<h4>Chapter 243: The Civil War in the Principality (8)</h4>
“There it is,” Lilliana uttered in a low voice as she stared ahead.
<i>What kind of people are these...?</i> she wondered.
The journey, which was supposed to take a week, had only taken five days, and despite the grueling pace, the immigrant tribes showed no signs of fatigue. The only one who lookedpletely worn out was Fran, who could barely keep up with them.
“It’s even more massive than I thought.”
Before themy a vast in, and in the distance, the enormous fortress of Moon Aether, its perimeter shielded by dense forests that served as natural armor against enemy invasions.
“ording to the scouts, it’s nearly impossible to bypass the fortress by circling through the forest behind it,” Lilliana reported.
“It’s like a scaled-down version of the White Bunker,” Kuntai observed. “You can see why it’s called the Royal Gate. The walls are easily over eighteen meters high.”
Given that the walls of Tatur, the fortified city that had withstood the assaults of three nations, were only twelve meters tall, the sheer size of Moon Aether’s walls made it seem like a towering monolith.
Even within the empire, such high walls were rare—only seen in the capital.
“Patun, can you really scale that wall with just a few daggers?” Karyl asked.
“Give me five, and I’ll be up there,” Patun replied without hesitation.
“This is a race against time. Thanks to our quick march, they haven’t noticed us yet,” Karyl noted.
“Most certainly... If we dy, the enemy forces could regroup, and the defenses of the White Bunker could be reinforced,” Kuntai added, nodding in agreement.
“That’s not what I meant,” Karyl corrected him.
“Huh?” Kuntai looked at Karyl in confusion.
“We need to scale the walls of Moon Aether before Yoman and Frau Hat are breached,” Karyl exined, a faint smile ying on his lips. “We can’t let our subordinates steal the glory, can we?”
The four warriors exchanged nces and slowly nodded in understanding.
n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
“Hashir,” Karyl called out.
“Yes, my lord?” Hashir responded.
“Do you need my help?”
“Just watch us,” Hashir replied confidently. “We will open the gates of Moon Aether.”
***
The next day, as the sun rose, Moon Aether was plunged into chaos by the sudden appearance of the immigrant tribes.
“R-Reporting in, sir!! Enemy forces spotted outside the fortress!!”
“Their numbers are estimated to be around ten thousand!”
“What in the world is going on?! Where did all these immigrant tribes suddenlye from?!”
Viscount Jyles, the lord of Moon Aether, wiped the cold sweat from his brow as he yelled at his subordinates.
“We’re still trying to determine that, my lord...”
“So you haven’t figured it out yet... You useless morons! What were the sentries even doing?!”
“My lord, while the immigrant tribes moving south is unexpected, there’s no reason to worry. In fact, this could be an opportunity,” said the knight beside him, unexpectedly weing the sudden attack.
It was Jyles’ lieutenant, Giltian.
“...What?”
“This is a chance to gain favor with Lady Tuli,” Giltian borated.
Hearing that, Jyles’ eyes lit up.
“You are aware that most of the forces stationed at the White Bunker have been deployed to the front lines. The garrison has been depleted. Even if the immigrant tribes’ attack is reported, we won’t receive immediate reinforcements.”
“So what? Are you suggesting we dy reporting? You want me to break militaryw?”
“Not at all, my lord. You should report it, but... dy it by just one day.”
“One day?”
Jyles frowned slightly at the knight’s suggestion.
“If you submit a victory report instead of a distress call, Lady Tuli will undoubtedly summon you to the ducal estate after the civil war ends tomend your achievements.”
“I will... be summoned by Lady Tuli?”
Even though Moon Aether had been a peaceful border region, it was still a border. Despite the tempting proposal, Jyles couldn’t shake the uneasiness.
“You make a good point, but... dying the report...”
“They’re just immigrant tribes, worthless scum without mana. And there are only ten thousand of them. A day will be more than enough. How much longer can you remain stuck in this backwater? We must eventually move into the political arena.”
Jyles’ reservations evaporated with that finalment.
“The political arena...”
It was something he had long aspired to, but opportunities had been scarce. Now, a sly smile crept onto his face, as if he could already see himself at the ducal estate.
Jyles nodded to his subordinate, about to give his approval.
“Alri—”
<i>Boom!</i>
But then, a soldier burst into his office, flinging the door open. He hastily kneeled and shouted, “Reporting!” The immigrant tribes are advancing toward the fortress!”
“Wh-What?!”
They hadn’t noticed it yet. Moon Aether had never been under siege before, and because of that, they had forgotten a very important fact.
The peace they had enjoyed had dulled their swords more than they realized.
***
[What a spectacr sight,] Ramine muttered under his breath, awe evident in his voice. [It’s a shame that Duaat isn’t here to witness this. He’d be the most excited about this.]
Ramine gazed over the ins of Moon Aether, lost in contemtion as he watched the immigrant tribes advancing toward the fortress. He closed his eyes, listening to their war cries.
[Nothing like this has happened since the Mythical Era.]
Amidst the ten thousand immigrant warriors, Ramine’s focus was unwaveringly fixed on one group.
<i>[That the ck Eyes are on the charge.]</i>
<i>Waaaaaaa—!!</i>
<i>Haaaaaa!!</i>
“Shoot! Fire!!”
“Don’t let them get close to the walls!”
Despite the sudden attack, the morale of the soldiers defending Moon Aether remained surprisingly high.
“Only ten thousand? Come on then, we’ll wash these walls with your blood!” shouted themander atop the wall, raising his sword.
“Prepare to fire!!”
<i>Creaaaak...!</i>
Thousands of archers simultaneously drew their bows.
“Fire!! Exterminate these filthy immigrants!!”
With a roar, countless arrows filled the sky, descending like a dark cloud.
Watching the arrows rain down upon them, Kuntai, the one leading the charge, shouted amand as if he had been waiting for this moment.
“Tortoise!”
<i>Thump...! Thump-thump-thump...!</i>
<i>Rumble...!!</i>
“Unite!!”
At Kuntai’smand, the Tiger Shield warriors raised their massive square shields overhead, locking them together to form a tight, imprable barrier. The sound of arrows ttering against the shields echoed across the battlefield like a heavy downpour.
“Wha... What the...?”
Themander who had given the order to fire stood dumbstruck, unable to give themand to reload as he stared in disbelief.
<i>Rumble...!!</i>
Typically, when using shield formations to block arrows or magic, soldiers usedrge shields that covered their entire body. Shields of that size were incredibly heavy, so most shield-bearers, except for knights, were forced to remain stationary, protecting the archers behind them.
“Don’t slow down.”
But the shield formation of the Tiger Shield tribe was entirely different. Despite wielding massive shields with one hand, the warriors didn’t slow down. Forming a dome-like structure, they charged toward the fortress like a massive chariot.
Only those with immense physical strength—regardless of mana—could wield such heavy shields with one hand while maintaining a steady charge.
“Shoot... Shoot!!”
Themander, witnessing the oing wall of shields, finally shouted in panic.
“Too slow, they’re too slow. Compared to the mountainous terrain of the north, running across this nd is child’s y,” Kuntaimented briefly as he watched the second volley of arrows.
<i>Thud...! Thud-thud-thud...!</i>
Unlike the initial barrage that had echoed off the shields, the second hail of arrows was so weak that it was drowned out by the tter of hooves thundering across the in.
“Charge!!”
As the Tiger Shield warriors quickened their pace, they began to outrun the barrage of arrows raining down from Moon Aether, evading the onught as they sped across the in.
“Well done,” a low voice murmured from behind Kuntai.
Surprisingly, concealed by therge figures of the Tiger Shield warriors, another person had been riding on Kuntai’s horse. In fact, all the Tiger Shields had been hiding Red Moon warriors riding behind them.
“Deploy!” shouted Patun as he climbed up onto Kuntai’s shoulder.
At hismand, the warriors quickly turned their shields with precision, creating gaps through which the Red Moon warriors swiftly leaped.
With a quick step onto Kuntai’s shoulder, Patununched himself into the air, followed by the other warriors.
“What... what is this?!"
<i>Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!</i>
Arrows suddenly rained down on Moon Aether. Trying to react to the surprise attack, themander shouted, “Enemy attack! Activate the shields immediately!”
However, he was silenced before he could finish issuing orders, an arrow piercing his neck. Utterly shocked, themander turned around.
“Ghrr... Cough!”
As he turned his head, he saw the arrow lodged in the ground. His neck throbbed, blood pouring from the wound.
“Commander!!” the lieutenant screamed as he saw themander copse. But before he could react, an arrow pierced through his helmet.
“Ugh...!!”
The impact snapped his head back, causing him to fall to the ground. It was an embarrassing sight in the midst of battle, but it was the least of his concerns. He didn’t even know where the arrows wereing from.
<i>Swoosh...!</i>
Before the lieutenant could regain hisposure, another arrow pierced his forehead.
<i>Thud! Crack!</i>
With a dull sound, the arrow shattered the back of the lieutenant’s skull, driving through and embedding itself into the ground. Unlike the arrow that had killed themander, the arrow in the lieutenant’s head spun in a spiral, gouging the ground as if crying out in anguish.
Blood dripped down, sizzling against the searing hot arrowhead.
“...”
Hashir pulled the bowstring taut once again, wasting no time with further orders. Hundreds of cloaked Wolf-Fox archers aimed their bows at the fortress walls, their arrowheads glowing with a blue light.
Although the enemy had btedly activated their defenses, the Wolf-Fox archers shot without hesitation. The arrows, made of Clear Distilled Water, pierced through Moon Aether’s feeble shields andnded true.
“Are the immigrants... really this powerful?” Fran muttered in disbelief as he watched the assault on Moon Aether.
It was a battle that defied conventional strategy and tactics, a chaotic fight that seemed driven by instinct alone.
But Fran couldn’t criticize them. Amidst the chaos, the single most important goal—the siege of the fortress—was being executed perfectly.
“Looks like they won’t need a full day after all,” Karyl murmured as he observed the battle.
The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and
continue reading tomorrow, everyone!