The Collapsing City Walls

"As expected of weapons left over from the Fadlan Empire, they can easily destroy our tanks. But since that's the case, we don't need to hold back."

The Hobgoblin stared at the overhead view transmitted by the Wyvern and sneered.

"Just like His Your Majesty Keosius said, 'kill the chicken to scare the monkey,' the Saint Theo City is now the chicken about to be slaughtered. I will let all the Aisel people see the consequences of resisting the Empire."

His voice was strong and clear, a fierce glint appeared in his cloudy yellow eyes, and a ruthless expression appeared on his entire scaly, crimson face.

This Hobgoblin officer was the commander-in-chief of the Fourth Army Group in this "blitzkrieg" operation, the commander who besieged Saint Theo, and also the meritorious Dragon Blood Marquis — Arturo Red Ridge.

As a confidant of Duke Dolo, an important member of the Imperial military, and one of the representatives of the "extreme hawks," Arturo would not let such an opportunity pass him by.

Arturo drew his saber from his waist with a crisp and decisive motion, raised it high, and roared with all his might, "All troops, listen to my command—attack with full force! Turn this city into ashes!"

The Hobgoblin face, spitting as he spoke, and the pure gold General Star on his shoulder shone brightly.

His roar was transmitted to every tank and vehicle on the battlefield by the infinite electromagnetic waves generated by the magical communicator.

Before the words were even finished, the entire battlefield roared in anger, the ground trembled violently, and even shook, with endless flames and thick smoke shooting into the sky.

The battlefield erupted into a frenzy! "Boom—"

More than a hundred tanks fired in unison, and even the ground shook violently under the powerful recoil, collapsing as black smoke billowed from the gun barrels, obscuring half the sky.

Blinding flashes of fire stretched out in a row, and cannonballs trailing thick smoke tore through the sky, crisscrossing and forming a dense network of fire, which finally bombarded the towering, sturdy walls of Saint Theo.

"Boom!"

In an instant, the violent explosion shook the entire city, and the raging flames nearly engulfed the city, while thick smoke shrouded the sky above Saint Theo.

"Amanata! Is today the end of the world?"

"How can we let all this stop! I don't want to get involved in this war!"

"Damn it."

People looked up at the thick smoke that filled the sky, witnessing this apocalyptic scene, and cried out in terror and panic.

Faced with this catastrophic scene, the residents of Saint Theo have completely lost their minds, running around in all directions, and the city is in complete chaos.

The explosion caused the light screen surrounding Saint Theo City to flicker and develop spiderweb-like cracks. The city walls shook violently, causing several soldiers to slip and fall, their bodies smashed to pieces.

Kallen stood atop the city wall, raising her longsword and pointing it into the distance through gritted teeth. "Fighter! Do not retreat! Rout them!"

The soldiers beside the Sun God Ballista were turning the winches with all their might, constantly loading giant arrows, but they couldn't even aim at their targets because of the thick smoke.

Arrows of Light Arrow streaked across the sky, only to disappear into the thick smoke and dust, pale in comparison to the overwhelming barrage of artillery fire from the Embers of the Burned Empire.

As the light screen gradually dimmed and cracked, Kallen turned to the group of mages and said urgently, "Mr. Zalan, can you and your colleagues repair our Protection Array?"

Zalan shook his head solemnly and sighed, "With our strength, we can at most maintain the Glitterdust Web above the city. We no longer have the capacity to maintain such a complex Protection Array."

"Lord Kallen, the Embers of the Burned Empire's offensive is far too fierce, exceeding everyone's expectations. I don't think we can hold out for much longer."

Kallen frowned. "You mean you want me to abandon this city?"

You want me to hand over the Saint Theo City, which belongs to the Fadlan Empire, to the Embers of the Burned Empire? And slink away like a rat that can't stand the light of day?

His expression was annoyed, his tone became somewhat sharp, and anger blazed in his golden pupils.

"Lord Kallen, this is not the time for recklessness. Please step out of your past illusions and truly look around you."

Zalan looked up, pointed his staff at the sky shrouded in thick smoke and fire, and spoke in a very heavy voice.

"The fall of Saint Theo City is inevitable, and we have no means to stop it."

"Lord Kallen, please conserve your strength and refrain from impulsive risks. The only way for us to turn the tide now is through the decisive battle at Collins City."

Kallen knew that Zalan was right. Under the intense bombardment of the Embers of the Burned Empire, even he, who considered himself a descendant of gods, could not turn the tide.

The Sun God Ballista on the Saint Theo City was powerful enough to bring down a dragon, but not enough to Contend Against with an armored legion composed of organized steel behemoths.

But he was still unwilling to accept it. In his mind, the Fadlan was a symbol of conquest, victory and glory. They should conquer the world. How could they become invaded and lose their own territory?

After a long silence, Kallen said in a low voice, "Lord Zalan, I cannot abandon my homeland of Fadlan."

"Boom!"

Another deafening roar erupted, the violent explosion shaking the city walls. The Armor Piercing Shells, specially made by the Embers of the Burned Empire and possessing anti-magic properties, finally pierced the light barrier.

Immediately afterwards, several more similar shells arrived in succession, creating a series of explosions.

In an instant, ring-shaped cracks appeared on the light screen. The cracks spread and split rapidly, gradually becoming dense and covering the entire light screen.

"Snap!"

Finally, with a crisp sound, the Protection Array, constructed by dozens of Archmage and guarding the city for decades, succumbed to the pressure and shattered completely.

"Damn it! Retreat!"

Zalan's expression changed drastically, and he issued an urgent warning. Even he hadn't expected the Empire to break through the defenses so quickly.

The next moment, the mortars of the Embers of the Burned Empire roared, and the shells drew high arcs in the air, attacking the soldiers on the city wall as if they had eyes.

"Boom!"

Instantly, flames erupted from the city walls, rubble flew, and dust filled the air. Soldiers were engulfed by the explosion amidst terrified screams, with no time to escape.

Kallen flapped his wings and took to the air. He raised his divine sword and swung it repeatedly, slicing through more than a dozen cannonballs and causing them to explode in mid-air.

However, compared to the Empire's concentrated firepower, the efforts of the Marquis of the Divine Lineage seemed insignificant.

Although he did manage to protect the dozen or so soldiers beneath him and hold up a section of the city wall several dozen meters long, the Empire's shells landed on almost every defensive structure of Saint Theo. The magnificent, towering city wall was already riddled with scars, with shocking gaps appearing on it.

Another horde of dragons swept across the sky, attacking from afar, their steel wings tearing through the air with a chilling shriek.

Kallen flapped his wings, soared into the air, raised the divine sword high above his head, and shouted at the top of his lungs, "The Fadlanites will never back down!"

Kallen appeared exceptionally small amidst the dense, tidal wave of hundreds of Wyvern dragons charging towards him.

"Whoosh—"

But the next moment, a surge of dazzling golden flames erupted from the blade, cleaving the dragon horde in two. Several Wyvern roared as they plummeted to the ground, exploding in mid-air.

Meanwhile, the other Wyvern ascended and spun around, dodging Kallen's slashes, and methodically flew over the Saint Theo City, dropping hundreds of deadly bombs.

"Boom! Boom!"

Dozens of bombs were intercepted by the mages' Glitterdust Web and exploded in mid-air, causing burning and broken shrapnel to rain down on the city.

Buildings were set ablaze, and people fleeing in all directions were hit by shrapnel, with some even having half their heads shattered by the shrapnel.

Immediately afterwards, the bombs that had been missed exploded again in the city, engulfing both people and buildings in flames and thick smoke.

The survivors knelt in the ruins, looking up at the sky in despair, but they could not see the sun, only the black smoke that blocked the sky and the faint "Grim Reaper".

"God, what have we done wrong to deserve this punishment?"

"Purgatory! This place is nothing short of purgatory!"

"We are all burdened with sins. His Majesty Amanata has abandoned us. This is His punishment!"

In this burning, scorched earth, people gradually descended into madness. The former order had been completely destroyed, leaving only desperate cries and frantic shouts of "No, this shouldn't be happening."

Looking down at the once prosperous and thriving city, now a scene of devastation, listening to the shrill cries of Wyvern and the roar of cannons, feeling the scorching and pungent air on my skin.

Kallen flapped her wings, a look of confusion appearing on her near-perfect face.

"Your Amanata, have you truly abandoned us?"

Lord Walter, if it were you, what would you do? Would I really abandon this city and become the deserter I despise most?

The divine prodigy in the sky was too conspicuous; he had already killed more than a dozen Wyvern and intercepted hundreds of cannonballs.

Therefore, the artillery of the Embers of the Burned Empire made him their primary target, unleashing a barrage of Armor Piercing Shells and anti-magic shells in an attempt to shoot down this angelic Fighter.

Meanwhile, the Empire's player legion had arrived within a hundred meters of the city. Some of them raised their staffs and chanted spells, some drew their magic bows, some picked up the latest magic-powered sniper rifles, and some even threw out Magic Forbidden Bomb.

In their eyes, this was no longer a Divine Descendant Warriors feared and avoided by the enemy, but a living testament to experience and merit! "Shoot this birdman down!"

"Hahaha, kill him! For the Empire!" In an instant, dazzling attacks came from all directions, surging towards Kallen's body: radiant arrows, flaming spears, poisoned darts, magic-extinguishing cannonballs, and frigid ice spikes.

"Boom!"

With a Earth-Shattering roar, a violent explosion suddenly appeared in mid-air, cracking the very fabric of space. Brilliant flames and thick smoke instantly engulfed the winged Angel Divine Descendant.

Is he dead?

"Who received the tip?"

Suddenly, two blinding white lights burst forth from the thick smoke, Pierce Smoke Screen and triggering a violent explosion that instantly engulfed several players.

"Ignorant mortals!"

Everyone looked up and saw Kallen holding a divine sword, his eyes shining brightly and shooting out flames, like a true angel descended to earth.

The fluttering white wings dispersed the smoke in front of them, shaking off the ash and dust covering them, and also stirred up a hurricane that swept across the land.

"Who gave you the courage to challenge a descendant of the Sun God?"

Kallen roared and raised his longsword high. The intricate and exquisite patterns on the blade lit up instantly, releasing a dazzling divine energy flame.

A pillar of Crimson Gold fire shot into the sky, reaching the heavens, while countless fiery meteors fell like Divine Punishment descending from heaven, a truly awe-inspiring sight.

In an instant, dozens of players who had launched an attack and wanted to be the first to reach the Saint Theo City were reduced to ashes by the flames that fell from the sky.

These are the Angel Divine Descendant of Holy Fadlan! The terrifying army that once followed "Sun King" Aragon I in conquering the multiverse! "Long live Fadlan!"

Kallen raised his arms and shouted, but even his voice was drowned out by the deafening explosions and howling gunfire.

The players' deaths did not diminish the Embers of the Burned Empire's firepower in the slightest; on the contrary, the bombs and shells flying towards Saint Theo City became even more concentrated, with explosions occurring one after another.

"Boom--"

Suddenly, a dull thud came from behind Kallen, followed by panic and terrified screams.

"It's going to collapse! The city wall is going to collapse! It's about to crush us!"

"Get out of here immediately!"

He turned around and saw dust billowing everywhere, the city walls crumbling and collapsing. Under the fierce bombardment of the imperial army, the walls of Saint Theo had finally collapsed! The city let out a deafening wail and roar as the hundreds of meters of walls collapsed with a crash, dust filling the sky and burying countless soldiers and civilians in the ruins.

"Lord Kallen, let's go! We're going to Collins City! This is no place to stay!" Zalan urged anxiously Flight Spell to the side of the Divine Descendant.

The mages who came with him had left before the city walls collapsed using Mass Teleportation; in his view, the fall of Saint Theo City was inevitable.

No matter how many tanks they destroy or how many soldiers they kill, they cannot defeat the Embers of the Burned Empire. Their only hope for victory is to defeat the Red Dragon.

"Have we failed?"

Kallen hovered in the sky, slowly flapping her wings, her eyes somewhat dim.

He gazed at the Saint Theo City, then turned to look at the steel behemoth and Wyvern charging forward, his golden eyes once again filled with confusion.

"Boom!"

Another explosion occurred beside him, but it was blocked by the invisible divine energy shield surrounding the Angel Divine Descendant.

Under the threat of artillery fire, Zalan cast a teleportation spell, his figure gradually blurring, but he still urgently advised, "Lord Kallen, we haven't lost yet!"

We will win, and Fadlan will win, but not here! Duke Walter needs you!

Finally, Kallen gritted her teeth, a resolute glint in her eyes, and said, word by word, "We... will win."

The Angel Divine Descendant raised his longsword high with one arm, a blinding light appearing at the tip of the sword, and his figure gradually became ethereal.

The next moment, countless shells rained down from the sky, creating a violent explosion where Kallen had been standing, but the Angel Divine Descendant had already left.

The steel behemoths rampaged across the land, accompanied by billowing steam and thick smoke, hurtling at high speed toward the city reduced to scorched earth and ruins, encountering no resistance whatsoever in the process.

They either successfully occupied Saint Theo City, or they utterly destroyed this city with its glorious history.

On July 15, 1789 (New Era), the military stronghold of Saint Theo City in North Aisel fell. That same afternoon, five other major cities, including Calvin City, Falin City, and Asher City, also fell.

Three days later, seventeen cities, including Bertrand, Mitchell, and Graywood Fortress, were successively occupied by the army of the Embers of the Burned Empire.

By July 30th, in just nineteen days, under the Empire's Thunder Offensive, all cities in North Aisel except for Colin City had fallen, and almost all important territories were under the control of the Embers of the Burned Empire.

The Embers of the Burned Empire's "blitzkrieg" shocked the world. Before the various forces on the Feanso Continent could react, news of the fall of cities in North Aisel followed one after another.

Meanwhile, the Grand Duke of North Aisel, the former "Wings of Fadlan" Walter Graham, was leading his remaining army in a stubborn defense of Collins City, awaiting the final battle.

"The Embers of the Burned Empire appeared on the stage of the Feanso Continent with a lightning-fast and fierce offensive, forcefully announcing its existence and tolling the death knell for the old order of Fadlan."

—Todd Brown, The Feanso Chronicles

His Majesty Wilhelm told me not to worry, but I'm already considering continuing south.

Damn it, these arrogant Fadlanites are still lost in their past dreams, completely unaware of the terrifying power of that Red Dragon. They will pay the price.

—Luton Notes