Free Web NovelMckinney trembled as he pushed open the heavy wooden frame and peered out.
Instantly, he froze in place.
In the distance, on the snowy ground, a black and red cavalry unit was rapidly approaching the castle, their armor glinting coldly in the faint light.
Of course, the most striking sight was the Red Tide Territory's banners, with their red background and golden sun emblem, flapping fiercely in the wind.
These were indeed the Red Tide Territory's banners!
“Th-this is impossible!” Mckinney’s throat was dry, his eyes fixed on the cavalry unit.
“How could it be them—how could they have been discovered?!” His voice trembled slightly, and even his legs felt weak.
The hall was now in complete chaos; knights stood up, frantically grabbing their weapons, a scene of disarray.
A hint of madness flashed in Mckinney’s eyes as he cursed under his breath, “Damn it—this has gone too far—”
As the Red Tide Territory’s cavalry drew closer, Mckinney finally reacted, gritting his teeth, he waved his hand and roared, “Raise the flag! Everyone to the city walls! Quickly!”
Moments later, the blue and gold banner symbolizing the Mckinney family was raised on the high tower above the castle. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
The guards frantically sealed the castle gates, raised the drawbridge, and nervously took up positions with their crossbows.
Mckinney, accompanied by a few personal guards, hurried up the city wall, took °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° a deep breath, and tried to make his voice sound calm and composed.
“Oh, isn’t this my esteemed neighbor, Lord Calvin of the Red Tide Territory!” He leaned out, feigning a warm and enthusiastic demeanor, “If you’re coming to visit, why didn’t you give us advance notice?!”
No sooner had Mckinney’s words fallen than a knight from the Red Tide Territory’s formation below spurred his horse forward.
He bellowed at the top of his lungs, “Baron Mckinney! Stop playing dumb! Your men stole our Red Tide Territory’s grain, killed our Red Tide soldiers, and the blood from the supply convoy hasn’t even dried! And now you still dare to be stubborn?!”
He drew his longsword, its blade shimmering with battle qi, and pointed it directly at the city wall: “Lord Louis has personally led the troops here to make you pay this blood debt!”
As his words fell, hundreds of Red Tide Knights behind him roared in unison, their killing intent soaring to the heavens.
The red and black military formation advanced a step like a raging tidal wave, making the ground subtly tremble.
Seeing this scene, Mckinney’s heart skipped a beat, but he forced himself to respond loudly, “What supply convoy? I know nothing about this!
Lord Calvin, you can’t just accuse me without proof, can you? Do you have any evidence?! I am a legitimate Baron of the Iron-Blood Empire!”
By the end, his voice was slightly off-key, his eyes fixed on the army opposite him.
But this time, no one responded to him; the Red Tide Territory’s cavalry continued to advance, full of killing intent, their hooves pounding like heavy hammers on people’s hearts.
“Quick, all archers to the walls! Bring up the oil barrels, block the southern breach!” Seeing this situation, Mckinney quickly turned and whispered his orders.
His face was so grim it looked like water would drip from it, and he cursed inwardly, “Damn it, this looks serious. But as long as we hold out for one night, he’ll have to retreat! We must hold on!”
He still harbored a sliver of hope.
They were all nobles of the Iron-Blood Empire, after all; they had to go through the motions, shout a few words, put on a show, and then he could give a speech, and maybe even bluff his way through.
But he hadn’t expected that Louis wouldn’t even bother to acknowledge him with a single word.
His indifferent gaze was like looking at prey waiting to be slaughtered, without even the interest to respond.
Louis simply raised a hand and calmly commanded, “Attack.”
Just two short words, but as they fell, they exploded like a clap of thunder!
“Yes!!” The Red Tide Knights roared in unison, their voices shaking the heavens.
The neat cavalry formation spread out like a flood, with dozens of knights in the front quickly loading Magic Bombs, made from magma essence and oil, onto their throwing racks.
“Fire!”
Accompanied by a loud shout, the Magic Bombs streaked across the sky like several meteors, trailing flames as they slammed into the city wall!
“Boom!!!”
The violent explosion seemed to tear the world apart, fire and debris intertwining in mid-air to form a scene of apocalypse.
The city wall, which Mckinney had imagined to be impregnable, had a huge breach blown open by this terrifying impact,
like a gaping bloody maw.
In the violent tremors, Mckinney clung desperately to the battlements beside him, his ears filled with the roar of explosions, his heart pounding as if it would burst from his chest.
“H-how is this possible—!!”
He stared at the crumbling corner of the wall, frozen in place, cold sweat trickling down his neck, his mind a blank.
They didn’t come to threaten—they came to annihilate me!!
After the breach, the Red Tide Knights surged in like a pack of raging wolves, their iron hooves thundering on the snow, cries of battle shaking the heavens.
The defenders had no time to organize effective resistance; their defenses instantly collapsed, their defeat as swift as a landslide.
“Hold them! Quickly, hold the breach!!” Mckinney’s face was ashen, as he shrieked hoarsely.
And seeing the situation completely out of control, he turned and fled, stumbling and scrambling towards the interior.
He stumbled into the back hall, fearfully scanning his surroundings, and finally plunged into the castle’s deep wine cellar.
He leaned against a wall of wine barrels, trembling and huddled in a ball.
Outside, screams rose and fell, mixed with the clang of weapons and desperate cries.
These sounds were like a net of death, tightening around him.
How could these knights, who usually only knew how to drink and revel, be a match for the disciplined and decisive Red Tide Knights?
The sounds of fighting grew closer, and soon the wine cellar door was kicked open with a crash.
“Ah! No! Don’t come any closer! I, I am a noble! I am a Baron!!
Mckinney was grabbed by several Red Tide Knights, pulled from the shadows like a chicken, and thrown onto the cold snowy ground.
He tried to struggle, but was kicked down, his knees hitting the snow heavily.
He lay prostrate, pressed before Louis, a cold blade pressed against his neck.
“Ugh—” Mckinney shivered, quickly raised his head, and forced a strained smile onto his face.
“Lord Calvin... no, esteemed Red Tide Lord!” His voice trembled, almost cracking into a sob, “Th-this is all a misunderstanding! A misunderstanding!!
We are neighbors, allies! You want money? I’ll give you as much as you want! You want women? I have as many as you want!
Just say the word, and I’ll give you half of everything in my territory! We can talk this over properly; there will absolutely, absolutely not be a next time...”
Mckinney’s forehead thumped against the snow, as he secretly observed Louis’s expression.
Though outwardly terrified, he sneered inwardly.
Hmph, what’s with the cold act? No matter how arrogant this guy is, he wouldn’t dare to actually kill a noble.
Mckinney lowered his head, a cruel glint in his eyes, his mind already plotting his next revenge.
