At that moment, the first wave of siege towers rolled up behind the assaulting beastmen. Though there was still a height gap of over twenty blades between them and the wall, dozens of grappling chains suddenly shot out from atop the towers, clang! clang! clang!
The chains from the siege ballistas slammed into the city walls and locked on tightly.
At the same time, dozens of beastmen emerged from the towers, each carrying thick wooden planks. They immediately began laying the planks across the iron chains.
In less than a minute, a path leading directly to the city wall had been constructed.
Countless beastmen began pouring out from the inner passageways of the siege towers, crawling up wildly toward the walls.
The heavily armored human defenders weren't idle either. Soldiers behind the walls, dodging incoming bolts from below, popped up and fought desperately to hack at the grappling chains. Beastmen that had nearly reached the top fell in groups with crashing thuds, dozens dying in a single sweep.
As for the siege towers, the defenders on the wall didn't seem to care. It was as if such terrifying engines of war didn't exist at all.
Then, just as the first wave of beastmen began scaling the wall, within the stone battlements atop the walls.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Dozens of fireballs imbued with blazing magical energy shot outward, each trailing a long tail of flame as they roared toward the siege towers with terrifying momentum.
Szzzzhh~
Flames exploded on impact, splashing in every direction. The beastmen gathering below the towers, preparing to climb, suffered horrific damage. Their agonized screams briefly drowned out even the blaring horns.
Many were reduced to blackened, brittle husks in the fire.
Out of the twenty siege towers, only five remained after a single round of magical bombardment. The others had been engulfed in flame and reduced to ashes. Hundreds of beastmen on each tower were burned alive, the stench of scorched flesh filling the battlefield.
Thick smoke billowed into the air.
Above, the defending forces hurled boulders, rolling logs, and vats of scalding oil down from the walls. After exhausting every method available, they finally managed to barely suppress the beastmen's frenzied assault.
"Roooaaarr!!"
Just then, a piercing cry echoed across the sky.
A soldier fighting atop the wall looked up sharply, his eyes tinged with despair.
In the smoke-choked sky, whoosh!
A swarm of terrifying wyverns, their dragon-like wings flapping menacingly, emerged into view.
Like demons unleashed, countless colossal beasts burst forth from the dense war-smoke.
The soldiers on the walls erupted into chaos.
Screeeee!
At the same moment the wyverns appeared, the sharp cries of falcons rang out from within Risel City.
The same soldier turned around to look behind him, and a wide grin of relief spread across his face.
Reinforcements had arrived.
A battalion of powerful creatures took to the skies, bodies of male lions, sharp-beaked falcon heads, and great wings on their backs. Griffins. These were the griffins of Risel City!
Riding on the back of each ten-blade-wing-spanned beast was a proud Griffin Knight. Each human rider bore a sky lance and a longbow, prepared to engage in fierce aerial combat.
Over a thousand Griffin Knights charged into the air toward the swarming wyverns.
Wings spread wide, they flew head-on into battle.
This was Risel City's elite unit, its most proud and powerful aerial cavalry.
But under the assault of nearly 5,000 wyverns, the griffins, only just numbering over a thousand, were clearly overwhelmed and alone.
Still, they had no path of retreat. Only one choice remained: to fight to the death.
Andabella, clad in a red cloak, stood atop the highest tower on the city wall, overlooking the entire battlefield. Beside her sat a massive alchemical cannon with a muzzle fully two blades wide, silently resting.
Once a terrifying weapon that struck fear into the hearts of the beastmen, it now resembled an abandoned pet, helpless and pitiful, with not a single operator present.
As she witnessed the unfolding chaos on the battlefield, Andabella's silver eyes grew increasingly solemn.
Risel City… was on the verge of collapse.
From the corner of her eye, she glanced at the cannon's pitch-black barrel, her heart sinking. Without alchemical bombs or powder, the cannon had been silent for three days.
Risel City's proudest weapon had become nothing more than a useless iron pipe.
Deprived of its mighty alchemical firepower, even with its legacy of millennia and deep foundations, Risel City was now declining. Without reinforcements, this city would soon fall beneath the blades of the beastmen.
And the Risel family, would face total annihilation.
She had no path left. All she could do was grit her teeth and endure.
Andabella turned her head and looked out the open window behind her, gazing at the city that belonged to her. Her silver eyes were filled with unspeakable complexity.
"Lady Andabella."
At that moment, a bearded, hawk-nosed adjutant stepped into the room. His armor was covered in sword and blade marks, his hair singed and brittle. He looked utterly battered.
Cradling his helmet, the adjutant's face was grim. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, his eyes suddenly widened in alarm.
A massive figure dove down from the sky outside the window. Crash!
Before Andabella could react, the hardened glass shattered as the enormous body smashed through it, shrrkk!
Splinters of wood and feathers exploded through the room.
Blood filled the air.
The interior was instantly in shambles. The massive figure had crashed onto the other side of the alchemical cannon, leaving only a blood-soaked trail on the ground.
"Lady Andabella, look out!!" The adjutant drew his sword immediately, eyes full of wariness.
But Andabella showed little emotion. Instead, sorrow clouded her eyes.
Taking two steps forward, she approached the badly wounded creature lying beside the cannon, and only now did the adjutant clearly see what had burst into the tower.
A griffin.
His expression mirrored hers, grief. This was one of their closest companions.
Andabella stood before the griffin, sorrow deepening in her eyes. The beast was riddled with gaping wounds, its flesh torn and mangled, its innards faintly visible. She could tell, the damage was from the claws of wyverns.
Its once-beautiful light golden feathers had been largely corroded by wyvern venom. Its body was covered in savage bite marks. Its back was cratered and foul-smelling.
Screee~
The griffin weakly opened its sharp beak and let out a pained cry. Its eyes widened slightly, looking longingly at Andabella. A few clear tears slid from its gaze.
Then, this most faithful companion of humankind slowly turned its head and lifted it longingly toward the gaping hole in the window, toward the sky beyond.
Outside, under heavy clouds, the battle between griffins and wyverns still raged.
The griffin, in that posture of raising its head to the heavens, lost all signs of life. Its body gradually grew cold.
Andabella stared at the griffin as it passed, pain and rage boiling inside her.
She spun around sharply, her pale silver eyes locking onto her adjutant, voice icy and trembling with suppressed fury.
"Have the goblins made the alchemical bombs and powder?!"
The bearded, hawk-nosed adjutant shook his head, despondent. The helmet in his hand clattered to the floor.
"We don't have enough materials. The goblins can't produce the alchemical bombs."
Those cold words twisted like a knife in Andabella's heart.
They couldn't make alchemical bombs.
Their last hope… was gone?
Ooooooo~!
The sound of the longhorn drifted into the room through the shattered window, adding layers of sorrow to the scene.
Andabella turned her head and looked outside. In the sky, after being defeated, the griffins began to fall one by one like raindrops. Her expression was blank, dazed.
Risel City… is there anyone left who can save it?