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EP.33 The Blood-Soaked Battle of Streve Fortress (4)
But the defenders of Streve Fortress were just as desperate.
A month-long siege by the imperial army had left them exhausted, and after the arrow towers were destroyed by catapults, the archers began to fall, one by one, to imperial arrows and stones.
"Just hold out for today!!! Reinforcements are almost here!!"
The knowledge that help was on the way gave them renewed strength, and they fired arrows until their hands bled, hurling stones from the walls.
"The siege tower is approaching!! Prepare the fire arrows!!"
"The enemy's battering ram is coming too! Which should we target?"
Cordelia asked Count Redelmo, who was commanding from the tower.
"Focus on the siege tower! Streve's gate won't break from a few blows of the ram."
"Yes, sir! All units, fire at the siege tower with fire arrows!! Pour the oil!!"
The same oil attack that had devastated the imperial army on the second day was unleashed again, but the imperials had learned from their earlier defeat.
"It's oil!!! Prepare the sandbags!!"
As pipes sprayed oil from the fortress walls, the imperials lifted sandbags to absorb it and threw the oil-soaked sand down before it could ignite.
But while they countered the oil, the siege tower began to burn under the rain of fire arrows.
Acting corps commander Meyer, watching the battlefield, gave an order as the siege tower caught fire.
"Order the left and right wings to prepare anti-cavalry formations!"
"What are you talking about? Why cavalry all of a sudden?"
"If I were the enemy commander, I'd send out cavalry now. With the siege tower burning and our troops in confusion, a sudden charge would be most effective."
"But that's so sudden…"
"I'm acting corps commander! Relay the order now!!"
At Meyer's shout, the staff officer shook his head but relayed the order to prepare anti-cavalry formations at the front lines.
"102nd Infantry! Move to the flank and prepare anti-cavalry formation!!"
"Huh? All of a sudden? Are you sure this is the right order?"
"Absolutely!!"
The captain of the 102nd, puzzled by the sudden order, nevertheless led his unit to the flank as commanded.
At that moment, the fortress gates opened and Teseito's cavalry charged out, aiming for the imperial troops assaulting the right wall.
But as the imperial heavy infantry quickly formed anti-cavalry squares, the charging cavalry faltered and turned aside.
"Wait!! Those bastards!!"
"…Retreat! If we charge with just 100 cavalry, we'll only raise enemy morale by getting slaughtered."
Cordelia, seeing that her force of 100 cavalry (including 10 knights) was up against prepared infantry, decided a charge would be suicide and ordered a retreat.
Seeing the enemy cavalry withdraw, the imperial army regained momentum and resumed the assault.
"The enemy cavalry are retreating!! Tell the center to increase speed!!"
Taking advantage of the open gates as the cavalry retreated, Meyer ordered the center advancing slowly with the battering ram to pick up the pace.
Despite a hail of arrows, the imperials pressed on, and finally rammed the gate.
KWAANG!!
With a great crash, the gate shuddered, but Streve's sturdy doors held.
Undeterred, the imperials pulled back the ram and charged again and again.
While the ram battered the gate, on the right wall, heavy infantry shielded advancing light infantry, who rushed to set ladders and climb the walls beside the burning siege tower.
But under the continuing rain of arrows and scalding water, they made little progress until Yuno, struck by a flash of inspiration, sprang into action.
"Out of the way!!"
Yuno used his aura to slice the burning siege tower into four pieces.
"Your Highness? What are you "
"Just watch!! Haaa!!"
He then lifted the huge, burning chunks of the siege tower with both arms and hurled them onto the fortress wall.
"What… what is that?"
"Get out of the way!!"
As the flaming debris landed, the defenders scattered in panic, and the rain of arrows and boiling water stopped.
"Now!! All light infantry, climb the walls!!"
"Endure the heat!! You won't die from burns!!"
"If you rest now, you'll rest forever!! Climb, now!!"
Seizing the moment, the imperial light infantry scaled the walls, and for the first time since the siege began, the defenders allowed the enemy to reach the top.
"Send word to headquarters we need reinforcements now!!"
"R-right!!"
Seeing this, Meyer requested reinforcements from Crown Prince Prinz at the main camp.
Soon after, the 5th Corps' 1,000 heavy infantry and 3,000 light infantry still in the best condition joined the Windrage troops at the left wall.
With the 5th Corps joining, the Windrage troops, who had only been containing the defenders, launched a full assault.
The Windrage troops and 5th Corps began climbing the walls, and with knights leading the way, they succeeded in getting onto both the left and right walls, gradually increasing the number of imperials atop Streve.
"Hm… This isn't good… Cordelia! Hold the right wall with the knights! I'll go to the left!"
"Sir!! You're not well! You mustn't overexert yourself!!"
"At times like this, a commander must not hold back! Go!!"
At last, Count Redelmo and his knights rose to action.
Cordelia led her ten knights to the right wall, while Count Redelmo led ten more to the left.
With this, the imperials, who had been slaughtering the Teseito defenders, began to be pushed back.
"Push the enemy back!! Show them Streve's strength!!"
As the defenders rallied, Yuno himself began climbing a ladder up the wall.
But the ladder couldn't bear his weight and snapped, and the defenders pushed back the imperials, knocking away more ladders.
"Damn it!! Why are these ladders so weak?! Next time, we need sturdier ones!!"
Falling back to the ground, Yuno looked around for another way up and spotted the broken battering ram in front of the gate.
The ram had managed to crack the gate, but after being smashed by falling stones, its wheels were destroyed and it was abandoned as a siege weapon, with the center now joining the left.
"Hm… that'll do…"
Another idea struck Yuno, and he sprang into action.
Using mana to maximize his strength, Yuno lifted the massive battering ram.
Its wheels were broken, but the iron ram itself was intact, and Yuno began smashing it against the gate.
KWAANG!! KWAANG!!
"What's that noise?"
"It's coming from the gate!!"
Count Redelmo, startled by the sound, rushed over.
"That crazy bastard… isn't that the prince who just became a master?"
"Judging by his outfit, yes. But why is a master here alone…"
"Perfect!! He's newly a master, so he's probably overconfident perfect time to kill him! Focus all arrows on him!! Kill that bastard!!"
Hundreds of arrows rained down on Yuno.
Sensing the incoming arrows, Yuno didn't stop pounding the gate.
Ting ting ting ting
The arrows pierced his armor but bounced off his body.
Yuno's body, trained by years of beatings from Catherine, was now so tough that ordinary arrows couldn't harm him, and since becoming a master, even Catherine couldn't wound him.
Yuno trusted his body, and it did not betray him.
"What… what is he?! How can that be?!"
Count Redelmo, who had previously seen a master defeated by concentrated attacks, was dumbfounded as were Crown Prince Prinz and Meyer, watching from the command post.
"What the hell is that madman doing?! Still, this is our chance! The enemy's focused on the prince order a full assault!!"
Meyer ordered the Windrage troops and 5th Corps at the left wall, and the 10th Corps at the right, to launch a total attack.
"Y-Yuno, what dangerous thing are you doing?! 1st and 4th Corps, charge and rescue the Third Prince!!"
Seeing the arrows focus on Yuno, Prinz also ordered the 1st and 4th Corps to charge.
Regardless, Yuno kept pounding the gate under a hail of arrows, and the slightly cracked gate began to give way under his superhuman strength.
Creeeaaak, creeeaaak!!
Jamming the ram into the opening, Yuno twisted it side to side, forcing the gate wider until it finally broke open completely under his power.
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