"Suppress the Ghostflame with Golden Incantations! Watch the reserves and reorganize the defense!"
The experienced Morgott managed to stabilize the situation with decisive command, rapidly controlling the spread of the Ghostflame to avoid further losses.
Unfortunately, he was a beat too slow.
When he looked into the distance, the Spirit Ash Legion and Silver Tear lifeforms had already charged to the outer perimeter of the city walls; they were close. Along with them, trebuchets and thrown projectiles were advancing openly. All of this had occurred in the brief moments of the Ghostflame disturbance.
Morgott had to admire Messmer's command ability.
The Soul Cinder Army, with such a complex composition, was led in an orderly fashion by him. Of course, there was also an obvious weakness: It was in batches.
At least at this stage, there was a lack of coordination, likely considering they hadn't fully integrated yet, so they were mobilized in different batch units. Therefore, the Spirit Ash Legion lacked support; the timing was just right.
With his command, ranged methods like javelins and arrows blanketed the area all at once.
Sure enough, they hit the Spirit Ashes and Silver Tear lifeforms.
However, under the Reinforcement Magic of the Eternal City, their defenses were maxed out. especially with "Taylew the Golem Smith" at the forefront acting as an indestructible shield. Combined with the defensive capabilities of the Spirit Ashes, they blocked most of the attacks.
They advanced unhurriedly. Whenever the city wall attempted to bombard them with rolling stones or Incantations, the opposing side countered with the same magic to neutralize it.
The two sides were in a stalemate for a time.
"Wait," Morgott suddenly realized. "Don't focus entirely on them. The clouds are thick today."
This baffling sentence left those around him confused, but Serosh, who was commanding alongside him, reacted instantly:
"Aim all ballistae at the sky! Watch out for the enemy's diving attacks!"
Shadows gradually projected from above the clouds. Impressively, they were Flying Dragons, their wings beating to whip up gale-force winds. They were even accompanied by some Stormhawks and Winged Misbegotten; anything that could fly had been gathered into one wave.
Whoosh, whoosh!
The crossbowmen reacted quite fast, worthy of the Royal Capital army's quality, and immediately hit a few unlucky ones, causing them to crash. But the majority continued to ascend out of range.
Looking closely, their bodies were hung full of various Pots.
The task assigned to this group from the very beginning was not to attack personally, but to drop payloads—
Immediately after, Pots fell like rain, covering the area in a deluge. Among them were various attributes like fire, poison, and frost, which rapidly fermented upon the crowded city walls, causing chaos and disarray. Although the damage was limited and could be quelled quickly, it dragged down their rhythm.
As frontline commanders, Morgott and Serosh exchanged a glance, each understanding the situation. They gradually grasped Messmer's tactical thinking:
Prudent.
If he could avoid consuming active forces, he would; he was thrifty. His offensive was a phased, systematic, and progressive laying of groundwork, with each link interlocking, emphasizing harassment.
So far, the losses on both sides were negligible.
It was strange. As the commander-in-chief, he didn't seem to care about the efficiency of the siege itself. Even large siege rams hadn't been seen; he only emphasized advancing.
Serosh said, "He likely wants to utilize his advantage in volume to encircle us and maintain the rhythm of firepower. Moreover, he has absolute confidence in breaching the wall through other means. For this, he needs to pile up troops at the front as much as possible; this is a form of preparation."
"...If Messmer's confidence comes from Frieren, then it's not strange," Morgott's eyes lit up.
It must be so. As the commander-in-chief, it was beyond reproach to trust his King.
However, they trusted the walls of Leyndell even more—walls that had won the War against the Giants, the Ancient Dragon War, and withstood the two attacks of the Sovereign Alliance. A little setback was not worth mentioning; even the Soul Cinder King shouldn't dream of breaking through.
Morgott ordered, "The Tower Ballistae are responsible for anti-air defense. Have the archers transfer two battalions back from the front, and the rest transport rolling stones."
He dealt with the enemy in an orderly manner.
Once the Royal Capital decided on a tactic and executed it, they could still effectively inflict casualties on the opponent. Sure enough, the Silver Tear lifeforms and the Spirit Ash Legion could no longer push forward; even a portion of the Eternal City troops following them died under the rain of arrows, their advance obstructed.
In the rear, Messmer's expression grew more solemn, though there was no disappointment between his brows. Currently, a stalemate did not count as a failure.
The Mimic Tear beside him was gritting her teeth, about to pour in more reinforcements, but he stopped her.
"The Royal Capital's equipment and troop quality are above ours. When implementing tactics, they can fulfill most of them even by relying on brute force. There is no need to waste time grinding against them."
"We can't just abandon them, can we?"
"Do you see those craters left after the explosions? Have them crouch inside for cover first. Follow-up support will arrive immediately."
"Understood."
Obeying the order, she had the vanguard squad lay dormant for the time being.
Immediately after, Rellana arrived from further back leading a mage regiment. In the beginning, they wouldn't have dared to expose themselves so openly, but now the exchange of fire was frequent, and the enemy's ranged firepower was partially stalled by the Flying Dragons.
As the Twin Moon Knight made a hand gesture, a black dust storm whistled up across the battlefield.
It was Night Maiden's Mist!
The Mimic Tear, who was adept at this move, had her eyes light up. Not only that, but there were also various obscurants like Freezing Mist and volcanic ash, rendering a large area so dark one couldn't see their own fingers.
Seizing this opportunity, the long-prepared siege engines advanced rapidly under the towing of Magma Wyrms, which could also withstand general attacks.
The smoke continued to spread, even climbing up the city walls as the wind blew.
Thus, the originally cumbersome large siege engines pushed their firing range further, advancing triumphantly under the admiring gaze of the Mimic Tear. The planner of all this also won her approving look.
"The attacking side has more flexibility than the defending side; we must utilize our advantages to make tactical combinations."
"Although you are amazing, why are you telling me this?"
"Her Majesty asked you to lead the army with me to cultivate you. Even if she doesn't understand this aspect, she hopes you will be influenced by what you see and hear. Of course, she didn't tell me personally... that is just how I interpret it."
"Mother doesn't have such deep thoughts. Anyway, thank you."
Boom!
Just as the two were communicating, a giant boulder struck the city wall with a thunderous rumble. This was the first time damage had been caused to the top of the wall.
Even before the smoke had dispersed, the chaotic noise of people being thrown about could be heard. Presumably, even the battle-hardened Leyndell Knights hadn't expected this shot.
"Adjust the angle of elevation and continue the pursuit attack. Sorcerer regiment, cover them."
Rellana's judgment was just right. Sure enough, Golden Incantations counterattacked along the original path but were blocked.
Layer after layer of blue-purple ripples rose up. It was a large-scale Thops's Barrier formed in coordination. Combined with the massive sorcerer resources of the South, it was like adding wings to a tiger, blocking all the hasty Incantation attacks of the Golden Army outside.
What was that?
They had absolutely no intelligence on Thops's Barrier. Realizing its counterattack capabilities were far superior to Golden Retaliation—and most importantly, widespread enough—was a shock.
Warfare stressed the effect of scale; once something became a system, it was trouble.
The Carian Sorcerer regiment led by Rellana protected the phalanx of engineering equipment, and just as they were showing their might, falling rocks had already covered the frontal city wall.
Bang, bang!
The incessant explosions ringing in their ears, accompanied by screams, reminded the Golden Army on the wall that the battle situation was bad. The already cramped wall passages, added to the smoke, further expanded the losses, with some people falling either inward or outward.
"The enemy has closed to an angle where they can attack us! Counterattack quickly!"
"The smoke hasn't fully dispersed yet; we can't find their specific locations. Maintain defensive posture first."
"Damn it, there are people on the wall!"
Only after the warning did people realize that those Silver Tear lifeforms had started moving again, relying on their slimy bodies to advance vertically up the city wall. Seeing this, they immediately retaliated.
One hit, one kill.
They appeared much more fragile than during the charge—no, it was as if they were specifically sent to die.
The nature of these Tears was off. After death, they actually transformed into indestructible, solidified protruding metal, connecting to each other to build a simple long ladder.
It was very simple, but enough for a vanguard squad to climb.
After discovering this point, even Morgott and Serosh looked solemn. So Messmer was planning this. The numerous secret weapons represented the magical resources of the South, and even more so, they represented that they had prepared for a long time, searching everywhere to create tactics specifically targeting the Royal Capital.
"Ignore them; the Tear corpses can't be cleared away in a short while. The urgent task is to destroy the enemy's trebuchets."
Serosh adjusted the tactics.
Morgott immediately led a shield squad to stand at the front, keeping the fragmented stones out. But they soon discovered that the projectiles were not just these; it was the old trick of multi-attribute Pots again, only heavier and larger.
The Flying Dragons, Winged Misbegotten, and Stormhawks in the sky, who had originally been dodging at high altitudes, now lowered their altitude again to harass.
Dragonfire!
From time to time, a stream of fire would burn messengers or signal flags just right.
They didn't count on large-scale killing, specifically targeting communications to amplify the chaos on the wall. Unfortunately, the good times didn't last long; soon, under the threat of the Tower Ballistae, they had to move away.
The two commanders earnestly implemented defensive tactics, restoring order to the high walls of Leyndell.
Buzz!
The protection of Golden Power interwoven densely in mid-air.
Shield after shield, as well as ritual defenses, guarded against the shockwaves of attacks. At the same time, commanding a high vantage point, they returned fire with ranged attacks, bombarding against the trebuchets in a contest of equals.
The heavy ranged firepower of both sides suffered destruction and damage; there were winners and losers on both sides.
The true significance lay in interrupting Messmer's tactical loop. Originally, he should have let the heavy armored units advance under cover, but now the situation was critical. In a scenario of heavy firepower exchange, it was not suitable to take risks.
He ordered: "Black Knights, try advancing in a shield phalanx formation. The rest of the troops, coordinate."
The sound of horns echoed in all directions.
Since waiting blindly was pointless, Messmer chose to employ his subordinate elites to test the waters, and they responded immediately.
The Black Knight corps, with morale like a rainbow, charged forward. Facing arrows, javelins, and magic, they still advanced methodically, rapidly closing in on the ruins beneath the city walls, which conversely became cover.
Not only them, but banners of the Soul Cinder Army arrived from all directions, riding the dust.
From the top of the wall, it looked almost no different from a general offensive. Using numbers to dilute the defenders' counterattacks—this method was a bit clumsy but effective. In the end, facing the strongest army in the Lands Between, how many flexible choices were there? The groundwork was sufficient; it was time to go all out.
"Charge up."
The leading Black Knights rapidly built long ladders following the protrusions left by the Tears, climbing two or three steps at a time.
It was very fast, but not fast enough.
In the next moment, rolling stones slid down along the wall, knocking down the climbers. But the offensive was far from over; immediately after, more people climbed toward the wall.
At the same time, the fire support became an almost insane outpouring, lighting up fires all over the city wall.
"Withstand the offensive! They can't come up! Hold fast!"
Under the command of Serosh and Morgott, the defending Leyndell warriors were like an iron wall, knocking down the attackers one by one. Not even those who climbed halfway appeared; it was to no avail.
They seized the opportunity to even clear away the solidified Silver Tear lifeforms, obviously intending to eradicate the footholds for climbing.
The sounds of falling rose one after another.
Only when truly climbing would one discover just how towering the high walls of Leyndell were. One couldn't see the top at a glance, and the inclination was very low. Once a foothold was lost, one would immediately slide down, not to mention the continuous counterattacks like rolling stones...
The situation fell into a predicament; even the Black Knights found it difficult to surmount.
"How about covering them with my magic?" The Mimic Tear gestured with a proposal. "I'm already prepared."
"It's not enough. And if you act, Morgott will act too. Starting a Demigod battle too early will only let the battlefield aftershocks disrupt more tactical rhythms."
"We can't just grind through like this forcefully, right?"
"Siege warfare is like this most of the time. It is about oppressing the enemy to reveal openings under high pressure. Wait. Time is on our side."
Messmer gazed at the skyline.
In contrast, the Leyndell defenders were more relaxed. Maintaining the rhythm and suppressing the enemy, everyone gradually gained confidence. That's right, just continuing like this was enough. The defense of the world's number one fortress was sufficient to wear down the enemy. Wait until a certain degree, and they could even counterattack.
At that time, under the leadership of the First Lord and the Crucible Knights, they would teach them a good lesson—
"Roar!"
Suddenly, Dragon roars echoed above the cloud layer. It wasn't just one sound; they rose one after another. And what could emit such coercion was likely the Ancient Dragons.
Shadows fell from the skyline, and immediately, the clouds parted to both sides.
Impressively, it was eight Ancient Dragons flying together, accompanied by a mass of Flying Dragons so black they blocked out the sun. The numbers were staggering, seemingly a flight formation. Even a glance would make one's scalp tingle, let alone when they revealed their fangs at the city wall.
The one leading the team was none other than Florisaxx. Looking closely, atop her head were Frieren, Ranni, and Melina.
The three-person squad returned in triumph as promised.
They waved in greeting, and the entire Soul Cinder Army responded with loud cheers.
In reality, the release of Destined Death signified the plan's completion; Frieren had surely won and most likely survived. But the opponent was, after all, Maliketh, who possessed the rule of Death. Who knew what the injuries were like? Now, there was an answer:
High-spirited and vigorous.
Although the people couldn't be seen too clearly, the mighty coercion and majestic life aura announced the answer.
It was the Soul Cinder King arriving with the army of the Sky City.
"As expected of Mother; she even subdued the Ancient Dragon race in passing."
Messmer breathed a sigh of relief seeing that Melina was safe and sound, and said, "It looks like we should prepare the deployment for urban warfare in advance."
He gave Rellana a look, and the latter understood immediately, making readjustments. The three frontline commanders all understood that the huge turning point of this campaign was coming; the city was about to be breached.
The defenders on the wall were sweating like rain.
Morgott and Serosh, who were calm and composed just a moment ago, now gnashed their teeth, knowing clearly that things had become difficult.
The defection of the Ancient Dragons was already a blow to morale, not to mention their advantage as overlords of the sky, let alone the most important point:
The Soul Cinder King's magic.
_____
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