Chapter 628

The Ka`har soldiers, despite being shattered by catapults and ballistae, charged forward without hesitation, soon entering the range of arrows. The real defensive battle had begun.

“Archers, commence firing!”

“Commence firing!”

Archers lined up on the city walls, watchtowers, and behind the barriers drew their bows in unison, raining arrows down on the enemy. A black downpour of arrows slanted down, piercing the shields of the enemy soldiers without pause.

“Keep firing!”

The Ka`har ranks began to resemble a hedgehog. Most arrows were blocked by shields or armor, but unless their entire bodies were encased in steel, not every arrow could be stopped. Arrows slipped through gaps, piercing their bodies.

“These westerners can’t even shoot a bird. Is that what they call archery?”

“White Armies! Teach them how to shoot arrows!”

Not to be outdone, the Ka`har soldiers also began firing arrows from their composite bows.

A third of the advancing infantry, under the cover of their comrades, drew their bows, while warriors hidden inside the siege towers poured arrows through the wooden railings.

“Watch your heads! Helmets won’t stop these!”

“These barbarians dare… Ugh!”

The smell of blood thickened. The precision of the Ka`har archery was on a different level compared to the Imperial Army, and our casualties began to rise sharply. Soldiers with arrows embedded in their foreheads let out final gasps before collapsing.

Amid the growing screams and shouts, I also drew my bow and began sniping the warriors on the siege towers.

“Ugh!”

Warriors hiding behind the railings of the siege towers fell as arrows pierced through the wooden barriers like paper. Four shots, and four fell.

“It’s a longbow sniper! Block the front with large shields!”

Before I could nock my fifth arrow, they had already erected steel shields behind the broken railings to protect themselves from my sniping.

Perhaps because they were a people who spent their days hunting with longbows, their reaction to my sniping was faster than expected.

‘If only I could plant a few Falling Flame Spears there, I’d be satisfied.’

[I too find it hard to suppress the desire… but if I do, Or-han will fly straight here. We must wait until they cling to the walls and start climbing.]

…True. Ludwig’s plan to bury Or-han hadn’t even begun yet. Until then, I had to keep my position hidden. That’s why I was just quietly shooting arrows, hiding my presence.

“Damnable barbarians! Taste the light of Einfeld!”

Unlike Frederick, who laughed heartily and began hurling explosive throwing spears like thunderbolts.

– Whoosh!

Though his strength didn’t even come close to half of mine, he was still a knight who had reached the Realm of Heroes. His throwing spears, imbued with the power to easily surpass a ballista’s tension, flew with a sharp hum.

Heroic Tale, the Light of Einfeld.

Every time Frederick’s spears hit the enemy ranks, a deafening explosion shook the heavens and earth, scattering dozens of soldiers into bloody fragments.

“Here it comes again! Dodge!”

Even the warriors, undeterred by the catapults, ballistae, and arrow rain, couldn’t ignore the throwing spears that resembled tank shells. They scattered, trying to escape the blast radius.

“Move aside! That one’s mine!”

Until one warrior pushed through and stepped forward. A square jaw, thick nose, and a short goat-like beard. A familiar face.

One of Or-han’s three war chiefs, Harun Ibamai. He raised a massive axe high, spun it around, and slammed it down into the ground.

“Frozen Hell!”

Ibamai’s Heroic Tale from the original work. The axe, imbued with the feats of a hero, caused a massive iceberg to rise like a mountain the moment it touched the ground. Though less than ten meters tall, it was enough to block Frederick’s spears.

– Crash!

The spear tip collided with the sudden ice wall, exploding with a thunderous roar. Shattered ice dust scattered, drenching the helmets of the easterners.

[To think such a feat is possible with just an axe. It looks no different from sorcery.]

Hersela murmured in quiet admiration. Well, elemental Heroic Tales aren’t much different from magic in terms of results. Still.

‘You’re one to talk, aren’t you?’

I chuckled and retorted.

Isn’t the World of Mortality the epitome of magical Heroic Tales? Spreading a mist of Life Force Technique to annihilate all life within an area—what kind of warrior’s skill is that? It’s more like something a sorcerer would do.

Though, it wasn’t mentioned in the original, Ai-shan Gi-or was originally from a sorcerer’s bloodline, so it’s not strange for her to manifest a Heroic Tale resembling sorcery.

—

“Sir Median. A message from the Lord of the Borderlands. The ‘preparations’ are complete, so be ready…”

As the Ka`har warriors, enduring the arrow rain, reached the city walls, a knight from Landenburg quietly approached and spoke to me.

Ludwig’s message was clear: there was no longer a need to quietly snipe from here.

“Finally, it’s done. So, where do we start?”

“Move to the 7th watchtower.”

The knight pointed to a watchtower along the barrier. The soldiers who had been desperately firing arrows began to retreat, as if ordered to do so.

“What about the siege tower coming this way?”

Ai-shan had prepared three siege towers. One was heading towards the 7th watchtower, another was approaching here, and the last was pushing towards the center of the barrier.

“Sir Joshua has taken charge of handling them.”

Joshua?

Well, that man does have a Heroic Tale perfect for smashing such things. A ten-meter-long giant sword swinging around would chop those wooden towers like firewood. As long as it doesn’t get blocked mid-swing.

“Got it. Tell him I’m moving now.”

“Yes!”

I casually acknowledged the knight’s salute, adjusted my robe, and pulled the hood deep over my head. To maximize the effect of the secret plan Ludwig and I had prepared, it was best to keep my identity hidden until the last moment.

[Finally, it begins? I was about to fall asleep waiting.]

‘Yeah. When we were discussing the plan, I never thought we’d actually go through with this madness.’

If even I’m calling it madness, Or-han won’t see it coming. He’ll probably be utterly shocked.

[Thousandfold Catastrophe…! I’m looking forward to it. A spectacle I’ll never see again in my lifetime!]

Hersela muttered excitedly, like a child waiting for a birthday present, even reciting the name she gave the operation.

Well… I have to agree it will be a spectacle.

—

After arriving near the 7th watchtower, I joined the few remaining archers and began firing arrows at the siege tower.

If we left this area completely empty, they might suspect a trap and not approach. Though I’m not sure if they’re that clever.

Meanwhile, the battle was intensifying.

“Climb! Get over this hurdle, and it’s your time!”

The warriors who reached the base of the walls shot rope arrows into the top of the walls and began climbing up, using daggers to secure their grip.

In a real siege, they might have prepared ladders, but it seemed they relied on the warriors’ climbing skills rather than building ladders dozens of meters high.

“They’re climbing! Stop them!”

Archers on the walls fired arrows at the climbing warriors, while infantry with spears and shields protected the archers, constantly throwing boiling water, rocks, and flaming logs.

The warriors, with shields fixed to their backs to protect their heads and necks, climbed up, but not all attacks could be avoided.

“Argh!”

A warrior doused in boiling water clutched his face and writhed.

Though the ropes kept him from falling immediately, death might have been less painful. His exposed upper body was riddled with arrows and crushed by rocks the size of human heads.

The corpse, resembling a boiled hedgehog, dangled like a pendulum, entrails spilling out.

But the soldiers’ attacks weren’t the only threat. The defensive weapons Ludwig had installed on the walls began to activate.

– Clang!

Giant blades with chains swept across the wall’s surface, slicing the hanging warriors into pieces.

– Thunk!

Sharp spearheads shot out from small holes in the wall, piercing the faces or groins of climbing warriors. Warriors who underwent unanesthetized gender reassignment surgery screamed in agony and thrashed about.

The walls turned red.

“Did you think this would work?”

“Cowards of the Empire-! The Paladin Achibur is here!”

Then, the war chiefs and paladins began reaching the top of the walls. Superhumans climbing at a speed far beyond ordinary warriors, dodging all the deadly traps and scattering blood as they ascended.

Soon after, the warriors who had climbed up threw rope ladders down for the soldiers below to climb.

I watched the scene and turned my gaze to the approaching siege tower.

“This side is empty! Lucky us!”

“No. Terribly unlucky.”

As I split a warrior who had climbed up and swung an axe at me in half.