City of Sin

Book 5, 64

My King

The snake-like stab never made it to Richard’s body. As the saint assassin finally revealed himself, looking no different from an ordinary local soldier, all he saw was the cold face of a girl in white leather armour, looking like a wounded lone wolf that was eyeing its prey.

A stunned expression crossed the man’s eyes. He had barely noticed the young woman getting in the way of his strike, but there had been no way to shift his blade in time. Looking at that blunt expression that revealed neither anger nor pain, he felt a shiver run down his spine. This was someone of the same kind as him, but far more cruel and brutal.

The saint tried to retract his sword by instinct, but it just wouldn’t move. The girl had grabbed the weapon with her left hand, blood staining the blade.

What, then, was her right hand doing? This question barely bubbled up in the man’s mind before the Shepherd of Eternal Rest swung forth, almost invisible to the naked eye. Her wrist seemed to just flick across, the blade leaving no trace as it flitted across his neck, but the next moment his head suddenly shot into the sky and fell a dozen metres away! Blood spurted out like a fountain!

However, the red-skinned locals only grew more ferocious at the sight. They didn’t know that this was a saint, and far too many of their companions had been killed already for another to make a difference. On the other hand, one of the enemies had been injured gravely and they now had a chance to kill her!

Several spears stabbed towards Waterflower at the same time. She tried to raise her sword to defend, but her body suddenly shook and the Shepherd of Eternal Rest fell back down. The full-power blow of a saint assassin was no small problem; it was a wonder she could even stand.

In the face of the swords and spears, Waterflower’s eyes just flashed with an odd mix of loneliness and satisfaction. However, a familiar roar caused her gaze to fill with light once more.

“DROP DEAD!” Gangdor fell from above, crashing into two soldiers with his knees even as his giant axe swept out horizontally to block all attacks. The sickening crack of bones under him caused him to break out in a grin.

Richard finally turned around, seeing the sword embedded within Waterflower’s abdomen. His eyes suddenly narrowed as he gazed deep into her eyes for a moment, his own filling with further madness. “TAKE CARE OF HER!” he screamed to Gangdor before continuing to rush ahead.

A wave of blood swept past the Resting Orchid Plane in the middle of the night, led by a magical orb that served as a lighthouse in the darkness. Richard didn’t know how long it took, but he suddenly felt the pressure starting to wane. By the time he regained full control and looked around, all he saw was his followers and knights around him, with a brightly lit fortress visible in the distance. His gaze focused for a moment, revealing numerous heavily armed soldiers rushing a scorpion out for battle.

He suddenly looked down, only to find the Unpassable Wall below his feet.

“My King, what should we do now?” a rune knight asked beside him, head bowed and one knee on the floor.

Seeing this one knight, everyone else assumed the same position. Outside of those still guarding from the few reckless enemies remaining, even his followers went down one after the other while facing his direction. The elite shadowspears had only rudimentary intelligence, but after a moment they too fell to the floor with a synchronised plop. Flowsand snuck a tongue out at Richard from a hidden angle before getting down on a knee herself. Nyra had already gone down before, and Io reluctantly followed despite his surprise.

In only a few moments, Richard was the only one left standing on the Unpassable Wall, a veritable river of blood flowing from the numerous wounds on his body while the ball of light still floated above his head. He suddenly understood that he finally had the recognition of the Archerons. He had declared himself the patriarch back at Blackrose Castle, but only with this victory was he truly their king.

For a moment, he stood rooted in place. It felt like his entire body had caught aflame, and not just because of the endless wounds. His mana had been exhausted to the point that the dryness was more unbearable than the pain, and his breath reeked of thick blood from his own internal organs. He could fall at any time.

And yet, he was more confident than ever in his strength. He truly felt like the ruler of the world. It was only now that he understood just why the thirteen knights would work under Gaton despite the low salary. It wasn’t purely because of their relationship, but because he would lead the charge at the forefront and they could follow.

“My King, what should we do now?” the rune knight asked again.

This time, Richard had the energy to respond, “Send a signal to the Blood Paladin, we’re commencing the attack!”

Lina launched a beautiful fireball hundreds of metres into the night sky, the explosion so bright that one could see it for dozens of kilometres.

......

Stationed on the other end of the bridge, Senma was standing quietly in the dark. The countless warriors behind her were like wolves thirsting for prey, waiting for the moment they would be unleashed. When the fireball bloomed high in the sky, a crimson glow appeared on the tip of her lance as she raised it up high. Energy seemed to ebb and flow as it gathered at this tip, the glow growing brighter and denser until it looked like flowing blood. And then...

*BOOM!* A loud explosion rocked the bridge as the lance pointed forward, directing the soldiers towards the Unpassable Wall. A dull war drum started ringing out in the rear, boosting morale as the warriors rushed forward to meet the enemies they had been fighting for the longest time.

The darkness was ripped apart by magical light as numerous orbs of magic shot down at the charging Norlanders, but Senma’s mages quickly dulled the impact of these attacks. The entire mage legion was focused on buffing or protecting the soldiers instead of wasting mana on the enemy’s powerful magic defences. Fireballs and orbs of frost crashed down right in the middle of the charging formation, but they couldn’t display even half of their intended power. Even worse, the defenders found that the invaders’ armour had been completely replaced with intricate, sturdy sets.

Senma slowed down at first, sighing in relief, but then her horse suddenly picked up speed and she turned into a flash of crimson lightning that tore through the enemy lines. She was the very first one at the fortress gates, screaming loudly as she jumped straight into the battlements and disrupted the archers. Her sprinting horse couldn’t bring itself to a stop, crashing so hard into the gates that it was left with broken bones.

The other powerhouses of the army quickly followed, but contrary to expectations the resistance was quite weak. They quickly cleaned up the guards before opening the gate, allowing the rest of their side to continue marching forward.

A deep screech suddenly rang through the battlefield, and the experienced veterans immediately started to shiver. They knew that this was the sound of a ballista loading, something even saints wouldn’t want to meet head-on. Some even found the source of the noise, looking at a huge ballista aimed at the melee.

It was too late... This idea crossed all of the soldiers’ hearts in an instant. However, they immediately immersed themselves back into the battle, leaving their life and death to fate. The ballistae would definitely kill more locals because of the melee, but these fanatics wouldn’t mind trading multiple lives for the death of a single Norlander. The lucky ones lived and the unlucky ones died. That was just war.

However, as the bolt whistled through the air and a loud scream enveloped the battlefield, the Archerons’ eyes went wide in surprise. The death had not been a Norlander, but a guardian on the second line of defence. The bolt had been shot from the Unpassable Wall!

Richard jumped off the ballista, pulling out both of his blades which had been buried into the ground, “Now, let’s show them the abyss!”

A thunderous buzz rang out from the Unpassable Wall as black-armoured knights climbed up and blocked it from end to end. With the gate locked, the only way out for those in the rest of the fortress was to run up the wall or jump off the bridge. Right now, both meant certain death.

The thin row of figures was being attacked from both sides, but they just painted the walls with more blood. They looked to be few in numbers, but the ball of light was still shining brightly in the night.

The Unpassable Wall had fallen.