Chapter 169 : Chapter 169

Chapter 169. Collapse at the First Touch

Time ‍​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‍slowly passed during the march.

As ‍​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‍the army continued advancing deeper into the heart of the occupied Western Frontier, several Frontier Lords along the way joined them with their limited forces.

Most ‍​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‍of them were assigned to relatively safe logistical positions.

This ‍​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‍was both protection and in line with their role within the entire operational system.

On ‍​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‍the third day, the army finally entered the region that had been thoroughly ravaged by Federation forces.

Villages ‍​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‍had been reduced to scorched earth, the fields lay barren, and collapsed houses and scattered white bones could occasionally be seen.

The surroundings became increasingly withered and ruined. After witnessing this scene, the expressions on the Western Frontier soldiers’ faces grew even darker, and the veins bulged on the backs of the hands gripping their weapons.

They could not forgive, and they absolutely would not forgive, the cruel deeds the Federation people had committed against their homeland and their compatriots.

The flames of revenge burned silently in every pair of eyes.

After marching for another stretch, the outline of a city gradually became clear on the distant horizon.

Its walls towered high, far surpassing those of an ordinary city, like a silent giant beast crouching upon the wasteland.

“Ahead is Kael City,” Marquess Mellon Winterbourne said, reining in his horse as he spoke to Eli beside him.

His gaze swept over that fortified city, then landed on Eli.

“Eli, you are the vanguard, so this battle will begin with you. Do not disappoint me. I and the main force will hold position here and be ready to support you at any time.”

“Understood, Lord Marquess.” Eli nodded solemnly.

He said no more and abruptly squeezed his horse’s sides, rushing toward the very front of the formation.

There, the six hundred elite soldiers under his command from Obsidian Territory, as well as the five hundred vanguard soldiers of the Winterbourne Family temporarily placed under his command, had long since been waiting in strict formation.

The necessary siege equipment, such as battering rams and siege ladders, had also been prepared.

Eli rode back and forth before the formation, his gaze sweeping over one face after another, some resolute, some nervous, and some filled with battle intent.

He abruptly drew Silver from his waist, the sword tip pointing straight toward Kael City.

“Brothers! The moment to test our loyalty and strength has arrived! Ahead lies the beginning of our glory!

Use the enemy’s blood to wash away the Western Frontier’s humiliation! Follow me—charge!”

“Oh—!”

“Pendragon!”

A heaven-shaking roar erupted instantly!

The moment Eli’s words fell, Wolfgang let out a heart-shaking wolf howl.

Taking the lead, he brought the fiercest Wolf-kin warriors under his command and charged toward the city wall like beasts released from their cages.

They ran on all fours with astonishing speed, their fur whipping in the wind, their eyes flashing with bloodthirsty light.

Captain Buck was likewise unwilling to fall behind. He roared.

“Soldiers of Obsidian Territory! Follow me closely! For the lord! For the Western Frontier!”

He led the elite Black Crow Knights and the following infantry formation, surging toward the city like a black tide, fierce beyond compare.

At this moment, the Winterbourne Family’s soldiers were also infected by this ferocious charging momentum. They erupted into roars one after another and charged forward unwilling to fall behind.

“Charge!”

“For Winterbourne!”

“Avenge our dead brothers!”

The roars of more than a thousand men gathered into a terrifying wave of sound that swept toward Kael City.

At the same time, atop Kael City’s walls,

a man who looked like an officer responsible for lookout duty naturally noticed the tide-like force sweeping over from the distance, as well as the deafening battle cries.

He leaned over the battlement in terror, his face instantly turning deathly pale.

“They came this quickly?! Hurry! Hurry and have everyone come to the walls! Go notify…”

His roar abruptly stopped.

A cold arrow, like the whisper of death, pierced his throat with perfect precision.

His eyes widened, and disbelief and terror froze on his face. His body swayed, then powerlessly toppled from the wall more than ten meters high, landing with a dull thud.

“My lord!”

“Enemy attack! It is an enemy attack! Gather! Gather quickly!”

“Archers! Shoot! Shoot quickly!”

The defenders on the wall instantly fell into chaos, terrified shouts rising one after another.

In the distance, Eli sat steadily on his warhorse and slowly lowered the recurve bow in his hand, his expression calm.

He reached out and once again drew three armor-piercing arrows from his quiver, nocking them onto the bowstring.

The soldiers behind him erupted into enormous cheers, and their morale instantly climbed to its peak.

“Divine archery!”

“Lord Eli!”

What answered their cheers was the rain of arrows the Kael City defenders organized in their panic.

Most of these arrows had lost their accuracy, and their force was uneven.

“Raise shields!” Buck’s steady voice rang through the forward formation.

The well-trained soldiers immediately obeyed the order by instinct, raising the shields in their hands one after another and linking them tightly to form a moving shield wall.

The clanging sounds were like sudden rain striking lotus leaves. The vast majority of arrows were deflected or blocked by the sturdy shields.

Only a few unlucky soldiers were struck through gaps in the shield wall, their uncovered arms or legs hit by arrows, causing them to let out muffled groans.

As for the Wolf-kin warriors led by Wolfgang, they displayed their astonishing physical superiority even more.

They did not even need shields. The hastily fired arrows struck their thick, tough fur and muscles, yet most were unable to pierce through.

The impacts merely made their charging steps pause slightly and produced a few muffled sounds like metal clashing, after which they continued charging forward with even greater ferocity.

In the blink of an eye, Wolfgang and the fastest Wolf-kin warriors had already reached the foot of the city wall like a whirlwind.

The main force led by Buck followed closely behind.

“Set the ladders!” Buck ordered sharply. Fortunately, he had always conducted strict training for all kinds of combat situations.

Under the cover of shields, the soldiers moved quickly and orderly, placing one heavy siege ladder after another against the city wall.

On the city wall, a burly officer who looked like a squad captain grew even more anxious when he saw this.

He shouted at a panicked soldier beside him, “Where are the men?! Where are the reinforcements?! Has someone gone to report this?!”

The soldier’s voice trembled. “My lord, someone has already gone!

But… but even if reinforcements arrive, there will only be a few hundred men… There are nearly a thousand men below! We might as well…”

Before he could finish his words of surrender or retreat, a fierce light flashed in the officer’s eyes. He abruptly drew the saber at his waist and beheaded him with one slash!

The spraying blood dyed the surrounding wall bricks red.

“Coward! Hofgard warriors only die in battle. There is no retreat!”

The officer raised his bloodstained saber and roared at the somewhat wavering soldiers around him.

“All of you, hold! Stones! Rolling logs! Throw down everything that can be thrown! Smash these Western Frontier dogs to death!”

Relying on this bloody suppression and incitement, the defenders on the wall barely maintained their crumbling morale.

They began struggling to throw the stones and rolling logs stacked atop the wall downward.

However, this brief resistance was soon broken again.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Three sharp arrows tore through the air from the distance almost simultaneously.

They pierced with absolute precision through the throats or faces of three defending soldiers who were lifting stones and leaning out from the wall.

They did not even manage to scream before falling backward.

“My lord! They have a sharpshooter! Extremely accurate!” A soldier shrank back behind the battlement in terror, no longer daring to show his head.

In this brief opening, when the defenders had been suppressed by Eli’s archery and dared not easily reveal themselves, Wolfgang seized the chance.

He roared, and his powerful hind legs erupted with astonishing strength.

Stepping on a siege ladder that was still swaying slightly, he made several swift and violent leaps and was actually the first to vault onto the top of the wall!

The moment he landed, his sharp claws flashed out like lightning, directly impaling a nearby soldier who had tried to thrust a spear at him, piercing straight through both man and armor.

After that, he no longer held anything back. His powerful Gold Tier aura erupted with a boom!

Like a wolf entering a flock of sheep, his claws swept out and raised sprays of blood and carnage, instantly clearing the defenders from a small area around him!

“Lord Wolfgang has gone up!”

“The breach is open! Hurry and follow!”

The soldiers below the city let out deafening cheers, their morale soaring!

More soldiers began climbing fiercely upward along the siege ladders.

The officer who had killed the deserter looked at Wolfgang, who was slaughtering in all directions on the city wall and whom no one could stop. His brows furrowed tightly, and the flesh on his face twitched.

He threw aside his saber and picked up a heavy double-bladed battle-axe from the ground, roaring as he charged toward Wolfgang.

“Damned beast! Barton, gladiator of Hofgard, will fight you!”

At this moment, more and more Pendragon soldiers had already climbed onto the wall through the breach Wolfgang had opened.

Buck also led several Black Crow Knights and agilely vaulted over the battlement.

At a glance, Buck saw the powerful figure wielding a giant axe and charging toward him with murderous momentum.

He pushed aside a young knight who intended to step forward and protect him, saying calmly,

“I will handle this.”

Facing Barton, who came roaring at him, Buck’s expression remained unchanged.

He merely slowly drew the longsword Eli had given him.

The instant the blade left the sheath, a cold, razor-sharp aura seemed to freeze the air around them.

“Get lost, do not block my—” Barton’s roar abruptly stopped.

A sword energy as dark as ink swept past soundlessly like a crescent moon.

Barton’s forward charge suddenly froze, and the ferocity on his face hardened.

In the next moment, a thin line of blood appeared down the center of his forehead, rapidly spreading downward through the bridge of his nose, his lips, his chin, his chest…

Pshhh—

Blood sprayed out like a waterfall. His body was actually split neatly in two from head to toe by that sword energy.

His organs and blood spilled loudly across the ground.

The lingering force of the sword energy did not diminish in the slightest, and it also cut several defenders behind him who had failed to dodge in time cleanly in half at the waist!

The city wall instantly fell into dead silence. Whether defenders or the Pendragon soldiers who had just climbed onto the wall, all were stunned by that terrifying sword strike.

Nearby, one of the Black Crow Knights looked at Buck and said in surprise,

“Captain Buck, you… have grown stronger.”

Buck sheathed his sword, his expression still calm, as though he had merely done something insignificant.

“Focus. Eliminate the enemy,” he said in a deep voice.

“Yes!” The surrounding soldiers woke as though from a dream, erupting with even fiercer battle intent as they charged toward the remaining defenders.

With Wolfgang and Buck, two Gold Tier powerhouses, serving as the spearhead, along with the Black Crow Knights following closely behind and the elite soldiers continuously climbing onto the wall,

this siege battle practically became a one-sided crushing.

The defenders’ resistance rapidly collapsed, and they began to flee.

At this time, Eli also personally climbed onto the city wall. He swung Silver, and wherever the sword light flashed, defenders inevitably fell.

“Occupy the city gate! Open it!” he loudly ordered, leading a squad of soldiers toward the gate tower.

Far away, before Marquess Winterbourne’s main formation, Viscount Felman narrowed his eyes and carefully watched the battle atop Kael City’s wall.

When he saw that the attacking side on the city wall had clearly gained an absolute advantage, an expression of disbelief appeared on his face.

With some uncertainty, he turned back to Marquess Mellon and said,

“Lord Mellon… that Viscount Eli… his men… seem to have already… broken into the city?”