Become their wicked yet gentle lord.

"Lord Brock, the men from Linhu County are already outside the city gates. May I ask..."

The knight who came to report fell silent upon seeing the scene in the hall. Brock, after a glance around, quietly cleared his throat:

"Okay, I'll be right there."

He then stopped paying attention to Olivia and walked toward the gate on his own. The other nobles glanced at Olivia and the Frost Iron Knight a few times, then followed Brok as if nothing had happened.

After the mages had desperately extinguished the flames on Carly's body, Godfrey looked at Carly, whose surface was now charred, and his face contorted with rage. Pointing at the barely clinging Carly, he asked the surrounding clergy:

Is there any hope?

"It should be possible. Only the surface will be damaged, but it will take a long time and may not be able to fully recover."

The clergy wiped the sweat from their brows, astonished by the astonishing control of the flames. It seemed the fire preferred to slowly incinerate a person, layer by layer, until they were reduced to ashes rather than kill them instantly…

It might not be completely intact, but I'll try my best to see if it still works. It's just a pity about all the money I spent... Godfrey suppressed his lingering shock, left Carly, who was now a carbonized mess on the ground, and chased after Brock, avoiding Olivia's mocking gaze...

Chapter 18 Surprise Attack and City Siege

On the frozen surface of the Abyss, Ryusha looked up at the city walls. The walls here were far less imposing and sturdy than those of Sochi, nor were they protected by any magical enhancements, yet they were still heavily guarded. Mages stood ready, staffs in hand, while soldiers, under the command of knights, stood poised beside rows of giant crossbows.

Next, it all depends on how cautious the opposing leader is. If he doesn't intend to leave the city, Ryūka is slightly worried, fearing some casualties. But according to the investigation, Brock's ambitious nature might lead him to face his opponent's surrender head-on…

Sure enough, as the drawbridge was lowered, ceremonial bugles sounded from within the city. Ryuka smiled slightly and joked to the soldiers behind her:

"Have you remembered what I told you?"

"Got it..." The soldiers behind him gripped their warmed magic guns, their expressions becoming somewhat tense.

"Aim at three points in a straight line... then just pull the trigger... But what about the magicians on the city walls?"

"Don't worry, they won't have a chance to make a move."

Ryūsha calmed the new recruits, and in doing so, he also calmed himself. This was his first time leading an army into battle, and compared to him, Hetia and Hafren at the front were clearly more relaxed.

Behind them, a thousand laborers, as ordered, crouched in the snow, hiding behind wagons loaded with grain. They were merely bait; all that was needed was for the people on the city walls to see these shivering, pitiful people.

Around the laborers, a group of new recruits, led by Baron and Luca and armed with spears and swords, were responsible for guarding them and preventing them from running away or fleeing in the impending battle. They were also to remain stationary in the rear as a reserve force, ready to carry out Ryūsha's orders at any time.

“Ah, Miss Tartu, I didn’t expect you to come in person. It’s just to escort some grain and laborers, but I must say, you’ve made a wise choice…”

Surrounded by a group of noble knights, Brock rode out of the city gate on a tall horse, showering Hetia, who was walking alone, with exaggerated flattery. She even dismounted and walked over, much like a scene of surrender. But this was not her fault. Brock looked at the soldiers of Linhu Territory she had brought with her. There were only a few dozen knights, and the hundreds of soldiers following her did not even have armor, only holding sticks used to guard laborers.

The laborers further back wore tense expressions, seemingly exhausted from the journey and the snowstorm. Their carts were piled high with grain, fodder, winter-stored vegetables, and barrels of wine…

Even if she belonged to the thirteenth princess, Linhu Territory was just a small place, and Hetia Tartu certainly wasn't qualified to contend with him, or rather, with the Payne family behind him. This convinced Brock that Linhu Territory had no doubt that it would dare to refuse his request.

However, Brock didn't see Megan Payne in the crowd, which made him raise an eyebrow. He had hoped to persuade the Payne girl to take this opportunity to return to their side, but if she wasn't there, his carefully prepared words would be useless.

Brock couldn't help but look at Hetia and ask, his tone filled with the command of a victor: "Where is Miss Megan? Didn't she come along?"

"So you wanted to see Megan, huh? She's obediently waiting somewhere to serve our governor, following his orders. Of course, she's not entirely willing, but the thought of his reward makes her carry out Ryūka's orders even if she's trembling with fear."

Hetia's lips curled into a mocking smile, and her ambiguous words astonished Brock and the assembled nobles. What did Hetia mean? Megan Payne, this stunning female knight, would actually obey a young boy's orders? And in such suggestive terms at that?

And something's off about Hetia's attitude...

Just as a sense of foreboding welled up in Brock's heart, he saw Hetia suddenly prostrate herself on the ground, clutching her head with both hands, and a layer of exquisite protective battle aura emanating from her body.

A Grand Knight? Brock was startled by the fighting spirit emanating from Hetia, and her strange words and actions made him feel uneasy. Although Brock couldn't imagine how she would retaliate, he instinctively reached for the hilt of his sword at his waist...

But it was too late. When the soldiers of Linhu Territory in the distance saw Hetia lying down, they all raised the wooden sticks in their hands. Then, a crisp explosion was heard, accompanied by fire and smoke!

bang bang bang! ! !

One hundred magic lances, spread out and firing at the nobles crammed onto the drawbridge at crisscrossing angles, simultaneously opened fire! These arrogant nobles, despite possessing the strength of full-fledged knights, found neither their armor nor their prized aura able to withstand the bullets aimed at them. (The last sentence appears to be unrelated and possibly a fragment from another source: "You Lin Mei Mei Xiang Ni Kong Ni Lin Zai Zai Mei Ne...")

The warhorses neighed and screamed in terror at the deafening roar, throwing their riddled-with-bullets-like riders from their saddles. Even those who survived were trampled into a bloody pulp by the horses' hooves. Brock, at the forefront, was a Grand Knight. Although he had been hit by several bullets, he used his battle aura to fight back. A Grand Knight's physical prowess wouldn't kill him from those few shots, and he desperately spurred his horse, pulling it up at the first opportunity to shield it from some of the bullets coming from the front.

The Grand Knight's quick reflexes and intuition saved his life, but Hetia, also a Grand Knight, wouldn't let this opportunity slip by.

As bullets whizzed past Hetia's head, she slammed into the ground, her body transforming into a crimson storm that surged toward Brock before her. Spiraling crimson battle aura from her longsword slashed fiercely at Brock, who had lost his balance due to his horse.

The spiraling blade ripped apart half of the horse's belly, and even Brock's right arm was instantly mangled into a bloody mess. The excruciating pain sent a jolt through Brock's body as he kicked his horse, sending him flying towards the city gate behind him.

As expected of a Grand Knight, she did have the reaction. Hetia smiled broadly, not venturing deeper into the city gates to pursue the fleeing Brock, but instead charging into the remaining nobles who had been hit by bullets. Her body moved fluidly, performing a blood-red sword dance, showcasing the ruthless crushing power of a Grand Knight-level [Sunset Dancer] on the drawbridge!

This was naturally Ryūka's order. If the first attack failed, the primary objective was to eliminate the remaining nobles, completely destroy the iron locks on the drawbridge, and then seize the city gate.

Exhilarating! Domineering! Hetia laughed wildly, revealing a completely different side of herself from when she was with Ryūka. Fighting for the first time with the strength of a Grand Knight, Hetia's red hair swayed wildly as she thrust her longsword fiercely at the connection between the iron chains and the drawbridge, scattering wood chips and scraps of iron under her crimson battle aura. Then, like a burning cannonball, she crashed into the closing city gate, licking her bright red lips under the terrified gazes of the soldiers inside:

"Turning a lady away is not gentlemanly behavior..."

The soldiers on the walls of Abyss were confused when the first shot rang out, as no one had ever seen such a weapon before. It took a full three seconds after hearing the screams of the nobles and lords below before the knights on the walls roared:

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!!!"

The bugler cleared his dry throat, his cheeks puffed out as he prepared to blow the massive horn to signal the arrival of the soldiers inside the city. But his eyes, widened by the force of his breath, saw a blue orb of light hurtling towards the city walls from the sky…

The gunshot was the signal. One kilometer outside Abyss, Anyaberg, whose magical bombardment devices had been calibrated long ago, commanded the first artillery legion of the Linhu Territory. More than ten magical bombardment devices, manufactured over the past six months, were launched under the impetus of magical circuits. The activated magical bombs streaked across the sky, accurately striking the defensive structures and mages on the Abyss walls, then unleashing a deafening explosion! The magical bombs, with power comparable to those of a grand mage, instantly annihilated all the defensive forces atop the city walls!

At this moment, Anyaberg fully realized the meaning of Ryusha's words, "When the cannons roar, gold flows like water." The magical crystals and materials consumed in this single launch were enough to light up a city with magical lamps for months, or to equip an army of thousands with magical guns…

If all the proceeds from the sale were used, it would be enough to pay off all of Anjaberg's student loans and ensure she would never have to worry about food or drink for the rest of her life... and it would even provide her with a top-of-the-line magical technology workshop...

While Anyaberg was still feeling the pinch, a trembling voice came from beside him.

"Ms. Anyaberg, are you sure this is alright?"

Megan, who is usually arrogant and domineering, but becomes as docile as a pet dog in front of Ryusha, is now half-squatting on a magical bomb launcher, holding a long-handled battle axe and looking at Anyaberg with pitiful eyes.

Her body, clad in armor, was wrapped in layers of soft cotton lining, making her appear like a ball. Even the howling wind caused her plump figure to break out in a sweat.

"There shouldn't be any problem. The force has been adjusted and the angle has been calculated. It will definitely hit their lord's hall squarely."

"That's not what I meant! I meant me! Am I okay?"

“How would I know if you have a problem?” Anyaberg frowned as she looked at Megan, then her theoretical little brain suddenly realized what she meant.

"Oh~~~ I get it!"

Megan's expression suddenly changed. She had been wondering why Anyaberg had asked about her weight, and being very self-conscious about her tall stature, Megan naturally couldn't help but underreport it a little...

"Wait! I..."

"It's alright, trust in science, trust in magical technology!"

Without hesitation, Anyaberg pulled the launch lever. Megan felt a strong thrust behind her, and the next second she was launched into the air, her beautiful face torn apart by the fierce, cold wind...

At that moment, Megan's life seemed to slowly flash before her eyes, and she became somewhat resentful and self-destructive.

Who told me I was my master's slave knight... this kind of thing was bound to happen to me... and this time it was my own family that I had to deal with... I had to show my loyalty...

But when she saw the city of Abyss appear before her, Megan couldn't help but clench her thighs together, trying hard not to piss herself in fear, and then pulled on a handle in the thick bundle covering her body.

Boom! A burst of light and magical runes illuminated the soft lining around her, rapidly expanding into a protective spherical shell to cushion the impact and slow her down. Then, looking at the approaching hard ground, she closed her eyes in fear…

Does this really work?

Beside Ryūka, Hafren watched Megan streak through the air and murmured, "Airdropping a Grand Knight into the enemy's main force—Hafren couldn't have imagined such a tactic even if she racked her brains..."

"How should I know... it's probably a prank..."

Ryuu shrugged, her nonchalant expression leaving Hafren speechless.

"Then why..."

"Annaberg wanted to give it a try. You know, she was driven crazy by the endless production overtime. And she only had this one wish. How could I refuse a lovely engineer with dark circles and bloodshot eyes producing military equipment for me?"

This insane idea naturally popped into Anyaberg's head when she was on the verge of a mental breakdown, and she then frantically pitched it to Ryūka. Despite Ryūka's repeated refusals, she insisted that if her small 'research wish' wasn't granted, the development progress of the Princess Project and the arms production in the Outer Forest Lake Territory couldn't be guaranteed…

As expected, the people of Linhu Territory are all lunatics… Haifulian swallowed hard, thankful that when she had begged Anyaberg to develop some magical equipment for knights, she hadn’t agreed to Anyaberg’s mysteriously smiling request…

'If Miss Hafulen is willing to make a small contribution to my research, then the development equipment is not out of the question...'

It's better to be traditional and practical... Hefren put on a helmet to cover her face and led her knights into the city gate that Hetia had opened.

Meanwhile, in the Abyss Lord's Hall, Viscount Brock, who had fled in panic, had already escaped back at an astonishing speed. Clutching his bloodied and mangled right hand, he shouted for the clergy to come and heal him, while angrily berating his subordinates:

"You idiots! Go to the city gates and reinforce them!!! They've broken in!!! Where are the Payne family's elite troops?! Where are Olivia and the Frost Iron Knight?! Get them to hold the line!!!"

The officers and soldiers remaining in the lord's hall were still confused. The lord had clearly gone out to receive tribute from others, so why had he returned in this state? And what exactly was that deafening explosion that came from the city gate just now?

Just as Brock was shouting and yelling, a violent vibration of air friction came from outside the roof of the Lord's Hall, and then the roof exploded with a loud bang!

Boom!!! A giant white ball smashed through the snow-covered roof, scattering wood chips and tiles everywhere, and amidst the dust, screams of panicked escape filled the air! The white ball landed squarely on Brock in the very center of the lord's hall, embedding his entire body deep into the floor…

Megan's long-handled battle axe swung out, spinning and slicing the poor creatures in its path in half, leaving a long, bloody line before crashing into the floor.

As the outer shell peeled away, Megan inside shakily stood up, her hard iron heel pressing down on the dying Brock's chest, and she staggered toward her weapon.

“Meghan…”

Brock looked at the glamorous female knight he had previously fantasized about, only to have her astonishing weight crush him, taking his last breath.

Megan gagged slightly, suppressing the urge to vomit and the internal injuries from the shock, and drew her long axe, addressing the terrified officers and officials in the lord's hall:

"Those who surrender will not die! Otherwise... *spit*"

Clang! The battle axe was slammed to the ground, and Megan, holding the axe handle, began to vomit violently, her stomach contents containing traces of blood.

If I had known, I wouldn't have reported such a small difference in weight...

“Megan Payne…”

Although Megan looked utterly disheveled, her infamy was known to every man in Sochi… Despite the massive, sharp axe blade being covered in her vomit, the officers of Abyss had no intention of resisting.

"We surrender! We surrender..."

A few gold coins a month isn't enough to risk one's life for the lord, especially since Lord Brock has already been turned into a meat pie, and his men have all knelt down and surrendered.

"Go out and give the order for your men to stop resisting, or I'll smash your balls one by one!"

Megan slammed her battle axe into the ground, sending the officers fleeing the hall in a panic. The other nobles' men did the same; after their lord had gone out and never returned, no one could guarantee their survival.

Meanwhile, Hethia and Hafran were leading their knights through the Abyss, swiftly eliminating the two thousand leaderless soldiers. With each camp's flag falling, a large number of soldiers surrendered…

Of course, there were also small, stubborn groups of enemies who wanted to launch a counterattack by taking advantage of the complex streets. They bypassed the two unstoppable female knights and tried to attack Ryūka and the soldiers beside him who were obviously ordinary people on the main road.

"Don't rush, aim before you fire. The two ranks, front and back, should take turns firing at intervals. Those on the flanks should help their comrades in front defend both sides..."

"If someone is injured, those behind them should quickly cover their defensive angle. In streets with many corners and short distances, switch to close-range magical fire mode. Bullets have a long range and strong penetration, but their stopping power is insufficient. However, magical rays will produce the explosive effect of a fireball when they hit an object, which is more suitable for this kind of scenario..."

Ryuka rode his horse at a leisurely pace, guiding the new recruits around him to gradually get used to the process of raising a gun, aiming, and firing. He watched as these young men, whose faces were tense and fearful, gradually forgot everything else, leaving only what to do on the battlefield in their minds, and slowly turning the process of searching for and shooting the enemy into instinct.

Of course, there will always be someone who can't withstand the pressure, either trembling or vomiting. At that moment, a comrade behind him who is equally terrified but hasn't been fired will snatch the magic gun from his hand, nervously but eagerly filling in...

"Notify Baron and Luca to bring the remaining men into the city to receive the surrendered soldiers. The laborers should clean up the battlefield and bury the corpses; no one is allowed to keep any belongings. All spoils of war will be confiscated, and ordinary civilians must not be disturbed..."

Just as Ryūka was issuing orders to his subordinates, he suddenly felt a thorn in his side, as if someone was staring at him with sharp eyes. Ryūka immediately looked up and saw several black figures clinging to the wall of the Abyss Cathedral's bell tower. Heavy gauntlets were embedded in the hard brickwork, and sturdy leg armor gripped the wall. The black knights silently looked down at the battlefield, each one as large as a boulder, and above them, a figure clad in light armor was staring intently at Ryūka…

Chapter 19: Even rivals can team up, right?

He's actually pretty damn handsome...

Ryūka looked at the black-armored knights, scattered in different formations, their cloaks fluttering in the cold wind, standing motionless like mountains in the chaotic battlefield of Abyss. At first glance, Ryūka mistook their leader for a man, until the wind blew up her cloak, revealing her slender waist and generous chest, before she realized that she was a valiant tomboy.

Who are these people? Liu Xia reined in his horse and stopped. These people were clearly not to be trifled with, especially that tomboy. The pressure she exuded made even him feel scared.

They seemed uninterested in the battlefield beneath their feet, constantly searching for something. Ryuka also noticed that the tomboy's gaze only lingered on her for a moment; she was actually observing the magic-wielding lancer beside her…

"This is really unexpected. It's surprising that such a small place has several high-ranking officials, even though they're all newly promoted rookies..."

Olivia looked down at the battlefield, watching Hetia and Hafren lead the knights to continuously cut down enemy generals and capture flags. Not finding Melanie, she finally turned her gaze to the magic gun team led by Ryusha.

"And that strange weapon, which gives ordinary people the destructive power of a mage. People who see it for the first time will definitely not be able to react. It's no wonder that the bunch of good-for-nothings in Abyss lost."

After searching the battlefield, her subordinates reported to Olivia for instructions:

"Melanie Snowfield isn't here. Are we going down to join the battle?"

“There’s no need. They’ve already suffered a massive rout. Even if we win, the remaining manpower won’t be enough to control the northern part of the Sochi Plain. Go to the soldiers in the rear who haven’t yet collapsed and help them break out and retreat into the Mittibi Mountains, especially those few hundred men sent by the Payne family. If they all die, they’ll start gossiping about us… Then send someone back to the North to report the news here, especially the high-ranking officials and that strange weapon, and tell them to be prepared.”

Upon hearing Olivia's command, the Frost Iron Knights revealed their憨厚 (honest and simple) smiles:

"No problem, I've gotten to know them a bit on the way here, and there are a few I quite like..."

As they spoke, they swung and leaped backward, completely unconcerned about Olivia who remained behind. Below the Heavenly Rank, nothing could threaten their captain.

As Ryuka watched the Black Knights retreat, his face darkened.