How come this arcanist is invincible?

Chapter 243 Decapitation Strike! Simultaneously Underway!

The moment the first soldier scaled the city wall, several soldiers guarding the crenellations immediately operated two repeating crossbows and fired four arrows simultaneously.

The soldier had no time to react and was hit in the face by two arrows, screaming as he fell off the city wall.

On the vast battlefield, the entire royal court resembled a giant meat grinder, surrounded by ducal legions surging in from all directions.

Without any probing, countless soldiers surged forward like a tidal wave.

One siege ladder after another was quickly erected by the soldiers working together, and densely packed figures began to climb upwards.

The soldiers of the Royal Court Corps launched a fierce counterattack using various "special tools" hastily produced from the new military workshops.

Many soldiers were still halfway up the ladder when they were hit on the head by boiling water poured down from above and rolling stones, and fell straight to the ground.

The people behind him didn't even glance at him, stepping over his corpse and continuing their charge.

On the other side, the heavy weapons of the city's outer defenses were slowly pushed forward by numerous soldiers using rollers or packhorses.

Numerous military crossbows and short-range magic cannons are gradually approaching the city walls.

All of this was naturally observed by the lookout soldiers on the city wall, who immediately reported it to the commanders on the tower.

As orders were relayed down the chain of command, the giant crossbows and magic cannons on the city walls, taking advantage of their high-altitude parabolic trajectory, began to launch attacks from afar.

The next moment, giant crossbows and the surrounding soldiers were shot through and torn apart, and the magic cannons were also blown to pieces in a huge burst of destructive light.

However, the attacking side was clearly prepared to suffer losses and, undeterred by these casualties, continued to push more and more weapons toward the city gate.

Among them were ten even larger siege towers, with soldiers clad in heavy iron armor already poised inside, ready to strike.

"Lower the drawbridge!"

After several siege towers were destroyed in succession, one siege tower finally managed to reach the city wall.

Leading the charge were a dozen or so Nord mercenaries clad in heavy armor.

These humans from the northern lands are more physically suited to wearing heavy armor than the half-elves of Susas, so their armor is made to be much thicker!

"Kill them, and you'll get a gold coin for each head!"

.

The lead heavy armored mercenary roared, and the soldiers behind him immediately roared back and swarmed after him.

To his surprise, the seemingly frail half-elf soldiers in front of him showed no sign of panic; instead, their eyes were filled with a cold killing intent.

Collins, the 7th Captain of the 3rd Army Corps who had been waiting there for a long time, slowly raised his hand as he watched the approaching enemy troops.

The bloodthirsty, heavily armored mercenaries were full of disdain. Even a second-tier professional would surely die in close combat on this narrow city wall, with no room to dodge.

And when he saw the soldiers behind him taking out their crossbows and starting to load them with bolts.

They scoffed at the idea, arguing that the crossbows were far too weak to penetrate their heavy armor.

Only the lead mercenary hesitated for a moment, but the thought was fleeting, and he stopped thinking about it and roared as he led the charge.

The next moment, dozens of crossbow bolts sprinkled with black powder rained down on the charging heavily armored Nord mercenaries.

Just as they expected, the crossbow bolts bounced off the heavy armor, causing almost no damage. Apart from two unlucky ones who were hit by gaps in their armor and screamed in pain, the others continued their unstoppable charge forward.

But just as the heavily armored soldiers were getting excited, thinking they were about to break through the defenses, Collins took a step back, and a spellcaster in a gray robe behind him whispered two words: "Close your eyes."

Blindfolded? The heavily armored soldiers attacking were completely bewildered, not understanding what the enemy was up to, but they understood the next moment.

A slowly burning arrow of fire shot out from the mage apprentice's hand, its target not anyone, but the black iron dust drifting in the air.

In an instant, a blinding white light suddenly burst forth, and before the heavily armored soldiers could even close their eyes, they felt an excruciating pain.

Immediately afterwards, the surrounding temperature rose sharply, and the scorching flames instantly engulfed them.

This elite assault force, painstakingly built by the Duke at great expense, was reduced to charred remains in the flames before it could even utter a complete scream.

Looking at the charred and twisted corpses on the ground, and the tower bridge that was burned and deformed, Collins felt a wave of nausea wash over him, and many of the soldiers behind him even vomited while leaning against the city wall.

But compared to them, the Duke's soldiers who witnessed this scene were even more terrified.

The same tragedy was unfolding simultaneously in every corner of this battlefield.

The heavily armored soldiers, along with the numerous second-tier captains hidden within the ranks, waiting for their chance to strike, were all reduced to charred corpses billowing black smoke amidst the occasional bursts of white light on the battlefield and the concentrated fire of countless iron powder arrows.

The air was filled with a pungent smell of burning and blood, which was nauseating.

The Duke's soldiers looked fearful, and their offensive noticeably slowed down.

After abandoning countless ladders and damaged weapons, the first wave of attack finally came to an end.

On the city wall, Kane looked at the Duke's army, which was slowly retreating but with a casualty rate of less than 10%, and then looked at his own soldiers on the city wall, nearly half of whom were exhausted and were helping each other to rest, drink water, and eat dry, hard supplies.

He turned to the four third-tier professionals beside him and said in a deep voice, "That's about enough. The enemy is about to launch a general offensive."

The dice he placed on the stone table rolled three identical numbers.

The Duke's army camp.

Duke Eisenberg Susas, dressed in magnificent armor, looked at the map and the report of the failed attack handed to him by his men.

There was no sign of frustration on his face; instead, he wore a confident smile.

"That so-called head of the public security committee has run out of tricks—"

According to reports from my spies in the city, their special iron powder arrows can only be manufactured using Dean Kane's special magic, and cannot be mass-produced at all, so they are reluctant to use them normally.

6

"In that last wave, although we lost more than 4,000 soldiers, the heavily armored soldiers and captains among them used up 300 of these arrows."

This means their defenses won't hold for much longer.

"The probing is over. Now, the entire army will launch a general offensive."

Let all our Tier 3 professionals split into two teams and attack simultaneously from the east and west sections of the city wall.

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Eisenberg's smile grew even more smug, but one of his advisors couldn't help but speak up: "Your Grace, isn't this too risky? I think we should conduct a few more tests—"

Before he could finish speaking, Eisenberg's gaze swept coldly over him.

The staff officer felt the Duke's icy gaze, and cold sweat instantly broke out on his forehead.

But the next moment, the Duke suddenly laughed.

"The rebels captured the royal court in three days and killed my respectable nephew—am I supposed to spend a week or even months attacking this ruined royal court?"

Moreover, our number of high-level professionals is several times that of theirs.

6

"This—" The staff officer lowered his head in shame.

Duke Eisenberg smiled and shook his head, saying, "I understand your concerns."

However, to let you experience the cruelty of the battlefield firsthand, tomorrow you will be assigned to Theodore's army and attack the city from the east wall with him.

Upon hearing this, the staff officer turned ashen-faced, and cold sweat soaked through his back.

Among the many generals, a half-elf with an unusually tall stature and a long scar across his face slowly raised his head.

He exuded a strong stench of blood and decay, involuntarily reminding one of cannibalistic giants from the northern wastelands.

The enormous battle axe in his hand, taller than a man, was incredibly bloodthirsty. Thick, dark red bloodstains were condensed on the blade, clearly indicating that it had drunk the blood of countless people.

He grinned, revealing a set of yellowed fangs and emitting a nauseating stench.

He looked at the trembling staff officer and uttered only one word: "Okay."

"The enemy already knows our secret of using iron powder arrows."

"Tomorrow, they will launch a general offensive, and at the same time send out two special forces teams composed of third-tier professionals from the east and west sections of the city wall to carry out decapitation operations, while the main force will cooperate with them in a full-scale attack."

"6

On the tower, Kane addressed the four former Tier 3 legion commanders and current vice-chairmen below.

Upon hearing the words "decapitation strike," everyone's expression turned extremely solemn.

According to the standard military system of Sussas, the highest-ranking officer of a 5,000-man legion is usually a third-tier professional.

The Duke's army this time was five times larger than theirs, and even with a conservative estimate, the number of third-tier professionals on the other side was more than twenty.

Even those Tier 3 fighters with weaker professional characteristics and who lack powerful combat skills are simply no match for the numerical advantage they possess.

Looking at the four people with solemn expressions, Kane calmly said, "This time, I will not take action."

"What? You're not going to make a move?" The others' expressions changed drastically upon hearing this.

Kane looked at them and continued, "I know that a lot of the iron powder arrows produced by the military workshops 'accidentally' disappeared during transport and ended up in the hands of your Royal Guard."

Don't tell me you haven't privately tested the weapon's lethality against Tier 3 enemies.

This thing can kill a Tier 2 captain in the hands of an ordinary professional, and with the cooperation of several Tier 2 captains, it can also kill a Tier 3 captain.

"I can let bygones be bygones regarding your possession of weapons."

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"I have only one request: block all incoming Tier 3 attacks and protect Logan Susas at all costs."

It doesn't matter if the outer court of the royal palace is breached.

Upon hearing this, the four of them exchanged glances, their expressions turning somewhat grim.

They did indeed secretly keep a portion of the Iron Powder Arrows, a powerful weapon, thinking they had done it flawlessly, but little did they know that Kane had seen everything.

A female vice chairperson composed herself and asked, "Then, Chairperson, what will you do when they attack?"

Will the mages of the academy use restoration magic to retaliate?

'

"Perhaps."

Kane looked at her, a sharp glint in his eyes: "When all the enemy's third-tier forces come out in full force, that's when the Duke's defenses are at their weakest."

I will lead the team out to kill Eisenberg, and then we will take over the enemy camp from within and without.

7

"Charge out?! You want to personally lead the decapitation strike against the Duke?!"

'

The four were utterly shocked!

Surrounded by an army of 100,000, why would they take the initiative to fight their way out?

Even though the Duke didn't have any Tier 3 guards around him, the densely packed soldiers and weapons were not just for show.

Even if a third-tier professional can deal with hundreds of ordinary soldiers, it is impossible for them to escape unscathed from an attack by thousands.

If someone else had said that, they would have thought that person was crazy.

But when they thought of the many miracles that Chairman Kane had created before, the four of them couldn't help but shift their gazes.

Kane looked at the four of them and sighed inwardly.

Based on the enemy intelligence he had gathered and the results of the capture just now, these four people might not all survive until tomorrow.

However, things have come to this point, and there is no turning back.

Roar! At noon the next day, the mournful sound of horns once again resounded through the sky.

After yesterday's crushing defeat, the Duke's army, having regrouped, completed the encirclement once again and deployed an even denser attacking formation.

Moreover, unlike yesterday when the force was mainly composed of local soldiers from Sussas, today those charging at the forefront were almost entirely foreign legions from various regions:

Barbarian warriors from the Nords and the plains, drow descendants from the Darkwood, desperate mercenaries from the Free Cities, and even some primitive, bloodthirsty tribesmen from the plains joined in.

They lined up in their respective directions, their eyes gleaming with greed and bloodlust.

Driven by the Duke's exorbitant bounty, they yearned to kill the enemies on the city walls and plunder this prosperous capital.

Pushing even stronger siege towers and ladders, they once again stepped into that death battlefield strewn with arrows and littered with corpses.

Under the relentless barrage of falling rocks and arrows, they advanced step by step toward the city wall.

The deafening sounds of battle rang out once more.

This time, the Duke's army seemed to be going all out, completely disregarding the range disadvantage of the magic cannon.

They mounted rows of dark, magical cannons on specially made carts and charged forward relentlessly, braving the rain of arrows and slingshots from the city walls.

Despite the continuous destruction of magical cannons by the giant crossbows on the city walls, more cannons continued to approach.

Finally, two magic-powered giant cannons managed to reach the foot of the city wall and stopped at the east and west sections of the wall respectively.

"Bang!

'

Two loud explosions rang out almost simultaneously as the magic cannon unleashed a fatal blow, only to be completely destroyed by the barrage of fire pouring down from the city walls.

Even so, the two sections of the city wall that were directly hit by the cannonballs collapsed with a roar, sending debris flying and screams echoing throughout.

Many soldiers who did not have time to escape were buried alive under the rubble.

However, the collapsed ten-meter section of the city wall was specially designed so that even after it collapsed, there would still be more than five meters of broken wall remaining.

For ordinary soldiers, ladders are still needed to climb them.

But for those battle-hardened Tier 3 professionals, this level of skill is nothing.

Two teams of third-tier professionals, who had been waiting in the army formation for a long time, darted out like cheetahs, stepping on the collapsed rubble to climb over the city wall and rush towards the inner court.

Their goal was singular: to kill Logan Susas, the sole heir to the throne, and simultaneously eliminate the Provisional Council.

As for the ordinary soldiers along the way, they wouldn't even bother to glance at them unless they were blocking the way.

Below the eastern section of the city wall, on the road leading to the inner court, lies a narrow and secluded alley.

Malcolm, the war mage who once dueled with Kane in the arena and forfeited, is leading a group of third-tier professionals forward.

He casually cast a wind spell and a shield spell to block more than a dozen iron powder arrows that shot from the shadows. Then, he quickly chanted a spell, and the ground beneath his feet suddenly collapsed.

The ordinary soldiers and a mage apprentice who were hiding in the houses on both sides of the alley were crushed into a bloody pulp by the collapsing houses before they even had a chance to scream.

Dealing with these small fry was effortless, but Malcolm's expression grew even more serious.

Because it was to deal with these soldiers who weren't even tier two.

He actually used up one second-level spell slot and three first-level spell slots, which was unimaginable before.

But he had just personally experienced the terrifying power of those iron powder arrows.

If he were to be approached and ignited by a large amount of iron powder, even a third-tier war mage like him would not escape death.

He couldn't help but utter a few curses about the free city-state, gritting his teeth as he said:

-

"What kind of monstrosities did those lunatics at the Mage Academy invent?!"

If this thing becomes widespread, even ordinary people will be able to assassinate Tier 3 individuals. Are they trying to destroy the entire professional system?

"

Meanwhile, a Drow martial arts master next to him used a sharp scimitar to cut off the head of a soldier who was still convulsing. He wiped the blood off the blade and said coldly, "Master Malcolm, although you are the temporary captain, there is no need for you to be so timid."

Let's hurry on our way and complete the task assigned by the Duke.

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Malcolm grunted but did not refute.

The team consisted of more than ten people, all of whom were at the third rank. Apart from a few well-known veteran powerhouses, none of them were willing to submit to anyone else.

Just then, without warning, thick white fog suddenly surged in from all directions, instantly enveloping the entire alley.

Malcolm immediately stopped, and the other nine men also gripped their weapons warily.

Malcolm stared intently ahead, rapidly chanting incantations to dispel the fog. The white mist lifted slightly, revealing two figures standing silently at the end of the alley:

One was an elderly, thin monk wearing a black robe, and the other was a kind-looking, white-haired old woman.

The two of them stood there quietly, like two statues, watching them from afar.

Malcolm's pupils contracted slightly, and he said in a deep voice, "The Headmaster of the Necromancer Division, the Bone Master—and this one, should be the new Mistweaver Lady."

With the two deans personally taking action, aren't they afraid of violating the neutrality oath passed down through generations between the academy and the royal family?

And aren't you afraid that after the war, our new king will use this as an excuse to thoroughly purge the entire mage academy?

'

Dean Skeleton revealed a sinister smirk, while Lady Mistweaver smiled gently and said, "Before coming here, we resigned from all our positions at the academy. And—"

'

"And—if you all die here, who will know?"

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Dean Kugu snorted coldly, interrupting her.

"Arrogant! You two third-tier cultivators think you can stop more than ten of us?"

A barbarian warrior from the grasslands raised his heavy scimitar and roared as he charged forward.

Malcolm cursed the idiot in his heart.

When mages fight in their own designated battleground, they can often unleash power far exceeding their own level.

Moreover, both of them are deans of various departments of the Mage Academy and are top experts in the third tier.

But the arrow was already on the bowstring, and it had to be released.

He frowned, but gritted his teeth and gave the order to attack.

Meanwhile, within the thick fog, the corpses of the soldiers they had just killed began to slowly rise from the ground—

The inside of their light armor was bound with bags full of black iron powder.

1

Meanwhile, behind some ruins on the western city wall, four former legion commanders, each leading their fully armed personal guards, were engaged in battle with a third-tier giant axe warrior who was unusually tall for a half-elf and suspected of possessing giant blood.

Behind this giant axe warrior were nine third-tier warriors, rangers, and other professionals, as well as a trembling advisor.

The whistling of arrows cutting through the air, the explosions of spells, the clashing of weapons, and the dying screams mingled in the thick fog, weaving together a symphony of death.

But no one knew that, under the unified chanting of hundreds of formal monks and nearly a thousand apprentice monks,

The thick fog that rose from the magic academy is spreading outwards at an alarming rate.

Soon, the entire outer city wall, the entire battlefield, and even the main camp of the Duke's army were shrouded in this thick white fog.

Near the main city gate, a duke's soldier on guard duty was shocked to see what was happening.

The massive city gate, riddled with holes, was slowly opening inward through the mist, revealing a narrow gap.

A group of soldiers dressed in the same heavy armor as them walked out of the city gate silently.

The leader was a Nord man with black hair and black eyes, who looked no different from the Nord mercenaries they employed.

"Great! It's our men! They've actually taken the city gate!"

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The soldier's eyes had just lit up with ecstasy.

The next moment, an invisible shadow, like the sharpest blade, sliced ​​across his neck.

His head flew off instantly, and blood gushed out, splattering all over the ground.

Kane withdrew the spell expressionlessly, and the shadow condensed into a scimitar.

He gripped the shadowy scimitar, pointed at the faint outline of a tent in the distance through the thick fog, and ordered in a voice only those around him could hear: "Advance! Target: enemy main tent. Kill Eisenberg!"

'

The order was given, and this elite heavy armored guard, composed entirely of second-tier professionals, advanced silently like ghosts.

Ahead of them stood the Duke's central command tent and a heavily guarded array of armored troops.