In the command tent outside Tower City, Rafael leaned forward over the desk, his tall figure tense with excitement. His eyes shone brightly, like stars in the night sky.
“Send the order: we will launch a major attack at dawn. Once we capture llyrian, we’ll have plenty of food, meat, warm clothes, blankets, and all the supplies we need. The Westhaven forces are rich, and have brought tons of supplies to the Southern Frontier.”
At the mention of meat, everyone’s eyes lit up. Rafael’s forces had been enduring hunger for too long: they were eager to devour anything they could get their hands on!
Unfurling a map, Rafael pointed to a small circle on Ilyrian, and called Carissa forward. He indicated the circle with a slender, dark finger.
Ommander Sinclair. After we breach the city, you will take three thousand troops straight to Serene District. The supplies will be stockpiled there. Sandoria and Westhaven have many wounded, so they will prioritize moving them first once the city falls. Supplies come second to them because they still have plenty in Simonton. However, we are in dire need.”
Everyone now understood why Rafael had focused on creating as many casualties as possible in the previous battle, rather than just defeating the enemy.
On the battlefield, he never showed any mercy.
At sixteen, he was granted the title of the Hell Monarch. Every strike he made was intended to take lives- how could he be merciful?
Carissa felt a surge of excitement. Food, meat, armor, warm clothes, blankets–these were all supplies their forces desperately needed!
“I’ll make sure the mission is completed!” Carissa said confidently.
“If three thousand soldiers aren’t enough, I can give you five thousand or even seven thousand. Just tell me how many men you need,” Rafael said.
Carissa examined the terrain on the map. Serene District was located to the west of the city, and there were no complicated alleys. They could make a swift push to protect the supply depot.
“No need, three thousand will be enough,” she said with certainty.
Rafael approved her decision, then said to the rest, “Aside from Commander Carissa, the rest will with me to eliminate the enemy and drive them out of llyrian.”
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Realizing that capturing the city might be challenging, Carissa asked, “Do you have a plan for the siege, Marshal?”
Rafael answered straightforwardly, “No plan–it will be just a brute force assault!”
That night, they assessed everyone capable of the Lightfoot Skill. It wasn’t enough just to know the skill- they needed to be well–versed enough to leap up to the city towers of Ilyrian City.
Twelve crossbow machines were on top of the city towers, positioned high to target the attacking soldiers. Each crossbow could shoot eighteen arrows at once, and there were also sacred firearms.
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Though they could only fire once at a time, they posed a significant threat to the attacking forces. The Starhaven forces needed experts to fly up to the city towers, quickly destroy the crossbows, and seize the sacred firearms. The rest of the attackers could then proceed with brute force.
Waiting for reinforcements to attack the city would be much safer, but they couldn’t afford to wait without food. To capture the city and survive, they needed to secure the supplies.
Many in the army could use the Lightfoot Skill, but few could reach the high city towers and quickly destroy the enemy’s crossbow machines.
Carissa and her group could do it, as could Timothy, Owen, and Dylan, Rafael could certainly handle it too.
“Whoever completes their mission first must immediately open the city gates. The others will cover you. I will provide you with the best armor,” Rafael said.
He looked directly at Carissa, clearly placing great expectations on her.
As the marshal leading the charge, he would become the primary target. The soldiers on the city towers would focus their attacks on him. After all, taking his head would be worth a fortune to them.
If the marshal fell, it would be like the deaths of Hector and the junior generals of old. Sandoria would seize the opportunity to overrun all the Southern Frontier’s territory.
In short, if Rafael were to fall, the many cities they had captured would be swiftly overrun by Sandoria and Westhaven’s forces.
However, Rafael’s participation in the battle also gave Carissa and her team a significant opportunity.
