Chapter 244. Eila's True Strength.

Eila observed the surroundings and frowned. 'We fell into a trap. Taro has probably predicted our movements.' Eila rushed forward and exited the dust cloud, feeling the enemy attacks incoming. Looking skyward, she clicked her tongue and shouted. "Air strikes incoming!"

Her warning came just in time, as the people who were confused by the large explosion snapped out of their dazed states. Minds blank, they obeyed Eila's words as a military command, and many cast protective barriers. 

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! 

The attacks and defenses clashed, avoiding as many deaths as it would've initially caused. Folter exited the dust cloud and looked around, searching for Eila. 

Seeing the woman standing alone at the front while looking at the distant wall, he appeared somewhat conflicted. Eila had said that she wouldn't do anything unless they ordered it, but in the end, it seemed that she couldn't watch her own soldiers die in vain. He shook his head and shouted. "Advance! Earth Attribute Aethermancers, search the ground for extra traps as we move forward! The rest, focus on defending against the attacks and start the counterattack! We can't let them shoot comfortably!" 

Folter looked at Eila and ordered. "Attack the wall again. This time, aim for the people on top!"

Eila glanced at Folter and raised her hand. A purple lightning bolt fell from the sky, coiling around her arm like a snake. Then, she threw it. "<Fulminant Strike>."

Folter saw the powerful bolt rushing forward. Simultaneously, the soldiers on the walls summoned several layers of shields.

Both sides collided, exploding violently. However, with their combined effort, the attack was stopped. Folter frowned. "Did you not attack with all your strength?"

Eila answered flatly. "I did attack with my whole strength. They must have a very high-level person. I felt a few particularly strong auras."

The soldiers finally left the dust cloud and continued advancing forward. This time around, their pace was more controlled, with scrying spells being shot at the ground and defending against the onslaught coming from the walls.

As they advanced, they suddenly saw giant boulders being thrown at them from the other side of the wall. Eila blinked. 'Siege weapons? Taro still has something so… antiquated?' 

Folter slowly raised his hand, summoning two floating boulders that were much smaller. However, when he thrust his palm forward, those boulders shot forward like bullets, slamming against the flying rocks and blasting the four rocks into pieces. 

While the smaller fragments were somewhat dangerous, they were easily blocked by the shields that the defense team had set up. Folter snorted. "Parlor tricks"

Eila frowned when he listened to Folter's words. 'It can't be this simple…'

Following those two boulders, the artillery continued to shoot at them one after another. Since they were now advancing at a relatively slow pace, the artillery could aim at them without much problem. 

Spells flew one after another, slamming against the incoming rocks and blasting all of them into pieces. Only gravel reached them, which was inoffensive for someone like them.

Eila's brows kept becoming tighter, and by the time they were around 100 meters away from the walls, Eila was trying very hard to think of a reason for such attacks. Her eyes suddenly flashed with realization, and her face dropped. 'Tsk. Clever man. Those artilleries are probably used to tire out our Aether Mana reserves! Taro is aiming for a prolonged battle, so the Aether Mana spent protecting against those boulders is Aether Mana that won't be used to siege the city!'

Eila clicked her tongue. 'Artillery of that size is also threatening enough to be taken seriously, but in the end, it is just a target practice. A flying rock that could have easily been avoided with our mobility!' Now that they were near the wall, those attacks had stopped. Taking into account her current attitude and the fact that it was not relevant anymore, she decided not to say anything.

Instead, she took action. 'Since Taro is aiming for a prolonged battle, I guess I need to take down this wall as fast as possible.'

Her aura suddenly skyrocketed, her entire body flickering with electricity. From the sky, four lightning bolts struck her body, and her height started increasing as her body transformed. 

Eila had activated her Sylvan transformation, elevating her <Ternary Essence> reserves and stats to a completely new level. 

RUMBLE!

Her body surged with terrifying energy, and bolts of lightning moved around her. 

"Eila Neoflora has transformed! Take her down!"

The people on the walls naturally aimed at the source of such a pure and large energy presence. Many attacks were suddenly redirected at her. However, most of the attacks were struck down by the passive lightning bolts surrounding Eila. For the rest, Eila dodged them with speed that made her look somewhat blurry for most. 

Then, the woman that looked like a yellow and purple flower having taken a human form palmed the air before her. "Now, wall. Disappear. <Fulminant Strike>."

RUMBLE!

Her purple bolt rushed forward at a terrifying speed, and both sides couldn't help but look over. At that moment where everything seemed to go at a slow motion, the water from the moat suddenly surged upward and clashed with the bolt.

BOOOM!

Eila frowned and looked upward, her now glowing purple eyes squinting. "Delia…"

Folter was stunned when he saw the transformed woman on the wall. Standing similarly tall to Eila, a woman who looked like a blue and green flower that had taken a human form could be seen. Her curves and presence were smooth and flexible like water, but the aura around her had the presence of a powerful waterfall. 

Delia smiled faintly. "If you want to take down this wall, you'll need to go through me, Eila."

Eila snorted faintly. "If you think that just you can hold me back, you have become overconfident, Delia."

Delia grinned. "Of course, I wouldn't be that arrogant."

HISS!

The piercing sound of several serpents pierced the battle cries in the surroundings as five massive serpents peaked their heads over the wall.

Without a single second of pause, three of those five suddenly extended their wings. A surge of fire Aether Mana surrounded the ruby-colored serpent, while the sapphire-colored one invoked large Ice Aether mana structures. Both of them sent attacks against the enemy army, taking some by surprise.

BOOM! 

Their attacks penetrated into the enemy ranks, killing a few dozen people in an instant. 

Meanwhile, the emerald-colored serpent's aura expanded outward, gently enveloping all allied soldiers in a certain range with a healing aura.

Delia looked at Eila and asked. "How about now? Do you still think I am delusional?" She raised both her arms, and the water on the moat surged like a water dragon, rushing at Eila with terrifying force.

"It still won't be easy." Eila's body surged with electricity as she blasted the water dragon rushing at her efficiently. 

Folter looked at those serpents and remembered reading a report that the enemy World Tree could summon some serpents. However, the information never mentioned that the serpents were <Second Energy Cycle> powerhouses! "Target the snakes! Focus on the green one!"

A torrent of attacks were redirected from the ground, rushing at the three serpents. At that moment, the two brown-colored serpents flashed forward, extending their wings and receiving the attacks head on.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Folter snorted. "So much for your serpents."

However, he would need to eat those words right after since the two brown-colored snakes looked mostly unharmed when they reappeared. With a touch of the emerald-colored serpent, their bodies went back to being completely healthy.

Delia looked at the two serpents who tanked the barrage with widened eyes. 'What in the branches above is that durability!? Even I would've been severely injured if I received such a combination of attacks!'

Eila's face sank when she saw that. 'They are tougher than I expected.' 

"<Stormflower Field>."

With Eila's mutter, her energy surged, and she sent lightning to the ground around her. The enemy army had naturally left a void where Eila stood, as they knew that she could protect herself without a problem. The soil around Eila suddenly bloomed with several purple and yellow flowers, all of them having purple lightning bolts jumping from one to another. 

Delia spoke loudly to the serpents. "Help me defend against her! If we keep her in check, we will eventually win the war! Leave the rest to Taro and his commanders!" 

The five serpents slithered forward and moved around Delia. Both brown-scaled serpents were at the front, with the ruby and sapphire-colored ones flanking Delia and the emerald-colored one standing behind all of them. 

Delia couldn't help but smile. 'Really… Liu Shu is full of surprises.'

"Let's go!"

Delia jumped forward, the moat's water surging and surrounding her. The five serpents naturally matched her rhythm and rushed straight at Eila. 

Eila placed her hands forward, her face cold, and chanted. "<Stormflower Essence Absorption>."

The electricity jumping around her surged toward her like erratic tendrils, creating loud and terrifying crackling sounds. 

Delia shouted. "Defend!"

All five serpents and Delia created defensive measures in front of them as they descended. However, as if she didn't see them, Eila pointed forward and released all the gathered electricity. "<Verdant Chain Lightning>."

RUMBLE!

BOOOM!

The attack collided with the defensive measures, blasting them into pieces. The remains of the attack struck all six of them, which allowed the powerful currents to cause havoc, forcing their muscles to twitch involuntarily as damage numbers jumped several times a second in their gaze.

HISS!

The emerald-colored one flapped its wings powerfully once, summoning a cleansing breeze that eliminated all the damaging effects and healed part of the damage Eila caused with her attack.

Eila hummed. "Since you could resist that, it seems that my time won't be wasted." She summoned a simple sword, her weapon, and as soon as the five serpents and Delia landed on the ground, she rushed forward, her face indifferent while her eyes shone with a chilling glow. 

Eila's body then absorbed the purple lightning into her body, and she challenged them as her speed sharply increased. "Come and fight. <Lightning-Born Reflexes>."

The area was instantly engulfed in all kinds of attacks as Eila fought the five serpents and Delia. The torrents of electric bolts jumped around as fire, ice, water, and the two massive serpents clashed with the ridiculously swift woman.

Folter looked toward that area with a heavy expression. 'Sylvans are truly terrifying when they transform.' 

Meanwhile, Zoria, Taro's second in command, observed that area and nodded. 'It's good that they can hold back that monster. I was worried for a second that the wall was going to fall in the first clash. Moreover, with Eila out of the equation, things have become much more straightforward. Plus, that green serpent's first skill recharged many soldiers' stamina.'

Zoria pointed forward and shouted. "Eila is out. Release the oil!" 

Folter frowned and saw a wave of blackish liquid being thrown on top of them. 'I can't let that fall on us.'

He called to action. "Wind Aethermancers!"

Simultaneously, Zoria's identical order echoed around. "Wind Aethermancers!" 

Both sides created strong winds, and while the liquid didn't cover a large area, it covered enough that when the pre-prepared fire spells landed, a massive firewall surged upward, swallowing a few hundred enemies.

Folter saw it and shouted, angered. "What are these primitive ways of attacking!?"

Zoria snorted. "As long as they work, they can belong to bugs for all I care." He then ordered. "Continue the attack!"