The first wave of the attack consisted entirely of conscripted Militia organized by the various nobles. Their purpose was to wear down the enemy’s defenses.
This wasn’t heartless, but a necessary sacrifice. If some had to serve as cannon fodder, then it was only natural to prioritize preserving one’s own elite troops.
So, even when their own Casters had the Southern Border Guard Army pinned down on the walls, forcing them to keep their heads down, the battle was still strangely at a stalemate.
This led to the awkward situation where even if a Sword and Shield Warrior managed to get onto the walls, they would be beaten back in the space of a few dozen heartbeats at most.
But this stalemate was about to end.
"Brother-in-law, quick, look over there!" Mier shouted excitedly, shading his eyes with a hand.
"Well now, they’re finally bringing out the heavy hitters!"
Levi tossed aside his sunflower seed shells and pulled out the spyglass tucked into the small of his back, watching with relish through the lens.
Through the lens, several thousand paces from the wall, column after column of fully armed Samurai advanced in lockstep.
The Lord even spotted a group of Heavy Armor Warriors among them, each over two *ren* tall. They were clad in exceptionally fine and heavy Soder Plate Armor that covered them from head to toe. Only a pair of deep, cold eyes, soul-piercing in their intensity, could be seen through the narrow slits of their visors.
They looked like living statues.
"They’re the Mastiff Men!" Liya exclaimed, spotting the golden tails hanging behind the Iron Armor Guards. "This is another one of my aunt Fulina’s Samurai corps, second in fame only to the Panda Warriors."
"Now *those* are some impressive Warriors!"
An emotion called jealousy tore mercilessly at the Lord’s heart. The sourness in his tone was sharp enough to corrode solid Orihalcos to dust.
He had already lost countless nights of sleep to jealousy over the Panda People, with their mastery of Qi and superb Martial Arts. Now, there were Mastiff Men to contend with.
Judging by their presence alone, it was clear these Samurai weren’t just for show. They were the absolute cream of the crop.
The giant leg bones of some unknown beast slung over their shoulders were enough to strike fear into any heart.
"Looks like the Duchess is getting impatient. She’s sending in the Mastiff Men to test the waters."
Monvert voiced what everyone was thinking.
If you just keep sending ordinary soldiers up to die, morale is bound to run out. So, at the right moment, it’s only natural to deploy your elite troops to keep up the pressure.
Then again, the enemy Guard Army’s resistance wasn’t as fierce as they had imagined. Even the conscripted Militia were managing to get onto the walls.
If they had used more elite troops from the start, they might have been able to end this in one fell swoop.
Levi shook his head. ’This so-called renowned general of the Southern Territory, Cross, isn’t all that. Even ordinary soldiers can make it onto his walls. How is he going to handle the true power we’re about to unleash?’
Although he was ostracized by the northern nobles and officers, he wasn’t lacking for intel. He knew the city was being defended by an Old Marquis named Cross, a Legendary general and a graduate of the military academy.
The battles he had fought in were terrifyingly famous. His most well-known feat was likely repelling an army of ten thousand Lizardmen with only eight hundred men.
Back then, the northern officers had all been wary, fearing he might pull some wildly unconventional tactic.
That’s why they had played it safe and steady. But so far, all Levi had seen were defenses that were competent, yes, but hardly the work of a master strategist. ’If this is all it takes to be called a renowned general,’ he scoffed to himself, ’then I, Lord Li, could easily claim that title.’
"Levi, arrogance is the greatest of vices," Monvert said, his face stern, trying to correct the Lion Hunter Knight’s dangerous line of thinking. "I don’t know what Marquis Cross is planning, but his reputation is most certainly not for show."
He had met the Marquis before and had been deeply impressed by some of his military theories. This was no fraud who was merely coasting on his reputation.
The Lord was about to retort when a collective gasp cut him off. He followed their gaze.
"Holy shit!"
The sight that met his eyes made Levi curse out loud, and in that instant, everything clicked into place.
They were just a series of unremarkable earthen mounds. Set far from the main battlefield, they were completely deserted. The only thing of note was their proximity to the Ice and Snow Mages, who were floating in the sky as they performed their Casting.
How close? So close that the Lord figured he could probably hit them with his eyes closed.
But the view was wide and unobstructed. You could clearly make out every blade of grass on those mounds. No one was concerned about soldiers appearing there to threaten the Casting Corps—unless the enemy could materialize them out of thin air.
But in that instant, the ground parted like Moses splitting the Red Sea. A massive earthen platform erupted from below, bearing more than a dozen gleaming Bed Crossbows. Soldiers in Armor identical to that of the Black Stone Castle Guard Army released the triggers, their cold gazes fixed on the Ice and Snow Mages as if they were already dead.
It was obvious now. The renowned general, Cross, hadn’t been idle at all. He had been setting this up for who knows how long, and his target was clear: the enemy Casters.
Their position was only four or five hundred paces from the Casting Corps. And with the Mages huddled together like frightened chicks, the first volley’s accuracy was terrifyingly high.
THWIP! THWIP! THWIP!
Dozens of Crossbow Arrows, their Arrowheads forged from a special metal, flew straight for the Ice and Snow Mages.
The sharp twang of the bowstrings made every heart skip a beat.
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter