Chapter 117: The Fall of Adolf (4)
The knowledgeable and cunning master of illusions looked down upon the perilous scene and instantly recognized that the ferocious product in front of him was discovered inadvertently by an alchemist from the East.
The Emperor employed firearms against the apocalypse army, but time was of the essence, and the empire simply didn’t have the time to produce a vast number of effective weapons. However, the alchemists could indeed produce plenty of gunpowder.
This was the gift left by the champion general Heirberg, a mortal, to the everlasting chosen one.
Boom!
A violent force heaved the ground, an uncontrollable rage surged forth from the black hole, with massive magical beasts at the forefront. The magical barrier shattered, and within the shockwave, there were screams, and in no time, that blue feather soared into the sky alongside the wave of impact.
This explosion indiscriminately engulfed the apocalyptic army surrounding the city walls, along with the imperial troops retreating into the future, resulting in mutual destruction. Many of the defending soldiers, standing upon the walls, were directly blown away; white smoke billowed everywhere, and for a moment, no one could see or recognize anyone.
Champion General Heirberg stood atop the tall tower with his hands clasped behind his back, his fingers nervously twisting against each other. His bloodshot eyes fixed firmly on the smoke rising in the sky above the southern city wall.
The plan could succeed, shattering the fear of the everlasting chosen one’s prophetic abilities.
Champion General Heirberg approved the battle mages to set up secret traps to disrupt the plans of the everlasting chosen one. He was merely gambling; betting that the everlasting chosen would seize this opportunity to breach Sigma.
The gamble paid off. This everlasting chosen one, even if capable of seeing the future, would still fall into the traps set by a few of them.
Too many had been sacrificed; mostly the soldiers who adored him fell, alongside the demons and the apocalyptic army fervently following the everlasting chosen, perishing in the explosion.
If the everlasting chosen could be severely wounded…
Champion General Heirberg couldn’t help but speculate. A gust of wind blew.
The everlasting chosen, Jima, stood atop the first city wall, his helmet adorned with two metallic horns. Beneath him lay heaps of towering corpses. He rarely gazed directly at the city, confronting both roads.
“Mortals, how laughable.”
A minor explosion could at most kill a few large demons, yet daring to hope to kill him?
The everlasting chosen Uluros, merely dusting off the extra dust on his helmet, raised his head and addressed the hovering false king Jima in the sky:
“You deceitful charlatan, you think to conspire with a few petty tricks to kill me? You don’t even dare to face me directly.”
The voice of the everlasting chosen resounded, loud and piercing, cutting through the chaotic battlefield until it reached Jima’s ears.
Jima nonchalantly dismissed the fake “nuclear warhead,” giving the everlasting chosen a middle finger. She hadn’t hoped that the champion general’s trap would kill the everlasting chosen, yet as a more strategically mobile extraordinary being, why not take the chance?
The biggest gain this time was the massive explosion that shattered her deceit, sweeping up powers of countless lies into her grasp, depleting them entirely. This could create a feasting illusion for the demon race that they couldn’t even discern last time; that was one of her meticulously crafted killing moves.
The everlasting chosen swung his glowing longsword, directing it toward the first city wall of Adolf, having already foreseen victory. The trap was merely a nail to further secure your coffin.
Frenzied war cries erupted behind him, with more apocalyptic armies and demons rushing toward the weakened second city wall, pressing the imperial defenders into a series of retreats.
He asked, “What good is this trap?”
A demon with two arm pillars appeared before him, preparing to pounce into the unprotected city of Adolf. Mortals struggled to resist, collapsing in their own homes. The robust counterattack from the apocalyptic army made the earlier trap look utterly ridiculous.
Champion General Heirberg closed his eyes tightly until someone behind him shouted:
“Marshal has calculated!”
Champion General Heirberg inquired:
“How long?”
“Eighteen seconds. According to our collected data, the everlasting chosen can foresee eighteen seconds into the future.”
“Signal it.” Champion General Heirberg replied wearily: This was the only thing they could do.
As a mortal, he didn’t expect an explosion would claim the everlasting chosen’s life. More so, he deeply perceived the limits of what the everlasting chosen could accomplish after losing the crown fragment.
The empire might be destroyed, humanity could be extinguished, and any traces they left on the everlasting chosen would vanish. Yet as long as they could unveil the veil of the everlasting chosen’s abilities, those who came after would always have the odds in their favor… even if it was just a fraction.
Above Adolf, various colored fireworks ascended. Jima noted it was eighteen seconds later before vanishing from the sky, disappearing without a trace.
“The signal has been sent.”
He ordered all reserves. “Champion General Heirberg said: Whether it’s the Reiss Knights, the remaining Rike Guard, or the Karon Greatswordsmen, gather together to reclaim the city tower. We must make our last stand until the Emperor’s reinforcements arrive.”
“Yes!”
At the same time, the second city gate shattered, led by the everlasting chosen Marus himself, stepping over burning gates and corpses, his sword aimed directly at the Sigma Cathedral: “Advance!”
No one could stop the everlasting chosen Marus and the demon soldiers surrounding him, charging forward alongside the infantry, attempting to halt the assault spearheaded by the everlasting chosen Marus.
But within Adolf, no one could be deemed a match for the everlasting chosen Marus. The mortal soldiers before him felt like mere gravel beneath his feet, barely able to impede his progress; those caught among them who were strong were like tiny stones, making it so the everlasting chosen Marus could pause, remove his boots, and shake out the pebbles.
The apocalyptic army surged into Adolf, using their blades, battle axes, mutated claws, rusty swords, etc., to clear the way for their master from the gravel.
Every major street had buildings requisitioned, windows opened, and the apocalyptic army below was bombarded with incendiary bottles or gunfire.
Demonic giants swung massive wooden clubs, violently banging against second-floor windows. The buildings of Adolf were burning, and many civilians looked out despairingly from the windows. Their homes had been taken by the demonic monsters, and they lay motionless as if dead. Their lives before the war had already killed half of them, and now the remaining half had died as well.
Doors were kicked open, and heavily armored noble warriors barged into homes, dragging people out of the flames and into the streets, tossing them down, then raising their axes to behead them as offerings to the gods.
“At all costs! Defend Adolf!”
The command came.
The apprentices of the Empire’s Academy watched the approaching army that signified the everlasting chosen. Knights and battle mages had already moved to the front lines, but no one responded.
Now, led by their teacher, the apprentices had yet to graduate. Among them, the highest-ranked student was only at silver level, some were at black iron, and others hadn’t been rated yet, only knowing a few basic spells.
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
From the alchemical furnace, a knight’s helmet fell to the ground, intricately embellished, only the higher-ranked knights could wear such a helmet. The exquisite engraving crashed onto the ground, and from within the billowing smoke, the towering figure of the everlasting chosen Marus gradually emerged.
This was a foe even average black iron apprentices couldn’t handle.
Elsewhere, the imperial troops defending Kiss Gold Road were engaged in fierce battle.
The butchering Karon Greatswordsmen clashed against the apocalyptic army flooding the white street, flags soaring high, emblazoned with the Karon Fortress emblem.
“Never retreat!”
The centurion of the Karon Greatswordsmen roared, raising his magical sword to cleave down a demon warrior’s head: “We can’t retreat any further!”
The giant swordsmen stood beside him, scattered here and there, many of them had already fallen.
The supernatural atmosphere of terror instilled fear in the remaining defenders. Although they hadn’t turned and run, they would not actively fill the gaps in their defenses.
A bloodthirsty demon wielding a giant sword shouted, “Kill, kill, kill!”
The centurion of the Karon Greatswordsmen took the lead and killed him, yet the moment he lifted his giant sword, his arms felt weak. The morale-boosting words he wanted to say were suffocated by the atmosphere of impending failure, unable to escape his throat.
Suddenly, a golden light descended from the sky. Inspiring words echoed through his helmet.
I, the Emperor of the Empire, will fight alongside you!
The voice of the Star Emperor, due to his eyes being parched from long thirst, suddenly moistened.
Before he could finish speaking, under the lead of the Star Emperor riding his Death Claw, dozens of royal griffon knights of Adolf descended from the sky, diving down and tearing apart the ground below.
The soldiers collectively looked up, bathed in golden light.
It was the Emperor! He was not dead. He rode atop the Death Claw, and in his hand, the Sigma Hammer radiated a blinding golden light.
With one hammer strike, he crushed the doomsday knight that attempted to assassinate him, driving the head of that doomsday knight and helmet deep into his chest.
The griffon knights surged forward, immediately leaping over the heads of the Karon Greatswordsmen.
Though this surge behind them caused significant casualties, it was but a drop in the ocean against the apocalyptic army capable of filling entire streets. Although the Karon Greatswordsmen’s situation had not changed…
Now their chests were filled with courage, and the centurion of the Karon Greatswordsmen gazed at the tall figure of the Empire’s Emperor, the golden light of the Sigma Hammer framing him in a halo. His eyes brimmed with tears, rallying his subordinates, he shouted:
“The empire is vast, yet we have no more retreat!”
The bloodied soldiers gathered together, forming a thin yet resilient line, standing their ground against the tidal wave of the apocalyptic army.
The reinforcements led by the Emperor of the Empire had finally arrived.
To the north of Adolf, the turbulent river transformed into a wide shallow, allowing the army to cross it more swiftly.
The Great Demon of Narcotic, the Vomiter, led his forces here, wanting to seize the moment to join the siege of Adolf. It was here that they encountered the imperial army led by the Emperor—comprising all mobile units that had abandoned infantry and supply wagons, hurrying to support Adolf.
The Vomiter immediately ordered the Narcotic demon warriors to form a line of monstrous infantry to block the shallow crossing, intending to use the strong physique bestowed by their father to slay the opposing cavalry. As long as they could cover the approach, victory would belong to the apocalyptic army.
