Four Split Personalities

Half an hour later

Game Time PM22:07

The great army that had been besieging Mithril City had retreated, just as Jiawen had anticipated. When the Mithril City Guard engaged in the battle and the Winter Prism was fully overloaded, the Lord’s Allied Forces did not attempt to resist the powerful ice pulse attacks under cover of darkness. Instead, they quickly changed formation and retreated eastward. The Baffey’s Sword Knight Order and the Ice Curtain Mage Group, stationed outside the city, also retreated back into the city under the cover of the Mithril City Guard, showing no inclination to continue fighting. After all, these core armed forces of the Marshal Territory knew little, at least in their regular service phase, about the family’s core secrets, except for those particularly talented individuals with a clear penchant for chaos. Until recently, these warriors thought that their lord was caught in some sort of dispute or targeted by other great dukes due to some interest conflict, assuming it was merely a minor friction.

It was only moments ago, after witnessing the engagement of the Lord’s Allied Forces, encompassing all Eight Great Families, that they began to sense something was amiss. Nonetheless, neither the Knight Order, the Mage Group, nor the Mithril City Guard wavered, which speaks volumes about their loyalty to their lord and how well Fujiki, the chief steward, managed public relations and information censorship.

In any other nation, any lord’s army that saw a Crusading Army led by the Royal Family approaching would almost certainly desert on the spot without a justified reason, a scenario only possible within the unique context of the Violet Empire, where armies might recognize their lord over their emperor.

In conclusion, tonight’s battle could tentatively be considered at an end. The three armies of the Marshal Territory, relying on the city walls and the strategic defense weapon—the Winter Prism—suffered less than two thousand casualties in a brief exchange of fire. Although not a small number, for the total force of less than twenty thousand (including reserves hurriedly summoned to Mithril City), it was not a crippling loss.

As for the Lord’s Allied Forces, their casualties were even lighter. Aside from the first wave of assaults by the Eagle Wings, namely Baroka’s Pan Mountain Heavy Cavalier Group and the Simon Family’s Night Watcher army, which lost about three hundred men combined, the other families’ forces remained largely intact. The Crystal Wolf Family at the rear of the formation suffered no casualties at all. This clearly showed that although this makeshift alliance was not large in numbers (totaling 52,000 from the Eight Great Families, just one and a half times the total of Marshal’s three armies combined), its elite status was undeniable. Moreover, it also proved that the combined ’Violet Falcon Array’ was still potent. In fact, if it had not lacked a ’Marshal Eagle Shoulder,’ the Pan Mountain Knights would have received better support, and their losses could have at least been halved.

Regarding the activation of the Winter Prism atop the Mithril City Mage Tower, the Lord’s Allied Forces were indeed caught off guard. Although everyone knew through their espionage networks that there was such a strategic siege weapon within Mithril City, nobody expected the enemy to overload this trump card right from the start, causing a significant setback. As a result, the Fire Claw Territory’s Wolf Cavalry and Duntis Golden Crow Guard were nearly frozen solid by about five hundred.

This was not the normal type of freezing that one could simply shatter and escape from; the Winter Prism, overloaded without regard for consequences, was far from benign. Each silver-white pulse emitted carried the strength of an epic spellcaster’s full-powered blow. If the victims had no protective measures, any body part touched would be instantly frozen, leading to necrosis. A direct hit or substantial contact with about one-third of the body’s surface area would almost certainly result in a fatal outcome.

Had it not been for the Winter Prism’s limitations—even under full-load overload—of maintaining each pulse for only two seconds and requiring at least thirty seconds to recharge, the number of fallen warriors would have at least doubled.

However, after this display of power, nearly all the mage advisors alongside the lords made the same assessment. The current tactic was causing irreversible damage to the core of the prism. So, as long as they did not foolishly continue to endure the pulse attacks, the Winter Prism would likely become dysfunctional within seven or eight hours—even if the enemy ceased firing immediately. Once the magical output stopped, the treasured city-guarding artifact would start to disintegrate right away.

After a brief exchange with the other seven great dukes, His Majesty the Emperor waved his hand decisively—retreat, and the Lord’s Allied Forces uniformly turned around and retreated.

They did not stop after exiting the range of the Winter Prism’s attacks; instead, they pulled back directly to Mithril City, where they had been earlier. Given that it was already late, the enemy could easily rest with the city walls for defense, while the Lord’s Allied Forces had been on continuous maneuvers for several days. Whether physically or mentally, they were far from their best form. It was better to temporarily withdraw to their provisional base for rest, have some food, sleep well, and garner strength. After all, Mithril City wasn’t going anywhere; they could resume the battle refreshed the following morning.