Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“Incoming, quick! Enemies are incoming!”
Marter climbed a small hill and warned at the top of his lungs. His voice spread far and wide, and soon caught the attention of a patrol team.
“Quick, inform the lead captain that there are enemies incoming!”
The patrol captain immediately ordered one of his soldiers to deliver the information. Seeing a bloodied Martar, he led the remaining four men towards him. They raised their torches as they tried to rescue him.
A few steps out and suddenly, a rain of arrows showered from the sky, killing them on the spot. Marter, who was standing atop the hill, jolted suddenly as more arrows pierced through his back. “Bam!” He rolled down the slope.
“Hmph! What a nasty fellow. Die!” a one-eyed man clad in black kicked the heavily injured Marter in the stomach, who soon stopped moving. He led a large group of men and emerged from behind the hill. The man ordered loudly, “Make haste and attack! The first man who breaks into the castle shall be awarded 100,000 Purple Crystal Coins!”
The one-eyed man snarled in deep hatred. It has been a long time since he last saw Wissen Castle. He had initially prepared for a separate team to feign an attack at the Astana outpost as a diversion tactic. Once the soldiers make their way to the outpost, they shall attack Wissen Castle directly via the Donau River. Everything went well until this wretched Marter saw through their smokescreen.
As the head of the Anca family, he was consumed by angst when he heard that Yang Ling had killed his son Ymir. Not just that, but the Wissen Castle has also been invaded. To gain strength for a counterattack, however, he forced himself to swallow this shame. He tried to find the weaknesses of Wissen Town, and a few months later, he heard that Yang Liang had led a large number of troops into the Terras Forest. It was an opportunity of a lifetime.
After a long period of probing, he has obtained a complete understanding of the workings of Wissen Town. If he could divert the guards of the Wissen Castle away from the territory and launch a surprise attack directly from the Donau river, the city defense will likely to be caught off guard. So long as they move fast enough, they might even launch an attack before they shut the city gates. What a pity it was for the plan fell apart at the very last stretch!
100,000 Purple Crystal Coins!
The pirates looked at each other and saw the flare of excitement in each other’s eyes. They licked their lips and bellowed thunderously, as they raised their weapons and charged towards Wissen Castle like a bunch of lunatics. 100,000 Purple Crystal Coins was enough for them to live in laps of luxury for decades. Of course, they would lose their minds!
“Quick, close the gates! Quick!”
Thanks to the timely warning they received, the soldiers quickly began to shut the massive city gates. The soldiers were shocked to see pirates popping up in the distance, brimming with killing intent. They moved faster to close the gates.
On average days, the city gates will be entirely shut the moment the sun goes down. However, that wasn’t the case today, and the gates remained open till evening. People were moving in and out of the city as troops moved towards Astana outpost. To think that the cunning pirates would infiltrate them when their defenses are weak!
“Inform the Great Commander to turn back immediately! We need assistance!”
“All archers to be on standby, hurry up!”
… …
The City Defence Commander grimly ordered as he watched the vast, black wave of pirates pressing in. He directed the soldiers to their positions and sent a soldier to recall the troops at Astana outpost. He mobilized every warrior in the castle and sent someone to disperse the civilians… …
Yang Ling had taken a team of elite soldiers in his exploration of the underground city. He also dispatched a large portion of his troops to Chimera Valley to guard Fantasy Crystal Mine, and what remained of their forces are further divided to defend the Astana outpost. Right now, the defense within the castle is paper-thin. Their situation, when faced with a large group of well-prepared pirates, is dire!
“Charge… …”
“Charge! Now!”
… …
Seeing that the city gates are slowly but steadily closing, the pirates furiously yelled as they began to pounce at the soldiers guarding in front of the gates. The city gates are heavy, and so they will need some time to be fully closed. If they could kill the soldiers in front of the gates, they could invade the city. When that happens, the city will quickly fall as there are not many soldiers within the castle.
“Longbow archers. Ready, get set…fire!”
To protect the city gates from falling, the City Defence Commander made other arrangements aside assigning a team outside the gates to buy time. He gathered all of their archers to attack the onslaught of pirates, who seemed not to fear death.
On the Tailun Continent, the range of longbows is around 100 yards on average. Even the Rossi Empire, known for its archers and cavalry, had a maximum longbow shooting range of merely 120 yards. Thanks to the hard work of people like Rumi the dwarf and Master Aaron, the Wissen Castle now possessed a batch of longbows with an attack range of up to 150 yards.
After a series of tightly knit aerial attacks, the leading pirates were soon pinned to death by the rain of arrows. That extreme distance and jaw-dropping strength of the bolts caused the pirates behind to inhale sharply. However, under the orders of the one-eyed black-clad man and the temptation of 100,000 Purple Crystal Coins, they shoved their fears back into their stomachs and continued to charge.
This time, the pirates dispersed and attacked from different directions. Some raised their shields and pushed forward in huge steps; others pressed on within the covers of trees and rocks. Stealthily and steadily, they began to surround the soldiers by their sides.
“Master, what should we do now?”
There are too many pirates. Once they spread out, the archers, who are lesser in numbers, were put in an instant disadvantage. Although their special longbows had a long attack range and were able to attack with great power, their attack speeds were simply too slow. Unless they have a lot more archers, otherwise they could never suppress the attacks of the pirates.
What should they do?
The City Defence Commander swallowed with great difficulty as he watched the unfearing pirates attack the city. The enemies had chosen a perfect timing to infiltrate them, right when the city gates are open. They were lucky that a petrol team was able to alert them. Otherwise, the situation will be even graver!
“Hmph, they are looking for death! Let’s see which is sturdier, their brains or the steel hammers of us, the dwarfs!”
“Hurry up and change all bows to Pear Blossom Crossbows. Quick!”
… …
Just as the situation worsened, old butler Murbaqi led Rumi the dwarf and others, such as the Gnome Elder, to the scene. They brought a large batch of refined Pear Blossom Crossbows with them. Behind stood wine-loving dwarfs and usually timid Gnomes. Some are smiths who worked day and night; there is even a large group of female servants with them.
To protect the castle, the servants and smiths all joined the battle before the old butler needs to say a word. It’s okay if they didn’t know how to use battle energy or magic. They could help tend to the injured, and load up the crossbows for the soldiers!
The soldiers looked at the female servants who, in the past, would scream when they saw a rat; they looked at the gnomes who were known to be timid, and Master Aaron who set aside his status and came down to fight. The soldiers felt a surge of hot-bloodedness swell up in their chests. Upon receiving their Pear Blossom Crossbows, they aimed it ferociously at the ever-nearing pirates.
There are stark differences between the Pear Blossom Crossbows and the longbow. While the Pear Blossom Crossbows had a significantly shorter attack range, they pierced a lot heavier than longbows and had a much faster attack speed. With a large group of servants continually loading up the crossbows, the soldiers finally saw a flicker of hope that they might win.
“Crossbow Archers. Ready, get set…fire!”
All soldiers pulled the trigger in unison at the order of the City Defence Commander. Tens of thousands of arrows shot out like lightning bolts, and large patches of pirates began to fall. The attacks of the crossbows were fast and continuous, and very swiftly began to smother the pirates.
“Spellcasters, quick! Attack their archers!”
The one-eyed black-clad man ordered coldly in the face of a tidal wave of arrows. The spellcasters behind him began to murmur at top speed. Together, they cast a spell to set the castle ablaze. Large clusters of fire suddenly appeared atop the city gates, severely burning the archers who couldn’t react in time. Many were killed on the spot!
Seeing that their spells were effective, the spellcasters who were with the pirates pressed home their attacks. Bursts after bursts of fire and icicles dealt a considerable blow to the soldiers guarding the gated front. In an instant, victory seemed to tip towards the pirates who came prepared!
A large group of spellcasters?
Old butler Murbaqi felt his heart go cold at the sight of the dozens of spellcasters behind the one-eyes black-clad man. The elite soldiers within the castle were almost all outstation. In the face of horrifyingly powerful spellcasters and a large gang of bloodthirsty pirates, they had no chance to survive, even if they managed to close the city gates.
“Kekeke, charge! The first to break into the city shall be rewarded with 100,000 Purple Crystal Coins and five young, beautiful maids!”
After demolishing the archers atop the city gates with his trump card, the one-eyed clack-clad man was sure of his victory. He was beyond excited. He finally fought his way back to his castle months after he was defeated. This time, he must torture the ones close to Yang Ling with his own two hands, to avenge his son Ymir, and as payback for the humiliation of stealing his castle.
Arwoo… …
Just as Murbaqi was ready to direct everybody to escape from the backdoor, a group of elven huntresses emerged from the distance. They all rode a black panther each. Owls flew at high speeds above them, and from behind, he could see elven archers, Clawed Druid, and the tree demon. There are even Mountain Giants with humongous wooden sticks on their shoulders.
His Lordship?
Could it be that His Lordship has returned?
Old butler Murbaqi peered agitatedly at the elven huntresses who pounced like lightning on the backs of black panthers, and the owls which circled the skies. However, he quickly noticed something different. It was true that Yang Ling had a lot of magical beasts, but where did all these elven warriors and spellcasters come from?
Puzzled, he stared intently at the formation behind the elven troops. Very soon, he saw a familiar figure — a long-haired Sofia donned in silver armor. Riding a fierce white tiger with an emerald longbow in her hands, she pounced on the enemy troops like a bolt of lightning!
Moon Priestess?
Did Sofia become a Moon Priestess and rush back to the castle with her followers?
Looking at the familiar silhouette of Sofia, and the large troop of elven warriors and spellcasters, old butler Murbaqi’s eyes became red. With such powerful elite elven forces, he finally saw some hope for the Wissen Castle!
