Abandoned

The inner passages and hidden troop caves within the inner city wall were now in complete chaos.

Thick smoke and dust hung heavily in the air like a grayish-yellow curtain. Every breath carried a pungent, earthy smell and the acrid odor of saltpeter, hitting the lungs and causing one to cough violently and tears to stream down one's face.

Everything in sight was blurry, and it was difficult to make out any figures just a few steps away.

Gravel and dust fell from above like a fine rain, striking the armor and helmet with a dense crackling sound.

The air was filled with the groans and cracking sounds of the damaged internal structure of the walls. Fortunately, Karl had decisively ordered the abandonment of the defenses along the city walls and the withdrawal of most of the garrison into the streets below. Therefore, the direct casualties caused by the Sauron's fierce bombardment were not significant.

However, physical harm can be avoided, but psychological impact cannot be completely shielded.

Hearing the earth-shaking roar overhead, feeling the ground trembling violently beneath their feet, and watching helplessly as the sturdy city walls they depended on groaned and deformed under the artillery fire, every soldier huddled behind their bunkers was filled with indescribable fear and helplessness.

Morale, like the pervasive dust, is quietly sinking.

"Boom!!!"

Several deafening cannon shots rang out again from outside the city, albeit at very short intervals! Moments later, accompanied by a heart-stopping whistling sound, heavy iron projectiles slammed into the already crumbling city walls!

"Bang! Rumble!"

This time, the impact point was closer to where Karl and the others were! The entire section of the city wall shook as if it were an earthquake!

The soldiers standing at the foot of the city wall even lost their footing! Then, not far ahead, a large section of the battlements, along with the wall below, collapsed outwards with a deafening roar and billowing dust!

Huge stone blocks and bricks, mixed with rammed earth inside, poured out of the city like an avalanche, revealing a hideous and enormous breach!

In mid-air, more loosened rubble fell like hail. Karl could even feel several sizable stones slamming heavily onto his helmet, making muffled clanging sounds that made his head buzz.

Through the smoke and dust billowing from the newly collapsed breach, Karl could see that the stone cladding on the outer side of the city wall had been completely destroyed, revealing the lighter-colored, relatively soft rammed earth core inside.

The structure of that section of the city wall had clearly been completely destroyed, making it extremely vulnerable.

"They're going to fight again! Watch out!" Brendan's hoarse warning rang out.

Sure enough, the Sauron bombardment showed no sign of stopping! Almost the instant Brendan finished speaking, another volley of shells roared in!

"Boom! Crack!!!"

This time, the shell accurately hit the core of the rammed earth wall that had lost its external protection!

Under the immense kinetic energy impact, the rammed earth wall could no longer withstand the strain, emitting a series of cracking sounds as it collapsed inward with a deafening roar! Along with it, a portion of the remaining crenellations and passageways above also crumbled!

In an instant, the earth shook!

Thick dust rose into the sky like a giant yellow dragon, instantly swallowing the several-meter-long gap in the city wall. Nothing could be seen except the crashing sound of falling bricks and the terrifying roar of the wall collapsing completely.

"A breach! The city wall has fallen!" "They're coming up!" A suppressed cry of alarm and commotion arose from the remaining defenders.

"Shut up! Prepare for battle!" Brendan roared hoarsely, suppressing his panic. "Spearmen, advance! Block the gap! Musketeers, take high ground on both flanks! Quickly!"

Karl stood amidst the billowing smoke and dust, taking a deep breath of the cold, choking air that instantly cleared his mind. He forced his wildly beating heart to calm down and forcibly suppressed all his chaotic thoughts.

He reached out, and with a soft "click," he pulled off the complete visor with observation seams from his helmet.

The cold metal instantly adhered to my cheeks and the bridge of my nose, making the outside sounds somewhat muffled, and my vision was suddenly limited to the narrow observation window.

This semi-isolation from the outside world brings a strange kind of calm that allows one to focus intently on the battle.

He could feel his hand gripping the sword hilt trembling slightly from tension and excessive force, and in his mind he had already cursed the King and Eisenberg to the extreme.

That damned Heinrich! I've been guarding your borders here for over a month, fighting tooth and nail! I've held off Sauron's 100,000-strong army! Where the hell Royal Capital your reinforcements from the capital? Where the hell are they? Are you really going to leave me to die?!

At the same time, an indescribable sense of loss and bitterness quietly crept into his heart.

"Even Earl Rochefort... didn't come in the end?" The thought surfaced uncontrollably, carrying a chilling undertone.

Although he had repeatedly warned himself not to place his hopes on any reinforcements, when the final moment truly arrived and he found himself to be the one abandoned, the feeling of loneliness and abandonment still stung like needles.

He had thought that at least the governor, who appreciated him and was very close to Carnford, would do something at the last minute. However, nothing happened; it was as if the whole world had forgotten them.

"Hoo..." He shook his head violently, as if trying to shake off these weak, useless emotions along with the dust on his helmet.

Now is not the time to think about these things. He took a deep breath of the cold, gunpowder-smelling air, and his gaze became firm and sharp again.

In any case, the battle is not over yet!

As long as he had a breath left, he would fight to the last moment, for the soldiers and people who trusted and followed him.

"This... is probably the last battle I'll command," Karl murmured to himself, feeling a strange sense of relief.

He looked around at the faces of those who were also preparing to die.

To fight alongside such a loyal and courageous group of people until the very last moment of one's life, regardless of victory or defeat, is perhaps in itself an unparalleled honor.