"Well, just as I thought." The figure of the Grand Toad Lord Mazdamundi showed signs of fatigue. Exorcising the Chaos Demons required an enormous amount of magical energy. Even as the mightiest of the Toads, Mazdamundi felt as if his head was being pierced by needles.
But he had no choice now and had to muster his spirits to command the lizardmen army to continue fighting.
At this moment, all the lizardmen legions had already suffered more than half casualties. Under Mazdamundi's orders, they regrouped and prepared for battle again, shifting their front lines towards the Great Pyramid. Many temple guard legions had already retreated to the steps.
Outside the city, in the Skaven ratmen's camp, Clan Pestilens' Right Claw, Skrulk, was laughing heartily. He felt an unparalleled excitement. Behind him, the ratmen artillery were unleashing volleys of various projectiles, dozens to hundreds of cannonballs bombarding the Great Pyramid like rain.
Despite the ancient holy shield raised by Mazdamundi and the sacred defenses of the pyramid, viruses and plagues were still spreading among the lizardmen's ranks. Many skinks and saurus warriors began to howl in pain, smelling bile from their guts and blood from their respiratory tracts as the Skaven plague infiltrated their bodies.
With no other options, Kroq-Gar immediately ordered the troops to retreat. The pteradon riders had already suffered heavy losses in the earlier bloody battles with the Chaos Demons, but under Kroq-Gar's command, they chose to make a suicidal attack. The remaining pteradon riders directed their mounts to fly higher, then performed a perfect dive to attack the Skaven artillery positions.
The falling boulders and the dive attacks of the pteradon riders successfully destroyed many plague claw catapults and warp lightning cannons.
Skrulk, the lord, opened his mouth, watching as the catapults and cannons were destroyed. Instead of feeling any distress, the Right Claw of Clan Pestilens sneered continuously. The pteradon riders' dive caused rubble to scatter, and rat corpses flew everywhere, but the riders themselves also suffered great losses. By the time the surviving pteradons completed their mission and could take off again, only one in ten was still alive. Hungry and greedy Skaven slave rats were already feasting on the corpses of the pteradon riders, shrieking with satisfaction as they devoured the flesh.
The efforts of the pteradon riders only caused minor troubles for the Skaven. Under Skrulk's orders, the slave rats quickly began repairing the siege machines.
What truly troubled Skrulk was his inability to contact the Great Horned Rat. The will of the Horned Rat was intermittent, confusing the Right Claw of Clan Pestilens. The Great Horned Rat had just emitted a faint warning squeak in the depths of Skrulk's consciousness, but it soon vanished.
What was that? Covered in tumors and oozing pus, Skrulk had no idea and could only continue to order a fierce assault on the lizardmen's ranks: "Advance! For the Great Horned Rat! For Clan Pestilens!"
There was no more time to wait. Skrulk could already see the brilliant light at the top of the Great Pyramid that could illuminate the entire warp space. The first-generation toad, the venerable Lord Kroak, was gradually awakening!
At this moment, the entire avenue of the Starlight Bridge was filled with Skaven ratmen. Tens of thousands of rat paws trampled the muddy road, and the rotting fluids and melting mud formed from the plague made squelching sounds. The pervasive toxic mist and stench were enough to make the mightiest ancient stegadon faint, but within this toxic fog, the Skaven of Clan Pestilens felt unprecedented vigor and strength!
Slay the cold-blooded ones! Destroy Lustria!
For the Great Horned Rat!
Lord Skrulk of Clan Pestilens personally led the charge at the forefront. Surrounded by the plague wind, he aimed to flatten the lizardmen's ancient city with the might of thunder and slaughter all enemies. Under his command were the most feared and formidable troops of Clan Pestilens. He led his plague-shrouded army like a storm sweeping across the battlefield!
Following closely behind were the plague monk legions and the plague warrior battalions. The plague warriors clutched decayed halberds blessed by the power of the plague, weapons whose notoriety had spread throughout Lustria. Like other units in the plague army, these elite warriors wore ancient, filthy robes as their distinctive mark.
The plague monk legions were even more insane. Known for their combat fervor surpassing that of their kin, these fetid beings, under Skrulk's leadership, chanted the sacred verses from the Book of Plague. Each word dripped with the Great Horned Rat's malice. They foamed at the mouth, and many plague monks, already blind, advanced by biting the tails of those in front, their combat effectiveness undiminished. At first contact, the exhausted saurus and skink warriors, already weary from the previous battle with the Chaos Demons, were slaughtered. Plague and fatigue weakened the lizardmen, making the cold-blooded ones slow and fragile. One by one, the skink battalions and saurus warriors fell before the plague legions of Clan Pestilens.
Decayed blades pierced the bodies of the lizardmen. Faced with the tidal wave of Skaven, the lizardmen army defending the pyramid finally began to crumble.
Mazdamundi struggled to cast spells to protect the fragile defense net. He raised his hand, unleashing a storm of eight winds. Deadly gales and rain swept through all the attacking Skaven, but there were simply too many ratmen.
Warlord Kroq-Gar also noticed the army's collapse. He personally led the stegadon and carnosaur groups in a counter-attack. Five stegadons formed a dense formation, smashing through the Skaven tide. After completing their task, the five stegadons, heavily injured by the ratmen's assault, immediately fell dead.
Kroq-Gar, riding his carnosaur, charged through the enemy lines. His bravery instilled fear even in the most fanatical plague monks. No Skaven dared to obstruct this great lizardman warlord, who slaughtered one plague monk unit after another single-handedly.
Yet despite his efforts, Kroq-Gar realized the battle was being lost. He might not be able to complete his mission. The hundreds of cold one riders and dozens of carnosaur riders who initially charged with him were now reduced to just a few, the rest drowned by the ratmen's tide.
Despite the valiant efforts of Kroq-Gar and Mazdamundi to protect Lord Kroak, the overall situation was tilting in favor of the Skaven. More than half of the army had been utterly defeated by the Skaven, and rat ogres and more plague monk legions continued to join the battle.
The path to Lord Kroak atop the Great Pyramid had been cleared, and the cunning Lord Skrulk let out an excited cry.
The cold-blooded ones are doomed today!
The rat tide had already begun charging up the hundreds of steps of the pyramid. Leading the charge were the plague guards and Lord Skrulk, who could see the still half-awake Lord Kroak.
"Killkill! Children of the Great Horned Rat! Obey his command!" A plague censer smashed into the head of a temple guard, the toxic fumes from the censer dissolving the guard into a boiling mess.
He was about to succeed!
The final reinforcements, the temple guard legion "Star Chamber Guardians" protecting Lord Kroak, were also forced into the battle. These oldest and most honored Itza guardians fought only to protect the pyramid. They gathered in front of Kroak's vulnerable body, barely holding back the plague warriors and the tidal wave of green.
"Ugh!" Also in retreat were Fuggen and his Ash Legion. The human army had lost over five thousand men. Under the influence of the plague, many had developed red blisters, sores, and rashes. Facing the Skaven's fierce assault, the Ash Legion was on the verge of collapse, retreating to the steps of the Great Pyramid to make a final stand.
At this moment, Fuggen was drenched in the blood of Skaven. The blood and flesh on him had coagulated into red and green clumps. His once smooth, shiny silver hair was now matted with the blood and flesh of ratmen.
Too many enemies! The primarch of the Emperor's Children furrowed his brows. Faced with the rat tide covering every inch of the Starlight Bridge, even Fuggen felt immense pressure.
Fuggen had first slain the Slaanesh Demon Prince Azazel, then killed the Khorne Greater Daemon Krosk in the subsequent battle, and now led the Ash Legion against the Skaven rat tide. Despite the fierce fighting, even if Fuggen could kill every Skaven that appeared before him, he couldn't stop the tide from approaching Kroak!
Gradually retreating until he could retreat no more, the last lizardmen and human coalition made a desperate stand on the thousand steps of the Great Pyramid.
Fuggen slashed down two rat ogres. He felt the weakness of rebirth still tormenting him. The primarch of the Emperor's Children summoned all his strength to slay dozens of plague monks in succession. Then, gripping his power sword, he looked at the bloody battlefield, breathing heavily: "I, Fuggen, son of the Emperor, will never let my father down again, never."
Unconsciously, Fuggen leaned against a stone wall mural.
The mural depicted a giant snake wandering among the stars. The Skaven blood and flesh splattered on the stone seemed to activate something, and the entire slab began to emit a dark red light.
"Child of the Old Ones." Fuggen heard a low hiss in his ear.
"Child of the Old Ones?"
"Who are you?"
"Child of the Old Ones, we have a common enemy." The hiss was filled with extreme hatred. "Child of the Old Ones, accept my gift! Let us join forces against our foe."
At this moment, the Skaven had already reached the top platform of the pyramid. Lord Skrulk saw Lord Kroak right in front of him. Wielding his plague censer, Skrulk smashed a Star Chamber Guardian into pulp, loudly celebrating his victory. The Great Horned Rat would surely reward him for his great deeds.
The Right Claw of Clan Pestilens? That title was too low. Skrulk should become the Plague Lord, Nagritch!
Yes, yes! That's right!
Blood from plague monks and temple guards had already splattered at Kroak's feet. In the midst of his triumph and joy, Lord Skrulk overlooked a critical situation.
His carefully built rear positions were collapsing, as the rat guards were under attack by a new enemy!
A massive roar echoed across the sky, and the disorganized forest was torn apart by a fierce assault.
Snakes! Thousands upon thousands of snakes!
On the Starlight Bridge, an endless tide of snakes formed a colorful carpet, slithering forward and devouring the rat tide. While Lord Skrulk focused on Lord Kroak, the rear of the Skaven lines was being utterly devastated!
A group of Red Crested Skinks encircled a stegadon bearing the Sacred Flame of Sotek! Following closely behind were swift cold one riders and the ferocious battle groups of horned ones. Several lizardmen legions and Red Crested Skink battalions joined the battle as fresh reinforcements, overwhelming the Skaven tide like a landslide!
Deep within the forest, an ancient stegadon bearing the Engine of the Gods of the serpent god Sotek was stepping onto the battlefield of the Starlight Bridge. The divine engine unleashed beams that pierced the sky. The scorching rays rained down from the heavens, engulfing the entire Skaven tide. Wherever the rays passed, only scorched earth and melting foam remained.
A powerful Red Crested Skink, wielding a tablet engraved with the prophecy of Sotek's birth, declared his arrival!
The Serpent God's legion had arrived! The end of the Skaven was nigh!
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