"Kill!"
Countless Beastmen soldiers roared in fury as they charged through the passage and onto the walls of Black Mountain City.
They had suffered a one-sided beating. Trapped below the walls, many of their warriors had been killed by arrows and gunpowder.
They had not even been given a chance to fight their enemies face-to-face.
That frustration had festered in their hearts.
Now the Beastmen soldiers finally erupted.
Beastmen poured along the Siege Tower toward Black Mountain City.
The soldiers of Oga Kingdom refused to give ground.
Attackers and defenders clashed at close quarters!
The stretch, hundreds of meters wide, was packed with bodies.
One soldier cut off an enemy's head, only for another to drive a spear through his chest.
The junction between the Siege Tower and the wall became a meat grinder!
Corpses piled up, then tumbled from the wall.
Blood pooled until the walkway looked like a crimson river.
Still, countless soldiers raised their weapons and rushed their enemies.
To stay alive.
To avenge their comrades.
"Big brother."
Inori looked toward Mars beside her.
Mars said nothing. He drew the longsword at his waist.
"Everyone, charge with me!"
Mars commanded an army of his own. In Oga Kingdom, its fighting strength was second only to the Kingdom Knights.
That army had remained in reserve since the battle began.
Now that the Siege Tower had rendered the wall nearly useless, it was time for the two sides to test their strength head-on.
Mars led his soldiers onto the passage.
"Marquis Inori, should I go too?" Marquis Daniel asked. The deadlock was making him anxious.
"Marquis Daniel, you have another opponent." Inori watched the battlefield with a calm expression and spoke evenly.
The din of killing shook the air, and flesh and blood flew. Once Mars and his army joined the battle, they drove through the Beastmen like a blade, forcing them back along the passage toward the Siege Tower.
Mars had few soldiers, but each was formidable. Many were Level Five Warriors, and long training had given them flawless coordination. The Beastmen fell back step by step.
"Excellent!" Marquis Daniel exclaimed.
Andres stole a glance at Inori. There was no relief on her face. Instead, she stared warily into the night sky beyond the Siege Tower.
Suddenly, he saw her eyes turn grave.
Andres followed her gaze at once.
Green points of light had appeared behind the Siege Tower. At first there were only two, then more and more—four, six, eight...
They filled the darkness.
Gradually, Andres saw what they really were: the eyes of magical beasts!
"Wind Wolves!" Andres's expression changed.
Hundreds of wolf-like magical beasts appeared atop the Siege Tower.
Their flowing manes, sleek green fur, and powerful limbs were imposing enough. Their cold, wild eyes held a wolf's ruthlessness, while their claws gleamed like icy metal and sent a chill through anyone who saw them.
Even the most ordinary Wind Wolf was a Level Four Magical Beast. Elite wolves reached Levels Five or Six, and the strongest among them could even reach Level Eight.
Hundreds of Wind Wolves stood on the Siege Tower, each carrying a brawny Beastman soldier.
At their head rode a Bald Beastman wielding a massive axe. His bare upper body was gray and powerfully built, covered in strange markings.
The Wind Wolf beneath him was larger than the others. It was plainly their king.
"Awooo!"
The Wolf King gave a long howl, then charged ahead of the pack toward the soldiers of Oga Kingdom.
Riding the Wolf King, the Bald Beastman swung his huge axe like a spinning wheel. No one could withstand a single blow. Wherever he passed, soldiers were thrown aside, and Oga Kingdom's men were cut down as easily as weeds.
"That's Zhuo Ge, the 'Fierce Bandit'! Marquis Inori, I'll go!" Marquis Daniel said, his eyes fixed on the Bald Beastman.
Humans and Beastmen had fought for years, and each side knew something of the other's champions. Zhuo Ge, the "Fierce Bandit," was a Level Eight Warrior who had been famous among the Beastmen for years.
Zhuo Ge was powerful in his own right, and his mount, the Wind Wolf King, was a Level Seven Magical Beast. He also commanded the Wind Wolf Cavalry. No one knew how many human soldiers had died at his hands.
Now Zhuo Ge led hundreds of Wind Wolf Cavalry into Oga Kingdom's soldiers like a knife. With them spearheading the attack, the other Beastmen began to fight back.
Mars and his men were forced steadily back. Though Mars was a warrior at the peak of Level Seven, even he did not dare take Zhuo Ge's attacks head-on.
This time, Inori did not refuse Marquis Daniel's request. In fact, her plan had always called for him to face Zhuo Ge.
"Marquis Daniel, I'm counting on you." Inori bowed to him.
"You're too courteous, Marquis Inori. Fighting for my kingdom is my duty."
Marquis Daniel drew his slender sword and leaped. Light as a feather, he drifted into the battle, his blade pointed down as he thrust at Zhuo Ge.
Zhuo Ge, who had been cutting down everyone in his path, sensed the attack and looked up at Marquis Daniel.
"Daniel, you think you can fight me?"
Zhuo Ge laughed heartily, as though Marquis Daniel was beneath his notice, and swung his massive axe straight up at him.
Marquis Daniel did not meet it head-on. He twisted in midair, striking the axe again and again with his slender sword.
Clang, clang, clang!
After several strikes, Marquis Daniel had deflected the tremendous force behind Zhuo Ge's axe.
He dropped from the air. Before reaching the Saint Domain, warriors could not fly. His wind-attribute Battle Qi technique made him more agile than most Level Eight Warriors, but it could not keep him aloft indefinitely.
Not good!
The instant Marquis Daniel landed, his heart tightened. He sensed grave danger.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Several Wind Blades appeared out of thin air and sliced toward him.
It was an attack from Zhuo Ge's mount, the Wind Wolf King.
Before the Sovereign devised magic, there had been no mages among humans. Magical beasts, however, were born with command of certain spells.
Wind Blade was a spell Wind Wolves could use by instinct.
A Level Seven Magical Beast was no less intelligent than a human. The Wind Wolf King had been quietly preparing its attack while Marquis Daniel fought Zhuo Ge. Now it had seized its chance and caught him off guard.
Bang, bang, bang!
A figure stepped in front of Marquis Daniel and blocked every Wind Blade.
"Thank you, Mars!" Marquis Daniel said, breathing a sigh of relief.
The man who had shielded him was Mars.
At the peak of Level Seven, Mars was no match for Zhuo Ge, but he could still block a few Wind Blades from the Wind Wolf King.
"Marquis Daniel, let's take on Zhuo Ge together!" Mars said grimly.
"Agreed!"
Marquis Daniel did not refuse. Zhuo Ge was already at least his equal, and with the Wind Wolf King beside him, Daniel truly could not handle him alone.
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