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Chapter 898 The Siege Of The Border (4) - Testing One Another

As if knowing Evale's thoughts, that was just what happened next. The hours quickly passed as the undead flung volley after volley at their walls. Yet, the wall was a small target to hit. Extremely so when considering the distance from which they were firing.

It seemed impossible that half the flaming boulders would make contact. And indeed, if one in ten did, that would have been a shocking feat.

The ground before and after the wall became littered with the remains of the flaming boulders. Thanks to the trenches, no grass stood to be caught aflame. Their flames simply smoldered for a while before dying out. Revealing the normal rock beneath.

"Round two." Eldrian mumbled, again taking flight with Ceph. They rushed high into the sky. Their targets; the flaming boulders.

The two separated after reaching the peak height of the volleys. Eldrian keeping himself afloat with the simplest form of magic he copied from his circlet and cloak. His newly made breastplate of brightsteel and slime material allowing Eldrian's flight magic with less expenditure.

Waiting in the path of the two boulders, Eldrian struck them both with massive air blades. Yet, the stone effortlessly survived the wind attack, only losing some of its flames for a second.

'Should have expected that,' Eldrian thought. Stone was not so weak that a simple wind blade would cut it in half. And the boulders were each at least a meter in diameter. They would not shatter with a halfhearted spell.

Thus, relying on the items from which he had based his flight magic to keep him up high, Eldrian shifted his focus to forming a true Tier 5 compound spell.

Envisioning its structure in all its glory, the air whirled and particles of ice swirled within a contained blade just a centimeter in thickness. Sadly, Eldrian had yet to perfect the spell to make the blade any thinner. Yet, it would cut most anything. Stone should be no problem.

Keeping his focus.. that was a massive ask.

Eldrian held these two blades in each hand, though it only appeared so. The blades were made of wind and would naturally not be something one could grasp.

By keeping them close to his body, the focus required was lessened. And mimicking the movement of his limbs made them easier to maneuver.

Thus, as if holding the two massive blades,  Eldrian darted through the air. Severing one boulder after the other.  Sending their severed flaming halves down to the horde below.

Ceph, on the other hand, simply rammed the boulders—horn first. Dashing in a zig-zag pattern, the Alicorn brought true carnage down on the undead standing before the trebuchets.

So much so that the mages, waiting with spells at the ready should the two land, were forced to deploy barriers instead. Else the damage would be too much. The scattered rock falling from up high was enough to destroy bone and crush metal. Letting it fall on the mindless zombies and skeletons would be welcoming their defeat.

The undead archers, however, still held their bows at the ready. Guarding for if the two were to ever try anything else. Waiting for the moment Eldrian or Ceph turned their focus downward. They never did.

As the second volley got disrupted, the undead grew anxious. While Eldrian and Ceph were only destroying a tenth or so of all the boulders being flung, the carnage it would create once the barriers faltered was too much. And the mages were quickly running out of mana.

If this continued, they would be left empty, carnage would welcome the undead below, and the centaurs would have the perfect opportunity to attack.

Yet, none wanted to challenge and Alicorn and his rider in the sky. Smelling another trap, the undead instead stopped their attacks for the day. Too afraid to challenge them in the sky.

Thus, returning to the wall, the two joined Pelaros in the fort.  "Has everything arrived from the capital?" Eldrian asked.

"Yes. We finally got them to believe in us." Pelaros said, his words laden with a sad sigh.

It had taken far too long to get the nobles in the capital to fund their defense. The city had no spare funds, and while it seemed simply to ask the king for aid, he had an entire kingdom he had to protect. Kynigo was not the only city under siege.

Even now, no one would divert any troops to their aid. However, with Pelaros and Duke Vicar's support, they finally received enough materials to hold on. The duke had even organized over a hundred Tier 8 and higher items for the city's defense.

Eldrian's new sword was one of these items, as was the necklace he wore around his neck. Pelaros had a similar necklace, but he also had a greatsword. The first Tier 10 item Eldrian had ever witnessed. Evale's new bow was the second, and Sofiera's new staff the third.

As for why Eldrian didn't get a higher Tiered new weapon, the reason was simple. He simply could not wield it to its true potential. Even the sword he was using now was beyond him. He simply used it as a sword, not as a magic item. Wasting something of higher grade on him would have been foolish.

"Ah, they've started firing again." Eldrian noted, the darkening sky illuminated by hundreds of flaming boulders, far in the distance. "We'll be off then."

Eldrian and Ceph's task was simple. They were to keep the undead agitated. The duke was waiting in secret nearby for when the lich showed itself, along with his personal bodyguards. If the lich never showed, then the undead would slowly be whittled down.

While the strain on the city was enormous. With a duke fully supporting them, they were certain to survive. So long as the rest of the kingdom held. That, however, was no guarantee, given everything that was happening.

—

Three days passed in the blink of an eye. The two sides continually prodding on another. The undead would stop their volleys as soon as Ceph and Eldrian appeared, only to resume them when they went to rest. In a type of tug-of-war, the siege continued.

Outside of the first day, nothing major happened. A few thousand lower undead were killed, but that hardly made a dent in their numbers. In fact, they appeared to still be growing in size.

Yet, their barrage had slowed down significantly. From up high, Eldrian watched the undead moving about like ants. Lines had formed from the trebuchets to the forests, as well as the distance mountains further south.

"Their supply lines are finally out in the open." Eldrian commented, relaying the information to those on the ground via messages. Around half an hour later, Evale moved from the west (the right side of the region when facing the undead).

Wanting to focus their fire, the undead had moved their forces between Pyknos forest and the woodlands further east—The Lost Grove. Long since abandoned because of the effects of the encroaching border, it made an even better home for the undead than Pyknos.

And between the two, where the Lich had recently moved towards, and what was now their central location where all the supply lines converged, sat a long-lost fort. Its magic tower was disassembled and its walls were riddled with holes, but it was still better than the open fields.