It was already midnight, and due to the ancient history of war, a curfew had long been in effect on the streets of the capital.
Granero was frantic, whipping his horse wildly and showing no mercy to his steed. He led hundreds of elite soldiers at breakneck speed toward the First Magic Tower in the center of the capital. The group galloped like a hurricane, and the thunderous sound of their hooves echoed across the cobblestone streets, shattering the quiet night.
The knight at the forefront, holding Emperor Yassin's token aloft, shouted, " The Imperial Capital Public Security Office is granting passage! His Majesty the Emperor's golden decree is here! Make way immediately!"
The horses' hooves thundered, and the checkpoints on the street receded into the distance.
From the four directions of the distant city walls, the sounds of battle cries continued unabated.
Barcelona's offensive had indeed reached its most ferocious point of the night.
In the blink of an eye, the First Magic Tower was already in sight.
This is the most majestic and towering building in Saint Petersburg, apart from the Imperial Palace, the Knights' Hall, and Martial Saint Mountain. Orange-yellow magical halos, like tangible objects, slowly and orderly rotate around the black magic tower, which resembles a javelin planted in the ground. Within a radius of five thousand meters, numerous magical traps and environmental traps have been set up, and an elite imperial army of over five thousand men is stationed there.
Seeing the First Magic Tower intact, Granero breathed a sigh of relief and quickened his pace.
"Halt! If you get within a hundred paces, fire your arrows!" A defensive castle, five or six meters high, appeared ahead. Upon hearing the sound of hooves, the soldiers stationed inside immediately shouted a warning and prepared to attack.
"His Majesty's golden decree is here!" Only after the knights of the Imperial Capital Public Security Office raised their tokens were they allowed to pass.
Granero rode up to the castle and, seeing that the fortifications were extremely intact and showed no signs of having been attacked, felt a slight sense of relief. He casually asked, "Has anyone entered before me?"
"Reporting to Your Excellency, a quarter of an hour ago, the Fourth Prince, accompanied by about fifty guards from the Prince's residence, said he was acting on His Majesty's orders and entered the center of the First Magic Tower!" the officer guarding the first checkpoint replied respectfully.
"What?" Granero's face changed drastically. "The Fourth Prince has already been deposed by His Majesty Yassin. Who in the city doesn't know that? How could he possibly be acting on His Majesty's orders? Damn it, why didn't you stop him...?"
Boom!
Before Granero could finish speaking, a strong tremor suddenly came from the ground beneath his feet.
It's as if a prehistoric behemoth lurking beneath the earth is struggling to break free.
The knights' horses were startled, neighing and rearing up, agitated and restless, as if something terrible had happened.
At this point, Granero and the others were too preoccupied to care about any of that.
Because the changes in the earth beneath our feet are becoming increasingly drastic.
With a series of rumbling sounds, the hard ground suddenly became as soft as water, making it almost impossible to stand.
Even more terrifying was that the enormous and magnificent First Magic Tower, a thousand meters away, which seemed like a miracle, was also shaking violently. The orange-yellow halos that surrounded the towering tower were breaking, crumbling, and disappearing bit by bit!
"The magic tower... is it going to collapse?" Despair crept onto the faces of the soldiers stationed there.
Everyone understands what the collapse of the First Magic Tower at this moment would mean for the Zenit people—utter destruction and death.
Boom!
The next instant, the statue of His Majesty the Emperor, symbolizing the empire's military might, plummeted from thousands of meters in the sky atop the First Magic Tower, crashing to the ground with a deafening roar. Then, visible, jet-black cracks appeared in the incredibly sturdy, supposedly unbreakable tower, from which blinding orange flames burst forth!
A piercing magical alarm suddenly blared throughout the entire capital city.
The sound plunged the entire city into an inescapable state of fear.
"Damn it, what on earth happened?" Granero's heart was already ice-cold.
"Sir, evacuate here immediately! The magic tower's energy is out of control and it's about to explode!" an officer shouted in Granero's ear.
"Retreat? Where can we retreat to?" Granero's face was pale, and he gave a bitter laugh. "The city is about to fall. The people of Barcelona are besieging it from all sides. We have nowhere to escape... I am a sinner of the empire. I was too late. I am guilty!"
As they spoke, the orange-yellow [ Protection of Mother Earth ] magical shield that symbolized safety and warmth over the capital, a shield capable of withstanding the full force of Demigod- level powerhouse, began to crack like a broken eggshell. Pieces of orange-yellow magical energy fell toward the ground and quickly dissipated in the sky.
The magic shield is broken!
Saint Petersburg is finished too!
Without the [ Protection of Mother Earth ] magic circle, Saint Petersburg was like a naked girl, powerless to resist, and could only be bullied by the people of Barcelona.
If I had been able to find out about those damned Eindhoven and Barcelona spies sooner, things wouldn't have gotten this bad. Now everything is over. I have betrayed His Majesty the Emperor's trust and the millions of people in the capital... I have ruined everything.
Granero wished he could immediately draw his sword and commit suicide to atone for his sins.
His remaining rationality allowed him to control this impulse.
After a moment's thought, he pulled over a trusted knight and whispered a few words in his ear.
"My lord, take care! Giddy up!" The knight replied, whipped his horse, turned and galloped away from the area of tremors.
Granero drew his longsword, his gaze sweeping over the faces of his brothers who had followed him. "Warriors, the moment of destruction has arrived. If you flee for your lives, you will not be cowards. But if you choose to stay, then the time has come to serve the Empire. Let all fear turn into rage, and follow me into the fray! Slay the spies who destroyed the magic tower! This is the last thing we can do for the Empire and our loved ones!"
Granero was enveloped in dazzling, radiant Dou Qi aura.
The shaking became increasingly violent, making it impossible to ride a horse.
He dismounted and was the first to rush towards the collapsing magic tower.
"I swear to follow you to the death, sir!"
Without the slightest hesitation, the remaining knights, like moths drawn to a flame, rushed towards the collapsing magic tower.
Of the more than 5,000 elite imperial soldiers stationed at the magic tower, more than half had already been killed or wounded.
But no one fled. They drew their longswords, sang the empire's anthem, and followed the knights into the fray.
"Even the humblest life has dignity. My Glory lies in the glorious history of the Empire's suffering. War can never make the Zenit people retreat! Roar, Northern Grizzly!"
The mournful song echoed through the chaotic night sky.
First update