Building a Kingdom and Conquering the World C.125 The fall

Iosif's eyes widened in disbelief, struggling to understand the magical and surreal scene unfolding before him. Warriors were familiar with fire, some of them could harness mana to coat their weapons in it, which allowed them to slice through blocks of ice in a single attack. However, what Iosif was witnessing at this moment could never be reached, at least not in his limited view. The fiery mana was being manipulated and shaped into arrows, numbering in the hundreds and all pointed threateningly at them.

Suddenly, in an instant, like arrows released from a drawn bow, the fiery shapes hurtled towards the walls, leaving a misty trail in their wake like a comet streaking through the skies. At that moment, time seemed to stop.

"GET COVER! PROTECT YOURSELVES!"- Iosif urgently shouted, his voice waking up everyone to the problem at hand. Soldiers frantically sought protection behind the parapet. Iosif also dropped to the ground and protected himself, knowing that his body wouldn't be able to withstand such an attack.

"Shit!" - A soldier behind the ballistae cursed, his desperate eyes fixated on the comrade holding a small seed - "IDIOT! THROW THAT AWAY!"

The soldier holding the tree seed was paralyzed, fear etched deep into his bones. His gaze fixed on the oncoming attack and unable to move a single finger.

"FUCK! GIVE ME THAT!" - The ballistae operator roared, snatching the seed and hurling it away from the wall with all his strength. Without a moment of delay, he dragged the petrified soldier behind the parapet, trying to find protection from the fire arrows.

The barrage of arrows struck the walls, a deafening explosion echoed, creating a tempest of flames and smoke that billowed into the air. The impact reverberated through the walls and spread across the city. The castle's towers also quivered, shedding the white snow dress covering the ceilings.

"Everything will be alright…Shh…Don't cry…Our king will solve this." - Inside a civilian's house, a mother protectively hugger her child, whispering gentle and soothing words. Her gaze gravitated to the small window. The skies were painted in red as smoke billowed, accompanied by painful cries.

"Everything will be alright…The king is here…" - She repeated again, like a mantra, unsure if those words were meant for the fragile soul in her arms.

Despite the mother's prayer, the arrows continued their relentless assault, creating havoc throughout the wall and the city.

"Help me!" - The anguished plea of a soldier echoed, a fiery arrow stuck into his shoulder - "I can't put it out! It's burning!" - his hands were desperately trying to put out the fire, but the fire soon spread to his throat, ceasing his cries. However, those near him could see his eyes shouting for a help that never came. Soon, the fire consumed his whole body, leaving only a black corpse and a nauseating smell. In a matter of a few seconds, dozens of such corpses emerged, lives reaped by the red and mystical arrows.

Iosif could feel each impact clearly, but he could only cower behind the parapet, debris and fiery arrows flashing dangerously close to him. Helpless, the General could only watch as his soldiers fell one after another, and the fire relentlessly spread through the walls. The once imposing defensive barrier of Eisenburg was crumbling at a rapid pace. The sweat and tears of those who had helped rebuild the city were being destroyed. Iosif finally understood the might of the mages.

"It stopped..." - Iosif thought, feeling that the ground under his feet had finally stopped quivering. His eyes briefly looked the chaotic scene around him.

Dead soldiers lay scattered everywhere, and the living ones were fearfully cowering behind the parapet. The fear in their eyes was palpable, making them unable to move their fingers and feet.

Iosif's eyes left the chaotic scene and peered cautiously over the wall, his eyes squinting against the mist, trying to spot the enemies - "What are they doing?" - Iosif questioned himself, seeing that they hadn't moved a single step from where they stood.

"GENERAL!" - a shout cut through the chaos, not allowing Iosif a second to figure out what happened - "WE NEED WATER! THE FIRE IS SPREADING TO THE HOUSES! WE NEED WATER!"

The General tore his eyes away from the enemies and looked at the situation of the South Avenue. A few of the fiery arrows had failed to strike the walls or any soldiers, finding their marks on a few carts filled with food and wood. From there, fire was about to reach the houses. The walls were also on fire, the gentle falling snow unable to asphyxiate and kill it.

Iosif hesitantly peered over the walls again to confirm the enemies' position before shouting - "DON'T MOVE! KEEP YOUR POSITION UNTIL I COMMAND!" - The previous attack weighed heavily on his mind, leaving him afraid to take any unnecessary risks. He was afraid of another attack and had to make sure that it didn't catch them off guard.

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"COVER!!" - Iosif billowed again as a single fire arrow hurtled towards them. This time, it seemed to be coming right at the general. No, it was charging at the ballistae near him, where a small leather pouch was tied to its tip.

The general's eyes traced the trajectory and cursed - "I HATE MAGES!" - He had no time to run or jump. He was in the middle of a death zone.

On Luak's side, the robed man's fingers stopped glowing as the last fire arrow was thrown - "The wall is down…" - He said as he watched the arrow hurtling towards a certain direction of the wall.

Zuna confusedly looked at the perfectly standing wall, one that kept its imposing shadow even amidst that terrible rampage of attacks. She could see small holes carved into the piled stones, but there were no cracks for an army to get trough. The gates were also still tightly shut.

She wanted to respectfully raise a question, but when she turned to look at the robed man, an explosion occurred. The noise akin to the one produced when those giant arrows collided against her advanced troops. Her eyes immediately gravitated towards the wall.

"How?" - she asked, dumbfounded and unable to believe what she was witnessing. Hundreds of arrows had failed to make a dent in the stones, yet a single one, the last one, managed to destroy a whole section of the wall. It was mysterious. "You barbaric people" - The robed man grumbled angrily - "I could have opened a hole in those walls with my Fire Rain spell if I wanted, but I chose to punish those bastards who dared to make me waste my time. I shouldn't even be spending my Mana in these lands, and look at this. You are all useless! If I had known, I would have done the job myself. Why would I approach your miserly kingdom?" The robed man's tone was filled with fury. He stared at Zuna and bellowed - "Why are you not attacking? Are you expecting me to also charge towards these mongrels? I should have made the king come himself; I didn't expect him to send such a dumb girl. Now, just get going. I want to go back to my place. I don't wish to spend a single day longer in these freezing lands." A few moments ago, inside the forest near the walls of Eisenburg and the army of Luak, Henry watched in bewilderment as hundreds of fire arrows appeared, covering the skies. Then, all of them were thrown towards the walls of the capital. The king gripped his sword tightly as he heard the painful cries of his subjects in the distance, watching his walls being damaged. His eyes unconsciously glowed in a purple light.

"Should we attack, my king?" - Gedhe asked, his hands gripping the two hatchets tightly. The tattoo of the wolf on his bare skin glowed in a slightly blue light.

"No…" - Henry responded, his eyes glowing even brighter - "It's not the time. We are going to wait until the army begins marching. We just need a little patience." - His tone seemed to veil the anger and fury within him.

Henry and the barbarians that accompanied him watched silently as the capital was attacked. And, at that moment, even though they still harbored negative sentiments towards most of those of Stahl, they were angered. Their families and community were all there, and these attackers were threatening their loved ones.

"Gedhe!" - One of the barbarians called in the barbarian language, but Henry was too immersed in his anger to notice it - "We should attack them; our families are there. We can't let them die."

Gedhe didn't respond and only looked at him, as if a beast daring the enemy to bark another time. His stare demanded respect and silence.

Suddenly, an explosion that shook even the ground beneath their feet and the trees around them occurred. Their eyes drifted to the capital's position, and they could see an incredible scene. A hole was made through the walls.

"That robed one!" - Henry said. Unbeknownst to the others, he was already holding his silver sword - "Leave him to me." - The image of the wall being destroyed etched in his mind - "I will dismember him."