Chapter Fifteen: The Battle

"What was that sound?" A snake’s vision and hearing could never match that of ordinary creatures, and though Zhou Tian was a snake unlike any other, no matter how exceptional, the fact remained—he was still a snake. True, since acquiring the game system, Zhou Tian had made use of its powers to patch over these weaknesses, yet even now, he was far from having fully compensated for them. At best, his senses were a little better than those of the average snake, but compared to the races of humanity, Zhou Tian was still nearsighted and hard of hearing.

When the elven army set out earlier, Zhou Tian only realized it by the movement of the ancient war trees. As for the orcs now, though they made no effort to conceal themselves, their small size made it hard for Zhou Tian to notice them from afar. Thus, the little white tigers reacted a step faster than he did. The delay was slight, but by the time Zhou Tian discovered the orcs, the chance to seek shelter had already passed him by.

His situation had improved greatly since he first crossed into this world. Not only had he gained much from the white tiger clan, but he had also established a rapport with them through his storytelling, which now allowed him to travel freely through much of the continent. Yet, although his relationship with the white tigers was strong, his acquaintance with Bella, the elven commander, was shallow at best. Out of respect for the white tigers, the elves had not driven him away, but Bella’s military orders made it clear: Mu Zhan was to protect the little white tigers, and Zhou Tian was pointedly excluded. In Bella’s eyes, Zhou Tian remained a dispensable presence.

There were no orders to protect him, nor had Zhou Tian become close to Mu Zhan in this time. If he’d stayed with the little white tigers from the start, all would have been well, but separated from them, Mu Zhan would not care the least for his fate. Zhou Tian hadn’t believed there could be danger at the rear of the elven army—and, distracted by the little tigers’ antics, he’d failed to stay with them. By the time he finally realized the threat of the orcs, Mu Zhan had already shut the entrance to the extra-dimensional space inside his body and was readying a great tree to do battle with the orcs.

Seeing things develop to this point, Zhou Tian’s face turned ashen. If there were such a thing as a pill for regret, he would have swallowed one without hesitation. Had he known, nothing could have made him leave Mu Zhan’s side. Now, with the portal closed, he had nowhere to hide, and with the orcs charging in, he could easily imagine the miserable end awaiting him.

While Zhou Tian stood there in disarray, the elves were not so easily dumbfounded. Their hearing and vision were preternaturally keen—born archers, they could not have failed to notice the orcs at such close range unless the orcs had employed some extraordinary means. Once the orcs began to move, the elves nearby detected them instantly. Despite being caught off guard, the elves responded at once with defensive measures.

In numbers, the elves were far fewer than the orcs, but battle is never settled by numbers alone. Though the elven defenders felt a pang of dread at the oncoming horde, under the command of their leading archer maiden, they counterattacked before the orcs could close the distance.

“Fwoosh, fwoosh—” In close combat, elves could never match the orcs; knowing their weakness, they unleashed a storm of arrows before the orcs could approach.

“Clang!” The lion-headed chieftain of the orcs cleaved several arrows from the air. Feeling the power behind them, he roared to his warriors, “Watch out for those wenches’ arrows! Charge faster! Once we’re upon them, they’ll be at our mercy.”

“Yes, sir!” The orcs redoubled their pace, nerves taut as they watched for arrows.

Yet, despite their caution, any orc targeted by an elven archer was as good as dead. The elves could not outfight the orcs in melee, but their archery was deadly—ordinary orcs stood little chance of surviving their volleys. Each round of arrows from the elves claimed dozens of orcish lives. Had the orcs been slower, the elves might have slain them all from afar.

But for reasons unknown, the elves chose not to abandon their post, even though letting the orcs close in spelled disaster. They focused only on killing the enemy, never considering retreat.

Thus, after the elves had felled three or four hundred orcs, the orcish warriors, relying on their formidable speed, finally reached the elven line.

Having pushed through to the elves at great cost, the orcs grinned in savage anticipation. So many comrades had fallen, but now, at last, they were within striking distance—the time to harvest elven lives had come.

Did the elves truly stand defenseless?

Of course not. In terms of brute strength, the orcs now held the advantage. The wisest move for the elves would have been to retreat into the forest at the first sign of orcish attack. Though they did not, it did not mean they were ignorant of their peril.

Knowing they could not win in close quarters, the elves would never allow the orcs to approach without a plan. As the orcs broke through to their formation, just as melee seemed inevitable, Mu Zhan, who had been waiting at the rear, suddenly leapt forward into the fray.