The Cornflower Witch Chapter 193

On the surface continent, in the northern part of the Regas Duchy, Fengqiao City.

The cold wind howled, carrying ice pellets that cut like blades across the cheeks, causing a stinging pain.

Below the tall city walls, torches were raised high, stretching across the mountains and fields, bringing a distant scent.

From the city tower, urgent bells rang out, and squads of soldiers rushed out from the warm watchtowers, moving swiftly amidst roaring commands.

“Raise bows, draw strings—” The soldiers held their longbows high at a 45° angle.

“Fire!”

Bowstrings vibrated, and countless arrows launched from above the city walls, arcing steeply. Carried by the cold wind, they struck shields and armor with a clatter, splashing blood and shrapnel.

On a tall tower in Fengqiao City, as the border general of the Regas Duchy, Earl Ryan, clad in armor and a cloak, gripped his sword, his gaze fixed on the battle below.

“How many men has the Anti Kingdom brought this time?”

“According to scouts flying on Cold Scream Eagles, there are at least 160,000. What’s currently at the foot of the city walls is just their vanguard,” reported another armored noble officer.

“Such a grand display?” Earl Ryan closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to calm his agitated emotions.

“This is probably their long-planned war of annihilation.”

If there were only 50-60,000 men, he would have thought they intended to conquer some land, plunder resources and wealth. But to mobilize such a massive army, their ambition clearly extended far beyond that.

“Fengqiao City’s garrison numbers no more than 20,000. Although we’ve been on full alert, we didn’t expect them to mobilize so many troops this time. Don’t they worry about instability in their rear?” Earl Ryan’s voice held a note of confusion.

“To the north of the Anti Kingdom lies the Lake Salt Wilderness, where the environment is harsh and only a few nomadic herders live, posing no threat to them. To the west is the ‘Gravel City-State Alliance,’ which suffered a devastating invasion from the Anti Kingdom five years ago and now lacks the strength to retaliate. Only to the east does the Anti Kingdom border the Eagle Scorpion Tent Country, which is equally powerful.”

“The Eagle Scorpion Tent Country has conquered and swallowed many smaller nations in recent years. If not for the Dragon Head Mountain to the east, we would be worried about them moving south.”

“Logically, to guard against the Eagle Scorpion Tent Country, the Anti Kingdom should have at least half of its forces stationed at the border and wouldn’t dare mobilize such a large invasion…” The adjutant was puzzled.

As they conversed, a sharp eagle cry echoed from the thick clouds above.

Soon after, hundreds of giant eagles broke through the clouds. Their feathers were brown and white, and their wingspan nearly thirty meters, darkening the sky beneath their massive wings.

These giant eagles carried long strings of black iron ‘grapes,’ which, upon being released from their talons, plummeted into the city like meteors, showering sparks and igniting everything in their path.

In moments, these giant eagles had set the entire Fengqiao City ablaze. Countless fires and thick smoke rose into the sky, and even the fierce cold wind could not disperse the suffocating heat spreading through the air. Many soldiers, directly set on fire by the splashing sparks, could only roll on the ground in vain, unable to extinguish the flames on their bodies.

“Those are firebombs made from ‘Blazing Oil.’ Water cannot extinguish them.” Ryan watched the scene unfold, an endless rage and chill rising within him. He wanted to shout orders to his soldiers to resist, but his body was frozen, unable to move, for he knew it was too late, all was futile.

“The Roaring Wind Giant Eagles, war beasts bred by the Eagle Scorpion Tent Country… Since they are here, everything makes sense,” he gripped his sword hilt tightly, his voice chilling.

“Anti and Eagle Scorpion have allied, allowing them to mobilize the largest possible force for this campaign.”

Below the city walls, more than twenty battering rams were pushed up the slope in the cold wind. The ram heads were inscribed with the ‘Castle’ affinity紋絡, and accompanying scholars held aloft slabs that shimmered with complex light, resonating with the紋絡 on the ram heads. Each time a group of soldiers lifted and struck the city gate with the ram head, a pale, vibrating shockwave spread along the gate.

The invisible air current shattered the resisting soldiers behind the gate, breaking their armor and causing them to tremble, spitting blood and collapsing. Cracks appeared in the foundation stones of the adjacent city wall. The tall, heavy city gate displayed the image of an old woman praying, a紋絡 pattern symbolizing the ‘Serelin Gate,’ the third gate of the magnificent city built by the ‘Swan King,’ and the origin of countless castle scholars engraving matrix patterns in later generations.

Facing the heavily fortified city gate, reinforced by the ‘Serelin Gate,’ the attacking side had long prepared countermeasures. As the battering rams incessantly pounded, invisible shockwaves reverberated and spread, shattering the brickwork around the city gate. Cracks appeared one after another, the ‘Serelin Gate’ lost its connection to the city wall, and the city’s magical defense array gradually weakened.

Minutes later, a massive crack snaked across the city wall, and the纹络 on the ‘Serelin Gate’ completely extinguished, dim and lifeless.

With a thunderous crash, the magnificent city gate was shattered by the ram heads and collapsed backward, raising a cloud of dust.

The attack horn sounded, and knights, fully armored, charged forward on powerful warhorses. They raised their lances, and special ghostly white stone chess pieces appeared above their heads. The auras of these chess pieces connected, forming a gray-white light array, advancing like a moving steel bulwark, surging into Fengqiao City.

No matter how many arrows whizzed or blades lay in ambush along the way, they could not shake this torrent of steel. Knights adorned with feathered helmets formed a tight formation and cleaved through all obstacles, directly piercing the city’s internal defenses as if razing everything in their path.

During this process, even if there were scattered extraordinary individuals counterattacking within the city, their extraordinary powers were completely dispelled when faced with the coordinated ‘Castle’ iron curtain, ultimately turning into powerless bamboo sticks and wooden twigs, easily crushed by the iron hooves.

On the dark mountain peak outside the city, two graceful figures stood silently, gazing at the city engulfed in flames, echoing with countless wails and the clash of swords.

“Fengqiao City is beyond saving,” one of them said softly. Judging by her silhouette and attire, she appeared to be a witch.

“We arrived too late; the news of Anti and Eagle Scorpion’s alliance reached us too slowly.”

“The ancestors of the Regas Duchy had an alliance with our organization. When other schools or organizations participate in a war, we are to assist the Regas Duchy’s royalty.”

“But now Fengqiao City has fallen. There are no powerful passes or fortresses to block access to the south. Even if we join the battle, we cannot prevent the downfall of the Regas Duchy.”

“What about Whitecliff City? It has been fortified by the royal family for generations, with towering walls, strong towers, and sturdy ramparts,” another witch asked.

“If the Regas Duchy had sufficient resistance, Whitecliff City might still be salvageable.”

“Unfortunately, the Regas Duchy is no longer in the era ruled by ‘Knight King’ Regard. Its military power has dwindled. The knight selection tournaments and the system of youth knight attendants patrolling the realm, all these policies were abolished nearly a century ago to cut expenses. The current Regas Duchy is simply not what it once was, where banners flew high and lances formed a forest.”

“Without external aid and standing alone, how long can they hold out?”

“Those Anti Kingdom armies won’t simply leave such a juicy prize. Once they sweep through the entire Regas territory, the so-called Whitecliff Royal City will be nothing more than an isolated island, unable to last long.”

“Alas…” the other witch sighed.

“Although the demise of the Regas Duchy won’t affect our organization, it still means one less ally and a future shortage of fresh blood.”

“Let’s go back. Soon, Whitecliff City will receive the news. If they can’t come up with a solution, we can only fulfill our agreement by protecting a small portion of the royal family to escape and continue Regard’s bloodline, as a response to our alliance.”

The mountain crows took flight, dense and numerous. The sound of their flapping wings alarmed the giant eagle riders patrolling and attacking above the city, but these black crows did not join the battle, quickly disappearing into the dark night.

“Witches…”