Chapter 210 : Chapter 210
Chapter 210. Storms in the Northern Frontier
At that moment, the walls of the Third Great Pass of the Northern Frontier in the Kadiya Kingdom were already mottled and worn.
The bricks and stones were covered in marks left by blades and swords. The royal banner fluttering above the city tower had been torn open by cannon fire, hanging limply in the cold wind.
Below the walls, the Gold Legion of the Kroll Kingdom surged forward like a tide. Their bright silver armor gleamed coldly beneath the sunlight, and the long spears in their hands formed a dense forest of points. Every advance was accompanied by earth-shaking shouts.
In the sky, the Griffins of the Knight Order let out piercing cries. From their higher position, the knights hurled fire-oil bombs downward, and raging flames immediately rose along the inner side of the city walls.
“Hold the line! All of you, hold the line!”
Kadiya’s defending commander roared, swinging his sword and cutting down a Gold Legion soldier who had climbed onto the wall. Scalding blood splashed across his armor.
Behind him, several dozen knights in gold-trimmed armor formed a battle formation, and the longswords in their hands bloomed with dazzling Dou Qi.
These were Gold Knights whom Kadiya had forcibly raised with mountains of resources. They were also Kadiya’s only source of confidence.
“Golden Impact!”
The leader of the Knight Order let out a furious roar. Dou Qi condensed into a golden torrent and slammed fiercely into the attacking legion’s formation.
The Gold Legion soldiers at the very front seemed to be struck by an invisible giant hammer and were sent flying one after another. A gap instantly appeared in their formation.
The Legendary Powerhouse on the city tower also moved.
A white-haired elder floated in midair, waving the staff in his hand. Great swathes of Ice Spikes descended from the sky, forcing the Griffins of the Sky Knight Order to retreat again and again.
He was Kadiya’s final trump card, using his own strength to restrain the enemy’s Legendary Combatants and win a chance to breathe for the Gold Knight Order.
“Damn it. This pack of wastrels actually managed to produce a Gold Knight Order?”
The Legion Commander of the Kroll Kingdom cursed angrily below the city walls. As he watched his soldiers being forced back again and again by golden Dou Qi, his expression turned ashen.
He had thought that with the cooperation of the Gold Legion and the Sky Knight Order, they would be able to tear open the Northern Frontier’s defensive line like paper. He had not expected Kadiya to be hiding such an elite force.
In truth, most of these Gold Knights were members of Kadiya’s Royal Family. They had been forcefully raised to the Gold Rank with resources accumulated by their families, and their real combat experience was far inferior to the veterans of the Kroll Kingdom.
But behind them stood their homeland and their kingdom. With no path of retreat left to them, their resolve allowed them to erupt with astonishing combat power.
Whenever a knight fell, another immediately stepped forward, using his body and Dou Qi to build a temporary defensive line.
The slaughter in the sky was just as tragic.
Although Kadiya’s Legendary Mage was powerful, he could not withstand the encirclement of three Legendary Knights from the opposing side. His mage robe was torn apart by Sword Aura, blood constantly spilled from the corner of his mouth, and the ice shield he held up was covered in cracks.
“Father, let me go!”
On the city tower, a young Gold Knight roared. His armor had already been pierced through, and his left arm hung powerlessly at his side, but his eyes remained fierce.
“Hold the city gate!”
The elder turned back in midair, his voice hoarse.
“The Third Great Pass of the Northern Frontier cannot fall. Once it falls, the Northern Frontier will be finished.”
He abruptly burned his Life Force. The tip of his staff erupted with dazzling blue light, forcefully driving back the three Legendary Knights. Yet he himself fell toward the ground like a kite with its string cut. When the soldiers on the city tower hurriedly caught him, his breath was already faint.
With the Legendary Powerhouse no longer restraining them, the Sky Knight Order immediately regained the upper hand. Fire-oil bombs fell like rain, destroying most of the defensive structures on the city walls.
The Gold Legion seized the opportunity and charged again, stepping over the corpses of their comrades. This time, Kadiya’s Gold Knight Order could no longer hold them back.
“Kill!”
With an earth-shaking shout, the soldiers of the Kroll Kingdom finally rushed onto the city walls and began a bloody melee with Kadiya’s knights.
Golden Dou Qi and silver spear shadows intertwined. Blood flowed down the cracks in the city walls, gathering into red streams below.
Although the Northern Frontier’s defensive line had not completely collapsed, it was already like an arrow at the end of its flight.
The resistance Kadiya had built with its Royal Family members and piled-up resources had ultimately failed to stop the iron hooves of the Kroll Kingdom. It had merely made this fall come more slowly and more bloodily.
When the sun sank in the west, one corner of the city wall was finally breached, and the banner of the Gold Legion was planted atop the shattered city tower.
Kadiya’s knights were still holding their ground in street fighting, but everyone knew that the fall of the Northern Frontier was only a matter of time.
Inside the palace of the Kadiya Royal Capital, the light of the Communication Crystal had not fully faded. The words of the battle report still lingering upon it were painful to the eyes.
The Northern Frontier defensive line was in grave danger. The Gold Knight Order had lost more than half its forces. The Legendary Mage was heavily wounded and on the verge of death.
Feir IV violently smashed the crystal onto the ground, and the expensive crystal instantly shattered.
His eyes bloodshot, he roared toward the outside of the hall.
“Pass down my order. Deploy twenty Legendary Combatants to reinforce the Northern Frontier at once. Whoever dares delay will be punished as one who colludes with the enemy!”
The Ancestors below the steps changed expression at once.
The white-haired elder at their head leaned on a dragon-patterned cane and said in a deep voice, “Feir IV, how dare you? At present, we should gather our strength and guard the Secret Realms. Although the Northern Frontier is in danger, the kingdom has not yet reached the point of destruction. The most urgent matter is to preserve our strength…”
“Preserve our strength?”
Feir IV turned around, the golden threads on his dragon robe trembling in his fury.
“Do not think I do not know what you are planning.”
He knew exactly what calculations these Ancestors were making.
Hidden beneath the Royal Capital were nine Secret Realm Entrances. They were Kadiya’s final path of retreat.
These men wanted to take the resources of the treasury and hide inside the Secret Realms, waiting until the Kroll Kingdom and the forces from the other continents both suffered heavy losses before finding an opportunity to restore the kingdom.
But Feir IV could not swallow this humiliation. His kingdom could not simply curl up and hide like a rat.
The Ancestors exchanged glances, struggle flashing through their eyes.
They had lived for hundreds of years and had seen too many dynasties rise and fall. They understood better than anyone that as long as one survived, there would still be a chance to rise again.
But Feir IV’s command carried unquestionable resolve. Moreover, if the Northern Frontier fell, the Royal Capital’s barrier would completely disappear, and even the entrances to the Secret Realms might not remain safe.
“Feir IV.”
In the end, the white-haired elder relented, but he added a condition.
“Twenty Legendary Combatants may go, but the resources of the treasury must immediately be transferred into the Secret Realms.”
Feir IV clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms.
He knew that this was the bottom line of their compromise, so he could only grit his teeth and say, “Fine.”
Before long, hurried footsteps rang out beyond the hall.
Twenty powerful auras soared into the sky, streaking across the Royal Capital’s heavens like streams of light as they raced toward the Northern Frontier.
Their figures vanished into the clouds, carrying the kingdom’s final gamble with them.
The Ancestors looked at the sky, their gazes complicated.
The elder at their head waved a hand and secretly signaled to his trusted subordinate.
“Proceed according to the plan. Transfer the resources to Secret Realm No. 3.”
The trusted subordinate accepted the order and withdrew. Only heavy breathing remained in the hall.
Feir IV looked at the shattered Communication Crystal and suddenly felt that the throne was somewhat cold.
He knew the Ancestors had not abandoned their intention to retreat, but he was unwilling to accept it. This was Kadiya’s foundation of several hundred years. How could they hide inside a dark Secret Realm like rats?
Outside the window, the streets of the Royal Capital were still prosperous. The common people still did not know of the crisis in the Northern Frontier, and children’s laughter drifted into the hall on the wind, forming an eerie contrast with the solemn atmosphere inside.
Feir IV slowly sat down, his fingertips brushing over the marks carved into the armrest of the throne.
If the Northern Frontier could hold, perhaps there would still be a turn for the better.
If it could not…
He closed his eyes, not daring to think further.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield of the Northern Frontier, twenty Legendary auras descended like thunderclaps.
The Legendary Knights of Kroll who were slaughtering soldiers changed expression at once and were forced to halt their offensive.
When Kadiya’s soldiers saw the reinforcements, they erupted into earth-shaking cheers. The defensive line on the verge of collapse seemed to have gained a chance to breathe.
Only, no one knew whether this breath was the final flare before death or a true turning point.