Chapter 191: [191] Stonewall City

Border City, Strongwall, Donia Kingdom.

The border city of Strongwall was the first defensive city of the Donia kingdom.

The city was originally a military encampment, but after the walls were built, the population of the encampment naturally rose until it became as large as it was today.

The populace were surrounded on all sides by tall, ancient walls that had stood for centuries.

By the eastern part of the city lay the death rivers, a stormy sea that most captains would dread to sail.

At the southern part of the city, beyond the wall was a harsh, barren wasteland, a terrain unfit for human survival.

…There were a few villages scattered outside, but they mostly depended on aid from the capital to survive.

Often, monsters seeking food and water would attempt to breach the walls, but the countless attempts had led to countless failures.

There were hardly any losses on the human side. With a battlement capable of hosting three thousand soldiers, the utter annihilation of the monsters was the natural outcome.

But it had been two months since any monster last wandered towards Strongwall… And now, an eerie, uncomfortable silence had begun to settle in the battlements, mixed up with the crippling smell of fear.

This was concerning, considering that the soldiers mounted on the walls were battle hardened warriors.

Twenty foot giants? They weren’t shaken. Hydras? Wyverns? That was just another Tuesday.

The magic armaments mounted on the walls could tear most monsters to shreds.

But there was one thing that the soldier feared above them all. The undead.

Word had reached them months ago. One by one, the little villages outside the walls had been picked out, swarmed by hordes of undead, consumed before they realised what was going on.

And now, the undead were on their way to Strongbridge. It was no wonder, the mood on the walls was a solemn one.

Sitting atop the battlements of the wall, was a young soldier with pale blue hair, hazel eyes and a stubby mustache.

Cavil was a squad captain in the imperial army. He was meant to have finished his time here on the walls, but Cavil had never been a particularly lucky man.

Due to the situation at hand, he was ordered to stay back and fight.

“Tch! What are the geezers moping about?? Strongbridge had been standing for a hundred years!” A drunk soldier spoke boldly.

“My grandfather, father and even brother served on this wall, it will never fall!” He waved his wine skin in the air, then jabbed his shoulder into the Cavil’s armour.

Cavil frowned but said nothing.

“Haven’t you heard what we are up against? Fool, did your father ever fight the undead?!” Another soldier called Daniels asked, sighing tiredly.

Silas, the archer sitting opposite them, frowned. “Undead do not tire, and they do not die unless you deliver a fatal blow to their heads. It’s like fighting a tireless legion! I would rather run than fight this horde.”

Cavil raised his head, fixing a cold stare on the young soldier. “Don’t speak so carelessly, Silas. You know the punishment for dissertation is death.”

“Ahhh—” Silas nervously scratched his head. “Forgive me captain, it was just a joke.”

The drunkard then yelled as he wrapped a hand around Cavil’s shoulders, “Why are we even worried, we have Cavil with us, he is already a knight! He’ll be sure to blow those undead to smithereens!”

Cavil’s eyes widened as he immediately grabbed his subordinate’s mouth. “Shut up fool, do you want me to throw you off this wall?!”

His subordinates all stared at him in shock.

“Have you really advanced?!” Dahlia, the only woman among them, asked in a sharp whisper.

She was a fearless mage that had recently joined his squad. Battle after battle, she had proved herself, showing the potential to be a commander one day.

Cavil angrily signed. “Y… yes. But barely.”

They were all about to scream out in celebration but a sharp glare from his silenced them.

“Keep it a secret alright? You idiots, I need to go back to the capital this month!”

If the higher ups were to find out he was a knight, they would assign him a higher position, which would mean more work!

A wide grin suddenly appeared on Daniels’ face. “Ohohoho, you want to visit your pretty sister don’t you?”

Cavil blushed, embarrassed that he had been found out, then stood up. “Fine, you caught me, now what?!”

He let out a breath. “If you all have loved ones beyond this wall as well, I suggest you ready yourselves.”

His gaze sharpened as he stared at his subordinates, the glorious full moon shining up in the sky above.

“To protect Ciera, I will do anything in my power to make sure this wall stands!”

“Hyaaaa—!”

“I hear you captain!”

“We read you loud and clear!”

“Fuck those rotten fuckers!

They screamed out, raising their weapons.

Silas smiled. “That is what I’m talking about.”

As he stared at his squad, a small smile on his face, suddenly, the world became intensely bright.

The soldiers’ gazes faltered, weapons trembling in their grip.

The word seemed to slow down to a crawl as Cavil immediately turned around. Up above, coming down with the wrath of the heavens was a fire ball the size of a small hill.

Cavil’s eyes widened, his ears numbing as a scream tore through his throat.

“INCOMING!!!!!!!!!”

Just as the fireball was seconds away from reducing the wall to cinders, a large blue shield suddenly appeared above their heads.

BANG!

The sound of the impact was deafening.

It was as though the walls had been hit by a tier 3 earthquake. The walls shook uncontrollably, fire washed above the shield scorching the sides of the walls and soldiers collapsed to the floor like dominos.

Cavil blinked, realising that he himself was also on the floor, his ears ringing as though he was cursed by a banshee.

“Argh, damn it!” He grudgingly got to his feet, the world a blur of motion. He could hear commanders barking out orders, the roar of magical cannons unloading, and spellcasters chanting in unison.

Although the shield had stopped most of the damage, the shockwave from the attack was also deadly.

Cavil and his group had been right underneath it, and the shockwave alone was enough to render regular people unconscious, or even dead.

’What the hell is going on?’

He immediately ran towards the edge of the wall, his head ponding, his heart racing in his chest.

He grabbed the cold stone of the battlements and stared outside. There was only one word that came to his mouth.

“Fuck!”

Outside the walls were hordes of undead that stretched out as far as the eye could see. Dead monsters with their flesh barely hanging on to their thin bodies, dead villagers with pikes and rods, skeleton soldiers armed with swords and shields, undead shamans…

Even giants that towered up to the skies.

The calm night sky had become bathed with fire. The artillery was launching projectiles, archers were firing arrows coated in flames, mages were unleashing catastrophic spells..

Yet, it was like a drop of water in an infinitely vast ocean. And if they fell, they would add to that growing pool.

How had they managed to get so close to the walls? Had the scouts been sleeping? Or was it some sort of illusion?!

He gritted his teeth as he rushed towards his group who were still disoriented.

Calvin had nearly gotten to them when a fireball suddenly cut above his head, nearly burning it off.

Sliding on his knees, he stopped right in front of their best archer, Silas.

The young man was trying to blink away the fogginess in his eyes, wincing as he held tightly onto his bow.

“Get a grip man!” Cavil barked as he grabbed his shoulders, pulling him up. He held the water skin next to the man and emptied the water on his head.

“T-thanks… w-what the fuck is going on—”

BOOOOM!

Another fireball pounded into a distant part of the battlement. This time, the entire thing went down in ash and smoke.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck! We’re going to die aren’t we?!” Silas cried, his hands visibly shaking.

“You’re not going to die! You’re a soldier for god sake! Pull yourself together!!!”

Silas slapped himself and nodded.

“Listen to me okay? We need all hands on deck, you’re an archer which means you’re the most important person in our unit, understand?!”

Silas nodded. “Y-yeah sir!” He slurred.

Cavil glanced at the other members of his squad, realising that all twenty of them were still shaken.

Only Dahlia had managed to get to her feet.

’She’s the one who casted the shield spell isn’t she?’ Cavil thought.

He grabbed his necklace, the one given by his commander and gritted his teeth.

’I hate having to use this…’

But in this war, it was do or die.

He activated the artifact and the soldiers who had been disoriented from the blast suddenly had relief, a sudden wave of boldness consuming them.

“Alright guys!” Cavil screamed at his men.

“Archers, grab a quiver, foot soldiers grab anything you can fucking throw! Rocks, pots of oil, spears! Lest give this fuckers hell!”

“URAHHHHHH—!”

The battlements burst into action, everyone grabbing what they could use to fight. The soldiers arrived at the edge of the wall shortly after, ready to unleash hell on the horde.

’That’s what I’m talking about!’ Cavil himself grabbed a pot of steaming oil and was about to follow after them when—

BANG!

A large club suddenly exploded against the battlement, crushing the soldiers to a bloody pulp.

Cavil was blown back, blood splashing on bim, soaking him from head to toe. The steaming pot of oil poured on him as well, sliding through his armour and melting his skin.

But Cavil did not feel the pain.

Although he was shivering all over, it was not because his flesh had been seared beyond recognition, or because of his bones that had been broken by the attack.

Dahlia… Silas, Daniels…

His soldiers…

In an instant, they had all lost their lives while acting on his commands.

“N..no…”

It felt like his heart had been ripped out of his chest and put into a meat grinder.

The club was pulled back, a large rotten head peaking over the wall— its eyes landing on his miserable frame.

The undead giant raised his club.

Tears streamed down Cavil’s eyes as he stared up at the approaching shadow.

“Please, gods above. Keep Ciera safe…”

BOOOOM!

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