Chapter 483

Chapter 106: Iron Bones Scream, Blood Burns, Part Five

The jet-black hair danced wildly behind her, and in front of her, amidst the forest, wind and frost swirled and clashed before quietly dissipating.

“Lord Silviga—”

Saphiros led several knights riding beasts to arrive. Seeing the frozen corpse of the heathen, he was slightly taken aback but soon burst into laughter.

“Hahaha! This dog has been frozen by Lord Silviga into an ice block, dying so miserably. Truly delightful!”

The heathen named Vethemil had sharp ice spears piercing his body, contorted as he was thrust halfway into the air. One ice spear pierced through his jaw, sticking out from his gaping mouth. The blood that flowed like fire solidified into dark red crystals, making him look as if he were crawling with disgusting worms. His frozen face and body twisted among the ice, sending chills down one’s spine.

Saphiros looked at the ice sculpture for a moment with interest, then tightened the reins. The giant beast beneath him let out a long neigh, lifting its front hooves and stomping heavily, shattering the ice sculpture and sending it crashing into the mud nearby with a loud crack. The man on the beast’s back pouted and spat a thick phlegm onto the shattered ice.

“Pah! Such trash unworthy of being human should die without a complete body.”

“Is it over on your end?” I turned my head and asked him.

“It is.”

Saphiros nodded slightly: “Not a single rat was left; all their bodies hung on the trees… We injured two brothers, one severely burned, not dead, but who knows how much longer he can last… Damn. The commotion on the left flank has stopped, but it seems the right side is still fighting. Who knows what the situation is…”

He shivered and took a deep breath.

“Ssss… It’s really cold. Arthur, Arthur!”

The knight commander rubbed his hands and breathed out, turning to shout loudly. The young knight called Arthur, whose face was cut with a bloody scar that wasn’t deep but still oozing blood, rode forward. He didn’t seem to mind the wound. His eyes, filled with fervent respect, stared at me for a moment, the azure irises brimming with awe.

“What are you staring at!” The knight commander glared at him angrily. “With Lord Silviga’s strength, dealing with these lowlifes is like a lion hunting a rabbit. This is just the tip of the iceberg. You didn’t see the strike in the village earlier… Anyway, we follow the lord. Don’t be a hindrance.”

He waved his hand at the knight: “Go report the situation at the rear. The death of this heathen Vethemil is a morale booster. Let this news spread among the troops. We’re about to confront the heretics head-on, and the morale of the knights needs to be raised… Hurry up and return!”

“Yes!”

The knight, full of excitement, accepted the order and left.

“Lord Silviga, shall we continue advancing?”

“Mm.”

…

Ten kilometers away, in Aretine City.

The roar of voices ignited the entire night, and the canal outside the city turned crimson.

This was usually the time of dusk, but the sky had already darkened. Fire arrows flew across the sky like shooting stars, illuminating the vision of those fiercely fighting on the walls. On the southern slopes, the heathens and rebels wielding long swords surged through the muddy grass like a tide. The golden light flickered atop the wall, and the fierce holy lances swooped down, cutting through the crowd below, leaving trails of blood. People fell like wheat stalks, only to rise again later, limbs twisted, emerging from the blood-soaked mud.

The siege had begun.

The sturdy gate, already broken and blocked by the golden radiance of sin, was engulfed in flames and blood. The crowded figures fought fiercely, ladders were set against the walls, and boiling oil poured down from above. Screams echoed as people fell from the ladders. The heathens climbing the walls engaged in brutal combat with the knights. Huge fireballs shook the walls, arrows whistled, and blood filled the air. Desperate screams spread like wildfire.

Long swords and sharp blades cut into bodies, severed limbs, and decapitated heads. Entrails spilled out, and flames raged. More people rushed towards the walls, engulfed in the massive killing ground. The sky dimmed, and life seemed as fragile as paper. The wounded lay in pools of blood, gazing at the sky, surrounded by shadows of battle.

Inside the infirmary behind the walls, young knight Barry lifted his head, listening to the horrifying sounds from the direction of the left wall. He heard the sound of fireballs striking the wall with a dull thud. Wounded soldiers were continuously brought in, but even more corpses were carried out. The beds in the infirmary were almost full.

He looked at the familiar yet strange corpses, feeling the slight tremor underfoot. Lowering his head slowly, he glanced at his hands wrapped in bandages, stained with blood. An indescribable emotion surged within him—whether fear or anger, he felt hot and cold blood rising, unable to hold back the urge to clench his teeth and fists.

Barry had endured many days of fierce battles and heavy bloodshed. He thought he had adapted to such things, from initially feeling weak at the sight of the dead to now seeing his comrades maimed and burned, their agonized cries echoing, their wounds gruesome. He thought he could face everything calmly, but looking at these scenes now made him dizzy and nauseous—though he couldn’t vomit.

He hadn’t eaten anything for nearly a day.

Since the son of the battalion leader brought the merchant caravan to this city, Barry and his team were reassigned from the front lines to the infirmary, working alongside civilians to provide medical assistance. Young knight Barry felt ashamed—ashamed of not being able to fight alongside his comrades, and… a little relieved when he first heard the order.

However, military orders were absolute. Despite Barry and his teammates protesting at the command center, it was said that the battalion leader was firm. There was no room for discussion. They had no choice but to stay here, feeling a mix of guilt, and worked even harder.

For days, the fighting on the walls never ceased. Barry and his team had no time to rest. Even when they did stop, they would find a corner to nap briefly, only to be interrupted by new tasks. Though hungry, they had no appetite. The women inside the camp, busy running around since morning, hadn’t even had a sip of water. As a knight, Barry felt it was shameful enough not to be able to fight, but how could he eat before them?

“Barry, Barry!”

His teammates carried a critically injured knight nearby, urgently calling him: “Come help us—”

Barry quickly ran over to help his teammates gently place the injured soldier on the ground. A woman brewing medicine immediately approached with a bowl, tending to the unconscious young knight’s wounds.

“Miss Lilith, Miss Lilith, bandages…”

The knight had lost an arm, half his face scorched black and tragic, half his lips gone, revealing white teeth. He trembled violently. A woman named Lilith knelt beside him.

Zi began to apply medicine and bandage him, but when the bandages ran out, someone passed some from beside her. She reached out to take them, but suddenly her body swayed, her legs gave way, and she fell to the ground, the medicine bowl crashing to pieces.

“Be careful!”

Barry did not mind the medicine spilling on his foot. He wanted to help the woman up, but seeing her thin dress with a large tear revealing her collarbone and shoulder, he hesitated. His hand was unsure where to go.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”

The woman said repeatedly as she struggled to get up.

“Are you okay? Miss Lilith, how long have you been awake? You haven’t even had water… I have some dry bread here. Eat something, drink some water, and rest a bit…”

Barry took out half a piece of hard bread from his pocket, intending to give it to the woman. Suddenly realizing that the bread had been in his pocket for almost two days, not only was it hard and cold, but it had also fallen on the ground several times and gotten dirty. Moreover, he had bitten into it himself. His face flushed, and he felt inexplicably anxious.

He wanted to retract the bread: “I’ll go get you some warm ones…”

“This is fine, thank you.”

The woman shook her head, took the dry bread, and put it in her mouth. Perhaps she had recovered from the dizziness, she picked up the bandages on the ground and continued to bandage the knight’s wounds.

At this moment, the entire city was engulfed in war. The heretics were about to break through the city walls. Everyone was fighting for their lives. Many men who knew a little swordsmanship had gone up to the city walls. Some women with no strength to fight mostly helped the fighters in any way they could—some were like Miss Lilith, noble ladies; others were low-born female workers.

These people, who would never normally interact, were now striving together for a common goal, with messy hair and faces stained with dirt and blood, trying desperately to do something to protect their homes.

Under such circumstances, some things were no longer important. Lilith accepted Barry’s dry bread, not thinking whether it was dirty or left by someone else. She focused on what she needed to do, her haggard yet determined appearance moved Barry, making him feel somewhat uneasy and a bit heartbroken.

These days, he couldn’t help but be concerned about this noble lady who was two or three years older than him.

There was no particular reason. Barry felt that she reminded him of his sister, Xil, whom he hadn’t seen for a year.

It wasn’t about looks, but something else…

But he couldn’t quite say what exactly was similar between them. He just felt that way. Sometimes, when he looked at Lilith, another blurry face would appear in his mind, that of a beautiful girl with black hair and eyes.

He looked at her now, her disheveled hair and her determined expression, feeling a surge of pity, and involuntarily shouted to those around him: “L-Ladies and gentlemen! Lilith is the daughter of the city lord. She has been helping in the infirmary since the battle outside the city began. She hasn’t rested for two days. You… after she finishes these tasks, let her rest a bit… I’ll watch over the boiling medicine, I know a little about it…”

His voice was loud. The crowd was stunned for a moment, then an injured knight spoke: “The daughter of Lord Cross… No wonder I found the name familiar. You cough, cough, are you the daughter of the city lord?”

“I saw her. She hasn’t rested for at least a day… The daughter of the city lord?”

“I saw her when she first arrived. It was dark here… But looking closely, she really is.”

The condition of the knight who had just been carried in and was seriously injured gradually stabilized. Lilith heard their words and became flustered.

“The daughter of the city lord, how can you be here…”

“Why don’t you hide in the underground bunker? It’s dangerous here!”

“It’s enough that you have this heart. You don’t need to do these things… We will repel the heretics. Then Miss Lilith can come out to attend the victory banquet. If we’re lucky, we can have a toast with the lady… If you come here and get hurt, it would ruin our knights’ honor…”

The crowd’s emotions heated up. Some joked, some were touched. The woman named Lilith stood up, facing them—some had lost limbs, some were too weak to open their eyes due to blood loss, and there were even a few critically injured knights, all looking at her with ugly smiles.

She felt helpless, planning to say something, but unexpectedly her nose tingled, tears streaming down uncontrollably. She wiped them away, leaving a dirty smear, sobbing softly, then shaking her head: “I-I’ll go rest in a bit, thank you, thank you… You’re all heroes, my father… and brother, they’ve gone to the city walls… I can’t use a sword, so I can only do these things…”

“Killing heretics is our duty!”

“Miss Lilith, watch me. When I heal, I’ll kill a few more heretics… all credited to you!”

Barry nodded vigorously. He wanted to say some grand words to Lilith, but thinking that he hadn’t gone to the city walls with the fighters, he felt a mix of emotions, unable to speak, feeling extremely uncomfortable, mumbling after a while: “I’ll go get some hot water…”

Without waiting for a response, he turned and ran out of the camp to the supply tent on the southern side of the city. Several familiar teammates were gathered around a fire. The water here was relatively clean, intended for the wounded. Without hesitation, Barry picked up a bowl and scooped some lukewarm water from a bucket, then turned back. He held his hand over the bowl to avoid dust flying in.

On the distant city wall, the sounds of battle and the deafening explosions never ceased. The dim light flickered between gold and red. Fire arrows whizzed through the night sky, occasionally soaring over the high walls and landing inside the city. Barry walked quickly, looking up.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

He saw several intense flames accompanied by shocking shrieks, slamming into the city wall from the sky, followed by a huge explosion. The sturdy wall crumbled, collapsing with a thunderous roar, burying countless people under the scorching green rocks.

Buzzing…

Barry’s ears rang, his eyes stung from the bright light.

He squinted, feeling the ground shake violently, nearly losing his balance. Some water spilled from the bowl. Immediately, the shouts on the other side rose to a fever pitch, like the roars of countless beasts in the midst of fierce combat, their voices like thunder, faintly covering the sound of the collapsing wall, surging with a new wave of screams—

“Aaahhh—!!!”

In the midst of the clamor, chaos erupted around him.

“What’s going on?!”

“The city… has been breached…”

Breached…

In an instant, Barry understood.

The moment of despair had arrived.