When the two dark masses crossed the field and advanced to the five-kilometer area, the First Army's positions raised reconnaissance balloons and ceased artillery fire.

The Demon Hunters also noticed this, but they couldn't understand the humans' intention. The floating spheres were supposed to provide a high vantage point, but at night, they couldn't even see objects right in front of them. What was the point of raising them so high?

Taking advantage of the lull in the fire rain, it ordered an acceleration of the advance.

After the dark masses crossed the four-kilometer line, the artillery battalion completed the latest round of ammunition preparation and set up flare launchers.

Since the first night raid, Neverwinter City had rushed to produce a batch of simple lighting equipment – essentially no different from mortars, except that parachutes were attached to the tail of the shells, and the explosives at the head were replaced with a mixture of magnesium and aluminum powder that could burn continuously. The earliest flares could share launch tubes with mortar shells, but tests revealed that the brightness and burning time of small-caliber shells were not ideal, so they were replaced with dedicated large-caliber launch tubes. Although it still couldn't allow soldiers to achieve daytime shooting accuracy, it roughly showed the battlefield environment without any problems.

However, the First Army had never used it in actual combat—this was also on the advice of the staff.

As the enemy approached the edge of the three-kilometer range, Iron Axe impatiently issued the order to counterattack.

"Yes!" Vanna hung up the phone and shouted, "Flares, maximum firing angle, fire!"

With a few soft "pop" sounds, several dazzling balls of light suddenly exploded in the night sky. The orange-yellow flames dispelled the darkness, revealing the contours of the earth.

Then more flares rose, ignited, and fell—

Within a three-kilometer radius in front of the position, it was as if a row of "mini-suns" had appeared. Although they couldn't reverse day and night, they temporarily eclipsed the starlight and moonlight.

And the huge stone pillars, Spider Demons, and Mad Demons hiding in the night also revealed their figures!

Even a small area was enough to guide the artillery.

After a round of test firing, dense shells roared towards the rear of the God's Stone. Unlike the aimless random firing before, this shelling was fully prepared—and the exposed demons were obviously stunned. They seemed unsure whether to continue advancing or flee from this suddenly illuminated area, and for a moment, they froze in place.

In an instant, deafening explosions covered the enemy's distorted marching formation.

…

Ursrook watched the "light balls" slowly falling from the sky, and a trace of change finally appeared on his indifferent expression.

Now it understood the meaning of the humans raising the floating spheres.

Six months ago, they were at a loss when it came to night raids and could only passively defend their camps. Now, they had come up with countermeasures and had waited until this moment to use them. Whether in terms of means or temperament, they could no longer be regarded as harmless insects.

These humans… could be considered their opponents.

The King must be made aware of this!

It made a judgment instantly.

At the same time, Ursrook also strengthened its resolve. Eliminating the enemy's eyes and arms was the most important goal at present, otherwise, this force might bring endless troubles to the clan's expansion plan.

It shifted its gaze back to its feet—under the bombardment of the human fire rain, the God's Punishment Stone Pillars and the follow-up troops had become disconnected. According to the original plan, these pillars should have been able to advance within the attack range of the tombstones, and then coordinate with the native bodies flanking from both sides to launch an assault, thereby reversing the disadvantage in range and maximizing the combat effectiveness of the troops.

But now, the illuminated area had cut off the advance route of the army. Forcing a passage through it would only make them targets for the fire rain—having lost the cover of night, the previously concealed blind spots had become a narrow zone of death.

Destroy those light balls? No… these things were obviously available to humans in any quantity, and besides, someone in the position was watching it…

Ursrook suddenly increased its speed and leaped towards the enemy's position!

After avoiding a series of fire crossbow volleys, it darted to a floating sphere and, before the observer could jump out of the basket, grabbed his neck.

Looking at the terrified human, Ursrook revealed a hideous smile and then tore him in half.

Then it dropped the body and let out a sharp shriek!

Along with the sound was the order for a general attack—

The native bodies, sensing its will, roared in the same way. They poured out of their hiding places and launched a final charge towards the human position!

In an instant, the earth boiled!

…

The battle finally returned to the mode most familiar to the First Army.

A large number of demons emerged from behind the blind spots, and for a moment, it seemed that enemies were everywhere. The constantly rising flares illuminated the last three kilometers, and mortars and heavy machine guns opened fire almost simultaneously, as if to overturn the entire surface of the earth.

Perhaps both sides were aware of the significance of this decisive battle, because once they made contact, they held nothing back—the two forces collided head-on, instantly turning the plain into a bloody meat grinder!

As long as they crawled within throwing range, the Mad Demons would unhesitatingly throw bone spears continuously until their arms were wrecked. Even if their legs were broken or their bodies were pierced, they would drag themselves forward with blue blood.

And the First Army did not retreat a single step.

The machine gun squads poured out bullets like water, and even in the face of stone needles shot by the Spider Demons, they showed no intention of dodging. After the exposed shooters were knocked down, new squad members would immediately take over the work of the casualties. The only thing that could stop them was the brief moment to replace a worn-out gun barrel.

The fierce battle lasted from midnight until dawn.

As a glimmer of dawn appeared in the sky, dozens of Terror Beasts also joined the battlefield.

In the light of dawn, this was undoubtedly the demons' last chance.

At this time, the pressure on the ground had been greatly reduced. More machine gun squads raised their muzzles, and together with the anti-aircraft squads, they formed an impenetrable air defense line.

The Demon Hunters charged into the position several times, trying to disrupt the firepower of the defense line, but were forced back by the dense rain of bullets.

The scales of victory were gradually tilting towards the human side.

By noon, the sound of gunfire had subsided.

Agatha followed Iron Axe and others out of the underground command post and slowly came to the front of the position.

The air was still filled with the acrid smell of gunpowder, but she found the smell surprisingly captivating.

The grassland, which had been lush and green yesterday, was now a mess, with potholes and craters everywhere, and bodies lying horizontally and vertically.

The enemy's blood flowed along the earth, seeping into the soil, and the grass and bushes through which it passed refracted a faint blue light under the sunlight.

The ruins of Taquila in the distance were still occupied by giant skeletons, but Agatha knew that after this battle, the demons would no longer have the strength to stop the humans' advance. They were only one step away from reclaiming the Holy City.

"We… won!" It was unknown who shouted this sentence first, perhaps an ordinary soldier, perhaps a witch, or perhaps a survivor of Taquila… But that was no longer important, because the cheers of victory, without distinction, spread throughout the entire position—

This was a common victory for humanity!