"Hey, hey, what... is... happening?!"
From a distance, Backan, who was holding the line, was a bit dumbfounded. How did it come to this? Weren’t they gaining the upper hand just a moment ago?
The scene before him was grim: Second Prince Bolton’s head was completely blasted, leaving only a headless corpse half-lying in a large crater, which was stained with a gruesome mixture of red and white blood.
As for Abel, Bolton’s dying sword thrust directly into his chest. A large portion of the half-meter-long broken blade pierced deep, almost completely through Abel’s body, causing him to vomit large amounts of blood. He was clearly critically wounded.
Backan slapped away a charging knight, eliminating the last resistance in the immediate vicinity, then rushed to Abel’s side.
"Hey, are you... alright?"
Backan supported Abel, but found Bolton’s hand still clutching the sword hilt tightly. It took considerable effort to pry it open. He didn’t dare pull out the broken sword, fearing further severe bleeding.
Abel looked at Backan with a pained expression, grasping Backan’s arms with both hands. He tried to speak, but instead of words, copious amounts of fresh blood surged from his mouth.
"Damn it! Doctor! Where’s a doctor?!"
Seeing this, Backan dared not delay any longer. He hastily carried Abel off to find a doctor.
Rumble-rumble-rumble!
The chaotic air formed visible shockwaves, indiscriminately destroying everything in their path, kicking up swirling clouds of dust that were incredibly suffocating.
Aeridar suddenly paused, lowering his fist. Within the range of his Observation Haki, one of their own’s voice had suddenly become much fainter, it sounded like Abel. He also heard someone shouting for a doctor, which sounded like Backan.
The same happened for Saxon, who was a dozen meters away. In his Observation Haki’s perception, two very strong presences had vanished.
"Is it... Byrd and Bolton...?" Saxon lowered his sword slightly, looking uncertain.
Then, Aeridar and Saxon exchanged glances and attacked almost simultaneously. The immense power disturbed the air, forming terrifying, visible shockwaves. Quince sliced through the air, and a blue slash appeared from its blade, cutting through everything in its path.
Rumble-rumble-rumble!
The ground violently shook once more, and a terrifying blast of air swept in all directions, kicking up massive amounts of dust, instantly filling the area with smoke.
Within the dust and smoke, two dark figures rapidly collided, intertwining in a deadly struggle. Neither wanted to stop to investigate, knowing that without killing their opponent, everything else would be meaningless. They chose to fight to the death.
Hoofbeats, like rolling thunder, came from outside the city.
The soldiers and knights blockading the city gates stood on the walls and gatehouses, looking down.
Thousands of cavalry and knights surged from the central avenue of the noble district, raising vast clouds of dust. Behind them, a large contingent of infantry could vaguely be seen—some with spears, some with guns, some with swords and shields.
Most importantly, large armies had arrived outside all four city gates, seemingly encircling the entire Royal City.
"This is the Royal Palace! Any further advance is an act of rebellion!" A knight loyal to Third Prince Casey, standing on the gatehouse, shouted down.
"I am Kagu Moro, commander of the Third Legion! I received news of His Majesty’s death and that rebels are shelling the Royal City with cannons. I have come specifically to quell the rebellion! Which army are you with?" A knight in Barelian plate armor, a hundred meters from the city gate, rode forward, raising a long spear and shouting.
"Commander! We are the Seventh Detachment of the Royal Guard! The rebels have already been crushed by His Royal Highness, the Third Prince, but for the safety of the Royal Palace, His Royal Highness has specifically ordered the Royal City sealed. You may return!" The knight on the gatehouse, who identified himself as from the Seventh Detachment, shouted back.
"Third Prince?!" Kagu Moro, who claimed to be the commander of the Third Legion, trembled, immediately brandishing his spear and shouting, "The Third Prince is the rebel! What have you done to His Royal Highness, the First Prince?!"
It turned out that this Third Legion commander was loyal to First Prince Byrd. However, due to the suddenness of the events, they were stationed a kilometer outside the city and needed to wait for their forces to gather before they could come to support. Unexpectedly, in that short time, the Royal City had already been taken by Third Prince Casey’s forces.
"So, you’re the First Prince’s rebels!" The knight on the gatehouse was also surprised and hastily threatened them, "The First Prince and Second Prince, along with others, are already surrounded in the Royal Palace and are about to be annihilated! Surrender immediately, and His Royal Highness, the Third Prince, may overlook your past transgressions. Otherwise, you will all be treated as rebels and slaughtered!"
This knight also feared an assault on the city, as there were fewer than a thousand soldiers inside, while at least twenty to thirty thousand were outside—a massive disparity. If the enemy attacked, they wouldn’t be able to hold them off.
Kagu Moro was shocked, never expecting that the First Prince had already been cornered.
"Rebels on the wall! If you dare harm His Royal Highness, the First Prince, your entire clan will be exterminated!" Kagu Moro threatened loudly, then immediately ordered the assault, "All forces, move out! For His Royal Highness, the First Prince!"
The three armies roared, their momentum surging like a stampede of thousands of horses. This caused the soldiers on the city walls to pale. The knight’s face was also extremely grim, yet he still tried to reassure himself: "We just need to hold them for a while. They don’t have siege weapons, not even a single ladder."
However, the next moment, he couldn’t even console himself.
From within the army formation below, more than a dozen cannons were pushed forward, their muzzles aimed at the gatehouse and city gates.
The Royal City walls weren’t flimsy, nor was the city devoid of defensive artillery. However, due to the previous sudden bombardment, hundreds of cannons had relentlessly shelled the Royal City, severely damaging its walls, gatehouses, and defensive towers.
This had virtually destroyed all the cannons, ballistae, catapults, and other equipment placed on the walls, gatehouses, and defensive towers.
Truly, it was "made by cannon, broken by cannon."
Boom, boom, boom, boom...
Amidst the roar of cannons, the city gates were blasted open, and countless soldiers surged forward like ants, easily storming into the Royal City.
As for the nearly thousand soldiers who had been blockading the gate, a third were killed, a third were captured, and another third fled towards the Royal Palace.
On top of a tall clock tower, closest to the Royal City.
Three figures quietly appeared at the top of the tower: one with blonde hair and dressed lavishly, one with purple hair in black plate armor, and one cloaked in black robes with a pale face.
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