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Meanwhile, the other human forces were not idle. Apart from the Kuta Tribal Alliance dispatching dozens of tribes' camel cavalry across the desert to reinforce the southwest, the million-strong army of the Mercenary Empire stationed on the southeastern front also launched an offensive. Although the Mercenary Empire had lost its top-tier experts after the destruction of the "Ten Realms Crimson Lotus Sword," its Artillery Mage Corps remained the strongest on the continent. This time, with the support of the relocated Holy See of Saint Spirit Mountain in the south, led by the young Pope Xi Luo wielding the "Hero's Sword" and commanding the "Holy Grail Knights" and the "Crystal Dragon Legion," their strength surged dramatically. Not only did they break through the orcs' original frontlines, but they also advanced northward, seizing half of the former territory of the "Holy Fasin Kingdom."

The allied forces of Tiele and Yellow Dragon on the eastern front were equally eager for action.

The expeditionary forces of both nations were well-organized elite troops, far surpassing the motley remnants in the southwest and outmatching the internally corrupt Mercenary Empire. After Chen Xuanfeng destroyed Sacred Dragon Mountain, though the true-blooded dragons had mostly scattered, the original drakes and Warcraft Orc legions—absent from the mountain at the time—remained largely intact. Thousands of these Grade 7 to 9 magical beasts, along with the five Dragon Emperor Knights who had joined the military, bolstered the allied forces. Additionally, the Tide Knight Xian Lan and the Celestial Knight Tan Yueer, both young Sword-Saint prodigies, further enhanced their formidable combat power. Once they launched a full-scale assault, they achieved significant gains as well.

"Just like this—advance, advance! While the orcs' main force is tied down in the southwest, let’s push straight to their homeland!"

As the human commanders at the frontlines rallied their troops with such fervor, the orcs' second wave of counterattacks arrived.

The southeastern front was the first to face retaliation.

The Holy War Martial Emperor and newly appointed Lion Clan chieftain, Catherine, led the Warcraft Orcs and several yak legions to reinforce the frontlines. With her masterful tactics, Catherine managed to conceal the army's movements from human scouts, luring six legions (400,000 troops) of the Mercenary Empire to the banks of the Saina River in northern Fasin's former territory before springing an ambush. The battle left no prisoners—over 300,000 human soldiers were slaughtered in a single day. When Pope Xi Luo arrived with reinforcements and clashed with Catherine, the combined might of the Saint Martial Emperor and three Warcraft Orc Sword Emperors proved overwhelming. While they might struggle against higher-tier opponents, suppressing Xi Luo—a Sword Emperor who only attained Saint-level power through his weapon—was more than feasible. Once Catherine unleashed her Emperor Martial Overlord Art, Xi Luo was denied even the chance to deploy his Eight-Colored Realm, forced into a relentless retreat until the Tide Knight Carol arrived as backup, forcing both sides to disengage. Thereafter, neither dared risk direct confrontation between their top-tier forces, but the clashes between their legions grew increasingly brutal, with heavy casualties on both sides. Despite the Mercenary Empire's continuous reinforcements, the frontlines were steadily pushed back by the orcs.

Next, changes swept the eastern front.

The maiden of light magic Jin Luosa—a young Sword-Saint prodigy—alongside Zha, the Ice Valkyrie whose strength rivaled that of a Sword Saint, led 100,000 Wolf Clan warriors and a magical dragon legion, including three Crystal Dragons and hundreds of puppet battle-drakes, onto the battlefield. Though Tiele's cavalry was hailed as the finest among humans, they paled against the orcs' Wolf Riders, especially in head-on clashes—it took three or four Tiele cavalrymen to match a single elite wolf rider. Yellow Dragon's soldiers were individually weaker, but their superior weaponry and combined-arms tactics leveled the playing field against the Wolf Riders. Empowered by their reinforcements, the orcs launched fierce counterattacks. Three major battles ensued, with both sides claiming victories.

Soon after, the humans received another roundabout reinforcement from the Mercenary Empire, emboldening them to mass their forces for a decisive battle to repel the orcs once more. Unbeknownst to them, the orcs had planned ahead—feigning retreat to lure 600,000 human troops deep into their lines, then deploying 80,000 soldiers in two Eight-Diagram Formations to seal off both escape routes. The ensuing melee saw neither side gaining the upper hand: the orcs failed to crush the enemy, while the humans couldn’t break free. After days of stalemate, the humans—starved of supplies—attempted a desperate breakout, only for the orcs to exploit their disarray and pursue them relentlessly. By the battle's end, most human legions had suffered over 50% casualties, with several unfortunate ones annihilated entirely. Total human losses reached between 260,000 and 270,000—a devastating, bone-deep wound. As an expeditionary force far from home, their ability to replenish troops was slow, forcing them to retreat and hold a few key fortresses, refusing further engagements.

When the battle reports reached the human coalition's high command, the southern commander—young dark mage Enlai Ke—frowned in silence.

"What troubles you, sir? Are you worried about the frontlines?" asked a female staff officer, noting his expression. "Though the orc reinforcements cost us dearly, the Mercenary Empire, Tiele, and Yellow Dragon are all populous, resource-rich nations with inexhaustible reserves. The real constraints on their frontline strength are terrain and logistics. No matter how severe our losses, they can be replenished within a month or two at most. Surely there’s no cause for concern?"

Enlai Ke shook his head. "My worry isn’t about our side, but what the orcs are truly planning. Though individually formidable, the orcs are now fully mobilized, their rear depleted. In terms of reserves, we outnumber them many times over. In a war of exhaustion, even if every orc—man, woman, and child—perished, humanity would still retain more than half its strength. The orcs know this—they shouldn’t be fighting us on all fronts. To counterattack, they must concentrate superior forces against a single front to minimize their own losses. That was our initial assessment, which is why we took measures when the Orc King led his army against the southwest. Yet their full-scale assault there turned out to be a feint—they pivoted to an all-front offensive, catching us off guard and inflicting heavy losses."

The staff officer, well-versed in warfare, replied, "But their advantage is only temporary. In the long run, this strategy is unsustainable. Spreading their forces thin will strain their logistics and bleed their warriors dry, exhausting them to the last drop of blood."