CH 180 Siege

Facing spirits, bonfire and food, the low morale of the Holy Army was finally cheered up again. After witnessing Pope Theolde making wheat grow out of thin air, almost everyone firmly believed that he was the incarnation of God in the human world. Theolde delivered a speech on the spot.

He attributed the occupation of the Holy City of Holy Spirit Bay by a group of heretical barbarians as the most terrifying warning before the arrival of the Doomsday Judgment, saying that this was a signal that the world was coming to an end and that the day of the Last Judgment was coming. However, God was merciful. Although He was saddened by the people's misdeeds, He was still willing to give His believers a chance to be saved, so He made food grow from the barren earth.

This was God’s last chance for mercy and giving.

"...The Holy City fell because we, the brothers gathered here, failed to be devout. This is our sin. If we want to be saved, we must put aside the cowardice and hatred in our hearts and work together to conquer the country of heresy. Please pick up our swords and don't let the poisonous fog of evil block our way. Remember, God bless us."

Under such a highly inflammatory speech, the Holy Army was not only afraid of the disaster of the destruction of the Holy City, but also immersed in the miracles shown by Theolde, and for a time bravely and fearlessly devoted themselves to the "last salvation", launching a powerful attack on Yoringshire City.

General Velarion, the commander of the Border Army, looked at this change and was both angry and afraid of Theolde's power. He could only watch as his control over the army was taken away by the Pope. Theolde had completely become the supreme commander of the three armies, and the Holy Army could be easily directed by his hands.

After Pope Theolde took over the supreme command of the army, the results he achieved further confirmed what he said that God was still blessing the world. Prior to this, the Holy Army had repeatedly been firmly resisted outside the city wall by Legrand's multiple defensive measures. When morale was at its lowest, it was even difficult to approach the fire range of the opponent's tower.

But under Theolde's command, they were able to briefly cross the opponent's moat and have their military engineers dig trenches under the tower. Although, soon, the Legrandians in the city dug trenches in reverse to curb their movements. But compared with before, this was already a better start.

"Have our soldiers speed up the attack on Tower 2 to cover the actions under Tower 7."

In the command post, Theolde was giving orders in an orderly manner.

Sisian silently wrote down each of his orders.

Over the past few days, he had witnessed with his own eyes the Holy Army's fierce attack on Yoringshire City without fear of death, and finally understood why Theolde sealed the news so tightly after receiving the news of the destruction of the Holy Court. Before the "Harvest Miracle", the internal conflicts of the Holy Army had been becoming more and more intense. The knights had already lost their initial enthusiasm due to the long war, and the Border Army had other intentions as well. Theolde wanted to use the destruction of the Holy City and the miracle to make the Holy Army no longer have a way out.

But, was Theolde really helpless against what happened to the Holy City?

Sisian was a little confused. It was true that he didn't like the old and dusty elders of the Holy Court, but as a believer who grew up in the Holy City, he still had some special feelings for the Holy City. And he had known Theolde for so many years, thus he could vaguely sense the shadow of his old friend's hand in these sudden changes.

What role did Theolde play?

Sisian suddenly realized that he seemed to have never really understood Theolde. Don't know since when, Theolde had become farther and farther away from him, becoming someone even more respectable and...fearful.

He only understood one thing.

Now, Theolde was no longer the Pope of the Holy See, but the Emperor of the Holy Empire.

"It's almost time to attack."

Theolde looked at the map and said in an appreciative tone.

……………………

"In less than three days, they will launch an attack with all their strength."

The King walked quickly on the top of the city wall, inspecting the towers. General Moore fearfully followed the King with his shield.

The commanding officers strongly disapproved of the King personally coming to the city wall to command, although the city of Yoringshire was on the defensive at this time and it was not as dangerous as the frontal battlefield. But the city wall was still not a safe zone. The huge stones thrown by trebuchets that hit the city wall create flying rubble and collapsed tower walls that often injure the soldiers defending the city. In addition, stray arrows could also injure people's lives at any time.

But after several attacks and defenses, the officers had no choice but to accept the King coming to the city wall to take command.

The Holy Army's offensive changed from the past, becoming fierce and powerful, but also cunning and changeable. The apparent attack on a certain section of the city wall was actually to cover up the destruction of another tower. It felt like the other side's army suddenly had a different commanding brain. If the King had not decisively accepted the command personally, keenly discerned the opponent's true goal, and contained it in advance, their defense circle at this time would have been torn open.

On the other hand, the King personally coming to the city wall to command the battle greatly boosted the morale of the soldiers defending the city.

A large part of the soldiers guarding the city had followed the King in the Battle of Douro City, and they still remembered the King's legendary performance and the souls of heroic knights summoned in the battle. They passed it down by word of mouth and almost regarded the King as another kind of spiritual faith. The faith that the King was with them even overcame the impact of the miracles performed by Theolde outside the city.

At this time, anyone could be missing, but the King could not be missing.

General Moore had no choice but to take charge of the King's security, and after he was temporarily appointed as the King's guard, a group of officers practically took turns coming to talk to him. Basically the words had only one meaning: "Even if you die, His Majesty's safety must be guaranteed."

In the short period of time he defended the city, General Moore felt that he had suddenly aged ten years. His heart was rising and falling due to the accidents that occurred from time to time on the battlefield. It seemed that he might become a patient of those lunatics at any time due to heart problems.

——It was worth mentioning that during this period, there were more and more wounded, and the battlefield situation became more and more critical. They had no time to move the soldiers from the city wall to the monastery in the city, and the monastery as a temporary hospital could no longer accommodate such a large number of wounded. For this reason, the director of the Institute of Pathology, pharmacist Duna, simply led a team of medical staff to climb the city wall.

At present, researchers wearing white robes that have turned gray from dust could be seen walking quickly on the city wall. In this case, the lightly wounded must be put back on the battlefield immediately after receiving simple medical treatment.

Everyone knew that this was the moment that determined the outcome of the entire war.

They had already walked such a long and difficult road. Even if they break every bone in their body, they could not fall down at this time.

"Three days? All-out attack?"

Moore breathed a sigh of relief at first, but then quickly took another sharp breath.

As time passed and the war reached a stalemate, the food reserves in the city were also rapidly depleted. Quota allocation could only shorten the time until the stored grain was exhausted, but it could not increase the stored grain. Once the food was completely exhausted and the frontlines were tightening, the confidence of the people in the city would inevitably plummet. This was by no means good news for Legrand.

It could be said that a battle that determined victory or defeat was destined to be faced by both sides.

However, the full-scale offensive of the Holy Army would occur within three days, and this amount of time was still too urgent to be imagined.

"Bressi is attacking the old capital, and winter is approaching."

The King answered briefly.

The Holy Army could not stay in Legrand for too long. For the Holy Army, it was best for the war to end in late summer or early autumn, but now the war had been forcefully dragged until the cold winter was approaching.

The current in the Abyss Strait would turn direction within a week.

If Theolde's all-out attack could win, then he would ride the first turning ocean current with unprecedented glory and prestige, return to Bressi from the west coast of the Abyss Strait, and rush to back to the Holy Empire before Ferri III could capture the capital, quell the war within the empire and consolidate the crumbling Holy Empire.

Time was extremely tight for Theolde.

The sky gradually darkened, the setting sun spread over the earth, and the city above and below was soaked with the scent of blood.

The King walked into the tower in the northwest corner, took the bow from the soldier, and shot an arrow with a secret message tied to it outside the city. The longbowmen who witnessed the King's arrow had to admire their Majesty. Even if he was already an experienced longbowman in Legrand, he could not shoot such a precise and straight arrow——and even compared with those who were known as "ghosts", the Kriyan archers, the King was definitely outstanding.

"All-out attack?"

The King returned the longbow to the archer. He looked at the smoke and flames of war outside the city through the archery hole, and whispered to himself amidst the rumbling sounds.

"Then come."

Burning stone bullets streaked across the sky, and the flickering flames of war illuminated the King's eyes.

Like fire burning ice.

…………………………

It was daybreak then nightfall, and the Holy Army's offensive slowed down a bit on the second day.

Theolde walked past the iron carriages. These carriages have been moving with the Holy Army, and their speed was no slower than the agile light cavalry during the march. They were quite mysterious and low-key, and had been ignored by people before. It was only at this moment that Theolde let them show their ferocious fangs.

In the light of the torch, these iron carriages shone, the black iron bodies carrying a fierce aura. As the formations lit up one after another, the chariot transformed on the spot and turned into a mobile war fortress. The iron armor spread and covered the war horses pulling the carriage. The war horses let out shrill whinnies, at the same time iron bone thorns were deeply embedded in the flesh of the war horses. In the blink of an eye, all of these tall and muscular horses had their flesh and blood absorbed, turning into skeleton horses armed with iron armor.

The iron carriages were covered with a bloody hue.

Like Legrand's dragon-winged battleships, these iron carriages were also relics of alchemy!

In the legendary era, the most elite genius alchemists stood together with the Rose family. However, there was still a part of the alchemical arts that had been passed down to the hands of the Holy Court. The Ancient Holy Fire and the Throne of God Pier were created based on these alchemical techniques that were secretly preserved by the Holy Court.

Theolde hid these chariots and did not let them onto the battlefield until today. They were the "rooks" that would burst out in this chess game, and destroy everything.

"All war songs have their final moment, and all heroes have their bones buried."

Theolde read softly.

The tone was light, like chanting an elegy.

He took the torch from Sisian.

"Siege the city.”

The alchemical chariots crushed the earth, making a terrifying rumble. The twelve chariots turned into twelve mobile fortresses, roaring towards the city wall of Yoringshire under the night.