The Holy Man of Another Century Gospel

Chapter 212 Strong Attack and Desperate Defense
The demon soldiers were surging in like a tide.

The main targets of the demons' attack, the moat outside the eastern and southern city walls of Lutia, had already fallen, and the battle had entered the stage of close combat to capture the city walls.

The siege towers, which had been built early on but could not be put into use because the moat could not be captured, were now pushed across the river, which was completely filled with sandbags, and pushed to the front of the city wall.

Arrows kept flying from the top of the siege towers toward the defenders on the city wall, and planks kept being laid on the wall as demon warriors poured out of the siege towers, trying to climb the wall.

when!
Eric used his small shield in his left hand to block another arrow shot from above, and with his right hand, he swung his scimitar repeatedly, knocking back the demon warriors on the wooden planks.

With a loud roar, accompanied by an incomprehensible demonic language, the demon warrior leaped forward. Eric took a step back, then stepped forward again, using the momentum to slash out with his sword, severing the demon warrior's arm and neck in one fell swoop.

Meanwhile, another demon warrior was already mid-air as he pounced.

Eric swung his shield to block the incoming blade, but a stray arrow whizzed past him.

With a tilt of his head, dodging the arrow, Eric shouted, "Archers, suppress them!"

However, no one responded. Taking advantage of the moment when he knocked the demon warrior in front of him off the city wall, he glanced to the side and saw that the guard archer on his right had been pinned to the wall by several arrows.

"..."

There was no time to mourn, as another demon warrior charged at them from above.

Eric blocked its slashing blow and then chopped at the wooden plank beneath its feet, but the knife in his hand broke first.

"..."

The standard longsword he brought with him had long since broken; this was probably the umpteenth sword he had ever broken.

"Everyone get down!"

A familiar shout came from not far away. Without thinking, Eric quickly bent down and picked up a perfectly intact weapon at his feet.

A wave of intense heat swept across his head, and when he looked up, all he could see was a field of flames.

Not far away, at the top and bottom of the city wall's staircase, Eileen held a flaming longsword in her hand, sweeping it horizontally and incinerating everything in its path. The siege towers, their tops sheared off, collapsed to one side, burning and igniting even more demons.

Once the flames subsided, Eric realized that the hilt of the flaming sword was her staff.

Rushing to the city wall, Eileen raised her staff again and drew a circle around the remaining part of the siege tower. A thin wisp of flame wrapped around the tower and quickly burst into flames.

"Eileen!"

Eileen turned her head sharply and saw him. "Eric!"

He rushed over, pressed her head down, and hid behind the city wall. Arrows shot from below missed their mark, flying over the heads of the brother and sister.

"Why did you come this way? Where are you over by the east city wall?"

"The pressure is relatively low over there right now..."

Eileen looked closely at her brother's blood-soaked face, her hand gripping the staff and her voice trembling involuntarily, "Uncle... Uncle said that the demons' main attack is now focused on the south city wall, and he asked me to come here to assist in the defense."

With the situation having deteriorated to this point, Eric could hardly bring himself to tell his sister to find a safe place to hide; he could only tell her to be careful on her own.

"Kill it!"

Eric was drawn back to his senses by the shouts of the city guards not far away. He helped himself up from the city wall and found that the dilapidated siege towers had been completely set ablaze, but more demon soldiers had built ladders on the city wall and were climbing up.

"Stop them!"

Eric roared in response and slashed at the demon warrior climbing the ladder.

when!
The demon warrior raised his sword to block his swing, but his body fell backward along with the ladder.

The demons below quickly steadied the ladder, which then wobbled and crashed into the city wall. Eric raised his sword, waiting, but as the ladder blocked, he suddenly changed his attack and slashed into the ladder's neck from the other side.

Pfft!

The demon warrior fell from the cloud ladder, and another began to climb up, supported by several people below. Eric couldn't push him over.

Turning his head, he saw that Eileen was still standing beside him, so he immediately ordered her to use magic to attack the demons below.

With a flick of her staff, Eileen set the entire cloud ladder ablaze.

“Go help other people!” Eric said, reaching out to squeeze her shoulder. “Just do what you did before, and use your abilities.”

"I see……"

Eileen turned to look at the bloodstains on her robe that had fallen from his hands, then ran to the other side of the city wall.

As she moved forward, she waved her staff repeatedly, and the ladders placed on the city wall burst into flames, temporarily repelling all the demons who tried to climb the wall.

Eric was able to catch his breath for a while, and slumped down against the city wall, only to find that his hand holding the knife was trembling uncontrollably.

"Fuck your mother Ambrose..."

He arrived here to provide support around 8 or 9 a.m., and it's already afternoon. The fighting hasn't stopped for a moment, and he hasn't left this section of the city wall. His physical strength is almost at its limit.

The situation deteriorated so rapidly because Ambrose's risky gamble resulted in the loss of most of the city's garrison, and the demons outside the city seized the opportunity perfectly.

Most of the elite knights Ambrose brought with him died, while the other half fought desperately to escort him back to the city. Meanwhile, the old Earl Egerton, who had left the city with him, and his militiamen died in the chaos of battle.

Several minor victories quickly swelled Ambrose's confidence, and if Edgar hadn't insisted on leaving a portion of the garrison behind, Lutia's main defensive force would have been wiped out in a single battle.

Now, Eric can only lead his knights and the remaining defenders to the city walls to face the onslaught of the demons.

Eric pulled a small vial of Moon Dew, which was almost empty, from his armor. He stared at the vial for a moment before pouring the last bit into his mouth.

His depleted strength quickly recovered. He got up and took a look. The ladders had all been set on fire by Eileen, and the half of the siege tower was burning fiercely. Not only was it impossible to climb, but it also blocked the way for the other siege tower to cross the moat and get close to the city wall.

Eric sat down again and looked around. The corpses lying on the city wall were mostly those of demons, while those soldiers who still had a chance of survival were carried down for treatment.

But Ambrose somehow made it back to the city alive...

Eric grew angrier the more he thought about it.

Ambrose not only escaped alive, but also, knowing he had no face to face Edgar and the other garrison soldiers, he hid in the palace as soon as he returned to the city.

Everyone had clearly told him that as long as he held his ground for ten days or so, a large number of reinforcements would arrive and reverse the situation.

Eric's anger quickly shifted to the emperor who had protected him.

If he hadn't changed commanders at the last minute...

The sound of the ladders being placed on the city wall brought Eric back to his senses. He got up and saw that another group of demon warriors had rushed to the bottom of the city wall with new ladders.

He clenched his fist, feeling the power returning to his body. Looking at the bottle of Moon Dew that Kasha had given him, not a single drop remained.

Eric stuffed the empty bottle back into his armor, and before the demon warriors could climb up, he picked up several weapons dropped by the demons and placed them beside him.

Hovering against the wall and listening to the increasingly loud noises, he activated a portion of his "Unforgiving Mad Cultivation" state. Just as the demon warrior outside the wall climbed to a high place, he suddenly appeared and cut off its neck.

"Uh!"

Blood spurted from the neck of the demon warrior as he plummeted from the ladder, crashing down on another demon behind him. Amidst the screams, a clear bird song rang out from the other side.

Eric looked over and saw a giant firebird flying along the outer edge of the city wall. Wherever it passed, demons burned and fell, the air temperature rose rapidly, and screams echoed from below the city wall.

On the other side of the city wall, Eileen held her staff high, looking majestic and awe-inspiring.

"The Firebird..."

Eric remembered that this was the spellbook he had given to Eileen.

Her spells greatly reduced the defensive pressure on the south city wall, and Eric couldn't help but once again appreciate the crucial role of mages in the siege.

No... only a high-level mage like Eileen could unleash such a power to turn the tide of battle in an instant.

Although most of the mages were concentrated on the east wall, which was expected to be under greater pressure, some mages were also assigned to the south wall. They provided considerable firepower suppression in the morning, forcing the demons to retreat to the other side of the moat. However, after the initial onslaught, the demons pressed forward again, and the mages were still recovering their magic power under the city wall.

If there were more mages like Eileen here...

Eric found it hard not to set his sights on the archmages who were determined to defend the magic academy.

After dark, he needed to find an opportunity to take Eileen out of the city to the magic academy to personally persuade them to join the war.

He pondered until another wave of demons approached the city wall.

The battle for control of the city walls continued until dusk.

As night falls, the lack of visibility amplifies the attackers' disadvantage. After attacking all day, the demons, having vented their anger with several volleys of arrows, finally halted their offensive and retreated to a distance beyond the defenders' reach.

However, the cessation of the major offensive does not mean that the demons will stop their small-scale harassment. They take turns resting, and from time to time they will send out a group of people to create the noise of an attack on the city, keeping the defenders on the city walls busy and unable to relax.

Eric instructed the garrison, especially his knights, to take turns resting below the city walls. If the demons were to attack, they could simply come up again.

The setting sun dyed the earth red, as if it had collected the blood that both sides had shed throughout the day and then splashed it all out at once.

Eric chose to stay on the city wall, gazing at the demonic positions outside the city.

"Your Highness!"

Just as he sat down, a knight rushed up the city wall and whispered to him, "Our men saw Marquis Ambrose with a troop of knights, intending to leave Lutia through the west gate."

"..."

Eric sat bolt upright. "Where is he? Is he already there? Is it possible to intercept him... or stop him?"

The knight looked troubled. "I'm afraid they've already left the city."

It would take quite a while to get from the south gate to the west gate, and even though Ambrose was guilty of many sins, he was still the commander of Lutia, and no one dared to stop him.

"That bastard... at least he knew he couldn't run this way."

Eric glanced at the sky, then leaned against the city wall. "He's picked a good time to escape. Let him run. The situation over there is unclear. It would be best if he ran into the patrolling demons as soon as he left the city. It's a pity about the knights he brought."

“Your Highness…” “It’s alright, you can go and rest.” Eric patted the knight on the shoulder.

"Yes."

The knight descended from the city wall, and a moment later, Eileen came up, her expression numb.

She stood beside him for a short while, then sat down, leaning against the city wall and resting her head on his shoulder.

"My head hurts so much..."

Eric hugged his sister. "Did you use up too much magic?"

Eileen nodded, and after a while asked, "Will the demons attack again tonight?"

“There shouldn’t be any large-scale attacks.” Eric looked at his hand gripping the sword. “But the small-scale harassment won’t stop; they don’t want us to get a rest.”

Eileen closed her eyes.

Eric suddenly remembered that he had planned to take Eileen back to the magic academy that night to persuade the archmages who remained there to join the fight against the demons.

Exhaustion was taking its toll on his will. He turned to look at Eileen for a moment, and when she looked at him, he told her his plan.

“I don’t think the teachers will be willing to directly join this war…” Eileen said, then looked at him, “but I’m willing to go with Eric.”

“Okay.” It was already dark. Eric struggled to his feet. “Let’s go now.”

"Eric, won't you eat something?"

"Just grab something to eat."

After descending the city walls, Eric ate ​​something. The city had only been under siege for a little over a month, and supplies within Lutia remained plentiful; there was no need to worry about food shortages for at least a year and a half.

Although he felt that the demons were unlikely to launch a large-scale attack, Eric still gave them some instructions before leaving.

Eric rode his horse with Eileen to the west gate. As the guards lowered the drawbridge, Eric asked about Ambrose's escape earlier.

"He probably only took the cavalry he brought with him, right?"

"Yes, Your Highness. Oh, and they're also towing a carriage."

"Did they take some supplies with them?" Eric looked at the drawbridge slowly descending in the firelight, gently waving the reins, and his horse slowly moved forward.

"No, it's the kind of horse-drawn carriage that carries people."

"..."

Eric suddenly pulled on the reins and turned to look at the soldier.

The latter was startled by his gaze. "Your Highness?"

"Ambrose...isn't he in the carriage?"

"No... He was on horseback."

The torchlight illuminated Eric's pale face.

"Let's raise the drawbridge first." He turned the direction as calmly as possible. "I almost forgot, I need to see Vice Commander Edgar."

"Yes." The latter did not complain.

Leaving the west gate, Eric suddenly accelerated and headed straight for the east district.

“Eric?” Eileen asked nervously, hugging his waist tightly.

"The emperor has fled the city," Eric said through gritted teeth.

When they arrived at the commander's tent, Edgar was not there; the soldiers who remained said he was still on the city wall.

Eric rushed over, circled the cratered ground, climbed the city wall, and found Edgar patrolling the area.

“Ambrose has escaped the city,” he whispered.

Edgar opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, Eric added, "It's very likely they escaped with the emperor."

Edgar swayed and then lay low on the city wall.

“Uncle…” Eileen quickly stepped forward.

“Go to the palace,” Edgar said hoarsely. “Eric, go to the palace and confirm. If the emperor has really escaped, don’t make a sound, don’t let anyone know.”

“I understand.” Eric glanced at his sister. “You stay here.”

Eileen nodded.

He descended from the city wall, mounted his horse, and headed straight for the palace.

The palace guards greeted him as usual, but when he arrived at the hall where he usually met the emperor, no one was waiting for him.

Eric arrived at the inner palace, which was only accessible to royalty, and went straight to the emperor's bedroom.

"I want to see His Majesty."

"Your Majesty...His Majesty is already asleep." The maid outside the palace trembled violently, her whole body shaking like a leaf. "Please come again tomorrow..."

Eric drew his weapon, and the maid knelt down with a thud.

He ignored her and went straight in, only to find a little princess who had cried all her tears.

"Dad is gone... Mom is gone too..."

Princess Mia looked at him blankly. "Charles is gone, Uncle Ambrose is gone... they're all gone. Did they abandon me and run away...?"

Eric's heart sank completely.

Ignoring the little princess who had started crying again, he turned and left the palace. As he passed the commander's tent, Eileen called him back.

When he saw Edgar, he simply nodded.

"..."

Edgar didn't speak, nor did he look at him and Eileen again, turning his face to the other side.

After a long silence, he finally spoke: "How many people in the palace know this?"

"Currently, only the inner palace's personal attendants should know this; the palace guards are still operating normally."

Eric paused, then said, "Princess Mia was abandoned in the palace."

Edgar looked at him and said, “Go over there again and, in the name of the princess, order the palace to be sealed off. Then, transfer some of the palace guards here to assist in the defense of the city.”

"Yes."

Eric rushed to the palace again, and by the time he returned, it was already late at night.

Besides a group of palace guards, he also brought Princess Mia herself, who insisted on following him.

"Is Aunt Natalia really coming soon?"

“Really, if we hold out for a few more days, you’ll see her,” Eric told her. “So you absolutely must not reveal that the Emperor has left.”

"I understand……"

Mia, who had no one left to trust, insisted on following him. Eric took her to the camp in the south of the city. The princess's arrival boosted the morale of many of the guards, although Eric was the one speaking up for her most of the time.

That night, the demons outside the city were unusually quiet.

The next morning, as dawn broke again, the demons outside the south city did not immediately launch an attack. Instead, they all shouted a phrase that was incomprehensible.

Eric listened for a while before he understood.

They were shouting that the human emperor had been captured.

News soon arrived from the east that the captured emperor and his family, including Ambrose, had been driven to the east gate by the demons.

When Eric arrived, Edgar and the city's defenders were staring blankly down below.

The captured men stood beneath the city wall, repeatedly shouting their surrender requests.

"Surrender, please, resistance is pointless... Surrender, my people... They will kill me..."

The emperor's face was covered in wounds, and his voice was hoarse from shouting. But if he stopped, the demon warrior beside him would lash out with his whip, so he had no choice but to keep shouting.

The emperor abandoned the city and fled, only to be captured by the demons, who even came to the city walls to persuade him to surrender. After defending the city for over a month, morale plummeted to an unprecedented low.

"Shall we surrender?" Eric asked.

Edgar looked over blankly, seemingly not having heard clearly.

"Are you planning to give up resistance and let the demons slaughter you?" Eric turned and loudly asked the other guards on the city wall.

After a moment of silence, someone whispered "no."

"We will not surrender..." someone repeated.

"Don't surrender." Someone looked at their companion.

"We cannot surrender!" someone shouted repeatedly. "We cannot surrender!"

“Alright.” Eric looked at Princess Mia, who had followed him. “Your Highness… no, those who surrender to the demons are no longer worthy to rule the empire with the blood of the Hero King. From now on, you are Her Majesty the Empress of the Delan Empire.”

Mia opened her mouth.

He picked up his longbow, aimed at the emperor below the city, and the arrow rang out, killing him instantly.

(End of this chapter)