Chapter 1054: Scales of War
Out of the six districts, four were overtaken by the forces of the cultists, and now, a brutal war raged on as both sides fought to claim control.
Surprisingly, the collateral damage borne from the violent battles was not as disastrous as one would have guessed. Of course, the destruction of civilian properties was great, but injuries to the civilians themselves and even accidental deaths were relatively minimal.
This was because in the months leading to the Grand Magus Tournament, the Council had subtly encouraged the mundane residents—and even Magi families, for that matter—to build and make use of safe, underground bunkers.
Despite all these precautions, there were still deaths. This was war, after all. And even the existence of reinforced underground bunkers did not guarantee complete safety when Mana Core and Mana Vortex Magi were involved.
While the four districts were embroiled in spells, steel, and blood, the Harbor Quarter was the only district that was under the full control of the city’s armed forces.
Despite securing a stronghold in this district, the armed forces were not completely safe yet, though. Towards the east, the naval battle against the Cult’s fleet thundered across the waves.
From the west, the cultists surged in from the Market Quarter, putting immense pressure on the armed forces. Meanwhile, from the northwest, those advancing from the Downtown Quarter threatened to encircle them in a deadly pincer.
Maintaining the stronghold in the Harbor Quarter was absolutely critical. It served as the city’s last reliable point of supply and retreat, with direct access to the sea for reinforcements or evacuation if need be.
If the armed forces of Ravenfell lost control of it, they would be cut off, surrounded on all sides with no escape route.
Moreover, the Harbor Quarter’s elevated terrain and fortified structures made it a natural defensive bastion. Losing it would not only cripple morale but also hand the cultists a strategic high ground to launch their final assault.
But herein lay a crucial problem...
Ravenfell’s forces were stretched precariously thin. The vast majority of it was entrenched in fierce battles across Uptown, Downtown, Northern, and Market Quarters, where the scums of the Cult fought with unrelenting madness and ferocity.