Chapter 90 - Blood and Fire in Platinum City (Part 6)
The city gates were open!
The tribal warriors, who had been throwing their lives against the city walls just moments before, froze. They stared at the wide-open gates, momentarily unsure if it was a trap.
However, most tribal warriors had a simple mindset: if you couldn't figure something out, don't dwell on it. Trap or not, the only way to know was to see for themselves.
And so, after a brief pause, the tribesmen surged madly through the gateway.
"What? The southern wall has been breached?"
Marco Lehmann, busy directing the defense on the western wall, almost thought he was hearing things.
"Yes, sir." The messenger, covered in blood and grime, knelt on one knee, confirming the news.
"How is that possible? The main tribal assault is focused here! How could the southern wall fall? You're lying!" Marco Lehmann still couldn't believe it.
"I dare not lie, sir. Someone opened the gates from the inside. The tribesmen have already captured a large section of the wall. General Antoine is desperately defending the ballista platforms and dragon crossbows. Please, My Lord Count, send reinforcements quickly!" the messenger pleaded urgently.
"Damn it! Who?"
Marco Lehmann couldn't fathom who would open the gates to the enemy at a time like this.
It wasn't that he believed everyone in Platinum City was a paragon of loyalty, incapable of such a universally condemned act. Rather, the city was currently a chaotic mix of people, and the list of those capable of such treachery was simply too long for him to sort through on the spot.
Besides, now wasn't the time to hunt for traitors.
"I will send Antoine another thousand soldiers. Go tell him he must retake the gate and the entire wall before sunset!"
"Yes, sir!" The messenger acknowledged the order and departed.
Outside Platinum City, King Basha also quickly received the news of the southern wall's breach.
"The southern wall is breached?" King Basha was equally puzzled. "Why did the city fall so quickly?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. It's said someone from within the city opened the gates," an elder confirmed with a nod.
King Basha frowned slightly, pondering for a moment before decisively ordering, "Send in the Blackfire Army. Since we've made progress on the southern side, let's break through from there."
"But... what if it's a trap?" the elder hesitated, attempting caution.
Basha shook his head without hesitation. "Opportunity is fleeting. Trap or not, we must take the chance."
On the southern wall, General Antoine, bolstered by Marco Lehmann's reinforcements, finally managed to stabilize the situation. He re-established a defensive line, preparing to drive the invading tribesmen back out of the city.
Just then, however, a powerful chorus of "Basha!" echoed as fresh troops surged through the southern gate.
This army was a motley collection of races – mixed-blood giants, lizardmen, halflings, centaurs, and more. But they all shared one trait: crimson pupils. They were the ones Basha called the "Blackfire Army."
The Blackfire Army was Basha's trump card for this war. Marco Lehmann believed the main tribal offensive was on the western wall, with the north and south being feints. He was wrong. The tribesmen's seemingly futile, day-long assaults on three sides of Platinum City were all elaborate feints designed by Basha to lull the defenders into complacency. The true core of his siege force was the Blackfire Army, which he had held back until now.
Every warrior in the Blackfire Army was an elite, handpicked by Basha from various tribes. Before each battle, they consumed an herb known among the tribes as "Fire Leaf." When specially prepared, this herb drastically boosted a warrior's physical potential, sending their minds into a hyper-excited state, inducing intense aggression, and making them ignore fatigue, pain, and the fear of death.
The most obvious trait of long-term Fire Leaf users was their pair of red pupils, which emitted a faint crimson glow even in the dark.
Antoine's newly stabilized defensive line crumbled within moments under the assault of these truly fearless fanatics.
The southern wall commander, wielding a sword in one hand and a spear in the other, fought desperately amidst the torrent of enemies. Covered in blood, he eventually collapsed from exhaustion, only to be swarmed by the enemy and brutally beaten into a pulp with spiked clubs.
With the Blackfire Army as the spearhead, the main tribal force poured into Platinum City like a flood. The tribesmen spread out, setting fires everywhere, slaughtering indiscriminately – men, women, elderly, children. A sudden, horrific calamity descended upon the thousands of civilians within Platinum City.
Standing on a tower in the Imperial Palace, Emperor Henry Holovin watched the fires gradually spreading through the city, his teeth clenched in fury.
"What is Marco doing!" Henry demanded angrily. "Is this how he defends the city?"
The Lord Privy Seal, Uros Lindar, remained silent. He, too, was unsure of what exactly had transpired.
"Two hundred thousand Edisan soldiers couldn't breach Platinum City!" Henry's hands trembled. "And now a pack of raw-meat-eating monkeys has broken in! It's laughable! Laughable! If Marco Lehmann has even a shred of loyalty left to me, he should fall on his sword!"
"Your Majesty, please calm down..." Uros attempted to soothe him.
"How can I be calm? How many people in this empire, even within this city, are waiting to laugh at me? Now they have their wish!" Henry flung his arms wide, his young face flushed red with rage. "One day! Just one day after ascending the throne, Platinum City is breached! This is a joke unheard of in a thousand years!"
"Your Majesty!" Uros interrupted Henry's outburst, his tone slightly firmer. "Count Marco Lehmann is not an incompetent commander. The wall being breached likely means something unexpected occurred. You should send someone to ascertain the situation clearly, not simply demand Count Marco fall on his sword."
Henry calmed slightly, preparing to follow Uros's advice and send a trusted subordinate to question Marco Lehmann.
However, Marco Lehmann's messenger had already arrived.
The news the messenger brought infuriated Henry even further. "Someone actually opened the gates for the tribesmen? Who is this traitor? Investigate! Have Earl Wolfheart investigate! Where is Earl Wolfheart? Summon him!"
"Earl Wolfheart was ordered by the Dowager Empress to pursue Her Majesty Ethel. He has not yet returned," Uros stated.
"Then have the Marquis of Blackstone Fort investigate!" Henry commanded again.
"The Marquis of Blackstone Fort and Duke Bonan are currently discussing urgent military matters with the Dowager Empress," Uros replied.
Henry's raised hand froze mid-air. The fury in his heart felt doused by a bucket of ice water, instantly extinguished.
Uros Lindar remained silent.
This was a problem Uros hadn't explicitly pointed out to Henry, but one the new Emperor was now experiencing firsthand – he had yet to smoothly assume the full powers of the Emperor. This was the bitter consequence of his rash proclamation after the coronation ceremony, threatening to strip the Duke Greenplain of his title.
Even figures like the Marquis of Blackstone Fort believed crucial matters should be discussed with the Dowager Empress Mary, not this immature young man.
"Forget it. Since the Dowager Empress is here, let her manage the situation," Henry waved his hand, suddenly feeling dispirited.
Not long after Henry, Dowager Empress Mary learned that someone had opened the southern gate, letting the tribesmen into the city.
Unlike Henry, who needed an investigation, Dowager Empress Mary knew instantly, without even thinking, that this was the "good work" of her father, King Alphonse Murat.
The Dowager Empress swayed, nearly falling, but her ladies-in-waiting caught her just in time.
"Your Highness need not worry excessively. I can lead troops to assist Count Marco in clearing out the tribesmen," Brown Lekman, the Marquis of Blackstone Fort, rose and offered.
"The tribesmen? No, I fear the Kingdom of Kexin is no longer stable either. If the Kingdom of Kexin allies with the Kingdom of Gatu, how will we quell this rebellion? But let's not speak of that now..." Dowager Empress Mary shook her head with a bitter smile. "Marquis Brown, I will entrust fifteen hundred Imperial Guards to you. Please, lend your support to Count Marco."
"And please, convey my apologies to Count Marco," the Dowager Empress added. "I am deeply sorry that he must bear the consequences of the disaster caused by my father."
"Yes, Your Highness!"
Brown Lekman bowed and accepted the command.
Although Alphonse Murat's relationship with the Imperial family had always been cool, the Kingdom of Kexin was, regardless, a powerful backer for Dowager Empress Mary. Yet, Alphonse's current actions not only disgraced the Imperial family but bordered on treason. Brown Lekman could easily imagine the difficult position the Dowager Empress would find herself in going forward.
Brown Lekman knew that Mary asking him to convey her apology was, to some extent, leveraging his prestige as the Marquis of Blackstone Fort, but he said nothing more. Having spent years on the border, he preferred the decisive slaughter of the battlefield to the intricate scheming of nobles.
Though fewer in number than the City Guard, the Imperial Palace Guard was far more elite. Brown Lekman felt that leading fifteen hundred of them to eliminate the tribesmen who had entered the city would be easily accomplished.
Facts seemed to support his assessment initially. The tribal warriors rampaging through the streets, killing and burning, were no match for the Imperial Guard. They scattered almost immediately upon contact.
That is, until Brown Lekman encountered the "Blackfire Army." Their utterly reckless, death-defying fighting style made Brown Lekman frown.
The Blackfire soldiers at the front used their bodies to block the Imperial Guards' weapons, while those behind climbed over their fallen comrades' corpses to break through the Guard's lines, continuing their charge towards the center of Platinum City.
"What are these people trying to do?" Brown Lekman wondered, looking in the direction the Blackfire Army was charging.
That way led to...?
The Imperial Palace?
Brown Lekman grew even more puzzled. It was already sheer luck that these people had managed to breach Platinum City's walls. Did they seriously entertain delusions of breaking into the Imperial Palace? Killing the Emperor?
Though perplexed, Brown Lekman relied on his years of battlefield experience to make a simple decision: whatever the enemy intended to do, stop them.
And so, a race began.
The Blackfire Army fought savagely while pushing towards the Imperial Palace. They were like a bamboo shoot being peeled layer by layer under Brown Lekman's pursuit, their numbers dwindling, their force thinning.
From his high platform, Henry saw what looked like a black "arrow" shooting from the direction of the northern gate, aiming straight for his position.
Although the "arrow" was constantly shrinking and slowing, it relentlessly maintained its forward momentum.
As the "arrow" drew closer, Henry felt his heartbeat quicken, his breathing grow shallow, as if an immense, unseen pressure was weighing down on his chest.
Fortunately, the golden defensive line formed by the Imperial Guard acted like golden "armor," obstructing the "arrow's" advance, which gave Henry a significant sense of security.
Finally, only two or three hundred paces from the palace walls, the black "arrow" was completely swallowed by the golden "armor."
Just as Henry was about to release a breath of relief, a hoarse roar suddenly carried clearly through the air: "Basha!"
A final towering figure burst through the golden line. Covered in blood, he strode towards the Imperial Palace. As he ran, his form grew taller and taller; already around three meters tall, after just a dozen steps, he reached seven or eight meters. With a final surge of strength, he swung his right arm violently.
A massive stone club whirled through the air with a whistling sound, crashing against the palace wall with a tremendous thump.
Witnessing this, the blood-soaked giant revealed a triumphant smile before collapsing heavily to the ground.
The palace wall was barely damaged.
Yet, it felt as if Henry's heart had skipped a beat.
The black arrow had, ultimately, reached the heart of the Empire.
Night fell. Charlotte and her group were already far from the flames and slaughter engulfing Platinum City.
After a hurried day of travel, everyone was exhausted, both physically and mentally. Fortunately, they came across a small village where they could rest for the night.
The snowfall had lessened slightly, but the winter night remained frigid. Charlotte had someone build a bonfire, and the two families gathered around it, warming themselves and waiting for the cook to serve dinner – though there wasn't much of a dinner to be had. Their supply wagons had been abandoned, leaving only some hard bread and salted meat, barely enough to fill their stomachs.
Seeing the food, Laina wrinkled her nose. "I don't want to eat this."
"Then go hungry," Charlotte retorted, tearing off a piece of bread and stuffing it into her mouth. "We're already short on thick bedding tonight. You'll not only be hungry but cold too."
"It's okay, I can sleep close to you. It'll be warm," Laina said with a smile.
Just as Charlotte was about to warn Laina not to underestimate the harshness of winter, a sudden clatter of urgent hoofbeats echoed as a troop of black-armored knights entered the village.
Likely spotting the firelight, the leading knight dismounted and headed towards Charlotte's group. He removed his helmet and unbuckled his sword, signaling peaceful intentions.
"It's you! What a coincidence to meet even out here," a familiar voice called out.
"Father!" Hearing the voice, Rosie jumped up in pleasant surprise and ran to greet him.
Charlotte instantly tensed. Though she found it hard to believe, the figure emerging through the wind and snow was indeed the King of Kexin, Alphonse Murat.