Chapter 87: A Lost Situation
The dark particles surrounding Wuxia had not completely faded when another explosion shook the fortress.
A section of the cathedral wall collapsed behind them and the sound of horns spread from the outer districts, the defenders were calling for immediate reinforcement.
Han Zhen looked toward the Saintess and Ruan Mei. "Carry them somewhere protected, everyone else goes to the walls."
Two participants lifted the Saintess from the broken pillar after carefully pulling her staff free, while another carried Ruan Mei. Xi
The streets outside had changed completely, parts of the inner district had collapsed during the ritual, and dark smoke covered the roads leading toward the battlements.
The destruction of the cathedral had spread through the fortress before anyone understood what had happened. Several soldiers had seen its roof collapse, while others had heard that the Saintess was missing and the sanctum had been destroyed.
Even those who continued fighting could no longer hide the fear across their faces.
Xingluo reached the staircase leading to the western wall and immediately saw three beasts climbing over the upper edge. Han Zhen jumped past her and drove his weapon through the first creature’s mouth, forcing it backwards into the others.
Miao Tianhe followed and cut through the claws holding the second beast against the stone. It fell into the army below, pulling another creature with it, while Xingluo reached the final one and opened its throat before it could strike the soldiers beneath it.
They climbed onto the battlement, the situation outside was worse than it had appeared from the streets.
The plains surrounding the fortress had disappeared beneath the beast army, creatures climbed over one another to reach the walls, while winged monsters struck the barriers and dropped onto the defenders whenever another layer flickered.
Soldiers fought around broken siege weapons and piles of bodies, several sections of the wall had lost their officers, leaving exhausted groups to hold the gaps without proper commands.
Wuxia’s shadows moved between them, dragging injured soldiers away or replacing those who had fallen, but several had already become unstable after hours of continuous fighting.
A mana cannon near the western tower had been surrounded by beasts.
One creature had wrapped its body around the barrel, while two others tore at the soldiers trapped beneath the firing platform. Han Zhen changed direction without slowing and struck the first beast across its spine.
Miao Tianhe entered beneath its falling body and severed its head, while Xingluo and three participants cleared the remaining creatures from the platform. One soldier had already died beside the controls, but the second was still breathing beneath a broken support beam.
Xingluo lifted the beam with both hands as a shadow pulled him free.
"Can this still fire?" Han Zhen asked.
The surviving operator looked toward the cracked barrel and nodded weakly. "The formations are intact, but someone has to clear the rotation gear."
Tianhe jumped from the platform and cut into the mass of flesh trapped beneath the cannon. Several smaller beasts had forced themselves between the gears and died there, preventing the weapon from turning.
Han Zhen drove his weapon into the blockage from the other side and together they tore the bodies free.
The cannon moved, two participants carried mana crystals from the ammunition storage and locked them into the chamber. Xingluo turned the weapon toward the densest part of the army while the operator dragged himself against the controls.
"Lower," he told her. "The recoil will break the platform if you fire above the formation line."
She adjusted the barrel and the cannon released a deep pulse.
A pillar of blue-white mana crossed the battlefield and tore through several ranks of beasts. Larger creatures were split apart where they stood, while those behind them were thrown across the cleared path.
The defenders nearest the platform shouted as the pressure against their section of wall weakened.
It lasted only for a few breaths, more beasts entered the opening climbing across the remains before the cannon could recharge. Winged creatures descended from above at the same time, forcing Xingluo away from the controls.
She cut through the first pair of claws and allowed its momentum to carry it over the wall. Han Zhen caught another against the side of his weapon, while Miao crossed beneath its wing and opened its body from chest to stomach.
The remaining participants protected the cannon as the next crystal was loaded.
Across the wall, other defenders began recovering their formations. Officers shouted orders between the towers, mana weapons turned back toward the battlefield, and the shadows reinforced the weakest sections.
The fortress continued holding but then the enormous dragon at the centre of the army raised its head, its movement alone silenced the soldiers nearest the western wall.
Until that moment, the creature had remained crouched beyond the main horde while the Beast Commander fought above the fortress. Its folded wings had resembled two dark hills behind the advancing army.
Beasts were thrown aside as the dragon pushed itself upright, its claws sank into the earth and its body rose above the battlefield until its shadow reached the lower walls.
The defenders stared upward, the creature’s head alone was larger than the western tower, while the pressure spreading from its body forced several weakened soldiers onto their knees.
The remaining barrier layers trembled before it had even attacked, someone behind Xingluo whispered, "We’re dead."
The dragon stepped forward and the ground shook beneath the fortress and several cracks opened through the damaged battlements.
Soldiers who had continued fighting through the entire siege began retreating from the wall as its shadow covered them.
A knight clad entirely in black appeared upon the edge of the battlement.
His armour resembled Varkhiel’s and the figure carried the same enormous greatsword. He was the impression of Varkhiel preserved within the Last Sanctuary.
The dragon’s claw descended toward the wall, and the black knight jumped to meet it, his greatsword struck the claw above the barrier.
The collision bent the light surrounding the fortress and threw hundreds of smaller beasts across the battlefield, but the knight held his position long enough to turn the attack away from the soldiers below.
He landed upon the dragon’s forearm and ran along its scales, dragging the greatsword behind him before cutting into the joint beneath its shoulder. Burning blood sprayed across the army, yet the wound was too shallow to stop the creature.
The dragon twisted and struck him with its wing.
The knight crossed his sword before himself, but the impact still threw him across the battlefield and drove him into the earth among the advancing beasts.
Before the dragon could crush him, dark soul power gathered beside the crater and Varkhiel appeared with his greatsword already raised.
The dragon’s claw struck both blades together, forcing the living impression and the Soul Sentinel deeper into the broken ground.
Neither of them retreated, instead they turned their weapons against the claw and pushed it aside before attacking from opposite directions.
The living knight climbed toward the dragon’s neck while Varkhiel scattered beneath its next strike and reformed beside its wounded shoulder. Both greatswords entered the same injury, but the dragon roared and opened its wings, releasing enough force to throw them apart again.
Their arrival restored some courage to the defenders, but it did not change the entire battle.
More beasts reached the walls with every breath, soldiers were driven away from broken sections of the battlements, mana cannons fell silent one after another and winged monsters continued dropping behind the defensive lines.
Above the fortress, the Fortress Commander was also being pushed back by the Beast Commander.
The two black knights held the dragon away from the western wall, but even together they were slowly losing ground. Across the battlefield, the beast army continued advancing until the entire defence appeared ready to collapse beneath its next attack.