The gates stood wide open. Alterac City was as good as finished.
At this point, no one could possibly restore Alterac City's defenses. The Syndicate was beyond saving. No-if the Syndicate had a Heroic Powerhouse among its ranks, it would still have the strength to resist. The troops at the gates were elite soldiers of the Kingdom of Gilneas, with the finest weapons, armor, and training.
But none of that could bridge the gap in strength or allow them to defeat a Heroic Powerhouse. Heroic Powerhouses were like nuclear weapons. When they unleashed their full power, especially on a battlefield, they were utterly unstoppable, like a longsword that pierced everything in its path. No one could stop a Heroic Powerhouse except another Heroic Powerhouse. If the Syndicate had one to lead its troops in a counterattack on Alterac City's gates, that overwhelming strength might still drive the Gilnean army out.
But that depended on one condition: Rex and the others had to stay out of the fight.
The force deployed to capture Alterac City and wipe out the Syndicate was enormous. Leaving everything else aside, there was more than one Heroic Powerhouse present. Besides the Paladin and Rex, there were also Darius and the archmage. Four Heroic Powerhouses had been mobilized in all. Even if the Syndicate had one of its own, it could not turn the tide.
So the Syndicate was utterly finished. What Duke Falconcrest needed to do next was flee. Only by escaping and abandoning most of the Syndicate's members would he have any hope of getting away. If he stayed with the bulk of its forces, the fate awaiting him would be capture or death.
Rex suspected that Duke Falconcrest had absolutely no intention of living or dying with the Syndicate. Given the duke's character, Rex