said, "What war doesn’t involve casualties?"

"But these are elites."

"In the face of the Demon King Army, most elite soldiers are just sacrifices to wear down the enemy, Saruman. That’s the Demon King Army; that’s the Helmer known as a natural disaster."

At that moment, Saruman lowered his head.

This was too cruel.

Using the blood of at least half their numbers to ignite the combat spirit of the reinforcements, treating the elite of the elite, whom each army would be pained to lose, as mere chaff to be harvested at will...

This greatly challenged Saruman Lane’s perception.

Perhaps realizing his descriptions were too harsh, the Commander smiled and said,

"And who says half of them must die?"

"Is there a backup plan?"

"Who said the reinforcements only consist of one batch?"

"But, Commander, if the subsequent reinforcements are like this batch, wouldn’t the Demon King Army just expend a proportional amount of force to deplete our elite? What’s the difference?"

"Of course, there’s a difference," the Commander laughed, "assuming the next batch of reinforcements is also scattered like this one."

...

Recalling the information the Commander had given him earlier, Saruman Lai Ken, snapping back to reality, looked at the battlefield covered in corpses with unshed tears.

The Commander said, the next good batch of people should be arriving soon.

But with the scene this dire already, exactly when will they arrive?

The front lines are on the verge of collapsing!

Just as he was pondering this, a rumble of thunder suddenly rolled across the sky.

The previously bright and sunny sky was unexpectedly blanketed with dark clouds.

Soon, a drizzle started, and in just a few breaths, it turned from a light rain to a moderate rain, then to a heavy rain, and finally to a torrential downpour.

The terrifying downpour impaired the vision of both sides in the conflict.

Unconsciously, Saruman Lane felt his heart race suddenly.

He sensed the scent of danger.

It was a survival instinct honed from standing guard at the spatial gate, which had kept him safe until retirement.