General McHale had no time to consider whether the Candel Empire's prestige was in jeopardy. All he knew was that he himself was now in grave danger.
Countless arrows whistled through the air overhead, so densely packed that it almost felt as though a torrential downpour was falling.
But this "downpour" carried a deadly threat.
As General McHale watched another "downpour" fall and another swath of soldiers around him collapse like harvested stalks of grain, he felt the first stirrings of panic.
What in the world was going on?!
How could these people from the Rulson Kingdom possess such devastating firepower?
"Watch out, sir!"
One of his personal guards suddenly shouted, darted in front of him, and raised the enormous shield in his hands to cover them both.
Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang-
A string of sharp clangs rang out as arrows struck the enormous shield. The guard was forced back several steps despite himself, barely stopping before he collided with General McHale.
"Sir, are you all right?" the guard asked, looking back at General McHale.
"I'm fine." General McHale shook his head, but his gaze settled on the enormous shield in the guard's hands, and his eyes narrowed involuntarily.
This specially made shield had been forged by the most renowned blacksmith in Wimbledon City, the imperial capital. Made entirely of hardened iron, it was a palm's breadth thick even at its thinnest point. Yet the crossbow bolts that had just fallen had battered countless deep dents into its surface, seemingly coming within a hair of piercing straight through.
Clearly, these crossbow bolts struck with tremendous force and were astonishingly lethal.
Even this painstakingly crafted shield had nearly failed to withstand them. No wonder the armor his soldiers wore was like paper before them, offering no protection whatsoever.
Turning to