Chapter 468

Chapter Ninety-One: One Force to Break the City

Whoosh—

The giant horned beast beneath me snorted and stamped its hooves restlessly.

On the grassland at the edge of the pine forest, more than two hundred golden-armored knights stood in utter silence, gazing up at the firelight descending from the sky. The flames, brushing past the air in the rain, left behind thick smoke trailing long white mist, accompanied by howling winds that roared like a blazing meteor. Yet, the knights looked at the scene with an unyielding array, unmoved by fear.

Their attitude instantly calmed me, who had been somewhat panicked and instinctively wanted to turn away from the attack.

They have a way to block this…

As this thought crossed my mind, I turned my head to look at Isaac at the forefront of the army.

Isaac, without his helmet and bald head exposed, sat upright on the beast, looking straight at the firelight. He raised one hand high above his head and shouted loudly, “Anastasia!”

“Anastasia—”

More than thirty knights in the front row echoed him in unison, their swords drawn with a clang from their scabbards.

The knights gripped their sword hilts tightly, holding their blades upright before them. Thin golden light radiated from their bodies, forming flowing waves of light like water vapor that drifted toward the top of the air ten meters ahead.

It’s a miracle!

This was the Anastasia that Cardinal Nero had used to trap Elyush in the canyon!

Zzzz…

The soft hum of golden light spread through the rain. Dozens, even hundreds of light streams rose from the knights’ bodies, converging into a single point ahead before spreading out with a hum to form a semicircular, transparent light wall, shielding over two hundred people including myself.

Immediately afterward, another dazzling golden glow burst forth at the forefront of the army. The young bishop beside Isaac, whom I had met earlier in the attacked village, raised his right hand on the beast’s back, slightly tilting his body as if he were holding a spear.

In the golden light, a holy lance adorned with intricate carvings suddenly materialized several meters above the bishop. He seemed to hold the holy lance aloft, took a deep breath, and gazed far off at the castle, giving a low shout and throwing the lance.

Swoosh—

The holy lance sliced through the air, breaking the sound barrier with a loud crack, flying swiftly out of sight.

At the same time, scorching flames descended from above, nearly grazing the holy lance before falling. The piercing shriek grew closer, and the enormous, scorching fireball, carrying a mighty roar, came closer and closer in my view until it collided violently with the barrier.

Boom!

Damn.

The earth-shattering explosion shook the ground, and my heart raced uncontrollably. I hastily covered my ears, my head ringing.

Crimson flames burst open in the air ten meters ahead, like a splendid flower blooming, with scorching heat waves roaring and wind raging like sharp blades. Below, large patches of grass were instantly burned and torn apart by the wind, and the burning plants and soil flew up three or four meters high, sending a terrifying shock wave that swept across everything within dozens of meters.

However, whether it was the intense flames or the fierce wind, all the impacts caused by the explosion were blocked by that thin, almost transparent barrier. The residual impact swept through the gaps below the barrier, barely stirring the hair here.

I stood at the forefront of the right wing of the army, watching the explosion gradually dissipate. The barrier rippled but showed no damage.

Clang—

Isaac drew his sword.

The young bishop clasped his hands in prayer, the lingering light around him reassembling into a bright star. The humming of the miracle echoed in my ears, and the radiant light spread from beneath the bishop, enveloping the knights once more.

I couldn’t help but squint.

This—

A warm current flowed within my body, a faint arc of light like an eggshell enveloping me and the giant beast beneath me. The armored white horned beast raised its front hooves, emitting a loud neigh.

“Wah, wah…”

I hurriedly tightened my grip on the reins, pressing down with my upper body, half lying on the beast’s back to ensure I wouldn’t be thrown off.

The explosion ahead dissipated entirely, crimson flames burning in the rain, the glaring gold light gradually fading, and the barrier turning into light points and vanishing.

At the forefront of the army, the bald man, like a giant, swung his sword downward, shouting fiercely, “Honor resides in my heart, belief accompanies me, justice becomes a sword, the enemy’s wails are our glory!”

“Defend our honor!”

Clang!

The knights in the front row sheathed their swords, turning their beasts around and retreating to the rear. Then, over a hundred knights stepped forward, taking the short-handled daggers hanging from their saddles, gripping the handles and swinging them to the side—

Click click click click!

The sound of gears turning filled the air, and the short blades in the knights’ hands instantly transformed into two-meter-long silver spears. The tips of the spears had hooks, and raindrops dripped from the curved hooks, revealing circular sunflower emblems carved on them…

Strange weapon…

It’s the folding hook scythe from the Central Workshop!

I recognized it at a glance.

“God’s knights who break the darkness!”

Isaac stood upright, his figure bathed in a pale golden light, the horned beast beneath him pawing the ground restlessly.

The man’s voice was deep and resonant, stirring the hearts of all present, echoing across the entire prairie.

“Follow me—”

“Miss Silvija, please draw your weapon, we are charging!” Safiros reminded loudly beside me.

In the next moment, the bald man swung his sword down.

“One force to break the city!!!”

Stomp, stomp, stomp… Rumble, rumble, rumble…

The ground trembled slightly, mud and stones splashing.

The sound of iron hooves thundered like a clap of thunder. Isaac led the charge first, followed by over a hundred knights. Their golden light followed closely behind them. They did not shout to boost morale; these battle-hardened knights remained calm and silent, following Isaac’s lead, charging towards the distant castle.

Safiros rode past me.

Rushing past, he turned his head and shouted, “Let’s go! Follow closely—”

No need to tell!

I pressed hard on the beast’s back, gripping the reins tightly, my body leaning down. The rhinoceros let out a long cry and rushed forward.

In the extremely bumpy vision, the golden-armored flood scattered in the rain curtain. The beasts’ hooves trampled the grassland, mud and grass clippings flying higher than the raindrops, swirling around with the whistling wind and passing by my ears.

The knights’ charge speed was getting faster and faster, and the big creature under me gradually started to move, running at full speed even faster than the others. Soon, I surpassed Saphiros and countless other knights, reaching the forefront of the line.

Whoosh—

On top of the fortress wall, the third fireball, with a dazzling aura, flew towards the plain again.

“Go!”

I urged the giant beast to accelerate further. My bouncing bottom left the saddle, standing half up on the stirrups, one hand holding the reins tightly while the other raised over my head, palm glowing with brilliant blue light.

Boom boom boom!

A chill spread over my head instantly; raindrops froze into ice, and various sizes of frost condensed from the front, forming an airborne ice wall nearly twenty meters in diameter. The incoming fireball collided with the ice wall with a loud explosion, scattering crimson flames all around. The ice wall shattered, and flames and shattered ice fell from above, narrowly dodged by the knights. Thick smoke rose into the sky, the blooming ice and fire displayed momentarily before being thrown behind by the explosion’s echo.

Beautiful…

Shaking my numb hand, I tightened the reins and rushed past the explosion, with no intention to look back, eyes fixed on the fortress wall.

Can’t see anyone…

There was now a gap in the fortress wall, seemingly caused by the Holy Lance earlier. However, there were no figures nearby, and I couldn’t find where the heretic who had fired the fireballs was.

Being able to launch such attacks with precise strikes from so far away, he must be very strong… It’s too far to see clearly, maybe another Stage Three, but should only be one person…

In any case, I have to find him first and take him out.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh—

Suddenly, three consecutive fireballs rose from the other side of the fortress, shooting towards us like missiles.

Oh no!

I felt something was wrong.

But the next moment, a thin barrier reformed overhead, and the knights behind me combined their divine powers to intercept the incoming fireballs.

Boom boom boom!

Another series of explosions echoed across the sky.

The charging knights rushed through the barrier below without stopping, Isaac leading the charge at the forefront, bathed in dazzling gold light as if a flowing river of light across the earth. In the halo, he raised his sword and shouted, “Accelerate the advance!”

The knights leaned forward, riding beasts with lances, forming an arrow-like formation advancing through the heavy rain, the sound of hooves like a massive wave surging across the prairie.

… Five hundred meters.

At this point, the formation was about five hundred meters away from the fortress.

This distance was shortening rapidly.

Four hundred meters… three hundred fifty… three hundred…

The giant beast beneath me was panting heavily, each iron hoof landing causing intense vibrations, the rumbling noise filling my ears. Even with such a large range of motion, I could still hear my own heartbeat clearly.

I have never felt like this before.

Surrounded by reliable allies on the battlefield, looking around, even though there were less than two hundred people, these were the elite of the elite within the church, experienced and well-coordinated, capable of easily neutralizing enemy attacks.

Behind me, there were more than a thousand such warriors.

This feeling stirred excitement, making my blood boil.

… Two hundred meters.

On top of the fortress, the heretic who kept throwing fireballs had stopped moving.

At such a close distance, I could clearly see countless figures on the city walls, their hands and bodies burning with crimson flames, obviously prepared to launch another wave of attacks once we got closer.

“Close the flanks! Charge the gate—”

Isaac shouted loudly.

The gates of the castle ahead were tightly shut, with spiked iron bars already lowered, and the wall seemed to be at least ten meters high… How to forcefully attack?

“Baldy!” I urged the beast to the forefront, shouting to Isaac, “You and I, let’s climb the wall!”

Isaac grinned wickedly, “Hah! Let me blast the gate first!”

… Blast the gate?

“Can we do it?”

One hundred meters.

“Little guy, look ahead!”

Countless arrows shot from the wall, arcing through the air and falling among the charging knights, but no one made any evasive movements. The arrows were deflected by the light shields covering them, causing no harm.

Fifty meters.

The speed of the knights’ charge gradually decreased.

“Move aside!” Isaac shouted loudly.

Thirty meters.

I pulled the reins, slowing down and moving to the side, looking up at the wall to find a target.

The next moment, a humming sound came from Isaac’s side.

“Eat my Judgment Punch—”

The man sat astride the beast, striking a straight punch toward the city gate ahead.

Brilliant golden light surged out with the wind, carving a trench in the ground ahead, chaotic currents mixed with mud and water forming a huge fist within the golden glow, slamming onto the iron bars outside the gate.

Clang clang clang…

The immense sound almost deafened everyone.

In my sight, the giant iron bars along with the gate were twisted and deformed, collapsing inward toward the wall.

“Hahaha! That’s refreshing!”

The frantic cries from the fortress were drowned out by Isaac’s laughter.

“Now! Little guy! Let’s climb up and kill the rats—”