Chapter 346 - 251: Attacking the City

It took the military artisans about three days to build siege engines suitable for Kolon’s high city walls.

During this time, the Northern Border Corps wasn’t idle. First, they sent an envoy to try and persuade the city to surrender.

After all, with Damon currently trapped at White Bone Fortress and unable to break free, anyone could see that Kolon was essentially indefensible.

Unfortunately, no matter how much the envoy talked himself hoarse, the other side remained unmoved. In the end, a few arrows sent him scurrying back.

And so, whether the attempts at persuasion were effective or not, the great lords of the Northern Territory figured they had nothing better to do. Every day, they sent men to the foot of the city walls to declare the disparity in strength between the two sides, employing a mix of threats and inducements.

The primary objective was to first demoralize the common soldiers and make them lose their will to fight.

However, one other thing was worth mentioning. Back at Black Stone Castle, in addition to capturing Cross and his group of nobles, the six Earth Priests accompanying them had also been caught.

In exchange, as long as the Priests of the Earth Church within Kolon City did not participate in its defense, the Northern Army would release the captive Priests afterward.

The other side, perhaps considering that the fall of Kolon was already a foregone conclusion and that they couldn’t afford to excessively offend the Northern Territory, and factoring in the high value of the six Priests, agreed to this condition.

The situation now was that the enemy no longer had the aid of Casters, while the Northern Border Corps still had half of its Ice and Snow Mages who could cast spells at will, without worrying about interference from the opposing Priests.

Three days wasn’t a short time, but it passed in the blink of an eye.

It was one early morning. The horizon was tinged with the red of an egg yolk, and the air was still cold. Shrouded in mist, the army camp resembled a crouching giant beast.

A deep, melodious horn blast carried over several thousand paces, piercing through the Northern Border Camp to reach the ears of the Kolon City Guard Army.

Unfortunately, this was not the call to dinner.

The sleeping giant beast awoke in an instant. Countless soldiers emerged from their tents, the air filled with the clang of armor and weapons. They gathered below Kolon City, forming orderly ranks.

Banners fluttered while men shouted and horses neighed. The newly improved, massive siege engines stood at the ready, and giant Thunder Lizard Beasts were harnessed with ropes as thick as a man’s wrist.

These giant beasts stood over three Tri-Blades tall at the shoulder and weighed nearly ten thousand pounds. Their bodies were covered in overlapping scales like armor plates, and they had a single, exceptionally sharp horn on their heads.

But contrary to their ferocious and terrifying appearance, they were gentle-tempered and complete herbivores. Though slow-moving, they possessed ample stamina and immense strength.

They were generally used by the army as Servant Beasts for pulling heavy logistical loads.

The soldiers beneath each different banner wore solemn expressions, patiently waiting for the horn that would signal the attack.

The High Cliff Castle contingent was assigned to the western city wall, with full responsibility for all matters of the siege there.

Therefore, although the general horn for the attack had already sounded, how to conduct the assault was still up to the Lord to decide.

Kolon City was huge. From their position, they couldn’t see what was happening with the main force at all, only occasionally hearing some faint sounds.

Levi stood atop Biefeng’s head, took out his Mirror Tube, and the situation on the walls of Kolon City came into view.

Kolon was worthy of being a territorial capital. Its walls were built from enormous granite blocks, so thick that even a Caster bombarding them for ten days and ten nights would likely struggle to blast a breach.

Black Stone Castle was like a small country town in comparison; the two weren’t even in the same league.

The Guard Army on the walls clearly spotted this uninvited guest. Although their faces showed a hint of panic, they followed their officers’ commands and summoned more soldiers to mount the walls. Seeing so many comrades by their side, their spirits calmed considerably.

Then they started pointing at the giant-sized Biefeng and talking amongst themselves. Unfortunately, Levi had never learned to read lips, so he was left completely guessing.

’Why isn’t anyone making a run for it?’

The Lord clicked his tongue in disappointment.

He had deliberately made Biefeng enormous for this very reason. His plan was for the majestic, ten-odd blades-high Three-headed Dog to make a dazzling appearance. With him, the renowned Lion Hunter Knight, on its back, he expected these grunts—who earned only a few copper coins a month—to be so scared they’d piss their pants and flee.

Then, he could have taken this section of the wall without spilling a drop of blood. When scholars wrote his biography in the future, they would say his Aura of Dominance began with this siege.

But there was no dramatic show of awe, no immediate surrender. Instead, the enemy had the leisure to size them up. A few grunts, apparently eager to make a name for themselves, were even struggling to turn the Bed Crossbows on the wall, gesturing as if they wanted to loose a bolt at them.

Kolon wasn’t like Black Stone Castle. This section of the wall alone had more than twenty Bed Crossbows mounted on it. Moreover, the wall’s corner towers were armed with giant crossbows, entirely jet-black and a good four to five times larger than the standard Bed Crossbows.

Levi knew these were Dragon-Hunting Crossbows. Any important city would have at least four or five of them deployed. However, because Debei had been at peace for a long time and hadn’t encountered a disaster like an Evil Dragon sacking a city, it was hard to say if these were fakes or the real deal.

After all, the maintenance costs for a Dragon-Hunting Crossbow alone were a huge military expenditure.

Regardless, the Lord was still somewhat wary. He wasn’t afraid of getting injured himself; with his speed, as long as he wasn’t restricted, those Bed Crossbows couldn’t hope to aim at him. What he feared was one of the Barbarians under his command taking a bolt.

Even a Giant Dragon couldn’t withstand one of those things. As for the Barbarians, it wouldn’t matter if they wore Three-Layered Heavy Armor—five layers would be just as useless.

"Those aren’t Southern Border City Defense Soldiers. They must be Mercenaries," Monvert said, his sharp eyes having noticed the Red Snake banner they had raised. "Banners are noble items that prove aristocratic status, something only nobles can possess. Even if Mercenaries fly a banner, it must have a black field with a blue stripe, and the restrictions are significant. The symbols they can choose from are limited to only a few kinds of animals."