Chapter 189: Black Veil
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The remnants of the defeated Roland army, hundreds of them, dashed wildly towards Thunder City. Many were covered in blood. Some of them ran until they could not run anymore and just sat on the ground. Those that were not injured had thrown away their weapons and armor.
Right then, even close comrades no longer cared about each other. They could only think of getting to Thunder City as fast as possible.
The soldiers were extremely frightened; their legs would have turned soft from fear even if a crow flew over their heads. When frightened, the more timid ones would shout, "They have caught up!"
The scene then became even more interesting. The ones that still had the strength would run faster while the tired ones desperately hanged onto their nearby companions, begging them to help pull them along.
They thus ran helter-skelter for over an hour. Many of them were not heavily injured but were out of breath. Strangely though, the enemy that had been chasing them earlier and who were disguised as Holy Knights, did not attack them immediately...
Sieg did not feel like closing in to kill them. There were many checkpoints along the way and Sieg was too lazy to chase down all these soldiers. His primary objective was to get to Thunder City fast.
As for those Roland soldiers, just let them run!
If they had run towards the Pamir Plain, Sieg would not bother with them at all as his task was to capture Thunder City. It was fine as long as Thunder City was not forewarned. The Roland soldiers running towards the Pamir Plain would be stopped by the Empire’s main army.
On the other hand, it would also be a joke for these soldiers to run towards Thunder City. It was impossible for them to run faster than the Lightning God’s Whip. The Lightning God’s Whip passed them along the way. When they felt like it they would slash and kill a few; when they were tired they just ignored them. The lucky ones were left dumbstruck because the Empire soldiers, after having caught up with them, not only ignored them but continued their rush to the north.
One of the Roland soldiers could not help but ask, "Are these guys here to kill us or race with us?"
Sieg had not attacked this last group of soldiers. He was not lazy; he just did not need to.
Besides that, these hundreds of soldiers had been running for an hour. The troops that were in formation earlier had spread out in disorder for one hundred meters. Those who still had the strength were in front while those who were tired were struggling at the back. Naturally, some of the Roland soldiers were not stupid. These looked for a tree or low-lying ground to hide in first before figuring out their next step...
Running at the very front was a Roland officer that had stood guard at this last station. He was, of course, the deputy commander. The immediate superior had sacrificed himself heroically in the earlier fight and had now returned to God's embrace.
The deputy officer still had a few strong and trusted subordinates with him. In the night he and his subordinates saw a cavalry blocking the roads. However, the night was dark and it was hard to see clearly.
These soldiers felt relieved as they were not far from Thunder City. This cavalry must be soldiers from Thunder City. They ran towards the cavalry and called out excitedly. The more they ran, the nearer they got. In the faint light of the night they could finally make out the appearance of the cavalry — the Knights' special armor, the black cloak and the special banner with a cross. These were clearly the Holy Knight Regiment.
The deputy officer's happiness immediately turned to fear when he suddenly realized something strange. The Holy Knights had gone to the frontlines with the main army. Why would there be any Holy Knight here?
Although he was still puzzled, he continued to run forward. Those were his last few steps.
Whoosh! An arrow flew and penetrated the officer’s neck. He finally saw the real appearance of the cavalry in front of them. Sh*t. They were just like the enemies earlier. They were all impostors!
The last soldier that fell thought to himself: Blindness1 can kill …
Rody shot that arrow without waiting for Kraft’s orders. Kraft just frowned and coldly looked at him. He then shouted, "Fire away!"
After that volley of arrows, most of the Roland soldiers that ran over were killed.
Kraft then waved his hand and the cavalry rushed forward. They rode to and fro twice to kill the rest of the Roland soldiers. Rody did nothing as he regretted his earlier action. Without any orders from the Deputy Commander he had shot the first arrow. He had been a Duke for so long that his hands had moved out of habit. In the army, those that acted without orders have violated the military law and would be punished.
Kraft did not say anything but glanced at him coldly. He lightly said, "These Roland soldiers were running in defeat. Looks like Sieg would be here soon."
Rody nodded his head and felt a strange feeling. He had never cared when he was the Duke but now that he was just a small captain he had started to be overly cautious. Perhaps it was human nature. When a person of high status suddenly dropped to the bottom, there would be an indescribable sense of loss.
One of Kraft's knights led a small group and went forward to assist. Not much later, Sieg’s cavalry had also arrived. Although Sieg was the Deputy Regimental Commander of the army, it was still during an urgent war period. Hence, Kraft merely straightened his body to salute instead of getting off his horse.
Sieg took a deep breath and looked at the sky before he asked, "Commander Kraft. Was your journey here smooth?"
Kraft replied, "It went fairly well! There were no Roland guards on the road. They have not discovered that road. They probably also did not realize that we have already reached here."
Sieg nodded and sighed, "Let us proceed a little bit more and then find a well-hidden spot to rest. Recover some energy. We will then attack Thunder City at dawn!" Sieg then thought for a moment and then he shouted, "Captain Rody!"
Rody was suddenly aware, and immediately shouted, "Yes!"
Sieg rode his horse slowly towards Rody's side. He then carefully looked at Rody. The more he looked at Rody, the weirder he felt. However, he was unable to tell what was wrong. Sieg then shook his head and thought. War was ongoing. What was the point of thinking so much? He dispelled his thoughts then said, "Captain Rody. Take the Duke's team of bodyguards into the tunnel. You and your men are the keys to our success in this battle!"
Rody felt uncomfortable the moment he heard this sentence. Usually, Sieg was the one saluting him. He felt uncomfortable now that the role had changed.
Far away, in the Imperial Capital, an old man was laughing while holding his stomach. "This boy finally understood the benefits of being the Duke. There are thousands of positions that he could have chosen but he took that of a small soldier. I really do not know if his brain has a defect."
The night was silent. Even though the Roland soldiers on the Thunder City wall had just rotated shifts, they were still sleepy. The soldiers that were on patrol looked at the lazy soldiers sleeping on the wall with envy in their eyes. Who was the one that decided we would go on night patrol tonight? They jealously walked up to the lazy soldiers and kicked them awake. They then ignored the angry glares as they continued their patrol. They thought to themselves. Who asked you to kick me when I was sleeping last night?
The terrain of Thunder City was special. An ordinary fortress would be squarish, surrounded by four walls. However, Thunder City was not the same as the others.
Thunder City only had walls and gates at the North and the South. It only had two walls as the other two sides were hills that were not very high, only about twenty meters tall. Both hills faced the seaside and the sea water had eroded the rocks to form a cliff.
In fact, Thunder City was not located in an open space.
Across the coastal area of the Thunder Strait, was a long hilly range.It was a few kilometers from the sea. Thousands of years ago this was part of the sea. But later, through time it transformed into part of the land of the continent. On both sides of this mountain range was uneven rocky land. Lots of big and small rocks were scattered all over. It was passable to men and small troops. Not so for large troops, horses or carriages.
The Radiant Empire had specifically chosen this special terrain thousands of years ago. They spent a lot of money and efforts to dig a gap through the mountain. They then built the North and South walls in that gap. That was how Thunder City was built.
At the moment, the buildings in Thunder City had been destroyed beyond recognition in the previous battle. The Roland army also did not spend a lot of time rebuilding the city. Instead, they demolished the broken buildings and used the material to reinforce the walls.
That was why most of the land in Thunder City was flat and mostly filled with the barracks.
It was dawn, the darkest hour before the sky turned bright. It was also the time the soldiers felt the most tired.
A dark figure slowly climbed out from the wells somewhere in the south of the city. The figure immediately jumped out before crouching and looking cautiously left and right. After that, more people started to climb out of the well. Hundreds of people had climbed out and they then separated into groups and went into different directions.
In the dark, Rody's men followed the dilapidated buildings and approached the southern wall of the city. The dozen or so men that followed him were the Duke's bodyguards that had become vampires. Relying on their familiarity with the city's terrain they hid in a ruined building, trying to stay hidden. The Roland soldiers that were on patrol occasionally passed by them. None of them would have guessed that the enemy had already entered the city. After all, there were another three or more checkpoints on the road south of Thunder City.
The surroundings were extremely quiet as Rody quietly waited as he squatted on the ground.
After some time, he heard some noises coming from the city. Ping! A rocket-fireworks shot into the sky in a shower of sparkles. This was the prearranged signal for him.
The other soldiers in the city had deliberately made trouble to attract the attention of the Roland army. It was also a signal for Rody in the city and Sieg outside the city to get to work.
The fireworks shone in the night sky for a long time. In the darkness of the night, even those that were more than ten miles away could see the fireworks clearly.
The Roland army was alerted as the nearby soldiers rushed out to investigate where the fireworks came from. The soldiers who were patrolling near Rody also ran towards it.
Rody sighed and said, "The Roland army is really not good! This situation is obviously a surprise attack by the enemy. How many enemies are there in the city? There was also no need to be nervous! If I was the one giving orders, I would first order the soldiers to reinforce the city gate defenses!"
Rody then took a deep breath, stood up, and said, "Let's go!"
Rody took the lead and immediately rushed out.
More than a dozen ghost-like figures ran quickly towards the gates. The Roland soldiers at the gates immediately realized what happened and some of them started to yell and scream. Rody and his men quickly rushed towards them and swung their swords. Two Roland men immediately fell.
The soldiers on the walls were also alerted. A group of soldiers ran down the walls. As the officers shouted loudly, the soldiers in the dark were more lost than anything. Some soldiers had just woken up and did not understand what was the noise all about.
There were about one hundred Roland soldiers near the gates. However, Rody and the others were very powerful. They charged fiercely into the Roland crowd and very quickly cut down a large number of Roland soldiers.
Many of the Roland soldiers have not reacted. They saw several people rushing over in the Holy Knight's armor. They had trouble understanding the situation. They were surprised and hesitated. Just this slight hesitation was sufficient for Rody and the dozen other people to act. It was enough for them to cut off the heads of these soldiers.
At that point in time, the other squads of the Empire began to make trouble everywhere in the city. Fires started in more than a dozen different spots. Although they only had a hundred people, they had caused a really huge commotion in Thunder City, with fire and screams all over the place.
Rody and his vampire subordinates swung their swords in the crowd as many tragic screams could be heard in the dark. Their objective was clearly the city gates nearby.
The muffled sound of horses thronged together could be heard outside the gates. The soldiers on the wall finally realized the situation and shouted, "There is a cavalry! The enemy is attacking the city!"
The enemy is attacking the city?
The soldiers at the city gates that were struggling against Rody and his soldiers were in disorder. The enemy is attacking the city? Where did they come from? Did they fall from the sky?
However, when they heard the hoarse frantic shouting from the top of the city walls, they knew that it must be true...
Rody's sword slashed out again and two more Roland soldiers were sliced into two. He heard the horses outside the city and felt anxious. It would be problematic if the cavalry had reached the gates of the city before it opened. After all, there were archers on the walls. The cavalrymen that approached would just become targets for the archers.
Rody gritted his teeth as he looked at his trusted vampire bodyguards. He growled and fought against a Roland soldier beside him. After fighting for a while, he had already broken that soldier's limbs and ribs. Rody then pushed away the badly mangled person and grabbed a sword from the ground. His eyes flashed suddenly and a golden fighting energy burst forth from his body. He looked at the huge solid gates not far from him and roared. His sword glowed with a dazzling light, whistled and shot forward...
Just before this, two Roland soldiers were standing at the city gates at the northern wall. The Regiment Commander of the Second Infantry Regiment of the Sauron Kingdom, in charge of guarding Thunder City, said in a respectful tone, "Your Excellency, Saint. Are you leaving tonight?"
In front of him was a slender figure dressed in a black robe. Her head was hidden underneath the hood. Her clear and delicate voice replied, "I have already conveyed the Temple’s orders and have transported the supplies from the ship. You do not have to persuade me to stay."
After that, she gazed to the south. A slight doubt crossed her clear eyes. She then turned and walked towards the North Gate. Following behind her were four Senior Holy Knights. The four young Holy Knights looked at her with respect and love.
The Regiment Commander took a deep breath and said, "Your Excellency Saint. Have a pleasant journey! I…" He originally wanted to curry favor with this Roland Temple Saint. After all, a Saint's position was as high as a King's. Although the Saint seemed cold and in a bad mood, a few words of praise would be appropriate.
Unfortunately, before he could say those last few words, he saw soldiers rushing towards him.
The four Holy Knights immediately turned around and stood in a circle around the Saint to protect her as they drew their swords.
The Regiment Commander’s expression changed and was about to scold his men when he noticed his men were covered in blood. In a panic, he asked them, "What happened? You…"
Before the soldiers could answer, there was an explosion and a fireworks flare appeared in the sky above Thunder City. It then shot across the sky like a shooting star.
The quiet night was broken and shouts of killing arose from everywhere in the city. The sky lighted up with flames after that.
The Regiment Commander turned pale and loudly shouted, "Pass down my orders! Fifth Batallion! Go! See what is going on! See if the heathens have attacked the city!"
The Regiment Commander was still calm as the messenger ran off to transmit his orders. The Black Veil Saint hesitated for a moment and asked, "Regiment Commander. Has the situation changed?"
The Regiment Commander started to sweat as he replied, "The current situation is unknown. Most likely the Roland people are causing a commotion in the city… Saint, what do you…"
The Saint frowned and coldly replied, "You are the Regiment Commander of Thunder City. Why are you asking me instead?"
The Regiment Commander nodded his head and said, "Yes… Yes… Then…" He then hesitated as he looked at the Saint.
Muse sighed. Although she opposed the war, she could not do much on her own against the Temple. Now, she was ordered to come to the front to convey an order form the Temple. She looked at the four Holy Knights beside her and said, "There is a change in the situation of the army. Check it out." The four knights immediately saluted and stepped forward.
Muse pondered for a moment and said, "Regiment Commander. The enemy is creating disorder at night. However, we have tens of thousands of soldiers in the city. Small infiltrating units causing disorder is nothing significant. Their main objective must be to capture the city gates in the middle of the disorder. Dispatch soldiers to the South Gate. There should be…"
At that moment, Muse suddenly stopped. She had a strange and familiar feeling. That... is a gold fighting energy… Is it his Holy Light? He had progressed so much in just a few months? If it is not him… why does the fighting energy feel so familiar?
For a while, Muse was speechless. The wind blew on her face as she looked towards the south dreamily…
1. The soldier thought. 青光眼害死人啊 Direct translation would be ‘Glaucoma frightened people to death.’ In other words, the soldier was lamenting the fact that he was too blind to see.
Glaucoma is a disease that damages the optic nerve and eventually causes blindness. An acute glaucoma attack can cause blurry visions, headaches, among other things.