How come this arcanist is invincible?

Chapter 239 The Burning White Tower and the Endgame

boom!

Kane's great shield slammed into the breastplate of a city guard with tremendous force, instantly denting the breastplate and emitting a piercing metallic twisting sound.

The soldier flew backward like a rag doll, crashing heavily into the crenellations behind him, spitting out a mouthful of blood, sliding down the city wall, and disappearing into the thick fog.

Without pausing, he used his massive shield in his left hand to block two scimitars that came slashing down, and with his right hand, he seized one of them and swung it fiercely.

A flash of cold light, and a soldier's head flew into the air, blood spurting out and quickly mixing with the previous bloodstains, a black and red hue.

"Hold the breach! Drive them back!"

The squad leader of the First Army roared, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Kane, and charged forward wielding a curved sword with a dark, regional style.

Kane dodged the incoming blade to the side, when suddenly the sound of a crossbow whistling through the air came from behind him, and four arrows came flying in.

The squad leader quickly turned his head to dodge, but Kane's giant shield swept across again.

Amidst screams, he was also knocked off the city wall and plunged into the thick fog below.

In a short time, more than twenty people had fallen at Kane's feet.

He was like a tireless killing machine, single-handedly holding down one side of the defense.

On the other side, dozens of heavily armored soldiers shouted as they charged toward the collapsed tower area, tearing through the defenders' lines and advancing deep into their territory.

Not only here, but on all sides of the entire city wall, the battle has reached a fever pitch.

The clanging of weapons, the screams of soldiers, and the wails of those dying mingled together, and blood blossomed continuously on the cold city bricks.

An attacking soldier had just climbed onto the city wall when he was stabbed through the throat with a scimitar.

He clutched his neck, made a "hoarse" sound, and fell off the ladder.

The city guard who killed him had just shown a slight smile when he was simultaneously hit in the eye by several crossbow bolts fired from below the ladder, and fell straight to the ground.

Immediately afterward, another attacking soldier climbed up the ladder, but an arrow from a distant tower struck him precisely between the eyebrows.

His expression froze instantly, and he fell straight down, landing squarely on the soldier he had killed.

Even with such fierce fighting, the tide of battle was still tilting in favor of the attacking side.

The breach in the city wall is getting bigger and bigger.

Having endured the harassment of the skeleton soldiers and the torment of the thunderstorms all night, even the most elite city defenders had reached their physical and mental limits and inevitably succumbed to exhaustion.

On the other hand, although the attacking side was in an unfavorable position of attacking uphill, the numerous siege ladders, ample rest time, and specially made repeating crossbows gave them a great advantage in close combat.

"Third squad, follow me! Block the breach on the east side!"

"Fifth Squad! Push that ladder down!"

The captains shouted themselves hoarse, trying to reorganize the defenses, but it all seemed so futile.

The soldiers were already in complete disarray, fighting individually and unable to mount any effective resistance.

Especially in the area of the city wall above the city gate where the siege tower was located, Kane's squad of professional-grade heavy armored soldiers directly tore open the battle line.

Protected by heavy armor, even a second-tier captain would find it difficult to kill an ordinary professional soldier.

Watching their comrades being slaughtered by heavily armored soldiers, and with the nearby magic cannons already destroyed by enemy fire while attacking the siege towers, the surrounding defenders were plunged into deep despair and fear.

Just then, with a "bang," a tall figure leaped down from the top of the tower.

Wielding two curved swords, he moved with lightning speed, swiftly piercing through the gaps in a heavily armored soldier's armor. At the same time, he easily dodged the incoming crossbow bolts, grabbed an arrow with his backhand, and threw it fiercely at another academy guard soldier who had ambushed him.

The latter screamed and covered his bleeding face.

Upon witnessing his achievements, the heavily armored soldiers around him halted their offensive, and the pace of their attack suddenly slowed down.

"Build a defensive line!" the tall half-elf shouted in a deep voice.

"Commander Zane is here! The First Corps is saved!" "Kill these traitors!"

Zane remained unmoved by his men's cheers. He raised his gaze and met Kane's eyes from the other side of the city wall.

The other person was wearing an iron mask, so his expression was obscured, but the intense sense of danger emanating from him made him tremble.

He stared intently at the other person, and Kane stopped what he was doing.

"Brave warrior, cease your rebellious behavior."

Zane spoke up, "Surrender to Prince Grayson and help us defend the inner palace, and I will petition His Highness to grant you a title."

Kane's voice came from beneath the visor, cold and calm: "So, was it His Highness who bestowed the title upon me, or that duke far away on the border?"

Zane sighed softly and said, "What a pity."

Before he finished speaking, an intense killing intent suddenly erupted.

He leaped forward suddenly, charging straight at Kane from several meters away, wielding two enormous scimitars with incredible speed and unstoppable force!

Kane's eyes flickered slightly, and he raised his giant shield to meet the attack head-on.

"clang!!!"

A deafening roar shook the soldiers around them, causing their eardrums to ache and involuntarily taking a few steps back.

The giant shield that Kane could only hold steadily by constantly regenerating his stamina through his immortality had a dent punched into its center.

A third-tier swordsman? No, a pure warrior! But clearly possessing unique class characteristics and combat skills!

In that instant, the opponent swung his curved blades several times with both hands, concentrating all his power on the same point.

Zane, the highest-ranking officer of the First Legion, also wore a solemn expression. Only another third-tier expert could withstand his full-force attack.

Aside from the legion commanders, there was only one other person in the entire royal court who could do it—the one who supposedly killed the commander of the Third Legion in a duel.

He raised his head and slowly said, "I see."

The next moment, he launched another attack, his two enchanted scimitars raining down on Kane like a storm. Kane retreated continuously, using his movements to deflect the force of his opponent's attack, and the cracks on his greatsword multiplied.

In contrast, the two scimitars, clearly high-level enchanted equipment, still gleamed with a cold light and were extremely sharp.

Kane frowned.

Although he greatly enhanced his strength attribute by using electric shocks, blood acceleration, and immortality, he was still fundamentally different from a Tier 3 warrior who specialized in melee combat. Moreover, the opponent also had combat skills and unique warrior class characteristics.

"However, it's time to try out the new spells I've modified using meditation."

"Bang!"

After another violent impact, the giant shield finally gave way and split in the middle, the scimitar piercing through the shield and almost touching Kane's throat.

Just as the city's soldiers noticed this and their eyes lit up with excitement, Kane's shadow suddenly coalesced into several black spears, which pierced Zane from behind.

Zain sensed something was wrong and quickly dodged to the side, but three deep cuts were still left on his back, and blood instantly soaked through his armor.

Before he could react, Kane suddenly raised his hand, and a curved blade formed from shadows rose abruptly from the ground, stabbing straight at Zane's abdomen.

Zain quickly leaned back, barely dodging the attack. But just when he thought he was safe, the shadowy scimitar suddenly transformed into a spear, piercing his abdomen with pinpoint accuracy.

Fresh blood gushed out, and even his intestines spilled out.

Zane staggered backward, barely managing to break free of the Shadow Spear, but blood continued to flow uncontrollably from his body, and his breath weakened instantly as he retreated to the protection of the city's guards.

The situation reversed instantly. The defending side, which had initially held the upper hand, suddenly found itself on the defensive, while the attacking side's morale soared.

"Surrender, and I will give you the treatment you deserve."

Kane looked at the First Army Corps commander, who was panting heavily, and calmly offered his advice.

If it weren't for the vast amount of experience he gained from this war, which allowed him to modify the Shadow Blade through meditation, he would probably have had to pay a considerable price to take down Zane today.

"Thank you for your invitation, Dean Kane."

Zain clutched his stomach, a resolute smile on his face.

"But I choose to die here with you."

He took a step back and took out a vial of potion from his pocket. Inside the vial, which emitted an eerie black aura, was a black finger soaking in it.

Kane immediately realized the danger.

Several shadow spikes rose from the ground, piercing through several guards blocking the way, causing blood to bloom.

But all the soldiers of the First Army Corps, even with fear in their eyes, still stood firmly in front of their commander.

With a sickening chewing sound, Zane swallowed the demon finger along with the potion.

His aura suddenly changed drastically, and even the wound on his abdomen began to congeal at a visible speed.

His eyes turned blood red, flashing with inhuman malice.

Immediately afterwards, he transformed into a black shadow and charged at Kane again, the speed of the scimitar in his hand more than twice as fast as before!

Kane's expression was grave, and shadows rose from the ground, covering his heavy armor.

A shadowy shield covered in spikes appeared in his hand.

"Whoosh!"

To everyone's eyes, the two dark figures collided instantly.

Only a few second-tier captains could barely make out their movements.

Zane's scimitar could occasionally slash through the outer shadows, but it was still blocked by the heavy armor, and all vital points were firmly protected by the shadows.

He also had to be constantly on guard against the shadow spikes shooting from the ground. Even though his body had gained self-healing abilities due to demonization, it was still far inferior to Kane's endless shadow spells.

One shadow after another pierced the ground, and not only Zane, but also the city guards around him were pierced through the throat, heart and even the head, and they fell to the ground unwillingly, clutching their wounds.

The remaining soldiers were so frightened that they retreated repeatedly, not daring to approach this death zone again.

Zain, trapped in a sea of shadowy spikes, was finding it even more difficult to continue.

The experience I had previously gained against third-tier spellcasters was completely useless on this narrow city wall, and the opponent's spells were extremely bizarre.

Time passed slowly, and Zain finally collapsed to his knees. His breath grew weaker and weaker, and the malice in his eyes gradually faded.

He raised his pale face, looked at Kane, and said with difficulty, "Strange magic—is this your trump card?"

Kane remained silent, simply observing his worthy opponent.

If it were in an open area, dealing with him would not be so easy.

Zane caught his breath and continued, "Those who associate with demons will be forsaken by the gods. It seems this is my fate. But can you grant me one last request?"

"explain."

"Protect the lives of my soldiers."

"Okay." Kane looked at Zane, who was nearing the end of his life, and nodded.

Zain smiled with relief.

Just then, he suddenly mustered all his strength, his voice echoing throughout the city wall area above the gate: "Soldiers of the First Legion, I am Zane Grant! Surrender—we have lost!! Abandon the futile struggle!"

As the sound faded, the soldiers of the First Army Corps who had heard it on several sections of the city wall froze, their weapons involuntarily dropping to their sides.

As the attacking soldiers drew ever closer, some people dropped their weapons, and then more and more chose to surrender.

Kane looked at his opponent.

He had closed his eyes, knelt on the ground with his head bowed, and there was no longer any sign of life in his body. Some of the city's guards looked at their commander with sorrowful expressions.

Kane raised his head slightly, looking at the increasing number of his own soldiers on the city wall, and said in a deep voice, "It's time to end this war."

"boom!!!"

"The city gates have fallen! The city gates have fallen!"

A thunderous cheer erupted from within the thick fog.

The combined forces of the academy guard and other legions rushed into the city like a tidal wave, watching the city gate collapse with a deafening roar.

On the city wall, after the First Army Corps defected, a domino effect was triggered.

The remaining two corps could not withstand the repeated attacks, and many ordinary soldiers laid down their weapons and surrendered.

There was only sporadic resistance on the east and west sections of the main city wall, but it was too late.

Only a few second-tier captains of noble birth temporarily escaped with their personal guards to the Supreme White Tower, where they joined the last royal guards and mages to prepare for a final stand.

The highest level of the White Tower, which is where King Susas once stood.

Upon learning of the fall of the city gates, Grayson gave a bleak smile.

He stood by the window, looking down over the entire inner court.

Burning city walls, collapsed houses, corpses everywhere, waving white flags, and the sounds of shouting, crying, and pleas for mercy rising and falling.

The once glorious royal court has now become a living hell.

This inner city wall, which was supposed to be used to defend against the invasion of the Nord Empire, was easily breached due to the defection of its own soldiers.

In fact, it didn't even last the three days he had anticipated.

Grayson gave a bitter laugh, then turned to the hooded mage beside him and asked, "Where are the three legion commanders?"

"Commander Zane is dead. As for Commanders Harlan and Bryce, upon learning of the First Corps' defection, they led their personal guards away—"

The Royal Guard was unable to monitor the movements of the two Tier 3 professionals.

"Where are my mages?"

The hooded mage paused, then said with a grim expression, "Most of the royal mages have exhausted their spell slots and are unable to fight, so they have no choice but to surrender."

"Masters Silas and Andrew have also disappeared—we found a map of the Free City in their room."

Seeing Grayson's deathly pale face, the hooded mage hurriedly urged, "Your Highness, let's escape!"

"We also have an elite royal guard of over a thousand men who can leave through the secret passage to meet up with the Duke."

I have already contacted the personnel to provide assistance.

"well done."

Grayson looked at the hooded mage and suddenly smiled.

"This is what I should do."

The hooded mage lowered his head, having just breathed a sigh of relief, but then suddenly froze.

A sharp longsword pierced his chest from behind.

Grayson grinned cruelly as he looked at the hooded mage lying on the ground, his face filled with disbelief.

"You've been keeping your contact with the demon cult a secret from me. If I really leave here with you, I'm afraid I'll soon become a puppet of the demon cult."

"And my good uncle didn't care about my life or death at all."

"If I live, I can be his puppet in the royal court; if I die, he can rightfully ascend the throne in the name of avenging me."

Grayson muttered to himself, while the hooded mage on the ground was already lifeless, blood spreading from beneath him, staining the cold marble floor red.

"Never mind, in the end, I'm still all alone."

"boom!"

A magic-powered cannonball struck the body of the Supreme White Tower.

The entire building shook violently, and countless pieces of brick and stone fell from the ceiling.

Grayson seemed not to hear or see anything.

He walked slowly to the center of the hall, sat on the throne he had longed for, and then revealed a mad smile.

"No one can kill me! I am the King of Sussas! Ruler of elves and half-elves! Favored by the elven gods!"

Amid his maniacal laughter, the tower swayed once more.

A candle fell from its stand and rolled onto the carpet, instantly bursting into flames.

The fire spread rapidly and soon engulfed the entire hall.

But Grayson seemed oblivious, remaining seated on his throne, alone, as the flames consumed him.

The entire tall white tower was transformed into a burning torch.