VBNWDW - Chapter 60
Chapter 60
As the dividing line between two kingdoms, Nia City was built in a rather peculiar, or one might say, strange manner. It was constructed entirely along the mountain range before it, and when viewed from the sky, it resembled a long, thin, and even ugly caterpillar.
Yet no one dared to underestimate or mock it. Since its establishment, Nia City had defended the Roy Kingdom against thousands of battles, large and small. Its walls, damaged and repaired time and again, were soaked in the blood of the people of Roy and their enemies.
Just as it was now, it stood tall, blocking the aggressive army of the Atl Kingdom.
Today, the weather was gloomy. Dark clouds hung so low they seemed to press down on one's head, and the banners snapped and fluttered in the fierce wind. Unfortunately, the wind could not blow away the dense rain of arrows.
"Fire!"
A man on the city wall roared, and another volley of arrows descended, slicing through the air with sharp, murderous intent.
Due to their faith in the God of War and a culture that revered strength, the soldiers of the Atl army were all powerfully built, several centimeters taller than those of the Roy Kingdom. Clad in black iron armor, they looked like a pack of savage bears. Seeing another volley of arrows, they showed no panic, simply raising their shields above their heads and continuing their charge.
The once-solid ground, soaked with blood over the past few days, had turned soft. A forceful step would leave a bloody footprint, reeking of a foul, metallic stench.
When the men in front fell, those behind would simply trample over their corpses to advance.
—Boom!
The Atl army would not just watch their own men be suppressed. They brought up catapults and began hurling giant stones at the city walls. The boulders flew into the city, landing with tremendous crashes and sending up plumes of gray smoke. They gouged out deep pits half a meter wide, and those unfortunate enough to be hit let out blood-curdling screams.
But soon, these screams were drowned out by the continuous barrage of stones. Dust filled the air, blurring everyone's vision.
Standing on the wall, Duke Ander frowned tightly. She was tall, and while her features were not as delicate as most nobles, they radiated a sharpness forged in a sea of blades and blood.
When others glanced at her, they would feel a flicker of fear, as if this woman were more terrifying than the mighty army below the walls.
Another giant stone flew past, soaring right over Duke Ander's head. She didn't even blink. Instead, she deliberately took a step forward, her eyes fixed on the approaching enemy.
She turned her head and snapped, "How much longer until the reinforcements arrive! Are they waiting for everyone in Nia City to die first?"
A soldier beside her trembled and hurriedly replied, "A messenger on a fast horse brought a letter this morning. It said several of the Gifted were unaccustomed to the difficult journey and fell gravely ill. They had to rest for half a day but are now rushing here. They should arrive by tomorrow morning."
"Tomorrow morning?" The Duke was both furious and exasperated. She sneered, "Can't you see the Atl Kingdom is about to break through our gates! Are they coming to collect our corpses tomorrow?"
"All day long they boast about how powerful they are, but now they're just a bunch of cowards who get scared before even setting foot on the battlefield!"
"Parasites feeding on the kingdom's grain!"
Seeing her rage, the men beside her dropped to their knees, not daring to utter another word.
Duke Ander cursed a few more times before forcing herself to calm down, knowing that scolding them was all she could do.
The Gifted were a crucial resource for any nation, beings who could truly change the course of a war. Although the situation looked dire, neither side had actually deployed their Gifted yet; they were still fighting with ordinary soldiers. If the Gifted appeared, it would mean the battle had reached its final, decisive moment.
Duke Ander's face was grim. All the scouts she had sent out these past few days had vanished without a trace. She still had no idea how many of the Gifted the Atl army had brought with them. This uncertainty made her even more hesitant to act rashly.
She gritted her teeth and asked the man beside her, "Is the south side of the city secure?"
The man tried to remain calm. "As you commanded, it is heavily guarded. All food and drink are tasted by someone first. There won't be any problems."
Only then did Duke Ander's expression soften slightly. She mentally reviewed the Gifted stationed on the south side of the city.
Not counting the reinforcements sent by the kingdom, she currently had eighteen of the Gifted under her command: eight knights from the Temple of Light, three junior mages, six intermediate mages, and one great mage. Including herself, a Advanced Wood Mage, this was a formidable force anywhere and the key reason the Roy Kingdom had been able to hold its border.
But what if the Atl Kingdom went all out and sent two great mages, determined to take this city?
Then her forces could resist for half an hour at most.
At this thought, her face darkened again as she looked toward the enemy.
As for Her Majesty the Queen, who had accompanied the army, no one paid her any mind. Everyone knew that the dragon she had a contract with had not come with her. This queen, who wasn't even one of the Gifted, was nothing more than a mascot to boost morale. They just hoped she wasn't too delicate and wouldn't delay the reinforcements' progress.
"Fire!"
Another volley of arrows rained down. Behind the archers, warriors drew their blades and charged the walls. The Atl army had already used the bodies of their comrades to build a ramp, and they were now storming the top of the wall.
"Kill them!"
The soldiers of Roy raised their swords and hacked at the enemy soldiers climbing up, sending blood gushing like a fountain.
Just as everyone was focused on these soldiers, a chant suddenly rang out. Immediately, emerald-green vines as thick as a person's arm shot up from the ground and wrapped themselves around the city wall!
"The Gifted!" someone screamed, and terror appeared on everyone's face.
In the next second, hundreds of fireballs fell from the sky, and the seemingly sturdy city wall instantly shattered!
Before they could react, icicles shot forth like a deadly rain.
In just ten seconds, more than half of the Roy soldiers were dead or wounded, and a breach had been torn in the city wall.
The spot where the Duke had been standing had taken the brunt of the attack. It was now a scene of carnage, filled with severed limbs and agonizing screams. Only the very center remained intact, protected by a giant green leaf that had withstood the fireballs and icicles.
When this wave of attacks paused, the leaf immediately unfurled, revealing the pale-faced Duke. She shouted, "Quick, go get the Gifted!"
A few lucky soldiers who had been sheltered by the leaf scrambled to their feet and ran toward the south side of the city.
"They're insane! Insane! Has the Atl army gone mad?" she cursed viciously, pulling a staff from her ring and loudly reciting an incantation.
The next wave of attacks followed immediately! The Atl army charged forward with their blades, howling like madmen.
The thick layer of dark clouds was torn apart. The air filled with a scorched smell. The city wall crumbled, and bodies were strewn everywhere. Most conspicuous was the corpse of one of the Gifted in a white mage's robe, pinned to the wall by an ice spike.
Duke Ander's clothes were torn, her face smudged with black ash. Her pale expression had a purplish tint, a clear sign of exhaustion. The mages around her were in a similar state, and on the ground lay a small mountain of used scrolls.
In normal times, these scrolls could easily sell for tens of millions. They were created by the Gifted using special methods to inscribe skills onto them. Initially invented to protect the Gifted from sneak attacks while they were chanting, they had now become a powerful offensive tool in their own right.
Duke Ander reached into her robes, her eyes still fixed ahead. The entire Atl army had poured out, charging with wild roars. The mages in the distance had temporarily stopped, either preparing a massive spell or simply taking a break.
The Gifted beside her sat on the ground, completely spent, unable to muster even a low-level spell.
"Your Grace…"
Before he could finish his sentence, he saw a fierce gale suddenly whip up in the sky opposite them, sweeping all the dirt and rubble into it.
"Go!"
A sharp command rang out, and the tornado, possessing world-destroying power, suddenly slammed toward them.
Duke Ander's body stiffened. Forgetting about the life-saving measures passed down through her family, she pulled out a sixth-tier scroll she always kept on her person and was about to open it…
A cold blade was suddenly pressed against her waist.
Duke Ander turned her head slightly and saw a man covered in blood standing behind her. It was their only great mage.
"Sir Connie! What are you doing?"
The man's face was grim. "My apologies, Your Grace," he said. "I worked so hard to become a Great Mage. I really don't want to die just like that."
Duke Ander immediately tried to appeal to his emotions. "Sir, the Roy Kingdom has not treated you poorly…"
"Shut up!"
The blade at her waist pressed harder, slicing through her tattered clothes.
He commanded, "Put the scroll in your hand on the ground right now, then come with me to surrender. I will persuade the people of the Atl Kingdom to spare your life."
As he spoke, the tornado was already roaring toward them. The city wall was torn apart like thin paper. Invaders had already poured into the city, slaughtering indiscriminately. Cries of agony and screams filled the air.
The remaining soldiers of the Roy army closed their eyes, knowing they were powerless to resist any longer.
Duke Ander clenched her jaw, the scroll in her hand wrinkling under her grip. A look of despair crossed her face.
—ROAR!!!
Just then, an enraged dragon's roar suddenly echoed across the entire land. Debris was blasted away, and the tornado halted for an instant. The elemental forces in the area instantly grew turbulent. Every one of the Gifted could feel the elements within their own bodies trembling, as if they were about to burst forth.
Looking up at the sky, a massive pair of bone wings gave a powerful flap, and the layer of black clouds was instantly obliterated, revealing the azure sky. But in the next moment, it was obscured by a hundred-meter-long dragon's body.
The dragon descended, and the space around it tore open, revealing numerous rifts of varying sizes. Inside, chaotic elements raged violently. There was no doubt that even a great mage would be instantly shredded if they fell in.
But the black dragon was fearless, its gilded golden eyes filled with indifference and arrogance, as if it were looking down upon a swarm of ants.
—ROAR!
Another world-shattering dragon's roar. The sound waves blasted out in concentric circles, affecting friend and foe alike. Anyone standing on this land felt a tightness in their chest as blood rushed to their throats. Their ears went temporarily deaf, and they felt too dizzy to muster any strength.
The tornado, which had been the primary target, had been charging forward menacingly, but it was instantly annihilated, vanishing completely into thin air.
"How dare you!"
Someone in the Atl army suddenly roared. The gale gathered in his hands once more, and a profound incantation rang out.
A flicker of mockery crossed the dragon's eyes as it flapped its wings and charged toward him. However, it did not attack. As its bone wings opened and closed, everyone finally saw the woman standing on its back.
Her golden hair whipped in the air, and her light gray-blue eyes were as clear and sacred as Lantis Lake, serene and profound. Though she wore only simple, light-colored combat attire, it could not hide the innate nobility in her bones. On her head was a crown made from the branches of the Tree of Life, and in her hand, she held the royal longsword of Roy, all of which declared her identity.
The newly enthroned Queen of the Roy Kingdom.
The gale rose again. The old man standing on the chariot glared up at her, his expression savage and crazed. He shouted, "Wind, gather into form! Surge into a blade! At the moment the cross of light shines, great God of Wind, please descend upon this place!"
The roaring wind formed two intersecting lines, creating a cross that slashed toward the sky.
At that very moment, Her Majesty the Queen casually tossed a scroll downward. In the next second, she pushed off forcefully from the dragon's spine, diving down while simultaneously drawing her sword and slashing at the scroll.
The wind blew her golden hair, and the crown radiated a verdant, life-giving aura. Even from a distance, everyone suddenly felt a sense of relief, as if their wounds were beginning to heal.
The tip of the sword pierced the scroll. The ancient parchment instantly exploded, and a massive fire dragon burst forth, claws extended. The surrounding elements were incinerated. The catapults below spontaneously ignited, and the red dragon's claws shot directly toward the cross-shaped wind blade.
—BOOM!!
A massive explosion rang out, and the ground seemed to tremble. Magma-like heat was scattered by the wind, making everyone sweat profusely.
The wind blade dissipated, and the fire dragon's body became somewhat translucent.
Metis shouted, "Go!"
The stalled fire dragon seemed to gain sentience and charged toward the Atl Kingdom's army.
Iron armor melted, and fires erupted in the distance. The mage was seized by the fire dragon and instantly dissolved into nothing. Then, the dragon's body transformed into a sea of fire, dragging everyone down to hell.
Shouts, screams, then silence.
In just one minute, the Atl army had lost half its men. The tide of the battle had turned in an instant.
Her Majesty the Queen, having landed steadily on the ground, had already drawn her sword and charged into the remaining enemy ranks, shouting, "Long live the Roy Kingdom!"
The sound of urgent hoofbeats came from not far away. Soldiers with drawn swords charged forward—it was the reinforcements, who had been rushing desperately to get here. They followed her cry, shouting, "Long live the Roy Kingdom!"
"Long live the Queen!"
"Kill!"
Then they followed in Metis's footsteps, charging like hungry tigers into a flock of sheep, a whirlwind of flashing blades and splashing blood.
On the city wall, the Duke had, at some point, subdued the mage behind her. She stood at the edge of the wall, staring ahead in utter shock.
The legendary useless queen could summon a wall of fire with a wave of her hand and decapitate an enemy with a single strike. Her moves were ruthless and decisive, even more so than her own, who had spent her entire life on the border.
She looked at the surrounding soldiers. They had thought they were about to die, but now, against all odds, they had turned defeat into victory. They were already overcome with ecstatic joy. Those with any strength left immediately ran into the city, shouting, "The Queen is here! The Queen is here!"
"The Queen summoned a dragon! We're going to win!"
"The Roy Kingdom will be victorious!"
In the midst of the crowd, Metis did not stop, relentlessly swinging her sword. The holy knights who had arrived automatically formed a protective circle around her, blocking assassination attempts from behind.
After an unknown amount of time, the dark clouds dispersed. The ground was covered in rivers of blood that flowed outward along the gullies. The horn for retreat sounded loudly, and the Atl army broke, scattering and fleeing with unconcealable terror on their faces.
Finally, the black dragon descended, allowing Her Majesty the Queen to step onto its back and fly toward the battered and broken Nia City.
The strong wind kicked up by its bone wings gusted toward her, and Duke Ander couldn't help but narrow her eyes as she looked up at the dragon.
Her lips moved, and she couldn't help but call out, "Your Majesty."
The woman on the dragon's back simply gave a slight nod. Her charming and radiant face was cold and stern, a streak of blood spattered on her cheek. Despite having just fought a major battle, her breathing was steady and calm. She replied, "Duke Ander."
"We ran into some trouble on the road, which delayed the reinforcements. What are the casualties in Nia City?"
The shouts around her continued unabated. Duke Ander's feelings were complex. She didn't know whether to be grateful for her narrow escape or to curse that bunch of fools in Anthelia City for being deceived by a young woman for so many years.
Summoning a dragon at will, casually tossing out a sixth-tier scroll, and moving with such composure amidst a chaotic battle—how could a puppet queen possibly possess such abilities?
But if she had hidden her strength for so many years, evading even the ducal families and the Temple, why reveal it now?
Those families in Anthelia City… they spoke of the twelve families sharing glory and ruin, advancing and retreating as one, yet they had forced her family to this place, step by step weakening their power…
How were they any different from Her Majesty the Queen?
Duke Ander gripped the hilt of her sword, the veins on the back of her hand bulging. A flicker of conflict appeared in her eyes.
Metis was not in a hurry; she simply looked at her calmly.
Finally, the woman suddenly dropped to one knee and declared, "Talia Ander pledges her loyalty to you."
Metis, who had appeared so relaxed, finally let out a breath of relief. A smile bloomed on her face as she said, "Rise, Talia."
And the dragon, which had remained silent, thought to itself, It worked. The effect it and Metis had rehearsed for so many days had been achieved.
Its gilded golden eyes reflected the figure opposite it, and scenes from the original plot surfaced in its mind. In the future, this woman would become the leader of the resistance against Metis's rule. Now, she had been brought under her command…
The dragon swished its tail. The battle below had finally ceased.
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