Chapter 58 : Chapter 58
Chapter 58. Reinforcements Blocked
Tos gritted his teeth. Under William’s repeated urging, he raised his sword and charged at the Kadiya knights climbing up the wall.
His longsword slammed against the enemy’s armor, throwing off dazzling sparks and forcibly halting that wave of attacks for a moment.
William swiftly took out a bottle of High-Grade Healing Potion from his Spatial Ring. Pulling out the stopper, he drank it down in one gulp.
A warm current instantly spread through his entire body. The sharp pain in his right arm gradually faded, the numbness receded, and feeling finally returned.
Gripping his longsword tightly, he rose to his feet and swept his gaze across the wall.
More and more barbarians and Kadiya knights were climbing over the battlements.
The soldiers on the wall had already been split into several sections. Screams rose and fell without end, and the defensive line was like a dam hollowed out by insects, ready to collapse completely at any moment.
He knew the city was about to become impossible to hold.
At the same time, the battle on the Ice Snow Plains was taking a strange turn.
The broken remnants of the Kadiya Kingdom and the barbarian tribes, who had originally been in full retreat, had somehow gathered their strength again. Against all odds, they launched a counterattack. Their scattered formations became dense once more as they charged fiercely toward the lines of the Kroll Kingdom.
“Second Monster Legion, press forward.”
Standing atop the high platform, Kroll II’s voice was as cold and hard as iron. “Devour the legion they just managed to reorganize.”
The signal bearers immediately waved their command flags, and the complex signals were swiftly passed through the wind.
The Giant Wolf Riders of the Second Monster Legion let out earth-shaking roars and crashed viciously into Kadiya’s counterattacking formation like a torrent of black steel.
In an instant, they tore open a gap in the enemy offensive, and slaughter filled with flying flesh and blood once again spread across the plains.
Just then, towering clouds of dust rose from the direction of Despair Fortress as another group of barbarian tribes arrived on the battlefield.
Kroll II glanced over, his expression utterly unchanged. As long as it was not Kadiya’s main force, no matter how many barbarians came, they were merely more fuel for the fire.
“Stop them,” Prince Tanley ordered the Dragon Rider Order beside him.
Dozens of giant dragons beat their wings and soared into the air. Dragon breath poured down like molten lava, attempting to intercept the newly arrived barbarians beyond the battle lines.
However, this group of barbarians had clearly come prepared. Dozens of giant ballistae flickering with magical light were suddenly raised from within their formation.
With several sharp WHOOSH sounds, specially made bolts shot toward the dragons with the force of tearing through the sky.
Caught off guard, one Dragon Rider had his mount’s wing pierced through by a bolt. With a mournful cry, the dragon plummeted from high above and crashed heavily onto the ice plains.
Prince Tanley’s pupils contracted sharply. Clenching his fist, he turned to Kroll II and said, “Your Majesty, those are Dragon-Hunting Ballistae. We must send a ground legion to destroy them. Otherwise, the Dragon Rider Order’s losses will only continue to grow.”
Kroll II looked toward the barbarians on the plains who had set up the Dragon-Hunting Ballistae, then slowly nodded.
“Transmit my order. Three reserve knight orders, attack!”
These were already his last reserves.
The three knight orders clad in silver armor moved like three bolts of lightning, rapidly cutting in from the flanks. Their hooves shattered the frozen earth as their longswords pointed straight at the barbarian positions where the Dragon-Hunting Ballistae had been deployed.
The charge of the knights collided with the barbarians’ howls. Sword light flashed, shadows of blades crossed, and blood mist spread across the ice plains.
The rate of fire of the Dragon-Hunting Ballistae noticeably slowed. Seizing the chance, the Dragon Rider Order re-formed their ranks and launched another diving assault against the barbarian tribes.
On the high platform, Kroll II watched the gradually stabilizing battle line, and the tension in his jaw eased slightly.
The strike of the three reserve knight orders had been precise and effective. The threat of the Dragon-Hunting Ballistae was weakening, and the Second Monster Legion had already forced back Kadiya’s counterattack...
Everything seemed to be developing in a favorable direction.
What he did not notice was that deep within the ice plains, five elite legions of the Kadiya Kingdom were hidden there.
“Your Majesty, urgent news from Ningshuang City.”
A Palace Knight ran up to the high platform, pale as death, his voice trembling uncontrollably.
Kroll II’s heart suddenly sank. Ningshuang City was the rear transport hub for the army’s supplies, and it was also where his fourth son, William, was stationed.
He almost snatched the letter, still flecked with snow, from the knight’s hands. His fingers trembled uncontrollably as he unfolded it. The moment his eyes swept across the words, his face turned ashen.
“How is this possible...”
He let out a low growl, crumpling the paper in his grip.
“A Kadiya elite legion and barbarians actually circled around to the rear? Are the nobles guarding the route all blind?”
Prince Tanley strode forward, took the letter from Kroll II’s hand, and frowned more deeply the further he read. After finishing, he said in a grave voice, “Your Majesty, this is no coincidence.”
“For an elite legion to bypass the defensive line in complete silence, someone on the inside must have received them.”
“Anyone who would dare do something like this must be a person of high rank and great authority. Their intentions deserve death. Even in the Dragon Kingdom, there would only be a handful of such people.”
He paused, then added meaningfully, “I believe Your Majesty has already guessed who it is.”
Of course Kroll II had guessed.
Several names exploded in his mind—those who had always coveted the throne and secretly colluded with Kadiya. But he could not say them aloud, much less throw his own side into chaos at such a moment.
A surge of sweetness and blood rose violently in his throat. He clenched his teeth and forced that mouthful of blood back down, only feeling as though a massive stone were crushing his chest, leaving it painfully stifled.
“Transmit my order.”
He suddenly raised his head, his voice hoarse from restraint.
“The First Monster Legion is to return immediately to reinforce Ningshuang City.”
The signal bearers did not dare delay. They instantly waved their command flags, and the urgent signals passed through the wind and snow.
Below the high platform, the Two-Headed Wyvern Riders of the Royal First Monster Legion were still fighting at full force. Dragon breath and magic intertwined, throwing Kadiya’s battle lines into utter chaos.
When they suddenly received the order to withdraw, the legion commander, Prince Koren, froze for a moment. Then he shouted fiercely through the sky.
“All troops, gather immediately! Abandon the pursuit! Our target is Ningshuang City. Advance at full speed, now!”
The roars of the two-headed wyverns resounded across the ice plains as the riders all turned their mounts, trying to re-form their ranks.
But the formation had long since fallen into disorder during the fierce fighting. Several minutes passed, and only two-thirds of the riders managed to regroup.
“We are not waiting.”
Prince Koren glanced at the anxious figure on the high platform in the distance, then thought of the Fourth Prince in Ningshuang City. Hardening his heart, he made his decision.
“Follow me.”
Yet just as the Two-Headed Wyvern Riders were about to take off, a thunderous battle cry suddenly erupted from the depths of the Ice Snow Plains.
Five Kadiya legions burst forth like specters emerging from beneath the earth. Pushing specially made anti-dragon wagons and raising dense ranks of crossbows, they instantly entangled the wyvern riders in the sky.
“You want to leave? It will not be that easy.”
A Kadiya general laughed wildly at the front lines.
“If you dare withdraw even one step, we will charge straight for the central command tent.”
Prince Koren’s pupils contracted sharply.
He could see clearly that the target of those five legions was not the wyvern riders at all, but the central command behind the high platform.
If they dared leave, His Majesty’s safety would immediately become precarious.
“Damn it.”
He smashed his fist hard against the wyvern’s neck. The two-headed wyvern cried out in pain and let out a furious roar.
Prince Koren looked toward the direction of Ningshuang City, then at the lone figure atop the high platform, and in the end nearly bit his teeth apart.
“All troops, hear me. Abandon the reinforcement mission. Hold the flank of central command at all costs. We cannot allow them to approach His Majesty.”
Though unwilling, the wyvern riders immediately turned and became locked in battle with the Kadiya legions once more. Dragon breath poured forth, bolts tore through the air, and the sky above the ice plains was shrouded in blood once again.
On the high platform, Kroll II watched this scene and slowly closed his eyes.
He knew Koren’s choice was the correct one, but the image of Ningshuang City would not leave his mind.
That child, William... he should already have left Ningshuang City by now, shouldn’t he?