Cornflower Witch

Chapter 193 The Fall of the North
On the surface of the continent, in the northern border of the Kingdom of Regas, lies the city of Windy Peak.

The cold wind howled, and the airflow carrying ice particles felt like blades slicing across the face, causing a sharp pain.

Beneath the towering city walls, torches were held aloft, illuminating the mountains and fields and bringing a sense of distant lands.

The city gates rang, and urgent bells tolled. Squads of soldiers rushed out of the warm towers, moving to the sound of roaring commands.

"Raise the bow, draw the string—" The soldiers raised their longbows at a 45° angle.

"shooting!"

The bowstring vibrated, and a dense barrage of arrows was launched from above the city wall, tracing long arcs, carrying the cold wind, and striking the cold shields and armor, splattering blood and making soft, crackling sounds.

On a high tower in Windrise City, Earl Ryan, a border general of the Kingdom of Regas, was dressed in armor and a cloak, holding a sword in one hand, his eyes fixed on the battle below.

"How many people did the Kingdom of Antioch bring this time?"

"According to the scouts aboard the Frosthawk, there are at least 160,000 men, and what is currently under the city walls is only their vanguard," another noble officer in armor reported.

"Such a grand display?" After saying that, Earl Ryan closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm his somewhat uneasy emotions.

"This is probably a war of annihilation that they have been preparing for a long time."

If it were only 5 to 6, he would assume the other side wanted to conquer some land and seize resources and wealth, but with such a large army mobilized, the other side's appetite is far more than that.

“The current garrison in Windfall City numbers only 20,000. Although they are on high alert, we did not expect them to be able to mobilize so many troops this time. Aren’t they worried about the instability of the situation in the rear?” Earl Ryan’s voice was filled with doubt.

"To the north of the Kingdom of Antiy lies the Salt Lake Wilderness, a harsh environment inhabited only by a small number of savage herders who pose no threat to them. To the west lies the 'Stone City-State Alliance,' which was also invaded by the Kingdom of Antiy five years ago and suffered heavy losses. It has no strength left to retaliate. Only to the east is the Eagle Scorpion Tent Kingdom, which is as powerful as the Kingdom of Antiy."

"The Eagle and Scorpion Kingdom has conquered and swallowed up many small countries in recent years. If it weren't for the Dragon Head Mountain in the east blocking our way, we would be worried that they would move south."

"Logically speaking, in order to guard against the Eagle and Scorpion Kingdom, the Anti Kingdom should have at least half of its troops stationed on the border and should not dare to mobilize a large number of troops for invasion..." The adjutant asked, puzzled.

Just as they were talking, a sharp cry of an eagle came from the thick clouds.

Soon, hundreds of giant eagles broke through the thick clouds. Their feathers were brown and white, and their wingspan was nearly thirty meters. The sky seemed to darken under their wide wings.

These giant eagles gripped long bunches of black iron 'grapes', and when these 'grapes' left their claws, they crashed into the city like meteors, sending up a shower of sparks that ignited various things.

In just a few moments, these giant eagles set the entire Windfall City ablaze. Countless flames and thick smoke shot into the sky. Even the fierce cold wind could not dispel the suffocating heat spreading in the air. Many soldiers who were directly ignited by flying sparks could only roll helplessly on the ground, unable to extinguish the flames on their bodies.

“Those are fireballs made of ‘blazing oil,’ which water cannot extinguish.” Ryan watched this scene, feeling endless anger and coldness rising within him. He wanted to shout and command his soldiers to fight back, but his body was frozen and he could not move, because he knew that it was all too late and all in vain.

"Howling Gale Eagles, war beasts raised by the Eagle Scorpion Kingdom... Now that they're here, everything makes sense." His hand gripped the sword hilt tightly, his voice icy.

“Anti and Eagle Scorpion have joined forces, so they can mobilize the largest possible force for the campaign.”

Beneath the city wall, more than twenty battering rams were pushed up the hillside in the cold wind. The battering rams were engraved with patterns resembling the shape of a castle. Scholars accompanying the army held up stone slabs, which shone with complex light, echoing the patterns on the battering rams. Whenever a group of soldiers raised the battering rams and let them strike the city gate, white shockwaves spread along the city gate.

An invisible shockwave shattered the soldiers blocking the way behind the gate, tearing their armor to shreds, leaving them trembling, coughing up blood, and collapsing to the ground. Cracks appeared in the foundation stones of the nearby city wall. A pattern of an old woman praying appeared on the tall, heavy city gate—the mark of the 'Gate of Shelilian,' the third gate in the magnificent city built by the 'Swan King,' and the origin of countless magical runes inscribed by later castle scholars.

Faced with the heavy city gate blessed by the 'Gate of Shelilian', the attacking side had already prepared a countermeasure. With the ramming horn striking repeatedly, invisible shockwaves trembled and spread, shattering the bricks and stones of the city wall around the gate. Cracks appeared one after another. The 'Gate of Shelilian' lost its connection with the city wall, and the resistance of the entire city's magic array was also slowly weakening.

Minutes later, huge cracks spread from the city wall, and the patterns on the 'Gate of Sherilian' completely went out, becoming dim and without light.

With a deafening roar, the magnificent city gate was shattered by the ramming mechanism, collapsing backward and kicking up a cloud of dust.

As the horn of attack sounded, fully armed knights rode forward on their tall warhorses and sturdy armor. They raised their lances high, and above their heads appeared illusory images of special white stone chess pieces. The auras of these pieces were connected, forming a gray-white light array, like a moving steel bulwark, advancing forward and charging into Windcliff City.

No matter how many arrows were shot at or how many spears were laid in ambush along the way, they could not shake these iron torrents. The knights with feathered headdresses marched forward in formation, shattering all obstacles along the way and directly breaking through the city's internal defenses, as if they were destroying dry and decaying things.

During the process, even if a few superhumans in the city fought back, their superhuman power was completely dissipated when faced with the coordinated 'castle' iron curtain, and they were eventually reduced to powerless bamboo sticks and wooden branches, easily crushed by the iron hooves.

On the dark mountain peak outside the city, two graceful figures stood silently, watching the city engulfed in flames, filled with countless cries of agony and the clang of swords and spears.

“Windcliff City is beyond saving.” One of them spoke in a low voice. Judging from her figure and clothing, she should be a witch.

"We're still too late. We received the news of Anti and Eagle Scorpion joining forces too late."

"Our organization has an alliance with the ancestors of the Kingdom of Regas. When other schools of thought join the war, we must fight alongside the royal family of the Kingdom of Regas."

"But now Windcliff City has fallen, and there are no more strong passes and fortresses to stop us in the south. Even if we join the battle, we cannot stop the destruction of the Kingdom of Regas."

“White Cliff City, it’s been fortified by the royal family over the generations, with towering walls, sturdy towers and ramparts,” another witch asked.

"If there is enough resistance in Regas, perhaps White Cliff City can still be saved."

"Unfortunately, the Kingdom of Regas is no longer the one ruled by the 'Knight King' Regard. Its military strength has declined. Policies such as the knight selection competitions held in various places and the system of forming young knight squires for parades have been abolished for nearly a hundred years in order to reduce expenditures. The Kingdom of Regas today is no longer like it used to be, where banners and lances filled the air wherever they went."

"Without outside help, how long can this isolated city hold out?"

"Those armies of the Kingdom of Antiy won't let such a fat piece of meat pass them by. Once they sweep across the entire borders of Regas, the so-called White Cliff Royal City will be nothing more than an isolated island that won't last long."

“Alas…” sighed another witch.

"Although the fall of the Kingdom of Legas will not affect our organization, we will ultimately lose an ally and will also lack fresh blood in the future."

“Let’s go back. Soon White Cliff City will receive the news. If they can’t come up with a way to save the situation, we can only follow the agreement and protect a small portion of the royal family to escape and continue the bloodline of Regard as a response to the alliance.”

A flock of crows took flight from the mountains, densely packed. The sound of their flapping wings alerted the giant eagle riders who were constantly circling and attacking above the city. However, these black crows did not participate in the battle and quickly disappeared into the dark night.

"A witch..."

(End of this chapter)