Chapter 131
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Chapter 131: I Defend While You Attack
After a night of brutal combat, the sky finally brightened.
The battlefield, shrouded in smoke and darkness, now lay exposed under dawn’s light, revealing its true horrors.
From the gates to every street, alley, and building, the City of Rainbow Light had become a warzone.
The ground was stained crimson with blood, littered with corpses of Sais and Hamilton soldiers—many locked in fatal embraces, weapons buried in each other’s bodies.
The once-majestic city, battered by endless fireballs, now resembled a splintered plank riddled with holes, ready to collapse.
This was war—a siege without miracles, where lives were ground to dust.
Even the magic array of the City of Rainbow Light couldn’t stop the slaughter.
Even the Queen of Magic’s presence couldn’t halt the harvest of death.
Tens of thousands had fallen in a single night.
By dawn, Sais’s Black Flame Legion had lost over half its forces in the back-and-forth battle. The Azure Flame Iron Cavalry lay nearly wiped out after clashing with Golden Branch’s Heavy Knights. Only the Flame Guards remained mostly intact, retreating while holding the northeastern quarter.
The Golden Branch Legion fared little better. Despite the Queen of Magic’s Magic Beam Bombardment, chaotic melee limited her impact. Of 50,000 troops, 15,000 were lost storming the city walls. Their battered Heavy Knights withdrew to regroup.
Yet the battle raged on.
Blood still flowed. The city’s fate hung unresolved. Until the end came, the killing would continue.
“We can’t hold any longer. Retreat is necessary,” sighed the Flame Guards’ commander, a veteran favored by Sais’s Grand Duke.
Sais’s forces had relied on the city’s inner fortifications to bleed the enemy—trading one life for two. But with the last magic tower’s fall, they were cornered.
Fighting further meant annihilation.
The veteran ordered the remnants of the Azure Flame Iron Cavalry—their last Heavy Knights—to withdraw first. The Black Flame Legion, easier to rebuild, would follow. His Flame Guards, irreplaceable due to strict recruitment rules, would cover the retreat.
The Scarred General, exhaustion etched into his scarred face, saluted and turned to leave. But the Azure Flame commander—a longtime rival—grabbed his arm.
“Look south!”
On the horizon behind the Golden Branch camp, a cavalry force surged forward like a tidal wave—10,000 strong.
“Reinforcements?” The Scarred General grimaced. More enemies would doom Sais.
Then he froze.
No ally would charge a friendly camp in such a hostile formation.
“Our chance!” The Flame Guards’ commander’s voice trembled with rare excitement. “Hamilton’s foes are here! Strike now while their backs are exposed!”
Domingo’s destroyer cavalry arrived at the perfect moment. Their mere presence shifted the battle’s momentum.
The battered Sais troops rallied, abandoning defense to launch a fierce counterattack.
The Golden Branch Legion, poised to finish the fight, now faced a nightmare: Sais’s resurgence ahead, Domingo’s cavalry at their rear. After a night of bloodshed, trapped between two fronts, every commander turned to Midi.
At that moment, a young general abruptly stepped forward from the ranks and saluted Midi and Fina. "Lord Midi," he declared solemnly, "I request permission to lead the defense against this unknown enemy force!"
Midi’s gaze sharpened. "Your plan?"
"I’ll take five thousand heavy-armored troops to fortify our camp using the remaining fireballs. If our defenses break, we’ll detonate the fireballs to buy time!" The general spoke with conviction. "Meanwhile, our main force should storm the City of Rainbow Light to crush Sais’ army first, then turn back to deal with the new threat. This way we avoid fighting two fronts!"
"Interesting proposal." Midi nodded, then suddenly barked, "Arrest this man!"
The young general’s face paled. His hand flew to his sword hilt, but Midi moved faster. Becoming a blur of motion, he crossed the distance between them instantly. His fist sank into the general’s stomach with a sickening crunch. The traitorous officer flew backward, blood spraying from his mouth as he slammed against the wall unconscious.
"Suggesting we abandon our base and send all forces to the frontlines while pretending to be heroic?" Midi sneered as knights efficiently disabled and bound the traitor. "Your ‘plan’ revealed exactly who the Hamilton family’s mole was!"
The other generals gasped as realization struck. What seemed like noble self-sacrifice had been cleverly disguised sabotage.
Clark, commander of the Golden Branch Legion, felt ice crawl down his spine. Were we just bait all along? His eyes darted between the hunter-like Midi and the eerily calm Fina.
Noticing Clark’s stare, Midi permitted himself a thin smile. Let the man wonder – the true objective was already achieved. This battle had never been about Sais’ rebels. From the Iron-Blood Duke’s downfall to the grand arena incident, Midi had long suspected a third player. But uprooting such deeply entrenched enemies within the vast Hamilton network? Impossible through conventional means.
Hence this elaborate trap.
Since the Flowing Water County campaign, Midi had carefully preserved strength to lull the shadowy foe. Today’s full-frontal assault created the perfect illusion – appearing desperate after exhausting the Golden Branch Legion’s reserves. The hidden enemy would strike now, believing victory certain.
Midi turned to his crimson-haired companion. "Rearguard for me, vanguard for you. Like old times."
Fina’s eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly. Old times? In this lifetime, they’d never… But she simply nodded, radiant smile belying the steel in her voice. "As you command. You hold, I strike!"
The command flag slashed downward. Fina’s main force advanced like tidal wave against Sais’ desperate counterattack. Behind them, Midi stood firm with seven thousand troops at the camp’s fortifications, facing the thunderous approach of destroyer cavalry.
He swung his greatsword with a roar that drowned out the approaching hoofbeats. The Blood Fang Panther beneath him snarled in anticipation. "Come then! Show me what you’re made of!"
