Chapter 350: That Damned Desire
"My God, the rebels are attacking again."
A dirt-covered soldier pointed toward the distant hills in despair, unsure whether to laugh or cry.
A gray-black tide stretched across the horizon like a filthy flood. The entire mass was made up of corrupted creatures. Countless ragged banners fluttered among them, most of them torn flags from Griffin.
There was no doubt where they had come from.
The Imperial Army.
At least, they had been Imperial soldiers when they were still alive.
"Catapults! Ballistae! Open fire!" Baron Breus of the Hinton family roared like a madman.
"Yes..."
The soldiers answered weakly as they operated the fortress catapults and launched massive stones into the advancing horde.
The enormous boulders crashed into the dense ranks of corpses, instantly carving bloody paths through the swarm, shattering bones and crushing bodies into pieces.
Yet not a single soldier cheered.
They had witnessed this scene countless times already.
Every time, the corpses simply replenished their numbers and attacked again.
The undead tide had assaulted the city continuously for five days.
Every minute.
Every second.
Without pause.
Countless corpses pushed through the barrage and began scaling the walls like swarming ants. From time to time, some managed to climb onto the battlements and engage the defenders in brutal close combat.
"Father, the East Gate is in danger! The monsters have broken into the residential district!"
A young knight came stumbling over, nearly crawling in panic.
"The soldiers at the North Gate have collapsed! Father, what do we do now?"
A blood-covered young woman rushed over.
"Aunt Merlin can’t hold on much longer either. We don’t even have time to catch our breath."
"Gather the troops and civilians inside the castle. We can still defend the keep. Her Majesty will not abandon us."
Breus’s gaze remained unwavering.
"Stop crying. Our family motto has always been to fight until the very last moment."
"Damn it! What is Bull Territory doing? How did they let so many corpses through?" the young man cried with tears in his eyes.
"It’s not that simple. Corpses don’t conduct sieges this perfectly."
Breus shook his head.
"All communications have been severed. The spatial nodes have been blocked. The teleportation arrays are no longer functioning."
"I hope a miracle happens..."
The young woman laughed bitterly.
"Everyone needs something to believe in, don’t they?"
Before she could finish speaking, a shout suddenly erupted.
"They’re retreating! The undead horde is retreating!"
The defenders instantly felt the pressure lessen.
The seemingly endless sea of corpses was actually pulling back.
"What is happening? They’re retreating?"
Breus couldn’t understand it.
He had already been preparing to abandon the city and make a final stand within the castle.
Members of the Hinton family stared at one another.
Excitement bordering on hysteria spread across their faces.
"I understand now. It’s divine protection! Warriors, we have won!"
Breus raised his arm and cheered.
"Send messengers immediately! Inform Her Majesty of our victory!"
Meanwhile, atop a distant hill, Veronica, an executive of the Shadow World Sect, suddenly stood up and stared toward the city.
"What is going on? We were only one step away from taking the castle!"
The moment she turned around, a terrifying spear shadow descended toward her.
Boom!
Veronica summoned her divine artifact at maximum speed.
It was also a massive knight’s lance.
Filled with murderous intent, the two divine weapons collided violently.
Invisible shockwaves rippled outward, causing the surrounding war banners to whip wildly in the wind.
"Mushai! What are you doing? Have you gone mad?"
Veronica snorted coldly.
"First you withdraw the troops, and now you’re attacking me."
"You foolish creature. You dare betray our alliance."
Mounted atop a towering corrupted warhorse, Mushai raised her lance high.
Corrupted divine power spiraled around the weapon before crashing downward.
The earth shook violently.
Nearby guards and servants were instantly reduced to fragments, their remains mixed into the flying soil and scattered in every direction.
Blood stained the ground everywhere.
The surrounding corpse cavalry also began forming ranks, preparing to charge.
"Enough! I have no idea what you’re talking about!"
Veronica retreated rapidly.
Staring at the mangled remains inside the newly formed crater, she no longer bothered hiding the killing intent in her eyes.
Her voice grew colder with every word.
"You actually dared attack my people. I will make you regret staying alive."
Around her, the sound of weapons being unsheathed rang out one after another.
Just as both sides stood on the verge of open conflict...
"Please stop fighting."
An elegant man dressed in luxurious aristocratic attire stepped forward.
A beautiful black flower adorned his chest.
Walking with noble grace, he approached the two sides.
"Beautiful Lady Mushai, I believe there has been some misunderstanding."
He smiled politely.
"Could you tell me what happened?"
Mushai replied in a low voice.
"We sensed that Broken Wing has died. Our soldiers were blocked and unable to replenish the army. Besides you, who else could have done such a thing?"
"Broken Wing is dead?"
The man’s expression froze briefly.
"Wasn’t she stationed at Bull Fortress, guiding the corpse tide? That should have been the safest location."
After a moment, he straightened his clothing and smiled once more.
"Then the Empire must have launched a surprise attack."
"We have absolutely no reason to attack our allies at such a critical moment during the siege."
"More importantly, we were the ones who got attacked."
"If the Empire discovered what was happening at Bull Fortress, then the fortress may already have been reclaimed."
"To be perfectly honest, even if we wanted to attack you, we would have struck without warning and caught you completely off guard."
"Hmm... let me think."
Mushai pretended to consider the explanation.
In reality, her thoughts were a complete mess.
She had no idea what to do.
"Allow me to negotiate with them."
A small girl emerged from the corpse tide.
Walking forward slowly, she took Mushai’s hand and spoke softly.
"Leave it to me. If the corpse tide erupts into chaos here, none of us will make it home."
The little girl stepped forward.
"What you said sounds convincing. However, words alone aren’t enough."
"We need sincerity."
"If your sincerity is sufficient, resolving this misunderstanding will be easy."
"We may even continue helping you wage war."
"Sincerity?"
The aristocratic man instantly understood.
He laughed.
"I never would have guessed that a little girl like you could strike directly at the heart of the matter."
Pointing toward the north, a twisted smile appeared on his face.
"Three cities."
"Their citizens have already surrendered."
"They are all food for you now."
"Is that sincere enough?"
Veronica’s pupils contracted.
"My lord, we still have troops stationed inside those cities. I’ll order them to withdraw immediately. Also, your lover and..."
"It’s nothing important."
The nobleman raised a hand and elegantly gestured outward.
"If one isn’t willing to make sacrifices, can it really be called sincerity?"
"Please."
"Enjoy your dinner."
"Interesting humans."
Mushai burst into satisfied laughter.
Extending her hand toward the distant cities, she acted as though they were already hers.
"As long as there is enough food and enough cities, we can provide you with more soldiers."
"We can even recruit additional Corrupted Divine Chosen to assist."
The unpleasantness from earlier instantly vanished.
Everyone became friendly once again.
What did Broken Wing’s death matter?
There was now one less person competing for food.
"Oh, right."
The nobleman suddenly added,
"There is one important matter. We need to gather our forces and retake the Border Fortress. An important treasure is located there."
"Leave it to us."
Mushai’s eyes flashed with killing intent.
"I will slaughter every one of those arrogant Imperial fools."
The two sides quickly reached an agreement.
A massive army would be assembled.
Together, they would reclaim the fortress.
