"Bang!"
A rusty iron axe slammed heavily into the city wall's crenellation, sending Kurzadh chips flying.
A blood-soaked Ungor, stepping onto the top of a siege ladder, tilted its goat-like head, its crimson eyes fixed on the soldiers on the wall, bloody foam mixed with saliva dripping from its mouth.
Two crossbow bolts were embedded in its left arm, their shafts still trembling slightly, yet it seemed to feel no pain, lunging fiercely at the nearest spearmen—sharp claws slicing through the air, bringing with them a nauseating stench of blood.
The spearmen was a young soldier named Leo, who had only joined the army half a year ago.
He instinctively thrust his spear, but the Ungor roughly grabbed the shaft and yanked it hard.
Leo felt a tremendous force, the spear instantly slipped from his grasp, and he staggered backward.
Before he could regain his balance, the Ungor opened its mouth full of sharp teeth and bit down hard on his neck—a crisp "Crunch" sounded, blood gushed out like a fountain, Leo's eyes instantly lost their light, and his body slumped softly onto the city wall, warm blood splashing onto the face of a nearby soldier.
"Kill it!"
A nearby halberdier roared, gripping his long halberd with both hands, and brought it down fiercely on the Ungor's back.
The halberd's blade cut through the Ungor's rough skin, leaving a deep, bone-visible wound, and dark green blood splattered out, carrying a sour, putrid smell.
The Ungor cried out in pain with a shrill howl and turned to pounce on the halberdier, but it was simultaneously surrounded by three soldiers on the city wall—a long spear pierced its ribs from the side, a short sword slit its throat, and a crossbow bolt shot through its eye.
The Ungor's massive body swayed, then crashed heavily off the city wall, landing in the crowded mass of beastmen below, stirring up a chaotic roar.
This was just a microcosm of the bloody battle on the city wall.
More and more beastmen climbed up the city wall along the siege ladders, surging like a black tide, the defensive lines formed by the city militia soldiers were broken again and again, and then reformed again and again amidst the officers' roars.
Steel blades clashed with beast claws, roars intertwined with screams, the grey-blue bricks of the city wall were stained dark red with blood, and bodies piled up in layers, some belonging to the city militia, some to beastmen, making it hard to distinguish who was who.
An old soldier wearing a bronze helmet was locked in combat with a Gors, using a short sword.
The Gors, half-human and half-wolf, was small but exceptionally agile, circling the old soldier, occasionally raking its sharp claws at his legs.
The old soldier's left leg already had three bone-deep gashes, blood soaking through his trouser leg, and every step caused excruciating pain.
He knew his strength was failing and could only stare intently at the Gors, waiting for an opportunity to counterattack.
Finally, the Gors seized an opportunity and lunged at the old soldier's throat.
A cold glint flashed in the old soldier's eyes; instead of retreating, he advanced, pressing his left hand firmly on the Gors' head, and plunged the short sword in his right hand deep into its chest.
The Gors let out a sharp wail, its claws frantically scratching the old soldier's arm, its nails almost embedding into the bone.
The old soldier gritted his teeth, pulled out the short sword, and then stabbed it into the Gors' throat again and again, until the Gors' body stopped moving, then he released his grip and collapsed onto the city wall, panting heavily.
But before he could rest for a second, a Gors carrying a huge axe leaped off a siege ladder and landed right in front of him.
The Gors had a goat's head and a human body, with bits of flesh hanging from its two curved horns; it bared its teeth, raised its huge axe, and brought it down on the old soldier.
The old soldier tried to dodge, but due to his leg injury, he was too slow—the huge axe fell with a whoosh, and the old soldier's body was split in half, internal organs and blood splattering onto the city wall, even splashing two Militiamen who had just rushed over.
"Hold! Don't let them through!"
The city militia centurion waved his long sword, shouting at the soldiers.
His left arm had been broken by a beastmen's iron club, so he could only hold his sword with his right hand, yet he still charged at the forefront.
An Ungor lunged at him; he dodged to the side, and his long sword sliced across the Ungor's neck, dark green blood spraying all over his face.
He wiped his face, intending to continue charging forward, but felt a chill on his back—an arrow pierced his armor, deeply embedding itself in his heart.
The centurion looked back in disbelief, seeing a Gor beast standing on the siege ladder, its bowstring fully drawn, a cruel smile on its lips.
The centurion fell heavily to the ground; in his dying moments, he saw more beastmen climbing onto the city wall, and the city militia's defensive line was slowly collapsing.
He reached out, wanting to grasp something, but only touched blood-soaked bricks, and finally slowly closed his eyes.
In the arrow tower in the middle of the city wall, the crossbowmen were frantically operating the ballistas.
The bronze barrel was scorching hot, and the crossbow bolts in the arrow slots had already been replaced three times.
A crossbowman was bending down to load a crossbow bolt when suddenly, a beastmen arrow shot from outside the city, piercing his shoulder blade.
He grunted in pain but gritted his teeth, pushing the crossbow bolt into the slot with his uninjured hand, and shouted to his companion beside him: "Quick! Adjust the angle! Shoot the battering ram below!"
His companion nodded, forcefully turning the ballista's winch, and the muzzle slowly aimed at the battering ram below the city that was striking the city gate.
"Fire!" With a loud shout, the crossbow bolt shot out with a piercing whoosh, landing squarely on a beastmen next to the battering ram—the beastmen was instantly smashed into a bloody mess, its body flying out like a rag doll, colliding with other beastmen.
The five ballistas in the arrow tower fired in rotation, each roar taking away the lives of a group of beastmen.
Some crossbow bolts pierced the siege ladders, causing the beastmen on them to fall, crashing onto their companions below; some crossbow bolts shot directly at the beastmen next to the battering ram, relieving pressure on the city gate.
But the number of beastmen was too great; one group fell, and another rushed up, like an endless swarm of locusts.
Below the city, the crude battering ram was still frantically pounding Katushir's city gate.
The battering ram was made of several huge logs bundled together, with a thick layer of iron wrapped around its tip, still stained with wood chips from farmhouses in previously raided villages and towns.
A dozen Gors and Great Horned beasts carried the wooden handles of the battering ram, roaring, repeatedly slamming the battering ram against the city gate—"Thump-thump! Thump-thump!" The dull thudding sound was like drumbeats, striking the hearts of every defender.
In the arrow tower above the city gate, soldiers were frantically firing arrows downwards.
Some soldiers even brought scalding hot molten lead and hot oil, pouring it onto the beastmen next to the battering ram—the molten lead and hot oil, when splashed on the beastmen, instantly produced a puff of white smoke, accompanied by shrill screams, the beastmen's skin was burned black, some even directly collapsed.
But the beastmen seemed to be insane, each raising a wooden shield high, desperately protecting the battering ram.
The wooden shields were bristling with arrows like a hedgehog, and smoked from being splashed with molten lead and hot oil, yet they still stood in front of the battering ram.
Many beastmen were riddled with arrows, some even had their bones exposed from the scalding molten lead and hot oil, yet they still gritted their teeth, pushing the battering ram with all their might.
A Great Horned beast's back was hit by the molten lead and hot oil, its skin instantly charred black, but it only let out a roar, and pushed the battering ram even harder, until it collapsed from exhaustion, and the beastmen behind immediately filled its position.
"Boom!"
The battering ram struck the city gate again, and a tiny crack appeared on the gate panel.
Inside the city gate, dozens of soldiers were desperately bracing the gate panel; they supported it with their shoulders, pushed against it with their bodies, and some even placed long spears horizontally behind the gate panel, exerting all their strength to hold it.
A captain shouted: "Push harder! We must not let the city gate be breached!"
The soldiers gritted their teeth, their faces flushed red, and veins bulging on their arms.
The gate panel trembled slightly under the battering ram's impact, the crack grew larger and larger, and wood chips constantly fell from the panel.
A young soldier looked at the crack, his eyes full of fear, and he trembled, saying: "Captain... the gate panel is going to break... we can't hold it..."
"Shut up!" the captain roared, "Even if the gate panel breaks, we will block it with our bodies! The city stands as long as we stand!"
The soldiers stopped talking, only pushing harder against the gate panel.
They knew that once the city gate was breached, the beastmen would pour into the city like a tide, and then the city's inhabitants would be slaughtered and plundered just like the villages and towns outside the city.
They had no retreat, only to hold their ground.
Above the city wall, the melee continued.
The city militia soldiers grew fewer and fewer, and the Militiamen also picked up weapons and joined the fight.
A Militiamen who was a carpenter by trade, holding a plane, slammed it hard onto an Ungor climbing onto the city wall—the plane hit the Ungor's head, and although it didn't kill it, it stunned it for a moment.
A nearby soldier took the opportunity to pierce the Ungor's chest with a long spear, relieving the Militiamen.
The Militiamen looked at the soldier, his face still filled with lingering fear, and he panted, saying: "I... I also killed a beastmen..."
The soldier patted his shoulder, and just as he was about to speak, he was pierced through the throat by a suddenly shot beastmen arrow.
The Militiamen watched the soldier fall, his eyes instantly filled with anger; he picked up the soldier's long spear and threw it fiercely at the Gor beast outside the city—although he missed, it encouraged the nearby soldiers, who all began to shoot arrows at the Gor beast.
The ballistas in the arrow tower still roared, the battering ram below the city still pounded, and the fighting on the city wall still continued.
Blood flowed down the city wall, gathering into small streams at the base of the wall, staining the land outside the city red.
The beastmen, like madmen, charged the city wall again and again, while the soldiers, with their bodies and steel blades, pushed them back again and again.
No one knew how long this siege would last, nor did anyone know if they would survive.
They only knew that behind them was Katushir , its people, their homes.
Even if they died in battle, they would die on the city wall, using their own blood to buy a little time for the people in the city.
"Thump!"
The battering ram struck the city gate again, and the crack on the gate panel grew larger.
The soldiers inside the city gate let out a roar, pushing against the gate panel with their last ounce of strength.