Heart of the Castle

Chapter 461

As night fell, the golden light shrouded around the Holy White Rock Fortress did not weaken at all, but became more brilliant because of the disappearance of the sun.However, this was not without cost. After singing hymns for most of the day, even with the fanaticism of the ascetics, they felt very tired, and some people's voices even became hoarse.

For this situation, Archbishop Mystra had long been prepared, and then he announced that the ascetics in the Holy White Stone Fortress would be divided into three groups, and they would sing hymns in turn in order to maintain the continued existence of the sacred domain and deter the demon army.

The victory during the day made many noble children so excited that they couldn't sleep at night, but those veterans were different. Except for the guards who stood on guard, everyone was sleeping soundly, because they knew very well how hard the battle would be And cruel, had to seize the rare opportunity in front of him to recover from fatigue.

Earl Ansair and Archbishop Bovais sat in the room assigned to the commander of the Northern Alliance Army, drinking a drink made of fermented yogurt while talking about the battle during the day. Baron Hanuk and Cavalier Captain Kane of the City Guard.Baron Hughes also joined the conversation as a representative of the Griffin Knight, but he usually just listened silently and did not express his opinions casually.

"The explosion during the day today was really beautiful. If we can do it a few more times, the victory will no longer be a dream." When talking about the victory during the day, Baron Hanuk looked very excited, his face was full of excitement. Almost glowing.

"Lord Baron Hanuk, don't be too happy." Earl Ansair said, drank the liquid in the glass, and Kane then picked up the long-necked bottle and filled him with sour wine. fermented milk. "The main force of the explosion was the flame elements gathered by the demons, and the golden light from the Holy White Stone Fort was only an inducement. The demons will definitely not make the same mistake again, and the powerful golden light , I’m afraid it can’t be used often, right?”

"That is the final defense method of the Holy White Stone Castle - the light of judgment. Every time it is used, it will consume a lot of light divine power. Even if you give up maintaining the sacred domain, it will not be used a few times." Archbishop Povava said in his tone. Subtle jealousy, compared with the Temple of Glory, the Temple of Storms and the Temple of Glory, both in terms of number and quality of believers are far behind, which makes Archbishop Bovais indignant every time he thinks about it.In particular, the final means of defense that the Temple of Storms also possesses—the wrath of the sky. In terms of power, it is not inferior to the light of judgment in the Holy White Stone Fort. An expensive ornament.

"In any case, this is something worth celebrating. The demon has not moved for a long time after this setback." The excitement on Baron Hanuk's face was not due to Earl Ansair dissenting opinions have diminished. "I propose a toast to the demon's defeat."

"Cheers!" All five cups were lifted up, collided in the air, and then each drank it down. Even Archbishop Bovais had a smile on his face.

"I observed the camp they built. The trenches were dug very deep, and after adding the fence built with logs, it was enough to make our cavalry useless. But this is also not good for the demons to attack the Holy White Rock Fortress. It seems that they have already We are not planning a quick battle, but we are going to be trapped here." Earl Ansair analyzed.

"Can they trap us?" said Baron Hanuk, patting the hilt of his sword.

"We don't have enough manpower. Without the protection of the sacred domain, we can't resist the onslaught of the demon army for a long time just by relying on the high walls of the Holy White Stone Fort." Earl Ansair shrugged his shoulders, "But at least Before the sacred domain fails, we should be able to hold on."

"Master Sheriff, your words scare me." Baron Hanuk said in shock. "Bishop Mistra has arranged for the ascetic monks to sing hymns in turn. These people's daily life is like this. They are used to various religious ceremonies. Could there be any problems in the sacred domain?"

"It's not a human problem, but a problem of the consumption of light and divine power." Earl Ansair stood up and walked to the window, lifted a corner of the curtain, and squinted his eyes to look out the window.The golden light shone around, sanctifying the land within hundreds of acres of the Holy White Stone Fort, and it was shining with a faint golden light as far as the eye could see. "How long can the Holy White Stone Fort last if it is consumed like this?"

There was the sound of footsteps outside the door. Earl Ansair turned his head and saw the respected Archbishop Mystra walking in accompanied by the Holy Light Knight Titos.The old man's expression was very indifferent, and there was no trace of the day's victory left on his face at all. Whether it was happiness or worry, it seemed that the old man had hidden it in his heart.

"Praise my lord Flandara, and I also praise the God of War Balud and Tomeka the Thunderer." Archbishop Mistral nodded to everyone in the room, and then walked in calmly.Archbishop Bovava, who believed in the Thunderer, and the knights who believed in Barud, the God of War, hurriedly got up to greet them, and at the same time paid respect to the Lord of Radiance.

"Your Excellency Archbishop Mystra, it's so late, don't you still rest?" Earl Ansair said.

"I'm getting older, and I'm going to sleep in the Kingdom of Eternal Night soon, so I don't need so much sleep." Archbishop Mystra replied, and then walked towards the fireplace.Baron Hanuk immediately stood up and gave the old man the warmest position.

Archbishop Mystra nodded to the deputy city guard, then sat down, stretched out his withered hands to the warm flame in the fireplace, Titos covered his feet with the cloak he was holding, and then Standing behind Archbishop Mystra, his expression looked a little stiff.

After sitting down, Archbishop Mistra took the initiative to say, "You are the leaders of the Northern Alliance Army, right? Facing the threat of meteor fire rain, the knights of the Northern Alliance Army can almost compete with the Knights of Ashes, And the soldiers are able to stick to their posts, which can be called an excellent unit.”

"Your Excellency, the Archbishop, we are used to facing all kinds of harsh natural environments, so our ability to endure adversity is indeed higher than that of people in other parts of the kingdom." Earl Ansair replied, "Your Excellency, Archbishop As the spiritual leader of the Holy White Stone Castle, I am afraid that there are not many things waiting for your ruling, so what is the matter for you to come here so late?"

"Of course it's about how to resist the demon army. You are all generals who are used to fighting, and you must have your own views on the guards of the Holy White Stone Fort." Archbishop Mistra said, "What's more, the situation we are facing now is extremely severe. , and war is not my forte, so I hope to use your experience and wisdom.”

"What do you say? Is there something wrong with the sacred domain?" Baron Hanuk asked in horror.

"Problems will arise soon, unless everyone can come up with a good solution to the current predicament." Archbishop Mistral said softly to everyone. Although his tone was gentle, the content of his words swept through everyone's hearts like a cold wind. . "Holy White Stone Fortress is not ready for war, so food, supplies, and medicines are all insufficient, and the consumption rate of the divine power of light in the sacred realm has exceeded the previous estimate. If this continues, we can only hold on for about a week at most. Obviously this time is not enough."

"Even if an envoy for help is sent immediately, and they can successfully pass through the devil's blockade and reach Fermeyer, it will take at least three days to complete the round trip, only four days..." Earl Ansair couldn't help but hum. With a voice, "It's hard to even issue a mobilization order in four days, let alone gather an army that can repel the demons and lift the siege!"

"This clearly means that we are in a desperate situation!" Baron Hanuk moaned, his face was frighteningly pale, and the excitement just now had gone to nowhere.

"Maybe it's true, but we can't stand still." Baron Hughes spoke for the first time. He took a deep breath and sorted out his thoughts a little. "Lord Earl Ansair, there are no less than a hundred knights gathered in the Holy White Stone Castle, among whom there are more than ten nobles with swords, but only you and the knight Marquis Osiris are able to break out of the encirclement, When are you going to leave?"

Earl Ansair's expression was a bit bitter, "Me? I can't leave here." He sighed, his eyebrows furrowed tightly, "My identity is a bit special, the head of the Ansair family, the head of the Northern Territory The uncrowned king of the county. As long as you are familiar with the history of the Ansair family, you will know how out of tune this family used to be with the nobles of the capital. If I go back, there will not be many people in Philmeyer who immediately support the dispatch of rescuers. They will definitely let that limp Bamilian Yang check every detail of the information I brought to the source. After the eunuchs have checked everything out, it is estimated that the army will gather at that time, and it will be time to collect the corpses and bones for everyone. .”

"So, what did Marquis Osiris say?"

"Him? He claimed that only when His Majesty's health improved, would he protect His Majesty and break out of the siege and return to Firmeyer." Archbishop Mistral sighed, with a troubled expression on his face. "No matter how I persuade him, the final result is useless. It seems that trying to change the mind of a determined elf is simply harder than making a dwarf give up blacksmithing or an orc give up robbery."

"How is His Majesty's health? Is it still not getting better?" Earl Ansair asked with concern.

"We have just come out from His Majesty the King. His injury is fairly stable, but he has not been awake. This makes the Knights of the Iron Guard feel very uneasy, and their attitude towards me is a little worse." The archbishop raised his head when he said this. He smiled at the Holy Light Knight, who still had an ugly face, "Master Titos argued with them about this, and almost moved his sword."

The face of Holy Light Knight Titos was tense and cold, like a piece of iron, and his tone was even more fierce, "Only by breaking through and asking for help can we have a chance to win the final victory. The imposing green lion can't see clearly One point, it’s really disappointing.”

"The Marquis of Osiris must have his own considerations." Archbishop Beauva retorted mildly, "This time the demon army sent five demon lords above the earl level, and the sacred domain has little effect on these demon lords. The Light of Judgment can't kill the demon lord with a single blow, otherwise it can set the attack target to the Balrog lord during the day. If Marquis Osiris leaves, there will be no one in the Holy White Stone Castle who can suppress these powerful demon lords. The power of the demon lords, so that they dare not approach the castle at will."

A look of astonishment appeared on Titos's face, and then he nodded silently, admitting that Archbishop Bovais' statement was indeed reasonable.

"I hope that the sleepless eyes mastered by Bamilian, the head of the palace, will be able to detect that the Holy White Stone Fortress is in flames in time, and then report to Queen Regent Lilaya, and send troops to rescue us." Baron Hughes said with a fluke mentality The voice murmured.

"I used to hate that guy who spread the information network all over the kingdom. I always hoped that I could break his claws and strike the arrogance of the Sleepless Eye." Earl Ansair spread his hands and said. "But now you have to pin all your hopes on him. This feeling is really helpless."

"Compared to asking for help, there is another thing that worries me more." Archbishop Povavo suddenly frowned and said, "Although the Northern Allied Forces fell into a trap by mistake in Queensland City and suffered heavy losses, but after Viscount Levi and him With the help of the swordsmanship teacher Sir Rodriguez, he still managed to retreat with more than half of his troops. If it hadn’t been for the surprise attack by the army of the dead along the way, the defense of the Holy White Rock Castle would not be so embarrassing. But then It was already a day and a half ago, and what I am worried about is what kind of conspiracy these guys who should have rotted and returned to the earth will plan."

As to what the conspiracy against the deceased was, since there was no information about it, everyone present could only guess wildly.After saying a few more words, Archbishop Mystra, who was starting to feel sleepy, stood up and said goodbye. Earl Ansair and the others sent him all the way to the door before returning to their rooms for a short rest.

The calm only lasted until the dawn of the next day, when the knights were awakened from their sleep by bursts of roars. When Earl Ansair led the northern knights to the top of the city in neat clothes, there were people behind the crenels of the watchtowers. It was empty, only Sir Qibei and Sir Magellan among the Seven Iron Guards led a small team of Ash Knights to guard it.Seeing Earl Ansair leading the team, Sir Chibe showed an imperceptible smile, then waved his hand and said, "Lord Earl Ansair, there is nothing wrong, it seems that those demons are planning to use fatigue tactics to make the We don't have a moment to relax."

Earl Ansair boarded a guard tower and looked down carefully.This time the devil sent out a whole team of six fire-throwing monsters, with a number of more than [-], but the quality was far worse than the team lost in the explosion yesterday.Among them, there are neither hell flame demons nor abyss refining demons in charge, and the magic lines wrapped around their bodies are far less than those of yesterday's fire-throwing monsters.

However, although the power of the flame arrows issued by the fire monster is quite different from that of meteor fire rain, when a total of [-] fire lines cut through the sky and rushed towards the sacred forest valley that protects the holy white stone castle, the aura is enough to make people's hearts Fear.The defense of the sacred domain against evil magic power has once again been severely tested. Amidst the flames flying and the rain of light, the Holy White Stone Fort stood up to face the powerful enemy, like a heavily armored warrior wearing golden armor.Whether it is poisonous sulfur smoke or poisonous fire from the abyss, they are kept out of the sacred domain. The barrier of this domain is so indestructible that even the fireballs thrown by the hell flame demon mixed among the fire monsters can only be blown up. Small ripples rose on the surface of the sacred domain.

After a whole morning of magic strikes, the demons have at least sent out more than [-] magic spells towards the Holy White Stone Fort. Magic Lianzhu fireball.Numerous fireballs slightly bigger than fists flew out with the roar of hell, leaving fiery red traces in the sky together.There were continuous roaring sounds, and the Holy White Stone Fortress was engulfed in thick smoke and flames in the blink of an eye.This sight caused many demons to laugh horribly, for they believed that the fortress had been destroyed by magic, or at least seriously damaged.

Not long after, a strong wind rushed out from between the blade rifts, blowing away the thick black smoke, and the roars of joy of the demons suddenly turned into cries of frustration, because under their all-out blows, the The white fortress still stands majestically in the center of the rift valley, and there is no trace left on the sacred domain glowing with golden light.

Afterwards, the intensity of this magical attack decreased, but the frequency increased instead. The commanders of the demon army had clearly made up their minds, and they planned to use the fire-throwing monster's talent magic to accelerate the consumption of the sacred power stored in the Holy White Stone Castle. Tortured and intimidated the human forces guarding the Holy White Rock Fortress without giving them a chance to breathe.From time to time, the demon army launched one or two death-defying raids. Although the size of each time was only one or two teams, it also made the human defenders have to take it seriously.

As a result, it really had a certain effect, because there were only more than 1000 guards in the Holy White Stone Fort, and they needed to defend the city walls in the north and south directions.They could only seize the time to rest on the spot between the demons' attacks, and often they could only take a nap with their backs against the crenels of the city wall. When the roar and drums sounded again, the demon army launched another attack.

The first ones who couldn't hold on were some pampered and pampered noble children of the royal capital, some of whom were in a daze and even secretly planned to open the north gate secretly, and then escaped from this fortress that they thought was bound to fall.Of course, these people's plans were unsuccessful, and they were immediately captured by the Ash Knights and Radiant Temple Knights guarding the north gate.The person with the highest status and power in this fortress is undoubtedly His Majesty King Arthur XII. However, he is still unconscious and unable to express any opinions of his own; the Marquis Osiris, the sky knight, doesn't care about these at all. So at the suggestion of Archbishop Mystra, these unlucky guys called traitors were tied to the stake one by one, and then accompanied by bursts of howls and billowing smoke, let them use The flesh atones for the soul.

(End of this chapter)