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Military reports streamed in under the commander's banner of the orc horde, and reserves were continuously deployed. In just a few days, tens of thousands of orc warriors had fallen, a casualty rate double that of the entire journey to Saint Spirit Mountain. In contrast, human casualties were two to three times higher.

Even so, the orc leadership was finding such losses increasingly hard to stomach.

After all, the orc population was far smaller than that of humans. The 600,000 troops here represented the majority of the orc forces, while even if the entire Holy Temple were sacrificed, it would only amount to a little over a quarter of the human elite forces.

On the seventh day of the mountain assault, even Chen Xuanfeng couldn't help but seek out the War God Pope.

"Your Holiness, the frontlines are deadlocked, and even the shamans have suffered heavy losses. Why haven't you called upon the 'Doomsday Horn' to turn the tide?"

Although Chen Xuanfeng had only brought 30,000 snow wolf cavalry this time, they were mostly his elite forces. Unlike human cavalry horses, the wolves ridden by the wolf cavalry were adept not only in plains combat but also in scaling mountains, climbing ladders, and scaling city walls. Naturally, they were not excluded from the siege operations and had also suffered significant losses these past few days. As the commander, Chen Xuanfeng couldn't remain indifferent.

The Pope glanced at Chen Xuanfeng and shook his head slightly. "Lord Blizzard, the time is not yet ripe."

Chen Xuanfeng raised an eyebrow. "Then how many warriors must we lose before it is the right time? Ten thousand? Twenty thousand? Or thirty thousand?"

"Ah, do not be angry, dear War God Knight," the Pope waved his hand, signaling Chen Xuanfeng to sit, and continued, "It's not that we don't want to take Saint Spirit Mountain in one fell swoop, but there are significant issues with using the 'Doomsday Horn'... Even without the reminder from the Light Mage Jin Luosha, you must have sensed the immense divine light gathering on Saint Spirit Mountain these past few days."

"Of course, I've felt it. That power has been bolstering human resistance, inflicting heavy losses on us. Judging from the fluctuations of the divine light, the power contained within is nearing the level of star power gathered when the elves activate the 'Six-Star Demon-Slaying Formation,' and it's still growing. In a few more days, even ordinary people will be able to see the vortex of light above Saint Spirit Mountain with their naked eyes. If it weren't for that, why would I rush here?" Chen Xuanfeng replied coldly.

Though no mage, Chen Xuanfeng had thrice been blessed with the power to cast mighty spells. While he might not understand the principles of magic, he was sensitive to fluctuations in power. From the day the army arrived at the foot of Saint Spirit Mountain, he had clearly sensed a tremendous force of light hovering above the mountain's peak, growing stronger by the day. In these battles, despite heavy casualties, human warriors fought with increasing ferocity, half of which could be attributed to the amplification of light-attribute powers by that force.

The Pope nodded. "Exactly, that thing. As divine power goes, the Light God's divine power has never been known for its destructive capabilities, but its effects in purification, restoration, and enhancement are exceptional. You know that the 'Doomsday Horn' works by summoning angry spiritual elements into warriors to enhance their combat power. Now that we're at the Holy Temple's core, do you think they'd let us summon those furious spirits?"

"Are you saying that vortex of light will interfere with the 'Doomsday Horn's' effects?" Chen Xuanfeng frowned.

The Pope smiled wryly. "Not just interfere—it could outright nullify it. After all, this is a place where the Light God's followers have operated for centuries, designed and built by the Twelve Sages, with even older divine relics beneath. Its power cannot be underestimated. Moreover, the 'Doomsday Horn' requires several days to recover after each use and cannot be used indefinitely."

"Then..." Chen Xuanfeng pondered, "If we don't use the 'Doomsday Horn,' are we just going to let the enemy prepare without doing anything? And humans must have a significant plan for gathering that power. Although Jin Luosha told me that the power within is chaotic and complex, making it difficult to form a pure offensive force, so we don't have to worry about humans launching an attack spell like the 'Six-Star Demon-Slaying Formation,' but humans daring to hold out against our massive army suggests they rely on that enormous energy vortex. If we just sit and wait, they might just buy enough time to turn the tables with some method, and by then, you might not even have a chance to cry."

"That won't happen. While humans have operated here for four hundred years, the Orc Alliance's history far surpasses that. In fact, we still have many hidden forces we haven't deployed. With the strength they've shown so far, Saint Spirit Mountain has no chance of resisting our assault."

As the Pope spoke, a meaningful smile appeared on his face.

Indeed, the very next day after the War God Pope made these remarks, a new variable emerged on the battlefield.

"Roar————"

With a deafening roar, a bare-chested lion-man wielding a giant axe charged up to a section of the city wall on the mountainside of Saint Spirit Mountain. His body radiated surging combat energy, clearly a lion-man powerhouse at the peak of the Sword Master level. Combined with his innate strength, even a human Sword Emperor might not be his match. Fortunately, the glow of his combat energy wasn't the resplendent gold of the "Emperor Martial Overlord Art," indicating he wasn't a practitioner of that technique, or else only a Sword Saint could defeat him.

"Regular soldiers, fall back! Tower shield warriors, advance! Heavy crossbows, fire! Chain magic locks, activate! Magic cannons, charge and aim————"

After years of war, humans had learned how to deal with such powerful assaults. If it were a Saint Master, there would be no way, but those below could still be countered with numbers and tactics. As soon as the lion-man stepped onto the wall, regular human soldiers and archers immediately scattered, while a group of heavily armored warriors with large shields rushed forward to block the enemy's path. At the same time, crossbows from several turrets on the wall turned to barrage the orc Sword Master, not aiming to hit but to restrict his movement. Once the magic cannons fired, the enemy would have no choice but to retreat, battered and bruised.