Chapter 57 : Chapter 57
Chapter 57. The Difficult Defense of the City
The mages of the Kadiya legion quickly formed a formation, their chanting rising and falling in overlapping waves.
Soon, dense Fireballs and wind blades rained down upon the city walls and gates like a storm.
Bricks and stones exploded into the air. The city gate emitted a shrill grinding noise under the slicing wind blades, while the soldiers atop the walls were suppressed so heavily that they could not even raise their heads.
William frowned deeply. He had originally intended to keep the few remaining mages in the city for a critical moment.
However, the enemy mages were clearly well trained. Their offensive was fierce and relentless. If they did not respond now, the city wall would not hold for long.
“Mages on the wall, counterattack!” he shouted.
The mages of the Kroll Kingdom responded immediately. Ice arrows and earthen walls were hastily formed, barely managing to block a wave of magical attacks.
But the enemy held the advantage in numbers. A second wave of Fireballs soon followed. Several mages failed to evade in time and were instantly engulfed by flames, their screams echoing across the city wall.
At that moment, the barbarians below used the magical barrage as cover and began frantically climbing the siege ladders.
The first barbarian roared as he vaulted over the battlements, only to be cut down by a nearby knight the moment he landed.
But then came the second, the third… more and more barbarians poured onto the walls, and the battlements quickly descended into chaotic melee.
The clash of blades, roars of fury, and agonized screams intertwined.
William continuously directed the knights on the wall to cut down the barbarians charging upward. Blood had already splattered across his armor.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that the soldiers on the western wall were gradually losing ground. A gap had been torn open in the defensive line, and his heart tightened.
Just at that critical moment, a steady rhythm of marching footsteps sounded from the rear.
A group of soldiers clad in newly issued armor rushed onto the wall.
They were the slave soldiers from William’s manor.
Tos had arrived after all.
Though they had once been slaves, these soldiers had been drilled under strict training and showed no fear of death. Wielding their spears, they surged forward like a torrent of steel, instantly scattering the barbarians on the western wall.
“Retake the position!”
The slave soldiers’ captain roared, kicking a barbarian off the wall himself.
The breach on the western wall rapidly closed under the impact of the reinforcements, and the wavering defensive line quickly stabilized.
“Good.”
William’s spirits lifted, and he immediately issued new orders.
“Everyone listen. Divide the slave soldiers into two teams. One team reinforces the eastern wall. The other transports boiling oil and rolling stones. Move everything to the battlements and throw them down.”
The slave soldiers responded instantly.
Some rushed toward the eastern wall to fill the defensive gaps, while others carried wooden barrels and heavy stones, moving swiftly along the ramparts under William’s command.
Scalding oil poured down from the battlements, and agonized screams immediately erupted below as the barbarians on the ladders were burned and tumbled to the ground.
Moments later, rolling stones crashed down like hail, smashing the newly erected siege ladders to pieces.
Seeing this, the soldiers on the wall were greatly encouraged. They joined in throwing stones and worked together with the slave soldiers to eliminate the barbarians who had climbed onto the wall.
William wiped the blood splattered across his face.
Although the enemy forces had been temporarily suppressed, he did not dare relax.
He knew this was only the beginning. The real battle had yet to come.
Sure enough, the next moment the Kadiya mages launched their next attack.
Dense Fireballs streaked through the air and slammed into the walls, while wind blades howled across the battlements. Soldiers and knights who failed to evade in time were instantly swallowed by exploding flames or sliced into pieces by the blades.
Screams rose and fell across the walls. Broken bricks and fragments mixed with flesh and blood flew everywhere, and the fragile defensive formation began to falter once again.
“They are climbing up! They are climbing again!”
A soldier roared, pointing downward.
Under the cover of magic, barbarians and Kadiya knights clung to the siege ladders like swarming ants, climbing faster than before.
William’s pupils contracted sharply.
“Tos, take the slave soldiers to the western wall. Hurry—hold that position!”
He then turned toward the battalion commander defending the city.
“You lead the remaining knights to the eastern side. Do not let them tear open another breach.”
“Yes!”
Tos and the battalion commander responded simultaneously and immediately led their men toward their respective directions.
However, before their words had even faded, two thunderous explosions erupted in succession.
BOOM! BOOM!
The arrow towers on both sides were struck directly by gigantic Fireballs. The wooden structures instantly burst into raging flames, and the brick frameworks collapsed with a deafening crash.
The archers inside did not even have time to scream before they were swallowed by fire and rubble. Even the catapults mounted on the towers were reduced to twisted scrap metal.
With the suppression of the arrow towers gone, the Kadiya mages became even more reckless, their magical bombardment growing increasingly dense.
On the western wall, Tos had just arrived with his men when a barrage of Fireballs forced them to retreat repeatedly. Several slave soldiers fell on the spot, and the defensive line was once again on the brink of collapse.
The battalion commander on the eastern wall fared no better. Kadiya knights had already climbed onto the ramparts and were now slashing wildly with their swords against the defenders. Blood streamed continuously down through the cracks of the wall.
Standing at the center of the wall, William watched both flanks fall into crisis at the same time and tightened his grip on the longsword.
The dark patterns on his armor flickered under the glow of flames.
Taking a deep breath, he shouted toward the dozens of Palace Knights guarding him behind.
“Forget about protecting me. Take back the arrow tower ruins first!”
“But, Your Highness—”
“There is no ‘but.’ Move now and reclaim the arrow towers!”
He knew very well that losing the arrow towers meant losing the high ground. If this continued, the walls would inevitably fall.
They had to gamble with their lives before the enemy fully occupied the ruins.
Longswords cut through the air as the Palace Knights charged toward the collapsed tower on the left.
Within the rubble, several Kadiya knights were trying to clear away the defenders. When they saw the Palace Knights rushing toward them, they immediately raised their shields to meet the attack. The clash of metal rang out once more.
William ran back and forth along the wall, shouting hoarsely as he directed the defense.
“Noble private soldiers, hold the front line! Slave knights, guard the flanks! Buy time for the mages!”
The slave mages on the wall were chanting desperately.
Most of them had only just advanced to the Black Iron Realm or Bronze Rank. Their mana was weak, and their spells were clumsy and broken.
Meanwhile, the mages of the Kadiya legion had already formed precise formations below. Their magic fell like accurate artillery shells, and every bombardment was accompanied by the screams of their own mages.
“Faster… chant faster.”
William watched as the mages around him fell one after another, his heart feeling as heavy as if pressed beneath a massive stone.
These mages had only recently been promoted from the manor. They were no match for the professional military mages of the enemy.
Right now, they could only buy time with their lives.
Suddenly, a blazing streak of fire tore through the air and shot straight toward William’s position.
“Your Highness!”
Tos and several Palace Knights turned pale. They roared and lunged forward, trying to shield the Fireball with their bodies.
But they were too far away.
BOOM—
The Fireball exploded beside William, the shockwave throwing him violently into the air before he slammed heavily against the battlements.
His armor was scorched black by the flames. A sharp pain exploded in his chest, and he coughed out a mouthful of blood as his vision blurred instantly.
“Your Highness!”
Tos rushed over like a madman, cutting down two barbarians who tried to take advantage of the chaos before dropping to his knees beside William.
“Are you alright?”
William struggled to stand, but he realized that his right arm had completely lost its strength.
Gritting his teeth, he used his sword to prop himself up and looked around.
“Do not worry about me…”
He gasped for breath, his voice hoarse.
“Go defend the wall.”