Chapter 566. The Siege of Saw Rock Fortress
The Alliance had already besieged Saw Rock Fortress three times before Kang Oh and his army arrived.
The 1st siege was like a feeler.
Gheor had sent only a small portion of his troops to test the durability and the fortification of their walls. He had come to the conclusion that...
"It won"t be easy."
It seemed impregnable.
Not only was the fortress large and durable, but the guards defending it were formidable.
They wouldn"t be able to conquer it with just quant.i.ty alone. The fortress allowed the defending side to fight off 10,000 soldiers with just 1,000.
"But if we want to end this war, we have to take it no matter what!"
The 2nd time they attacked in earnest.
Gheor lined up 100 magic cannons that he"d bought from the Steel Heart Guild.
These cannons would fire long-distance rounds; both the cannon b.a.l.l.s and the magic contained within them would deal significant damage.
They were an improved version of the magic cannons they"d used in the Ecle War.
"Fire!"
The cannons shot their rounds, coupled with a dazzling show of magic.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
It was so loud that it felt like someone was smacking their ears with a hammer.
But...!
The same sound could be heard atop Saw Rock Fortress.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Steel Heart Guild was a neutral party. Thus, they had sold the magic cannons to both the Empire and the Alliance.
Although they both had similar weaponry, the Empire"s cannons were more effective. They were protected by the fortress, and they shot from an elevated position.
"Uheok!"
"Kyaheuk!"
Cannon b.a.l.l.s rained down from the sky, destroying the Alliance troops.
The 2nd siege ended unsuccessfully.
The third and most recent siege was basically all-out war.
Gheor utilized magic cannons, as well as cla.s.sic siege weapons like catapults. He also made use of great magic scrolls and a squad of mages.
Furthermore, he mobilized all of his soldiers, including the reserve troops! Gheor didn"t leave out the Alliance"s power houses either; everyone was involved.
However, Saw Rock Fortress was impossible to conquer.
In the fantasy world of Arth, fortresses weren"t simply made out of rock. Various spells were applied during construction.
First, there were magic circles all over that increased elemental resistance, and others that reduced the effectiveness of any large-scale magic.
Next, there was a spell cast that increased the fortress"s durability. This is why large rocks or cannon b.a.l.l.s shot out of siege weapons wouldn"t do that much damage to the walls.
Finally, there were several magic circles applied to the outside of the wall. These would punish any enemy that tried to climb the wall.
The walls would spit pillars of fire, as well as release poison clouds, lightning, etc. There were so many different types of magic that it was impossible to list them all.
Saw Rock Fortress had the highest defensive capability of all fortresses in the continent.
Plus, the Empire Guild"s captains and Dukeram were aiding with the defense, so there were no blind spots either.
In the end, the Alliance couldn"t capture the fortress, and retreated in despair.
* * *
It was after they"d failed their siege three times when Kang Oh and the orc/player army arrived.
The Alliance had felt firsthand how impossible conquering the fortress was and despaired. However, the appearance of reinforcements caused their morale to shoot right up.
With Kang Oh and these new troops, they may be able to conquer the fortress! They had hope that it was possible now.
Gheor rode the momentum.
He immediately called Kang Oh, Mumugul, Kuharap, and the Alliance"s higher ups into a meeting.
"...Then that"s what we"ll do."
"Yes, sir!"
After the meeting, Gheor immediately besieged Saw Rock Fortress again.
"Honorable warriors of the Alliance! Let"s conquer Saw Rock Fortress with our new brothers!"
"Uaaaahk!"
The Tiger Corps rushed towards the fortress.
Mumugul"s orc army charged from the side. Giant spiders, or Criders, were interspersed among the troops.
The players went wherever they pleased.
All forces, charge!
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The vast wasteland shook as if there"d been a minor earthquake, and a thick dust cloud rose like mist.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Both the Alliance and the Empire aimed their magic cannons at each other and fired.
Cannon b.a.l.l.s exploded on both the ground and castle wall, causing shards of both to go flying into the air.
"Uhahk!"
"Ugh."
Being anywhere close to the explosion would mean instant death.
The Alliance took far more damage from the cannon b.a.l.l.s, as they were charging headlong into danger while the Empire was safe in their fortress.
The same went for the arrows too.
Countless arrows rained down from above.
On the other hand, most of the archers shooting up didn"t reach the top of the wall.
Next came the Battle Mages.
"...Rise, spirit of ice!"
The Alliance"s Mage Squad was led by Garend. He was part of the Storm Guild, and was called the Ice Prince!
At his command, the mages created ice stairs next to the walls. They acted as ladders for the troops.
The vanguard quickly climbed the wall, but could only get so far.
"Be burned by a great catastrophe!"
The Empire"s Mage Squad was led by the Fire Mage, Rock.
Their mages pointed their staffs at the giant magic circle, causing fire to rain down on the Alliance"s troops.
"Activate the wall"s magic circles!" Rock yelled.
The Empire"s mages swung their staffs once more.
Saw Rock Fortress was basically like a blank canvas. Countless letters and drawings were inscribed upon it.
Flame pillars rose from the walls, lightning flew everywhere, huge pieces of ice or rock fell, etc.
"Pour the oil!"
"Throw the rocks!"
The Empire"s troops, which were densely packed at the top of the wall, continuously did their best to defend the wall.
"Don"t be afraid and climb the wall!"
"Raise your s.h.i.+elds!"
The Alliance"s soldiers didn"t stop either. They stretched their arms as far as possible, and climbed up by grabbing onto small crevices or protruding areas.
"Brave orcs, destroy the Empire. They killed our chieftain!"
"For Asuka!"
"Topple the Empire!"
The Orc Warriors under Mumugul"s command, as well as the Tuslam"s elite troops arrived at the wall. The Criders led the charge.
Ptoo! Ptoo! Ptoo!
The giant spiders spat tough, thick webs onto the wall. Countless orcs clung onto the webs and climbed the wall. They made the fastest progress among the Alliance"s troops.
Seeing this, Irene urgently said, "Black Wolf, you have to take out those spiders!"
"Leave it to me!"
Black Wolf and his squad rushed over to the orcs.
They were Tamers. Although they had lost their precious Death Eagles, they still had the pets they"d used beforehand.
"Take care of the spiders!"
"Kill them all!"
The Black Wolf Squad pulled out round eggs from their inventory and forcefully threw them. All sorts of animals popped out of them.
Various birds, mottled snakes, monkeys, and even spiders appeared. Of course, they were much smaller than the Criders.
Anyhow, it didn"t matter what kind of pet they summoned, as long as they were capable of fighting on top of a "wall".
The Criders and the various animals began to fight in the middle of the wall.
Their snakes spewed venom, while the Criders fought back with spider webs. Some of the Criders were attacked by birds, but the Criders quickly avoided their beaks or talons.
The Black Wolf Squad used small bows, projectile weapons, or Tamer skills to aid their pets and keep the orcs at bay.
"Orcs are brave!"
"We won"t back down!"
Those riding on the Criders" backs swung their weapons or shot energy attacks at the incoming weapons/pets.
"Send more troops to the left flank! Tell the archers to remain on standby until the reinforcements come! Then order them to open fire!"
There was a figure a.s.sessing the battle and barking orders from atop the fortress"s highest watchtower. It was General Dalton!
As a war veteran, he was overseeing command over the Empire"s troops.
"Yes, sir!" his adjutant replied, and quickly relayed the general"s orders.
"There are a ton of them." Dalton furrowed his brow as he looked down. However, he soon relaxed his face. "But they won"t be able to conquer this fortress!"
There were indeed a ton of Alliance troops.
However, the Empire was on the defensive in a purportedly impregnable fortress. He was confident that they"d be able to repel an enemy many times greater.
At that moment...
Wyverns, including a dark red wyvern, came flying through the air. There were around 30 of them.
Kyaaahk!
The wyverns flew in formation and quickly approached the fortress.
"Intercept them!"
Countless spells and arrows were shot into the air, but wyverns were one of the most skilled flying monsters in the game.
Since the Empire had lost all of their Death Eagles, it wouldn"t be easy for them to take them down.
The wyverns unleashed Poison Breaths on top of the wall. There was also Waryong, who unleashed a fiery breath that was as hot as h.e.l.lfire.
However...!
That wasn"t all they had in store.
Kang Oh and Sephiro were on Waryong"s back.
"I"m going!"
"Have a nice trip!"
Kang Oh leapt off Waryong"s back with Blood and Sarahoff in hand.
At the same time...!
There were others who leapt off the wyverns too.
Genius Gamer, Bart!
Spear King Hernandez!
Black Lion Raon!
Leopard Squad Captain, Snow Flower!
Witch of Annihilation, Helena!
There were about twenty high rankers that jumped off the wyverns too, which included figures like Viper, Mulan, and Plum.
Plus, there was a single NPC that accompanied them: the Tuslam Champion, Kuharap.
They were special airborne troops tasked with conquering the fortress.
* * *
The networks" correspondents were covering everything that was happening in the siege.
It was a huge battle that revolved around a fortress enclosed with walls on all sides! Everywhere they looked was a highlight worthy scene.
However, their voices got even louder when they saw Kang Oh and the Alliance"s strongest members jump off the wyverns.
"Aah, Kang Oh has finally arrived!"
"I can see Bart, Helena, Hernandez, and Raon!"
"They"re the Alliance"s high rankers! It"s an all-star team!"
"Ah, to think I"d see them all in one place!"
Their attention was obviously fixed on Kang Oh. After all, the combat prowess he"d shown in his fight with Dukeram needed no introduction.
"Kang Oh is coming down!"
"What will Kang Oh show us!? Please look forward to it!"
As soon as Kang Oh landed on top of the wall, he pulled out Guardian Summoning Scrolls.
There were four in total!
Rip!
Slowpoke Teynos!
Platinum Lion Violf!
Ferocious Wakaiser!
Red Knight Redman!
He didn"t have any summoning scrolls left for the Monster Elephant, Indra. Even so, four guardians were plenty to wreak havoc on top of the wall!
Whir! Whir! Whir! Whir!
Four giant magic circles glowed, and out came his guardians.
"Crush them all!" Kang Oh said curtly.
"Understood, Master."
"Sounds good."
"That"s what I was waiting for!"
"As you wish."
His guardians responded, and then moved to either the left or the right.
"Now then!"
Devil Trigger!
Kang Oh transformed into the Frostblood Demon, complete with ice horns and dark red wings with streaks of white running through them.
Then, he immediately headed for Dalton.
"You"re worth 500,000 gold!"
He immediately closed the distance. Dalton raised his sword, which he was gripping like a cane.
Dalton was also a Master. There was no reason he should cower before Kang Oh.
However, a golden beam of light suddenly came flying towards him, separating both him and Dalton.
Kang Oh quickly changed course and avoided the beam.
Swish.
Dukeram flew over on top of his pegasus.
"I"m your opponent," Dukeram said, pointing his sword at him.
"Oh? Your sword"s different this time. Did you sell Max Cain or something?"
"Oh, that"s right. It"s in my inventory!" Kang Oh stared at Dukeram and snickered.
Dukeram"s eyebrows quivered.
"It must be killing him. Then again, I would feel the same way if he stole one of my demon swords. I would be so p.i.s.sed that I wouldn"t be able to sleep properly for a few days."
"I"m going to kill you," Dukeram said coldly.
"You really think you can?"
"With your level of skill?"
Although he didn"t actually say that out loud, it was clear by his expression and his tone that that was what he was implying.
At that moment...
Whoosh.
A fierce wind blew from behind him, and Spirit Swordsman Erik appeared.
He was the Empire Guild"s second strongest!
"Don"t let your guard down no matter what!"
Let"s not forget that Arabas"s Guardian G.o.d, Dalton, was here too.
With Kantos dead, the Empire"s three strongest had gathered around Kang Oh.
"C"mon!" Kang Oh gave them a beckoning sign.
It was the right of the strong to fight several people at once. Kang Oh planned on taking full advantage of this right.