"He’ll be alright." Levin’s steady voice rang out. He led a group of solemn Arevalo Clan Knights over and gently patted Alice’s tense shoulder.
Alice took a deep breath and nodded. "Thank you, Father."
’She knew that if her father hadn’t pushed back against all opposition within the clan, resolutely deciding to make a clean break with those lurking Demon’s Claws, she couldn’t have imagined any other way to save her trapped brother or reverse the Kingdom’s dire situation.’
This was a long-premeditated rebellion. If it failed, the Arevalo Clan would face an inescapable abyss.
’To convince the clan’s conservative elders, her father must have put in untold effort and shouldered immense pressure behind the scenes.’
"Hmm, they’re here." Levin signaled for the Knights behind him to be quiet, his gaze turning toward the other end of the city wall.
Troop after troop of Knights, holding blazing torches, emerged from the thick gray mist.
The firelight illuminated their gleaming Fine Plate Armor and revealed the two figures walking at the forefront—Second Legion Commander Dominic Elvin and Fourth Legion Commander Simo Barnes.
Today, Dominic wore a suit of gold-inlaid armor representing the Holy Light, his face as stern and chiseled as if carved from stone.
Simo, meanwhile, was in his classic, sturdy Half-dwarf attire, his heavy metal breastplate covered in battle scars.
Dominic stopped, his voice carrying clearly across the wall. "Soldiers! Knights!"
His gaze swept over the faces, some nervous, others resolute. "Behind us lie the Golden Grain Plains that nurtured us, our homes, and our families."
"Storm Fortress has stood here for hundreds of years! It has never been breached, and it will not be breached today!"
"Grip your weapons! Trust the comrades by your side! For the Kingdom! For glory! Send these damned monsters crawling back to the swamp!"
His words instantly ignited the morale of the defending troops.
"For the Kingdom!"
"We’ll defend it to the death!"
A deafening roar erupted along the walls as soldiers beat their shields and Knights raised their longswords, pledging their allegiance to him.
Only then did Dominic walk slowly to Levin and clap him on the shoulder.
"Old friend, despite the many disagreements between us, today, on this wall, none of that matters."
"Together, we have withstood countless monster tides, successfully defending this fortress and the lands behind it."
"And today will be no different."
A complex emotion flickered in Levin’s eyes, but a faint smile touched his lips as he extended his right hand. "For the Kingdom."
Dominic extended his own hand and gripped Levin’s firmly. "For the Kingdom."
During their brief exchange, the soldiers and Mages on the walls had already quickly returned to their posts.
The bowstrings of every siege crossbow were drawn taut. The muzzles of the Alchemy Magic Crystal Cannons were angled and aimed at the boundless darkness beyond the walls.
But even more eye-catching were the four towering Magic Towers that stood majestically on the walls like giants, their peaks gathering a heart-pounding magical radiance.
These four Magic Towers were the core of Storm Fortress’s defenses. They were operated in concert by professional teams of Mages stationed within, their power far exceeding that of ordinary Magic Crystal Cannons. Their range was also shockingly large, enough to cover a vast portion of the battlefield before the fortress.
They had achieved glorious merit in countless battles against the monster tides and were one of the key cornerstones ensuring Storm Fortress’s unyielding stand.
At this moment, scattered monsters had already begun to attack the fortress’s outer defenses below the wall, but they posed no threat to the fortress itself.
The true monster tide was still to come.
Everyone couldn’t help but gaze into the distance.
As far as the eye could see, the very earth trembled slightly under the tide of Magic Power.
Here they come!
Countless monsters surged forth from the direction of the Dark Land, a black tide that gradually submerged the distant forests and grasslands, spreading out to cover everything in sight.
To the northwest, the monsters emerged mostly from the depths of the Rotting Miasma Mountains—enormous Swamp Giant Crocodiles, Mud Elements like boiling slurry, and swamp lizards... Together with other bizarre aquatic monsters, they formed a filthy green wave surging toward the fortress.
And from the deep, dark Underground City emerged a host of sharp-limbed Cave Spiders, Scorpion Lions with tail barbs glinting coldly, and Elemental Creatures emanating waves of chaotic energy...
Even the Skeleton Warriors and Gargoyles slumbering in the ruins of the Dark Land seemed to have been awakened by some unseen power, joining the monster tide.
These monsters, from different regions and with disparate habits, now seemed guided by a single will. They cast aside their mutual hostility and predatory instincts, gathering into a boundless tide that surged from all directions toward the lone fortress standing on the plain.
The soldiers gripped their weapons, their faces pale but their eyes resolute, staring at the hellscape of the monster horde outside the walls.
"Ready—"
As the command flag on the wall dropped, the siege crossbows with the longest range let out a tooth-grinding CREAK as soldiers strained to pull them taut, aiming them at the gloomy sky.
"Fire!"
TWANG! TWANG! TWANG! TWANG!!!
A thunderous volley of snapping bowstrings erupted. Countless heavy crossbow arrows screamed through the air, arcing high into the sky before plunging back down, tearing through the dense gray mist and into the surging monster tide.