Entering the City
Strasbourg.
This city, which has always been bustling with people, fell into silence at the moment. People closed their doors and windows, quietly waiting for news from the outside world.
Due to the previous "big collection" operation by the coalition forces, the streets were full of scattered items, smashed furniture, and there were mottled blood stains on the ground.
"The whole city is under martial law——"
"You are not allowed to leave the city without an order!"
City Defense Army patrols the streets over and over again, alert to the invasion of foreign enemies.
"Anyone who hides outsiders will be hanged!"
They would sometimes knock on someone's door, not only to check for spies, but also to receive some legitimate reward for "defending the city."
On the tall, weathered city wall of Strasbourg, Garrod Pont Earl, the actual person in charge of City Guard, is standing on the tower, looking worriedly at the horizon in the distance.
"This war will decide everything."
"The coalition forces will achieve final victory, just like any disaster the North has encountered in history."
He always said this.
Every moment of waiting was torture, and Jarod looked forward to seeing the soldiers delivering the order and the flying lion flag of the Bosk Family.
But he knows that this war is far different from the past. Its scale, intensity, and duration may be unprecedented. It may not be that easy to get an end within a few days.
The North The remaining eleven countries have brought together all their forces as never before, forming a coalition of more than 100,000 people to jointly resist this unprecedentedly powerful enemy that appeared almost out of thin air - Embers of the Burned Kingdom.
Even in the face of "Frost Scourge" and "Dragon Scourge" from the north, the North countries have never been so united in their hatred.
Because the nobles of various countries know that Frost Giant and White Dragon will at best bring plunder and death, and can even weaken the power of other countries and allow them to gain more benefits.
And Embers of the Burned Kingdom will only hang them on the gallows without discrimination and destroy everything they rely on for survival.
"No one can defeat the united Scania People."
"Even that dragon."
Jarod Earl murmured to himself.
Suddenly, the heavy sound of horse hooves and human footsteps sounded, but they were not urgent.
Suddenly, on and off the tall city wall, officers, soldiers, and even civilian craftsmen all looked at the distant horizon, their hearts lifted.
"How is that possible?"
"It has only been thirteen days. Is this how the war is over?"
Jarod's expression was solemn. He stared at the horizon in the distance, sweat dripping from the hand holding the sword tightly.
This Earl has some kind of terrible guess in his mind, but he doesn't want to believe it yet.
After thinking for a moment, Jarod ordered the adjutant beside him.
"Send a team of scouts to explore the situation, remember."
But soon, he stopped - because a vague figure appeared in the distance.
Those people were wearing yellow, black, and brown military uniforms that felt particularly familiar to him. He knew very well that these were the military uniforms of the Bosk Family. They were not only effective in camouflage, but also symbolized the color of the lion's fur.
"It's the principality's army!"
"They have returned in triumph!"
Seeing these returning principality soldiers, cheers suddenly erupted from the city tower, and the soldiers raised their weapons high.
But Jarod Earl rubbed his chin and lowered his head, still frowning.
"How could this happen?"
Something is wrong.
If it was such a great victory, the principal's messengers would have brought the news back long ago, but so far he has not seen even one messenger.
And at the forefront of that army, there will definitely be flying lion flags, and they will never be as insignificant as they are now.
Suddenly, the cheers of the soldiers suddenly stopped.
The tower suddenly became silent.
Jarod Earl subconsciously raised his head and saw a chaotic, trembling black cloud appearing on the horizon, shrouding the army beneath it.
No, that's not a black cloud.
He wiped his eyes in disbelief, his lips trembling slightly.
"Flying Wyvern?"
"Is it Embers of the Burned Kingdom?"
I saw Wyvern and Chimera flying densely in the sky, their wings close to each other, like thick dark clouds, blocking out the sunlight.
And on the ground, behind the lost and captured soldiers, there were Tiefling, Hobgoblin, and Terrestrial Dragon Beast in a uniform formation, as well as Terrestrial Dragon Beast like hills.
"O Gods"
"Is that our enemy?"
"Allied forces. Allied forces were captured?"
Only then did the officers and soldiers come to their senses. Faced with this incomprehensible enemy, they let out exclamations of fear.
Accompanied by roars, the densely packed Wyvern suddenly dispersed in mid-air, leaving a wide airspace.
The sky was instantly dyed orange.
Red Dragon slowly waved its huge wings and appeared in the distant horizon.
"The North is dead."
"Burning embers last forever."
The calm, clear voice spreads throughout the wilderness, allowing people inside and outside Strasbourg to hear it clearly.
"The North is dead, and its embers will remain forever!"
The Ogre and Tiefling on the ground also showed enthusiasm and let out war cries to welcome the arrival of Red Dragon.
The players also shouted randomly, and some even ran naked in the wasteland, filling the surroundings with a breath of freedom.
"No"
"The North is dead."
Jarod Earl knelt down on the tower with a thud, despair in his eyes.
He had already thought of the worst ending, but when this suffocating scene actually happened in front of him, he still felt that his world collapsed.
Jarod Ponte was bestowed upon Earl personally by Grand Duke Leo when he left the city.
The Grand Duke had solemnly promised that as long as he guarded Strasbourg, the coalition forces would let him have a real duchy when they returned in triumph and rise to the top of Northern Nobles.
But now, everything is over.
Jarod Earl's hand holding the sword trembled slightly.
Soon, with the sound of neat footsteps, the leading troops of the kingdom entered the city.
Hobgoblin, Tiefling The infantrymen climbed up the city wall with the help of ladders and quickly took control of the entire city wall without encountering almost any obstruction.
In addition, they also found a high-status Northern Nobles committing suicide on the tower - but this was not important to them.
The City Defense Army who stayed in Strasbourg were not elites, but more of ruffian-like warriors.
But in front of an army like Embers of the Burned Kingdom, in front of tens of thousands of coalition prisoners, they couldn't muster the will to resist at all. Some people even waved white flags when the kingdom's army was hundreds of meters away.
"Don't kill me!"
"I surrender, I surrender!"
Most of the City Defense Armys who usually showed off their power in front of the city residents were kneeling on the ground and trembling, and some were even so frightened that they became incontinent on the spot.
Strasbourg, this ancient and prosperous city with a history of nearly a thousand years, the capital of Bosque Duchy known as "Lion City that will never fall", was captured by the kingdom.