Chapter 266: We Will Protect Our Home

Beneath the crimson rain, the siege cannons and trebuchets rolled closer and closer toward the massive crystal walls. The ground trembled beneath their weight, while their enormous reinforced wheels crushed the wet grass into the mud and left deep trails across the plains.

Each siege cannon required dozens of soldiers merely to move, its enormous barrel wide enough for a grown man to crawl inside. The trebuchets towered above the surrounding infantry like wooden giants, their throwing arms already lowered as soldiers loaded them with magic boulders large enough to crush entire buildings beneath them.

There were enough siege weapons surrounding Blackspire to bring down an ordinary capital without a single soldier ever needing to approach its walls.

Dragons, elves, and spirits stood together along the battlements, watching the Imperial Court forces advance. Hundreds of thousands of eyes searched the plains for an end to the approaching army, yet no matter which direction they looked, they saw nothing but soldiers.

Some defenders tightened their grip around their weapons. Others quietly looked toward the people standing beside them, seeing the same fear they were desperately trying to hide.

They had fought beasts, armies, and powerful enemies before. Many of them had survived wars that had destroyed their homes and slaughtered their families, yet none had ever stood before a force of this size.

Even the strongest hearts began to tremble.

For the first time since the walls of Blackspire had been raised, the enormous crystal defenses no longer appeared unbreakable.

Or at least, that was how most of them felt.

There were still those whose faith refused to bend.

“Pull yourselves together!”

Eberhard’s roar thundered from the top of the western gate, drawing the attention of every dragon and spirit stationed along the walls. He stood above them with his weapon in hand, overlooking the endless enemy formations spreading across the plains.

The same darkness covered every face beneath him. Some gripped their weapons so tightly that their hands trembled, while others stared silently at the siege cannons and trebuchets being dragged closer to the walls. However, the moment Eberhard’s voice reached them, their lowered heads slowly began to rise.

“Our king did not work this hard for nothing! As long as he still stands, these walls shall never fall before any enemy!”

His words spread hope through the defenders. Max was not there, but every person standing upon those walls knew that he would never willingly abandon them. Wherever he was, whatever enemy stood before him, they believed that he was fighting for Voidstar just as fiercely as they were about to fight for him.

“For the king! For the kingdom! For Voidstar!” Eberhard raised his weapon toward the crimson sky. “Let this battle become the glory our children inherit!”

The dragons and spirits answered with their own roars.

Their combined voices shook the western walls and thundered across the plains, reaching even the front ranks of the approaching Imperial Court army. For a brief moment, the fear gripping the defenders weakened beneath something far stronger.

The same thing was happening at the other gates, where the dragon family heads had taken their positions to lead the defense.

Only the eastern gate had been shaken by unrest from within.

The seven elven women stood opposite Sigmund, and the tension between both sides threatened to erupt before the siege had even begun.

“That useless king knew the enemy was coming and fled with his tail between his legs!” Shaelvyn spat as her dagger danced restlessly between her fingers. “What are we supposed to die for? A coward? A piece of scum who left us here to fight alone?”

Despite every word leaving her mouth, she never once stepped away from the wall or showed any intention of fleeing. Her body remained turned toward the approaching army, and the dagger never left her hand.

However, her slander of the king immediately drew hateful looks from the dragons and spirits around her.

There were a few who secretly understood where her anger came from. Fear had already planted similar doubts within their hearts, but even they could not forgive her for voicing them now, when the enemy was already surrounding the capital, and everyone needed to stand together.

“You foul-mouthed brat.” Sigmund stepped forward as golden flames spread across his body. “I should kill you here and now for daring to slander the king.”

The five other elven women immediately moved between him and Shaelvyn, drawing their weapons as they prepared to defend their kin.

Before either side could attack, Ilyndessa’s remaining hand cut through the air.

Her palm struck Shaelvyn across the face with a loud crack.

The sound silenced the entire section of the wall.

Shaelvyn stumbled to the side and stared at Ilyndessa in disbelief, one hand slowly rising toward her reddening cheek.

“Kneel and apologize,” Ilyndessa ordered loudly. “Think about what you are saying. King Maximus would never abandon his people. Wherever he is, you should know that he is fighting our enemies as well. Their emperor is nowhere to be seen among this army. For all we know, Maximus is the very reason he is not here, so control your fear and watch your tongue.”

Her words shocked even Sigmund, but none were more stunned than the six elves beside her. They had never fully adapted to their new lives in Voidstar, and Ilyndessa had never hidden the resentment she still carried toward the man who had forced them to kneel.

“Ilyndessa, what are you—”

Another slap stopped Shaelvyn before she could finish.

“Shut up,” Ilyndessa said, her voice trembling with anger. “You know as well as I do that he is not such a man. We have seen him with our own eyes. Although I still hate him, I must admit that he is an incredible leader and a worthy king. He would die for his people a thousand times, so we can risk our lives for him once if we must.”

Ilyndessa turned toward the Imperial Court army surrounding Blackspire.

“After all, even Maximus is better than them.”

She had recognized the enemy banners almost immediately. She knew what kind of empire had come to their gates, and she understood that the force gathered before Blackspire was not an enemy they could defeat easily.

Yet she also remembered how people lived within Voidstar.

Dragons and elves walked the same streets. No race was forced to bow beneath another, and children who would have grown up surrounded by hatred now played together without understanding why their parents had once been enemies.

The future Max had given them was something even their previous elven emperor had never been capable of achieving.

High above the city, Rosalia and Agnia watched the unrest on the eastern wall come to an end.

“You should rest. I will fight,” Agnia said as blue flames sparked around her fingers.

“No. Neither of us should fight unless it becomes absolutely necessary,” Rosalia replied calmly, resting one hand against the slight swell of her stomach. “We cannot risk our children.”

Her expression remained composed, but her fingers pressed more firmly against her belly.

“If we die, our children die… Max…” Rosalia’s voice weakened for a moment. “He would not survive another loss like that. We still do not know what happened to Clotilde, and he is already suffering enough.”

“I know, but look at them…” Agnia lowered her gaze toward the army surrounding Blackspire. “There are so many.”

Her nails dug into her palms until blood gathered beneath them, while the blue flames around her fingers flickered in response to her growing fear.

Rosalia walked closer and gently pulled Agnia’s hands apart before taking them into her own.

“Have some faith in our strength. We may have only half their numbers, but that does not mean we cannot win. At the very least, we can hold them back until he returns.” Rosalia looked directly into Agnia’s eyes. “Do you no longer believe in the man you love?”

Agnia raised her head but did not answer.

“We can do this, so let us trust him,” Rosalia continued. “He will return, but we cannot become helpless simply because he is not standing beside us. Max is not alone in this kingdom. He has all of us.”

She turned toward the window while keeping Agnia’s hand within her own.

“If we cannot protect our home without our king, then what is the point of forever remaining in his shadow? Our people will never truly become one until they fight beside one another. We are different, that is true, but…”

Rosalia drew Agnia closer to the window.

Below them, dragons, elves, and spirits crowded the walls of Blackspire. Every race had taken its place in the defense of the capital, standing together beneath the crimson rain as the enemy closed around them.

“This is our home now,” Rosalia said. “Everyone within these walls will fight until the final drop of blood leaves their bodies. We will protect Blackspire. We will protect our home and his.”

Her fingers tightened around Agnia’s hand.

“And when Max returns, we will welcome him as a victor.”

I’d like to recommend my friend’s book for you to read if you have spare time.

Also, starting next month, I will be posting 2 chapters a day for the rest of the month without stopping. If I have time for more, I will do a mass release.