novelraw Chapter 53 – Carl likes this
Chapter 53 – Carl likes this
At the border between Eaglehold and Buton Territory lies a vast desert, where the surface is perpetually dry and vegetation is sparse, but the wind is exceptionally fierce. If you stop and listen, you can clearly hear the sound of sand and stones being swept away.
It was nearing dusk on the desert plain, the sun had long since disappeared, leaving only a lingering glow on the horizon.
The black and gold eagle banner of Eaglehold fluttered fiercely in the strong wind. Beneath it was the army of Winterfell City, which had been stationed here for some time.
Winterfell City had gathered nearly two thousand militia from nearby towns in a single day, in addition to three hundred newly expanded regular sword and shield soldiers, sixty-five knights, and nine grand knights. Leading them were Bane Bloodhoof and Claremont.
Two kilometers away, the Buton Family's army had been waiting near the iron ore site for quite some time.
Scouts from both sides moved back and forth, occasionally clashing in bloody and brutal skirmishes on the desert plain.
"What kind of trick is the Earl of Eaglehold playing?"
The Viscount of Buton listened to the scout's report, looking somewhat puzzled. The other side was clearly here to seize the iron ore, and they were so arrogant when declaring war. Now that the battle had begun, why were they camped two kilometers away without moving?
Were they planning to stare them to death from that distance?
"Scout again, get closer, and if necessary, use the farmers' lives to fill the gap!"
Moments later, another batch of scouts returned.
Their information was mostly the same: the army of Eaglehold had no intention of attacking and had even started cooking. Additionally, a scout, covered in blood, brought new information.
"You said you only saw Claremont? No other commanders? What about the Eagle Lord?"
The Viscount of Buton's tone was filled with doubt.
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"Yes... yes, my lord, I only saw Claremont, an Earth Knight, and... and a monster that looked like an orc's minotaur, but much larger, about three meters tall."
A three-meter-tall minotaur, is that their trump card?
The Viscount of Buton fell silent, seriously contemplating the implications.
The young knight, the Earl of Eaglehold, wasn't here, which left three possibilities: either he was too arrogant and didn't bother to come, thinking an Earth Knight and a minotaur could take down the Buton Family; or he was hiding within the army to confuse their judgment and make them cautious; or he was setting an ambush with another force, but where could he hide on this barren desert plain?
It was impossible for them to attack Buton City. How could they transport siege equipment under his nose to the city? Besides, the magic cannons on Buton City's walls weren't just for show.
The Viscount of Buton shook his head, dismissing the absurd thoughts from his mind. He felt he was becoming overly cautious, losing the boldness he once had.
Regardless of whether it was the first or second possibility, it was good news for the Buton Family's current forces. Continuing to wait would only increase the uncertainty, and it was getting dark.
However, to be safe, he sought out one of the Earth Knights and pleaded:
"Lord Caesar, Jet is young and impulsive. I'm afraid he'll be reckless in pursuit of glory. I beg you to watch over him in the ranks."
The Earth Knight named Caesar nodded and smiled, saying:
"Rest assured, Viscount Buton, the Earl has instructed us to follow your command entirely. And if there really are only one or two Earth Knights on the other side, we might even go on a rampage in Eaglehold."
Caesar's eyes gleamed with a hint of bloodlust and cruelty.
Hearing this, the Viscount of Buton felt somewhat reassured and hesitated no longer. He mounted his horse, raised his knight's lance, and shouted:
"Pass the order! Everyone advance northeast, maintain formation!"
...
On the other side, in the small woods outside Buton City.
Sylvie and a group of Bloodhoof Clan warriors were already in position. Under the cover of night, they quickly approached the walls of Buton City. Five hundred militia were divided into groups of twenty-five, led by twenty sword and shield soldiers, temporarily hiding in the woods, waiting for the signal.
Looking at the towering city walls before him, Sylvie couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement. The Buton Family was truly wealthy in the past.
The ten-meter-high, three-meter-thick golden ironstone city walls were impossible to breach without siege equipment. Even as a Sky Knight, it would take him a long time to break through.
"System, I want to exchange for two siege engines."
Sylvie gestured for the Bloodhoof Clan warriors to wait.
"Ding! Siege engines exchanged, ready to materialize!"
"Materialize now."
As soon as he spoke, two siege engines resembling ancient Blue Planet ladders appeared before Sylvie, emerging from a spatial distortion.
There was no time for the Bloodhoof Clan warriors to be shocked. Sylvie, enveloped in a pale golden battle aura, swiftly flew towards the city walls.
Seeing the figure glimmering in the night sky, the militia in the woods, led by the sword and shield soldiers, surged forward. Without a word, they advanced, following the minotaur warriors, climbing the siege ladders to scale the walls.
The Viscount of Buton couldn't have anticipated so many things.
He couldn't have imagined that Sylvie could conjure siege ladders out of thin air, nor that Sylvie had advanced to a Sky Knight capable of low-altitude flight.
On the walls of Buton City, a few drowsy soldiers saw a flash of light before them. Before they could react, they were decapitated in one swift motion.
A soldier in the distance noticed the disturbance, quickly ran to sound the alarm bell, and shouted loudly:
"Enemy attack! They're storming the city!"
The urgent bell rang out in all directions.
Sylvie quickened his pace, but Buton City wasn't a small town. Even one wall couldn't be traversed quickly, let alone while fighting along the way.
Fortunately, the Bloodhoof Clan warriors and militia were also making their way up the walls. One group followed Sylvie, while another, led by the Bloodhoof Clan warriors, attacked the other side.
Suddenly, a purple-red beam shot rapidly from afar, striking Sylvie from behind before he could dodge.
With a loud explosion, Sylvie felt a heavy blow to his back, staggering forward a few steps. The surrounding soldiers were blasted into pieces by the indiscriminate attack.
"That stings a bit."
Sylvie touched his back, feeling a burning sensation, but that was all.
His body was now filled with the transformed battle aura of a Sky Knight, his physical strength far beyond what it once was. With the enhancements from the Dragonblood Potion, he could withstand a hundred or so hits from such magic cannons before exhausting his battle aura.
"Everyone, control the magic cannons, freely attack the other walls, and don't get carried away. If you see a flash, dodge quickly."
"Ask your sword and shield captain how to use the magic cannons!"
On the other side of the wall, no further instructions were needed. The Bloodhoof Clan warriors, seeing the power of the magic cannons, quickly seized control of them.
Carl Bloodhoof fiddled with one for a while, finally figuring it out. He placed a processed magic crystal into the cannon's energy slot.
This fist-sized magic crystal served as the cannon's ammunition, stored in boxes on the wall for easy access.
Aiming at an unoccupied section of the wall, Carl Bloodhoof shook his horns and slapped the activation panel.
The cannon's muzzle began absorbing energy from the magic crystal, and after two or three seconds, a magnificent purple-red beam shot out with a "whoosh," striking the opposite wall at high speed.
In his view, with the explosion of magical energy, everything within a five-meter radius on that section of the wall was torn to shreds by the raging magic.
"Mother Earth above! Carl loves this!"
Carl Bloodhoof shouted excitedly, his bull-like eyes gleaming as he gazed at the magic cannon, as if looking at a strong and beautiful female of his kind.