Chapter 54: Onward! To Battle!

Above the White City, dark clouds gathered, casting a suffocating and despairing shadow.

From top to bottom within the city, everyone wore grave expressions. Every able-bodied mercenary struggled to reach their posts, gripping their weapons tightly.

The earth trembled slightly, and a strange humming reverberated through the air. Not far from the horizon, one after another, Evernight transport ships emerged from the clouds, deploying countless Dark Warriors and an innumerable amount of heavy equipment to the frontlines.

In terms of troop strength, the Evernight forces outside the city already held an overwhelming advantage. Doyle commanded over nearly forty thousand troops, while the White City, including Zhao Jundu’s reinforcement, only numbered in the thousands. The sole advantage the defenders had was the abundant war supplies they controlled by holding the battlefield.

Now, the Evernight transport ships seemed endless, bringing in at least tens of thousands of soldiers and an unfathomable amount of equipment and ammunition.

In conventional power, Evernight now held a crushing advantage. In terms of powerful elites, even a single Doyle was difficult to handle. With the arrival of such a large reinforcement fleet, it was clear that the commanding figures were no less than a Viscount.

At the highest point of the city, Song Zining stood beside Qian Ye, while Zhao Jundu, standing at another corner, watched the transport ships rise and fall outside the city, his expression unchanged.

“Why are there so many transport ships? What’s the situation with the Valhalla?” Song Zining’s voice tinged with anxiety.

Qian Ye closed his eyes, remaining silent for a moment before he said, “It is engaged in battle.”

Song Zining’s face instantly turned grim. “Can you tell who the enemy is?”

Qian Ye’s face paled slightly; communicating with the distant Valhalla was a considerable drain on him. After a moment, he opened his eyes and said, “It’s the Evernight fleet. They are very strong. The Valhalla can defend itself, but destroying them is extremely difficult.”

“Meaning it’s being held back. That must be a Grand Duke-class flagship. It seems Evernight has a deep understanding of you!”

Qian Ye nodded.

Whether or not Qian Ye was on board, the Valhalla’s performance was completely different. Qian Ye could unleash some of the Earthworm Ancestor’s power, but if he wasn’t present, the ship, controlled by the crew, would only be a powerful battleship, unable to exhibit the terrifying power comparable to an Emperor’s flagship.

With Qian Ye at the helm, the Valhalla could defeat two Grand Duke-class flagships in one battle, yet now, a single Grand Duke-class flagship could hold it at bay. Fortunately, with Carol inside, the Valhalla did not fear an enemy boarding and seizing control.

Evernight’s ability to tie down the Valhalla while still daring to send a large number of warships and transport ships into the floating continent signified their determination to capture the White City.

Realizing this, Song Zining was momentarily stunned, then sighed bitterly, “I really don’t understand why these troops on the floating continent are so important to Evernight, requiring such a great sacrifice.”

When the Dark Races fought resource wars with the Empire, the usual tactic was to abandon cannon fodder when the situation became unfavorable or losses exceeded expected levels, evacuating only the elite powerhouses. The Long-lived never hesitated to trade losses with the Short-lived.

However, Evernight’s current approach was the opposite. They were continuously reinforcing a retreat point, a level of investment that could have been used to contest other strategic points on the floating continent against the Imperial army.

Zhao Jundu spoke calmly, “If you have doubts, survive first. There will be plenty of time to think later.”

Song Zining gave a dry laugh, “Rare to hear you say something like that. Do you also not see a way out?”

“If what should have come hasn’t, and what shouldn’t have arrived is here, no one can see a way out. Be realistic, divide the defense zones, and prepare to fight to the death.”

Qian Ye and Song Zining nodded in agreement.

Another possibility crossed their minds, though none of them voiced it. If the Dark Races’ reinforcements were not limited to the White City, it meant Evernight was planning a full-scale counterattack across the floating continent.

The three divided the White City into three battle zones, each guarding a section, forming a triangle of mutual support. In a defensive battle, the presence of a powerful figure made all the difference.

By the time they finished dividing the zones, the Evernight forces had encircled the White City on three sides, leaving only a path to the edge of the landmass. Everyone knew that escaping to the edge was a dead end, so sealing off that side was pointless.

The roar of heavy cannons marked the beginning of the Dark Army’s assault. Shells rained down on the White City, ravaging the already devastated city. The defenders’ counter-battery fire was sparse, almost non-existent. All warriors hid in cover, waiting for the bombardment to end and the assault to begin.

As if venting their anger, the Dark Races’ artillery barrage lasted a full fifteen minutes before ending.

Such bombardments were generally meaningless, as the White City no longer had any significant defensive lines. Every pile of rubble, every street corner, could become a new line of defense, a battleground.

As soon as the bombardment ended, countless Dark Warriors leaped from their positions, rushing towards the White City with incredible speed. They abandoned all probing attacks, launching a full-scale assault from the start, demonstrating the urgency and determination of their commanders.

The once-silent White City seemed to come alive. From half-collapsed walls, ruins, and stone columns, tongues of fire shot out. Origincraft bullets flew as if they were free, and physical projectiles came like a storm. Many of the origincraft bullets glowed with a dark light, clearly driven by dark origincraft.

The mercenaries of the Neutral Zone didn’t care about Evernight or Dawn; many practiced dark origincraft just as on the Evernight continent. The Dark Race’s initial waves left behind weapons, which the mercenaries quickly picked up and used, along with scavenging origincraft bullets from the corpses. Now, they fired everything they had.

The frontline Dark Warriors fell like wheat being reaped, row after row. Those behind them trampled over the bodies of their comrades, continuing to charge the White City.

With the speed of the Dark Races, the distance of a kilometer was traversed in an instant. They filled the gap with their lives, rushing into the White City. But they soon discovered that entering the city was just the beginning of their nightmare.

Mercenaries and Zhao clan warriors could appear from anywhere, firing wildly before vanishing without a trace. In a flash, the initial Dark Race attackers suffered heavy casualties.

At this point, it was time for the powerhouses to make their appearance. However, even the stronger Dark Warriors began to fall in droves. Powerful sniper rounds easily pierced their armor, burning their flesh and organs with the contained dawn origincraft.

As the powerhouses, especially the nobles, continued to fall, panic began to set in among the Evernight soldiers. Their formations started to break, and their advance faltered. In urban warfare, hesitation was a death sentence. Trapped between advancing and retreating, the Dark Warriors’ casualty rate skyrocketed.

The troops Zhao Jundu brought to the White City were truly elite, including numerous specially trained snipers. These snipers, fed with gold, far surpassed the self-taught ones of the Darkflame. Their targets were high-ranking officers and noble powerhouses.

On the distant warship, a Blood Clan Marquis finally couldn’t bear it any longer. “Lord Doyle, the casualties are too high! If this continues, morale will collapse!”

“Continue the assault,” Doyle’s voice remained calm, without a hint of emotion.

“Lord Doyle!” the Blood Clan Marquis raised his voice.

“Continue the assault.”

Under Doyle’s stern command, the Blood Clan Marquis reluctantly stepped back. Before leaving, he glared at Doyle, the challenge in his gaze evident.

The Blood Clans and werewolves had a long-standing enmity. Since the werewolves lost their supreme ruler, the Blood Clans had completely suppressed them. Even with the absolute rank difference, this Blood Clan Marquis showed little respect for Doyle.

The werewolf powerhouses behind Doyle all looked angry, some of the more hot-tempered ones ready to lash out. But Doyle raised his hand, calming them down, and said, “My orders will be repeated once, but never twice. If anyone still doesn’t hear me, they will face military law. As for future matters, let’s discuss them in the assembly.”

The Blood Clan powerhouses all turned pale, then glanced at an elderly Blood Clan member in their ranks. His thin, wrinkled face made him look too old to open his eyes, but his aura was only slightly weaker than Doyle’s, indicating he was a Viscount.

He looked at Doyle with his murky eyes. “Lord Doyle is the commander-in-chief of this battle, decided by the assembly. Are you all so impatient as to question the assembly’s decision?”

Doyle ignored the sarcasm in his tone and said, “Thank you, Lord Dige. Then there are no further objections. Pass my orders: continue the assault!”

Dige’s eyes twitched slightly, but he said nothing.

Moments later, the battlefield resounded with a special rhythm from the horns. The rhythmic blast instantly ignited the primal savagery in the Dark Warriors’ bones. One by one, the werewolves transformed into their feral forms, leaping towards the White City. Meanwhile, numerous Blood Clan warriors’ eyes turned crimson, entering their blood rage state, charging at full speed, not a bit slower than the werewolves.

The Dark Army entered the White City, engaging the mercenaries once again. This time, spurred by the secret arts, they felt no fear, even with severe injuries, dragging their opponents to the same fate.

In a blink, the outer defenses of the White City nearly collapsed, the cost being a sea of corpses spread across the defensive line.

The siege had just begun, and the Dark Races had already paid the price of over ten thousand elite soldiers. The losses among the mid-to-high-ranking officers and noble powerhouses were even more shocking. No matter who was the commander, such a loss would make their heart race with fear.

But Doyle ignored the sea of corpses, issuing one order after another to different units, all of them the same: attack!