Attack and Defense (2)

Raising his greatsword high again, Ronan brought it down with force. The soldier, caught off guard, could only raise his arm to block. However, his arm, already half severed, was completely cut off by Ronan, split into two pieces from the middle of his forearm. It didn't serve its purpose of blocking either; after cutting through the man's arm, Ronan's greatsword continued its trajectory, deeply embedding itself in the side of his neck.

Another enemy soldier who had just climbed onto the city wall tried to attack Ronan while his greatsword was stuck in the corpse. However, he was knocked down by a Nord guard's shield. As he struggled to get up, a Vigyan Knight struck him on the head with a scepter, sending blood splattering. The soldier's entire head split open like a watermelon from the scepter's blow.

Ronan pulled out his longsword and, coordinating with his arriving subordinates, began to fend off the enemy soldiers climbing the wall. The siege ladders were now too close to the city wall for the trebuchets inside the city to target them. Rexa could only order his soldiers to block the enemy from climbing while also having them use battle axes and great hammers to strike the drawbridge attached to the battlements, attempting to smash the bridgehead and make the drawbridge fall.

The two siege ladders remaining had now become a meat grinder. Soldiers from both sides converged, one side attempting to secure a foothold on the city wall, while the other desperately tried to repel them and destroy the drawbridge.

A soldier was hacking at the drawbridge with a battle axe held in both hands. He carved a deep gash and sent wood chips flying. As he forcefully pulled the stuck battle axe out of the drawbridge, he raised it high above his head with both hands. Just as he was about to bring it down, he was shot in the neck by an arrow. Spitting out a mouthful of blood, he clutched his neck and slowly fell. A soldier behind him immediately picked up his axe and took over his task.

Ronan, having just thrust his longsword through an enemy soldier with both hands, saw another enemy soldier sneak up behind a militiaman, preparing to ambush him. Without a second thought, Ronan forcefully threw his greatsword. The greatsword spun, grazed the militiaman, causing him to break out in a cold sweat, and then directly pierced the chest of the enemy soldier behind him.

The militiaman looked back at the dead enemy soldier. As he turned to give Ronan a grateful smile, his neck was severed by another enemy soldier attacking from the side.

Ronan couldn't help but roll his eyes. He then turned, grabbed the wrist of a soldier who was holding his sword with one hand above his head, preparing to swing down at him. Ronan then spun, took a step back into the soldier's embrace, and executed a shoulder throw, tossing him over. At the same time, he picked up the longsword that had fallen from the soldier's grip and thrust it down forcefully.

The enemy soldier tried to grab the blade with his hand, but under Ronan's immense strength, his fingers were directly severed. The blade then pierced his neck without any obstruction.

On the other side, two Vigyan Knights coordinated with remarkable synergy. One attacked from the left, while the other, from the right, took advantage of the enemy raising his shield to block the left attack and directly stabbed his knee joint with a spear, forcing him to kneel on one knee. The knight on the left simultaneously swung his weapon again and struck the enemy soldier's head, cleaving through the helmet and embedding itself deeply into the center of his head.

All the enemy soldiers who had broken through the militia's defense and reached the city wall were now cleared out by Ronan and the others. The drawbridge entrance was tightly blocked by soldiers using their shields, and soldiers on both sides continuously attacked the drawbridge's head with axes.

With a cracking sound, the head of one drawbridge was finally smashed. The drawbridge lost its support and slid off the city wall. The soldiers standing on it tumbled through the air and fell to the ground, flailing.

The other drawbridge was quickly broken as well, and the enemy began to retreat. The defenders started to cheer. Soldiers cheered, but Rexa's brow furrowed. According to the statistics, the defenders had suffered nearly three hundred casualties in this battle. Although the enemy's casualties were more than three times that of the defenders, the enemy could replenish their troops at any time, while Taiwei Four only had these people.

Rexa ordered the soldiers to collect the scattered arrows and stones within the city, selecting the usable ones to keep. Although the city had ample resources, even ample resources couldn't outlast the constantly supplied Valantis army.

The corpses were gathered together for burning, and the wounded soldiers were carried down from the city wall and sent to the castle. The medical conditions within the city were limited, and some soldiers with severe injuries might not survive.

Excluding the fallen and wounded soldiers, the number of combat-capable individuals in Taiwei Four had dropped to less than two thousand. The majority of the casualties were Terra militiamen. The Silver Moon Clan's forces also had four soldiers killed and seven seriously wounded. Ronan's subordinates had no casualties; only one mercenary was hit in the shoulder by an arrow, but it didn't penetrate deeply after passing through his armor, and a simple bandage was enough to allow him to continue fighting.

Ronan's weapons and armor were still cleaned by those few village women. In the city, these remaining villagers, besides helping with cooking, cleaning, and caring for the wounded, truly had nothing else they could do.

Furthermore, during this attack, many villagers were injured by stones thrown into the city by Valantis's trebuchets because they couldn't dodge in time. After chatting with the village women for a while, Ronan gradually began to feel sleepy. He was always tired after a battle, and on top of that, he hadn't slept well during his nap. He lay down on the bed and quickly fell asleep.

Those few village women made no sound. They carefully cleaned Ronan's weapons and armor before quietly closing the door and leaving.

Meanwhile, in Teldrasil, the capital of Xinteland on the Asloth Continent, Belicha slowly pushed open the doors of the temple. The deserted hall contained only one girl sitting beneath the idol. It was Daisy, her eyes closed, hands clasped in front of her chest, murmuring incantations.

Since the gods stopped manifesting miracles hundreds of years ago, the temple had gradually become deserted. Xintelanders, unlike people from other kingdoms, were more pragmatic. After the gods could no longer help them, they began to be stingy with their faith. Fewer and fewer people came to the temple to pray, and no nobles made offerings to the temple. Now, only a very small number of priests remained to manage it.

Daisy had grown up in the Holy Cross Kingdom and, being influenced by her surroundings, held great reverence for the gods. It was not strange that she would return to the temple to pray. However, if the great nobles knew that the princess actually believed in gods, they would likely mock her privately. But they dared not speak it aloud, for Queen Serena's reputation was far-reaching. If the queen found out they were slandering the princess in private, they would surely face severe consequences.

"Your Highness the Princess, you certainly made this old minister search for you!" Belicha shook his head and walked over to Daisy with a wry smile.

"Uncle Belicha, please stop teasing me. I've been so bored lately. Mother watches me all day, and I have to study this and that. It's all so boring. I'm already starting to miss life in Ravenwood Town."

"Haha, after all, your status is different now. But why did you sneak away here?" Belicha chuckled.

"I'm praying for Commander Rodrit. I hope he has good fortune in battle," Daisy said, her small face blushing, fidgeting.

"Hmm, is it the spring of a young girl? But don't worry. You've seen Rodrit fight. He's an excellent warrior. He knows how to protect himself in battle and how to achieve victory."