The joint army left Violsa and trod across the stream flowing through the gorge. The knights advanced with their glistening armor alongside the holy knights on their horses. They were followed by the priests and then the soldiers. They marched fast. They were in a hurry since they needed to investigate the Horus Gorge as fast as possible.
Of course, they didn’t move in a way that would burden the army. The Steelwall Estate people had plenty of experience in dealing with external opponents, especially with the Flaud family. Mihen Tiner, the chosen commander-of-chief for this army, perfectly controlled the army’s marching speed.
Not long after the army began their advance forward, they soon reached the Steif Fortress. The fortress stood at the entrance of the gorge like a gatekeeper and appeared to be very sturdy. As one of the most important fortresses inside the Steelwall territory, they had managed the place with quite special care and attention. Yet, defeating the purpose of their efforts, the flags planted outside the fortress had no connection to the Steelwall Estate.
“I didn’t expect to see those sickening flags here.”
“Yes, who could’ve expected that?”
Zich and Weig clicked their tongues. All the flags flapping from the fortress belonged to the Bellids. They were clear proof that the fortress was now under the Bellids’ control.
“Do you think those guys really hang up their flags because they are proud of them? If they had any sense, they should have realized how embarrassing their symbol is and they should be ashamed to show it anywhere. It seems like they have a problem not with their education, but with their core instincts,” Zich said.
“Aren’t you thinking too well of the Bellids, Sir Zich? It’s exactly because they are unable to think with common sense that they believe in things like Bellu. Don’t you think so, Sir Weig?”
“It’s as you say. To tell you the truth, I still wonder if the Bellids can really comprehend our language. If they had intellect low enough to be Bellid followers, how could they learn to understand speech and writing?”
Zich, Lubella, and Weig took turns dissing the Bellids like good pals. They appeared at complete ease, unbefitting of people facing an upcoming battle. However, there were very few people who possessed such ease. Even the Steelwall soldiers who had accumulated a lot of experience felt nervous in front of a battle that would put their lives in jeopardy.
As expected of elite fighters, they soon changed their feelings of nervousness to their advantage. As soon as they saw the Bellids’ flags, the army separated a part of their forces and got into formation. Zich treaded to the front to see the fortress better, and Lubella and Weig moved with him.
“I was wondering how the Bellids gained full control of the fortress, but it seems like that’s our answer.”
They had thought the Bellids must have won over the higher-ups, but of course, Zich and the others hadn't thought everyone at the fortress had gone over to the Bellids’ side. There probably had been great resistance when the Bellids tried to take control of the fortress in the beginning, but it was clear that the victory must have gone to the Bellids in the end as the flags on the fortress indicated.
“No, I’m sure they weren’t able to resist in the first place.” Zich proposed an opposing view and glanced to his side. Lubella was scowling at the fortress harshly, and her expression didn’t match her pretty, pure face. Small gritting sounds coming out of her teeth indicated the rage she was feeling.
“How dare they do such….!” Lubella said in a low voice threateningly, and Zich understood the reason for her strong response.
‘It’s understandable. The thing that could have happened in her worst dreams became a reality,’ Zich thought and looked to the top of the fortress walls again. The tips of the enemy’s sharp spears sparkled. As expected of an important fortress belonging to Steelwall, the weapons were in good condition. Yet, the people holding these weapons weren’t Steelwall soldiers. Without skin or muscles covering them, their white bones were exposed, and in the empty space between their eye sockets, a chilling light lingered ominously. They were undead—mostly skeletons—standing on top of the castle walls.
There were also numerous undead creatures besides skeletons also standing above the fortress walls with weapons in accordance with the Bellids’ commands to block the suppression army. Weig then said in an uncomfortable tone, “A city ritual—those damn bastards dared to do such a damn thing…!”
‘City ritual’ was the terrible scheme that had been in progress in Porti, where Zich first had met Lubella. Zich had uprooted the scheme with his appearance. Yet, it seemed like there hadn’t been any figure like Zich at the Steif Fortress, and the fortress had fallen under the Bellid’s plans. From behind, Zich heard Hans explain to the other companions what a city ritual was. While listening to this conversation, Zich quickly began to assess the situation.
“It’s clear that many soldiers have transformed into the undead and are attacking us.”
“We must kill them as quickly as possible to return them to Karuna. Unfortunately, that’s the most we can do for them,” Weig said while repressing his anger.
Zich also didn’t have any other suggestions. However, they couldn’t just think about the undead only.
“We can’t focus our attention on the undead. Truthfully, they are the lowest priority in a city ritual.”
“You must be talking about the power to suck away life force.” Weig had also been worried about that as he replied with a heavy tone.
“I’m sure the ritual here is going to be smaller than the one that was going to be made in Porti, since there’s a difference in the number of people.”
“That doesn’t make me feel relieved.” Weig smiled bitterly. Yet, his mood returned to normal as he was skilled in controlling his emotions.
“Even then, we can’t give up on taking control of the fortress, so we need to be careful. Lady Lubella, please suppress your fury and hone that emotion to destroy the Bellids.”
“I understand.” Lubella glared at the fortress for a bit and turned around. Zich stared at her and was slightly dismayed.
‘This makes me recall how she looked before I regressed.’ She looked exactly like this when she rushed towards him with Glen at his hero party. Of course, she had cried for him when he died, but she had also showed formidable drive and strength when attacking him. After Lubella and Weig disappeared into the camp, Zich also took his group and went inside. They reached the frontline.
Crackle! An ominous sound came from the dark clouds as if the sky was sighing at the upcoming battle.
* * *
The forces of the offensive troops stood in line in front of the fortress. They were right in front, and the soldiers stared at the fortress with tense eyes.
“Attack!” With the commander’s loud shout, the battle started.
“Oooowaahhhh!” The soldiers shouted loudly and ran towards the fortress. Their presence was so threatening that it felt as if the Earth’s axis was shaking because of their energy and movement.
Compared to them, the Steif Fortress was quiet. The undead couldn’t talk, and the couple Bellids they saw in between the undead didn’t open their mouths either. However, just because the Bellids didn’t shout, it didn’t mean that their fighting spirit was lacking. No—in a way, their fighting spirit derived from their religious fanaticism might be significantly higher than that of their opponents.
The offensive troops ran towards the fortress as if a giant tsunami was rushing towards the Bellids and the undead. However, the Bellids saw a couple of dots in front of the offensive troops; a few people were running toward the fortress at a much faster speed than the other soldiers. These people were Zich, Hans, and Snoc. Zich and Hans wrapped their legs with mana, and Snoc was riding Nowem, who had turned enormous. Their speed was on a different level compared to the other soldiers. They left the other soldiers far behind and rushed straight towards the fortress.
Their numbers only amounted to three people and one beast. Anyone would think that it was impossible for such a small group to destroy a fortress by themselves. The forces at the fortress seemed to also think the same thing as not even a single arrow flew towards them. It seemed as if they judged that it would be a waste to use arrows against them. However, their judgment was completely off.
Zich, Hans, and Snoc reached the bottom of the fortress in a flash. Then, Zich and Hans stood side by side around Nowem as if they were protecting Snoc. Snoc put his hand on the fortress wall, his eyes met with Zich’s, and Zich gave a nod.
Ziiing! Earth mana began to fill Snoc’s hand, and this mana flowed into the wall in a matter of seconds.
Crrrck! One of the well-polished stones in the wall popped out and rolled on the ground. The sight of a large rock, bigger than a person, flying in the air and dropping to the ground looked surreal. However, this was only the beginning.
Crrrrrrrck! Rocks that formed the wall continued to be pulled out, and they were all from the bottom. What would happen if all the rocks at the bottom disappeared? The answer was obvious—collapse.
Crumble! The wall shook, and the rocks began to crumble. The ominous sound of falling rocks added to the suspense. The forces at the fortress seemed to have finally realized the severity of their current situation as they began attacking Zich and his group. A huge number of arrows flew towards them, and water beams that were definitely from the Bellid priests sharply flew at them. Hot water and rocks were also dropped from the top of the wall. However, Zich and Hans were right next to Snoc for a reason.
Zing! Zing! Zing! Zich swung his sword. His sword was not Windur, but an ordinary sword that was just tough and comfortable to wield. As if to prove that the words he had said to Lyla were true, Zich easily cut all the arrows flying toward them with his sword. He also cut the rocks falling on them and scattered the hot water away with a slash. It was also the same for Hans. Every time Estellade flashed brightly, all the attacks towards them were neatly vanquished. While this was going on, Snoc continued to take out the rocks at the bottom of the wall.
Crruuummmbllle! In the end, an enormous amount of dust surrounded the Steif Fortress as it collapsed. The undead on top of the wall were swept up in the collapse and also fell. Considering that the fortress had looked foreboding and indomitable, as if no one could successfully defeat it, it really collapsed all too easily.
“Oooowaahhhh!” The soldiers gave another loud shout at this sight. In all honesty, the soldiers hadn’t been able to erase their nervousness while running toward the fortress. They didn’t have a siege tower or even a ladder to climb up. Even though they heard that their allies would destroy the wall so they could enter the fortress, it was hard to believe that such a tough wall could be destroyed. However, the Steif Fortress, which had looked like an iron wall, collapsed right in front of them. The troops’ morale significantly increased.