The sky was overcast, the clouds were so low that the west, north and south were shrouded in ominous shadows, except for the blue sky directly above Coventry, as if it were some kind of omen.

Baron Edelman Brippes, military governor of the western frontier of the empire, consul of the city-state of Coventry, and ruler of the Thornflower family, stood on the walls of the western gate of the outer city in light armor, with his hands on his chest and his feet on the battlements, and with a contemptuous smile on his face, as he watched the tens of thousands of desert barbarian armies flood towards the walls.

Around Baron Edelman were four hundred of the city's most elite city guard soldiers, dressed in silver armor and white cloaks, each carrying a well-stocked pneumatic rifle. Dressed in dark black uniforms, the sheriffs and the completely inconsistent ranks of adventurers were mixed with the rest of the city guards, with thirty guards assigned to each fifty-meter wall.

More troops were assembled behind the city walls, forming a phalanx of more than a dozen thousand men in the open space. Known as the "Thorny Thorns", the Archon's Personal Guard, a fierce warrior armed with a uniform style of sword and shield, and the face armor on his helmet has been lowered, looking from a distance like a group of steel statues that exude a chill.

Merlin Avery did not stay with President Herderland, but stood on top of the city wall in a sheriff's uniform, flanked by the similarly dressed chief Victor. Both of them held an exquisitely carved alchemy spectacle in their hands, observing the approaching army of desert barbarians hundreds of meters away, and the heavy, clumsy, but indestructible heavy siege equipment that mingled with the crowd.

"Those barbarians have a great master builder. Avery snorted twice, "I really should show those academy tutors that the fancy things they make are far inferior to the rudimentary instruments made by these barbarians." ”

"It's been too long since the Empire fought a real war. Victor Chieftain also held up the speculum glass, but saw something a little different from Avery's, "I now finally know why they have the ability to exterminate...... Freedom fighters, but never rushed to kill. They are creating a group of enemies for the empire, which is not very harmful, and it can also exercise the combat ability of the soldiers, and it can also let the oppressed people at the bottom vent their anger, which is really a cruel and effective method. ”

"Take it easy, Victor, it's likely that things are far less complicated than you think. Avery put down the alchemy speculum and pursed his lips with disdain, "The foundation of the empire is extremely strong, and if the thirty-seven city-states can do their best, the power gathered is by no means what we can imagine. However, this is not the case, and only half of the city-states are barely maintaining respect for the imperial capital, and the remaining city-states, such as Coventry and Minnesota, have long since disobeyed or even disdained orders from the imperial capital. ”

The leader of Victor touched the stiff short stubble on his chin, nodded in agreement, and was about to say something more, when a violent vibration came, causing both of them to bow down at the same time.

The barbarian army had advanced more than three hundred meters from the city wall, like a dark tide, roaring and rolling, as if it could engulf the fragile barrier in front of it at once. Huge siege towers rumbled across the battlefield, thousands of powerful arms dragging and pulling, allowing this mighty war machine to slowly approach the walls of Coventry. The four longest-range alchemy ballistae on the western wall had already opened fire, and the crossbow guns more than two meters long slashed through the air with a piercing roar from time to time, or exploded into a fiery red light on the siege tower, or shot at the ground troops, sending a dozen barbarian warriors into the eternal battlefield they had longed for all their lives.

A messy burst of gunfire rang out, the sound of a daring recruit opening fire before the enemy was even within range, followed by a series of rude curses.

There was another jolt, and Avery found a relatively safe position behind the battlement, taped a sheet of metal to the middle of his forehead, and began to perform alchemy. In his vision of alchemy, he saw hundreds of rough and heavy catapults lined up in three columns, the middle one being trying to measure the distance, throwing an irregular stone the size of a tabletop into the air, and smashing it at the foot of the city wall as it fell, causing another violent tremor.

"It seems that in addition to the master builders, those barbarians also have a commander with a brain. Avery lowered his body again and said to the leader of Victor with a solemn face, "If they had adopted this tactical attack a long time ago, I would have doubted why Coventry had been able to resist for so long." ”

"The desert barbarians have always been in a crowd when attacking cities, with no tactical purpose or cooperation with each other, and often for some reason ridiculous friction and a scuffle. A cheerful voice sounded from behind him, and Avery turned to see the baby-faced face of the dragon von Derrick greeting him with a smile on his right arm.

"Master Iron, it seems that I am so lucky to meet you again. ”

Avery didn't feel lucky, for he was suspicious of the dragon von Derrick. The young mercenary, nicknamed the Sharp-Toothed Cat, has a smiling baby-face and has helped Avery dodge an interception, so he should be trusted. However, Avery has always been inexplicably wary of him, and the leader of Victor also believes that this person cannot be trusted.

Is there a heart-pounding conspiracy hidden behind that smiling mask? Avery has no proof, so he just wants to avoid the dragon?von Derrick, and finds an excuse for him to contact the Night Falcon team to buy information.

This excuse is actually a bit blunt, but both sides tacitly did not debunk it. Vonderrick never returned, and Avery did not find the Adventurers' Guild to inquire about his whereabouts.

Avery was a little surprised by the appearance of the sharp-toothed cat, but there was no reason for him to refuse even a hello, so he smiled and raised his arm. "It really happens, Mr. von Derrick, that you are the guardian of this section of the wall?"

"That's right, it's still a squad leader. Vonderrick proudly pointed to his armband, which had a striking gold thread on it. "Master Tie, please rest assured, with me, those barbarians won't even touch a single hair of yours. ”

Victor snorted coldly, then whispered, "Watch out for cover, the barbarians' siege towers are already approaching." ”

The giant siege tower, which was more than ten meters higher than the city wall, was indeed close, and the distance was only a hundred meters at most. From this distance, the barbarian siege tower looked even more like a behemoth, like a giant standing tall in the sky, crushing towards the city wall with a slow and irresistible momentum. Like the arms of giants, the two movable suspension bridges slowly descend and close from the top of the towers with the creak of a winch, as if to embrace the outer city of Coventry.

The platform at the top of the siege tower was filled with barbarian archers, these burly desert barbarians were so powerful that they could draw a two-meter long bow and shoot arrows with great power and range similar to that of pneumatic rifles. As the siege towers approached, the exchange of long-range weapons between the two sides barely stopped, and the roar of pneumatic rifle fire and the rattle of barbarian bows and arrows mingled with the groans and curses of the wounded, the commanding orders and the shouts of the warriors, converging into a terrifying battlefield sonata that echoed over the outer city of Coventry.

Countless climbing hooks were thrown at the top of the city, and everywhere there was the click of iron hooks hooking into the cracks in the battlements. Captain Victor drew a shortsword with sharp teeth and a leather shield in his other hand, and walked to the front of the guards, "Iron Master," he cried out without looking back, "protect yourselves, and let the brethren escort you down if necessary." ”

"I know, but do those brutes really have what it takes to get me down?" Avery laughed, glancing at Vonderrick's expression out of the corner of his eye. The sharp-toothed cat had a calm look that was accustomed to life and death, and he polished his sword and dagger for a while, and only then did he stuff the oil stone back into his arms and spit on each hand.

The sound of "Bah, Bah, Bah" rang out from all directions. Unlike the disciplined appearance of the city guards, the vast majority of the recruited adventurers had the aura of ruffians who defied life and death, rubbed their hands together, and then drew a variety of strange weapons and charged towards the barbarian warriors who were about to climb the walls.

The battle entered its most intense phase from the very beginning. Unlike the last tentative attack, this time the barbarians took out several main teams, and the barbarian warriors who climbed to the top of the city were well-equipped, fierce, and fearless of death, putting great pressure on the defenders.

What's even more troublesome is that the barbarians also sent a group of powerful elite warriors, mixed with the city-climbing troops, and forced the city guards to retreat again and again, and the adventurers with poor discipline were even more defeated.

This section of the city wall where Avery was located was met by these two elite warriors. One of them is not tall, the upper body of the **** is full of dazzling intricate tattoos, and the movements of wielding two short battle axes are fierce, it is like a tornado of flesh and blood, and it is effortlessly slaughtered in the array of city guards. The other was unusually tall and muscular, and the thick stone pillar in his hand was intimidating and indestructible.

A heavily armed guardian knight tried to stop the tall samurai's footsteps, holding a tower shield as thick as a door panel in both hands. As a result, the tall samurai waved the stone pillars at will, and even the people with shields were knocked down from the city wall. The Guardian Knight's screams soared until a terrifying crash came to an end to the one-way flight of death.

Two elite warriors rushed through the array of defending troops, causing more chaos than casualties, and the battle axes and stone pillars weaved a terrifying spell that brought death, and the scene of flesh and blood flying was enough to scare the cowards and make the bravest soldiers hesitate.

It wasn't until Victor Leader and Ryu-vonderrick rushed side by side that the two elite warriors were prevented from continuing the slaughter. (To be continued.) )