Chapter 165: Chapter 144: Blood-Stained Hobia
All eyes turned toward the sound, landing on a terrifying black "giant."
"You’re... Baron Henry?"
Hearing the Third Prince’s words, the nobles and officers on the city wall stared at Henry’s black armor, their eyes filled with shock and awe.
They had never seen such exquisite equipment. The armor’s sheen seemed especially frigid under the torchlight, as if the very air had solidified around it.
The blade of the great-axe glinted coldly in the night, sending a chill down one’s spine. He stood there like an immovable War God, commanding reverence.
The Third Prince’s gaze was locked on Henry, a flash of appreciation in his eyes.
Henry was not just a valiant Warrior, but also a nobleman with extensive combat experience and leadership abilities.
’This is exactly the kind of talent I need,’ the Third Prince mused. ’Once the war is over, I must pull Henry into my faction.’
The Third Prince believed that with Henry on his side, his own power would be greatly enhanced.
As for whether Henry would join, the Third Prince believed that with enough "sincerity" of the golden kind, anything was possible. He might be short on many things, but money wasn’t one of them!
Under the watchful eyes of the Third Prince and the others, Henry faced everyone on the city wall.
"Everyone, the strength of the Lizardmen may fill you with fear, but remember this: We are the Warriors of Caladia! Caladia is invincible! Caladia’s dragon banner will fly forever!
Tonight, we will fight side by side! We will use our swords and our shields, our Bravery, to repel the Lizardmen invasion!
We will not retreat! We will not surrender! We will fight to the very last moment!"
The moment Henry finished speaking, all the nobles and officers erupted in cheers.
"Victory!"
"Long live Caladia!"
"The heads of the Alien Race will be our trophies!"
Inspired by their officers, the soldiers on the walls felt their morale surge, and they too began to roar. They gripped their weapons, ready to viciously cut down some Lizardmen.
Tonight, they would fight for the honor of Caladia.
The soldiers’ shouts were like rain. Once the first drop hit the ground, it was followed by a torrential downpour.
The Third Prince watched the army’s earth-shaking roars and felt goosebumps rise on his skin.
’The army’s morale is high. Victory is certain!’
The only flaw in the moment was that Henry had been the one to deliver the rousing speech, which made the Prince feel like a mere sidekick.
The Third Prince walked to Henry’s side, looking up slightly as he spoke with sincerity. "Baron Henry, your courage and determination have my admiration. Tonight, we will fight together to defend Hobia!"
Henry inclined his head slightly to look down at the Third Prince. "Your Highness, as long as we stand, so does the city."
The Third Prince looked at Henry’s determined gaze and was deeply moved.
The Lizardmen army drew closer under the cover of night, their forms flickering in and out of sight in the desert.
But the soldiers on the walls were prepared. They would lay down their lives to defend this city, ready to face the life-and-death struggle to come.
The Lizardmen’s figures gradually emerged into the firelight. As the soldiers on the walls got a clear look at the densely packed horde, they couldn’t help but feel a chill.
The Lizardmen’s skin was covered in scales, their eyes glinted with a cruel light, and their weapons, reflecting the flames, looked exceptionally savage.
The densely packed horde of Lizardmen advanced like a blue-green tide, creating an involuntary sense of pressure.
Henry and his Private Army were assigned to the left section of the southern city wall. He stood upon the ramparts, carefully observing the Lizardmen’s movements.
When he noticed that the Lizardmen’s siege force had no giant beasts other than the Cold Lizards, he couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.
If the Lizardmen only had siege equipment like Cloud Ladders, then no matter how intense the fighting on the walls became, Hubia City would not fall easily.
When the army had entered the city, Henry had ordered his, Boman’s, and Fass’s serfs to follow them inside with all their supplies, tents, and carts.
As for the Legion’s supplies back at the camp, there was nothing he could do about them. If the Lizardmen destroyed them, he would just have to count it as a loss.
"Boman, Fass, look over there."
Henry pointed at the Lizardmen’s formation. "It seems their main force is concentrated on the right side of the wall and at the city gate?"
Boman nodded. "That’s for the best. Our casualties will be lower."
The archers’ and Crossbowmen’s arrows were already nocked. The Catapults and ballistae were also prepared, waiting only for the Lizardmen to enter their range.
The Lizardmen, unlike humans, didn’t bother with pre-siege negotiations or verbal sparring. Their actions were direct and brutal.
With a cacophony of roars, the Lizardmen hoisted long ladders and charged unhesitatingly toward the city walls.
"Henry! Why are the Lizardmen carrying the Cloud Ladders so huge?"
Henry’s Passive Skill activated, and his observation revealed what made these Lizardmen different.
They were Giant Lizards.
Compared to the Lizardman Warriors, these Giant Lizards possessed greater physical prowess but were far more simple-minded.
Other than fellow Lizardmen, the Giant Lizards treated everything that breathed as an enemy.
Henry noticed their bronze weapons were shackled to their wrists, likely to prevent the Giant Lizards from dropping them and resorting to their hatchet-like claws and sharp teeth.
Their muscles were as solid as rock, and their cavernous maws were filled with razor-sharp teeth.
When angered, a Giant Lizard would unleash its only cry—a sound that shook the jungle and struck terror into the hearts of all who heard it!
Henry shouted to the surrounding soldiers, "Don’t worry! They’re just taller and bulkier! They’ll fall to our blades just the same!"
On another front, several Cold Lizards stood out as they charged straight for the city gate. Their objective was clear: to smash the gate to pieces and open a path for the main Lizardmen army.
Seeing this, the soldiers on the walls couldn’t help but feel a flicker of panic.
"Archers, ready!" The Third Prince’s voice echoed from the watchtower above the gate.
At his command, the archers on the wall swiftly drew their bowstrings, aiming their arrows at the charging Lizardmen.
"Loose!"
On the Third Prince’s command, thousands of arrows rained down upon the Lizardmen.
Some Lizardmen were struck by the arrows and let out pained hisses, but most ignored the volley and continued their charge.
"Catapults, ready! Target those lizard beasts... Fire!"
Count Snisa swung his Knight’s sword, and the Catapults launched massive stones that crashed down on the foremost Cold Lizards.
Several Cold Lizards were struck. They let out deafening roars and spat blood, but they didn’t fall, staggering onward toward the city gate.
"Ballistae, ready! ... Fire!"
The giant Crossbow Arrows on the ballistae were drawn taut, aimed at the Cold Lizards at the head of the charge.
These bolts were immensely powerful. A direct hit would heavily wound even a beast as massive as a Cold Lizard.
"Fire!"
The bolts flew true, striking the Cold Lizards. One that had already been struck by a catapult stone was pierced through, collapsing to the ground with a hideous screech.
The fall of the massive beasts elicited a cheer from the soldiers, but three Cold Lizards continued their charge. They had only one target: the city gate.
Behind the city gate was Hobia’s strongest line of defense.
It was composed of one thousand of the most elite Heavy Armor Soldiers, handpicked from four Legions and the Private Armies of more than sixty nobles.
Clad in Heavy Armor and wielding longspears, greatswords, Two-Handed Axes, and warhammers, they were the unbreakable shield of Hobia City.
These soldiers were all veterans who had survived countless battles. They showed not a shred of fear in the face of the impending charge of the giant Cold Lizards and Lizardmen.
Or if they did, they dared not show it, choosing instead to lie to themselves.
’We can win!’
If the Cold Lizards broke through the gate, they would be the first Warriors to face the monsters head-on.
"Brace for impact!" the temporary captain of the Heavy Armor Soldiers bellowed.
At his command, the front rank of soldiers quickly formed a tight phalanx, their longspears pointing forward to create a forest of steel.
The nobles, officers, and soldiers on the wall nervously watched the Cold Lizards’ advance. If the beasts truly broke through the gate, the battle would shift from a defense of the walls to a bloody, face-to-face melee.
They had to weaken the beasts as much as possible before they reached the gate.
"Archers, concentrate your fire! Aim for those behemoths!"
Arrows rained down upon the Cold Lizards. While not enough to kill the massive beasts, the constant barrage slowed their advance.
"Catapults, keep firing!" the Third Prince’s voice rang out again.
The Catapults relentlessly hurled massive stones, smashing them into the Cold Lizards.
Although the Cold Lizards had tough hides, the Catapults were immensely powerful, and each direct hit inflicted grievous wounds.
One Cold Lizard fell... then a second... and a third...
BAM!
A Cold Lizard’s body slammed violently into the city gate. The immense force kicked up a cloud of dust, and even the people on the walls felt the structure shudder.
’The gate should hold... Wait a minute! What is that?!’
Everyone clearly saw more than ten Cold Lizards burst from the darkness, charging toward the city gate at incredible speed.
The gate was in peril!
CLANG!
BAM!
The city gate groaned and splintered. Even with the inner gate separating them, the soldiers behind it could hear the tremendous impacts on the main gate.
Once the main gate was breached, tearing through the inner gate would be like a hot knife through butter.
After repeated, violent impacts from the Cold Lizards, the city gate finally shattered with a deafening crash.
The area was in a blind spot for the Catapults and ballistae, preventing any effective attacks. The siege engines could only shift their targets to the rank-and-file Lizardmen.
For the Cold Lizards, the attacks from archers and Crossbowmen were not entirely useless, but they might as well have been.
Massive fragments of the gate flew everywhere. For a moment, the minds of the officers on the wall went blank. They had never imagined the Cold Lizards could destroy the gate with such ease.
"Quick! Spears at the ready! Rear rank Crossbowmen, prepare!" the captain of the Heavy Armor Soldiers roared, snapping back to his senses.
The Heavy Armor Soldiers, momentarily dazed by the tremendous noise, immediately snapped to attention, their eyes fixed on the inner gate.
SCREEE...
RIIIIP... CRASH!
The inner gate was breached!
The Cold Lizards were in!
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