Chapter 519: Yuji The Dreg

Khalid stared into the chaos erupting above the capital, his expression becoming increasingly grim as the immense figures of Damian and Duke Dantalion disappeared beyond the clouds. They had risen so high that neither could be seen anymore, yet their battle remained impossible to ignore.

Every time their attacks collided, violent shockwaves rolled across the heavens and reached the city walls, making the massive stone structures tremble beneath their feet. Khalid tightened his grip around his weapon as another distant explosion echoed through the clouds.

"The outcome of this war completely depends on if his majesty can defeat Duke Dantalion." His voice was doubtful and heavy, revealing the concern he had been trying to suppress since the battle began.

Yuji remained beside him, his eerie voice calm despite the enormous army gathered beyond the walls.

"Lord Amon has faith in that human and has openly declared him the next demon lord... We can only have faith in him." Khalid frowned at the response but said nothing, instead shifting his attention toward the capital below.

Explosions continued to erupt between the buildings, entire sections of streets were being torn apart, and soldiers from Velmora fought desperately against Order members attempting to reach the gates.

The Order had clearly infiltrated the city in enormous numbers, and every passing second increased the possibility that they could overwhelm the defenders and open the gates for the army waiting outside.

"There should be at least a hundred thousand soldiers of the Order within this city. They may breach the gates soon." Khalid muttered with a deep frown, but Yuji’s back remained turned toward him as he stared at the massive army positioned beyond the walls.

"Your problem is your lack of faith in your allies... Lucy and the Prince of Kasok family have been tasked with keeping the capital safe, so why does their business still bother you when we have a two hundred thousand strong army outside our walls while he left only thirty thousand soldiers at our disposal to stop them?" Yuji said in his dry voice.

Khalid frowned at the blunt criticism, but after considering the situation for a moment, he slowly nodded. Yuji was right. Damian had deliberately divided his forces because he trusted the people he had placed in command. If Khalid and Yuji allowed themselves to become distracted by what was happening inside the capital, they would neglect the far greater threat standing directly before them.

Khalid returned his attention to the Order’s formation outside the walls and immediately noticed something that made his expression harden. The enemy army had established its artillery far beyond the effective range of Velmora’s Heaven Sundering Cannons.

"They are beyond the range of our Heaven Sundering Cannons..." Khalid said, his eyes narrowing as he studied the enormous siege weapons positioned behind the enemy formations.

Yuji followed his gaze and immediately understood the problem. "Yet we are within the range of their Devil Trebuchets... They can knock down these walls from a distance but we can’t reach them."

Khalid’s frown deepened. The walls of Velmora were enormous and reinforced with demonic arrays, but even the strongest defensive structure would eventually fall beneath sustained bombardment.

"That means we have no choice but to sally out and destroy those Devil Trebuchets and, if possible, the other artillery machines." Khalid said, his eyes fixed upon the distant siege line.

Before Yuji could respond, the captain commanding the soldiers stationed along the battlements approached them. His face was pale, and despite his attempts to maintain military discipline, fear was plainly visible in his eyes.

"My lord, I don’t think these walls can hold against their siege weapons. Shouldn’t we dismount before getting blown away along the tower?" he asked, glancing nervously toward the distant artillery.

Yuji regarded him for several seconds before calmly shifting his attention back toward Khalid.

"Protect the walls... I’ll handle the artillery weapons." The captain’s eyes widened slightly, but before he could ask what Yuji intended to do, a deep rumbling sound shook the battlements.

Brrrrrr!

Everyone looked toward the sky as a massive boulder engulfed in crimson flames came hurtling toward the walls. Its sheer size cast a shadow across the battlements, and behind it several more enormous projectiles were already being launched from the distant siege line.

Khalid and Yuji immediately recognized the danger. This was precisely why they needed to destroy the Devil Trebuchets. They could not allow the enemy to continuously bombard the walls while their forces remained trapped behind them.

Thud!

Khalid suddenly leapt from the battlements and disappeared into the city below. For a brief moment nothing happened, then the ground behind the walls began trembling violently. A colossal sand construct erupted from the earth, its enormous body rising dozens of meters above the already massive walls. Its gigantic hands reached toward the incoming meteor and caught it directly between its palms.

BOOOOOOM!

The impact released a tremendous shockwave that swept across the battlements. Soldiers screamed as the force nearly knocked them from their feet, while others covered their faces with their hands to shield themselves from the intense wind pressure and burning fragments of stone. The sand construct held firm, its enormous arms absorbing the force before Khalid crushed the burning boulder between its hands.

Yuji immediately released a cloud of ghastly smoke from his body and shot into the air, preparing to intercept the remaining projectiles. His expression twisted as several more burning boulders crossed the sky, but before he could reach them, his eyes suddenly widened. Massive fists made entirely from blood, water and ice tore through the sky from different directions and slammed into the incoming projectiles.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The boulders shattered in midair, scattering burning fragments across the sky before the fragments could reach the walls. Yuji halted in the air and turned toward the source of the attacks. Three figures floated above the battlements, each radiating the unmistakable presence of a demigod.

Lord Talos hovered with crimson light burning fiercely within his eyes, Lord Jugo stood beside him with an enormous water construct dissipating around his arm, while Lord Kan remained surrounded by swirling water and shards of ice. All three wore vicious expressions as they looked toward the enemy army.

BOOOM!

The sound of the first boulder being crushed finally drew everyone’s attention back toward the enormous sand construct. Khalid’s gigantic creation had caught the last incoming projectile and crushed it completely, sending pieces of burning rock tumbling harmlessly beyond the walls.

The soldiers stared at the five demigods now standing above them, and their fear immediately transformed into excitement. A deafening cheer erupted from the battlements as thousands of soldiers raised their weapons toward the five figures.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"We are saved!!!" the soldiers cheered, their voices carrying throughout the defensive line as their morale surged.

The arrival of five demigods had completely changed the atmosphere on the walls. Yuji slowly approached Talos, Jugo and Kan, his normally dull expression showing a hint of genuine confusion.

"Thank you for your assistance, but I didn’t expect you to be here." Yuji said, looking between the three ministers.

Kan calmly lowered his hand as the remaining water surrounding him dissolved into droplets. "His Majesty specifically asked us to help defend the gates. He probably foresaw the enemy would bring such a powerful army to breach the gates. It’s good we got here on time."

His explanation made Yuji’s expression soften slightly. Damian had clearly anticipated that the Order would bring an army capable of overwhelming Velmora’s existing defenses, which explained why he had summoned additional demigods to reinforce the walls before leaving for his battle with Dantalion.

Lord Talos stepped forward, his crimson eyes burning with renewed determination as he looked across the massive army outside the capital. "Today, the world will understand the true power of Velmora’s noble families!"

The declaration immediately reignited the soldiers’ cheers, while across the battlefield the Order’s army continued preparing its siege weapons. The defenders had survived the first bombardment, but neither side had yet committed its main forces.