The next evening, Demon World’s Coast Contribution Continent, Sacred Helm Plains.
Sparse wild grasses lay prone on the barren, arid gravel ground, bent low by the fierce winds, humiliated and subdued.
Blood Cross Knight Valdeniel firmly grasped the "Crystal Telescope," maintaining a statue-like posture as he scanned the distant horizon; before the knight’s mighty and robust body, a battle banner embroidered with silver sigils and a skull crown flapped in the wind, fifteen thousand demon warriors stretched like a black belt, spanning several miles, ready to face their adversaries.
Musicians clad in purple hundred-fold skirts played the Heavenly Calamity Bone Bell in unison, bidding farewell to the ancient road’s western wind; two sunsets leaning on the sky blushed the dusk with their mix of blood and blue, embedding it deeply and solemnly into the earth’s primal colors; intense heat waves distorted the air, like steam spiraling up after opening an oven, subtly bringing forth a barely noticeable coolness.
Valdeniel’s long, sharp nails and the "Crystal Telescope" in his hand emitted a faint, tightening "creak" sound; he knew that in just a few hours, this vast desert would be entombed in cold night, glaring blood, and countless corpses—at the boundless end of the Sacred Helm Plains, a roaring, rolling dragon of dust slowly emerged, like seeing through the autumn waters!
The first thing to appear from the distorted, swaying heatwave air on the horizon was a dazzling, striking red military banner, its surface adorned with bloodstains, smoke, and mottled perforations, exuding a spirit that pierced the vast twilight like a sharp sword; countless cavalrymen following like migratory birds sprang swiftly from the horizon, urging their wolf mounts to fly over the scorching gravel and low shrubs, like a flood breaching a dam, trampling across the entire Sacred Helm Plains.
The bitter wind of the wilderness suddenly gained strength, boldly stirring the locks of every demon clan warrior, sand and gravel on the ground rolling and fleeing with a whimper, while flocks of lean crows foraging were startled, flying away in panic with harsh "caw caw" cries, leaving behind a silence unique to the approach of death.
The wolves are coming!
The wolves possess wide, soft padded feet that allow them to run in leaps without making a sound; the well-trained Wolf Cavalry would not make unnecessary calls on the move either, and the more than 30,000-strong wolf riders flowed like a silent torrent, a volcano waiting to explode in silence, streaks of rolling gray lightning, racing, racing, rushing silently and swiftly forward!
Stone Gargoyle warriors, Fear Knights, Death Flyers, and Obsidian Destroyers, obscuring the sky, vigorously flapped their strong wings, trailing distantly behind this Wolf army, guiding the subsequent troops with direction and targets.
Watching the Wolf Cavalry approach directly towards them rather than another direction, Blood Cross Knight Valdeniel "cracked" the "Crystal Telescope," snapping it back into a short-tube form, silently observing the remnant wolf cavalry before him with a solemn respect.
With only fifteen thousand troops for blockade, and considering the depth and layers necessary for a blocking formation, Valdeniel’s forces weren’t enough to lock down the entire coastline—demon clan high command never intended to enforce a complete seashore lockdown, forcing their opponents into a desperate struggle.
The current entire blockade corps was like a steel bolt, firmly anchoring the central zone of the entire coastline—it was, in reality, also a psychological test; if the remnant wolf cavalry lacked morale after a long march, they would split in two, avoiding direct confrontation with the Demon Striker Corps, instead heading for the coastline’s two blank areas to rest and respite.
The reality, however, was entirely opposite to the most likely pre-war simulations. This wolf cavalry charged directly at the Demon Striker Corps, their actions decisive and firm, without the slightest hesitation or pause!
But this admirable bravery was ultimately futile. The purpose of the striker corps was to drag the wolf cavalry into a melee, depriving them of any time to adjust or reposition!
Valdeniel could not help but cheer for the throne of the heavenly king’s wisdom, feeling truly honored to serve as the commander of the striker corps; like the thirstiest traveler in a desert longing for fresh water, he yearned to face and battle in the upcoming confrontation, to personally slay the murderer who caused Boer’s life to tarnish like a sunrise’s sunset!
To kill inch by inch, in the most cruel manner!
In all his centuries of military service, "Evergreen" Old Val experienced such fiery battle intent for the first time.
Through the battle flags raised by the messengers, junior officers methodically adjusted their warriors under the knight commander Valdeniel’s plan, creating the most perfect frontal blocking formation, firmly controlling their respective zones.
As the main blocking force, eight thousand Ghoul warriors wore specially crafted Dumarry claws, these heavy crystal weapons were as sharp as short swords, glinting with merciless cold under the setting sun; the line formation composed of these Ghoul fighters had a depth of three layers, resembling three semi-circular dams, maximizing the mitigation of the wolf cavalry’s frontal impact!
On the Aegean Continent, the best method for human infantry to counter cavalry impact was using Super Long Spears and Heavy Tower Shields. Demon infantry had no tradition of employing long weapons, yet this didn’t mean the Demon army lacked unique infantry counter-cavalry tactics.