Meanwhile, over at the island fortress of Steelhold, Bruno stared relentlessly toward the bay. The fleet of eight warships remained dead still, as if they were biding their time for a larger armada while they watched his every move. They had been hovering there all day, ever since the tsunami had battered the fortress walls. The pressure was finally breaking him; Bruno was so overwhelmed with stress that he couldn't even think straight.
"Damn it... what do they actually want? Why aren't they attacking? How many men are they hiding on those eight ships? Absolute bastards. Has the help from the palace arrived yet or not?" Bruno muttered, his mind fraying.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Bruno whipped around as a soldier stumbled in, his face ghostly pale.
"Admiral... Commander... report... the main force from the castle has almost arrived... but," the soldier stammered.
"But what? Spit it out!" Bruno screamed, completely on edge.
"The Mirriad cavalry is pinning them down... they're trying to break through to the city of Farport now," the soldier replied.
"W-what? How is that possible? Why is Mirriad attacking us?" Bruno shouted.
"Th-there's one more thing, Commander... according to a report from a scout at the city fortress... Toreno Castle has fallen. A massive mountain walked toward the city and... bandits invaded through it. He got the news by messenger bird; it seems someone sent word to us from there," the soldier answered.
Bruno went silent. He felt like his head was about to explode. But when he looked back at the soldier, he saw the man was paralyzed with fear, pointing toward the window. Bruno spun around, and his eyes nearly popped out of his head. The fleet that had sat silent all day, doing nothing but watching, had finally begun its advance toward the Steelhold fortress. Bruno slammed his palm against the window pane. "Crack"—the pressure from his hand caused the glass to splinter.
"W-what should we do, Commander?" the soldier asked.
"Load every cannon. The moment they get close, open fire," Bruno replied.
"B-but... most of our cannons were destroyed when the tsunami hit," the soldier stammered.
"Aaah! Fire whatever we have left! Hold this fortress! Farport can fall for all I care, but this fortress stays standing! Now get out there and do it, move!" Bruno screamed in a panic.
"Y-yes, Commander!" the soldier replied.
He bolted out to carry out his orders. Bruno turned back to the eight warships now making their final charge toward Steelhold.
"Damn them... even if I have to die... I'm going down with this fortress," Bruno growled to himself, his face flushed red and the veins in his head bulging with rage.
***
Meanwhile, on the lead ship, Leon stood at the bow with his trident resting on his shoulder. Captain Nhar Thez approached and stood beside him.
"The order has been given for everyone to advance and attack, Your Majesty," Nhar Thez said.
"Good. Let's take that fortress now," Leon replied, pointing toward Steelhold ahead of them.
"But why wait until now, Your Majesty?" Nhar Thez asked curiously.
"Because Livia should have successfully taken Toreno Castle by now. My gut tells me so," Leon answered, his eyes fixed on the horizon.
"Very well," Nhar Thez replied. He turned back to face his troops, who were fresh and ready for action. "We take Steelhold! Long live the King!" Nhar Thez roared.
"Uoooh! Long live the King!" the entire crew and the soldiers screamed, hoisting their weapons high.
The eight ships cut through the waves. "Boom!" Several cannons fired from Steelhold, but the shots fell short. Heavy sprays of seawater drenched the ships, yet they pressed on without slowing down. A second volley of cannon fire erupted and again crashed into the sea. Once they were close enough, seven of the ships turned broadside to unleash their own cannons, while the flagship charged straight toward the fortress, ignoring the crossfire from behind. Nhar Thez glanced at Leon, who stood tall, holding his hat steady against the ship's violent jolting.
"Your Majesty, if we keep this up, we're going to get hit," Nhar Thez warned.
"Full speed ahead, Captain. Don't be afraid," Leon replied.
"Arrows! Incoming volley!"
Leon looked up to see hundreds of arrows raining down from the Steelhold ramparts. "Thump!" He slammed the butt of his blue trident onto the deck. Instantly, a shimmering blue dome—colored like the deep sea—sprang up to shield the entire ship.
"Charge! There's no reason to fear! For Cronus!" Leon roared.
"You heard the King's command! Forward!" Nhar Thez screamed.
"Uoooooh!" the soldiers roared.
The flagship punched through the rain of arrows and cannon fire from both directions. Meanwhile, the bombardment from the seven ships behind them slammed into the walls of Steelhold. Screams filled the air and the sound of shattering stone echoed as the remaining fortress cannons were wiped out by the close-range fire. Bruno, watching from his room, was absolutely stunned.
When they reached the artificial island where Steelhold stood, the flagship turned broadside and "bom," every cannon blasted the walls at point-blank range. A second volley tore a hole through the thick stone. Boarding planks were immediately thrown to the shore.
"Move out, everyone!" Leon shouted, running down the plank with his trident in hand, followed by Nhar Thez.
"Uoooooh!" roared the 300 demon tribe warriors following him.
They stormed inside, ruthlessly striking down soldiers who were already scattered and exhausted. Leon spun his trident and swung it wide. "Uaaaaah!" About ten soldiers were sent flying backward. He kept running, tearing through the thin line of defenders left over from the morning's tsunami.
Bruno, seeing the enemy breach the fortress, grabbed his sword and prepared to head out. He ran through the corridor, but before he could reach the bottom, he glanced toward the Farport gate. Fire and smoke were already rising from there. Bruno gnashed his teeth at the sight of it all.
***
Meanwhile, at the Farport gate, Hugo, Dustin, and Malcolm charged into the city alongside the Mirriad cavalry. Outside, Casey sat atop her horse, picking off soldiers on the ramparts with her bow. Hugo and Dustin stormed the battlements; the moment they reached the top, they split up. Hugo moved with lethal speed, wiping out the archers on the right, while Dustin smashed through soldiers and archers on the left with his devastating punches and kicks. The Mirriad infantry followed close behind them. Meanwhile, Malcolm led the cavalry charge, tearing through the enemy forces stationed inside the city.
Hugo stabbed a soldier in front of him, but then he caught a shadow behind him. A soldier had his sword raised, ready to strike. Suddenly, "zleb," an arrow pierced the man's head, and he collapsed. Hugo looked down and saw Casey; she had shot the soldier behind him and saved his life. Hugo smiled and gave her a thumbs-up, which she quickly returned.
"Well, look at that—I'm the one being saved by her. I'm actually kind of pathetic haha," Hugo thought to himself.
He turned back and resumed his assault like a rampaging wolf with his spear. Dustin continued his charge. Several soldiers tried to stab him, but with a loud "clang," their spears simply snapped. Dustin threw off his fur cloak, revealing massive, solid black armor underneath. He threw a heavy side-swipe, sending three soldiers flying; one even tumbled over the edge, screaming as he fell. Dustin continued his advance with a smile. Even though he was blind, he somehow avoided every attack and landed every blow with terrifying precision.
Malcolm's cavalry continued to push deeper into the city, hunting down the remaining holdouts.
"Don't falter... keep moving! Press them all the way to the harbor, for our Queen!" Malcolm shouted.
"Uooooh!" his soldiers roared.
Meanwhile, Bruno, watching the chaos of Farport and Steelhold from the balcony, was at his wit's end. He grabbed a soldier by the collar and pulled him close until they were eye-to-eye.
"Go to Nortrom Castle! Tell Lord Edgar that Steelhold and Farport have fallen to the enemy! Move!" Bruno screamed.
"Yes, Commander!" the soldier replied.
The soldier bolted, leaving Bruno alone. Bruno looked down and saw a young man charging forward with a green trident, carving through his men. Then the young man looked up, and their eyes finally met.