Chapter 415: Chapter 403: Kingdom’s Citizens ‘Welcome’ the Royal Forces
Ulysses naturally understood that the so-called throne was nothing but a poisoned bait. However, the bait was exceedingly tempting, and more importantly, the current situation was still unclear. If he chose the wrong side, he could very well lose everything including his life.
Steel City was acclaimed as such due to the abundant iron ore resources surrounding it. Moreover, Lord Ulysses was always cautious; the castle’s walls had been built very high, and the city gates were reinforced with a layer of pure steel, which required several strong men to operate the pulleys to open and close.
The city’s guard numbered around seven thousand, and they could also summon refugees at any time to assist in defense. Perhaps they only needed to hold out for a day or two…
A day or two would be enough!
Having temporarily stabilized Lord Ulysses, the Archbishop clearly understood that without demonstrating his power, both the nobles and the soldiers within the city could easily collapse on the spot under the assault of witchcraft. Thus, he and dozens of Priests stood atop the battlements of Steel City.
The biggest difference between the Archbishop and ordinary bishops was that they were elites among the three-rings clergy, candidates for Cardinal, and could to some extent communicate with the deity to gain assistance. Thus, they were usually stationed at critical points. Together with several bishops and dozens of Priests, they could even temporarily resist a powerful Wizard.
“Oh great Lord of the Stars, Moon Goddess, creator of earth and life, your humble servant prays here, begging for your protection over this land of faith…”
The lofty prayer echoed atop the city walls, and a strong divine light soon emanated from around the Archbishop.
The soldiers and nobles touched by the light seemed to feel the Almighty’s gaze, and a surge of fervor rose in Ulysses’ heart. Suddenly, he felt as though the tens of thousands of troops below were nothing but chickens and dogs; united, they would surely achieve ultimate victory.
“God is with us!” the Archbishop shouted loudly, his bible fluttering from his waist and hovering above his head.
A more intense light immediately filled everyone’s vision, and Ulysses suddenly realized that this light was not emanating from the bible but was flying out from the enemy ranks.
The scarlet streak of light was so fast that before anyone could react, it had already pierced through the Archbishop. His body, strengthened by divine arts, was torn apart as easily as paper, leaving nothing but remnants of flesh and blood raining down…
The lofty prayer stopped abruptly, and the fervor in Ulysses’ heart instantly cooled. Several nearby minor nobles, terrified, wet their pants and screamed at the top of their voices.
“Open the gates, surrender… surrender!”
But it was clearly too late now. Several more streaks of light flashed, and the steel gates, said to be indestructible, were blasted open by several electromagnetic cannons!
“Indeed, these gunners are becoming more and more accurate!” At this moment, outside the city, Lynn looked at the chaotic scene on the battlements and spoke with satisfaction.
From a distance of 1.5 kilometers, hitting a specific person with such precision was indeed praiseworthy.
“This electromagnetic cannon’s targeting is much easier to calculate than a cannon,” Rafael said with a smile.
And that bishop, daring to foolishly stand on the battlements and chant prayers, they weren’t blind after all. Such an easy target, it would have been a waste not to fire!
Lynn also laughed, speaking as the robust steel gates were blasted open by the booming cannon fire.
With an absolute technological advantage, even the toughest sieges became incredibly easy, eliminating the need for any so-called tactics. This overwhelming feeling of triumph was exactly what he had always longed for!
Armored vehicles charged at the forefront, the roaring noise of machine guns quickly dispelling any guards foolish enough to resist. The musketeers following behind only needed to take care of capturing prisoners.
Indeed, there were very few who dared to resist; the majority of the guards dropped their weapons the moment they saw the steel gates smashed open.
The battle started and ended so swiftly that many residents of Steel City couldn’t even understand what was happening before armored vehicles with mounted machine guns charged into the city.
The doors of the buildings along the streets tightened, and civilians stranded in the streets panicked and scattered in all directions, quickly leading to a stampede. Those residents who couldn’t escape in time knelt and curled up on the ground, their faces filled with terror and fear.
Watching this scene, Lynn sighed repeatedly, recalling the public’s panic and even spontaneous resistance during his earlier reclamation of lost territory.
It could only be said that the influence of the Church’s centuries of propaganda and brainwashing was deep-rooted; the Wizard had almost become synonymous with evil within the empire!
“Let’s send some people to help the injured,” Lynn suggested to Ryder, who stood beside him. “But be careful of the zealots who might hide among the crowd to launch suicide attacks.”
Ryder nodded and immediately led a team of musketeers and several Wizards skilled in herbal medicine to provide aid.
It wasn’t long after the convoy had charged into the city that their path was blocked.
Thousands of city guards simultaneously knelt on the open ground not far from the city gate, a spectacular sight!
In the front row, Ulysses and other noblemen were covered in blood, each holding a heavy human head in their hands.
These were the heads of the Church Priests!
Taking advantage of the moment when the Archbishop was killed and the guiding Priests suffered backlash, Ulysses did not hesitate to turn traitor and led his trusted aides in a slaughter… This was their declaration of allegiance!
As a nobleman, reading expressions and discerning attitudes was a basic skill. Ulysses instantly recognized who was in charge. He rushed to Lynn like finding a long-lost father, pushing past the musketeer’s blockade, and tearfully pleaded that he was coerced by the Church’s bishop and had no choice but to disregard the new Kingdom’s call!
Indeed, he had been secretly amassing strength these days, waiting day and night for the moment the royal army would return!
“Is that so, Earl Hansen?” Lynn called out with interest to someone behind him.
Several border lords, under the ‘protection’ of the royal guard, approached with a submissive demeanor and quickly spoke. “Wizard sir, Ulysses is trying to deceive you with lies. He is a dog of the Church, a follower of false Gods. He was the first to propose sending the capital’s intelligence back to the empire, and we have letters to prove it!”
At this, Earl Hansen glanced at Ulysses.
Unexpected, isn’t it? We’ve already reported you!
Ulysses was furious, only then realizing why he had received the news so late despite the tens of thousands of troops already being under his very nose.
It turned out that this bunch of border lords hadn’t resisted at all but had surrendered directly!
He was clearly the one presented as the declaration of allegiance!