C16 The Night Watchmen's Army

The towering tree took root upon touching the ground.

Its dense roots burrowed into the Wall, voraciously drawing in the power of ice until the green leaves were swiftly transformed into crystalline shards.

"Defend!"

With a thunderous cry, the elder struck with force.

The tree trembled, and a shower of ice crystal leaves took flight.

The sky was filled with leaves colliding with arrows, blossoming into spectacular ice flowers.

The city's defenders watched in awe.

Elder Chen, seemingly frail and near his end, had summoned a formidable surge of energy.

It was nothing short of miraculous.

Elder Chen stepped forward, planting himself atop the icy arboreal structure.

His eyes clouded over to a misty gray.

Below him, the scene sharpened into focus.

Ghouls hurled themselves at the city gates with reckless abandon.

In the distance, Darkling Spectres sat astride their towering steeds, arrayed for battle.

This was trouble.

The old man's brow furrowed deeply.

"Battle Legion, assemble and join me in the fray. Royal Army, stand ready to defend," he commanded.

"Elder Chen, you seem to lack the authority to lead the troops, don't you?" challenged a deputy general.

"Scram."

With that, Elder Chen's foot lashed out.

Thud.

The deputy general was sent sprawling, blood spewing from his mouth, collapsing against the wall, his face ashen, sweat beading his brow.

Another elder approached, hoisting the fallen man with ease.

He tossed him aside, berating, "Fool, Elder Chen was slaying Darkling Spectres when your great-grandfather was a twinkle in his ancestor's eye!"

In that moment, many recalled the truth.

The kind and humble Elder Chen bore another mantle.

He was a battle-hardened veteran, the deputy commander of the Nightwatchers Legion.

In the absence of the Icebound Divine King, he was the supreme commander.

"Cavalry, rally the Nightwatchers from Graycastle and Black Castle for support. Imperial Army, maintain your vigilance. Fallen soldiers are to be cremated," he ordered.

With each command issued, the Wall of Despair sprang to life.

The Nightwatchers, clad in their black battle garb, commenced their defense.

Leading a cadre of warriors, the elder approached the city gates.

"Open the gates," he demanded.

"Elder Chen, the consequences of opening the gates could be dire," protested the gatekeeper.

"Open the gates," the elder repeated, his gaze piercing through the hesitation.

A crushing weight of pressure descended, silencing the soldiers; they dared not utter another word. Together, they activated the city gate's formation, and the gate, long untouched, creaked open. The younger guards were left agape in shock. Each portal of the Wall of Despair was critical, forged from celestial meteorites and intricate formations, essential for warding off the Darkling Spectres. Many had argued that the northern side should never have had a gate. Now, they couldn't fathom why, with the ghoul army at their doorstep, the elder was commanding them to open the gates. Was this not sending the guards to their doom? Had he lost his wits? Wasn't defending from the city's heights a better strategy? Or worse, had he conspired with the Darkling Spectres, turning traitor?

Amidst their wild speculations, from every corner of Long Night Castle, old men began to emerge. They were a sight—some without arms, others missing legs, one-eyed, earless—yet when they appeared, a potent aura of death enveloped the night sky. One of the elders, brimming with emotion, called out, "Brother Wei, have they come? Have those beasts returned?"

Elder Chen, with tears brimming in his eyes, greeted them, "My old brothers, what brings you all here?"

A one-armed elder approached, grasping Elder Chen's hand. "We've waited years for this moment. Isn't this the opportunity we've longed for? Today, let us fight with fervor and avenge our fallen brethren."

"But you've yet to recover after all these years. The toll of battle will be too great, and you'll quickly decline. Perhaps you should stay behind..."

The one-armed elder cut him off, casting a glance at the brothers behind him. "Brother Wei, what worth is there in merely surviving? Our fate as Night Watchmen is to slay Darkling Spectres and to die on the battlefield."

The other elders joined in, their voices rising as one. "Kill! To the death, we fight!" "Kill! The Night Watchmen will forever guard the Great Wall!"

With a thunderous roar, every soldier stood dumbstruck, never imagining these battered old men to be the legendary Night Watchmen.

Every Night Watchman who arrived at the Wall knew of their storied past. During the Night Watchmen's golden era, the Wall wasn't perpetually sealed as it is now. They didn't cower behind it, afraid to venture forth. Back then, the Night Watchmen's forces had battled their way to the shores of the Eternal Night Sea. The northern lands were nearly free of Darkling Spectre sightings, transforming into the Night Watchmen's hunting grounds. Yet, no one knew why they had vanished so abruptly.

With the emergence of these battle-scarred veterans, the mystery was finally solved. They had been defeated by the Eternal Night King's formidable legions. Elder Chen, watching his old comrades step forward, was overcome with emotion. "I never thought I'd see you all again. You've either been in seclusion or enduring hardship in the forbidden zones. I feared we'd never meet again. But now, today, let's join forces once more and give our all against the accursed Eternal Night Army."

"Let's fight," they echoed, their resolve as fierce as a torrential storm.

Elder Chen turned to a middle-aged man above and commanded, "Ming Yu, take charge. Even if we face total annihilation, we cannot let the Darkling Spectres breach the Wall." Ming Yu thumped his chest in affirmation, "As long as we stand, the Wall stands."

Satisfied, Elder Chen stepped forward, soaring beyond the Wall. The ghouls quaked in his wake. "They're terrified. The might of the Eternal Night Army is truly fearsome," he proclaimed.

The chiliarch on the ramparts, witnessing this, felt his spirit ignite. He lifted his sword high and bellowed, "Brothers, we can't let these elders lead the charge alone. Are we not ashamed? If you're a man, follow me into battle and strike!"

"Strike!" came the resounding cry.

The Battle Legion's warriors, brimming with fervor, surged forward. Elder Chen and his comrades cut through the enemy lines with unstoppable force, clashing with the distant Darkling Spectre army. The moment the two sides engaged, the battle escalated to a fever pitch, with every combatant fighting as if their very lives hung in the balance.

The ground shook and the heavens flickered with light.

Sparks from clashing weapons illuminated the ink-black night.

Upon the city walls, unburned corpses transformed into ghouls.

Together with the ghoul army outside, they repeatedly struck at the Imperial Army.

The combat was fiercely brutal.

...

Half an hour passed.

Ghouls littered the ground.

The Battle Legion suffered casualties exceeding thirty percent.

"Why haven't the forces from Gray Guard Castle and Black Castle arrived yet?"

"General, they're under attack by the Darkling Spectre as well. Their situation is even more dire than ours."

At Gray Guard Castle.

General Li Qi, tasked with the defense, witnessed the Darkling Spectre ascend the Wall of Despair.

He laughed uproariously, his laughter chilling to the bone: "It's finished, the Wall is finished."

With those final words, he detonated himself into oblivion.

Inside Black Castle.

The soldiers' ranks had been decimated by more than eighty percent.

Defending General Zhang Guang and the survivors retreated to the two highest bastions, but their time was running out.

"Report: Stone Gate Village held firm, but after several barrages, ghouls overran the city, and the allied forces inside were completely overwhelmed."

"Report: Snow Mountain has been captured."

"Report..."

Each military dispatch was more heart-wrenching than the last.

Ming Yu's brow furrowed. "Has the Icebound Divine King not returned yet?"

"The Divine King is far away in Jin."

Ming Yu closed her eyes briefly, then drew her sword.

"Signal the guard. We strike with me in the lead."

Boom, boom, boom...

The rumbling of the earth and the quaking of the mountains signaled their approach.

"It's the end, the end for us—the Darkling Spectre reinforcements have arrived!"