Chapter 221: Choices of Possibility (2)
Boom…
The corridor shook violently with a deafening roar. It seemed the Empire’s artillery or a catapult had struck the fortress wall.
In the narrow hallway that swayed as if an earthquake had hit, Lucia maintained her balance with calm precision and swung her sword.
Swish—
Her blade sliced cleanly through leather armor and skin.
“Ugh…!”
The Imperial soldier, his torso slashed diagonally, let out a strangled cry and collapsed forward.
“Ahh, ah…”
Desperate hands fumbled over the split armor as he lay sprawled on the floor. His ribs were shattered, and one lung was filling with blood, yet surprisingly, death did not come swiftly.
More than twenty soldiers had already fallen in this cramped corridor. The screams echoing through the narrow space were the result of a massacre that had unfolded in barely a minute.
”…”
Under normal circumstances, Lucia would have ended their suffering, even if they were enemies. But right now, she had no such luxury.
The moment she felled the last soldier, a piercing killing intent struck the back of her neck.
“Sisella—”
A cry invoking the name of a god. Lucia swiftly turned, imbuing her sword with divine power.
The bald head exuding murderous intent belonged to none other than a battle priest of the Pantheon.
The emblem embroidered on his robe marked him as a high-ranking battle priest, at least of the fourth rank or higher.
“Damn it…”
From her recent battles, Lucia knew the compressed torrents unleashed by Sisella’s battle priests were formidable.
Though it was merely water they wielded, the impact was akin to a powerful artillery shell.
If they were on the fortress wall, she might have dodged it somehow, but facing him in the narrow corridor within the bronze walls was unfortunate.
Regret was futile, and her judgment was swift.
Whoosh—
The power of the divine tattoos etched on her body slowed her perception of time to a crawl.
“A torrent to sweep away and annihilate the enemy—!”
The bald battle priest raised his voice, extending a thick tome of sacred spells.
The narrow corridor within the fortress, already weakened by endless bombardment, would surely collapse when the divine powers of a high-ranking paladin and a battle priest clashed.
As the two servants of the gods locked eyes, bracing themselves—
”…”
”…”
Nothing happened.
”…?”
“What…?”
The battle priest’s voice was bewildered. Lucia acted faster.
Thud—
She dashed forward, kicking off the corridor walls.
Slash!
In the blink of an eye, her sword, imbued with a brilliant aura, tore through the priest’s robes and all his defenses.
“Ah… Sisella! Sisella…”
Even as his body split diagonally and crumbled, the battle priest cried out for his god.
His fervent prayer turned to a groan, then to the gurgling sound of blood, settling into the corridor.
“Huff, huff…”
Only then did Lucia lean against the corridor wall, exhaling heavily. The narrow passage was already so cluttered with the bodies of Imperial soldiers that there was hardly room to step.
Thunk.
She rested her head against the wall and closed her eyes. Memories of the past week flashed through her mind.
The day after their group, having sent away their strongest members, Dalen and Felber, arrived in the city, the Empire launched an invasion.
Without a single declaration of war.
The Empire was cunning and swift.
Their first move was to quickly breach the border with a fast-moving slave army of non-humans.
While the slave army persistently attacked the labyrinth city, the berserkers of the Pantheon and the main Imperial forces crossed the border, reaching the city’s doorstep.
The full-scale siege began just three days ago.
And now, over 72 hours later, the Empire had not relented for a moment.
“Crazy bastards.”
The Empire’s strategy differed from the sieges Lucia had experienced in the north.
The mad god of war had unleashed a massive horde of monsters all at once, but the Empire aimed to steadily wear down their stamina.
Of course, this was backed by the vast human and material resources from their expansive territory.
Considering the seemingly endless troops and supplies they poured in, one had to wonder if there would be any gain even if they won the war.
“Sigh.”
The relentless battles over the past few days were steadily draining their forces’ stamina.
Even Lucia, who had reached the transcendent rank, felt her limbs growing heavy.
This was partly because her domain and mindset were focused on defeating demons.
Moreover, her holy sword, Leredonatel, had the peculiar trait of dulling against humans.
“Fighting demons would be better…”
Clang!
She discarded her cracked sword, which was now webbed with fractures, and took the best weapon she could find from the fallen soldiers.
Lucia steadied her breath and ascended the stairs at the end of the long corridor.
Clunk!
As she opened the door, the scene of fierce battle on the bronze fortress wall unfolded before her.
“Fire!”
“Reload! Reload!”
Archers released their arrows in unison, while artillerymen loaded gunpowder into cannons.
“Luther? Lu, Luther!”
“Damn it, those fanatical bastards can rot in hell!”
A bronze guard with a gunshot wound to the head lay fallen, surrounded by comrades weeping over their dying friend.
[Lenia! Dalorema!]
[Ignel— Seltideo Lagreta.]
Bolts of lightning struck from a clear sky, followed by a rain of fire from the gathering storm clouds.
Boom! Crash…
Amidst the grand explosions wrought by dozens of spells intertwining in the air, Imperial and labyrinth city soldiers clashed in chaotic melee around the siege towers.
”…”
Thousands of lives were being snuffed out, not by monsters or demons, but by the hands of fellow humans.
How could this happen with the end so near? How long had it been since the united forces of the north drove back the army of the evil god, only for the Emperor of the Empire and the Pantheon to create such a tragedy?
It was a scene incomprehensible to a paladin’s values. As Lucia bit her lip unconsciously, a man approached her side.
“Shouldn’t you rest? I heard you haven’t slept in three days.”
”…Everon.”
Pale skin. Distinct features. Slightly tousled but still lustrous blond hair.
Lucia recognized the young man’s face. He was an acquaintance from the labyrinth city, known as the “Face of a Thousand Changes,” whom she had met during the Vine Witch incident.
Strictly speaking, she was familiar with just one of the bodies he used to manage the city. The others were likely scattered across the fortress, directing soldiers.
Lucia glanced at the approaching siege tower and replied.
“I was about to sleep when the Imperial forces arrived. They must have infiltrated through a breach in the outer wall.”
”…I see. I’ll request support from the mages of the Elgaia Tower.”
He focused briefly, conveying his intentions to one of his bodies elsewhere.
Watching the young man, shadows of fatigue under his eyes from days of battle, Lucia recalled something she had heard recently.
“The transcendent ones of the Golden Palace knew in advance, didn’t they?”
Everon had mentioned that the Golden Palace had foreseen this invasion, though the timing had come sooner than expected.
That’s why they were able to respond to the Empire’s sudden assault and hold the Imperial forces at bay at the first of the seven walls.
Even just counting the numbers directly assaulting the wall, the Imperial forces outnumbered them several times over.
In the past three days, the number of troops the Empire had sent to breach the wall was at least ten times that of the defenders.
Even though Falcion was a vast city, it couldn’t match the Empire’s numbers, given their vast southern territory.
Without the eleven transcendent ones from the Golden Palace, maintaining such a precarious balance in this overwhelmingly unfavorable situation would have been impossible.
“In any case… to end this fight, your companions need to arrive soon.”
Everon spoke. The siege tower was now within reach.
Arrows shot through the narrow windows of the tower. The young man tapped the stone floor lightly with his staff, erecting a protective barrier around them.
“The old hag… I mean, our strongest transcendent has gone to rescue your companions. If we can hold out for just one more day…”
Boom—
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck the Imperial camp. Everon paused, seeing the blue lightning.
Thud…
The massive door of the siege tower lowered like a drawbridge onto the wall, creating a path.
“For Sisella!”
“Pawel! Pawel!”
“Charge!”
As he watched hundreds of berserkers swarm like an army of ants, he shook his head and raised his staff.
“You never fail to surprise me.”
The young man chuckled. Beyond his laughter, dozens of magical projectiles rained down, obliterating the vanguard of the charging berserkers.
Standing beside Lucia, whose divine tattoos began to glow once more, Everon quickly formed a series of hand signs and spoke.
“They arrived sooner than expected, so let’s give it our all until the end.”
Boom!
A pillar of light struck the ground with a thunderous crash.
Twelve priests, led by a high priest, were reduced to ashes in a single lightning strike.
“S-Sisella… please…”
Only the high priest, barely maintaining his form, could whisper the god’s name in a voice mixed with groans.
But the water god did not answer. With the avatar obliterated by the Seer, the priests’ divine power would likely be lost for a day or two.
“A monster…”
“A demon, truly.”
The soldiers, pale with fear, stumbled back.
Dalen moved forward without hesitation, heading straight into the heart of the Imperial army’s formation.
There was no reason to waste time slaughtering these small fry one by one. The bronze walls weren’t sturdy enough to withstand the Empire’s massive and sudden invasion for long.
In fact, it wouldn’t be surprising if they started to crumble in three days.
The fact that no part of the vast wall had been completely breached was a testament to the tireless efforts of the transcendents above and below it.
Unless they intended to abandon the bronze walls, this battle needed to be concluded swiftly.
“Exi.”
A low hum resonated as an invisible wave spread out.
Weapons scattered on the ground began to rise, orbiting around Dalen.
Upon reaching the front lines, Dalen split his group in two and plunged into the enemy’s depths alone.
Felber’s techniques were more suited for defense than breakthrough, and the Seer’s frail body wasn’t ideal for making an impact in the midst of such a large enemy force.
While the Seer and Felber supported the wall’s defense, Dalen’s most effective strategy was to strike directly at the Imperial army’s command from the flank.
He had conserved his strength in the battle against Sisella precisely to make a difference in this siege.
‘To command a force of this size… the Twilight Knights must have come in person.’
A trumpet blared in the distance.
“The Knights! The Twilight Knights are here!”
“We’re saved!”
The sound of hooves and clashing armor grew louder amidst the noise.
Dalen, who had been about to unleash the power of the Ashen Path, paused his mental preparation and gathered his magic.
No need to seek them out. The experience points are coming to me.