How come this arcanist is invincible?

Chapter 238 Artillery Fire, Giant Crossbows, Siege Towers

Below the city wall, the temporary camp of the First Army Corps.

White sheets were scattered on the ground, and there lay wounded soldiers curled up, their pain concealed.

Nearly a thousand soldiers were all deathly pale, with cracked and purple lips and their foreheads covered in cold sweat.

Many people clutched their stomachs and groaned incessantly, the stench of vomit and excrement filling the damp air.

Grayson stood in the center of the camp, his face so gloomy it could drip water.

His clenched fists turned white at the knuckles, and his gaze fell on the three corps commanders beside him who had their heads bowed.

These were the three men who had previously advised him to have his soldiers engage in melee combat to kill the skeletons and save crossbow bolts.

But no one expected that the powder carried by those skeleton soldiers would enter the soldiers' bodies through their mouths and noses.

The three officers exchanged glances, but none of them dared to speak first.

"Your Highness, we have tried all the antidotes, but none of them worked."

A doctor wearing a bird-beak mask emerged from the pile of wounded.

His white coat was stained, and in his thick gloved hands he held a small pinch of powder in a white cloth: "This is not poison, it's just a purified, potent laxative. The ingredients are very simple, and there is no antidote."

The only thing we can do is have the soldiers drink water, rest in bed, and wait for the effects of the medicine to wear off on their own.

"Will they still be able to go to the battlefield?"

Grayson's voice was filled with suppressed anger.

The bird-beaked doctor slowly shook his head, his tone leaving no room for doubt: "Absolutely not within three days. The severely injured are already dehydrated and unconscious, and even the mildest ones can't stand up. Forcing them to fight will only be a pointless death."

Upon hearing this, Grayson and the three corps commanders looked even more grim.

The soldiers guarding the city gate were originally the most elite soldiers of the First Army Corps, but now nearly a thousand of them have been lost because of this despicable means.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

The sound of hurried footsteps grew louder as a messenger, his face covered in dust and sweat, rushed up to Grayson and the others, breathless.

"What's wrong?" Grayson turned around abruptly.

"Your Highness! Those skeleton soldiers in black robes are here again!"

The messenger, panting heavily, reported, "This time, at least three thousand troops have come, and they're not just attacking the city gates; the east and west sections of the city walls are also under attack simultaneously!"

"Use the giant crossbows! Fire from the giant crossbows!"

Grayson practically roared the order.

"Don't be afraid to waste crossbow bolts; absolutely do not let any skeleton soldier get within 100 paces of the city walls!"

The three officers opened their mouths, intending to say something more about the crossbow reserves, but seeing the soldiers lying on the ground from close combat, they swallowed their words.

The order was quickly relayed throughout the inner city walls.

The soldiers rushed to their respective battle stations.

One by one, the ballistae were pushed behind the ramparts, the observers adjusted the firing angles, and the crossbowmen inserted the massive arrows, as thick as an arm, into the string grooves.

"put!"

At a command, giant arrows whistled through the air with a sharp whooshing sound, like black lightning slicing through the sky.

Under the terrifying power of the giant crossbow, the skeleton soldiers at the forefront shattered like paper, their bones and armor fragments flying everywhere, turning into a cloud of white powder.

Before squads of armed skeletons could even get close to the city walls, they were torn to shreds by a barrage of crossbow bolts.

Time passes little by little.

Behind the enemy lines, Kane stood with his hands behind his back in front of his tent, calmly gazing at the utterly crushed remains of skeletons on the battlefield.

In just over an hour, thousands of skeletons perished under the firepower of the giant crossbows, and the remaining half were destroyed in a matter of time.

The undead scourge is terrifying in itself; whether in narrow caves or inside cities, they can pose a great threat due to their sheer numbers.

But these thousands of armored skeletons were ultimately no match for the overwhelming power of the city's giant crossbows.

However, he had already foreseen this.

"The first wave of consumption has met expectations."

Report one

A soldier came running quickly.

"The enemy's firing rate has clearly decreased! From the initial ten shots per salvo, it has now become three shots, and the intervals are getting longer and longer."

They were clearly conserving their crossbow bolts and dared not fire indiscriminately anymore.

Kane nodded, about to speak.

"boom!!!"

A deafening roar suddenly came from the direction of the city wall, and the entire tent shook violently, with dust falling from the top of the tent.

Kane exchanged a glance with the others and quickly walked out of the tent.

A huge crater appeared on the ground beneath the distant city wall, where at least several hundred scattered skeleton soldiers were instantly reduced to ashes.

Around the crater, black rotting flesh, white bone fragments, metal armor shards, and dirt were mixed together.

"At least six magic-powered cannon shells were used."

Sixth Army Corps Commander Summers stared at the shell crater with a complex expression.

"Their three legions combined have only fifteen magic-powered giant cannons, and their stockpile of cannonballs is less than a hundred."

I originally thought they would never use such precious weapons at a time like this.

As soon as he finished speaking, he felt several meaningful gazes around him, his face flushed slightly, and he awkwardly turned his head away.

"I've already noted down the launch location of the enemy's magic cannon."

Kane withdrew his gaze, his tone calm.

"Send word to my mages to prepare the restoration spell. The night is long, so let's give them some 'thunder' to start."

At six o'clock in the evening, it was completely dark.

A soldier from the First Army Corps, who had just been relieved of his post, leaned against the crenellations of the city wall and rubbed his eyes wearily.

He looked at the wrecked remains of skeletons and scattered arrows on the ground, and just as he was about to catch his breath, he suddenly felt a strange gust of wind.

The sky suddenly changed color.

The night sky, which had been just a gray haze, was suddenly swept by a strong wind, causing the flags to flutter wildly and debris to fly everywhere.

Thick, dark clouds, like a giant black cloth, swept rapidly from the horizon, pressing heavily on everyone's heads, making it hard to breathe.

The soldiers on the city wall looked up at the dark clouds that were constantly rolling and gathering in the sky, their brows furrowed and their hearts filled with unease.

"Find cover! Hide behind towers and battlements, and don't expose yourselves!"

The captains ran back and forth along the city wall, shouting, "The lightning strikes have a limited kill radius; as long as you take cover, you'll be fine!"

Before he could finish speaking...

"Snap!"

A blinding purple lightning bolt ripped through the night sky, instantly illuminating the entire battlefield.

Immediately afterwards, a deafening clap of thunder exploded overhead, and everyone instinctively covered their ears.

One of the thunderbolts struck the central tower with pinpoint accuracy. Accompanied by a piercing metallic cracking sound, a magic cannon mounted on the tower was instantly twisted and split open with several huge cracks.

The soldiers nearby were so frightened that they all retreated, their faces turning pale.

Seven or eight bolts of lightning struck in succession, each accompanied by a tremendous roar and the soldiers' screams.

Just then, a dozen or so royal monks wearing hoods quickly walked up the tower.

The tips of their staffs glowed with a soft white light as they chanted in unison.

The gale suddenly intensified, but instead of heading towards the city wall, it whipped up the dark clouds in the sky.

The thick, dark clouds were gradually dispersed by the strong wind, revealing the night sky.

"It's our mage! Our mage won!"

The soldiers on the city wall erupted in cheers, their tense nerves finally relaxing a little.

On the tower, Grayson's tense expression had just eased. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said to the strategist beside him, "My mages told me that although this weather-altering spell has a wide range and is highly lethal to ordinary soldiers, its spell structure is extremely unstable. It can be countered with fewer spell slots by using targeted spells."

"But what if the opponent keeps using it?"

A young staff officer couldn't help but speak up.

"After all, the number of mages in the mage academy far exceeds that of our royal mage contingent. They can afford to wait, but we can't."

Grayson gave him a cold look and said nothing.

The staff officer immediately realized his mistake and lowered his head, remaining silent.

Just then, another soldier pointed to the sky and shouted in terror, "Look! That dark cloud is back!"

Grayson looked up sharply and saw that the dark clouds that had just been dispersed were gathering again at an even faster speed, and were thicker and darker than before.

Time flew by in the endless tug-of-war of spells.

All night long, the inner city walls were shrouded in lightning and gales.

The duel between mages became the main focus of the battlefield, while the soldiers, who should have been the main force, became the backdrop for this magical war.

However, their situations are completely different.

The three elite corps stationed on the inner city walls couldn't sleep all night, and the occasional thunderclaps were terrifying.

Although the number of direct casualties was not large, this endless mental torment was far more devastating than direct combat.

The magic academy's attack frequency wasn't high, but it kept everyone on edge at all times.

The constant booming thunder overhead made it impossible for anyone to sleep.

The soldiers leaned against the cold city wall, their eyes bloodshot, their hands gripping their weapons tightly. They would yawn every now and then, only to be startled awake by a sudden clap of thunder.

An elderly veteran with graying hair gazed at the dark mass of enemy troops in the distance, his heart filled with unease.

Are they planning a nighttime all-out attack?

"It's time, I have to go."

Kane watched as the academy mages, pale-faced and unsteady on their feet, were helped away to rest.

He glanced at the hundreds of newly arrived mage apprentices beside him and a smile appeared on his face.

In terms of average strength, the academy's mages may not be as good as the elite of the royal mage order.

However, in terms of numbers, the academy's mages and apprentices combined are more than ten times the size of the royal mage corps.

The more people there are, the more spell slots are available.

This war of attrition was destined to end in their victory from the very beginning.

As dawn approached, the already thick morning fog in the royal court grew even denser with the chanting of hundreds of apprentices.

-

The white mist spread like a tide, quickly engulfing the entire battlefield. It was so thick that you couldn't see your hand in front of your face, and you could only hear each other's breathing and footsteps.

Logan Susas stood beside Kane, watching him put on his heavy black armor piece by piece, his eyes filled with worry.

She reached out and adjusted Kane's helmet straps, her fingers trembling slightly: "You must come back safely."

"Don't worry." Kane patted her shoulder, his voice steady and firm. "Wait for my good news."

After saying that, he turned and walked out of the tent.

Outside the tent, the fog had already filled with a densely packed procession.

The professional soldiers of the Second, Third, Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Corps stood silently in the fog, their armor gleaming and weapons in hand, without uttering a sound.

Only the occasional clash of weapons hinted at the grim atmosphere of this team.

"The final assault is here." Kane looked at the soldiers before him, his voice not loud, but clearly reaching everyone's ears.

"Sacrifice is inevitable. But I assure you, victory will surely be ours."

Grayson was jolted awake from his light sleep, his forehead covered in cold sweat.

"Your Highness, you should get some more sleep."

The tall half-elf warrior, the commander of the First Legion, stepped forward and spoke softly.

"I can't sleep," Grayson asked in a deep voice, rubbing his throbbing temples.

"What are our chances of winning? You told me we could hold out for at least three months, enough to last until the Duke's reinforcements arrive. And now?"

The half-elf warrior remained silent for a moment, a bitter look on his face: "That Dean Kane is an extremely outstanding strategist."

More importantly, the academy has too many trump cards up its sleeve, and we have no idea what other tricks they have up their sleeve.

Even so, we can hold out for another week without any problem; the Duke's reinforcements should arrive before then.

Grayson's face instantly darkened.

What was originally three months has been reduced to just one week.

Suddenly, the half-elf warrior's expression changed drastically. He abruptly looked out the window: "Something's wrong! This fog is thick enough to penetrate the tower! The morning fog in the royal court has never been this thick—unless it's man-made!"

"What?" Grayson's heart skipped a beat.

A weary royal mage beside him raised his staff and chanted a spell. A sudden gust of wind swept through the thick fog ahead, but quickly, the fog filled the area again.

Grayson, witnessing the scene before him—the dense, overwhelming horde of soldiers silently advancing towards the city walls, stepping over the remains of the skeletons from earlier that day—shouted at the top of his lungs, "Defense! All troops, defend! The enemy is attacking!!!"

At the same time, Kane's orders also reached the ears of all the captains at the front.

-

"Fight on your own! Every soldier who dies in battle will receive their full compensation! The team that captures any magic cannon will be rewarded with three thousand gold coins! The first team to capture the city gate will be rewarded with ten thousand gold coins and awarded the rank of knight!"

Upon hearing this, the team leaders' eyes lit up, and their faces showed excitement.

Ten thousand gold coins! And a noble title!

This is enough to make any ordinary soldier become a nobleman and bring glory to his ancestors!

"Take the city walls! Smash the city gates!"

Someone shouted, and the once silent battlefield instantly erupted into a deafening roar of battle cries.

Kane, clad in heavy armor and wielding a massive shield, charged at the forefront of the ranks.

Not only him, but also dozens of soldiers in heavy armor beside him, all elites from various legions, were now concealing their identities and charging alongside Kane.

Command at the rear was handed over to Logan Susas.

In terms of status, she was impeccable—although she was related to the royal family, she was surnamed Susas and represented the academy.

More importantly, all the battle plans had already been formulated and no further adjustments were needed.

Following the pre-arranged plan, the soldiers crouched low and stealthily made their way to the foot of the city wall, taking the route the Skull Sea had taken during the daytime attack.

They lifted hundreds of wooden ladders left behind by the skeleton soldiers, each with a sharp iron hook at the end.

"Create wind!"

A unified shout suddenly rang out from the city wall.

A huge gust of wind suddenly swept down from above the city wall, dispersing some of the fog in front of the wall.

In the torchlight, the densely packed attacking soldiers at the base of the wall were instantly exposed.

"Watch out!!!"

Several team captains roared at the same time.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Numerous giant crossbows on the city wall simultaneously fired a small number of massive bolts!

A sharp whooshing sound rang out as a giant arrow, as thick as an arm, shot towards them with terrifying kinetic energy.

Several teams of soldiers carrying ladders had no time to dodge and were pierced directly by crossbow bolts, causing the entire area to explode and turn into a cloud of blood mist.

Not only that, the magic cannons on the city walls also opened fire at the same time!

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

A series of huge explosions rang out, and the city walls shook violently.

Large numbers of attacking soldiers were engulfed by artillery fire, dirt and gravel flew everywhere, and blood stained the ground beneath their feet.

In just one wave of attacks, more than 300 people were directly rendered incapable of fighting, either dead or wounded.

But soon, the already thick fog in the royal court at dawn, under the chanting of the academy's mages, spread again and covered the entire battlefield once more.

The royal mages on the city wall looked at the thick fog with grim expressions, but were powerless to do anything about it.

In order to cope with the successive thunderstorms, they had already used up most of their spell slots, and the continuous fighting throughout the night had left them exhausted, making it impossible for them to cast large-scale fog-clearing spells anymore.

On the battlefield, Kane stepped over the body of a young soldier.

The soldier looked to be only sixteen or seventeen years old, with a childish face. He wore ill-fitting armor, an arrow that had been shot from who-knows-where was stuck in his chest, and a look of terror still lingered on his face.

In the thick fog, the defending archers couldn't see their targets at all and could only fire arrows haphazardly in the general direction.

The ground was studded with countless arrows, and some people were just unlucky; this young soldier was one of them.

Kane silently apologized to himself.

He didn't close the other person's eyes—too many people had died on the battlefield, and he had neither the time nor the energy to do so.

He continued walking forward, amidst the densely packed soldiers.

The soldiers picked up the ladders that had fallen to the ground and re-erected them on the city wall, with the iron hooks at the front securely attached to the crenellations.

Within his limited field of vision, there were already more than a dozen such simple ladders, and along the entire inner city wall, there were more than a hundred.

The soldiers climbed up the ladder like ants.

Soon, the sounds of fierce fighting, clashing weapons, screams, and the muffled thuds of soldiers falling from heights could be heard from the city walls.

The same scene occurred simultaneously at the city gate and on both the east and west sections of the city wall.

Kane did not attempt to climb the wall—his heavy armor weighed over a hundred pounds, far too much for such a crude wooden ladder to support.

The purpose of these soldiers advancing along the ladders was to deplete the enemy's manpower, disrupt their defensive deployment, and buy time for their real killing move.

"Bang, bang, bang—"

The heavy sound of wheels rolling over the ground came from behind.

"They're here."

Kane squinted and looked back.

Three massive, black magic cannons were being slowly pushed to their designated positions by the gunners, using the fog as cover.

These precious alchemical artifacts from the Free Cities, though limited in range, are incredibly powerful enough to destroy most fortified defenses.

The gunners quickly adjusted the angle of their cannons, aiming them at the massive ten-meter-high city gate.

"put!"

"boom!!!"

Three loud bangs rang out almost simultaneously, deafeningly loud.

Three magic-powered projectiles struck the center of the city gate with pinpoint accuracy, and the massive explosions shook the entire ground.

Thick smoke instantly enveloped the city gate area, choking people and making it difficult to breathe, obscuring the results of the battle.

After firing, the gunners immediately dropped their tools, turned and ran at an astonishing speed.

next moment.

"Boom! Boom!"

At the same time, cannon fire was heard from above the tower!

The three magic cannons, which had just fired their shells, were hit by enemy fire and shattered into pieces, with metal fragments flying everywhere.

The two gunners who were slightly slower were instantly turned into mincemeat by the aftershocks of the explosion.

Immediately afterwards, the friendly artillery positions and giant crossbows, hidden on the other side of the fog, opened fire simultaneously.

Several shells whistled towards the enemy tower that had just opened fire, instantly engulfing the tower in thick smoke and flames, and silencing the enemy artillery inside.

Bricks and wood fragments rained down from the tower, accompanied by a series of agonizing screams from above.

Kane had no time to look elsewhere, his gaze fixed on the direction of the city gate where the thick smoke was gradually dissipating, and he frowned slightly: "As expected, it's not that easy."

The city gate, struck simultaneously by three magic-powered cannons, only suffered a large dent in the center and several spiderweb-like cracks around it—clearly made of some unknown special alloy.

To completely blast it open, at least a dozen more attacks would be needed.

But every time the magic cannon fires, it will be met with the most merciless retaliation from the enemy.

Even if you move to a different position immediately after firing, the player who goes first is always the most vulnerable to being hit.

"However, what was bound to happen has happened."

Hearing the approaching, heavier rumble of wheels, Kane turned around and finally a smile appeared on his lips.

Three real, giant siege towers were slowly being pushed in from the left and right sides by soldiers emerging from the mist.

The siege tower was over twenty meters tall, covered with thick iron sheets, and had countless firing ports. The huge rollers at the base of the tower still had obvious water stains, indicating that they had gotten wet while crossing the moat.

Each siege tower is pushed forward by hundreds of soldiers working together.

They bent over, chanting in unison, and pushed forward with all their might.

Such a large target naturally attracted the attention of the defending side immediately.

Countless arrows rained down from the city walls, striking the iron plates of the siege towers with a clanging sound. Most of them bounced off, with only a few hitting the unfortunate soldiers who were exposed.

"boom!"

Amidst the earth-shaking tremors, the defending side fired once again from one of their magic-powered cannons.

The foremost siege tower was hit directly by the shell, and the massive tower instantly broke apart and collapsed with a crash.

Although most of the soldiers below managed to dodge in time, many were still hit by the collapsing tower, resulting in heavy casualties.

At the same time, the sound of our own artillery fire could be heard again from within the fog.

The area where the enemy artillery had just bombarded the siege tower was instantly covered by several shells, and half of the tower collapsed.

After this battle, the defending side's counterattack against the remaining two siege towers was noticeably weaker.

"Just as I thought."

Kane stepped forward, slung his shield over his back, grabbed the railings of the siege tower with both hands, and pushed together with the soldiers.

The countless rudimentary siege ladders had already exhausted the defenders, and the soldiers launched attacks from all directions, completely dispersing the enemy's forces.

Compared to hundreds of ladders, two siege towers could only transport a limited number of soldiers, but they were key to breaking through the enemy's defenses.

Moreover, the enemy's giant crossbows and mages' spell slots have been mostly depleted, and the thick fog has effectively protected the siege towers from fire attacks.

Once the enemy uses the magic cannon, they will immediately be met with precise counterattacks from our own artillery.

"Bang!"

With a heavy thud, the siege tower finally approached the city wall.

"Lower the drawbridge!"

"Creak—Boom!"

The heavy drawbridge was lowered with a crash, slamming heavily against the city wall.

"Charge!!!"

The heavily armored soldiers, who had been waiting in the siege towers, shouted and charged up the city wall along the drawbridge, engaging in a fierce hand-to-hand battle with the defending soldiers.

Kane mingled among the heavily armored soldiers, his face mask concealing all his expressions.

He raised a giant shield and charged toward the city wall with the soldiers.

With a bang, several soldiers of the First Army Corps were pushed directly down against the city wall by the immense force, turning into a bloody pulp.

The scene that unfolded on the city wall of the Third Army Corps is being repeated!