Chapter 119 - 96 Harpy’s Counterattack_2

Chapter 119: Chapter 96 Harpy’s Counterattack_2"Have you forgotten their Song of Seduction? That’s their most skillful form of attack, particularly when they sing in chorus. It doesn’t have much effect on us because we were prepared. Creatures that aren’t, they have no fate but to be controlled. For them, assembling a mishmash army, I don’t think, would be too difficult," Gaven said, cutting straight to the point. "Are they really that powerful?" Bark was somewhat incredulous, "If they were truly that powerful, wouldn’t they have done so already? Why wait until now?" "You haven’t wiped out a third of their population all at once before, nor have you cornered them! Yes, there’s speculation on my part, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry. Once we face a two-front assault from land and air, we’ll be at a disadvantage. Especially with so many entrances to defend, the difficulty increases." The Eagle Cliff Cave Chieftain spoke first, "Bark, no more arguing. Chief Gaven is absolutely right. This is a matter of life and death for our entire tribe. Better safe than sorry, even if we’re overprepared, it’s just extra defense work." Caught off guard by the words, Bark conceded, "Indeed, I did have a lapse in judgment. Chief Gaven, what do you need me to do?" "Your main task is aerial combat. Tally the casualties, reorganize the squadron, and ensure they can be quickly deployed in a new round of fighting. Motivate the morale, make sure they aren’t caught off guard. It would be best to scatter more scouts in the direction the Bird Demons departed, to monitor their every move closely," Gaven said, with no hint of modesty, as he laid out his plans. He then turned to Chester and said, "Clan Leader, we need to seal off the ground entrances extensively, particularly the passages that are useless in battle. Block them all." "I’ll organize people right away," the Eagle Cliff Cave Chieftain confidently replied. "If the new wave of attacks really comes from the ground, you don’t have to worry too much, Chief Gaven. Our burrow has at least three lines of defense which can be resisted one after the other. A ragtag bunch lured by Charm would find it rather difficult to break through." Gaven let out a long sigh, "That would be all the better. I do hope I’m just being overly concerned." By now, from the top down within Eagle Cliff Burrow, everyone acknowledged Gaven’s military capability. Their splendid victory today was largely attributed to his contributions. If not for his Psychic Magic Spell and the interlocking tactics he planned, they absolutely wouldn’t have inflicted such heavy casualties on the Harpies. Therefore, Chester and Bark took Gaven’s speculation very seriously, sealing off unnecessary holes overnight and dispatching three teams of Erde scouts. News soon came back from the Erde scouts, confirming that Gaven’s conjecture was not merely speculation. The Harpies were not merely retreating but, under the Harpy Queen’s leadership, they were madly performing the Dance of Seduction and the Song of Seduction everywhere. Unprepared creatures would hardly be able to resist, and many succumbed. Sёarᴄh the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. In a single night, they assembled an army of over a thousand creatures of various kinds, marching mightily towards Eagle Cliff Burrow. This army was indeed a real assortment of forces. There were green-skinned Goblins, brown Gnolls; there were wild boars and bison, Rock Sheep, packs of wild wolves mixed in among them, and even two Trolls and a dozen Hobgoblins, all with lost eyes, staggering toward Eagle Cliff Burrow. Only the Harpies, with their unique abilities, could blend so many creatures together. Gaven reiterated the tactics to Bark, "The ground troops are just support; the focus is still on air combat. Remember, to catch the bandit, catch the leader first. If we captivate the Queen, the rest will collapse without a fight. If we can’t take her down, even if we win this battle, it would only count as a small victory with many troubles waiting for us." "Understood," Bark nodded seriously, "Whatever it takes, this time, I’ll have the Bird Demon Queen’s head." "Do your best," was all Gaven could do, patting Bark on the shoulder, offering his encouragement. Aerial combat was beyond his abilities, unable to provide more help; the rest was now up to them. This time, the Harpies were prepared, and what awaited them was going to be a tough fight. As expected, the Harpies also adjusted their tactics, ready for a head-on confrontation. When the Erde of Eagle Cliff Burrow went into action, the Song of Seduction wasn’t even attempted; they directly pursued the Erde in the most intense mid-air brawl. They had speed and enough lethal power, at least sufficient to handle the Erde. The only drawback was that their numbers were few, reduced to sixty or seventy Harpies. The Erde of Eagle Cliff Burrow, however, came out in full force, numbering over three hundred. This time, they didn’t dodge and weave as before, using the burrow for guerrilla tactics; instead, they gathered behind Bark and charged towards the Harpies. Just one aerial charge. Eighteen Harpies were immediately affected, plunged into unconsciousness by the special combat squad surrounding Bark. The nearby Erde swarmed in. This time without the need for nets, they furiously stabbed with their small Daggers, while dragging them by arms or legs towards the ground. The harpies around tried to come to the rescue, but more psychic bullets blasted forth, and more Erde swarmed in. Eagle Cliff Burrow’s side also began to fight desperately, waging a war of attrition without regard for cost, and Erde fell in swathes. Just two volleys of bombardment, and most of the guards beside the Harpy Queen had vanished, leaving her exposed to the Erde army. Chirp! The Harpy Queen screamed and, instead of retreating, she charged towards Bark and his men, obviously very confident in her combat abilities. She also held a deep scorn for psychic bullets; she had personally tasted that spell before, and its effects were mediocre, failing to pose a fatal threat to her. Bark and his men’s attempts only confirmed this. It took three consecutive psychic bullets before one hit the Harpy Queen. She just shook her head for a moment, and before they could approach her, she had already recovered and started a frenzied slaughter, crippling two Erde who had rushed too close right off the bat. Bark was also targeted by the Harpy Queen. With a flap of her wings, she pounced towards him. Bark fired another psychic bullet and turned tail to run. This psychic bullet also took effect, momentarily slowing the Bird Demon Queen’s pursuit and further widening the distance between them. But the Harpy Queen was relentless in her pursuit. The whole air battle turned bloody and fiery. There were harpies who were stabbed to death by Erde with daggers, but they were few in number. Most Erde chose to drag the harpies towards the ground, but before they could land, most had awakened, and without the constraint of capture nets, these harpies refused to die easily, fiercely fighting back with scratches and grabs. But those Erde, clutching an arm, a leg, would not let go for dear life; with their other hand, they kept stabbing relentlessly with small daggers. Some harpies managed to break free, bleeding profusely from the stabs. Others were wounded in their wings, forced to plummet downwards. Still, others, along with the Erde clutching them, crashed to the ground together, both suffering heavy injuries. Many were harpies that hadn’t died from the fall, but the Erde that had held onto them never got up again. Bark, chased to a dead-end by the Harpy Queen, tried the same trick again, attempting to crawl into the dog holes of Eagle Cliff. The Harpy Queen wouldn’t have it her way. The blood hue on her wings intensified, and she boosted her speed out of thin air, managing to block the not-too-distant dog hole before Bark could reach it, displaying her claws as she waited for Bark to deliver himself to her. When the Harpy Queen turned back, she didn’t see despair and fear, but a faint smugness of a successful scheme. Was this a trap? The Harpy Queen turned abruptly, where a regular Gnoll was standing, the only difference being his eyes were not grey-brown, but deep blue, with azure light flickering within them. Then, the Harpy Queen felt her brain stab and cloud once again. By the time she came to her senses, a bulky figure had already pounced on her back, savagely rending, scratching, gnawing, and biting. Gnoll? No, gnolls didn’t have such sharp claws; each strike was painfully sharp, almost tearing apart her entire back and both blood feathers. Zuo Lang? That wasn’t right either, their claws couldn’t be so curved, curved enough to firmly penetrate her breast, impossible to shake off no matter how she tried.