Sword of Dawnbreaker

Chapter 440 - 439: Knight

Inside the rocky ridges Fortress, within the Mage tower used to control the magic focal point, the fierce but brief battle had ended.

The Arcane Hall, once filled with magical brilliance and splendid brightness, was now in complete disarray. The explosion of magical energy and the blasts caused by the attackers left shocking damage everywhere. Walls were pockmarked with craters, the ground was torn by explosions, and the steel frames used to secure the Rune Stones were melted by high temperatures, collapsing into heaps of twisted metal skeletons on the ground. At the entrance of the hall, two obsidian golem statues that once guarded the hall had turned into lifeless obsidian fragments scattered on the floor, and in the center of the hall, only some vaguely recognizable humanoid scorch marks and armor shards remained within the massive circular Array.

Sir Maryland, who rushed to the scene as quickly as possible, stood dazed at the entrance of the hall, looking at the tragic state inside, without saying a word for a long time.

"...The battle erupted inside the tower, with no signs of fighting outside or near the sentry posts," the Mage Advisor beside Sir Maryland mentioned the clues gathered so far. "The attackers’ combat method was strange, never seen before—it involved explosions concentrated in a short period, burning high temperatures and explosion traces everywhere. The guardians didn’t seem to respond at all and were killed instantly—we also found this next to a piece of obsidian golem debris."

Sir Maryland looked at what the Mage Advisor handed over: a twisted, broken piece of a blade or sword, with remnants of magic symbols and embedded alloy parts visible on its side. Neither the forging precision nor the design style could possibly be from within the rocky ridges Fortress, nor did it resemble any standard swords from Anzu.

It was just a piece of a sword blade, with the hilt part missing.

"...Cecil Clan equipment!" A Southern Knight who followed exclaimed in shock upon seeing the broken blade, then quickly explained, "General, this is a transcendent weapon, its magic sword blade emits extremely high heat, capable of cutting through soldiers in light armors instantly along with their armor—one of my squires was killed by such a weapon..."

Hearing the Southern Knight’s words, Sir Maryland suddenly recalled another recent event: Viscount Carol had fallen to his death below the terrace... There were no signs of a struggle on the terrace, leading to the conclusion that the Viscount had accidentally fallen.

The banquet was held last night, and Viscount Carol had not been seen since last night. Everyone assumed that the always-worried Viscount had retired early due to inebriation...

The attack occurred within the Mage tower, and everyone was ambushed in an unguarded state and killed in the hall. There were no signs of battle outside...

The Cecil Clan was in the city, and may have been for some time, possibly even hidden among the guardians of the Mage tower, or had gained the guardians’ trust.

The forces responsible for guarding the Mage tower and the inner city walls were from the southern territories’ armies, specifically under Viscountess Ropeni Ge’lan...

A deep sense of trepidation gripped Sir Maryland’s heart, alongside the constant sounds of unrest and faint explosions coming from the direction of the distant city walls.

This war... Is this a war?

"There’s a spy in the city... Where is Lady Ropeney?!"

A nearby personal Guard Knight immediately replied, "Lady has not appeared on the city walls since this morning—nor have her personal guard troops."

Sir Maryland immediately gave a loud command, "Go immediately..."

Before he could finish his sentence, an unsettling whistling sound suddenly came from the upper levels of the Mage tower, mixed with the sound of something shattering. The other knights and soldiers present instinctively looked up, yet Sir Maryland and the Mage Advisor both went pale: they realized the potential cause of the whistling sound.

It wasn’t an issue with the Mage tower; it was something connected to the Mage tower—the magical barrier of rocky ridges Fortress.

The magic barrier connects to the fortress walls and every Mage tower within the city. When the barrier weakens, the first to react will be the magic crystals atop the high towers.

He immediately rushed outside with his people.

Inside the towering rocky ridges Fortress, a persistent whistling sound reverberated back and forth, accompanied by an increasingly distinct low rumble. It was the sound of turbulent City Shield teetering on the brink of collapse, the resonance of air inside the barrier as it vibrated in sync with the city walls. The magical barrier twinkled with faint light, now covered in ripples, a pale pattern creeping from the top of the city walls to high above the fortress. When Sir Maryland emerged from the Mage tower, those ripples had nearly covered two-thirds of the sky.

This high-level knight had never faced such a desperate situation in his life, yet at this moment, he calmed down. He watched the magic barrier disintegrate bit by bit, resting a hand on the hilt of his sword, and asked the Mage Advisor beside him in a low tone, "Master, how much longer can the Shield hold?"

"Twenty minutes, or even less," the Mage Advisor replied, "I will lead the surviving combat Mages to the walls, using our own Mana to recharge the Shield—perhaps we can hold for another three to five minutes."

"Don’t waste Mana; fighting that kind of weapon with manpower is futile," the Sir interrupted the Mage Advisor, "have the combat Mages conserve their strength, and prepare for combat inside the city."

Then he turned his head, looking at his most trusted subordinate, the personal Guard Knight who had followed him for many years.

This personal Guard Knight was arguably one of the most capable individuals in rocky ridges Fortress, aside from himself.

The City Shield could hold for twenty minutes; after it broke, there was still the South City Wall. The metal-fortified South City Wall could withstand the Cecil Clan’s "Skyfire Explosion" for at least dozens of minutes. Even if the Cecil Clan brought "Skyfire" past the walls to the city, it would only destroy surface facilities within the second wall, as the magic focal point and magic symbols of the barrier were buried underground.

Before the city walls completely crumbled, there were still things he could do.

"Hold this city," the Sir told his personal Guard Knight, "and find Ropeney Gran and her missing guards. They are very likely already traitors. Once confirmed, deal with them before they cause more damage."

The personal Guard Knight’s eyes widened, "General, where are you going?"

"I once swore by the name of the Cecil Clan to defend the rocky ridges Fortress to the death. Now is the time for me to fulfill that oath," Sir Maryland grasped the hilt of his sword, his words clear and forceful, "If I succeed, the attacks from the Cecil Clan may cease. If I fail, your allegiance ends—take the survivors out through the north gate to the royal capital and relay all the events of the fall of the rocky ridges Fortress to Prince Frederick..."

"General! I will go with you!" the personal Guard Knight immediately said, "I have also sworn to always follow you on the battlefield. Fleeing in the face of battle is not something a Knight should do, and even less so for an aristocrat!"

"The aristocratic war is over!" Sir Maryland stared intently at the personal Guard Knight’s face, then his tone softened, "...The aristocratic war is over."

...

The Knights who still had courage stepped forward, as a pioneering knights led by the Fortress commander began to head towards the south city wall gate, Sir Maryland mounted on his trusted warhorse, watching the gate draw nearer and nearer before him.

Outside the city wall, the magic barrier was already in a critical state of collapse. Large patches of chaotic ripples roamed everywhere, and even some areas had already shown magic focal points. In those places where the barrier was damaged, uncontrolled streams of Mana leapt along the city wall like lightning, leaving chaos in their wake.

Groups of Southern Knights and aristocratic Soldiers fled down from the walls, mixed with some figures of the southern territories aristocracy.

A moment ago, they were shouting and boasting on the city walls.

Seeing these pathetic figures, a thought suddenly emerged in Sir Maryland’s mind:

Why did he accept these people in the first place?

The aristocrats of this country... when did they all become such people?

Though very much wanting to ignore them, Sir Maryland couldn’t help but stop. He halted before a group of panicked Southern Knights, pulling the reins and shouting loudly: "Ladies and gentlemen—if you have even a shred of noble honor, a shred of knightly dignity, then at least maintain order in the city! The rocky ridges Fortress hasn’t fallen yet!!"

Then, regardless of how many heard his words, he turned his horse and charged forward.

Hidden within the city were infiltrated enemy sabotage teams, ready to cause further destruction at any moment.

Without the presence of a commander-in-chief, the order within the Fortress could plunge into even greater chaos.

The highest commander of the Fortress should not easily leave the bastion under such circumstances.

Sir Maryland understood all this very well.

However, someone must stop those two ships, stop the dreadful weapons they carried.

Ordinary Soldiers and the slightly weaker Knights going out would be courting death. Only he, as a high-level knight with the cover of the pioneering knights’ charge, had even a slight hope—this is the value and use of powerful personal combat strength.

The city gate opened, a pungent scorched smell assailing them.

It was the unique scent produced when high-intensity arcane energy vibrates in the air and decomposes certain substances in the atmosphere.

Knights raised their heads, gazing with shock and traces of fear at those two beams above them.

From this position and angle, they appeared even more terrifying—pure Ao energy lights like two rivers cast in light, pouring down on the crumbling magic barrier, like majestic aurora slowly crushing the city.

The rocky ridges Fortress, constructed by countless manpower and resources by the Anzu Second Dynasty, encapsulating the royal family’s highest magical skills of its time, having stood on this land for a century, was slowly being pushed to its end by the Arcane Torrent.

This Fortress was built to defend against the Cecil Clan, yet over the past century, the Cecil Clan had never launched a single counterattack.

Many only realized this at this moment—this was merely the Cecil Clan’s first offensive since the rocky ridges Fortress was established.

"Do not look up, look forward!" Sir Maryland raised his Longsword high, then pointed it towards the White River, "Do not stop!!"

The Knights pulled down their visors, beginning to slowly accelerate alongside Sir Maryland’s warhorse.

The majority of them would not survive to finish this charge; even if they ran alive to the White River, most of them would be useless: those two ships were located in the center of the river, and as Kings of the land, Knights were helpless against battleships floating in the water’s center.

But Sir Maryland, as a high-level knight, could—powerful Order Supernatural had countless ways to ignore the small "terrain obstacle" of the White River. As long as they were close enough, a high-level knight could make the magical devices on those two ships stop.

The pioneering knights began their charge.