The rain of spikes shortly struck the vine shields repeatedly with swishing sounds as the soldiers and elven warriors endured the onslaught.
While the rats have mutated into a deadlier beast, their strength had not grown too big.
Even so, few weaker soldiers and elven warriors in the rear formation were unable to withstand the repeated battling of spikes as their arms gave way.
After their vine shields dropped, they were skewered until they fell off the wall and plunge to their deaths. With the number of spikes pierced into their bodies, even if they somehow survive the fall, they were beyond saving either.
"Take cover, everyone!" An Elder warned.
At the bottom of the Great Wall, numerous survivors from the military city immediately screamed at the downpour of spikes that made it past the Great Wall.
Everyone immediately scurried for shelters within the buildings after being warned by one of the Elders.
However, there were few exceptions.
Some were too fricken with fear that they were rooted on the spot as they gazed at the incoming rain of spikes with wide eyes.
The few Elders and elven warriors stationed at the bottom were able to save some of the survivors, but not all of them.
The few unfortunate ones were immediately skewered to death.
Back on the Great Wall, General Marquis Hendrick did not have the luxury to keep tabs on the casualty.
Shortly after the rats fired their spikes, another wave of rats immediately rushed forwards and scaled the Great Wall by leaping on top of each other.
"Burn them!" General Marquis Hendrick quickly roared after the volley of spikes ended.
The soldiers and elven warriors immediately disengaged from their tortoise-like formation before Fire Awakeners stepped forward and produce a large flame wave that dropped down on the mutated rats!
Alongside them, the soldiers quickly brought forward the wine and oil before pouring them over the wall to feed the flames and create a bigger fire!
Squeak! Squeak!
The mutated rats immediately cried in burning agony before the piling mountain of rats quickly collapsed back to the ground.
Even so, the rats quickly avoided the area like a plague before rushing to other places without fire to scale the Great Wall.
Flames were not as effective on the mutated rats as they were before the rat's mutation.
Meanwhile, roughly 80 yards away from the Great Wall, the airship hovered high in the sky under the Elder Tree's crown while the Elder Tree busied stomping down on rats en masse with its large roots.
Boom! Boom!
Every slam shattered the earth and collapsed the ground, revealing the subterranean space underneath as the mutated rats in the area were plunged into chaos.
Nevertheless, the mutated rats ignored the Elder Tree's onslaught and continued to rush towards the Great Wall.
The berserk mutated rats were never interested in anything they could not eat.
If they cannot pick up the scent of other living fleshly beings, they would feed on the flesh of their own dead brethren. And if there were no deceased rats nearby, only then would they attack each other.
"How many exploding pills do we have left?" Princess Thessalia inquired while she observed the situation on the surface from the edge of the airship.
The personal guards following Princess Thessalia immediately checked the inventory before one of them answered, "We are down to four dozens pills left, Your Highness!"
"I see." Princess Thessalia nodded before she requested from the airship captain, "Please take us closer to the wall, captain. We will use these few remaining exploding pills to assist the Great Wall's defense by targeting the mountains of rats!"
Under the airship, numerous dents could be seen on the airship's hull. Evidently, the airship had also been targeted as it carried more than fifty people on board.
Although damaged, none of the spikes had managed to penetrate the hull.
As the airship descended in altitude, a portion of the rat tide was quickly attracted over as they aimed at the flying steel boat in the sky with the spikes on their back.
Phft! Phft!
The spikes ripped through the air, closing in on the airship swiftly!
However…
Bip! Bip! Bip!
The sound akin to hail on a rooftop was heard coming from the airship's hull before numerous spikes were bounced off while several others snapped on impact!
Nevertheless, the spikes rained back down on the mutated rats before several dozens to hundreds were impaled to death shortly after.
Crackle!
The thunderclouds in the sky above the Elder Tree crackled with thunder before a bolt of lightning suddenly struck the ground in a flash some distance away!
Bzzt!
Several mutated rats were immediately fried as they were struck by the scattered electrical discharge.
Within the dense rolling clouds of thunder, Aria did not continue to cultivate after recharging her energy reserves to the brim.
Instead, she tamed the thunderclouds and controlled the rain and lightning in the sky after paying attention to the situation on the surface.
The thunderclouds moved like a singular object under her will and steered away from the Great Wall before she rained lightning bolts on the mutated rat tide like some thunder god!
It had become her personalized nimbus!
Bzzt! Bzzt!
The power of the lightning bolts was great, but its killing efficiency was not!
However, it did not take long before a sudden downpour of rain descended on the surface and soaked the region in icy coldness.
The rain's freezing temperature slowed down the mutated rats' movements and cooled their minds, forcefully snapping them out of their berserk state!
Unfortunately, the rats did not regain their sanity for long before a bolt of lightning descended and caused a chain reaction as the powerful electric discharge zapped through the water!
Bzzt! Bzzt! Bzzt!
Tens of thousands of rats were immediately wiped out in an instance!
Shortly after, more bolts of lightning descended one after the other! Aria's kill count soared rapidly as she shocked the mutated rat tide to death, en masse!
On the Great Wall, General Marquis Hendrick and the other saw the barrage of lightning and felt a chill in their hearts.
It only takes one stray lightning to stun—if not outright kill everyone on the Great Wall!