The Besieged Saint Theo

North Aisel Plains, Saint Theo City, is the second largest city within the duchy, named after Saint Theo of the former Amanata Church.

At this moment, the sky was exceptionally clear and cloudless, yet a thick gloom seemed to hang over people's hearts.

To everyone's surprise, in just a few days, the Embers of the Burned Empire swiftly and decisively breached their defenses.

Those awe-inspiring steel behemoths roared across the land, Wyvern howled in the sky, and the torrent of artillery fire left the earth riddled with holes. In this situation, the surviving soldiers fled to the city seeking refuge.

On the towering walls of Saint Theo City, a man clad in gleaming silver armor and sporting white wings roared angrily, "An army of tens of thousands was wiped out in three days! High above, Amanata, we are the valiant and skilled Fadlanites! Even if you released fifty thousand lambs, we couldn't capture them all in three days!"

He was Karen Ferguson, a close confidant of Duke Walter in his rebellion, and also the Marquis of the Divine Lineage stationed in Saint Theo City.

These divine nobles were dispatched by Duke Walter to various cities, while he himself was stationed in Collins City, facing the most intense onslaught from the Embers of the Burned Empire.

But no one expected that before they could set up a complete defensive line, the Embers of the Burned Empire had already launched a surprise attack, and the speed of their advance was incredibly fast.

"Lord Kallen, you don't need to be so pessimistic. We haven't lost yet."

The key to victory lies not in the insignificant ordinary soldiers, but in divine beings like yourself, and in the powerful beings at the pinnacle of the Material Plane whom Lord Walter has summoned."

A man dressed in a white robe and holding a scepter appeared beside Kallen. His name was Zalan Yaelvis, and he was a reinforcement sent by the City of Myriad Laws.

He raised his silver scepter, and before him appeared the image of the Embers of the Burned Legion crushing Aisel soldiers.

"The army of the Embers of the Burned Empire is more ferocious than I imagined. I never thought that such a force would emerge in just over a decade."

Kallen gazed into the distance, her expression worried. "More than a hundred years ago, the Fadlan Empire also rose rapidly with the support of His Majesty Amanata. I'm concerned."

"Buzz—"

A piercing shriek suddenly came from above, the sound coming closer and abruptly interrupting his words.

Kallen and Zalan looked up at the sky, while the people in the city also raised their heads, their faces full of doubt.

"Did you hear that? What was that sound?"

"Amanata protect you."

"Could it be the army of the Embers of the Burned Empire? But why is that sound coming from the sky?"

Suddenly, a streak of black dots appeared in the distant sky, tearing through the heavens with a low rumble, getting closer and closer to the Saint Theo City.

Kallen, with his golden eyes filled with divine power, saw the uninvited guests in the sky—a group of Wyvern! These strange Wyvern had broad wings made of steel, black metal ellipses bound to their claws, and Half-Dragon knights on their backs.

They streaked across the sky, tearing through the air with their steel wings, leaving white streaks in the azure sky. The destination of these Wyvern was the Saint Theo City.

"Enemy attack!"

Kallen flapped her wings, flew into the air, drew the golden longsword from her waist, and raised it high.

"Archers, take your positions! Shoot these Wyvern down!"

The soldiers hurriedly manipulated the ballistae on the city wall, drawing their bows to the fullest extent, but it was too late.

With the aid of specially made steel wings, these Wyvern glide at an exceptionally terrifying speed, making them veritable dragon-shaped "bombers," and in the blink of an eye, they arrived above the Saint Theo City.

Their shadows stretched long on the ground, like a harbinger of death, sending chills down one's spine.

In the Saint Theo City, men, women, and children alike struggled to lift their heads, focusing their gazes on the ghostly figures, and couldn't help but gasp in surprise.

"What... what is this thing?"

What do they want to do?

These people, who had never experienced warfare in the New Era, could not foresee what was about to happen—they simply looked up at the sky in fear and astonishment.

The players on the dragon's back laughed wildly and cheered excitedly.

"I'll treat you to barbecue!"

"Eat my bomb!"

Without hesitation, the Wyvern Knight pressed the bomb-dropping button, and bombs fell from the Wyvern.

"Whoosh—"

A piercing shriek echoed over Theo City, like the howl of death, sending chills down people's spines.

A barrage of bombs traced deadly arcs, carrying destructive power, falling like black raindrops towards the Saint Theo City.

"Boom!"

In an instant, the explosion was deafening, and intense flames shot into the sky.

Smoke and dust filled the Gunsmoke in Theo City, and everything around seemed to become blurred in the firelight.

Buildings swayed precariously in the explosion before finally collapsing, scattering countless stones and rubble and burying many city residents in the ruins.

The statue of Saint Theo in the square was blown to pieces, flames spread across the ground, and thick smoke enveloped the city.

"O gods!"

"Help me! I'm trapped under a slab of stone!"

"Ouch! My arm!"

" By On Amanata, I beg you, please grant a miracle and save my child—"

People on the streets were in a panic, running in all directions, exhausted from their efforts.

Those caught in the explosion were charred black. The slightly luckier ones lost their arms and legs and cried out in pain, while the unlucky ones were unrecognizable as human.

There were also mothers kneeling on the ground in despair, wailing over the charred remains of their children.

At this moment, under this relentless bombing, life seems so fragile, and the acrid Gunsmoke and the smell of death permeate every corner.

People cried out, roared, and wailed, praying to their gods and hoping for a miracle, but all to no avail.

The dragon swarm—more accurately, the First Air Regiment of the Embers of the Burned Empire —quickly ascended after completing its bombing mission and disappeared into the distant horizon.

All that remains is a burning ruin, and endless death and sorrow.

Kallen hovered in mid-air, flapping her wings, looking down at the citizens of Saint Theo City who were struggling and crying in the ruins, her golden eyes filled with grief and indignation.

"Damn the Embers of the Burned Empire, I will make you pay the price."

He then ordered his soldiers to go to various parts of the city to rescue the disaster-stricken people and calm their emotions.

Caught completely off guard and with no experience in dealing with the situation, the bombing resulted in the deaths of thousands and the collapse of countless buildings.

More importantly, it cast a psychological shadow on the city's residents far exceeding the number of deaths, causing them to lose their sense of security in the city and their confidence to collapse—just like the fallen statue of Saint Theo.

"O gods!"

"They will come back."

Such pessimistic voices filled the city, and people even heard a hallucinatory buzzing sound, which made them instinctively flee, plunging the city into chaos.

Kallen returned to the city wall and asked with a serious expression, "Zalan, do you have a way to deal with this kind of attack?"

Zalan gave a wry smile, but did not respond directly. He simply said, "A scholar once said something like this: The Embers of the Burned Empire will change the form of war, making it more efficient and bloodier."

We initially thought this was alarmist, but the reality turned out to be almost identical to what he described.

Kallen sighed, looking at the ruins scattered throughout the city, and said, "If this continues, Saint Theo City will not be able to hold on."

After a moment's thought, Zalan said, "Sir, you should send people to move the people to a more secure fortified place, or have them stay in their basements to protect them from the explosion."

Furthermore, my colleagues in the City of Myriad Laws and I can weave a temporary magical net to stop those bombs in mid-air.

Kallen raised her longsword, flapped the wings on her back, and soared into the air, saying fiercely, "If those filthy monsters appear again, I will slay them all."

Zalan and several white-robed mages raised their scepters and chanted incantations. Flashing lights appeared above the Saint Theo City, and luminous threads intertwined, gradually weaving a shimmering net that enveloped the entire Saint Theo City.

The people either hid in basements or in the sturdy Amanata Church, praying incessantly for divine protection.

Just then, the earth began to tremble slightly, and a dull thud came from afar. Dust, broken tiles, and stones fell from the ceiling, causing people to huddle together in panic once again, trembling and filled with fear.

"Boom--"

Kallen flapped his wings and flew back to the towering city wall. Looking out over the city, a solemn expression appeared on his pale face as he muttered to himself, "Damn the Embers of the Burned Empire..."

On the distant horizon, thick, gray-black smoke billowed in, almost obscuring the sun. Roaring and rumbling, towering steel behemoths sped toward the Saint Theo City.

Immediately following behind the Steam Tank appeared a series of war chariots loaded with giant cannons, firearms, and Imperial soldiers. They were also moving at great speed, their spinning tires kicking up clouds of dust and leaving behind messy tracks.

Some vehicles were equipped with loudspeakers, from which came majestic and grand music and a powerful voice. "We are the army of the Embers of the Burned Empire, the retinue of the supreme and invincible Embers of the Burned Emperor — His Your Majesty Keosius. We have come to liberate the people of North Aisel and create a more just and equitable world."

People of Aisel, those divine nobles wage endless war for their own selfish desires, treating you like dirt, but you should not suffer the consequences. I urge you to see the situation clearly and surrender as soon as possible, or you will face even greater calamity.

The Empire does not promise you immediate safety, but it can guarantee your lives will no longer be threatened, provided that you choose to surrender and submit to His Your Majesty Keosius!

The sound echoed throughout the Saint Theo City, and the people hiding in the basements and crowding in the church reacted in various ways: some trembled, some cursed, and some had subtle expressions...

"Here we go again..."

"The army of the Embers of the Burned Empire is coming again. I never want to experience that horror again in my life."

"Surrender, if we surrender..."

On the towering walls of Saint Theo, Kallen's hand gripping his longsword trembled violently, his otherwise perfect face contorted in a grimace. He furiously swung his sword through the air, letting out a low roar.

"Shameless! Utterly shameless!"

"These Barbarian from the north are clearly turning black into white! We are the protectors of North Aisel, the true successors of Fadlan, while they—are nothing but lowly Evil Dragon Kin, tyrannical and shameless invaders!"

A piercing shriek and roar echoed again from the distant sky, as the horde of dragons that brought disaster hovered above the Imperial Army, awaiting their next attack.

"Those same things again!"

"Eternal Amanata... please save us!"

Upon hearing that deathly howl, the people of Saint Theo City instantly recalled the nightmare they had just experienced, and were filled with dread and fear. Some even collapsed to their knees and fainted on the spot.

Kallen raised his longsword high, hovering it in mid-air, and addressed the Saint Theo City: "My friends, do not panic, do not fear, and do not listen to their lies. We are the Fadlanites! Children of the sun! As descendants of the gods, Duke Walter will protect you, and I will protect you. Victory is just around the corner, and we will drive these brutal Evil Dragon Kin out of North Aisel— "

"Boom!"

The explosion was deafening, echoing through the sky.

Tanks thousands of meters away suddenly opened fire, shells tracing graceful arcs through the air before striking the towering, thick walls of Saint Theo City, causing the entire wall to tremble and countless stones to fall.

The magic array carved inside the city wall suddenly lit up, creating a constantly flickering barrier on the surface of the wall. With slight ripples and flashes of light, the barrier actually withstood the explosion, leaving the city wall intact.

Enraged, Kallen pointed her sword into the distance and yelled, "Damn it, shoot those iron lumps through!"

The extraordinary soldiers on the city wall used all their strength to spin the wheel at high speed, drawing the Sun God Ballista to its full extent. The giant arrows, as thick as arms, lay on the crossbow mounts, and the three pairs of bow arms, each nearly six meters long, bent backward, accumulating terrifying kinetic energy.

"Release the arrows!"

"Whoosh—"

In an instant, several giant arrows, trailing the sun's rays, pierced the air, like white rainbows traversing the sky, forming arcs of light high in the air, and flying towards the Steam Tank a kilometer away.

These Sun God Ballista were once the weapon of the Fadlan Empire for hunting dragons and giants. They possessed terrifying power and a range of up to two thousand meters, enough to make Adult Red Dragon fall from the sky.

"Boom!"

With a whooshing sound, a giant arrow trailing light, like Divine Punishment descending from the sky, pierced through a Steam Tank in an instant, creating a violent explosion that turned the steel behemoth into burning wreckage.

However, this weapon is extremely powerful, but also exceptionally precious, requiring the high Cleric of the Amanata Church to personally draw the magic circle.

Looking across the entire Saint Theo City, there were only twenty-five Sun God Ballista, and what they were about to face was a barrage of firepower consisting of more than one hundred Steam Tank, two hundred heavy cannons, and three hundred bombing Wyvern.