Chapter 90: To resist [2]

With the mid-ranking knight from Migzar’s army, many enemy soldiers managed to break through with their weapons; he was mowing down the Hall family’s soldiers.

His presence broke through the line as if there were no real resistance.

Without hesitation, Alisha sent two mid-ranking knights to even the odds.

She couldn’t let that position collapse.

The sound of clashing weapons grew louder and louder near the wall; the Hall family soldiers raised their shields and, at the same time, counterattacked with their spears.

The pace was brutal. Impact. Thrust. Counterattack.

Piercing through—eyes, severed heads, limbs, and more. The sight was too gruesome.

Amid the chaos caused by the mid-ranking knight, a new battering ram charged forward at full speed, striking the gate, which had been slightly damaged from the start.

The timing had been well chosen, just when the line was at its weakest.

With a violent crash, the gate gave way with a heart-wrenching creak, splitting down the middle as splinters flew inward like projectiles.

The defense… was broken.

For a moment, no one moved.

That brief moment when everyone realized what had just happened.

Then…

“THEY’RE BREAKING THROUGH!”

Reality hit them like a ton of bricks.

The roar of Arkham’s soldiers flooded the entrance like a black tide. Everyone braced themselves, raising their shields, spears, and other weapons, ready for the clash that was about to unfold.

There was no time to regroup. Only to hold their ground.

“FORM UP! DON’T BREAK THE LINE!”

The order was desperate… but necessary.

The attackers charged at them aggressively and violently; the clang of metal growing ever louder, and blood spilling onto the ground, along with the bodies of soldiers from both sides.

The fighting became immediate, close-quarters, and chaotic.

This first clash, after they had broken through the gate, caused Alisha’s men to retreat several steps, but they held their ground with all their might.

However, Migzar’s soldiers continued to attack with all their might, seeking to break through that defense and wreak havoc.

It wasn’t a disorganized attack. It was constant pressure, designed to wear them down.

Alisha watched from the wall. Her fingers clung to the stone. She had entered too quickly, but it was something she had expected: she knew that, with the soldiers they had and the knight, they couldn’t hold out for long.

The pace of the enemy’s advance confirmed her worst fears.

“Reinforcements to the gate!”

She gave the order; as her voice rose, it carried authority in every word.

“Don’t let them gain ground!”

From where she stood, she could see how they were slowly gaining ground on her… though in other areas, where the knights were, the situation seemed to have reached a stalemate.

The strongholds were holding out.

…But she wasn’t sure of that.

And that doubt made it worse.

What Alisha was sure of was that they were already gaining ground on her, faster than she had thought.

A man fell in front of the entrance, pierced by a spear that emerged from his back. The spray of blood splattered other soldiers standing nearby.

No one stopped.

Another was pushed to the ground… and trampled most horrifically as he screamed, but due to the clash of swords and more, his cries were silenced.

The screams faded as quickly as they had appeared.

Alisha’s heart was pounding. Each beat louder than the last.

“Ma’am.”

A soldier appeared at her side again, blood staining his armor.

He was breathing heavily.

“If they keep pushing like this, they’ll break through the line in a matter of minutes.”

The confirmation she didn’t want to hear.

Minutes…

The word lingered in her mind for several seconds.

It wasn’t a vague estimate. It was a deadline.

Until now… she hadn’t decided to use the knights because it would be counterproductive, and the enemy hadn’t used them either. First, their numbers were limited, and the death of even one was a great loss.

Both sides were holding back their most valuable assets.

All Alisha wanted was to hold out as long as possible until reinforcements from the Tubor family arrived—reinforcements her son Adam had requested some time ago.

That was the real objective.

She looked down toward the entrance; this time she observed, not as a mother or a noblewoman… but as someone who needed to understand, or they would all die.

She forced her mind to ignore the fear.

Besides, the enemy wasn’t attacking at random; for the moment, they were concentrating their forces on a single point… Well, sending soldiers to weaken them.

It was deliberate. Methodical.

Querina breaks through its defenses and spreads out to devour, little by little, the city of Arkham.

They weren’t looking for a quick victory.

They were looking to secure it.

“…”

Alisha’s mind began to race as she looked out over the bloody battlefield; she analyzed everything faster, more coldly, stripping away the unnecessary emotions that were clouding her mind at that very moment.

The pieces began to fall into place, not as chaos… but as a pattern.

Now she saw the battlefield as a chessboard.

“Mixer.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“We’ll give up the entrance…”

The decision was delivered with a calmness that didn’t match its implications.

The soldier frowned. It wasn’t a typical order.

“We can’t allow that.”

Alisha looked him in the eye with a serious expression; it was the gaze of someone who hadn’t made a hasty decision.

There was no doubt in her mind.

“It seems you’re misunderstanding me; if we give in too soon, they’ll wipe us all out. That’s for sure.”

It was a certainty.

Her eyes gleamed with calculation.

“But if we let them in far enough…”

The plan began to take shape.

Mixer fell silent, and from the look he gave her, she assumed he had understood her intentions.

It was no longer necessary to explain everything.

“…And we can trap them.”

The air seemed to grow heavier as if even the world understood what that meant.

“That means…”

“Yes.”

Alisha didn’t take her eyes off the battlefield. She couldn’t afford to.

“It means those on the front lines aren’t going to survive.”

The silence that followed was extremely heavy, broken only by the clanging of metal and the screams of the dead or wounded who were struck.

The price… had already been decided.

Alisha felt something snap inside her chest. But she didn’t let it show.

She buried him.

“Get the men on the flanks ready,”

She ordered in a hoarse but firm voice. Her voice carried the weight of the decision.

“When they’ve advanced far enough… we close in.”

There was no turning back.

Mixer didn’t respond immediately. He hesitated for a moment that felt like an eternity.

That moment… said it all.

“…As you command.”

She watched as the soldier left, while she remained alone, watching what was about to happen on the front line.

There were no more orders to give. Only to wait… and stand by the decision.

After a few minutes, something in the line broke—not completely, but enough for Migzar’s soldiers to breach it and push through.

Exactly as he had anticipated.

And that was precisely what happened: Migzar’s soldiers advanced through the breach, pushing the defenders back.

The pressure became unbearable at that point.

“FALL BACK!”

Someone shouted before a sword sliced through his neck like butter.

The voice fell silent instantly.

“FALL BACK!”

The order was repeated… but it was already too late.

Many of the soldiers began to fall under the powerful assault of Migzar’s troops, who advanced flawlessly, slaughtering everything that stood in their way.

They didn’t stop. They didn’t hesitate.

Meanwhile, the Hall family soldiers retreated in disarray, stepping over the corpses of their comrades in the process.

Order… was crumbling.

“…”

Alisha clenched her teeth. She had to hold out a little longer, just a little longer, until the enemies broke through.

Every second… costs lives.

Ten meters.

The countdown was relentless.

Fifteen.

It still wasn’t enough.

Twenty.

“Now…”

Her fingers trembled. It was the exact moment.

“…NOW. CLOSE IN!”

From both sides, the knights of the Hall family charged.

The timing was perfect.

The impact was immediate: the knights began slaughtering all of Migzar’s soldiers, who were trapped in a bottleneck.

There was no room to maneuver. There was no way to retreat.

Screams began to fill the air once more, but this time they weren’t coming from Hall’s soldiers—they were coming from the enemies who didn’t know what to do and were trapped with them.

Panic spread quickly.

The enemies began to fall one after another, meeting miserable and painful deaths; it seemed as though the knights were taking revenge for all those who had fallen.

The swords did not stop. They struck, pierced, and tore.

One man was shoved into another just as a spear pierced his chest, leaving both of them impaled at the same moment. Another tried to raise his shield, but it was shattered along with his arm, and he fell as blood gushed out in hot streams.

A knight charged forward without hesitation, plunging his sword into an enemy’s neck and pushing him backward to clear a path, while another finished off those lying on the ground without even looking at their faces.

The pent-up fury made no distinctions. It showed no mercy.

The floor became slippery, covered in blood and debris, as bodies piled up haphazardly, further blocking the exit for those trapped inside.

Those trying to flee stumbled… and were caught before they could get back to their feet.

The pent-up fury found an outlet.

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