Chapter 125 - 101: The Thrashed Piggy (Part 2)
Chapter 125: Chapter 101: The Thrashed Piggy (Part 2)
"Thanks so much, our Paladin brothers!"
"These Energy Chains bypass our shields and drain our health directly. If we don’t do anything, we’ll die when our health runs out."
The Giant Shield Guards and War Paladins resumed their confrontation with the Steel-backed Porcupines. Suddenly, one of the Giant Shield Guards cried out in alarm, "Oh no, those green energy chains are back!"
In the blink of an eye, over half the Giant Shield Guards were once again tethered by "Life Link."
The War Paladins were at their breaking point.
Their "Absolution" ability cleared all abnormal statuses from a target, restored their health, and granted them two seconds of invincibility. (It was like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.)
While it didn’t consume as much energy as "Sanctuary," it wasn’t far off. Casting two high-cost abilities back-to-back had already used up over half of their energy. If they had to cast "Absolution" again, they wouldn’t have enough left to maintain their auras.
So, they quickly sent someone to report the situation to the commander at the rear.
In the encampment at the rear, a Wisdom Priest received the Messenger’s report. This priest was the commander of the Golden Corps.
"Energy Chains that can absorb life?"
"Go and ask if the absorption rate increases!"
A short while later, the Messenger returned with an update.
"Commander, the Giant Shield Guards report that the green Energy Chains drain their life at a constant rate. It doesn’t accelerate."
"On average, they estimate it drains 1/20 of their total health every minute."
"One-twentieth, you say?"
"Never mind. Tell them to ignore those chains and keep attacking the enemy Porcupine-men. We Priests will handle replenishing their lost health."
The commander of the Golden Corps wasn’t too concerned about a loss of 1/20th of their health per minute.
Although the healing abilities of his Wisdom Priests couldn’t compare to the Life Priests serving the God of Life, they could easily make up for the Giant Shield Guards’ 1/20th health loss per minute.
And so, under his command, the Wisdom Priests first cast the "Gushing Spring" buff on themselves to accelerate their energy regeneration. Then, every minute, they would cast "Divine Heal" on the frontline Giant Shield Guards. The spell would restore a portion of their health instantly, followed by a continuous heal-over-time for the next minute.
All in all, the health restored per minute by "Divine Heal" exceeded the health being lost by the Giant Shield Guards.
It was, after all, the most suitable Divine Art for the job. Its energy cost was moderate, and the amount of healing it provided was more than enough.
Other Divine Arts either had insufficient healing effects or consumed too much energy, making them inefficient.
With instructions from the rear and the constant healing from "Divine Heal," the Giant Shield Guards and War Paladins began to ignore the green chains formed by "Life Link."
Thus, the situation on the battlefield turned rather strange.
Afraid of getting close enough to enter the range of the Golden Corps’ ranged troops, the Withered Messengers could only cast "Life Link" from a distance. They siphoned life from the Giant Shield Guards and, once they had drained enough, transferred it to the Steel-backed Porcupines to heal them.
With their health guaranteed, the Steel-backed Porcupines fearlessly allowed the enemy to attack. They would accumulate energy, charge up, and then release their back quills, waiting for the damage against the shield wall to stack to its breaking point, shattering the barrier just as before.
Meanwhile, the Spiny Porcupines silently contributed their meager power from the sidelines, each hoping their attack would be the straw that broke the camel’s back.
On the Golden Corps’ side, the Giant Shield Guards were unable to move or attack due to their shield wall formation. They could only rely on the wall’s damage reflection to inflict some harm on the Steel-backed Porcupines.
However, they were already accustomed to this role and didn’t find it the least bit boring. And while the "Life Link" that periodically latched onto them drained their health, the "Divine Heals" lobbed over by the Wisdom Priests every minute meant they had no fear of the slowly draining life.
The War Paladins, their auras shimmering at their feet, relentlessly struck at the Steel-backed Porcupines through gaps in the shield wall. They had to admit, the porcupines’ defense was something else. In all their time fighting other lords, they had never encountered an enemy they couldn’t seem to kill.
This stalemate didn’t last long. Before the battered Steel-backed Porcupines and Giant Shield Guards had any complaints, the commander of the Golden Corps was the first to lose his patience.
"Holy Archers, Squad One! Target a single Porcupine-man! Concentrate your fire!"
A squad of Holy Archers immediately drew their bows. One arrow soared in a high arc, striking a Steel-backed Porcupine dead-on.
The arrowhead sank into the Steel-backed Porcupine’s back. The arrow’s attack power was immense. This particular porcupine had just fired a volley of its quills, and new ones were just beginning to sprout. The instant the arrow struck, the damage caused its quills to fully regrow and shoot out immediately. The force of the flying quills even dislodged the arrow embedded in its back.
The Steel-backed Porcupine scratched its head, confused. It couldn’t figure out what kind of attack had provided it with so much energy.
The next moment, a volley of arrows rained down, blanketing its position. The immense damage caused it to instantly fire off several waves of quills in rapid succession. There were so many flying barbs that no one nearby could even tell how many volleys it had launched.
The price for this display, however, was steep. The Steel-backed Porcupine lay on the ground, barely breathing, its back and the earth around it bristling with arrows.
The Withered Messengers in the rear noticed the anomaly. Reacting in a flash, they immediately extended several "Life Link" tethers toward it.
Just at that moment, a long-handled warhammer slammed down on the Steel-backed Porcupine, extinguishing its last spark of life.
And so, the first Steel-backed Porcupine from the Lin Yu Corps fell in battle.