Chapter 152: A Bloody Battle to the End

Under the harsh military law, no matter whether they were from noble private armies or any other factions, even if their backgrounds were formidable and their personalities rebellious, none dared to defy Zhao Jiandu.

Zhao Jiandu made it clear that anyone who dared to disobey would be executed on the spot, and their names would be added to the list of casualties. Even if someone wanted to argue after the battle, it would be pointless since the person would already be dead. Moreover, generals on the battlefield were given a quota of executions to maintain discipline, and if someone was listed there, it would affect not just them but also others.

With his accumulated authority, Zhao Jiandu selected over a thousand soldiers who could still fight from the remnants of the army and bolstered the fortress’s defenses. As a result, the density of the fortress’s garrison significantly increased.

The battered floating warships carried the severely wounded and left for the main base, from where they would transport the wounded back to the empire.

Zhao Jiandu ascended to the battlements and gazed at the distant Evernight camp, his brows gradually furrowing.

At that moment, a shout rang out from the watchtower: “Dark races! The dark races are coming!”

On the far horizon, a gray-black tide rolled in. From the Evernight camp, countless signal flares shot into the sky, and several floating warships rose from the camp, following the advancing army.

A general swallowed hard and said, “Damn it, they’ve even sent gunboats. They must have put a lot into this!”

Zhao Jiandu’s eyebrows slightly raised, but he remained steadfast as a mountain.

The dark army surged like a tide, finally reaching the foot of the mountain, and then slammed into the fortress with a ferocious wave!

Facing the countless spider demons and blood clan warriors rushing up, Zhao Jiandu suddenly roared, like a thunderbolt in the clear sky, instantly deafening both friend and foe.

He suddenly bent down, shot forward, and rammed into the vanguard of the dark race’s army!

In an instant, hundreds of dark soldiers were sent flying into the air, tossed dozens of meters away. Then, several bluish-black rays shot out, catching up with several viscounts in mid-air and slicing them in half.

Thus, the charge of the ten-thousand-strong army was halted by Zhao Jiandu’s collision.

After breaking the morale of the dark races, Zhao Jiandu returned to the battlements, his body burning with black flames, like a demon god descending from the heavens.

But in large-scale battles, there were established procedures, and troops moved only by command. Even though the dark soldiers in front were shaken, those behind still pushed forward like a tide, forcing their way to the walls of the fortress, entering the firing range.

A rain of bullets poured down, and not charging meant death, so the dark soldiers once again unleashed their ferocity, throwing themselves at the fortress.

A fierce battle ensued.

The number of the dark army was too vast, too numerous for the fortress to handle head-on. Therefore, the massive servitor spiders swarmed around the flanks, carrying wolves, blood clans, and even demon kin on their backs.

These towering servitor spiders, standing three to four meters tall, moved like the wind, traversing any terrain as if it were flat ground, even with dozens of fully armed warriors hanging from them.

The rapid-fire cannons on the fortress turrets immediately turned and began pounding the servitor spiders. The servitor spiders, with their considerable intelligence, moved in a zigzag pattern.

However, the fortress was equipped with rapid-fire cannons usually used on floating warships, and the gunners were selected elites from the entire imperial army, striking with deadly accuracy and force. In no time, the servitor spiders were torn apart by the cannon fire, and the warriors on their backs suffered heavy casualties.

Within moments, the first wave of nearly a hundred servitor spiders was wiped out, along with thousands of warriors turning into corpses.

The dark race commanders seemed unprepared for the firepower inside the fortress. After a brief pause, two more teams of servitor spiders charged out, moving to flank the sides, while the main army pressed forward, spreading along the outer walls of the fortress, naturally enveloping it.

When the servitor spiders came again, the rapid-fire cannons in the fortress naturally fired without letup, raining down a barrage of bullets. But this time, the results were far less effective.

The dark races had changed their formation, with a viscount accompanying every few servitor spiders. They did their utmost to intercept the cannonballs, blocking over half of them, and the ones that got through were weakened by their domains, reducing their power.

This round of bombardment was much less effective, often requiring several times the amount of ammunition to destroy a single servitor spider. By the time the two teams of servitor spiders converged behind the fortress, less than a hundred had been destroyed.

Another team of nearly a thousand servitor spiders circled far around the fortress, heading directly for the area between the fortress and the rear main base. This team carried a large amount of supplies, appearing to set up fortifications on the spot.

On the battlements, a general rushed over. Finding Zhao Jiandu, he urgently said, “Sir, they’re trying to cut off our reinforcements!”

Zhao Jiandu, still looking at the enemy in front, didn’t turn his head and said, “Let them.”

“What?” The general almost couldn’t believe his ears.

Zhao Jiandu finally turned his head and said, “I said, let them.”

“Shouldn’t we use the heavy artillery to stop them?”

“Ammunition is limited. We need to focus on the enemies in front.”

“But—”

“Do you think there will be reinforcements?”

The general opened his mouth, his expression changing several times. Being close to the core, he knew the situation on the entire battlefield was tense, with each point struggling to fend for itself.

Then, his expression turned resolute, and he loudly said, “I understand, sir! Rest assured, whether there are reinforcements or not, I will fight the dark bastards to the end!”

Zhao Jiandu said, “Good! But remember, first, you must survive. We might not necessarily lose this battle.”

The general saluted and hurried back to his position.

Zhao Jiandu suddenly drew his long sword, stepped forward, and beheaded a spider demon who had just climbed onto the wall. At the same time, he pulled out a short gun and fired several shots into the air. Each shot found its mark, felling a viscount in mid-flight.

After a few shots, no one dared to ascend recklessly, all staying firmly on the ground to attack.

Zhao Jiandu possessed a divine skill that never missed. Ascending in front of him was akin to suicide.

With the enemies pinned to the ground, the fortress’s gun turrets rained down cannon fire, desperately cutting down the dark races’ offensive power. Meanwhile, Zhao Jiandu had already plunged into the enemy ranks, leaving a trail of black flames, reaping the lives of the dark races.

The imperial soldiers lined up in a single row, fighting the dark races to the death. Everyone knew that retreating a single step meant doom. Even the most cowardly soldiers fought with red eyes, even when struck by multiple blows, they would not retreat.

Thus, the thousands of imperial defenders transformed into a fortress of flesh and blood, holding off the assault of ten times their number.

No one knew how long the battle had lasted, only that the sun in the sky was slowly moving, gradually darkening.

Zhao Jiandu suddenly returned to the battlements, casually beheading several dark race warriors who had managed to climb up, and then threw two heads down in front of his own troops, saying, “Hang them up. One marquis, one power marquis.”

With that, he turned and left, the black flames trailing behind him, and re-entered the dark races’ army.

By now, a long row of heads hung from the city walls.

When Zhao Jiandu returned once more, countless werewolves and spider demons crowded outside the city walls. With a shout, he swung his long sword, and black flames whipped across the field, instantly igniting over a hundred dark warriors. Clearing the area in front of the city walls, a general emerged from within.

Zhao Jiandu frowned and said, “How did it get like this? Where are your men?”

The general pointed behind him and said, “These are all, sir.”

Behind him stood a handful of men, most of whom could barely stand, leaning against something. Zhao Jiandu remembered that when he left, there were over a hundred defenders. He hadn’t expected to return and find only a few left.

Suddenly, a rapid cannon fire sounded, and several streams of fire streaked across the sky. Above the dark race army, several floating warships lined up and focused their fire on the fortress turrets.

Both sides suffered casualties in the crossfire, with the turrets being destroyed one by one, and two of the Evernight floating warships crashed and exploded, killing countless dark warriors.

By now, the number of defenders in the fortress was less than half of the original, with a thick circle of dark race corpses surrounding it.

Zhao Jiandu no longer needed to charge, as the walls were already overrun, and many Evernight strongmen had infiltrated the fortress. However, they found the interior was tightly structured, with each building a stronghold and each corner a potential ambush. In no time, they were mired in a nightmare-like urban warfare.

A group of blood clan warriors burst into a barracks, only to find several human soldiers inside. Both sides aimed their guns at each other, frozen in a standoff. Whoever fired first would face mutual annihilation.

“Scared of what! They’re immortals; they’re more afraid of dying than we are!” One soldier suddenly shouted, raising his gun and spraying fire!

After a hail of bullets, only a few imperial soldiers remained in the room.

The soldier who had fired first gasped for breath, then burst into joy, saying, “See, I told you! They’re more afraid of dying than we are!”

The surviving soldier beside him looked at him with a strange expression. Realizing something, the soldier looked down and saw that his lower body was missing, probably hit by a large-caliber hand cannon.

He forced a smile and said, “Even in death, I… didn’t cower…”

The surviving soldiers, unable to care for their fallen comrade, faced another wave of dark race warriors. Another fierce battle erupted.

Before the gunfire ended, a third wave of enemies arrived. Finally, the room fell silent, and the dark race warriors emerged, but of the nearly a hundred who had entered, only a handful remained.

Similar battles raged in every room of the fortress, with casualties rising rapidly on both sides.

In the dark race army, an elderly demon duke, with furrowed brows, watched as his troops entered the fortress, never to be heard from again.

A count raced over and whispered, “Sir, Count Xilol of the blood clan refuses to fight!”

“Is that so?” The duke, surprisingly, did not show anger.

The demon count hesitated and said, “Sir, I must remind you about Count Xilol’s identity.”

“I think, instead of considering his identity, we should think about the punishment we’ll face if we lose. No matter what method you use, whether words or blades, get him to the battlefield!”