127. The Great Siege of the Metal-Stone Empire

The enemy forces finally launched their assault on the capital of the Gold-Stone Empire. However, they were caught off guard: the capital’s walls were significantly higher than those of the cities they had previously conquered. Their hastily constructed siege engines proved ineffective, and it was only upon reaching the base of the walls that they realized they were still quite a distance from the ramparts.

Soon, the soldiers retreated like an ebbing tide. They needed to improve their scaling ladders to continue the assault, but the high morale they had painstakingly built up had vanished. Furthermore, with the city being defended under the command of a Berserker officer, it was destined that the attackers would have to pay a much steeper price, with no guarantee of capturing the towering fortress in the short term.

After clearing the enemy forces along their route, Kane’s army achieved unprecedented results. In truth, this success was largely due to the enemy's strategic miscalculations. They had blockaded the border between the Death Empire, the Doma Empire, and the Gold-Stone Empire, but they had failed to account for the City of Death and the Elven Kingdom within the Forest of Death. Kane’s sudden, unexpected deployment caught them completely off guard. Coupled with their rigid, inflexible command structure, they were no match for Kane’s mobility; defeat for them was inevitable.

In the ten-plus days since the campaign began, Kane’s army had annihilated nearly 300,000 enemy troops and shattered the organization of another 200,000. Although the enemy force on this front was not entirely wiped out, it had lost the capacity to fight. Having resolved the threats on this flank, Kane led his main force directly toward the capital of the Gold-Stone Empire.

At this time, the Gold-Stone Empire was in dire straits. Had it not been for the tens of thousands of troops stationed there by the Death Empire, it likely would have fallen long ago.

Watching the dense swarms of enemy troops outside, the soldiers and citizens of the Gold-Stone Empire had long been paralyzed with fear. In contrast, the Death Empire’s garrison remained full of fighting spirit. To the locals, these allied soldiers were nothing more than warmongers. For days, they had been forced by the garrison to haul everything imaginable onto the ramparts—firewood, oil, and whatever could be scavenged from the capital. Even houses near the walls were dismantled, with their stones and timber hauled up for defensive fortifications.

The garrison’s proactive preparations failed to ignite any confidence in the Gold-Stone citizens. This left the Berserker commander of the garrison deeply frustrated. He wondered what set people apart; even the citizens of the militarily weak Doma Empire were still dreaming of restoring their nation, yet these people only thought of how to escape with their lives.

The grueling battles of the past few days had eroded the last of the local populace's confidence. Were it not for the Berserker commander’s iron-fisted discipline, they would have long since dropped their weapons and fled. Yet, they failed to realize that even if they abandoned their weapons, there was nowhere to go. Since the siege began, the enemy had offered no quarter; everything in their path was slaughtered. They sought resources and vital military supplies, not living people—not even for slave labor. Until now, neither Mo Fei nor anyone else on the continent knew where this sudden army came from, what race they were, or what their purpose was—whether it was plunder, occupation, or something else—it all remained a mystery.

After several days of siege, it was strange that while the Gold-Stone Empire’s forces suffered heavy casualties with nearly half no longer fit for duty, the Death Empire’s garrison remained remarkably heroic, suffering no fatalities. Even the severely wounded held their ground on the walls. At this moment, they embodied the honor of the Death Empire’s military. They knew that their Young Master would not abandon them, and they would not disgrace the Empire. Even if they were to die, they would ensure that for every one of them, the enemy would lose multiples in return.

The Death Empire’s garrison, which had held the capital for over ten days, finally saw the Imperial cavalry appear behind the enemy lines. Kane had led his troops to arrive at the critical moment in just seven days.

In Kane’s view: "I can ignore the Gold-Stone Empire, but I cannot abandon the tens of thousands of brothers stationed there."

On the day before their arrival, Kane ordered the army to halt and rest. There was no need to rush, as they would arrive the next morning. By resting now, they would be ready to strike immediately upon arrival; otherwise, the days of forced marches had left most of the cavalry exhausted.

As the enemy began another wave of the siege, Kane’s army appeared at the rear of the enemy’s siege forces. The enemy commander could not fathom how their other army, numbering 500,000 with nearly 100,000 combat-ready logistical troops, had let a mere 100,000 cavalrymen slip through. By the time they discovered the enemy, it was too late; Kane’s forces launched their attack the moment they arrived.

A black flood instantly engulfed the enemy forces attacking the left wing of the capital. Had they not reacted quickly, even the central army might have been swallowed up. The enemy commander wiped cold sweat from his forehead, his heart still racing. There was no longer any way to focus on the siege; the army pulled back to face the cavalry, daring not to move recklessly.

Facing Kane’s 100,000 cavalry, the commander of the 400,000-strong army did not dare to order an attack. The two forces stood in a tense, silent standoff. The enemy cavalry, which had just devoured 30,000 of his men, stood in a disciplined, somber black mass. The glint from the giant crossbows held across their chests sent shivers down the spines of the 400,000 troops, even under the scorching sun. The commander found himself drenched in cold sweat.

However, losing face here would mean his career was over. After a long pause, the commander gave the order. With the waving of flags, the left and right wings began to advance slowly.

Seeing this, Kane gave his own order. His center pushed forward while the wings retracted, forming the wedge formation most commonly used by the Berserkers' cavalry over the past year. The enemy acted as the shield, and Kane’s army as the spear—it was a test of who could hold out the longest. Kane could not afford to retreat; although the enemy could not catch his cavalry, a retreat would grant them a reprieve and restore their courage. If he failed to crush their morale now, future encounters would inevitably lead to prolonged, indecisive battles.

Twelve thousand against four hundred thousand—Kane was not afraid. Given the enemy's quality, if he maintained his formation, two charges would surely break them.

With a wave of his hand, the cavalry began to advance. Kane did not order a full-speed charge; 400,000 men were not mere statues, and their depth was too great to pierce in one go. But by using his strengths to strike first and throw their vanguard into chaos, the rest would be much easier.

The army stopped once they reached the effective range of the giant crossbows. If the enemy commander ordered an attack now, Kane would have to abandon his plan to use the crossbows to disrupt the enemy front. He would have to launch an immediate assault; at such a short distance, his cavalry would lose their momentum and be bogged down in the enemy lines, which was the last thing Kane wanted.

Fortunately, the enemy commander hesitated, giving Kane the opening he needed. At a command, the giant crossbows were raised with a sharp "shwing." "Wind! Wind! Wind!" the garrison on the walls roared. This distracted the enemy, and under the cover of the defenders' shouts, a sky-darkening volley of arrows rained down upon the enemy's vanguard. Instantly, the vanguard descended into chaos, and the advancing wings halted, lacking further orders.

Under the relentless fire of the giant crossbows, the enemy vanguard was completely shattered. The front-line soldiers scrambled backward, while those behind, lacking orders, dared not retreat, causing the front and center to become a jumbled, suffocating mass.

Opportunities do not wait. While the enemy commander shouted orders, Kane launched his charge. Thunderous roars filled the battlefield as countless enemy soldiers fell under the iron hooves. The commander could no longer control the fleeing vanguard and center. Only his rear and wings remained intact. Realizing the situation, he made a cold decision: he abandoned the vanguard and center. The enemy wings pressed forward while the rear slowly withdrew, detaching from the collapsing ranks.

If Kane could not shift his trajectory or scatter the enemy’s rear, his army would be surrounded.

Kane was, after all, Kane. Since following Mo Fei, he had fought many battles. Seeing the commander abandon his troops, he knew the situation was dire, but he also noticed the commander, now stripped of his central protection, exposed at the front. Surrounded by large banners, the commander was retreating toward the rear.

Kane decisively changed his route, the wedge formation piercing directly toward the commander’s escape path. The enemy commander panicked and accelerated his retreat, causing the banners around him to look as if they were fleeing in haste. Seeing this, the enemy wings halted—why was their commander running? They were paralyzed by indecision, knowing that if the commander fled, they would be charging to their deaths. By the time they realized the banners had stopped, they had lost their formation, and Kane’s wedge had already pierced the enemy’s rear, driving straight for the command flags.

Having abandoned the vanguard and center, the enemy’s rear had few troops left. Kane’s army tore a massive hole through them. The wedge formation swiftly turned, pressing down on the enemy’s rear once more. Now, the two forces were locked in a head-to-head collision; the enemy could no longer surround them.

Seeing the situation spiral out of control, the enemy commander was filled with regret. He was forced to turn his rear into his front, and his wings became his rear. The two armies were locked in a desperate melee. Kane’s initial charge had scattered at most 100,000 of the enemy, but the remaining 300,000-strong main force was still intact, and the scattered troops were beginning to reorganize in the rear.

Facing a numerically superior enemy, Kane continued to press forward; such courage was unparalleled. Unless it were a surprise attack, no general would dare order such a maneuver in a head-to-head clash. But Kane had done it, and with remarkable execution.

During the chaotic fighting, it was unclear who first ordered a disengagement, but both sides backed away. The enemy commander discovered a chilling reality: the ground was covered in his own soldiers, while his opponents remained disciplined, still radiating an endless, murderous aura.

What the enemy commander had not anticipated was that the magical beast mounts were nearly as tall as a man, and since the enemy soldiers mostly wielded curved blades, they could only strike at the cavalry’s legs. However, the Death Empire’s heavy cavalry was best protected in their lower armor, and even the mounts were wrapped in thick plating. In this exchange, the Death cavalry held an overwhelming advantage.

Heartbroken, the enemy commander had no heart left to fight and slowly withdrew his forces under guard.

The defenders on the walls broke into cheers. Kane’s cavalry, however, did not join in. They kept their eyes wide open, maintaining the pressure on the retreating enemy. In truth, given Kane’s temperament, he would have loved to pursue them, but after days of fighting and forced marches, they were exhausted to the point of collapse. They desperately needed rest.

After the enemy retreated, Kane ignored the representatives sent by the Gold-Stone Emperor and immediately ordered the garrison to stand guard outside the city. His cavalry needed rest, and the garrison would have to take over the watch.

The garrison moved out of the city, forming layered defensive perimeters around the dismounted cavalry, and brought them fresh water and food.

The enemy had retreated, and the people of the Gold-Stone Empire sang and danced in celebration. Kane, however, knew the enemy had not gone far and the Empire was not truly safe. But for now, nothing mattered more than sleep. Kane closed his eyes and drifted off.