Chapter 1457 - 1420: Smash Upward

Lincoln, in a daze, placed this parchment behind the first row at the castle gate, cautiously tracing over it with the [White Marker Wax Stone] in his hand, soon causing the parchment to glow white.

Behind this parchment, the Ember Knights ready to charge out the gate to crush, break, and scatter the enemies, just like always, were Sirius, Hazel’s Soul Body, and Maria, all geared up and poised.

Outside the wooden castle gate, five hundred White Rose Knights were shouting uproariously, with fireballs exploding and magic flying, mingling with screams and angry roars of humans.

They indeed had approached the castle gate, and at this moment, the latch blocking the gate was subjected to a series of ’clang, clang, clang,’ hammering, causing clouds of dust to fall from the arches of the gate opening.

After Lincoln finished drawing the Summoning Talisman, he immediately retreated, while the white light on the talisman coalesced for three to four seconds.

Covered entirely in plate armor with a flaming red cloak billowing at his back, the Knight with Losric’s diamond pattern slowly materialized, brandishing a specter of a Greatsword.

According to Lincoln’s observation, although this Greatsword was not as awe-inspiring as his own lord’s world-famous [Muddy Stream·Destruction], it was a weapon that normal humans could never wield.

This indeed justified Klimte’s words: when it comes to breaking formations and crushing enemies, such a fierce persona truly has no match.

Within those three to four seconds, the knight had completely solidified into a Soul Body, a dull inquiry emerging from beneath the shiny helmet.

"Eh? Did Lann summon me?"

Simultaneously, the castle gate’s latch burst open, swinging inward and outward!

The White Rose Knights surged in, screaming for battle and slaughter!

With the momentum of breaking through the gate, they swung their weapons intensely forward!

This is one strategy in siege warfare; typically after breaching the gate comes close-quarters combat with the castle gate’s prepared defenses.

Being first to strike offers the advantage of first move.

But this time, there was no one behind the castle gate... The closest distance held only one Soul Body.

"Damn! They called me now?!"

The current Knight Captain of the Losric Knight Order, Lorenzo.

Initially unconsidered, he was pulled over at just the right time to withstand the pressure!

Facing the scene where, upon opening his eyes, he was met with a barrage of swords, war hammers, axes, and spears being thrust at him, he cried out angrily.

Then... "Hoo!"

The Power of Soul surged and enveloped his whole body! The blades and spears striking the armor of the Losric Knight only yielded a solid ’crack,’ without leaving any dent on the metal’s surface!

A white supernatural afterimage was drawn from Lorenzo’s movement trajectory!

[Combat Skills·Arrow Step]!

With a loud explosive ’swish,’ the knights charging in were like stalks sliced by a scythe! Amidst the splashing of blood, tearing of metal armor, and scattering of limbs, they were severed in two!

Even the castle gate obstructing the sword’s path, still partially open, was directly split with a ’bang!’ though it was easily two fists thick and reinforced with iron!

Lorenzo continued with anger and confusion, but Sirius and Maria had already dashed through the space he cleared!

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"Is it his intestine that’s ruptured? Can you help? Tishaya and Margaret said your skills are good."

Lann pressed a Male Warlock’s right abdomen in a garden already disordered and ruinous from battle, speaking swiftly and calmly to Matty Soderlind.

This tone undoubtedly caused the witch to regain some semblance of reason.

"I can, I can!"

She hurried over with disheveled hair, kneeling beside the wounded, her hands glowing with magic.

"This, is this Caduin? Who shot him?"

Matty Soderlind, runs a clinic in Gos Velen, though Lann had not met her before tonight, despite her being the primary surgeon in Triss’s skin graft surgery.

Recognized among the Female Warlocks, this warlock specializes in medicine, and her libido is notably high, even among her peers.

In Lann’s presence, she often couldn’t maintain her spellcasting finesse.

According to Lann’s observations, this was true.

She probably received notice from Philippa to go to Gastang Palace as a witness for the judgment.

However, not long ago, amid the chaos, she was probably still having sex with someone in the academy’s corridors.

Even now, although greatly panicked, she still blushed, and a reflective sheen of thin sweat was on her skin.

Ultimately, life and death, the sudden outbreak of rebellion and slaughter, hold great intimidation.

Matty managed to stabilize Caduin’s wound, proving her skill in medical magic.

"Squirrel Faction," Caduin answered Matty’s previous question with difficulty and alarm, "Don’t go to Gastang Palace, Matty! It’s fighting over there! Both sides are equally wicked!"

"A few hours ago, Philippa just put Demon-Blocking Gold shackles on a group, wanting to judge them! Viggo Fortez and Francisca directly brought the Squirrel Faction to the island! They simply want us all dead!"

"Explain, Caduin."

Lann pursued.

"Don’t ask now!" Matty nearly screamed at Lann. "Help me hold him still, I can’t pull out the arrowhead alone!"

Caduin let out a muffled groan; Lann’s surgical techniques were crisp and efficient, and he had already handled the arrowhead.

"We, we need to get to Luoxia Palace, then teleport out immediately!"

The pain whitened Caduin’s lips, and they trembled continuously, making it hard for him to speak clearly.

"It’s too late to say anything! The war has already started, don’t you understand?"

"Philippa caused this mess just to give the kings an excuse to start a war with Niflgaard! Demavi and Miv have already provoked! It’s a done deal!"

"Gastang Palace? Fighting?" Matty doubted, "But there’s a magic-restricting array there! Are they beating each other up with fists?"

"I don’t know! I don’t know!" Caduin shouted in pain and frustration, uncertain if it was due to physical agony or mental despair.

"Viggo Fortez... He suddenly... Anyway, he can cast spells! He can totally use magic!"

"Later, Tishaya was clearly startled, but she responded quickly enough to lift the magic-restricting array, at least allowing everyone to cast spells. That’s how I got a chance to escape!"

"Everyone was fighting, Viggo Fortez with Tranowa, while Tishaya was with Gedemitis on the other side! My god! Can you believe it? Gedemitis and Tishaya couldn’t bring him down! Tranowa is purely a worthless addition!"

"What about Margaret? Triss?" Lann suddenly asked.

"They’re fighting too, but I couldn’t see clearly who they were fighting against. Francisca should be inside, or who else could stop Margaret?"

"The pillar collapsed, and the dome crumbled... They directly flew the Squirrel Faction’s ship into the sky and smashed it into here!"

"We declared Kovir’s neutral status, but Viggo Fortez just laughed! Before we could release protective spells, Dresem was shot in the eye, and Ricky was hit with arrows like a hedgehog!"

"We have to leave, Matty! Quickly!"

"But you’re in no condition to move! We can only open a teleportation gate here!" The female warlock was on the verge of tears.

"Open it here?" Caduin’s face turned ashen. "Inside Tor Laura, the uncontrolled teleportation gate will distort teleportation magic, crush us into pulp! No, no... You go, Matty. I seem to be dying here."

The female warlock who had just been intimate somewhere else sniffed but didn’t escape downwards, instead continuing to suppress Caduin’s wounds.

"No, you both stay here." Lann calmly said, wiping away the waste that had spilled out when Caduin’s intestines broke earlier. "The Squirrel Faction below should be all dead, and the remnants above won’t last long."

"Stay here, it will end."

After speaking, he swiftly started moving towards the top of the island.

The intelligence obtained from Caduin’s mouth earlier kept him from blindly rushing into the fierce magic battlefield.

Regardless, since even neutral Kovir Mages are being killed, Viggo Fortez must have forced Philippa, who was not originally trusted within the wizard’s inner circle, to be trusted.

Even the boldest, most malicious guesses about Philippa would suggest she only wants to find a chance to eliminate dissenters within the warlock group, but Viggo Fortez is clearly determined to wipe everyone out!

And he is almost succeeding!

By the time Lann arrived at the base of Gastang Palace’s tower, it had only been about ten minutes since the Squirrel Faction’s ship hit the island.

Yet even so, this towering tower was already close to being beaten down!

The top of Gastang Palace, meanwhile, looked like a candle with tears of wax flowing down! Yet outside there were no traces of flames.

The high temperature that melted stones had passed.

A dense small patch of dark cloud, pulled by some warlock, was atop the tower, pouring rain violently over this small area.

But it can be imagined; the wizards still fighting inside probably have a set of protective spell each, and the building’s layout inside must also be deformed under high temperatures!

Meanwhile, Lann looked at the rain-cloud and whispered, ’Fool.’

First high heat, then sudden cold; this tower is probably going to crumble! Who knows when it will completely collapse!

And the warlocks are still inside battling, dragging each other down unable to escape!

"Mentos, structural force analysis, material strength analysis, temperature distribution analysis."

"Visualizing... Scan complete, analysis complete, transmission underway, uploaded."

In just a moment, a massive data transfer occurred between human consciousness and the bio-computer information stream.

The entire tower was marked with complex analysis lines in his vision.

Then he unhesitatingly, externally appeared to immediately land at the base of the tower, the next moment clenching his fist, smashing on one wall!

"Bang!!"

The sound of exploding rocks breaking and collapsing.

Lann’s precise control created a hole in the stone wall.

The internal structure of the building was already burnt beyond recognition... he needed to smash upwards layer by layer!