Defiant Resistance

Even the most beautiful person had no beauty left when they went mad. Lady Gwen's face was twisted with rage, as loathsome as a vicious ghost from hell.

"Resist! We must keep resisting! Hand out weapons to everyone! This territory belongs to my son! Reiner will never take it from him!" Lady Gwen shouted at Baron Lobean's Secretary.

Looking at the seemingly crazed Lady Gwen, the Secretary could not help but feel sympathy. She truly was a pitiful woman. For a noblewoman of this era, nothing was more tragic than losing her husband.

It would have been manageable if the noblewoman possessed sufficient power of her own. But for those who had never involved themselves in such matters, the death of their husbands would turn their lives utterly miserable.

"Y-Yes, my lady! I'll see to it at once!" the Secretary said tremblingly. Yet only a dozen or so defenders remained inside Goer Castle. Even if all the male servants were armed, their numbers would still be small.

In truth, he had already begun to lean toward surrendering to the enemy. But with the baron dead, the baroness was now Goer Castle's highest authority, and he had no choice but to obey her orders.

There was a considerable stockpile of weapons in Goer Castle's armory. Nearly every male in the castle was given a weapon and driven onto the walls to assist with the defense.

Standing beneath the walls, Reiner watched the enemy's movements through the slits of his helmet. He frowned and cursed under his breath. "Insolent fools!"

Then Reiner gave the order. "Archers! Prepare!"

Since they did not need to engage in close combat, the Archers had always been protected at the rear of the formation. They had suffered no casualties in either battle, and their numbers remained at a full twenty.

The Archers held the exquisite Recurve Bows rewarded by the system, nocking arrows from their quivers onto the bowstrings. At Reiner's command, the arrows in their hands would fly toward the enemy like Death's scythe.

"Draw!" Reiner's voice was slightly muffled by his helmet as the Archers, protected by the shield-bearing infantry, drew their bows and aimed at the defenders on the walls.

At the same time, the castle's arrow towers fired two or three arrows, which fell among the Morland Army but caused no casualties.

The Archers in the arrow towers used hunting bows meant for everyday hunts, utterly inferior to war bows. Moreover, half of the Morland Army already wore full chainmail over thick padded garments. Such feeble arrows could not harm them, especially when they also had shields for protection.

Watching the heads crowding along the walls, Reiner wore a cruel smile. Since he had come to this world, there was no need for mercy when facing enemies. He had understood that clearly in his previous life.

"Fire!" Reiner suddenly brought the Longsword in his hand down in a heavy slash through the air. A piercing whistle rang across the small battlefield. Most of the defenders on the walls were civilians with little combat experience; they had no idea how to deal with such a situation.

The exquisite Recurve Bows were far more powerful than their hunting bows. Propelled by the bows, the arrows flew toward the walls with tremendous force. Some embedded themselves in the earthen-and-wooden battlements, but several sailed over them and struck the defenders.

Goer Castle itself was not large, and the several dozen hastily assembled defenders crowded together along its walls. Several arrows immediately plunged into their bodies with tremendous kinetic force.

Even thick padded garments were like paper before arrows fired from Recurve Bows, pierced through with ease.

Naturally, the defenders inside those garments were not spared. Miserable, helpless screams rose from the walls as they clutched the shafts embedded in their bodies and rolled across the ground.

Blood flowed down the arrow shafts and onto the ground, quickly freezing into crimson crystals like delicate flowers blooming brilliantly upon the earth—beautiful to behold.

Yet no one on the walls wanted to grow such beautiful flowers, for they could only be nourished at the price of their lives.

"Good! Keep going! Soldiers, don't stop! Keep their heads down!" Reiner called to the Archers.

"Set the long ladders! Knights, prepare to storm the walls!" Reiner did not intend to expend large numbers of soldiers in the assault. He hoped to use the knights' formidable combat strength to crush the defenders in one blow and seize the castle with ease.

The soldiers set the long ladders against the battlements, and Sir Valas led four other Crimson Gryphon Knights up the walls.

They carried the standard Longswords of the Crimson Gryphon Knights and knightly shields bearing gryphon crests as they nimbly climbed the ladders.

Their physical abilities were exceptional. In only a few seconds, they reached the battlements without suffering a single attack. The Archers' earlier volleys had pinned the defenders down so thoroughly that they dared not raise their heads, huddling beneath the battlements to avoid the arrows. At that moment, they did not even realize the enemy had already climbed up.

The Crimson Gryphon Knights were followed by the knights of the Moreland Family, who climbed steadily upward with Longswords or Morning Stars and shields.

Behind them came the Moreland Family's troops in organized groups. Though their numbers were small, their combat strength was more than enough to crush the rabble on the walls.

Sir Valas was the first to mount the wall. Though several spears struck his head, his fine helmet left him only slightly staggered. With a backhand slash, he cut down a defender who had frozen at the sight of him. He then killed the defender who had struck him before charging onward like a tiger descending the mountain, Longsword in hand as he cut down the surrounding defenders.

The other Crimson Gryphon Knights swiftly climbed up behind him. Their arrival brought a bloody storm to the walls. The sharp Longswords in their hands utterly ignored the padded garments, brutally tearing through cloth and flesh alike. Severed limbs scattered across the ground, while defenders rolled about in agony, letting out shrill wails and screams—the finest proof of their valor.

The Crimson Gryphon Knights were like lions unleashed among sheep. Every swing of their swords slew an enemy. Their immense strength, swift movements, and sharp reflexes left the defenders unable to cope, completely outmatched.

The Moreland Family's knights also slaughtered the enemy wildly with their fine equipment and superb skills honed since childhood. The soldiers behind them barely needed to fight before they easily surged onto the walls.

The defenders were already terrified by such dreadful enemies. Watching their comrades fall one after another beneath enemy blades, with severed limbs flying everywhere, only made the fear in their hearts grow more intense.

"No! I don't want to die here!" One defender broke down. He threw away his weapon and leapt from the wall, not even bothering with the stairs as he fled into the castle.