Building a Kingdom and Conquering the World

Chapter 124  Unpredictable Factor

The heat generated by the explosion created a thin mist that covered the vision of those on top of the walls, making it difficult to see the aftermath of the ballistae attack.

"We missed four of them" - Iosif regretfully stated, his eyes shifting toward a soldier behind the ballistae before shaking his head - "Forget it; it's not their fault. This is a new weapon devised by our king, so it's expected to take some time to train and get used to it." Iosif crossed his arms and shouted - "Charge the Ballistae! Archers, take your aim!" The archers, even unable to see through the mist obeyed the orders. They lifted their bows and knocked another arrow, positioning themselves with their bows aimed to the skies. The mist began to slowly settle down, allowing the archers to discern a few limping and crawling figures within it. These figures' painful screams were suffocated by the layer of snow and air.

Despite that, Iosif refused to give them a single second of respite - "Loose!"- he commanded, slightly waving his hand. He wanted to end them cleanly.

Hundreds of arrows filled the skies, piercing through the lingering mist with loud whistles. Zuna could only helplessly watch as those under her command fell, her eyes filled with anger, not for their destines, but for her status and morale within the soldiers' hearts. However, she could do nothing to change it.

"Is he not done?"- she wondered, her eyes trailing toward the robed man as another rain of arrows fell upon her front line, sealing their destiny.

The robed man kept his eyes shut as his glowing red fingers weaved through the air, mysterious words leaving his lips at an incredible speed. He wasn't finished, but Zuna could feel the air around her thickening with Mana and something heavy pressing against her. She felt an innate fear springing inside her.

"RAISE YOUR SHIELDS!"- A shout echoed among Luak's ranks, prompting Zuna to turn back at the walls. The gray skies had turned black again. However, this time, death's scythe was aimed at her.

"Give me some time to prepare, and don't bother me" - The robed man's words resonated within Zuna's mind - "I have to protect him!" - She thought.

With no time to spare, Zuna's hands flashed toward the nearest soldier - "Give me that!" - she shouted, pulling his shield to her. The soldier resisted, but Zuna was stronger and the sudden pull left him with a few broken fingers

 Then, Zuna dashed to the front of the robed man, shielding him from the incoming wave of arrows - "I hope this is worth it!" - she gritted her teeth and raised the shield.

When death's scythed fell unto Luak's army, anguished cries echoed through the field. Zuna felt dozens of arrows hitting the shield in her hands as cracks appeared, threatening to break it, but she stood firm. She had to protect the man or her chances of conquering Stahl would drop to zero.

"If I knew that their arrows could reach this far, I would have maintained more distance!" - Zuna cursed herself for underestimating the enemy, the shield in her hands cracking more and more - "I will surely chop off all of their hands! Just wait!" - Zuna promised through gritted teeth. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Iosif, who was watching from the top of the walls, gave a cold but satisfied grin - "Are we still not ready? Why the fuck are you taking so long?" - his gaze turning towards the soldiers behind the ballistae.

"Sorry, General!" - One of the soldiers respectfully responded, his voice loud enough to cut through the sounds of the bowstrings being loosened - "We will need a bit more time; the others are still finishing attaching the Torch Tree Seed on it! We need two more minutes!"

"Fuck!"- Iosif cursed -"I told you to leave everything ready! Why is it only being attached right now?" "We are sorry, General!"- The soldier apologized again, his voice slightly quivering - "We only had the time to finish six of them! We couldn't risk being careless. Miss Luna said that if we commit the slightest mistake and drop one of those on the ground, the whole wall could explode! You also said not to risk it!"

"Tch! Fucking Mages!" - Iosif cursed in a whisper, afraid that he would be heard by the female mage that gave them the seeds. He had never seen a mage before her and had no idea what they could do; maybe they could talk to the ancestors and bring disaster to him. He couldn't risk being overheard.

"Warn me when you are done!"- Iosif yelled and then turned back to the archers - "Don't stop! Keep firing! Don't let these fucking mongrels breathe! Let their souls remain here to serve our ancestors!" The relentless sound of the bowstrings being loosened echoed throughout the walls, akin to a huge swarm of wasps attacking the city. However, Iosif didn't want it to end, not while there were still enemies standing and his king had yet to make his move. The General only crossed his arms and watched as the enemies tried their best to survive the onslaught. It was a satisfying scene.

"They are enduring it quite well…" - He muttered, analyzing their situation - "They brought quite a lot of shields, so we can only deal a massive damage when the ballistae are ready. Until then, we need to keep them away from the walls. We can't risk it."

However, unbeknownst to Iosif, an unpredictable factor was about to be unleashed upon Eisenburg, something that could change the course of the battle.

"It's ready!" - The robed man's voice echoed behind Zuna, his snake-like golden eyes glowing softly. His hands stopped midair as if he was holding an invisible bowstring - "Get out of my sight, woman!"

Zuna could feel a hot air assaulting her from all side, prompting her to unconsciously look upwards. There, hundreds, if not thousands, of fire arrows coming out of strange and mysterious symbols filled the skies. All of them aimed at Eisenburg.

"I will break those walls and shatter those ballistae." - The robed man declared, his fingers loosening the invisible bowstring.