Necromancer, summoning 055? What the heck?

Chapter 316 The entire army was terrified; one arrow pierced the royal city.
Olivia, the captain of the Elven Guard, promised to take the royal city in three days.

The esteemed Alliance Chairman, Chen Mo, generously granted a doubling of the timeframe, adding a seven-day extension.

This was a pledge made on the eve of battle, and it was later ratified by the Silvermoon Elf Council.

Well, there's a small condition: please ask Han Hai Ling to help us take down Jingou Pass.

Captain Olivia is a veteran who experienced the brutal war between elves and humans more than three hundred years ago. Every elf who survived such a bloody battlefield and is still alive today is a backbone and elite of the race.

None of them are simple characters.

The elves' idea was to exploit a time difference.

If the total time it takes to break through Jin Gou Pass, plus the time it takes for the army to rush to Xi Yue Royal City and complete the encirclement, is less than the time it takes for the Xi Yue royal family to summon the main forces from other directions to reinforce the royal city, then the scales of victory will tip completely in their favor.

At that time, the main force of the elves can hold off the most elite troops of Xiyue in the wilderness outside the royal city, fighting a battle on the plains. The defending army they will face during the siege will consist only of the pampered royal guards of Xiyue, who have hardly ever seen blood.

Conquering the royal city would be much easier!

That's how the elves planned it, and that's how they executed it.

However, they seemed to have underestimated Chairman Chen's anger.

There's an old saying on Earth: "When a commoner is angry, blood will splatter five steps away; when an emperor is angry, millions will die."

The seventh-tier mage Lysander and the Darkwalker Hidden Blade both tried to make the lord bleed profusely in a fit of rage, but unfortunately, they failed to draw blood.

While the Chairman's wrath may not have resulted in the deaths of a million, it was more than enough to burn down the Golden Hook Pass.

The elves passed through the majestic Xiyue Pass without firing a single arrow.

Leading the team was Iona's most trusted confidante and staunch general, Ysera Brightwing.

Before taking action, she invoked several precious magical artifacts, the "Eyes of the Ancients," and carefully observed the entire process of Golden Hook Pass howling and collapsing in the flames. After that, the elven commander took the lead and issued the order for a forced march.

"Shed all unnecessary burdens, and the elves will sweep across the land like a whirlwind across the plains! Before the royal guards awaken from their nightmare at Golden Hook Pass, let us put our swords to their throats!"

Urged on by the chieftain, the elven land forces marched even faster than their flying mounts.

Our goal is to conquer Xiyue Royal City at all costs.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

At this moment, inside the Xiyue Imperial Palace, His Majesty the Emperor Gerhard Hein is facing the most difficult decision of his life.

The moment the highest-level alarm was sounded at Jingou Pass, the Royal Mage Corps activated its reconnaissance capabilities under Emperor Gerhard's personal command.

Using the magic array in the royal city, they presented the situation of Golden Hook Pass in the center of the hall as a magical image.

At first, the atmosphere in the hall was a little somber in the face of the enemy's arrival, but overall it was still quite relaxed.

The formidable strength of Jingou Pass is a stereotype etched in the minds of every member of the Xiyue royal family.

So at the beginning, the hall was filled with the sounds of clinking glasses, singing and dancing, and the huge silver platters still held exquisite food, while mellow wine rippled in crystal glasses.

The young noble generals gathered together, talking loudly and expressing their lofty ambitions to trample the spear tribes on horseback and kill the remnants of the elven race with their spears. Their words were full of disdain for their opponents, and they dreamed of how to annihilate the invading enemy under the city walls and restore the glory of the Federation.

Until that wisp of flame rose from the magical image.

Without sound, the visuals appear particularly grotesque.

A raging inferno, a sea of ​​fire engulfing the entire city, tiny figures running and tumbling through the flames, ultimately reduced to charred remains...

Jingou Pass, hailed as the most fortified stronghold on the west side of the royal city, transformed into a massive incinerator in the night, billowing thick smoke that rose straight into the sky.

When the images disappeared, the hall was deathly silent, with only the occasional heavy, suppressed breathing.

The silence was broken when a general's wine glass fell to the ground with a crisp shattering sound.

"A demon...this is the demon's flame!"

A general, who was about the same age as Mondi, the Golden Hook Guard, and with whom he had a deep friendship, trembled all over and roared repeatedly: "This is a demon! Quickly report to Misty Moon, purify it, beg the gods to purify it!"

"What's the use of saying all this now! Fog Moon, is it too late?"

Another member of the royal family, dressed in a mage's robe, suddenly stood up: "Golden Hook Pass has fallen, Prince Mondi has died in battle! The elven vanguard cavalry will arrive at the city walls by noon! What... what should we do?"

In an instant, the main hall was in chaos.

"Defend! We must defend!"

An elderly general with gray hair pounded his chest, the medals on his chest jingling.

"Xiyue Royal City is the foundation of the Federation! Its defenses are strong, its reserves are plentiful, and its magic array is operating at full capacity. It may well be able to fight! If we just hold out for a few days and wait for the main forces to return to reinforce us, we will surely annihilate those long-eared elves beneath the city walls!"

"Don't try to deceive His Majesty. No matter how fast the legion returns, can it be faster than the elves?"

"Blocked by the elves outside the city, what are our chances of winning a decisive battle in the wilderness? Have we forgotten what happened with 'North Wind' and 'Tree Toad'?"

"So, according to you, you're going to open the gates and surrender?"

"When did I ever say I surrendered? Before the elves arrive, we should quickly ask His Majesty to travel east! Let him rest temporarily at Xifeng Pass and Han Pass, gather the army, and then launch a counterattack!"

Several white-haired veterans immediately erupted in fury, shouting, "Wangcheng Xiyue is the foundation of the royal family and the source of their dignity. How can they abandon the city and leave? What about the honor of the Haiyin family?"

The officials who advocated evacuation were also desperate: "Glory? If we lose our lives, what glory will we have? The glory of the Hein family can't be more important than the bloodline of the Hein family!"

"You are putting His Majesty in danger! Your intentions are despicable!"

The royal nobles and federal ministers under his command argued heatedly, while the federal emperor Gerhard Hein was pale, his eyes filled with fear, his fingers gripping the gilded armrests of his throne tightly, his mind filled with the fiery hell he had just witnessed.

Not leaving? Let alone whether it can hold out under the siege of the elves, even if it barely holds out, if the enemy launches another Heavenly Fire attack to burn the city, this royal city will probably be reduced to ashes in an instant.
Go? Go where? Go to the mountains to the south, hide in caves and forests?
The thirteen tribes of Xiyue have all rebelled, and eight-tenths of their vast territory has already been lost. It is only thanks to the millennia-old prestige of the royal city and the generations of merits of Haiyin that the unity of this directly controlled territory has been maintained. If the royal city is lost so easily, will there be any chance in the future?

The lamplight illuminated the emperor's ashen face, his eyes darting anxiously through the crowd, as if searching for someone to help him make a decision. Finally, they settled on the face of the emperor's younger brother, Cloti, the leader of the royalists.

This once young, handsome, and spirited leader of the Imperial Guard now looked gaunt and haggard, with long eye bags that almost covered half of his face, making him look decades older.

Amidst the bustling noise, Clotti stood there, holding a map, dumbfounded.

Feeling the emperor's somewhat burning gaze, Clotti suddenly woke up.

Knowing His Majesty as he did, how could he not know that his brother had lost his courage and wanted to leave, desperately wanting to escape the city that was about to be engulfed in war?

But His Majesty's calculating nature prevented him from taking that first step—he needed a way out, someone to take the blame, someone to support him, drag him along, or even tie him up to leave the imperial city.

In this way, he could avoid leaving a stain on history books by "abandoning the city and fleeing".

This emperor is so "politically astute".

Clotti felt a chill run through him, even a strange sense of absurdity welling up inside him. But his reason told him that in the current situation, leaving was the only option that might allow him to survive.

People with evil intentions tend to think: "If you could beat me, why wouldn't you beat me? So if you talk to me nicely, you're bound to lose!"

This is also the main reason why Han Hai Ling's repeated communications, negotiations, and warnings were completely ignored by Xi Yue Royal Court.

My great nation of Xiyue is strong and well-equipped, with many brave generals and a loyal army! Although we have suffered some setbacks, we have weathered so many storms in the past. What can a small territory of tens of thousands of people and a few million forest bandits do, even if we have gained the upper hand?
But the fall of Jingou Pass shattered their illusions completely.

The enemy truly possesses the terrifying power to breach a city in an instant! Moreover, they genuinely held back beforehand! How is this possible?

Seeing that His Majesty the Emperor on the throne was beginning to tremble uncontrollably, his lips were moving faster and faster, his breathing was becoming more and more rapid, and his chest was heaving violently, as if he was about to faint at any moment, Clotti knew that she had to step forward.

Clotte Hein took a deep breath and stood up.

He carefully straightened his ceremonial robes, which were wrinkled from his disheveled posture, adjusted the golden crown on his head that symbolized his princely status, and under everyone's gaze, took a few steps forward to the steps of the throne and kowtowed deeply.

His forehead struck the cold, hard jade floor with a dull thud. The sound was so abrupt that it even interrupted the noise in the room.

When she looked up again, her face was streaked with tears and blood, and strands of her hair were stuck to her face.

"Your Majesty, let's go quickly! If we delay any longer, it will be too late!"

"In my opinion, the arrangement of Fallen Feather Canyon suggests that the petty thief Chen must be dead. This allowed his subordinates to tear off their hypocritical mask and commit such a heinous act as burning down Golden Hook Pass."

"If the royal city resists, it will likely be doomed!"

"Since we can't hold out, we might as well endure the humiliation and retreat temporarily, and then find an opportunity to make a comeback once we have gathered all the armies together."

Gerhard Hein, as if grasping at a straw, abruptly stood up from his throne and asked in a trembling, hopeful tone, "Can...can we start over?"

"Yes! It must be possible!"

“In the past, the tribal forces also pressed forward twice and even besieged the city once, but where are those tribal prodigies now? Just a handful of withered bones! Xi Yue is still Xi Yue of the Hein family!”

Clotilde Hein kowtowed again: "With the death of the Lord of the Vast Sea, that so-called alliance must now be a mere facade, each with their own agenda. Right now, they're just clinging to the desire for revenge. Once the royal city falls, that desire will dissipate, and conflicts will inevitably arise!"

"The age-old feud between humans and elves is not so easily resolved; conflict is bound to reignite!"

"Furthermore, the Green Pine Kingdom and our Federation are now on the same side, and the Misty Moon Divine Court will certainly not tolerate the existence of such an evil heretic. As long as we hold on a little longer, the situation could change drastically at any time!"

"But Your Majesty, you need to preserve your health, and the royal lineage must continue! If... if the entire royal family perishes here, then the roots of Xiyue will truly be severed, the hope of the Hein family will be cut off, and there will be no chance left!"

"His Majesty!"

Clotti's voice grew louder and louder, and by the end, it had a tearful quality to it.

"The elven cavalry will arrive in an instant, and once they are surrounded, all will be lost! Your Majesty, I am willing to lead the Imperial Guard to clear a path for Your Majesty, and I beg Your Majesty... for Xiyue, for the Hein family, to preserve the hope of Xiyue's revival!"

"Your Majesty, please make a decision quickly!"

In any case, Clotilde finally provided a smooth, convincing reason that the emperor could accept, and that could be recorded, sung, and embellished.

Gerhard struggled to his feet. The fear of death and the desire to live finally overwhelmed everything. He said in a trembling voice, "How... how can this be worthy of the ancestors of the Hein family?"

"But I really don't understand military affairs, so... I'll entrust everything to the General!"

After saying this, Gerhard Hein seemed to have all his strength drained away. His body went limp and he collapsed heavily onto the wide throne, letting out a long and painful groan.

Amidst the sudden gasps, cries, and stares from the audience, his head slumped to one side, his arm fell limp, and he "fainted."

Clotti knelt below, watching her brother's Oscar-worthy performance, and felt a pang of sorrow in her heart.

He was 98% certain that his brother, who was skilled in political maneuvering, was faking fainting so that he would be carried away as the emperor, rather than fleeing.

At a time like this, to still be so concerned about reputation and so adept at scheming, it can only be said that the Hein family has indeed possessed unique "wisdom" to maintain their rule for so many years in a complex country like the Creek Moon Federation, where various powerful forces are deeply entrenched.

With His Majesty the Emperor and the Chief General reaching an agreement, the ministers who advocated for holding out fell completely silent.

Clotilde demonstrated his decisiveness as a royalist leader, swiftly issuing a series of military deployment orders.

A loyal force was dispatched to the west to intercept them, at all costs slowing down the advance of the elven vanguard.

Another larger "rear guard" was arranged, mainly composed of thugs and death row inmates, to carry out the final resistance in the royal city. The destruction and looting that would inevitably occur during this period would bring great chaos to the royal city and delay the time for the elves to take control of the city.
At the same time, multiple messengers were dispatched to deliver messages to the main military forces loyal to the royal family as quickly as possible, ordering them to be on high alert and to immediately send troops to meet the emperor's carriage.

Finally, and most importantly, all available transportation resources were immediately mobilized—royal carriages, requisitioned noble carriages, and even freight wagons—to transport members of the royal family, key ministers, their immediate family members, and valuables out of the city.

Normally, the troops would have thoroughly looted the city, but with only half a day left, there was no time to spare. They could only quickly grab some of the lighter, more valuable items from the treasury, set it on fire, and then the main force of the city's defenses escorted the unconscious emperor's carriage eastward at top speed.

When the elven army approached the capital, they found a scene of devastation not much better than that of Jin Gou Pass.

The order collapsed completely the moment the emperor's carriage disappeared through the East Gate.

At first there was chaos, then uncontrollable madness. Clotilde's rearguard was less an army and more a pack of beasts consumed by despair and greed.

They knew perfectly well that they had been abandoned, left behind to delay the elves and buy time for their noble masters to escape. This anger at being cast aside and the despair of knowing they would die made them behave with extreme hysteria.

Some soldiers roared wildly on the city walls, while others ran rampant throughout the city, raping and looting, leaving piles of corpses scattered throughout the streets and alleys of the royal city.

They smashed open shop doors, stormed into wealthy homes, and frantically looted anything of value that caught their eye. If they encountered resistance or even the slightest hesitation, they would unhesitatingly wield their knives.

The screams of women, the pleas of men, and the mad laughter of soldiers mingled together, soaring into the sky.

Countless corpses, regardless of rank, were dumped on the roadside like garbage, covering the once bustling but now desolate streets and alleys of the royal city.

Of course, many more people were still trying to escape. Large numbers of soldiers and civilians ran, cried, and pushed each other like headless flies, rushing out of the city.

In a struggle for a passage out of the city, normally gentle and refined nobles drew their jeweled swords and stabbed at the merchants blocking their way; while the bloodthirsty laborers, wielding spears they had picked up from who-knows-where, dared not stab the nobles who still had guards, but instead vented all their fear and anger on the weaker commoners blocking their way, frantically stabbing them in an attempt to carve out a path to escape.

Then, in the next second, he was cut down by even more ferocious soldiers.

Flames once again took center stage, but this time they were not ignited by the heavenly fire of the vast ocean, but by the madness deep within people's hearts.

The flames that rose from the warehouses and looted shops spread everywhere, gradually merging into one, engulfing the exquisite carved beams and painted rafters, the former peace and prosperity, and the many lives that could not be escaped in time.

At some point, the guardian secretly pried off the spirit crystals from the magic array, causing the faint magical light to dim rapidly and vanish without a trace.

This is the capital of a country, a megacity in the southern continent. However, when viewed from above, the entire city looks like a crushed anthill, with countless black dots squeezing out from the city gates and fleeing into the wilderness outside the city without looking back.

Someone, in a fit of extreme panic, let out a piercing scream: "The elves are here!"

The entire city was completely blown up!

Because the congestion at the city gate was so severe, many people couldn't even wait to get out. They desperately jumped off the high city walls, their bodies crashing into the crowd outside the city, creating a chorus of painful screams.

When Ysera Brightwing led the elven vanguard cavalry to the city walls, this was the apocalyptic scene she witnessed.

Isela pulled on the reins, and her Shadow Cheetah shook its head, hot breath billowing from its mouth and nose as it adjusted its body temperature after a long, rapid run.

The elven general gazed at the colossal city wailing in self-destruction before him, a complex and indescribable emotion flashing in his eyes.

This was a great human city that the elves had only dared to dream of for hundreds of years, and now it lay naked and bare at their feet!

She slowly took down the composite bow from her back, nocked a specially made heavy arrow, took a deep breath, drew the bow like a full moon, and aimed at the Xiyue royal banner embroidered with the crest of the Hein family that was fluttering on the city wall.

The bowstring twanged! The heavy arrow, like a white lightning bolt, emitted a piercing shriek and struck the thick flagpole of the watchtower with perfect accuracy!
"Crack!"

The flagpole snapped in two! The enormous flag, symbolizing the highest power of the Creek Moon Federation, broke in two, struggled and tumbled, and fell limply from the high city wall, eventually disappearing into the chaos of the city.

Elven air cavalry swept over the city walls and easily opened the city gates, allowing the ground troops to file in.

Excluding the journey, it only took a few minutes from when Ysera raised her bow to when the army entered the city!
Xiyue Royal City has fallen!
(End of this chapter)