Cornflower Witch

Chapter 243 The Balance of Power Overturned
With a "poof" sound, the torch was lit in the night.

At first there was only one, then several, and then a blazing fire.

Each torch was held by a mounted soldier, who split into several teams, rushed out of the military camp, and disappeared into the night.

The firelight stretched across the dark earth in a long line, and then the soldiers, having completed their formation, stepped out of the camp and headed south along the wide riverbank road toward the city whose flags had been changed.

They moved slowly, simply walking, to conserve energy. Their steps were synchronized, their morale high, and they didn't worry about arriving too late and the enemy being prepared, because they believed in themselves and were certain of defeating the weak foe.

This is the elite force native to the Kingdom of Antioch, and it is the foundation for their conquest of all directions.

The sounds of marching at night could not be concealed. Even though the garrison in Xigu City was not elite, they learned of the enemy's movement through sporadic reports from scouts.

Inside the castle council hall, Prince Jobs hurried over, his clothes disheveled, with a few lipstick marks still on his face. He might have just been sleeping with some noble lady. Ever since he gained the upper hand in defeating the scouts, many young girls in the city have regarded him as the future king, desperately trying to get close to him and curry favor with him. The young prince, unable to withstand the pressure these days, accepted it without any resistance.

"What's going on? Why did Antioch's army move out of the blue without any warning? Didn't you notice anything beforehand?" He asked several questions in a row, clearly having gotten up in the middle of the night and was seething with anger.

“Your Highness, this has nothing to do with the reconnaissance personnel. The Antian soldiers’ actions were very sudden,” an officer explained, but Prince Jobs wouldn’t listen to him at all.

"Don't give me those excuses. All I need to know is that you had absolutely no idea what was going to happen tonight, and that's your dereliction of duty." He tapped the table, then rested his hands on it, looking at the map.

"What is the current status of their operations?"

"Their main infantry force is now slowly approaching Valley City, but we haven't seen them carrying any heavy engineering equipment."

"As for the cavalry that galloped out in the night, they are currently circling around the two sides of Creek Valley City, possibly preparing to encircle it."

"Flank them? They only have horses, no wings, how can they fly in?" Prince Jobs shook his head, but then seemed to think of something, and his expression became serious.

“Although Antiy doesn’t really have any flying units, the Eagle Scorpion side…” He remembered that the fortress of Wind Peak City was quickly breached with the help of the giant eagles of the Eagle Scorpion Kingdom.

"Have the patrol hunters stand by on the city wall. If they spot any strange figures in the sky, shoot them down immediately."

"Yes, Your Highness."

After giving the order, Prince Jobs glanced at the map again, feeling agitated.

"What's the plan now? How do we deal with their attack?"

"This..." The officers present couldn't figure out how the enemy could attack the city without the aid of engineering equipment, and therefore didn't know how to counter it.

"As long as we hold the city walls, the enemy can't get through." In the end, it was an old officer who uttered a correct but meaningless statement.

“Alright, hold the walls.” Prince Jobs, also clueless, readily agreed when someone answered.

The night fires blazed brightly, and not only were Antioch's elite troops setting out on their march, but people were also running around in the valley city, with sounds of running and shouting echoing everywhere. On the castle's high tower, warning bells rang continuously, waking the sleeping residents of the city.

"The Antirians are coming." Such words circulated in the streets, and many people anxiously closed their doors and bolted them shut.

Some people also dug out weapons and armor from the cellar and cautiously prepared themselves.

An hour later, a line of torches appeared outside Valley City. Even at night, they marched in perfect formation, holding their spears high and standing tall in the darkness, which terrified the new recruits on the city wall.

Before these people could think too much, the bugle call to attack sounded in the night, and then the army, shields raised, approached the city wall step by step.

"Draw the bow and shoot!"

Under command, the garrison launched arrows, which flew into the night sky at varying density before falling and piercing the Antian soldiers below.

Despite the shields, many soldiers were still killed or wounded during the attack. However, these casualties did not shake the morale of Antioch's army, and they continued to approach the city walls, getting closer and closer.

"Knights! Follow me out."

A tall and imposing figure emerged from the torchlight of the night. He rode a tall, reddish-brown warhorse, its mane flowing like flames, strikingly visible in the darkness. This was none other than the leader of the army, 'Viscount Hauerbear' Norcton.

About ten fully armed knights rode out of the ranks and followed him, then formed a triangular formation.

The silver-white plate armor had distinct lines, and in the firelight, it was tinged with a pale gold color, reflecting the glow of the torches. As they rode faster and faster, they were like flames rushing through the night, heading towards the dark city wall.

The horses' hooves thundered, dust billowed, and the impregnable city walls drew ever closer, yet the fiery arrow of the horse continued its relentless advance.

Nocton, the leader, raised his warhammer high in the night's fierce winds. "Andatika!"

The angular warhammer emitted a white halo, and then the translucent giant hammer expanded and grew larger and larger.

When Nocton was only fifty meters away from the city wall, he gripped the hammer handle with both hands and swung it down with all his might.

The massive hammer shadow scraped through the night with a whooshing, explosive sound before striking the city wall and smashing a gap in it.

The accompanying knights also raised their lances, white chess pieces appearing above their heads. Together with Nocton in front, they formed a white curtain of city walls, leaping through the gap and rushing into the city. The garrison and passersby who were still running along the way were crushed into dust as if run over by a giant train.

"kill!"

Soldiers outside the city walls charged forward with torches in hand, their battle cries echoing through the night, like a burning flood surging into Valley City through the breached dam.

There was no lengthy catapult siege or sledgehammering; after the powerful knight smashed through the city wall, the battle immediately entered its most intense and brutal phase.

At this point, they either had to go against the tide and desperately try to block the breach with their weak lines, or they would be easily slaughtered by the pursuing enemy forces in their rout and escape.

On the castle tower, Prince Jobs stared blankly at the scene in the distance as Antioch soldiers, holding torches high, poured into the city.

Long-forgotten memories resurfaced in my mind; it was the day Baiya City fell.

The tall and awe-inspiring father, filled with sorrow and helplessness, sent his sister and him out of the city, while he and his knights disappeared into the dark night, their figures fading into flames.

"No...no, this can't be, please don't do this." He covered his head, unable to accept this outcome.

His previous pride and smugness vanished like a candle flame in the night wind, leaving him only with fear and confusion, and a fear of returning to that night of constant running and fleeing for his life.

"Steve Jobs!"

At that moment, a figure hurried up the tower. Panting and anxious, she finally found Jobs. She walked over and grabbed Jobs' wrist.

"Quick, Steve Jobs, let's leave through the mountain path south of the castle." Princess Musa anxiously pulled Steve Jobs along, while the prince followed behind his sister like a walking corpse.

Along the way, the delicate princess in the black dress disregarded the danger, pulling Jobs through the chaotic interior of the castle, summoning any soldiers or knights she could find to follow her, and asking them to escort Prince Jobs away.

Meanwhile, Nocton and other high-ranking officers of the Kingdom of Antioch, who had stormed into the city, knew that the prince must be somewhere inside the castle, and the sound of galloping hooves drew ever closer in the night.

Lacking effective organization, the chaotic garrison and refugees were not much different. Even if some of them had good combat skills, they could only fight individually and could not resist the tide of Antioch soldiers, turning into waves swallowed up on the front line.

"kill!"

About ten spears thrust out simultaneously, piercing through the warrior wielding the sword. As a former adventurer, he had rich experience in combat, but even in his most dangerous moments, he never imagined that he could block the piercing of ten spears at the same time.

Thus, after severing five spears, the 'Tier 1 Blood Law' warrior, cornered in the wall, was surrounded and stabbed to death by ordinary soldiers.

Faced with the fate of their comrades, the superhumans who still had strength left were disheartened. They no longer wanted to fight, but instead looked for opportunities to escape. The withdrawal of these core defenders caused the front line to lose its backbone and collapse at an even faster pace, being overwhelmed by the elite forces of the Kingdom of Antioch.

With the city walls breached, the battle lines collapsed, and the core forces retreated, the balance of power in the entire Valley City battlefield tilted completely to one side.

Among the defenders, no one thought of resisting anymore; they only wanted to escape from this nightmare.

On a mountain road at night, a group of people sped out of the city, carrying only a few torches, hoping to see the road clearly and also hoping that no one would see them.

"Prince Jobs has escaped!" Angry shouts rang out in the city, causing the battlefield to pause for a moment before quickly returning to normal.

The city's garrison no longer cared about the prince; survival was far more important than anger.

However, while the garrison did not care, the elite troops of the Kingdom of Antiy who had stormed into the city did. Nocton led the knights and cavalry beside him out of Valley City and chased after the fleeing group in the depths of the night along the mountain road.

At first, they could still hear the shouts of battle from the valley city behind them, but as they chased deeper and deeper into the mountains and forests, everything around them gradually became quiet, with only the panting of the warhorses and the sound of their hooves.

Unbeknownst to them, figures dressed in long robes stood up on the hillsides on both sides of the mountain road. They stared at the pursuing team rushing below, and their eyes under their hoods revealed an eerie purplish-red hue.

Soon, several enormous spheres with tentacles emerged from the darkness, opening their huge eyes in the gloom.

(End of this chapter)