How come this arcanist is invincible?

Chapter 233 Assaulting the City Walls and the Fierce Battle

Flames burned, curtains fell, and fleeing nobles cried out in a cacophony of pleas for mercy, resistance, and sobs, while on the ground lay rows of gleaming corpses.

Recalling what was happening before her eyes, Queenie, who had been invited to the council as one of the people's representatives, trembled as she hid under the chair.

She couldn't understand what had happened tonight. She couldn't understand why Prince Grayson's expression changed so drastically after that important figure, supposedly the dean, made the accusation.

She couldn't understand why several ordinary citizens, just like her, had suddenly become assassins.

They couldn't understand why their beloved and great King Susas had turned into a wax-dripping demon.

All of this was beyond the comprehension of an ordinary half-elf.

She held back her sobs and silently told herself:

Queenie, you must endure it, you must survive! Only by surviving can you return to the outer court and escape the royal court with your mother and brother.

Our great king has become a demon, and this city can no longer be inhabited!

boom!

A corpse fell heavily onto the edge of the chair.

Looking at that noble face she had once longed for, now deeply embedded with a tentacle made of solidified wax, and hearing the chilling sound of gnawing, Queenie felt a wave of utter horror wash over her. She covered her mouth tightly to avoid making a sound.

But just then, she saw a pair of feet covered in wax stop beside her.

Immediately afterwards, she felt the light above her head suddenly disappear, the chair was violently overturned, and a pair of malicious eyes stared intently at her. At the same time, the other person raised their right hand, which had turned into a wax blade.

Damn it, I should run, but my legs are so weak!

Queenie watched the wax blade swing down suddenly and couldn't help but close her eyes.

The expected excruciating pain did not come. She only heard a whistling sound beside her ear, and the next moment, she opened her eyes and was completely stunned.

The chair next to her suddenly floated into the air, steadily blocking the wax blade.

A group of mages dressed in red robes surged in from outside the door. At the head of the group, an old mage in black robes with a solemn expression gave an order, and behind him, squads of skeleton soldiers clad in exquisite armor and wielding bone weapons rushed toward the wax demon.

The wax demon moved with incredible speed, severing the bodies of several skeletons in an instant. But more skeletons surged in from all directions, surrounding it and stabbing its wax-formed bodies with bone weapons.

As the wounds continued to heal, the malice in the wax demon's eyes grew ever stronger.

But soon, the speed at which its wounds broke open far exceeded the speed at which they healed, and some skeleton soldiers even threw the pieces of wax they had cut off far behind them.

Under the relentless onslaught, the wax demon finally succumbed, and its body could no longer regenerate.

It's dead!

Seeing this, Queenie was even more confused. The evil skeleton had killed the evil demon. What was going on today?!

"Commoner, leave the inner palace quickly, and remember to tell everyone what you saw today."

Queenie was momentarily stunned by the reprimand, but she quickly understood.

She staggered to her feet and ran desperately outside. There were more than a dozen other people who had also escaped death, including nobles and commoners, all of whom were pale-faced.

The skeleton in black robes glanced at her coldly, then ignored her and instead commanded the rebuilt skeleton navy to surge towards the more wax demons disguised as royal guards.

Skeleton soldiers, wax goblins, mages, corpses strewn across the ground, flickering candlelight, and a blood-stained scene—all intertwined to create a hellish landscape.

A quarter of an hour later, with two Tier 3 Corpse Servants clearing the way and numerous Skeleton Soldiers providing cover, the skeletons cleared a path leading to the very front of the council.

There, where the most honored person of Susas should have stood, was now empty, leaving only a bare throne, even covered in wax.

And on the ground lay the body of an elderly man, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

The skeleton stepped forward, picked up the corpse with both hands, looked at Flint's pale face, and sighed deeply, "Old friend, I'm late—but your successor is already carrying out your will."

Just then, several red-robed mages rushed forward to report: "Dean, Grayson has already evacuated and arranged for others to cover the rear. We can't hold off the royal mages for long—and the three legions stationed in the inner court are already preparing to close the city gates. We can't delay them for much longer."

"Let's go, take Flint's body and leave first. We'll come back after we've taken control of the walls and the outer court."

On the tower of the Prophecy Division, at the Susas Mage Academy.

Kane stood at the very top of the tower, letting the wind flutter his clothes, his gaze fixed on the farthest point in the distance.

The noble council hall deep within the inner court of the royal palace.

At this very moment, the hall was engulfed in flames, the roaring fire illuminating the entire sky above the royal court.

In his field of vision, the First, Fourth, and Ninth Legions stationed in the inner palace were beginning to blockade the city walls with torches in hand.

Just then, the heavy city gate crashed down.

Unlike the outer court, the inner court, being a city within a city, had only one wall built to defend against external enemies.

The moment the city gates closed, it signaled the complete severing of ties between the inner court and the outer court.

This means that communication between the inside and outside sides is no longer possible.

And this is precisely what will benefit his next plan.

At that moment, a crow suddenly swooped down.

Kane watched as the raven landed in front of him, and then an aged voice came from its beak: "Flint has already made his sacrifice. Don't let his sacrifice be in vain. Execute your plan as soon as possible."

Kane bowed slightly and said, "Dean of the Bone Corpses, you didn't need to take action. I had already made arrangements, and someone will rescue those I designated."

"But it comes at a great cost, doesn't it?" came the cold voice of the skeleton.

"Hamond and the others are always looking ahead and behind, always thinking about leaving themselves a way out, but I am different from Ling Shu. I don't need you to make sacrifices alone."

Next, I will make contact with the four legions of the outer court. As for the city walls, you should resolve the situation according to your plan as soon as possible.

Kane bowed slightly again, watching the skeletal familiar flap its wings and fly away once more.

"Ten Legions," Kane thought to himself.

Under Sussas's original system, the council was responsible to the royal family, and at the same time, the council directly controlled and deployed the legions.

Now that the core of Parliament has been abolished by Grayson himself, the remaining members of Parliament who managed to escape can no longer represent the authority of Parliament.

Apart from the Royal Guard, the ten legions that maintain order in the royal court can only act according to the wishes of their respective commanders, and they clearly have their own agendas.

The First, Fourth, and Ninth Legions of the Inner Court were mostly composed of noblemen who were extremely loyal to the royal family.

Even if Parliament were massacred, they would never rebel against the monarchy until they had concrete evidence.

The situation was even more complicated for the Second, Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Corps of the Outer Court.

On the surface, it was a military unit mainly composed of commoners, but in reality, it also included many noblemen.

However, as the Outer Court Mobile Corps, they have intricate connections with the Academy, and their stance is wavering.

Kane narrowed his eyes.

"The only ones I need to take down first are the Third and Fifth Army Corps stationed on the east and west sections of the city wall. I hope they don't show themselves, or they'll regret it."

Bang! A sudden sound of footsteps rang out. Kane looked up and saw that the person was Logan Susas.

"How is it going?" Kane asked.

Logan Susas stopped and said, "The Fifth Army says they are waiting for orders from the council and will not take any action for the time being."

"This shows that they only want to remain neutral for the time being."

Kane made his judgment and then asked, "And what was the reaction of Commander Kent, who intercepted me, and his Third Army?"

Logan Susas's face darkened. "They killed the messenger we sent, placed all the army mages associated with the Academy under house arrest, and called on other legions in the Outer Court to attack the Academy, saying they would use magic cannons to counter the mage towers."

He paused, then continued, "Currently, our men are engaged in firefight with them in the alleys outside the eastern section of the city wall. We have the advantage in weaponry, but we need reinforcements as soon as possible."

Kane's expression turned icy. He said, "Let's go. It seems we need to deal with this troublemaker first."

The alleys inside the eastern section of the city wall are complex and the residents have all evacuated, leaving only an atmosphere of desolation.

The blood flowing from the corpses on the ground stained the ground red and even soaked into the soil underneath.

In the dead silence, soldiers of the Third Army Corps, clad in elite light armor and armed with weapons and shields, were attempting to rush into the alley before them.

The enemy that the officer ordered to be captured was hidden inside, but they couldn't break in no matter what they did.

"Sir, the alley where those people are hiding is too narrow; it's not suitable for using heavy crossbows and large shields. Our light shields won't be able to stop them."

Enemy crossbow bolts!

"Damn it! It's just a few crossbow bolts! You bunch of useless trash! Organize the fifth attack!"

A soldier, clearly the captain, shouted sternly at his subordinates, but his face was grim as he looked down into the deep alley.

In terms of organizational structure, he was leading a full-strength squad from the Third Army Corps.

Even if it's a squad of the same size, our numbers are several times that of the understaffed squad on the other side.

But in the narrow alley under the city wall, the enemy squad's strange crossbows could fire two bolts at the same time each time, and the reload speed was also faster, not to mention that there were mages in the enemy team to assist them.

Even if he's just a first-tier mage, he's still a mage!

On the other hand, their own troops, under orders from their superiors, had all the mages placed under house arrest.

What is this?

Remembering the death order, he gritted his teeth and continued, "Take the wounded back! Everyone follow! This time, I'll lead the charge!"

"Yes, Captain!"

Outside the alley, the red-haired captain suddenly launched a charge.

As a second-tier warrior, he was extremely fast and deflected several crossbow bolts in succession.

His armor was a high-quality piece of armor that cost over a hundred gold coins to make.

Seeing the enemy so close at hand, the half-elf revealed a bloodthirsty smile.

"Once I break in, my soldiers will slaughter you all!"

The captain charged forward with a sinister grin, but the next moment, he suddenly realized something was wrong.

Just as he charged forward, the soldiers opposite him showed a look of "finally here" on their faces.

They smeared some fine black powder on the arrow and pulled the trigger directly at him.

The crossbow bolts whistled out, and the captain swung his sword to block them. The arrowheads fell to the ground, but black powder still filled the air.

What is this? Poison powder? Or a curse?

A hint of doubt flashed in the captain's eyes, but he quickly regained his senses and continued charging forward.

Just then, the mage standing in the center of the enemy ranks chanted a spell, and a fire magic suddenly struck.

It was just a magic trick.

The captain looked disdainful. As a second-tier warrior, he was never afraid of minor spells of this level and continued to charge forward.

But the instant the flames touched the black powder, he saw the group of enemies from the countryside all close their eyes.

What?

Immediately afterwards, a blinding white light shone, and the captain's vision went completely white, as if he had gone completely blind.

He felt an intense heat, followed by a sharp burning pain, as if flames were piercing his body.

Before he could even react to what was happening, he was engulfed in flames and collapsed with a thud. At that moment, the other soldiers were completely thrown into chaos and terror.

After all, even a second-tier captain clad in elite armor was easily killed by a single crossbow bolt, so what about them?

Many soldiers from the Third Army Corps retreated, clearing the alleyway for them.

Meanwhile, the soldiers of the guard unit, which was originally just an ordinary corps from Twin Harbor but now belonged to the Mage Academy, were all stunned in place.

Emil, now the third captain of the mage academy's guard, stared in disbelief.

He was just a newly promoted professional-level captain who was temporarily appointed, yet he managed to kill a second-tier professional through teamwork.

"These weapons are amazing, especially the combination of iron powder and fire at the end. It would be great if they could be deployed on a large scale."

"Give up. We can't grind iron into such fine powder right now, it's impossible in the short term. It's said that each of these arrows is handcrafted by Dean Kane himself, and each squad only has two. Use them sparingly."

The accompanying mage coldly poured cold water on Emil's enthusiasm, but Emil was not discouraged at all. Instead, he scratched his head and said, "I understand."

Just then, the accompanying mage frowned slightly and said, "Our current task is to immediately head to the eastern section of the city wall."

"Dean Kane has arrived and is leading a large force, preparing to scale the city walls!"

"Let's go!" The team members hurriedly packed everything up and immediately followed.

Not far away, at the foot of the eastern section of the city wall, Kane, who had led his guards to this location, had listened to the report from his subordinate mages and had already grasped the situation.

Apart from the messenger being killed, the other squads, though scattered in twos and threes and forced into the alleys under the city walls, managed to wage guerrilla warfare against the enemy using the new crossbows and the iron powder arrows issued to each squad. Therefore, Kane was not worried about their safety.

He looked up at the city wall, the eastern section of which the Third Army Corps was stationed, which was about 10 meters high.

It was created with the technical support of the academy's mages, the craftsmanship of the dwarven artisans, and the hard work of many half-elf employees.

For enemies attacking the royal court from the outside, this place is a dreamlike place, but for attacks launched from within, its defenses are clearly insufficient.

The steps leading to the top of the city wall were studded with countless arrows and stained with blood.

From the black towers high on the city wall, one can see arrows aimed at this spot, clearly indicating that an ambush had been laid long ago.

Even in the blind spots of the city wall steps, soldiers were clearly lying in ambush behind the wall, ready to repel any attackers.

Kane frowned slightly, looking at the soldiers behind him who were holding their breath and looking expectantly, as well as a group of red-robed mages who were on high alert, and he showed a thoughtful expression.

Logan Susas asked, "What's wrong? Is there a problem getting onto the city wall?"

Kane shook his head and said, "It's not difficult, but I don't want to cause too many deaths or injuries."

Whether they are our people or theirs, every soldier we kill today reduces our strength to fight the Duke's army tomorrow.

"What should we do then?" Logan Susas frowned.

Kane said, "Prepare a suit of heavy armor for me."

He usually disliked wearing heavy armor because it would only hinder his movement and make close combat inconvenient.

But now, leading the charge doesn't require speed; instead, it's more about covering the soldiers.

Logan Susas frowned slightly, but still quickly ordered preparations to be made. In less than a quarter of an hour, the heavy armor was delivered.

Immediately afterwards, a figure clad in heavy black armor stood up.

He held up a huge shield, carrying no weapons. His face mask concealed his expression, revealing only the massive shield and his tightly fitted, jet-black heavy armor.

Seeing that their dean was clearly planning to lead the charge, the soldiers instantly erupted in a frenzied expression.

From behind the visor, a deep voice resounded throughout the arena: "Follow me to the city walls and crush the Third Legion!"

The heavily armored figure took the lead and strode up the stairs, followed closely by the fanatical soldiers.

Meanwhile, from the city wall, a dense volley of arrows suddenly rained down.

To their despair, no matter how they shot, all the arrows hit the heavy armor but could not penetrate it, not even leaving a scratch.

The vast majority of arrows were steadily blocked by the huge shield. Only the arrows fired by the second-tier captains could barely penetrate the gaps, but the enemy remained silent and continued to charge upwards steadily.

Amidst the despairing gazes of the soldiers of the Third Army Corps, the heavily armored figure scaled the city wall and began to wield his massive shield.

boom!

The next moment, several figures were sent flying, crashing off the city wall and landing on the ground, turning into a bloody mess.