Chapter 25: Powerful Cannon Fodder
Below the city wall, the massive war boar lay on the ground, looking somewhat dazed. After all, it had already rammed the wall three times in a row. Even with metal plates embedded on its head and an exceptionally hard skull, it couldn't withstand three consecutive collisions.
Several hundred polar cavalrymen guarded the vicinity of the giant war boar, ensuring no mishap befell it. This was a siege weapon of great importance—no mistakes could be allowed.
Three breaches had been torn into the city wall. Within each breach, the sounds of battle cries and clashing weapons rang out endlessly. Fire blazed, blood burned, and some soldiers, driven mad by the slaughter, had lost all reason.
Thump, thump...
A northern soldier furiously pounded on a corpse beneath him. The armor on the body crumpled and twisted like a crushed soda can.
After a few strikes, the northern soldier sat down. Moments earlier, a longsword had pierced his throat—this was his final frenzy.
The city guard were being battered badly, yet they dared not retreat from the wall's gaps. The disparity in numbers was too great. Once they lost their terrain advantage, the polar cavalry would quickly scatter them and annihilate them one by one.
A dark shadow swooped down from above, finally landing atop the wall.
"Looks pretty good."
Su Xiao crouched at the edge of the wall, his target being that giant war boar. After some alchemical modifications, this creature would be perfect for scouting ahead.
"Snatch it by force?"
Baha swallowed nervously, sensing trouble brewing.
"We'll cover you."
"Boss, it's not about cover. I'm not sure I can drag it into the air—it's too heavy. What if it suddenly bites me? Look at that huge mouth, it could swallow half of Amu in one go~"
"Moo!"
"You can do it."
"Alright, if you say so, then I can..."
Before Baha could finish, Su Xiao moved to the inner side of the wall and leaped down.
Seeing this, Baha went on standby. Saying "no" was one thing, but when it was time to act, he never hesitated.
Su Xiao landed inside the wall. The sounds of battle came from behind him as large groups of city guards and northern soldiers clashed within the breaches.
Flames scorched corpses, and pools of blood stained the earth—this was the unique scent of a cold-weapon battlefield.
Su Xiao strode toward the breach in the wall. The Duke's Medal on his chest reflected a distinctive luster in the sunlight. There were only five such medals in Sera.
As soon as Su Xiao stepped onto the battlefield, countless eyes turned toward him. Most of those gazes held disbelief.
"A Saint Blood Duke! A Saint Blood Duke has arrived in person!"
After the roar, dozens of polar soldiers charged at Su Xiao, including over a dozen cavalrymen.
"Burn."
Su Xiao muttered softly, a blue gleam flashing in his eyes. The Banishment on his sleeve shifted into a hiltless rapier form, with Cyan Steel Shadow Energy clinging to it, seemingly burning slowly.
With a bang, Banishment pierced through a wave of air and vanished instantly.
A streak of blue light flashed, leaving afterimages in midair. Banishment didn't fly in a straight line; it rapidly adjusted its trajectory, sometimes tracing a semicircle.
Banishment suddenly appeared beside Su Xiao, the blood on it evaporating into vapor and dispersing.
Su Xiao walked through the midst of several northern soldiers.
Thud, thud...
One by one, the northern soldiers fell. In their eye sockets, throats, hearts, and other vital spots, blood holes could be seen.
The earlier shouts had already maxed out Su Xiao's aggro. Before he had taken many steps, over a hundred northern soldiers charged at him with furious roars.
Banishment silently split apart, merging into the air.
Five northern soldiers led the charge, but they hadn't gone far before they collapsed without warning.
Every northern soldier who came within ten meters of Su Xiao fell suddenly, their central nervous systems destroyed by Banishment.
In just over ten seconds, over a hundred northern soldiers who had charged at Su Xiao all lay dead on their advance.
Su Xiao's hand made a grasping motion. Banishment flew back, reassembled into its fragmented blade form, and reattached to his sleeve. Such precise control over Banishment consumed too much mana.
Su Xiao drew Dragon-Slaying Flash and, in a few steps, closed in on a polar cavalryman.
A long blade slashed out in a cross pattern. The polar cavalryman and the wild boar beneath him were both cleaved apart, the cuts as smooth as a mirror.
Su Xiao delivered a side kick, sending the dismembered polar cavalryman flying into a group of over a dozen charging northern soldiers.
Clang!
A massive, pale blue blade aura swept through. The soldiers took a few more steps forward before stopping.
Su Xiao's goal this time wasn't to help Aransas City repel the Northern Alliance. He could hold them off for hours, even a day, but without the terrain advantage, once over two hundred thousand polar cavalry charged, he would be helpless.
Blade auras crisscrossed. Under the stunned gazes of the city guards, Su Xiao fought his way to the other side of the wall.
Standing amidst a field of shattered corpses, Su Xiao scanned his surroundings. He remembered the giant war boar was nearby—at least, it had been moments ago.
Thud!
A dull sound came from his right, some distance away. It was the giant war boar ramming the wall again. Clearly, that iron-headed fool had woken up. Su Xiao had killed his way to the wrong spot.
An Apollo appeared in Su Xiao's hand, and he activated it immediately.
A terrifying sense of crisis spread. Su Xiao tossed the Apollo in his hand. One Apollo for a powerful war beast—temporary though it was, it was still a good deal.
The Apollo flew over the heads of the polar cavalrymen. They all watched it, and in the next moment, these polar soldiers displayed impressive military discipline. The front ranks turned to the rear and fled.
Being fearless in battle was one thing; dying for nothing was another. Aransas City could be breached at any moment, and every polar soldier knew it. Dying inexplicably when victory was near was the most frustrating fate.
The Northern Alliance soldiers were known for their ferocity, but they weren't completely unafraid of death. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been intimidated by the Iron Feather King, an old man who had kept them from launching a full-scale assault.
The polar cavalry within a two-kilometer radius scattered in all directions. The giant war boar, which had just rammed the wall, also snapped awake. It kicked its four hooves, trying to stand and flee.
Boom!
Amu leaped down from the wall, a massive chunk of ice crashing onto the giant war boar. The woman draped in animal skins nearby was instantly crushed by the ice block, which was over two hundred meters in diameter.
The giant war boar let out a pained squeal, but unfortunately, all the nearby polar cavalry had already fled.
The Apollo landed. A dog paw pressed down on it, deactivating the Apollo. It had only been activated for sixteen seconds and could still be stabilized, but it was close to detonating.
Taking advantage of the opportunity Amu had created, Baha swooped down, his claws gripping the metal plates on the giant war boar's head, dragging it toward the breach in the wall.
The giant war boar struggled violently, but Amu was riding on it, raining down a flurry of heavy punches.
As soon as Baha succeeded, Bubu Wang quickly ran toward Su Xiao. Soon, Su Xiao's entire team had retreated back inside the wall.
Thirty-two seconds later, a dull boom came from outside the city. A massive golden fireball appeared.
At the edge of the explosion, polar cavalrymen looked up at the sight. They dared not charge anymore. In the face of such power, they were insignificant—this was the power of alchemy.
Inside the city, Su Xiao quickly regrouped with Amu and Baha. Amu was now wrestling with the giant war boar, rolling around on the ground.
"Boss, this thing is hard to move—too unruly. Look, it's already running off with Amu on its back. Though Amu is riding it pretty smoothly."
As Baha cracked jokes, Amu had become a war boar rider, charging forward fearlessly.
Su Xiao's solution was simple: first, beat the giant war boar severely, then feed it some meat, then beat it again, repeating the cycle.
An hour later.
The giant war boar lay on the ground. After enduring over seventy-six beatings and being force-fed half a ton of meat, it had finally calmed down.