Divine-level Base

Chapter 124 - 123: Siege

Barbaric Technique had been a terrifying master, a top-tier Great Spirit Master. Though defeated by Tage Mulis in the past, he had still managed to escape with his life. Yet now, Camilla had killed him with a single, effortless arrow. It was a clear testament to the power of her archery.

Seeing Barbaric Technique’s party flee in disarray, morale within Steel City soared.

Before long, however, a vast and mighty army appeared in the distance. It stretched as far as the eye could see, surging toward Steel City like a dark cloud blotting out the sun.

Atop the walls of Steel City, fear appeared on the faces of many soldiers as they watched the endless army approach.

However, most of the soldiers Shu Feng had recruited were veterans with combat experience, so their lines held firm.

Li Xuan Yi’s gaze hardened as he stared at the endless army. He spoke slowly, "An army of one hundred thousand... It’s enough to blot out the sun! Shu Feng, are you certain your trump card can defeat them?"

As a son of a Noble Family, Li Xuan Yi was well-read. He had even read accounts of decisive battles where armies a million strong clashed. But in reality, the sheer pressure exuded by this army of one hundred thousand was something no book could ever convey.

The expressions of Ma Jue and the others also changed as they looked down upon the army of one hundred thousand. A sliver of fear crept into their hearts, but fortunately, they were all smart enough not to say anything that might shake the troops’ morale.

"The walls of Steel City are thirty meters high, and there’s a moat! The walls alone are enough to keep most people out. Our true enemies are the elites under the command of the Four Generals—the eight thousand Badge Masters."

"Each of those eight thousand Badge Masters is incredibly strong, but for them to scale the walls of Steel City will be just as difficult as ascending to the heavens. After all, this city is renowned for having the strongest defenses."

"That army of one hundred thousand may look imposing, but they’re nothing more than paper tigers! As long as we don’t fall into chaos ourselves, they’ll never be able to breach our walls!" Shu Feng said calmly, his face a mask of confidence.

Seeing Shu Feng’s confident and composed expression, everyone else calmed down and quietly watched the hundred-thousand-strong army outside.

The ranks of the hundred-thousand-strong army suddenly parted, and four generals, each riding a different mutated beast, emerged. They looked down coldly upon Steel City.

"Illusion Demon General Arthur!!"

The moment Tage Mulis saw the handsome man riding a giant White Tiger among the four generals—Illusion Demon General Arthur—his eyes turned bloodshot. A terrifying killing intent burst forth from him, and he struggled to suppress the urge to charge out and attack.

Arthur’s voice boomed, "I am Arthur, the Illusion Demon General, serving under the Charming Witch! I request the presence of Shu Feng, City Lord of Steel City!"

"My lord, Shu Feng, is the great Sun God, equal in status to the Charming Witch. You are merely one of the Charming Witch’s dogs. What right do you have to demand an audience with my lord?"

A stunningly beautiful young girl dressed in a black and white, lace-trimmed maid outfit and black thigh-high stockings emerged from a tall tower on the city wall. It was Yifulei, and she looked down arrogantly at Illusion Demon General Arthur.

Arthur raised an eyebrow and glanced at Yifulei. "And who might you be?"

Yifulei declared, her face filled with pride, "I am Yifulei, a handmaiden in service to the great Sun God! Illusion Demon General Arthur, you may speak to me, and I shall relay your words to the great Sun God."

Arthur said coolly, "Shu Feng, the Tandu Empire’s army of one hundred thousand has Steel City completely surrounded! It’s not too late to surrender. I can grant you and your companions treatment befitting nobles of the Tandu Empire. If you refuse, then the day this city falls will be the day you and your companions die."

Yifulei retorted, "Arthur, my lord has a message for you! If you Four Generals surrender now and pledge your allegiance to him, he will grant the other three generals his pardon and spare their lives. You, however, will not be so fortunate. If you refuse to surrender, then today will be the day you all die!"

Having said her piece, Yifulei decisively withdrew from sight.

Illusion Demon General Arthur was a master of the Illusion Technique, and his proficiency was terrifying. Although Yifulei wore an Extraordinary Badge, she was still worried about falling victim to his illusions.

"Attack the city!"

Arthur’s face turned livid. A cold glint flashed in his eyes as he roared the command.

From the rear of the army, dozens of catapults were wheeled forward. Millstone-sized boulders were launched toward Steel City like cannonballs.

Most of the boulders slammed into the walls of Steel City, shattering on impact and sending fragments flying in all directions. Only two boulders found their mark, smashing a pair of defenders into a pulp.

After the catapults of the Four Generals’ allied army had launched two volleys, a hundred boulders suddenly flew out from within Steel City. They rained down like meteors upon the allied army’s siege engine emplacements, smashing their catapults to pieces.

A sudden commotion broke out within the allied army. Countless commoners, dressed in rags and without a shred of armor, began charging toward Steel City with blank expressions, each carrying a bag of dirt on their back.

Seeing this, Ye Mingxi’s eyes reddened. She ground her teeth and roared in fury, "Those damned animals!!"

Pity flashed in Qi Ning’s beautiful eyes. "They’re all just common people! Survivors from the Kang En and Resman Empires! Forcing the citizens of a fallen enemy to assault a city... what a vicious tactic."

"Loose the arrows!"

The moment the commoners drew near Steel City, Tage Mulis gave the cold-hearted command.

Countless arrows rained down upon the crowd below like a shower of steel.

The commoners below, who had been trying to fill the moat, suffered devastating casualties. Their morale shattered, and they turned to flee frantically back the way they came.

In the rear, the enforcer squads of the Four Generals’ allied army advanced, frenziedly cutting down the survivors of the Two Great Empires who were trying to retreat, slaughtering them to the last man.

General Liehuo, Tu Wubo—a man with red hair tied in numerous small braids and a perpetually defiant expression—frowned slightly. "The defending commander is ruthless. Breaching this city will be difficult."

General Leiya, Zhe Kong—a handsome man with long blue hair and a perpetually cold look in his eyes—remarked coolly, "Steel City is easy to defend and hard to attack. It also has massive reserves of war materials. How could we possibly take it with nothing but this rabble?"

The Grand Marshal of the Sky, Bobokata—a bald man standing 2.2 meters tall and built like a mountain of muscle—complained, "It’s all that failure Yin Shu’s fault. It’s one thing for him to get himself killed, but to hand over Steel City so easily! What a headache."

If not for Steel City’s thirty-meter-high walls and its surrounding moat, even a Spirit Venerable Realm expert would be worn down and killed by the encirclement of a hundred-thousand-strong army, eventually dying of exhaustion if they didn’t flee.