Chapter 358 Encirclement and Suppression
A siege of the weak, or a massacre from the sky, this is how historians would describe the war that took place in the Rime Valley. Endless corpses and ashes of mankind were buried in the edge of the massive Andorhal Mountains where they sank into the human world, and a new world rose from it.
The bad news was like a whistle that flew past his scalp. In the study of the commander-in-chief's mansion, the master of Osisli City accidentally broke countless cups this month.
"What do you mean by total annihilation? What do you mean by surrender?!"
Edward Ravel's voice was like a grinding stone. He stared at the herald and the crystal ball in his hand, which made the herald want to bury his head in the carpet.
There was a dead silence. Marquis Ravel sat in his chair for a moment, then suddenly picked up the exquisite vase on the table and smashed it against the wall.
"...Surrender! Who gave him the courage!" Amid the crisp sound of shattering, he roared at the top of his lungs, gasping for breath, trying to vent all the fear and despair that overwhelmed him: "Those are the elite troops of the empire, my troops! Not a bunch of peasants! Just a bunch of slaves, a bunch of stupid and violent beasts...!"
"They have dragons, Your Excellency," Major Luca warned solemnly. He felt a strange unease. "If the news from the front is true, the attack from the sky is truly formidable. We need to activate the city's protective array as soon as possible."
"And then?" Marquis Ravel's eyes were bloodshot, as if he had already foreseen his own horrific fate of being trapped and killed. His face was ashen. "Where will we get the large amounts of coal essence needed to keep the city's protective array running for a long time? For those useless heavy artillery, most of the coal essence we stole was taken away by that damned 'Protector' company! Besides, even if we abandon the civilians in the city, the food supply for the entire army in Osiris City will only last for five days. If it drags on, we'll just have to eat the warhorses!"
He suddenly seemed to have thought of something, and turned his head sharply to look at the clerk beside him, and asked hurriedly: "What about the military? Has there been any change in the response to the request for reinforcements?"
The clerk shuddered with fear and stammered, "Sir, the military has given the same answer. The situation on the northern front is tense, and for the time being... for the time being, we are unable to withdraw troops to support..."
Marquis Ravel's lips moved slightly, and he seemed to have lost all his strength and leaned back heavily on the back of the chair.
Damn the Yankees, he thought bitterly, damn the Protector Company, damn the slaves—and most damned of all, the ghost! A man who had never even shown his face had forced him into such a situation...!
Major Luca was silent for a moment, then cautiously suggested, "Sir, if we ask for help from the Protector Company, we should be able to delay the situation for a while. They seem to have developed some powerful, but very expensive, heavy weapons..."
Ravel sneered and was about to start scolding when his expression suddenly became serious and he raised his hand to signal everyone to listen attentively.
As everyone stared at each other in stunned silence, they soon heard a strange, sharp sound, coming from far away and piercing through the thick walls and glass. It wasn't like artillery fire, nor was it thunder, but more like the roar of some large creature.
That was the roar of a dragon.
All the color drained from Marquis Ravel's face. He stumbled to the window, pulled open the heavy velvet curtains, and almost put his face against the cold glass.
Outside the window, the gray outline of Osiris City glowed dimly under the sun. The tall city walls, a symbol of supreme majesty and power, obscured the shadows of the mountains. To Ravel, it looked more like a dragon's food bowl. Several small black dots expanded at an astonishing speed from the end of the sky, like a group of vultures hunting together, but they were more deadly and hideous than any birds or beasts. The people in Osiris City were delicious blood food with nowhere to escape.
Marquis Ravel held onto the window, his body shaking violently, his eyes blank. "How, how could it come so quickly..."
It’s only been an hour or two since we received the battle report!
His adjutant, Major Luca, had already screamed, "Hurry up! Activate the city defense array immediately, and all high-level sorcerers, go deal with the dragons—"
But it was too late.
I saw several black spots separated from the belly of the giant beast and began to fall rapidly, accompanied by sharp and piercing sounds of breaking through the air, and accurately smashed towards the predetermined targets - the armory on the side of the commander's mansion and the magic tower responsible for supplying energy to the city defense magic circle!
Two earth-shattering explosions erupted. Bricks, wood, and metal fragments, mixed with sky-high flames and thick smoke, erupted. The ignited gunpowder in the armory immediately triggered a series of explosions, large and small. The violent vibrations within reach practically shook the entire commander's residence.
Ash rained down from the ceiling, and the windows shattered by the massive shockwave. Ravel lost his balance and fell to the ground, his hands covered in blood as they pressed against the broken glass. His subordinates and lieutenants tried to help him, but were soon forced to the ground by the falling debris, waiting for the explosion to pass.
When the nightmarish noises finally died down, the dusty crowd managed to get up. Heat waves mixed with the stench of something burning washed over them. Outside the window, the crackling of burning buildings and faint cries could be heard.
Major Luca barely moved to the window, and saw that the tall magic tower in the distance seemed to be barely standing under the protection of the magic circle - then there was another wave of dives and ammunition falling from the sky. This time, the warlocks in the imperial army used light chains to catch a dragon that flew too low. The behemoth lost its balance in the air, fell crookedly, and hit the sea of fire. It let out an angry roar, then turned over and got up, and stubbornly charged at the warlocks who tried to catch it - the dragon completely broke the already shaky magic tower.
"Your Excellency, Marquis, we still have a chance!" Major Luca dragged the limp Marquis to his feet and gritted his teeth as he suggested, "These slaves don't have endless ammunition, and every time they drop a bomb, the dragons have to swoop down. We can use this opportunity to strike back! As long as we drive the dragons away—"
Before he finished speaking, several messengers rushed in, tumbling and crawling: "--Report!"
"According to the scouts' report, Ole Asaqi's team appeared near the Black Pine Forest, and is still thirty minutes away from Osiris City!"
"The Li, Li people's army is coming! Just outside the city! It's a black mass! Leading them is Greven Worriff——"
Major Luca's grip loosened involuntarily, and Marquis Ravel suddenly collapsed, slumping to the ground in a daze.
It's over, all over.
It would take at least two days for the Third and Fifth Legions stationed in the Frost Valley Corridor to return to the city. Now that most of the elite troops in Osiris City had been killed in Crescent Castle, how would they deal with the civilian army that seemed to have planned this for a long time, was fully armed, and even had the help of dragons from the sky?
...This should have been the ending they had chosen for the remaining slave army in Crescent Castle.
Marquis Ravel slowly and clumsily crawled towards the overturned wine cabinet and groped to pick up a bottle of liquor that had not been smashed. The adjutants and subordinates around him seemed to be calling him anxiously, asking him what to do next, but he could no longer hear them. There was only a buzzing in his ears. With trembling blood-stained hands, he mechanically unscrewed the cork and poured it down from the bottle.
“…”
Major Luca took a last deep look at Marquis Edward Ravel, led his bewildered subordinates out of the study in the commander-in-chief's residence, and thoughtfully closed the door to block out the unclear mumbling mixed with sobs and laughter.
By the time the professor and Azuka arrived at the city of Osiris, the outcome of the battle had already been decided. The remaining defenders were like headless flies, with no morale and were retreating step by step. Everything had come to an end.
The soldiers of the People's Army broke down the magnificent and heavy door of the commander's mansion, and lowly civilians and slaves poured into the once solemn and dignified hall of the commander's mansion. The luxurious tapestries were torn down, the exquisite porcelain was smashed to pieces, and the family emblem that symbolized the majesty of the Ravel family was pulled down and trampled to pieces by countless pairs of muddy and bloody boots.
Greven frowned. He raised his hand, signaling his overly excited men to quiet down, and looked ahead. Ole's figure slowly emerged from the darkness. The assassin glanced at the general, whose bloody aura was thick with him, and gasped in surprise.
He appears to be the calmest, gentlest, and best-tempered, but on the battlefield he's the most violent. Just look at this guy, almost saturated with murderous intent—he's exactly the same on the battlefield as he was in his previous life.
"That old jerk Edward Ravel is in the study." Ole nodded his chin towards the end of the corridor and sneered rudely, with a hint of boasting. "When he saw our people, he wanted to shoot himself, but he hesitated for a long time and didn't dare to."
"Well done, everyone."
The assassin froze for a moment, then looked back at the crowd. A tall, thin, black-haired young man appeared among the soldiers, still brimming with hostility. The crowd involuntarily dispersed, and many who saw him showed a drastic change of emotion on their faces. It was a mixture of excitement, admiration, and awe, and low cries rose one after another.
"——Mr. Ghost!"
"It's Mr. Ghost!"
The man before them was the commander-in-chief of this war, countless terrifying yet enchanting miracles born from his hands. His name itself was a legend, his presence like molten iron burning brightly in a furnace, yet one could not help but feel that touching such a thing would be a supreme blessing and salvation.
Ole's eyes lit up slightly. He glanced at his good friend who was following the black-haired young man silently, but did not give him a hug after a long separation. Instead, he restrained his lazy cynicism and leaned slightly towards the professor with pride and a little teasing.
"Of course, Mr. Chief—I'm glad you did the job."
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