"Forget it, it doesn't matter. Concentrate all firepower starting from the left side of the wall—three-quarters of its length. Full bombardment. Beast cavalry units, once the wall is breached, form teams and charge. Kill all who resist." James looked at Sparks, the powerhouse before him, his fighting spirit surging.
But their mission this time was to destroy the Valos Bastion, so personal desires had to be set aside.
"That giant ability user has gathered quite a few city-builders around him—over ten thousand by my estimate. If they turn their blades against us, Valos Bastion will fall in an instant," Vic said, glancing uneasily toward a section of the wall guarded by Sparks and his men. His concern was natural—if internal forces shifted now, the bastion would be impossible to hold.
Xia stood beside Rosen. Alice was commanding the battle elsewhere, and the deafening roar of artillery filled the air. From the sheer intensity of the bombardment, it was clear James and his punitive army had brought plenty of cannons.
After all, this was an assault on a fortified bastion, not a mere skirmish. In a direct ground battle, their forces—far larger than the bastion's twenty-thousand-strong garrison—would easily win.
But siege warfare was another matter. Even with several times the enemy's numbers, taking the fortress wasn't guaranteed.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The artillery on both sides roared as the bastion finally proved its worth after years of investment. Ordinary shells left only scorch marks on the walls; only the most powerful blasts could chip away a layer of stone.
The walls were towering, and most shells couldn't arc over to strike inside. Though there were catapults, their goal wasn't to kill those inside, but to breach the walls and crush the defenders.
"Don't worry. The more people we have, the better. We won't stop them—we'll encourage them. Everyone must fight for themselves. This is everyone's future, and it shouldn't be built on our sacrifice alone. Only those who've endured blood and fire can truly value peace. We can teach them how to create happiness, but we cannot hand it to them. Xia, I leave this to you."
Rosen watched as the punitive army's artillery drew nearer. The bastion's cannons thundered, flinging enemy soldiers through the air.
The defenders held the advantage.
"Understood," Xia nodded and walked toward Sparks.
"You're not here to tell us to put down our weapons, are you?" Sparks frowned. Though he had resisted the punitive army, he doubted the current rulers would tolerate people like them—independent factions were every ruler's nightmare.
"No, I came to ask for your help." Xia looked down from the wall at the many city-builders gathered below. They had retreated into the city before the war began but had not dispersed—they knew the outcome of this battle would decide their fate.
Yet only about ten thousand had joined Sparks to fight. There were far more city-builders, but most hesitated—joining a rebellion was dangerous.
"Help?"
"Yes. Though the people of Valos Bastion have begun to find their footing, there are still hundreds of thousands—millions—like you across this country. To make our nation truly better, I ask for your strength. We should not remain mere tools for building cities. We must rise and show this nation our fury—for survival, for freedom, for tomorrow! Please, help me!" Xia's voice rang out like a battle cry.
"Damn right! I'm no great man, but Princess Xia gave us food—kept our families alive. Punitive army or not, let's fight them!"
"Yeah! Time to show those nobles who bled us dry what we're made of! Even if I die and can't afford a gravestone, I'll die on my own terms!"
"As long as people are still dying slowly out there, it's our duty to save them!"
"My brother went his own way after we reached the Andia Kingdom—he's probably suffering in some other bastion right now. For Princess Xia, for freedom, let's kill these bastards!"
"Open the armory," Xia ordered. "Distribute weapons to them. You'll lead them." She looked at Sparks.
"You're not afraid we'll turn on you?" Sparks was startled. Giving them real weapons meant giving them the power to rebel.
"A man once told me you wouldn't—and I believe him." Xia's gaze was calm.
"A man? Don't tell me—it's that bodyguard? No… not just a bodyguard. I've seen how Princess Xia looks at him—there's admiration, even submission in her eyes. I see…" Sparks thought to himself. He was observant.
"Leave this section of the wall to us! Everyone, grab a weapon! Let's show the punitive army our strength!" Sparks declared.
Who ruled didn't matter to him. What mattered was fighting for themselves—for freedom.
"WOOO!" The city-builders roared, hearts ablaze. They had only enjoyed good days for a short while, but they were already unwilling to lose them. Anyone who wanted to destroy Valos Bastion was their enemy.
They wouldn't allow it.
In an instant, more than fifty thousand city-builders became temporary soldiers on the wall.
"My lord, their artillery seems focused on one section—it might be a weak point," Vic reported respectfully to Rosen.
By now, he felt both admiration and fear toward the masked man who led them—a man who held the fate of a nation in his hands. Compared to him, Vic was just a small soldier.
"I know. But with such dense artillery fire, we can't intercept it all. Tell the defense forces to intensify their bombardment—hit them hard. Before they reach the wall, exhaust their strength."
Casualties grew as the distance closed, but Rosen was long used to the cruelty of war. He knew victory would not come easily.
"Captain James! Something's wrong—the enemy's firepower just spiked! That's far beyond what twenty thousand troops could manage! Did our intelligence fail?" a soot-covered officer shouted as he ran up to James.
Moments ago, a shell had nearly taken his life.
The bastion's cannons had greater range and power than theirs. If this continued, even the forest cover wouldn't protect them much longer.
"So they've mobilized the city-builders too? Hmph, what use are a bunch of cannon fodder? Don't falter—stick to the plan. Keep bombarding Valos Bastion. Swap a few long-range cannons for incendiaries and fire into the city. Split their forces."
James peered through his telescope, seeing clearly where the sudden reinforcements came from. Using city-builders as cannon fodder—he'd seen it before. They were weak, often breaking down or fighting among themselves.
It seemed Valos Bastion's rulers were desperate, driven to gamble everything on a reckless move.
Perhaps victory would come easier than he thought.
(End of Chapter)