192: Tremendous changes

Holy Radiance City's city walls were thirty zhang high, constructed from solid grey-white granite, with layers of magic runes carved into their surface. These runes glowed with a faint blue light under the sun, forming a giant defensive magic array that covered the entire city! This was the accumulated foundation of the Aolai Kingdom over a thousand years, known as the 'Shield That Never Falls'.

At this moment, Monk stood at the highest point of this giant shield, on the observation deck of the Royal Palace's North Tower. This Legendary mid-stage Grand Marshal of the Kingdom was over eight hundred years old, but his posture was still as straight as a pine. He wore a dark blue marshal's cloak embroidered with golden griffins, his hands clasped behind his back, his gaze sweeping the distant horizon like an eagle.

On the city walls, forty thousand defenders stood ready. The muzzles of the magic crystal cannons extended from the battlements, reflecting a cold metallic sheen in the sunlight. Mages stood at the array nodes, maintaining the operation of the defensive barrier. Archers, crossbowmen, trebuchet operators... every person was on edge.

They were waiting for the werewolves from the north.

But what arrived first was news from the east.

"Marshal!" A Winged Tiger Knight swooped down from the Sky, coming to an abrupt halt in front of the observation deck. The Winged Tiger's massive wings stirred up a gust of wind, and the knight dismounted before his mount had fully landed, kneeling on one knee, "Urgent report from the east!"

Monk turned around, his expression calm: "Speak."

"The Star Sea Territory army... did not march south." The knight's voice trembled with disbelief, "They've split into two groups and are marching towards the Royal Capital! The first group, sixty thousand light cavalry, has already removed all strongholds along the way and will reach the city gates in half a day at the latest!"

Monk's pupils suddenly contracted.

"And the second group?"

"The number is unknown, but at least... hundreds of thousands." The knight swallowed, "The scouts didn't dare get too close, they only saw the army stretching for dozens of miles in the distance, banners obscuring the Sky..."

"Where is Linn's main force?" Monk's voice remained calm, but his hands, clasped behind his back, were now clenched into fists.

"Not with the army. Scouts discovered... a large-scale magic fluctuation in the eastern Sky, suspected to be... a floating fleet."

Silence.

On the observation deck, all the officers, messengers, and guards froze in place. The air seemed to solidify, with only the wind still howling.

After a few seconds, Monk slowly spoke, his voice deep like muffled thunder: "Issue orders!"

"One, raise the power of the city's magical defense array to maximum! All magic crystal cannons load and standby!"

"Two, all able-bodied men in the city, be issued weapons and assigned to the reserve!

"Three, seal all four gates, allow entry but no exit! All carrier pigeons and magical communications, intercept them all!"

"Four..." He paused, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes, "Send someone to question the vanguard of the Star Sea Territory, why they are marching on the Royal Capital without authorization!"

Commands spread throughout the city like a tide. Piercing magical alarms echoed through the clouds, and panicked civilians rushed into the streets, only to be driven home by soldiers. Shops closed their doors one after another, leaving only fully armed soldiers running through the streets.

Half a day later, as reported by the Winged Tiger Knight, rising dust appeared on the eastern horizon.

Sixty thousand light-armored cavalry archers, like a silver-grey torrent, swept in from the east. Their speed was incredibly fast, their hooves thundering and shaking the earth. The leading general was Angus, riding a pure black Dragon Scale Horse, clad in silver armor, his scarlet cloak flapping in the wind behind him.

The army stopped thirty li outside Holy Radiance City. Angus raised his right hand, and sixty thousand cavalry simultaneously reined in their horses, their movements perfectly synchronized, demonstrating astonishing training levels.

They began to set up camp. They didn't attack the city, didn't issue challenges, but simply stationed themselves quietly, like a lurking beast, eyeing the city from outside.

"Arrogant!" On the city wall, a young general angrily exclaimed, "Sixty thousand men dare to besiege the Royal Capital? Marshal, let me lead troops out of the city and annihilate them within an hour!"

Monk did not respond. He stared intently at the distant camp, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

Too quiet. Sixty thousand men, no probing attacks, no emissaries for negotiations, not even scouts sent to approach the city walls. It was as if they were... waiting for something.

"Send someone to ask," Monk finally said, "And quickly."

A Winged Tiger Knight soared into the Sky, flying towards the Star Sea Territory's camp. The knight's mount was a magical creature carefully bred by the royal family, with a wingspan of five zhang, capable of breathing fire in the air, and was an elite of the Kingdom's air force.

The knight flew over the camp, looking down and shouting, "Soldiers of the Star Sea Territory! By order of Marshal Monk, I question you: why have you marched on Holy Radiance without authorization, instead of marching south to aid His Majesty as agreed? Where is your commander? Answer quickly!"

The camp was silent.

Then, Angus looked up and glanced at the knight in the Sky.

His gaze was very calm, chillingly calm.

He raised his right hand and made a simple gesture.

The next moment, nightmare descended.

In the camp, three thousand cavalrymen, who had long since drawn their bows and nocked their arrows, simultaneously released their strings. These were not ordinary arrows; their arrowheads gleamed with the light of magic runes. They were 'Sky-Piercing Arrows' specifically designed to counter aerial targets.

Three thousand arrows shot into the Sky like a torrential rain, weaving a net of death in the air. The Winged Tiger Knight's face changed drastically, and he hastily pulled up his mount to dodge, but it was too late.

The arrow rain covered a hundred-zhang radius of the Sky. The Winged Tiger breathed fire, trying to burn the arrows, but the magic attached to the Sky-Piercing Arrows nullified the flames. A dozen arrows pierced the Winged Tiger's wings, and more arrows struck the knight.

The scream lasted only an instant.

The knight and his mount simultaneously turned into two blood mists, showering down from the Sky. Fragments of broken armor, shattered wings, and chunks of flesh... rained down onto the open ground in front of the camp.

On the city wall, Monk witnessed the entire process.

His face turned from ashen to pale, then from pale to crimson. The Legendary Expert's body trembled slightly, not from fear, but from towering rage.

"Linn—" Monk squeezed the name through gritted teeth, his voice filled with endless Killing Intent, "Are you rebelling?!"

He finally understood. From the beginning, the Star Sea Territory had no intention of helping either side. What Linn wanted was the entire Kingdom.

"Deploy troops!" Monk turned, his roar echoing across the city wall, "The First, Second, and Fifth Legions, a total of two hundred thousand troops, follow me out of the city! Annihilate this rebel army!"

"Marshal, reconsider!" An old general hastily advised, "The enemy is so arrogant, they must have something to rely on! This might be a trap to lure us out!"

"Even if it's a trap, I'll flatten it!" Monk drew the sword from his waist; the blade hummed, emitting a dazzling golden light. "Sixty thousand men dare to challenge the Royal Capital? I'll let Linn know what the Kingdom's elite truly are!"

The city gates slowly opened. The drawbridge lowered, and the magical barrier over the moat temporarily closed. Two hundred thousand troops poured out of the city gates like a tide, quickly forming ranks on the plain.

infantry phalanxes in front, cavalry on the flanks, Archers and Mages in the rear. The formation was orderly, and Killing Intent soared to the Sky.

These were the elite troops Monk had personally trained, the Kingdom's last trump card.

Angus stood on the high ground in front of the camp, watching the two hundred thousand troops forming ranks in the distance, his face devoid of any expression.

"General, shall we engage?" the deputy asked.

"Engage?" Karl shook his head, "Sixty thousand light cavalry against two hundred thousand mixed infantry and cavalry, with Monk personally in command—that's suicide."

He turned and issued an order that stunned all his subordinates: "All troops listen! Disperse and retreat. Break into one-hundred-man units, scatter, and retreat east. Remember, no engaging, no stopping, full-speed retreat!"

"General, this..."

"This is an order!" Angus said sternly, "Our mission is not to fight to the death here. The vanguard's task is complete; just wait for the main army to arrive."

Sixty thousand cavalry quickly dispersed. They were originally light-armored troops with extreme mobility, and now, breaking into smaller units, they scattered eastward like countless silver-grey streams. Hooves kicked up dust that obscured vision.

When Monk arrived with his army, all he saw was an empty camp and countless hoof prints on the ground.

"Pursue!" Monk waved his sword towards the east.

But they couldn't catch up.

Dragon Scale Horses were magical mounts unique to the Star Sea Territory, far superior to ordinary warhorses in speed and stamina. The Royal Capital's cavalry pursued for ten li before being left far behind. The infantry couldn't even see them for dust.

Monk stood in the empty camp, watching the gradually dissipating dust in the east, his face so grim it looked like it could drip water.

"Marshal, shall we continue the pursuit?" the deputy asked cautiously.

Monk remained silent for a long time, finally gritting his teeth and saying, "Recall the troops, return to the city."

"But..."

"This is a trap." Monk closed his eyes. "Linn's main force hasn't appeared yet; that army of hundreds of thousands is still on its way. If we fight in the open, it will be exactly what he wants."

He opened his eyes and looked towards the eastern horizon. There, a second plume of dust was rising, even larger and denser.

"Return to the city and hold fast." Monk turned, a hint of weariness in his voice. "The Royal Capital's walls are high, its moats deep, its supplies abundant, and its magical defenses complete. Even if Linn has a million troops, he won't easily break through."

"As long as we hold the Royal Capital, and His Majesty pacifies the south and returns north..." Battle Intent rekindled in his eyes, "Linn's rebel army will be nothing more than fish in a barrel."

The army slowly retreated back into the city. The drawbridge rose, and the magical barrier reactivated. Holy Radiance City once again became an impregnable fortress.

But Monk knew in his heart! Some things had already changed.

The Star Sea Territory's open rebellion, sixty thousand cavalry stationed thirty li outside the Royal Capital, hundreds of thousands of troops approaching... all of this portended an unprecedented crisis for the Kingdom's thousand-year foundation.

And could he defend this capital, defend the last dignity of the Kingdom?

Monk didn't know the answer. He only knew that he had to hold it.

Because he was the Grand Marshal of the Kingdom, a Legendary Expert, and... the last pillar of the royal family.