Chapter 493: The Siege
Morin glanced at the information regarding this "Holy Sword" on the system interface.
[Thorn of the Sacred Remains (Legendary Magic Weapon)]
[Restricted to Lawful-aligned characters]
[You gain a massive bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon. Depending on the wielder's level, this weapon can pass through magical barriers created by abjuration spells of the same or lower level, ignoring the protection they provide.]
[When you hit an undead or dark creature with this Holy Sword, golden flames erupt from the blade, dealing extra radiant damage to the target.]
[Thrown: This Holy Sword has 3 charges. You can expend 1 charge to treat the sword as a weapon with the thrown property and a maximum range of 60 meters, making a ranged attack with it. Whether it hits or misses, the Holy Sword flies back to you immediately after the attack, landing in your hand or at your feet (your choice). The Holy Sword regains all expended charges daily at dawn.]
[Illumination: While holding this Holy Sword, you can use an action to make it shed golden holy light, or extinguish the light. This light provides bright illumination in a 5-meter radius and dim illumination for an additional 10 meters.]
[The Thorn of the Sacred Remains is a sentient, Lawful Good weapon that can speak, read, and understand Latin and Germanic languages, and can communicate telepathically with its wielder.]
[The Thorn of the Sacred Remains currently does not wish to communicate with you.]
As expected of a Legendary magic weapon, the description text was quite long... However, Morin's attention was completely drawn to the last two lines.
What did it mean that this Holy Sword could communicate telepathically with its wielder? And what did it mean that it currently didn't want to communicate with him?
"A sword spirit, huh? Playing a little hard to get..."
To be honest, Morin felt somewhat at a loss after reading the Holy Sword's description.
After all, the last magic item he touched was only a Rare-grade necklace. Jumping several tiers all at once was truly a major upgrade.
But then again, in Morin's view, the people of the Vatican Holy See sure were trusting.
Lending such a precious Holy Sword to him so casually, as if they knew him inside out, completely unworried that he might seize the opportunity to pocket it.
But on second thought, it seemed he really couldn't pocket a Legendary magic weapon like this.
Given the religious influence of the Vatican Holy See across Europa, if they issued an excommunication or a kill order on him, he truly would have nowhere to hide...
Just imagining his wanted poster plastered in every church across Europa was a thrilling thought.
Besides, Cleric Cristiano also said that only a person "with justice in their heart" could unleash the full power of this sword.
If he really harbored any crooked thoughts, this Holy Sword might just turn on him and perform a "Thrown" attack right into his face...
"Restricted to Lawful-aligned characters... So I'm still considered Lawful alignment? I thought I was Chaotic Evil by now..."
These odd, trivial thoughts flashed through Morin's mind.
This was his unique way of decompressing before a major battle—using immersive internal monologues to completely squeeze the tension out of his brain.
The effect was excellent; right now, his heartbeat was as steady as if he were having tea with Cecilia and the others in the rear.
However, in the eyes of Klaus and the others behind him, Morin simply stood calmly at the very front of the cargo bay. Holding a gold-plated double-barreled shotgun in one hand and a gold-plated pump-action shotgun in the other, with two longswords crossed in an X on his back, he exuded the aura of an "expert."
Klaus looked at Morin's back through the observation slit of his visor, and the slight restlessness in his heart from the impending airdrop into a vampire nest completely subsided.
He and the other "Thunder Warriors" couldn't explain why, but standing near Morin made them feel exceptionally secure.
As if soothed by something, all superfluous emotions were filtered out, leaving only pure combat focus.
The cargo bay fell quiet. The twenty-seven fully armed "Thunder Warriors" began final checks on their equipment. Their weapon loadouts had also been specifically adjusted for this decapitation strike.
Klaus looked down, confirming his loadout once more.
The magical circuitry on the blade of his two-handed greatsword still pulsed faintly.
In the pouch on his left hip hung three silver-thermite bombs provided by the Holy See team, while a backup short sword was on his right.
His spell unit was fully charged, with [Feather Fall], [Magic Weapon], [Haste], and [Mage Armor] on standby.
Beside him, the squad's Shield Guard was checking the feeding action of his pump-action shotgun.
Naturally, a batch of these weapons brought by Helga had been allocated to the Shield Guards. The magazines were loaded entirely with special silver-pellet ammunition.
Each shell contained twelve pure silver pellets, highly lethal to vampire creatures at close range.
The Shooters were inspecting their MG14 light machine guns and M1915 large-caliber rifles. Once buffed by [Magic Weapon], these firearms would also become potent tools for purging vampires.
The nine squads completed their checks one by one, reporting their status to Klaus via the magitech communication units.
"All personnel ready, Colonel," Klaus reported to Morin.
Morin nodded, still not turning around.
Just then, a bell rang near the cargo bay, indicating someone from the bridge was contacting them.
Morin strode over to the brass speaking tube. After acknowledging he was listening, Lieutenant Colonel Andreas's voice reached his ear.
"Colonel Morin, the close-in reconnaissance results are in."
"The garrison positions on the outskirts of Bucharest exist in name only. Only a small number of fast-moving vampire creatures were observed in the trenches; no trace of mortal troops was found."
Morin wasn't surprised, as he had already gleaned some of this information through the system map after the airship arrived over the city.
This meant the Romanian regular army that was originally holding out in the city had either entirely fled, or... had all been converted.
Lieutenant Colonel Andreas's voice continued: "Additionally, both we and the lookouts on the L16 armored airship have observed a situation. The ground and the exteriors of the buildings in the urban area are covered in a layer of something red."
"The closer to the city center and the Old Royal Palace, the darker and thicker the color."
"Near the Old Royal Palace, the original colors of the buildings in the entire area are almost invisible; everything is dark red."
These details refreshed synchronously on Morin's system map. From a top-down perspective, all of Bucharest looked like a massive wound, the infection spreading outward from the center.
"Understood."
Morin replied into the speaking tube: "Continue executing the original plan. We will move once the ground forces advance to their designated positions."
"Copy that. L15 will maintain a holding pattern over the urban area, providing continuous fire support for the ground forces."
After ending the communication with the bridge, Morin turned to face the twenty-seven "Thunder Warriors."
"As it stands, there might not be any living humans left in the city. We will likely be facing a sea of vampires..."
Morin didn't mention the actual numbers on the system map, mainly for fear of scaring Klaus and his men.
"So when we touch down later, hold nothing back... If you see anything moving, eliminate it immediately!"
"Yes, Colonel!"
Morin turned back around. Through the observation window on the side of the cargo bay, he could see the city center below—the Old Royal Palace area with its red exterior walls.
And in the airspace on the other side of the Old Royal Palace, the L16 armored airship had also joined the battle. Ludwig and his two companions were already in their Armored Knights on standby, waiting to airdrop and support the ground forces.
A few minutes later, muffled artillery fire sounded from behind their positions.
The general offensive on Bucharest had officially begun.
The two artillery brigades subordinate to the 48th Corps, along with the artillery deployed by the Kampfgruppe, commenced their fire preparation according to plan.
The howling artillery shells arced through the air toward the predetermined breakthrough zones on the outskirts of Bucharest, exploding upon the already-empty trenches and fortifications.
Even though few enemies could be seen outside the city, the fire preparation was still executed according to standard procedure.
This was a relatively rigid rule of the Saxon Army: regardless of whether there were people on the other side, not a single shell of the planned barrage would be spared.
However, to some extent, apart from being somewhat wasteful of ammunition and barrel life, this caution didn't have many downsides.
Since no large garrison forces were found on the outer positions, the fire preparation lasted only about 15 minutes. After the shells of the final salvo fell, the artillery fire began extending deeper into the urban area.
This was also the signal for the ground forces to attack.
All siege forces, except the reserves, began advancing toward Bucharest sequentially according to the operational plan.
The first to arrive at the city's edge was the team of Holy See Paladins led by Cleric Cristiano, along with a group of elite instruction unit soldiers assisting their assault.
The moment the group entered the urban area, the smell of blood permeating the air became thick to a nauseating degree.
Their vision seemed tinted by a red filter; all colors skewed toward dark red.
Following orders from NCOs, the instruction unit soldiers donned gas masks equipped with air filter canisters.
These masks were originally prepared for special environments, and the rubber facepieces were uncomfortable. But with the scent of blood so thick it was almost tangible, everyone felt even more uncomfortable not wearing them...
After putting on his mask, a young instruction unit soldier couldn't help but glance at the Holy See Paladins forming a wall in front of him.
Compared to yesterday, this group had completely changed their attire.
The loose clerical robes were gone, replaced by a set of white heavy armor that looked quite holy.
The style and structure of the armor were completely different from the "Thunder Warriors'" Mjölnir, closer to a retro and ostentatious full plate armor style, with dense scriptures and cross motifs engraved on every plate.
Their helmets were the signature hound-faced helmets of the Church Knights—a peculiar design that had always been their trademark appearance.
The thirty muscular men, standing nearly two meters tall, wore this gear, carrying MG14 light machine guns or various silver weapons, advancing at the very front in a somewhat loose combat formation.
As the team moved deeper, the pavement beneath their feet began to change.
The originally clean flagstone road was covered with a thin layer of a red substance. The exterior walls of the buildings on both sides were also covered with this stuff, looking like some kind of fleshy hyperplasia.
"Try not to touch the red substance on the walls and ground!"
Cleric Cristiano's voice came from behind the hound-faced helmet, clearly reaching everyone's ears.
"This should be some kind of extension of the 'Blood River'. Contact might cause unnecessary trouble."
Hearing the prompt from the Holy See's "professional team," the instruction unit NCOs immediately relayed the warning. The soldiers instinctively tightened their formation, trying to walk in the relatively clean area in the middle of the road.
Just then, Cleric Cristiano suddenly raised his left fist, signaling a halt.
He stared ahead for a moment, then nodded to an aide beside him.
The aide, along with several other clerics scattered throughout the formation, almost simultaneously swept their gauntleted hands like waving cloaks.
Beams of golden aura surged from their palms, sweeping over the entire team.
Bathed in the aura, the white heavy armor of the Paladins and the gray uniforms of the instruction unit soldiers took on a faint golden halo. Everyone's momentum surged in that instant.
[Crusader's Mantle]—a spell exclusive to the Paladins of the Vatican Holy See.
This spell boosted the morale of friendly units while imbuing them with certain holy attack properties within the spell's radius.
Immediately following, Cleric Cristiano and two other clerics placed their hands on their MG14 light machine guns.
The other clerics drew scrolls from leather pouches behind their armor, unrolling them and pressing them against their respective weapons.
Golden aura flowed from the scrolls and the clerics' palms, spreading along the weapon bodies.
[Holy Weapon]—from a certain perspective, it was a spell of the same type as [Magic Weapon].
However, this Vatican-exclusive spell not only granted weapons temporary magical damage but also bestowed additional radiant damage.
Of course, the most important point was that it made the weapon radiate holy golden light and could inflict a "blinding flash"...
Once the spells took effect, the automatic weapons in the hands of these macho clerics turned completely golden from barrel to stock, exuding a reassuring, holy aura.
And at the very moment the macho clerics finished applying their buffs, dense footsteps echoed from deep within the street ahead.
A massive number of Blood Servants poured out from the buildings, alleys, and sewers on both sides, densely packing the entire street ahead.
But after charging a certain distance, these Blood Servants collectively and unnaturally slowed their pace, becoming somewhat hesitant.
They moved back and forth restlessly, hissing, but delayed launching an attack.
Without a doubt, the holy aura radiating from the Holy See Paladins instilled an instinctual fear in these low-tier vampire creatures.
The corner of Cleric Cristiano's mouth twitched beneath his hound-faced helmet.
"Paladins, commence purification!"
"Amen!"
The MG14 light machine guns, buffed by [Holy Weapon], opened fire simultaneously.
Beneath the golden muzzle flashes, golden bullet traces whipped across the path ahead, each bullet leaving a brief golden trail as it left the barrel.
Blood Servants hit by these "consecrated bullets" suffered damage even greater than from ordinary magic weapons or silver weapons.
Basically, after taking three or four hits, the wounds on a low-tier Blood Servant would begin rapidly burning with a golden flame. The entire body would swiftly turn into that post-mortem carbonized state in a short time—no finishing shots or flamethrower cleanup needed. The efficiency was terrifyingly high.
And these clerics clad in heavy armor had clearly undergone specialized shooting training. They didn't just hold down the trigger and spray; instead, they fired accurate, short bursts. Every burst took down one or two Blood Servants.
Even if a few slipped through the net and got close, they were dispatched by Cleric Cristiano and several other clerics wielding cold weapons at speeds too fast for mortal soldiers to follow.
When the gunfire ceased, only ash and scorched marks remained on the street.
The instruction unit soldiers, who had their guns mounted on cover in the rear the entire time, fingers resting on the trigger guards, simply couldn't find an opportunity to fire.
Everyone's mindset relaxed considerably. Clearly, the Holy See indeed had some serious skills when dealing with dark creatures and the undead like this... or perhaps it was a natural elemental counter.
However, Cleric Cristiano did not let his guard down.
He raised his left hand to signal a halt, then turned around, his voice carrying to everyone from behind the hound-faced helmet.
"Do not lower your guard. This was likely a probe by the vampires, testing our firepower and reaction speed... The next wave will only be larger in number."
"Maintain formation. Continue advance!"
Simultaneously, within the Old Royal Palace in the center of Bucharest, Ferdinand I sat silently on his throne.
The death of every Blood Servant in the city, the movement of every Blood Thrall, was clearly presented in his perception.
Toward the city outskirts, over a hundred Blood Servants had been annihilated in an extremely short time... And within the power that annihilated them, there was an aura that made him feel a sting.
Holy magic...
Yet a hint of a smile appeared on Ferdinand I's lips at this moment.
He wasn't surprised by the arrival of the Holy See. From the moment the Saxons discovered the truth of Bucharest, the Holy See's intervention was only a matter of time.
More than four hundred years ago, these very people sealed Vlad III... But this time was different.
This time, they were no longer facing a Vlad III who hastily activated the "Blood River," not even fully grasping his own power because it was his first time using it.
Ferdinand I had spent enough time understanding and mastering this power through the ancient texts passed down by the "Bloodstone" Society... And the "Blood River" itself had grown increasingly powerful through continuously devouring lives in the city.
From the shadows behind the throne, a figure slowly walked out.
Queen Marie, a woman of the Holy Britannia Empire's royal family, now wore a suit of blood-red armor exuding an ancient aura, a longsword at her waist, and carried a rifle in her right hand.
Her face remained beautiful, but her complexion had turned an unnatural, deathly pale, and her pupils likewise shone with a scarlet hue.
"My King, why are you smiling?"
Ferdinand I stood up and reached out to take her hand.
"Our enemies have finally stepped inside..."
He led Queen Marie toward the balcony.
"I was worried they would continue the siege without attacking, dragging it out until other variables appeared... But they didn't. They chose to launch a hasty attack."
The two stepped onto the balcony, looking down at the courtyard below.
The courtyard of the Old Royal Palace had completely transformed.
The ground, walls, and pillars were all covered by dark red fleshy tissue. The originally manicured garden had become an eerie world of blood.
Even the once-green plants were entirely encased by some kind of hyperplasia, turning into contorted, blood-red "sculptures."
And in the center of the courtyard, twelve warriors clad in blood-red armor stood in a neat formation.
On the shoulders and chests of their armor was cast the same crest—a coiling dragon with a bleeding heart in its mouth.
This was the "Blood Dragon Knights" rebuilt by him, Ferdinand I. And behind these Blood Dragon Knights stood four massive constructs in silence.
They were monsters formed by the fusion of Armored Knight wreckage and flesh.
The nearly 6-meter-tall steel skeletons were entwined with massive amounts of dark red muscle tissue and blood vessels. Missing mechanical structures at the joints were replaced by flesh and blood. And in the cockpit was a humanoid figure encased in flesh, though the overall form still maintained the basic shape of an Armored Knight.
Further back were an even larger number of High-Tier Vampires, including members of the secret society.
Ferdinand I let go of Queen Marie's hand, walked to the balcony railing, looked down at everything in the courtyard, and spoke.
"Our enemies, thinking themselves clever, have actively stepped into our domain."
"Do not let them leave alive."
The instant Ferdinand I's voice fell, the twelve Blood Dragon Knights in the courtyard drew the longswords at their waists and simultaneously let out a battle cry.
The four fleshy constructs activated as well. The vascular tissues at their joints began to pulsate violently, and their machine-biology fused bodies emitted a heavy rumble.
Immediately following, the entire city began to move.
From the sewers, abandoned buildings, and deep within those flesh-covered alleys, thousands upon thousands of Blood Servants and Blood Thralls began surging toward the city outskirts.
This was no longer the scattered probing attacks of before, but a tide pressing simultaneously from all directions against the advancing Saxon army.
In the cargo bay of the L15 armored airship, Morin kept his eyes glued to the real-time information on the system map, keeping track of the ground forces' advance.
Cleric Cristiano's assault force had pushed roughly halfway into the urban depth, moving faster than expected.
But at the same time, the number of vampire creatures pouring out from all directions of the city was climbing sharply.
Compared to this, the night raids from the past few days were simply child's play...
The perimeter forces commanded by Lieutenant General Marwitz had already engaged massive hordes of Blood Servants. Even the six Armored Knights brought by the L16 airship to support the 48th Corps were thrown into battle early.
These Armored Knights, hastily modified referencing Ludwig's team, were currently using their mounted flamethrowers to continuously attack the surging vampires, preventing them from closing the distance with the ordinary soldiers.
Morin walked to the observation window on the side of the cargo bay and looked down.
From the L15 armored airship's current altitude, Bucharest looked like a loaf of bread being consumed by red mold.
Fast-moving pale figures filled the streets, attempting to spread the infection in other directions, while the assault columns composed of modified trucks slowly but firmly ground forward along the city's main arteries.
Golden muzzle flashes and sweeping golden bullet traces were exceptionally conspicuous in the red city—that was exactly where the Holy See Paladins were fighting...
The battle on the ground intensified at a pace faster than anyone anticipated.
Cleric Cristiano's assault force encountered their first truly formidable resistance when they pushed to an intersection about two kilometers from the Old Royal Palace.
While massive numbers of Blood Servants charged continuously, the formation was unexpectedly hit by artillery and suppressive machine gun fire.
Clearly, a small number of artillerymen and machine gunners in Bucharest had also been converted into Blood Thralls, which were closer to humans. And these units, with their enhanced physical attributes, had deployed artillery and heavy machine guns in bizarre locations.
Facing direct-fire artillery from inside building windows or even rooftops, the assault force of the Holy See and instruction unit was forced to slow down to seek cover.
But this was the opportunity the vampires were waiting for. A massive wave of Blood Thralls leapt simultaneously from the second and third-floor windows of buildings on both sides, lunging directly into the middle of the formation.
The Paladins reacted extremely fast... Or rather, they had already sensed the ambush before the vampire creatures even launched their attack.
Immediately, two clerics adjusted their light machine guns, spraying bullets at the Blood Thralls still in mid-air.
Other clerics closer to the landing points drew short swords, which also glowed with holy golden light, and met the charge.
Holy golden light and dark red blood aura clashed in the narrow street, erupting in blinding flashes.
A Paladin's broadsword cleaved into a Blood Thrall's shoulder, and golden flames spread along the wound.
The Blood Thrall let out a shrill scream but didn't fall immediately. Instead, after pulling the pin on a grenade strapped to its body, it frantically swung its arms, which had transformed into sharp blades, leaving several deep gashes on the Paladin's breastplate.
"Everyone, careful! These guys are a whole tier stronger than the ones on the outskirts!"
Taking advantage of the slight chaos in the assault formation, a sea of Blood Servants surged forward. An instruction unit officer shouted from behind cover: "Demolition team, move up!"
As soon as he spoke, several instruction unit soldiers rushed forward carrying an Anti-Vampire Claymore from a radiant crystal truck.
At the same time, noticing this scene, Cleric Cristiano wasted no words. He directly hurled a silver-thermite bomb, creating a massive "instant death" burning zone for vampire creatures to segment the battlefield, then charged into the fray to buy time.
The silver greatsword in his hands swept in an arc, the golden aura on the blade expanding several times in size.
With one horizontal sweep, the upper halves of two Blood Thralls were cleaved flying. Golden flames burned madly at the severed cross-sections, and they were reduced to ash before they could even scream.
The demolition team soldiers, meanwhile, were beside a half-collapsed building ruin, digging a "niche" to embed the Claymore. After micro-adjustments, its kill zone covered the street ahead.
"Prepare for detonation! Friendly forces, stay clear of the kill zone!"