Chapter 949: Boggart vs Bagest
"Lord Gawain, the two thousand fairy soldiers of the Third Division are all deployed and ready!"
"Pass down the order: no one is to act rashly."
Bagest issued the command coldly to the messenger.
"Someone! Deliver this letter to Boggart!"
"Yes, Lord Gawain!"
She took out an envelope and handed it to the messenger, ordering him to gallop swiftly toward Sheffield.
Leaning on her sword planted firmly on the ground, her formidable figure stood like an iron tower at the center of the army. The soldiers under her command gazed at her with admiration—as long as she remained standing, this legion would never be defeated.
"Boggart, how could he do something so foolish!"
She stared at the city walls several kilometers away, letting out a silent sigh in her heart.
Even as he continuously expanded his military forces and opposition to the Queen's rule grew increasingly evident within the territory, the Queen had never paid him any mind, for she had never considered him a threat.
But the Child of Prophecy was a red line. The Queen had always taken the prophecy left by Ainsel very seriously, and even now, the hunt for the Child of Prophecy had not slowed for a moment.
To dare cross this line—Boggart was undoubtedly walking a tightrope over a volcano!
One misstep would provoke the Queen's wrath!
That was why she had specifically sent an envoy. As long as Boggart was willing to hand over the Child of Prophecy as instructed in the letter, there would still be room for negotiation.
"Lord Gawain, the messenger has returned!"
"What did he say?"
"Boggart is furious! He believes he's being looked down upon and refuses to hand over the Child of Prophecy!"
"Fool!"
Bagest cursed under her breath, then pulled out her astonishingly heavy sword.
"Prepare to attack the city! That wall is as hard as Camelot. Focus on the city gate! Be prepared to sacrifice twenty percent of our soldiers!"
"Yes!"
"Charge!"
Two thousand fairy soldiers brandished their weapons and unleashed their supernatural abilities, charging toward Sheffield's city gate with earth-shaking battle cries!
Bagest led from the front, charging at the forefront of the army. Flames coiled around her sword, and crimson fire surged toward the city gate like magma erupting from the earth!
"Report! The Fairy Knight Gawain is attacking the city! Her destructive power is immense—she destroyed several layers of World Tree bark in a single strike!"
On top of the city wall, a messenger hastily reported to Boggart, who had rushed to the scene.
"Send the Special Unit to repair it! Everyone else, hold the gate! We have three thousand soldiers, plus humans who boost fairy morale. This is a defensive battle—the situation favors us! Anyone who holds us back, I'll rip their head off!"
Boggart's roaring voice, filled with authority, echoed across the entire wall.
The soldiers' morale surged. Arrows flew endlessly in volleys, and fairies of the Fang tribe hurled rolling stones, knocking back any Queen's Army soldiers attempting to scale the walls.
In siege warfare, the attacking side needed at least seven times the combat power of the defenders to gain an overwhelming advantage.
This was the calculation Boggart adhered to.
This was entirely based on the enemy's frontal assault. If they had employed even slightly underhanded tactics, breaching the city gates wouldn't have been difficult at all. In a short time, Eiji could think of various methods—feigned surrender, forced surrender, aerial raids, and elaborate deceptions.
But Barghest deliberately chose a head-on assault, relentlessly hammering the city gates with her sword!
"Barghest is just too straightforward..."
Eiji silently grumbled to himself.
There was a time when wars in the Central Plains strictly adhered to etiquette—until that cunning strategist Sun Tzu appeared.
Eiji couldn't show himself on the front lines. If he did, rumors of the Fairy King's Consort colluding with rebel forces would quickly spread throughout Britain. The advantages he had painstakingly accumulated by infiltrating the fairy kingdom would vanish in an instant.
"What about the northern fairies' reinforcements?"
"Report, Lord Bogart! A signal was just sent from Edinburgh. Queen Knocknarea's reinforcements have set out, but they won't arrive until tomorrow morning at the earliest!"
"Tomorrow morning? Not too bad. With the city walls' defenses, we could hold out for two days without issue!"
Bogart breathed a sigh of relief.
He dared to raise the banner of rebellion against the Queen with only the strength of Sheffield City not out of sheer foolishness, but because he had secured the support of the northern fairies, especially the Northern Queen Knocknarea!
The two sides had already formed a united front, secretly trading weapons, armor, and other war resources long before.
If the Northern Queen Knocknarea's army could arrive in time, this crisis would be safely averted, and Sheffield's reputation would skyrocket!
His only task now was to hold out through the day, no matter what!
"The key is the Fairy Knights!"
Bogart's expression was anxious, but his mind, tempered by years of discipline, remained calm.
"Fairy soldiers are negligible—they can't breach the city walls. But the Fairy Knights are a different story! If we let Barghest continue her destruction, the gates will surely fall!"
"And Fairy Knight Lancelot is even more troublesome... I hope he keeps his promise and helps me hold the line!"
Before coming here, while observing the battle from the castle, Bogart had struggled internally before finally bowing to Eiji and begging for his help in restraining the Fairy Knights.
If those two Fairy Knights couldn't be stopped, Sheffield would be destroyed!
Bogart was acutely aware of this.
With his own strength, he could at most contend with one Fairy Knight, Gawain. Trying to hold off two Fairy Knights simultaneously, one of them being the more formidable Lancelot, was nothing short of a fantasy!
So, he had no choice but to pin his hopes on Eiji—the calamitous consort who had once defeated Fairy Knight Lancelot.
Eiji made a promise on the spot.
He wouldn't help repel the Queen's army, but he could engage Fairy Knight Lancelot.
Yet, whether they could survive this crisis and allow Sheffield to rise from the ashes depended entirely on Bogart himself!
"Fairy Knight Gawain! Surely, repeatedly smashing the gates is tedious. How about I be your opponent? Let's have a battle worthy of the Fairy Knight's name!"
Without hesitation, Bogart leaped from the city walls, his roaring voice echoing across the battlefield!
There was no other way!
None of the other fairies stood a chance against the Fairy Knight. In all of Sheffield, only he could face Barguest head-on!
If he could defeat Barguest—no, even if he could just hold out until dawn—the victory in this war would be his!
At this moment, the fate of the city and countless lives rested on his shoulders alone!
"Barguest... as you wish!"
Barguest stared in astonishment as Bogart leaped over the wall, her eyes glinting as if in admiration of his courage.
If she could defeat Bogart, there would be no need to sacrifice twenty percent of her soldiers. Sheffield would fall without a fight—the best possible outcome for her!
Greatsword against sharp claws!
Surging sword energy radiated outward as primal beast claws roared with fury!