Free Web NovelChapter 615: Chapter 615: Besieged Saint Theo
Chapter 615: Besieged Saint Theo
Northern Aether Plains, Saint Theo City—this was the second largest city within the demarcated duchy, named after the former Amannata Church saint, Theo.
At this moment, the sky was unusually clear, not a cloud in sight, yet people felt as if a heavy gloom hung over their hearts.
To everyone’s surprise, in just a few days, the Ember Empire had crushed their defenses like dry twigs.
Those terrifying steel beasts roared across the land, wyverns shrieked in the sky, and the tide of artillery fire left the earth riddled with craters. In such a situation, the remaining soldiers fled to the city, seeking shelter.
Atop Saint Theo’s towering city walls, a man clad in bright silver armor with white wings sprouting from his back shouted in fury, "Tens of thousands of troops, wiped out in just three days!
O High Amannata, we are brave and battle-hardened Fadlanians! Even if you gave me fifty thousand sheep, I wouldn’t be able to catch them all in three days!"
He was Kalen Fergusson, a close confidant who rose up with Duke Walter, and the divine-blooded marquis stationed at Saint Theo City.
These divine-blooded nobles were sent to defend various cities by Duke Walter, who remained in Collins City to confront the Ember Empire’s fiercest assault.
But no one had expected the Ember Empire to launch a surprise attack before the defenses were even fully established, advancing at an unbelievably fast pace.
"Lord Kalen, you need not despair—we haven’t lost yet.
The key to victory isn’t the ordinary soldiers, but divine-blooded like you and the mighty beings Lord Walter has invited, who stand at the pinnacle of the material realm."
A man in white robes, holding a staff, appeared beside Kalen. His name was Zaran Yarvis, reinforcement from the City of Myriad Spells.
He raised his silver staff, projecting a scene of the Ember Legion crushing Aether’s forces before them.
"The Ember Empire’s army is even more brutal than I imagined. I never thought such a power could rise in just a dozen years."
Kalen gazed into the distance, full of worry: "More than a hundred years ago, the Fadlan Empire also rose suddenly with His Highness Amannata’s blessing. I’m afraid—"
"Vrrmmm—"
A sharp, piercing whistle suddenly came from overhead, swiftly approaching and rudely cutting him off.
Kalen and Zaran looked up instinctively, and the townsfolk inside the city also raised their heads, puzzled.
"Did you hear that? What is that sound?"
"Amannata preserve us."
"Could it be the Ember Empire’s army? But why is the sound coming from the sky?"
A string of black dots abruptly appeared in the distant sky, streaking across with a low rumble, drawing ever closer to Saint Theo.
And with his god-infused golden pupils, Kalen clearly saw the uninvited guests in the sky—it was a swarm of bipedal wyverns!
These strange wyverns had wide steel-forged wings, black metallic ellipsoids strapped beneath their claws, and carried half-dragon knights on their backs.
They sped through the sky, slicing the air with their iron wings, leaving white trails across the blue dome. Their destination—Saint Theo City.
"Enemy attack!"
Kalen flapped his wings, soaring into the air, drew the golden longsword from his waist, and raised it high.
"Crossbowmen, take position! Shoot those wyverns down!"
Soldiers scrambled to operate the ballistae on the city walls, drawing their bows—but it was already too late.
Empowered with custom-forged steel wings, these wyverns glided at terrifying speeds, acting like dragon-shaped bombers, reaching Saint Theo in the blink of an eye.
Their shadows stretched long across the ground like death’s heralds, sending chills down people’s spines.
In Saint Theo, men, women, and children alike strained to lift their heads, eyes fixed on the ghostly shapes above, gasping in horror.
"W-what the hell are those?"
"What are they trying to do?"
These people, having never experienced modern warfare, had no idea what was about to happen—they simply stared in fear and disbelief. free𝑤ebnovel.com
The players on dragonback laughed wildly, shouting excitedly.
"Barbecue’s on me!"
"Taste my bombs!"
The wyvern riders pressed the bomb release buttons without hesitation, dropping one bomb after another from beneath the wyverns’ claws.
"Whoosh—"
The shrill whistling echoed over Theo City like a reaper’s wail, sending shivers down spines.
A barrage of bombs traced deadly arcs, raining down like black hail, bringing destruction upon Saint Theo.
"Boom!"
In an instant, the explosions thundered, and brilliant fireballs shot into the sky.
Smoke and dust filled Saint Theo, and in the glow of fire, everything became blurred and chaotic.
Houses trembled under the blasts, then collapsed in roaring crashes, sending rubble flying and burying countless townsfolk beneath the debris.
The statue of Saint Theo in the plaza was shattered, flames spread across the ground, and thick smoke engulfed the city.
"O gods..."
"Help me! I’m trapped under the slabs!"
"Ah! My arm!"
"By Amannata above, I beg you, please bring a miracle and save my child—" freewёbnoνel.com
In the streets, people panicked and fled, desperately trying to escape.
Those caught in the blasts were charred black. The luckier ones lost limbs and wailed in agony; the unlucky ones were unrecognizable.
Some mothers knelt in despair, wailing as they held the charred remains of their children.
In this merciless bombing, life felt unbearably fragile. The acrid smoke and stench of death filled every corner.
People cried, screamed, and howled, praying to their gods for a miracle—but none came.
The wyvern swarm—or rather, the Ember Empire’s First Airborne Division—ascended swiftly after completing their bombing run, vanishing into the distant sky.
All that remained was a burning ruin, and endless death and sorrow.
Hovering in midair, Kalen flapped his wings and looked down at the devastated city and its suffering people. Fury and grief filled his golden eyes.
"Damn you, Ember Empire... I’ll make you pay."
He then ordered his soldiers to fan out across the city, rescuing victims and calming the survivors.
With the townsfolk unprepared and inexperienced, the bombing claimed over a thousand lives. Countless buildings had collapsed.
More than that, it left a psychological scar far deeper than the death toll. It shattered their sense of safety and trust in the city—just like the toppled statue of Saint Theo.
"O gods..."
"T-they’ll come back."
Such pessimistic voices filled the city. Illusory buzzing sounded in their ears, triggering an instinctive stampede. Chaos reigned.
Kalen returned to the tower, his expression grim. "Zaran, do you have any way to counter this kind of attack?"
Zaran gave a bitter smile, not answering directly. "A scholar once said: The Ember Empire will redefine war. It will make it more efficient... and more bloody.
We thought it was just alarmism. We never imagined how accurate his words would prove."
Kalen sighed as he looked at the ruins covering the city. "At this rate, Saint Theo won’t be able to hold out."
Zaran pondered, then said, "My lord, you should send the people to fortified strongholds, or at least have them stay in their basements to shield against the explosions.
Also, my colleagues from the City of Myriad Spells and I can weave a temporary spell net to intercept the bombs midair."
Kalen raised his sword and spread his wings again, taking off. He spoke fiercely, "If those filthy beasts return, I’ll cut them all down."
Zaran and several robed mages raised their staffs and chanted spells. Light shimmered over Saint Theo, and glowing threads began to interweave above the city, forming a giant flickering net to cover everything below.
Some citizens hid in basements, others in the sturdy churches of Amannata, all praying desperately for divine protection.
Then, the ground trembled slightly. Dull booms echoed from afar, and dust, debris, and stones fell from ceilings, sparking renewed panic. People huddled and shivered in fear.
"Boom—"
Kalen flapped his wings and soared back to the city walls. Looking out beyond the ramparts, his pale face grew somber as he murmured:
"Damn Ember Empire..."
On the distant horizon, thick gray smoke rolled in, nearly blotting out the sun. Mountain-sized steel beasts roared and thundered toward Saint Theo.
Behind the steam tanks followed wave after wave of war vehicles packed with heavy cannons, guns, and Imperial troops. Their wheels churned up clouds of dust, leaving a trail of chaos behind.
Some vehicles had mounted speakers, blasting majestic, stirring music and a powerful voice: "We are the army of the Ember Empire, the loyal followers of His Supreme, Invincible Majesty—Cassius Claudious Norrixius. We have come to liberate the people of North Aether and create a fairer world.
People of Aether, the divine-blooded nobles have waged endless wars for their own selfish desires, treating you as nothing. But you need not suffer for them. I urge you to recognize reality and surrender quickly—or face greater calamity.
The Empire makes no promises of immediate safety, but we guarantee your lives will no longer be threatened—so long as you surrender and pledge yourselves to His Majesty Cassius."
The message echoed across Saint Theo. In basements and churches, the people showed all sorts of reactions: some trembled, others cursed, some wore ambiguous expressions...
"It’s happening again..."
"The Ember Empire’s army is coming back. I never want to live through that hell again."
"Surrender... if we surrender, then maybe..."
On Saint Theo’s towering walls, Kalen’s sword hand trembled violently. His once-handsome face twisted with rage as he swung his blade in the air, letting out a low, furious roar.
"Shameless! Absolutely shameless!"
"These northern barbarians are twisting the truth! We are the protectors of North Aether, the rightful heirs of Fadlan! And they—they are just the despicable spawn of vile dragons, cruel invaders without honor!"
Once again, sharp whistling and roaring echoed in the distance. The deadly dragon swarm hovered over the imperial army, awaiting their next assault.
"It’s them again!"
"O Eternal Amannata... please save us!"
Hearing those wails of death again, the people of Saint Theo were overwhelmed by memories of the recent nightmare. Hair stood on end, and many collapsed in fear—some even fainted on the spot.
Kalen raised his longsword, hovering in midair, shouting to the city below: "People, do not panic, do not fear, and do not fall for their lies. We are Fadlanians! The sun’s chosen!
As divine-blooded, Duke Walter will protect you, and so will I. Victory is close at hand—we will drive these brutal dragon-spawn invaders out of North Aether!"
"Boom!"
The explosion roared, shaking the skies.
A tank over a thousand meters away suddenly opened fire, the shell tracing a beautiful arc in the air before slamming into the towering city wall of Saint Theo, shaking the entire structure and knocking loose countless stones.
The rune-carved array embedded within the wall lit up, generating a shimmering shield across the surface. With ripples and faint glows, it absorbed the blast, leaving the wall unscathed.
Enraged, Kalen pointed his sword to the distance: "Damn it—shoot those iron lumps down!"
The extraordinary soldiers on the wall exerted all their strength, quickly turning cranks to ready the Sun God Ballistae. Giant arrows, thick as arms, rested on the frames. Three sets of bow limbs, each nearly six meters long, bent back to store terrifying power.
"Fire!"
"Whoosh—"
In an instant, several giant arrows wreathed in sunlight pierced the sky like white rainbows, tracing brilliant arcs through the air toward the steam tanks a kilometer away.
These Sun God Ballistae were once the Fadlan Empire’s weapons for slaying dragons and giants. With terrifying power and a range of up to two kilometers, they could bring down even a fully grown red dragon from the sky.
"Boom!"
Accompanied by howling winds, one glowing giant arrow fell like divine judgment, instantly skewering a steam tank and detonating it into a blazing wreck.
But such weapons, though powerful, were rare and precious. Their arrays had to be inscribed personally by High Priests of Amannata.
All of Saint Theo had only twenty-five Sun God Ballistae—but they now faced a firestorm of over a hundred steam tanks, two hundred heavy cannons, and three hundred bombing wyverns.
