How come this arcanist is invincible?

Chapter 237 Concealment? A calculated scheme!

On the walls of the inner court of Sussas.

Compared to the outer walls, the city walls here are a full fifteen meters high.

To defend against the Nord army and the drow who might come from the Underdark, a tower was built every twenty meters between the walls to facilitate long-range volleys by archers.

Giant ballistae are mounted in the recesses of the city wall, enough to deal with giant enemies and high-level professionals.

Without thorough preparation, even a third-tier professional would suffer heavy damage from the giant crossbow's attack.

Not to mention that the city walls are guarded by the First, Fourth and Ninth Elite Legions, whose selection criteria are far stricter than those of the Outer Court, and whose weapons and equipment are also more sophisticated.

The most elite First Army Corps was stationed in the city gate area, while the remaining Fourth and Ninth Army Corps were stationed on the east and west sections of the city wall, respectively.

But at this moment, in the tower above the city gate, looking at the enemy troops arrayed outside the moat, ready to attack, the four people present all had very ugly expressions.

The leader was a handsome, blond pure-blooded elf. He pointed outside and said in a deep voice, "Wasn't it said that only forces several times larger would dare to attack the inner palace? Why do they still dare to come? Even if you include all the people they can mobilize, they shouldn't even have twice as many as us."

A tall half-elf warrior beside him said in a deep voice, "Your Highness Grayson, the enemy is clearly acting unwisely. Attacking without siege towers will only lead to failure. We don't need to..." No, they do have one advantage: they have the support of a large number of mages.

Although we have royal mages to help us, we are at a significant disadvantage in terms of numbers—and some of the mages who accompanied the army left on the night of the city's lockdown, and we must also worry about the stance of those who remained.

T

Another person interrupted.

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent for a moment.

The destructive power of magic is crucial at certain times, and can even turn the tide of battle.

Although the academy's eight mage towers are not as powerful as the magic cannons in terms of sheer destructive force, they are fully capable of unleashing powerful spells that can cover the entire city.

"No, they won't use the mage tower."

Grayson gritted his teeth and said, "The founder of the academy made a promise to the royal family of Susas that he would never use the mage tower that Susas built for him to fight against the royal family. This promise was even witnessed by the Styx Oath."

Therefore, we won't be facing a mage tower directly this time.

Upon hearing this news, the expressions of the three corps commanders softened slightly.

The tall half-elf said, "That's good. We just need to hold out until the ducal reinforcements arrive, and then it will all be over."

As the four were talking, the last one looked out of the tower and suddenly exclaimed, "They've attacked! No, what's that?"

'

Just a hundred meters outside the city gate, it was just outside the range of the magic cannons and crossbows.

Soldiers from the second, third, sixth, seventh, and eighth corps, who were besieging the area, had all taken their positions and set up several pontoon bridges.

They simultaneously parted to make way for people draped in black robes, their figures obscured.

Ten men in black robes carried a long, simple wooden ladder with iron hooks, just high enough to climb the inner city wall.

Teams of men in black robes carried wooden ladders across the pontoon bridge and headed straight for the city wall.

From the position of the four people in the tower, the black-robed men were scattered across the vast battlefield. There were a great many ladders, but the estimated number was no more than four hundred, and their movement was extremely slow.

"Let the archers of the First Army fire! Kill these fools who don't know their own mortality! Teach them a lesson!"

'

Grayson gave the order in a stern voice.

The other three exchanged a glance, and the order was quickly relayed to the towers in the city gate area. Upon receiving the command, the longbowmen swiftly drew their bows and fired upwards.

Whoosh!

Thousands of arrows rained down from above the city gate area, striking the figures in black robes directly.

Many arrows pierced deep into the body, but many others were deflected.

Upon seeing the results, Grayson's smile froze instantly.

Because only a handful of "people" fell, the vast majority of the remaining black-robed men, even with several arrows stuck in their bodies, continued to carry the wooden ladder forward.

"No, they are not human! Your Highness, look!"

Following the direction of one person's finger, one could see two "people" whose black robes had just been torn apart, revealing pale bones and light armor that seemed to be glued to their joints.

An arrow that pierces through the opponent's bow is not lethal unless it hits a vital spot.

"It's the necromancer's skeleton soldiers—fire the giant crossbows! We can't let these damned undead get near the walls!"

Grayson's expression turned extremely ugly upon seeing this.

A mere four hundred skeletons could carry more than forty ladders that could be used to climb walls. Although those things were obviously too crude to be considered military equipment, they were tall enough for ordinary soldiers to climb up.

Putting that aside, the biggest problem is the blow to morale.

Seeing that their thousands of arrows had only killed a handful of enemies, many soldiers who had never faced the undead before looked grim.

The order was given, and whoosh! Several giant ballistae changed direction.

The observer adjusted the angle, the soldiers loaded their crossbows, and soon, more than a dozen giant crossbow bolts whistled down from the sky with unparalleled force, shooting directly onto the battlefield.

Under immense force, even the bonded light armor was rendered useless.

Both the black-robed skeleton soldiers and the makeshift ladders they carried disintegrated under the impact.

Only a few black-robed skeleton soldiers continued to advance slowly, but their numbers were clearly insufficient.

Seeing this, the soldiers guarding the city finally cheered, and Grayson and the others breathed a sigh of relief.

But when he looked at the enemy's army formation in the distance, he suddenly froze, his face turning completely somber.

Because hundreds more skeletons like these, carrying dozens of identical ladders, slowly approached.

"Their aim is to waste our crossbow bolts! Your Highness, bring these damned skeletons up; the soldiers of the First Legion will wipe them out."

Grayson looked grim, but had to admit there was some truth to it.

After ceasing their attack, the skeletons dressed in black robes walked directly to the massive city wall and shakily placed more than thirty ladders.

The specially made iron hook at the front of the ladder was firmly attached to the city wall, and then the climb began.

The first black-robed skeletons to climb the wall had barely emerged from the crenellations when numerous soldiers used scimitars to sever the will-o'-the-wisps in their eye sockets.

With the help of several captains, even the jointed armor that ordinary soldiers could hardly cut through was easily cleaved open, the skeleton fell apart, and some special black powder fell from its body and scattered on the ground.

Other ladders were knocked down by a squad of professional soldiers led by a second-tier captain, who cut the hooks off some of the ladders when the skeleton soldiers were halfway up.

After the ladder tipped over, many black-robed skeleton soldiers who had climbed halfway fell from the sky and crashed to the ground, their bones shattering.

The attacking force's formation, temporary camp.

The commanders of the Second, Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Army Corps stood in their command tents.

They had just received intelligence from the front lines, and looking at Kane who was looking at a terrain map, they all had a wry smile on their faces.

Their commander had just given the order to attack, and the four of them thought they would have to bombard the enemy with the magic cannons at all costs.

Unexpectedly, the order was issued specifically to the special skeleton unit of the mage academy, and in this way, it was a series of "disgusting" attacks.

Each time, a team of less than four hundred skeleton soldiers would carry wave after wave of ladders directly to their deaths.

But to be honest, although their deaths seemed pointless, they left behind a large number of siege ladders at the foot of the city walls, making it convenient for subsequent soldiers to use them during the attack.

In siege warfare, time is life.

"It's a pity we didn't waste any of their weaponry. If only they had used magic-powered cannons to bombard them."

The commander of the Second Legion, a female ranger-half-elf named Matilda, sighed.

"The magic cannon will obviously only be used on high-level professionals like us, or at the very least on captains, mages, or our armory."

"That's what Summers, the commander of the Sixth Army Corps, said."

After saying this, he looked at Kane and asked, "Kane—Dean, should we launch a full-scale attack as soon as we've exhausted these skeleton soldiers?"

I don't think we should waste the opportunity while they're focused on the skeletons.

J

Kane shook his head and said, "No, our best time for a full-scale attack is tomorrow morning. Until then, we will maintain a phased offensive posture."

Summers frowned slightly and said, "In that case, I don't think we should waste the skeletons."

We can have them attack with us, providing cover for the army. If all else fails, we can attack from the east and west sections of the city wall to relieve the pressure on our attack in the city gate area.

"Otherwise, the sacrifice of the skeletons now would be worthless."

Even if it takes a toll on the stamina of some soldiers in the First Army Corps, they only need to rotate shifts to allow these soldiers to rest.

"6

After hearing this, the others also looked at Kane with the same expression, because Summers's words did indeed make sense.

Kane smiled but did not respond directly.

He gazed at the attacking city gate from afar, watching one skeleton soldier after another climb the city wall and then be smashed to pieces. He smiled slightly and said, "I once obtained a potion called Dark Water, and my colleague Dean Mistweaver even modified this potion into powder—now, as long as these skeleton soldiers are smashed to pieces, this powder will accumulate on the city wall."

Until a strong wind blows, they will inhale these powders.

Therefore, their deaths were not without value.

"Dark water? What is this?"

The four corps commanders present exchanged glances, but seeing Kane's calm demeanor, they finally decided to follow his arrangements for the time being.

Just then, Logan Susas entered the tent and leaned down to Kane, saying, "Dean of the Bone Corpses asked me to report that the first wave of five batches, totaling two thousand skeletons, has been completely wiped out."

"6

Kane smiled and said, "That's about enough. Assemble my mage squad; we need to send a strong wind at the enemy."

.

Inside the tower atop the city wall, Grayson and three corps commanders gazed at the battlefield.

On the city walls lay shattered skeletons, along with siege ladders that had been toppled after the black-robed skeletons were hacked to pieces.

Grayson's gaze turned slightly serious as a captain came to report: "The enemy's attack has been completely repelled, and no new skeletons have been sent."

However, some soldiers were caught off guard and were injured. The current statistics show that there are 14 dead, 42 seriously injured, and 421 slightly injured.

So many?

Grayson's expression turned slightly unpleasant.

Skeleton soldiers are only the lowest level of undead, while the elite first legion on the city walls is basically all professional-level.

Despite having the advantage of being well-rested, protected by city walls, and led by numerous captains, hundreds of people were still slightly injured or even killed while eliminating these skeletons.

The commander of the First Army Corps shook his head and said, "Your Highness, these skeletons are covered with light armor to protect their vital parts. Unless you cut them open with great force or hit the will-o'-the-wisps in their eye sockets, they are not as easy to kill as before."

"If we hadn't had city walls to defend, our casualties would have been far higher if we had encountered these undead on the plains or in the streets."

"I understand. Thank you for your hard work, soldiers of the First Army Corps. I'll remember your contributions. Go and rest now."

Grayson smiled slightly, though he didn't really believe it.

But he clearly won't show it.

After all, he now had to rely on these three officers to control the inner court's army.

At this moment, the reporting captain said, "Your Highness, officers, I have discovered a problem."

.

"Speak." Grayson frowned slightly.

"After many skeletons were chopped up, fine black powder would fall from the grooves inside their light armor."

"Iron powder?"

'

Recalling the intelligence reported by his informant, Grayson's expression suddenly changed drastically.

But the captains shook their heads and said, "No, we've already confirmed it."

Touching it directly, it feels sticky; perhaps it's just an alchemical product the academy used to glue the skull and light armor together.

"And even if it is ignited, it will not burn violently."

Hearing this, Grayson felt relieved, but then he saw the commander of the First Army Corps suddenly become serious as he looked outside.

He walked to the window in front of the tower, handed over a long cylindrical alchemical tool, and said, "Your Highness, they have a new plan. This time it's a group of mages."

"Those necromancers?"

'

Grayson took the alchemical tube and looked through the lens, seeing the figure that made him grit his teeth.

On a high platform, dozens of mages dressed in red robes were chanting incantations in the direction of the city wall.

Behind them were hundreds of monks and apprentices dressed in gray and white robes, chanting at the same time.

The soldiers beside them looked at them with awe.

Grayson's heart skipped a beat. "Are they going to cast an offensive spell?" he asked.

"But Your Highness, without the help of the mage tower, the range of a mage's offensive spells is limited, unless they are less offensive spells."

"The wind is picking up!"

Another officer frowned, reaching out to feel the wind as his clothes billowed in the breeze. "They seem to be planning to change the wind direction, turning it completely towards us."

"Whatever the enemy's purpose is, let the royal mages take action and stop them!"

'

The order was conveyed swiftly.

Dozens of second-tier royal mages, wearing hoods, gathered on their respective towers and chanted incantations.

Under the influence of the first and second ring wind spells, a strong wind rose out of nowhere.

The wind blew the soldiers' armor and clothes, directing them toward the enemy.

The winds from both sides collided violently, creating chaotic airflow, with the winds in the city wall area being particularly fierce.

But no one noticed that in the violent airflow, the black powder that was originally considered harmless began to fly up from the skeleton remains, the ground of the city walls, and even the blades of the soldiers' scimitars, and was inhaled into the soldiers' noses and mouths.

Just as the wind stopped, many soldiers suddenly clutched their abdomens, their faces contorted in pain.

A nauseating stench immediately wafted from above the city wall, and some people even lost control of their bladders.

All of this happened so quickly that it was almost impossible to react.

Kane, who observed this scene with the help of an alchemical device resembling a telescope, smiled.

With the help of the attack of the Dark Water—or rather, Dark Powder—nearly a thousand of the most elite soldiers of the First Legion stationed on the city wall were killed.

Although no one died, their inability to participate in the ensuing battles was tantamount to being killed in action.

Their own losses amounted to only two thousand skeletons of apprentice-level skeleton soldiers.

Prince Grayson's expression must be quite something.

"Seize the opportunity! Begin the second wave of probing attacks! Send out all remaining three thousand skeleton soldiers to simultaneously attack both the east and west sections of the city walls! Give the enemy no chance to rest or rotate their troops!"

"Mages, prepare yourselves and restore your spell slots as soon as possible. We need to create a thick fog tomorrow morning!"

The soldiers were ordered to quickly relay Kane's orders.

Soon, black-robed skeletons surrounded the city from all directions, and this time the attack was not limited to the front wall; the left and right flanks also launched an attack simultaneously.

Kane, meanwhile, watched the enemy soldiers scrambling on the city walls and grinned, revealing his gleaming white teeth.

The other corps commanders inside the tent all looked at Kane with deep respect.

In contrast, the defenders looked extremely grim.