258 Siege of the Ice Fortress
“Charge!!! Chargeeee!”
“Advance! Advance!”
“For the Cause!!”
The sounds of the humans from the South and West could be heard. However, I already knew that they would be casting spells as they shouted, rather than rushing towards us.
The presence of high-level mages in a siege is crucial, not only for a siege but also for large-scale battles or raids. To compare it to modern warfare, it’s like having missiles or bombs that can wipe out hundreds or thousands at once.
Clearing the way for entry through bombardment before infantry charges is easier. If the mages of the Southwest Alliance have the upper hand, it will cause significant damage to the enemy forces on the other side. If the mages of our Northeast Alliance have the upper hand, the fortress won’t hold up well, and it might crumble down.
Even though Blizzard Path Guild’s Master Seo Lee Ju is a skilled mage, the magical power of the Northeast Alliance may be somewhat lacking, possibly influenced by the Queen of the North. While specialized in ice magic, many strong mages are leaning towards the warrior side. Of course, there are skilled individuals like Seo Lee Ju, but I believe the magical power of the Northeast Alliance is somewhat behind.
‘The King of the South.’
I’ve never heard about his class or the exact skills he uses, but I know he is a highly skilled mage despite his appearance. As a self-proclaimed regional king, he is undoubtedly a skilled individual. Although not as much firepower as Jungha-yeon, he must be a formidable mage, possibly surpassing Choi Eun-joo.
“They’re coming.”
Merging magical power from above, even for someone like me who has grown, an enormous magical power is felt. It is definitely not a spell that can be cast in a short time.
Choi Seul-gi muttered beside me.
“The promised three days are nonsense.”
A sound like the air tearing apart is heard. Looking up at the sky, what’s visible is a massive meteor.
“Huh…”
Certainly indicating the intention to destroy the fortress, but the troops aren’t shaken. Green-skinned creatures waiting with me under the fortress and even farther away were silently staring at the falling meteor.
The small-looking meteor grew larger in my line of sight. If it falls, not only will the fortress be destroyed, but it will also cause considerable damage, but the forces do not waver. The Green-skins waiting with me under the fortress are also quietly watching the falling meteor.
Even before I had a chance to open my mouth, there was a deafening sound as if the air was being torn apart. Looking up at the sky, a gigantic black creature began to emerge. Chang Je-ri, located in the center of the fortress, was calmly holding up the Reaper’s Scythe, reaching her hand toward the sky.
As the black creature opened its huge mouth, an unbearable number of teeth became visible. Although I had seen it during the time with Jang Ki-young, it was much larger now. It was much more threatening and much more solid. Whether it was to swallow the falling meteor or in preparation for falling, the blurry form of the creature suddenly transformed.
Influenced by the magical power of the King of the South. When Chang Je-ri lifted her hand again, the creature, which had become blurry once again, quickly regained its shape. Soon, the meteor and the black creature collided head-on.
“Kwaaaaaaaah!”
With a tremendous roar, the black beast intercepted the meteor, a sight that looked alien to anyone witnessing it. Even to me, it seemed incredibly fascinating. The humans below were also staring in disbelief.
“Monster.”
It was probably a remark made by everyone, and even I couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight.
Squeeeeeak
A chilling sound echoed as the enormous meteor was crushed by the creature’s teeth, and the fragments fell, but they didn’t cause any significant damage to the fortress or threaten the troops. The sound of protective spells being cast by the mages continued.
Then came the second barrage. This time, it was not the King of the South but the regular mages from the South.
‘But I can stop it.’
Since the meteor attack was blocked, I didn’t think this attack would cause any damage to the fortress either. Perhaps the real purpose was to allow the advancing troops to get close to the fortress without any harm.
Magical attacks kept raining down from all directions towards the protective spells. Our mages couldn’t cast offensive spells.
Before they could attach to the wall, we needed to reduce the number of enemy troops as much as possible. If we couldn’t use mages, we could use archers. My thoughts seemed to reach Kang Chang Hoon, the Northern knight beside the Northern Queen.
Though not a skilled warrior, he was quite experienced in commanding troops. He would be good at timing.
“All units! Load!”
The sounds of the troops’ footsteps and shouts were heard. The enemies were getting closer. I looked at Choi Seul-gi and opened my mouth.
“The vanguard?”
“Jung Wiyoung.”
“Poo-hat.”
He must be quite angry. He was also a veteran like the Northern knights, perhaps even surpassing them. He intended to go all out from the beginning.
As the enemy’s shouts got closer, Northern knight Kang Chang Hoon raised the sword he was holding and shouted.
“Fire!”
Arrows shot up into the sky. I estimated the range and shot the arrows high into the air.
“Shields up! Shields!”
There was a loud voice from the enemy as well. Shieldbearers raised their shields to block the arrows. However, there was no way there wouldn’t be any casualties. The recent attack must have dealt significant damage to the enemy forces.
“Load!”
“Fire!”
“Load!!!”
“Fire!!!!”
The voice of Kang Chang Hoon and the shouts of the others continued to echo. On the battlefield, a common sound, but it seemed to excite the ogres of Goff. They were growling as if they wanted to rush out. However, now wasn’t a good time.
I began to look at Elia, and she immediately started memorizing the casting. The overall view of the battlefield was visible.
Soldiers falling and bleeding, arrows flying into the sky, each time they did, the advancing enemies staggered. However, despite that, the forces pushing forward seemed endless.
“You damn bastards.”
Most of those who fell were the weak. Unfortunately, the shieldbearers at the front, led by Jung Wiyoung and the Holy Order, suffered almost no damage. They perfectly blocked the arrows with their shields and healed minor injuries with their holy power. They would recover from any injuries on their own.
What they were protecting seemed to be a siege weapon, something made to break through the ice wall. There was no gate in the ice wall, but they probably planned to break through the ice wall by infusing magical power into that weapon.
“Charge! Charge! For the Cause!”
“Block them!! Load! Fire!”
Continuous showers of arrows rained down, and the enemies also started protecting their position with magical barriers. Thanks to that, our mages gained a bit more vigor.
Kwaaaaah!
This time, it was similar to Seo Lee Ju’s style; a cold aura surrounded her. As her eyes flashed open, an incantation with an unknown name flowed from her lips, and the effect was beyond what I had anticipated.
“Blizzard.”
The Blizzard, the 18th magic of the ice mages, was a spectacle to behold. Although I had seen it from a distance before, witnessing such a massive spell in action was a first.
In an instant, a giant storm of ice began to engulf and swallow the advancing enemies. Naturally, the enemy’s marching speed slowed down. In the meantime, arrows continued to rain down, causing numerous casualties.
“Uwaaaaaah!”
“Aaaaaaaah!”
“My arm! My arm!”
However, the injured kept getting back up. A tremendous divine power enveloped them, and the wounded warriors rose again, gripping their swords.
‘Holy Sword.’
Perhaps expecting more significant casualties than we did, Seo Lee Ju released her divine power much faster than we had anticipated. Though she probably only wished the pig-like creatures to fight a little longer, the power of the Holy Sword seemed to have a significant impact on them.
“For Hayuri-nim who watches over us! Charge! Let’s fight forward for the Cause!”
“For the Cause!”
Before the enemies reached the fortress, the long-range marksmen on both sides were displaying quite a high level of attack and defense.
“Load!”
This time, the sound didn’t come from our side. The enemies were also shooting arrows toward the fortress. It indicated that the enemies were close. Archers who hadn’t memorized protective spells were hit by enemy arrows and fell.
“Priests! Priests!”
The priests were continuously releasing divine power. At that moment, another spell from the King of the South began to fall. Since the meteor might not have a significant effect, a massive magical power spread, and a rain of fire began to fall. Even our Blood Dagger Clan, included in the impact range, I murmured to Hark and Orbo.
“Hark, Orbo.”
“Got it!”
At my voice, Hark drew his sword, and Orbo raised his shield. Hark continuously blocked the rain of fire with his sword, and Orbo, with his massive shield, struck the ground. Eventually, a massive magical shield that seemed capable of protecting our entire clan was formed. It was the unique ability of that creature.
We somehow managed to block them, but there would be damage on the fortress wall.
Although the protective spell immediately covered the wall, it wasn’t entirely ineffective. The ice mages and Chang Je-ri were blocking it, but a part of the wall was crumbling. Of course, it wasn’t easy for them to enter. Kang Chang Hoon, the Northern knight, was also moving toward the damaged section of the wall.
“Fire! Fire!”
“Ladders! Ladders!”
With grappling hooks and ladders attached to the wall, the siege had truly begun.
Pouring boiling oil or throwing stones wouldn’t stop the warriors climbing the wall. They were probably protecting themselves and the ladders with magical power. The only things that could stop them were high-level mage spells or arrows from the archers.
The spear soldiers continued to knock down the enemies climbing up the ladders, and the mages were destroying the ladders themselves. Arrows and spells continued to rain down, and screams were heard.
While the quality of our troops was superior, the quantity of enemy troops was different. The gap in numbers wouldn’t be filled by the overwhelming power of a mage who could wipe out hundreds or thousands with a single spell. That’s how much the forces brought by the West and the South were not to be taken lightly.
The corpses kept piling up against the wall, and those trying to climb over them were visible.
“Aaaaah!”
“Die!”
“Don’t let them climb! Don’t let them!”
“The Holy Order will handle the spear soldiers! Handle them!”