Chapter 23
Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW
Chapter 23: Surprise Attack on York County
The strike that split the night sky came from Fina.
The girl stood silently on a hill one and a half kilometers from York County. Under the cold night sky, her maple-red hair fluttered amidst surging magic. Moonlight outlined her figure, making her appear both formidable and mysteriously alluring.
Beneath her feet, dozens of complex circular magic arrays interlocked like a coiled serpent. They drew magic from the air and earth, forming a Gigantic Vortex. When it reached its limit, the caster’s will channeled the energy into an unstoppable torrent.
If condensed magic was an unstoppable bullet, Fina herself became the sniper rifle with unmatched range.
“The first shot was just for testing. Now, face your baptism of Death,” Fina declared coldly. A second azure Beam erupted from her hand!
General Red Fox clenched his fists as a watchtower collapsed under the Magic Beam’s hit. Soldiers’ screams echoed from the high skies as they fell.
“What are the magicians doing? Where are the gunners? Find the enemies’ position now! Counterattack!” General Red Fox’s voice sharpened with anger.
To an army of ten thousand, these losses meant little—replacements could be summoned from the Sais family’s territory. But the attack had breached his defenses, witnessed by the family’s future heir.
“Lord Porter!” A captain in polished armor knelt, avoiding the General’s piercing gaze. “We’ve identified the attack’s direction…”
“Direction? I demand exact coordinates! Why the delay?” The General’s tone froze. “Even without precision, launch a saturation attack! Does the chief magician need me to recite basic tactics?”
“Our spells… lack the distance,” the captain muttered bitterly.
“Impossible!” General Red Fox stiffened.
The Crimson Flame Legion’s elemental mages were famed. Their level 35 chief magicians wielded secret arts to amplify spells’ range and power, achieving a record nine hundred meters—far beyond longbows. This edge had secured countless Victories.
Yet now, minor mages from the Asreks family outranged them?
Another Beam streaked like a meteor, piercing a building’s window. Mages inside disintegrated; debris flattened nearby Knights. From the tower, General Red Fox watched the attackers’ accuracy sharpen.
“That Beam’s power and control… could it be Fina Hamilton?” Fenrir muttered abruptly.
General Red Fox froze, thoughts racing. Ignoring York County’s crumbling defenses, he finally ordered, “Dispatch the first, third, fourth, and sixth thousand-man teams. Encircle and capture the enemies!”
Fenrir and the captain exchanged startled looks. Four thousand troops—including gunners and magicians—deployed at once!
Noticing their shock, the General smirked. “The Hamilton family’s heiress is Bait to split our forces. Whether it’s an ambush or a distraction, four thousand can crush Asreks’ three thousand. Overpowering cunning with force is the King’s Path.”
Fenrir’s hint had reminded him: Fina, the genius, could indeed strike beyond a kilometer. Her value outweighed any battle’s outcome.
If Asreks’ main troops lay in ambush, a full confrontation would follow. If not, four thousand could capture Fina alone. In this gamble, General Red Fox felt invincible. The Asreks family had overplayed their hand.
“Against my Crimson Flame Legion, your gamble was doomed,” he said, watching another Beam shatter a tower. The Conqueror’s pride filled his gaze.
“Finally, the main forces are moving out.” Gazing through the window, Midi observed the commotion in the streets below.
Light Cavalry, Heavy Swordsmen, Magicians, and Gunners – all core troops of the Sais family surged forward. The blood-red banner of the Crimson Flame Legion bearing flaming embroidery abruptly rose three meters, towering over four thousand-man squads as they swarmed out together.
Just as Fina predicted, even the famously powerful General Red Fox couldn’t resist the temptation of capturing the Hamilton family’s Chief heir.
But soon, Midi would make him pay for this greed and arrogance.
"Begin the operation," Midi commanded.
Behind him stood Sigmund, now a gunner through transmutation, and Lilian, transformed into a close-combat Blue Fist Saint. Seventy battle-ready Asreks family warriors followed – handpicked veterans averaging above level 20, specially trained for Urban Warfare.
While unremarkable by adventurer standards, these troops qualified as elite among ordinary lords’ armies.
This was Midi’s hidden dagger, now aimed at the enemy’s weakest point.
"Attack!" Midi charged forward without hesitation.
General Red Fox had established four granaries across York County’s cardinal directions. Though taking four thousand troops himself, six thousand defenders remained – ten times Midi’s force.
Fina’s fifty knights barely maintained their delaying action with Magic Beam barrages.
The cunning Red Fox left no flaws despite being baited. Midi’s stratagems only revealed hairline cracks in defenses.
To transform these cracks into bleeding wounds required blinding speed – preventing enemy reactions or regroupings.
"Enemies!" shouted first granary guards. Their warning lasted mere breaths before dying.
The black-haired boy accelerated mid-sprint, dissolving into night’s shadows. His matte blade traced dark arcs through air before four guards collapsed with arterial sprays.
Before falling bodies hit ground, Sigmund acted. The gunner scaled walls with explosive kicks, his large-caliber weapon roaring. Three gunpowder shells exploded in inverted triangle formation, blocking reinforcements with fire and shrapnel.
Lilian confronted plate-armored Heavy Knights. Tower shields and thick armor proved useless against the petite girl. Her shockwave-inducing leap disrupted their balance. Holy light enveloped fists shattered breastplates – direct punches, tiger strikes, and phantom blows dropping knights like broken dolls.
Midi never slowed. Amidst explosions and scorching winds, he moved like the Grim Reaper – dark hair streaming, blade flashing. Each foe fell in single strokes, demonstrating Sword Soul power from super transmutation.
Without using his demon god-imbued left arm, Midi carved through defenses. The granary’s massive iron gates soon loomed ahead.
Silver light flashed in Midi’s eyes as he charged. His blade carved a luminous crescent through darkness.
Extreme Blade Break!
The technique surpassed metal’s limits using demon god power. Three arm-thick gate bolts snapped cleanly, severed surfaces gleaming.
"Burn!" Midi ordered tersely. Flicking blood from his blade, crimson droplets patterned the ground like blooming roses.
