Bai Zihan and Princess Feilian made their way towards the wall where they could see a large group of Demonic Beasts.
It was around 150-200 and made up of Grade-1 and Grade-2 Demonic Beasts, which was a relief since they could mostly be dealt with by the guns.
Still, such a sight was enough to send shivers down the throat of anyone who saw them, including the refugees.
Although they had fought with many Demonic Beasts and killed them with guns, they had never seen such a huge group of Demonic Beasts ready to attack together.
Bai Zihan was fairly unimpressed as he had seen far more powerful, bigger and larger numbers of Demonic Beasts than this.
Of course, at the moment, he was very weak and even he wouldn’t make it out alive from this group of Demonic Beasts if he dared to fight alone.
But he didn’t think that he needed to fight it as the number of guns was around 50 and there were thousands of bullets waiting for those Demonic Beasts.
He didn’t think that this group of Demonic Beasts would be a threat to him at all.
Moreover, he actually felt the opposite and felt that it was good since it would be faster to eliminate every one of them as they had grouped up.
No need to waste time searching for them.
(But such convenient timing…)
He didn’t think it was a coincidence that the Demonic Beasts attacked in full force right after he had arrived in Inner City.
Moreover, Demonic Beasts rarely work together like this unless they are being controlled or led by some other powerful being.
On the other hand, Princess Feilian was quite panicked and scared.
This was the first time she had witnessed such a huge number of Demonic Beasts.
Although there was still a barrier shielding them from Demonic Beasts, those Demonic Beasts were attacking and trying to break through.
It didn’t seem like the barrier would be able to hold them down even for an hour but still she calmed down knowing that she had to take charge.
Princess Feilian’s gaze swept over the soldiers gathered along the battered walls.
Their faces were tight with fear and exhaustion, but her voice cut through the murmurs like steel.
“Listen up! This is the moment we’ve been preparing for—our chance to prove that Ironmist won’t fall!”
Her voice trembled slightly but grew stronger with each word.
“Those Demonic Beasts think they can scare us with their numbers. Well, they haven’t seen our new weapon.”
She raised her hand, fists clenched.
“These new weapons called guns in your hands are capable of shooting those things down like mere animals.”
The soldiers straightened, some nodding, others gripping their weapons tighter.
“Hold your ground! Fight with every last breath! Remember who you’re protecting—your families, your homes! Kill every one of those beasts, here and now! I will stand with you all!”
Feilian’s voice rang with conviction, spreading courage like wildfire.
CRACK!
However, a sudden, deep crack echoed through the city.
All eyes turned to the barrier—a shimmering dome of light meant to hold the demonic tide—now flickering, then shattering with a terrible explosion of sparks and energy.
The ground shook.
A gasp rippled through the crowd, then chaos erupted.
Soldiers stumbled backward, some dropping their weapons in shock.
“What? The barrier is broken!”
“Damn! They are charging towards us.”
“Run away!”
Many people screamed and scrambled for cover.
Princess Feilian’s heart lurched. Her hands clenched into fists, nails digging into her palms.
“How… how is this possible?”
She whispered, disbelief thick in her voice.
The barrier was supposed to be their last defense, something that didn’t even break under the attack from Grade-3 Demonic Beasts.
But here it was—gone in an instant.
She thought that at least for an hour it should be able to last.
Her eyes flicked to the soldiers, their faces pale with panic, some faltering.
(No!)
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to stand tall amidst the storm.
“Soldiers!”
She shouted, voice steely now.
“This is no time to freeze! We must hold the line! Form your ranks! Watch your flanks! Protect the wall!”
Her voice was an anchor in the chaos, however against fear, not many could think straight.
Not to mention, for many this was their first time facing Demonic Beasts.
All they faced was helplessness against the sheer aura that they were releasing.
Princess Feilian didn’t know what to do and the Demonic Beasts was almost reaching their wall, their last defense before they could enter the Inner City.
Bang!
But then, suddenly someone fired at the Demonic Beast charging towards them and he dropped dead without even touching the wall.
The one to shoot was no other than Bai Zihan!
With his face that looked more annoyed than fearful, he said, “If you are scared, run away and leave behind the gun. Don’t disturb me! Those who are ready to fight, shoot these f**king uglies with your gun.”
No encouraging words and only insults.
Well, that was who Bai Zihan was.
But at least, that had made many of them calm down, especially since Bai Zihan showed that the gun could easily take down the Demonic Beasts.
“Yeah, what’s there to be afraid of? Didn’t we already kill many of them?”
Hong Tao said to the group of refugees.
They had come to help Bai Zihan as soon as they heard the news about Demonic Beasts getting ready to invade the Inner City.
Many were in doubt whether it was worth it to risk their lives to save those people who discriminate against them and insulted them.
But that didn’t matter because before them were the enemies that they needed to kill.
“I will practice my shooting to my heart’s content this time.”
“I was getting bored anyways.”
“Hehe… Let’s have a little contest to see who can take down the most Demonic Beasts!”
…
Others also feigned bravery even though they were scared to face such a huge group of Demonic Beasts.
But fake it until you make it!
With such courageous words being said one after another, they began to regain their courage and confidence.
With the display of courage from the group of refugees, the soldiers also stopped panicking, thinking about the people that they need to protect.
If this wall falls, then the Inner City will face the same fate as the Middle and Outer City.
“Everyone, in formation!”
Immediately they formed a defensive line which was ready to take on the Demonic Beasts charging towards them.
“Shoot!”
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Bullets rained down like droplets hitting the ground, each one hitting the Demonic Beasts.
One fell, then another, but the Demonic Beasts didn’t stop—they kept charging toward the wall with the intent to destroy it.
Unfortunately for them, the bullets continued to pour down, and their numbers dwindled like flies.
“Haha… Look at these pathetic Demonic Beasts. I was scared for no reason.”
“I never thought I could kill even one of them, and I think I’ve already taken down five.”
The soldiers who were once afraid now felt the complete opposite.
They were excited as they continued reducing the initial 150–200 Demonic Beasts to roughly 50.
Even before the beasts reached the walls, they had already lost nearly 70% of their number. But the real problem came now.
The Demonic Beasts had reached the wall, and it was time for the soldiers to switch to swords and stall them while others kept firing.
Of course, this wasn’t going to be as easy—or as casualty-free—as when they had simply shot the beasts from a distance.
“Hold them!”
The soldiers with swords did their best, but at most, they could only buy one or two seconds before being flanked by the Demonic Beasts.
Bang! Bang!
But there was still one group handling the Demonic Beasts with ease—the refugees.
Thanks to their experience and teamwork, they were able to bring the beasts down efficiently.
Princess Feilian watched with a mix of excitement and sorrow at the casualties but knew she had to remain calm.
Still, it seemed like the invasion of Demonic Beasts was coming to an end, with them being the clear victors.
Just then, while she was distracted by the battle, a group of five people emerged from the shadows.
Their target was clear!
Bang!
But as soon as they appeared, one of them had their head blown off by a bullet.
“Finally showing up? I was about to get tired of waiting!”
Bai Zihan muttered as he looked at the group of assassins.
“Wha—what?”
Princess Feilian was also shocked by the sudden appearance of these people. It was clear they were targeting her.
As for why—there was no need to guess.
Among them was the guard of Minister Duan, the one Bai Zihan had previously knocked out, now glaring with rage.
“Princess, stay behind!”
Bai Zihan ordered as he drew his sword.
Although guns were powerful, they weren’t ideal for protecting someone—especially against cultivators.
And those assassins were clearly cultivators, or at least had some cultivation.
He had taken one of them out with a surprise attack, but he didn’t think that would work again.
Besides, gun needs time to reload, which would give the assassins an opening to strike.
Anyways, he didn’t think the four of them were capable of defeating him.
“Come!”