"Sophia Vega of the Third Division of the City Guard, has arrived to provide reinforcements!"
Facing the prison fortress, whose gates were already wide open to welcome the City Guards, Sophia spurred her horse to a sudden stop and announced her name with a strong voice.
Soldiers lined up on both sides of her, instantly blocking the road in front of the gate.
Seeing this situation, Green, who was standing at the door to greet them, suddenly felt a sense of unease. His sixth sense, honed over years as a reconnaissance soldier, allowed him to sense something unusual.
The female Knight was a minor celebrity in the city, as it was quite rare for a woman to join the army and become a high-ranking officer. Her connection with Marshal Windsor was no secret.
As his mind, still reeling from the good news, gradually cleared, Green cautiously approached to exchange pleasantries. However, the female Knight remained indifferent, completely ignoring him, and directly ordered the guards, "The prison is now under our command. Prepare for a rotation. Captains, take headcount and immediately lead your teams back to the barracks to await further orders!"
After a tense night of guard duty, the prison guards were indeed exhausted. Most of them were overjoyed to hear that they could go back to rest, but Green objected, saying, "It's probably not appropriate for the City Guards to take over entirely. I suggest that half of the original guards stay behind to assist the major."
"Who are you?" Sophia questioned, seeing that the person who spoke was dressed in ordinary soldier's uniform.
Green produced his silver badge as proof of identity and introduced himself again.
The female Knight glanced at the badge and snapped, "You're just an ordinary special agent from Military Intelligence Office. I'm warning you, you're not qualified to replace the Jailer. Get out!"
The name of SI:7 could only intimidate low-ranking officers. Having been exposed by Sophia for overstepping his authority, Green was indeed in the wrong and could only argue, "Lord Shaw granted me the authority to act expediently in urgent situations, I..."
"Take down this troublemaking spy!" Sophia didn't have time for further words and gave the order directly.
Seven or eight weapons were instantly pointed at Green's vital points. He dared not resist and threw down his weapons. Just when everyone thought he was surrendering, he suddenly crouched down, darted between the legs of the two people next to him, and jumped into the Canal next to him with a splash.
The series of movements were incredibly fluid, as if they had been rehearsed countless times, and in the blink of an eye Green disappeared underwater.
"Fire!" Sophia roared, and her men immediately drew their bows and fired. More than a dozen arrows shot into the water, but the Canal was as dark as an abyss at night, making it impossible to tell whether they had hit their mark.
"Stop! Ignore this little fish and do as I say immediately!"
Having witnessed the female Knight's ruthless decisiveness, and with Green's fate looming before them, no one dared to object. They quickly completed the rotation with the City Guards, and the three mages invited by the Jailer were also dismissed by Sophia.
Before driving the original guards into the barracks, Sophia ordered them to leave all their armor and weapons in the hall, and then instructed her men to keep a close watch on the barracks. By then, even if the Jailers noticed something was wrong, it was too late.
The takeover went smoothly. The hall was filled with his trusted henchmen. The only minor incident was that a small mercenary group that was originally on guard outside the door refused to be locked in the barracks and all ran away, but this was a minor matter.
Soon, with the sound of a large number of footsteps coming from the dungeon, Sophia's trusted confidant, who had been sent in to deliver a message, appeared at the bottom of the pit with a group of prisoners.
Although the image was very different from what she remembered, Sophia recognized the old marshal's face at a glance. Suppressing her excitement, she gave a neat military salute and said loudly, "Welcome, Marshal!"
Windsor strode into the tunnel, returned a flawless salute, and whispered, "Sophia, thank you for your hard work!"
The female Knight, unusually revealing her vulnerability as a woman, took the old marshal's arm and said, "It's my honor."
Unas and several leaders of Defias, along with their respective confidants, climbed into the hall one after another. Their red masks revealed their identities, causing the soldiers in the hall to tense up.
The City Guards and Defias were sworn enemies. Although Sophia had warned them beforehand, the atmosphere was still tense. Some thieves even drew their weapons and stared at the soldiers' necks.
Bazil Thredd scoffed, "Put away your weapons, it's not time to fight yet!"
Sophia tried to calm her uneasy subordinates, but to little avail. Although the soldiers were loyal to the female Knight, they knew that what they had done tonight was utterly treasonous, and unknown punishments might await them.
Upon seeing this, the old marshal sighed, realizing that his plan to have the two sides fight side by side might have been somewhat naive.
Seeing this scene, Unas thought maliciously, "If the old marshal were to change his mind on the spot and order these vicious criminals to be killed as a sacrifice to the flag, I wonder what kind of cold face Bakir would have."
However, this was just a thought. According to their cooperation plan, they would still have to rely on Defias's power to deal with the Black Dragon Princess.
With both sides exercising restraint, Defias' thieves continued to climb out of the dungeon. They took off their filthy prison clothes, put on the equipment left behind by the prison guards, and instantly transformed from prisoners into Stormwind City soldiers, standing in formation and looking quite formidable.
After a brief introduction by the Marshal, Unas and Major Sophia became acquainted. Unas, still not seeing Gude and the others, hurriedly asked, "My Dwarf friends are missing, they..."
"They're all locked up in the barracks. I'll have them released immediately." Sophia was very polite to the marshal's savior, and after learning that the Paladin had single-handedly broken into the dungeon to rescue the marshal that night, she felt even more favorably toward him and certainly wouldn't make things difficult for him.
As more and more people were released from prison, the main hall couldn't hold them all, so they had to be moved out, gradually filling the streets near the prison.
Sophia brought a large number of spare weapons and equipment, plus the ones taken off by the prison guards, arming more than a thousand people. Defias had more than three hundred official members, including seven or eight spellcasters. This was the core force under Bakir's command.
The remaining nine hundred-plus people were all criminals of various kinds, either forced or voluntarily. These people were skilled at arson, murder, and robbery. If you really let them Charge, you could only hold a sword to their backs.
Bakir's rallying cry for the prisoners was also full of banditry, "Whether it's gold and silver jewelry or fair-skinned noblewomen, follow me, and tonight you'll have your fill of looting!"
The criminals responded with animalistic roars; many of them hadn't seen a woman in a long time, and they were all panting heavily, their blood boiling, and their morale was somewhat boosted.
Unas pursed his lips and said softly, "Are we really going to cooperate with these guys?"
Marshal Windsor remained silent, unsure how to answer the Paladin's question.
Bakir swaggered forward. "We're ready, Marshal! Please fire the signal flare!"
A moment later, three fireworks burst into green light in mid-air, and Major Sophia's two battalions, totaling more than a thousand men, joined forces with the criminal army led by Bakir and began to advance at full speed toward Stormwind Keep.
In the dark tunnel, a black figure moved swiftly, finally stopping in front of a stone wall. "Miss, Deputy Chief Bakil's signal has arrived."
"Well, at least we don't have to stay in this stinking sewer anymore," a slightly childish female voice came from above, surprisingly from a petite girl hanging upside down from the beam, "Is the explosives Father asked for ready?"
"Yes."
The girl lightly jumped to the ground. "Let's go, let's go outside and set off some fireworks. It'll help clear up this crowded city!"
Stormwind Harbor was a scene of devastation. The three Royal warships left in the dock were wrecked and were sinking to the bottom of the sea along with several other enemy ships that had also been destroyed. More than half of the eighteen cannons on the shore had been destroyed, and the City Guards of the port had suffered heavy casualties.
The enemy's artillery fire remained fierce, and countless enemy ships lurked on the dark sea, like a pack of wolves watching the city from the shadows.
Edwin VanCleef stood silently at the bow of his flagship, his slender figure seemingly shrouded in darkness. A jet-black panther lay in his shadow, exuding a gloomy aura, almost invisible without close observation.
A subordinate behind him whispered a reminder, "Sir, Deputy Chief Bakil's signal has been given..."
"I see it!" The green flames in mid-air reflected on the King of Thieves's eyelids, but he remained unmoved until a thin, hair-like red light appeared in the northern sky. Only then did he raise his gleaming silver blade high. "After three volleys, the entire army will land simultaneously from the north and south flanks!"
The messenger behind him blew the horn, relaying the leader's orders to the other warships. The captains who received the orders were somewhat taken aback—this was completely contrary to the original battle plan.
But the leader's wartime orders were not to be questioned; they could only obey and urge their men to prepare for the landing.
After giving the order, Edwin clenched his fist nervously. He didn't reveal his true intentions to any of his subordinates—tonight's mission wasn't just to rescue Bakir, but also to take down Stormwind City in one fell swoop!
With the king missing, the Seventh Legion and the Royal Fleet out of town, and the Redridge Mountains defenses in grave danger, this period marks the weakest time for the Kingdom of Stormwind.
Moreover, the fact that they had managed to get a marshal from the kingdom as an inside agent, and then "turned" a part of the City Guard into defection, gave Edwin a great deal of confidence.
More importantly, he had a trump card up his sleeve—the entire reconstruction of Stormwind City was designed and overseen by the Stonemasons' Guild, and as the former leader of the Stonemasons, he knew the structure of the city walls inside and out.
For example, what is considered an impregnable Tempest Keep by ordinary people, he believed, could be breached by simply destroying a few weak points, causing a section of the wall to collapse and allowing his forces to move freely within the fortress.
Various factors have created this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so even though his Invincible giant Galleon is not yet completed and his forces are insufficient, Edwin still decides to go all in and fight with all his might. Whether he can avenge his old grudge depends on tonight.
Green ran towards the Old Town with all his might. Excessive blood loss had turned his lips pale, and he was dizzy. The arrow wound in his waist was numb with pain, but he couldn't stop. He felt he would become a sinner if he didn't pass on what he had seen and heard.
Stumbling and staggering, Green rushed to a secret SI:7. Exhausted, he used his last strength to strike the cipher, then collapsed against the wooden door.
The door opened a crack, and several hands reached out and quickly pulled Green inside. He felt himself being laid flat on the ground, and someone whispered, "Don't move, we'll bandage your wounds right away."
"No need, I have important information. Let me see Lord Shaw."
"The master is not here. If you have any information, please tell me, Green." Another deep voice called out Green's name.
Green squinted, recognizing the man as a familiar colleague, and felt slightly relieved. He asked, "Where did the sir go?"
"You don't know yet, do you? The Defias bandits have already taken over the port. Someone witnessed Edwin VanCleef appearing in person. After receiving the news, Lord Shaw led his Assassin Corps to provide support. I think he wants to meet that King of Thieves."
"What!" Green was taken aback. Compared to this news, the prison rebellion seemed less important.
"What important information do you have? I remember you were sent to the prison. Did something happen there?"
"Exactly..." Green briefly recounted his experience, "After I escaped by jumping into the water, I climbed onto the roof of a civilian house to observe the prison's movements for a while. Major Sophia, the traitor, Marshal Windsor, and Deputy Chief of Staff Bakir of Defias led a large number of soldiers towards the fortress. Many criminals disguised as soldiers were mixed in with the group; I could tell at a glance from their running posture that they were not soldiers."
"Is your intelligence accurate? How could Major Sophia possibly join forces with Defias?" The unbelievable bad news made the people around him turn pale.
"Absolutely true, I guarantee it with my entire family's lives!"
"We must get this message to the adults in the fortress as soon as possible, or the consequences will be unimaginable!"
The brightly lit, magnificent hall was filled with noisy nobles. Even on the usual weekly voting day, the Council Hall hadn't been this crowded in a long time.
Most people's faces were filled with fear and panic that they rarely showed, not only because of the booming cannons outside the window, but also because of the several gruesome corpses placed in the center of the hall.
After the cannon fire at the port began, several assassinations occurred in Tempest Keep. Five highly respected councilors were brutally murdered, and several assassins were intercepted and killed on the spot. All of them were members of the Defias with red hoods wrapped around their mouths.
Everyone was cursing Defias's cunning and cruelty, but only the Marquis of Sade was somewhat shaken. As the finance minister, he should have been Defias's primary target for revenge, because publicly he was the one primarily responsible for the initial delay in paying the stonemasons' wages.
Marquis Sade had long been prepared to be assassinated at any time, with guards by his side 24 hours a day. However, the assassins did not target him. Instead, they killed five members of parliament who had almost no connection with the original wage incident, which left the Marquis completely puzzled.
But these five people also had something in common—they were all his political enemies, no, they should be said to be the lady's political enemies. Thinking of this, the Marquis secretly glanced at the beautiful woman, only to find that she was also looking at him. He couldn't help but tremble and lowered his head, not daring to think any further.
Countess Katrana remained expressionless, but inwardly she was delighted. Those five sharp-tongued little devils who had deliberately opposed her in the council were finally gone. The positions they vacated were already prepared to be filled by loyalists; the House of Nobles of Stormwind City would soon be hers.
Although humans are small and weak individually, their combined strength surpasses that of the dragon race. After taking control of Stormwind City, her power will increase several times over.
At that moment, the side door of the hall suddenly opened, startling everyone. A tall, fully armed middle-aged man led a small figure into the hall, followed by royal guards lined up in a tight defensive formation.
The nobles stopped talking and bowed, greetings of "Your Highness" and "Duke" rang out in a disorderly fashion. The middle-aged man gave an unpleasant snort, and the entire hall gradually quieted down.
"I'm sure everyone has already received the news that the City Guard's defenses at the port have collapsed, and the thieves from Defias are landing. We cannot sit idly by and wait to be defeated!"
Regent Bolvar - Duke Fordragon stood before the young prince, almost completely obscuring him. "In the name of the King, I hereby conscript your private armies, to be under the unified command of Duke Vishak, and to depart immediately to support the front lines!"