Chapter 590.5: How Many Lives Do They Have!
Thud!
Crack!
Rows of Cole warriors collapsed.
They tried every tactic but couldn't break through the thick shields and the forest of spears.
Time was too short—no counter-strategy came to mind.
Failing to solve this problem cost them their lives!
"Fall back, form up!"
A clear voice rang out along the wall.
Snapping back to their senses, Ail Elves stared at the fallen Cole warriors in disbelief.
Shield-bearers felt like they hadn't done much.
Spearmen felt like their work was mechanical.
The crossbowmen even found it "boring"—lift, aim, trigger.
The whole fight felt repetitive and simple.
Yet the outcome was shockingly effective.
With only a dozen casualties, they'd killed over 300 Cole warriors.
No prisoners. No mercy!
The commanders quickly evacuated the wounded and replaced them with newly trained Ail Elves.
Those carried out on stretchers arrived at the emergency treatment camp.
Medics immediately assessed and treated wounds, triaging by urgency.
Depending on the severity, they received different care.
Lightly wounded soldiers got stitches and bandages, plus one Vitality Potion and one Stamina Potion.
Within thirty minutes, they could return to the fight.
Light injuries made up two-thirds of the wounded.
They rapidly cycled back into battle, keeping the defense fully manned.
Moderately wounded made up a quarter, treated based on injury location.
They received healing spells and energy boosts, then reassigned.
Within eight hours, they'd rejoin as ranged support.
Life-threatening wounds were sent to the rear field hospital.
Barring brain, heart, or major organ trauma, most survived.
Priests, druids, and Bay Territory doctors saved nearly all.
If limbs weren't damaged, they could fight again in 5–7 days.
Disabled or unrecoverable soldiers followed another path.
The bond between Bay Territory and the Ail Elves wasn't yet one of unity.
This was Annie's choice!
And the secrecy around these matters would remain.
The more she understood, the more Annie realized the depth of Bay Territory's support.
The warriors were few—but all top-tier modified elites from the first batch.
Wearing million-gold enchanted armor, masters of combat and veterans of war.
Led by Matthew, they continuously suppressed the Cole elite, holding the lines.
1,500 high-level adventurers—skilled fighters and brilliant tacticians.
They restructured Ail Elven formations and tactics for deadlier defense.
Change didn't come from orders alone.
Over five million gold in supplies had been brought.
Prepared months in advance—now it all proved essential.
Most touching—besides rare priests, druids, and Bay medics—
Matthew brought a Tree of Life!
Specifically, the largest Tree of Life in Bay Territory—Spring's clone!
Under Yaya's tutelage and Matthew's Fate power, clever Spring had mastered Illusory Cloning.
The illusion wasn't as strong as the real one—
But even so, Spring's Life Aura had incredible battlefield impact.
Legendary Feat—Life Aura: Restores 3 HP/sec to all allies within 500 meters.
Most warriors didn't even have 100 HP.
In the absence of injuries—
Spring could restore all HP in 30 seconds.
That's why recovery rates were so fast.
Nicknamed Springwater by Matthew, Spring quietly covered most of the battlefield.
Even knowing the mechanics, Annie was deeply moved.
This war had taught her a hard truth:
Blood ties and kindred didn't always stand by in crises.
The seemingly united Ail Elves were split by selfish motives.
Even the royal family, once calling for unity, had abandoned the west.
They couldn't be trusted!
It was either self-reliance—or trust Bay Territory.
Bay Territory never let them down!
Watching the fierce Cole assault, Annie blinked in shock, then asked:
"What's going on?"
While replacing chest plate inserts, Matthew coolly eyed the Cole elite and replied coldly:
"They're gambling on our collapse—calculating our losses."
"Even seeing the casualties spike—they'll think this is our death throes."
Annie noticed Jifan pulling frontline troops back—giving Cole a foothold.
She could already "see" it.
Cole soldiers, exhausted from scaling the wall, would be met by bolt storms.
With no retreat—they'd have to charge the phalanx.
They'd step into a death trap.
Jifan's open ground—was a kill zone!
With that realization, Annie let go of her worries.
Supported by Bay's logistics and Spring's aura—
Of 11,000 Ail Elves dead and 2,000 disabled—
The remaining 37,000 would rotate endlessly through injury and recovery.
Over 60,000 injury records had been logged.
Had Bay not arrived in time—
The Ail Elves of Icewind Fortress would've been wiped out.
Annie now watched with subtle anticipation.
How long would it take for Cole to realize the truth?
And by then—how heavy was their price?
Matthew slotted a 100,000-gold elemental core into his armor—light flared.
He waved to the ready modified troops and led the charge.
Seeing him, Cole elites turned pale and began retreating.
Unlike the regular troops forced to charge—
Elite rangers had autonomy—and they used it to flee!
All but two, caught in Matthew's thunder, escaped below.
They regrouped to find a weak spot before Matthew arrived.
Meanwhile, regular Cole troops became sacrificial pawns.
Mages, afraid of Bay's cannons and dragon-hunter ballistae, avoided the wall.
Elites faltered under Matthew and Jifan's assault.
The cannon fodder—over 100,000 lost!
Multiple trump cards blocked—Cole's offensive stalled.
Over an hour later, Commander Tigris finally saw the data—
Three full regiments wiped out—no survivors.
It threatened army structure—and his own position.
Bay Territory had shocked him.
The numbers enraged Tigris—but he didn't lash out.
He stared at the battlefield's chaos.
And ordered a multi-pronged assault:
"They've lost 38,000. No way they hold off another attack!"
"Capture a Bay warrior—or a corpse! That alone is worth merit."
Tigris had gone from disbelief to loathing Bay's interference.
But ironically—it was the Ail Elves he underestimated that caused the most damage.
Two hours later—
The blood moon began its descent east.
Seeing that over 42,000 had died, Tigris gave the final order:
"Full assault!"
He sent everything—griffin knights, iron golems, elite puppets, battle mages.
All stormed Icewind Fortress.
Matthew peered through the mist, spotting the elite.
He warned Jifan, rushing to the central wall.
Wherever danger loomed—they'd fill the gap.
Jifan, prepared, marked troop paths and relayed coordinates.
He wasn't surprised—he was used to Matthew's mystery.
Once the cannons were set, Jifan gave the order:
"All magic cannons—FIRE!"
300 hidden cannons roared—
Shells tore through the mist in blazing arcs.
Flames swirled, churning the fog.
A seasoned Cole soldier smirked at a nervous ally:
"Don't worry, the mist shields us. What you should think about is—"
Thwack!
His head vanished—blood splattered his friend.
The shaken elf stared at the ruined corpse—terror surged.
"Aaaah—!"
Crack!
Boom! Boom!
"Scatter—!"
"How are they this accurate?!"
"This is wrong!"
"RUN!"
......
Golems and siege gear—vital threats—were struck hard.
Four iron golems shut down, eight siege towers destroyed.
These slow targets made great practice for the Ael Elf artillery.
Just enter coordinates, adjust settings, fire.
After three volleys—they got new targets.
While those two elite units suffered—
Other Cole forces breached the walls.
But the defenders weren't scattered and thin as expected—
They were packed with armored Ail Elves.
Shocked officers relayed back:
"Too many enemies—requesting retreat!"
Data revealed 30,000+ Ail Elves—
Tigris screamed in disbelief:
"Impossible! They should all be dead! How many lives do they have?!"