Rafael acted decisively, immediately ordering the troops to prepare. By midnight, the war drums began to beat, and the attack horns sounded.
Today was only the first day of the siege, and the Westhaven–Sandoria coalition inside llyrian would never expect a second assault in the early morning hours.
The crossbow machines were activated, and archers took their positions. Though bonfires lighted the city walls, Starhaven’s attacking forces remained hidden.
It was like they were out in the open under the light, while the Hell Monarch’s army pushed forward from the shadows.
Carissa and her team moved swiftly toward the city gate on horseback. As they neared the city, they used their momentum to leap into the air, charging up to the city towers. Carissa’s Rose Spear pierced through the soldiers controlling the crossbow machines, and then she shattered the machines with a single blow. The archers aimed at her, but Rafael quickly soared up, his golden armor gleaming in the firelight.
Someone shouted, “It’s the Hell Monarch! Kill him! Kill him!”
All the archers turned their bows toward Rafael, unleashing a storm of arrows. Rafael spun his golden blade, deflecting wave after wave of arrows.
A group of soldiers rushed in, attacking Rafael with their swords.
Seeing this, Carissa and her team quickly destroyed the crossbow machines. The five of them then jumped down, and opened the city gates.
Two people opened the gates, while the other three provided cover. Amidst the chaos of swords and spears, the gates were finally opened. The swift and unexpected attack left the coalition forces unable to react in time.
Even Liam, who was still asleep, was startled awake by reports of the Hell Monarch’s army attacking again.
He merely scoffed, “Again? This is a joke. Just shoot arrows to scare them away.”
“No, Marshal, they’ve broken in!”
“The Hell Monarch’s army is inside the city!”
“The gates have been opened!”
The alarming shouts made Liam leap out of bed. He quickly donned his armor and grabbed his sword before rushing out.
He exchanged a glance with Victor, whose eyes revealed a hint of disdain.
Liam was furious. “Your men were guarding the gates and they didn’t even notice the enemy’s assault? This is ridiculous!”
Victor had long been annoyed with Liam, but after years of battles with Rafael, he had lost many troops and faced severe supply shortages. Without Westhaven’s help, they would have eventually lost llyrian and Simonton.
+15 BONUS
Though frustrated, Victor had to keep his composure “Stop talking and get moving! Pass the order, and prepare to deal with the enemies!”
With the war drums sounding, the Hell Monarch’s army, numbering just two hundred thousand, clashed with the coalition’s nearly five hundred thousand troops.
Carissa trusted that Rafael had a strategy behind this risky move, so she focused on her task–guarding the supply depot and preventing the enemy from setting them on fire if they retreated.
Before dawn, Bun carried a torch and ran for about half an hour before arriving at Serene District, where the supply depot was located.
A small force guarded the supply depot, and Carissa gave the order, “Attack!”
She charged in first. With a swift swing of the Rose Spear, she struck the vital arteries of the enemy soldiers. Her master had taught her that hitting this spot could cause rapid death due to severe blood loss.
The enemy had no chance to counterattack. The supply depot’s defenders were only a few hundred. With three thousand troops against them, the supply depot was quickly taken,
Carissa entered the supply depot to find the food stacked like small mountains. The backyard was filled with meat, much of it frozen in the harsh cold. She uncovered some, salivating at the sight.
Realizing that the Hell Monarch’s army was hungry and likely to target the supply depot, the enemy sent twenty thousand soldiers as reinforcements.
Carissa and her troops defended the supply depot, with the main force being the five of them, especially Carissa herself.
The battle was fierce and bloody.
Against twenty thousand enemy soldiers, each of Carissa’s troops had to face about six opponents. After two hours of intense combat, most of the enemy was defeated, and the remainder fled..
Carissa’s forces, reduced to just over one thousand, had survived only because the five of them had given everything to eliminate most of the enemy.
No previous battles had been as exhausting as this one. They collapsed to the ground, still panting heavily, but they didn’t dare to relax.
