Chapter 482: 482
Centaurs were now on the field, running and shooting in unison. Even their short-range archery skills were top-notch.
The Minotaurs were also known for their speed, but they fell short in comparison to the four-legged Centaurs, which made them considerably restrained by the Centaurs.
Often when Centaurs engaged in combat, they would orderly unleash a wave of arrows from a fair distance. When they were in large numbers, this barrage of arrows would resemble an Arrow Rain.
All of these Centaurs were elite Silver Star units. If they had attacked in unison, their dense Arrow Rain would have submerged the group of twenty or so.
That was one of the specialties of war instances. Normal instances wouldn’t spawn monsters in such large quantities. For example, for a 25-player instance like this, such a large number of monsters occurring simultaneously was unlikely.
The challenge of war instances naturally permitted players to use means not typically allowed in ordinary instances.
Apart from entering a Mirror Space, these instances weren’t much different from standard field combat.
Put another way, Li Yao’s Dark Arrow wouldn’t be restricted in these instances.
Li Yao had borrowed five ballistae, not aiming to cause high casualties but to disrupt the Centaur formations, to prevent a volley of arrows.
Naturally, the members didn’t realize that Li Yao’s strategy had already allowed them to narrowly dodge a crisis of total annihilation.
Nevertheless, the galloping hooves of the charge were still quite shocking to the members.
Soon the second round of shooting and the Plague Barrels detonated among the Centaur groups once again.
Whoosh…
The leading Centaur, a two-star Silver Elite, decisively gave the order. The formation of the Centaurs was beginning to disperse, so the casualties from this round were obviously not as significant as before.
“Everyone, pay attention. This Centaur doesn’t obey a typical aggro mechanism. The tanks at the front, as I mentioned earlier, mustn’t let their formation be broken. Protect the ranged and healers.” Speaking, Li Yao saw that the Centaurs had already charged upfront.
Despite being slowed down by the Plague Barrels, the Centaurs advanced rapidly, as if they were arrows leaving a bowstring.
The formation of the twenty-five players was very tight-knit. Several tanks on the left and right of the Spider Tank linked themselves into a Shield Wall, prepared to meet the Centaurs’ charge.
Whoosh…
Boom, boom, boom…
The Centaurs fiercely clashed with Starfire Core Group’s defense line.
Of course, the ranged attackers from Starfire were not idle, they began their assault. But their attack was not enough to one-shot these Silver Elites.
The result of the collision was that the unfortunate Centaurs that were slammed into the Spider Tank immediately flipped over, while the Spider Tank remained still without a single movement.
The other tanks had a harder time, with the Guarding Angel who didn’t understand the use of the barrier sliding across the ground, leaving a mark.
The remaining tanks, including Fruit Knight, had hand support from the melee attackers, which resulted in them being knocked back by the impact and falling to the ground.
The tanks were suffering from numb arms, but at least their line hadn’t been broken by the impact.
“Their strength is too powerful. If not for the slowing effect of the Plague Barrels, our formation would have been broken.” Despite using Hand of Protection, the Fruit Knight’s arm was still numb and unresponsive.
At the same time, the Centaurs trying to flank Starfire Core Group from the sides let out panicked neighs.
The ground on both sides collapsed suddenly. The leading Centaurs were too fast and too strong, they fell straight into the pit.
Splat, splat, splat, splat…
Due to their enormous strength, their bodies were impaled by sharp iron spikes. Copious amounts of blood flowed. Not only were the spikes sharp, they also carried blood grooves, draining a large amount of blood from their bodies.
Not to mention, the fall alone had left them disoriented. The spikes alone were lethal enough.
“You despicable scoundrels!”, The leading Centaur roared angrily.
The Centaurs aiming to attack the ballistae and the Plague Catapult suffered the same fate. The ones at the front were killed instantly, those at the edge of the trap neighed in rage.
Ultimately, although the Plague Barrels had infected them with the plague, making their bodies extremely weak, their charging speed was not slower than before. If they had charged at their original speed, more Centaurs would need to die or be injured before they could come to a stop.
During the brief standoff, nearly a hundred Centaurs were brutally killed, which had been the members’ objective when Li Yao was assembling the ballistae – they had dug several giant pits and installed Li Yao’s gigantic Spike Traps.
“Abandon the siege engines and ballistae, everyone regroup.” Li Yao ordered swiftly all the while constantly shooting. He had started using combo tactics, launching attacks while applying Dark Arrow.
During the battles on the outside, Li Yao had also been using Dark Arrow, albeit he hadn’t triggered its effect. Of course, he had backup plans. If Starfire Core Group had been unable to hold their ground, he would have triggered it. However, as Devil Alliance’s scroll revealed part of the strategy, they thus lost their last opportunity. Li Yao decided against using the combo effect, choosing instead to shock them more thoroughly.
“Bedside Table, move to the back and prepare to intercept the Centaurs, slow them down.” Seeing that the defensive line didn’t break, Li Yao finally felt at ease.
Though the Centaurs were numerous, traps were set on both sides. They couldn’t form a complete encirclement, or else Starfire Core Group would have been overwhelmed.
The other team members had managed to regroup. Seeing them return, the Centaurs from the other side also started to flank them.
Combat was imminent with a one-star Silver Elite’s health bar rising sharply. His health points were close to two hundred thousand, and the defense stat was terrifyingly high. Even Li Yao couldn’t easily one-shot it.
“All DPS, remember to focus on my marked target,” Li Yao directed the melee attackers to attack the closest targets.
The formation was evidently more stable now. Meanwhile, as the first Centaur fell, a skeletal Silver Elite Centaur appeared.
Even though its health points were a lot lesser than the other Centaurs’ and it couldn’t heal itself, it retained the skills it had in life.
With the increase in Centaur skeletons, matters were getting easier for Starfire’s side. Li Yao wasn’t worried about the depletion of Centaur skeletons as they could be replenished anytime.
Li Yao’s skeleton count reached a hundred, and Starfire Core Group was totally safe. Only four or five members died due to accidents, but that didn’t affect the outcome much.
Before long, the remaining Centaurs were all dead.
“Healers, resurrect the dead members. Melee and rogues, clean up the battleground and collect the loot. Everyone else, quickly recover and prepare for the next wave,” Li Yao directed while also sitting down to recover his strength.
Starfire Core Group was incredibly inspired. The recent battle allowed them to experience the feeling of war profoundly. Especially the thunderous gallop of hooves, which made their blood boil. This was a sensation they couldn’t experience in the battles against Devil Alliance.
“Only a piece of Cloth Armor for DPS dropped.” After looking through the loot, Li Yao added, “Not bad since it’s a Level 20 piece. Go ahead, roll for it.”
Cloth Armor drops were typically for Mages, Magicians, or Necromancers. The loot distribution was completed quickly and Li Yao stood up.
“Refresh all buffs, we start the next wave now.”…
ps: The event will start in more than an hour. To join the group, check the end of the previous chapter…