71: The war is about to begin

Roman Empire Capital.

Although the city defenses had been reinforced countless times in the past few days, the sound of hammering continued incessantly.

The craftsmen, enduring fatigue, raced against time to repair every crack in the city walls, hoping to add a chance of victory to this war.

The Roman Emperor, clad in golden armor, inspected the city defenses surrounded by a host of ministers.

His gaze occasionally swept over the reinforced city walls and the mounted ballistas, yet the sense of urgency in his heart did not diminish at all.

This sudden crisis left him breathless, and he could only alleviate the pressure in his heart by constantly inspecting.

Cities throughout the empire responded to the summons one after another, and the guards from each city rushed towards the Imperial Capital in a mighty torrent.

The surrounding kingdoms also understood the principle of 'when the lips are gone, the teeth are cold', and more or less arranged for reinforcements to come.

However, the journey was long, and it remained unknown whether the reinforcements could arrive in time.

Only the Sari Kingdom did not send a single soldier.

After all, the Sari Kingdom was currently in deep trouble and could not spare any attention for the Roman Empire's might.

The Abyss Army had already crossed the entire Sari Kingdom, and the cities along the way were all massacred.

Only a few more distant cities suffered less loss because they received the news in advance and their populations were evacuated in time.

Fortunately, the capital of the Sari Kingdom was not on the Abyss Army's march route, otherwise it would have become the first country to be annihilated.

Cain sat atop a giant Desert Dragon; at this moment, the Abyss Army had already advanced deep into the Roman Empire's territory.

The Roman Empire had long since prepared. All cities along the way were emptied, and no resistance was offered along the route.

While this reduced casualties, it also indirectly sped up the Abyss Army's advance.

After all, massacring a city also takes time.

This gave him a preliminary judgment of the Roman Emperor, whom he had never met.

He might be a kind and benevolent Emperor, but he was also a foolish Emperor.

If their positions were swapped, he would never reveal the news of the Abyss Army to these cities, much less evacuate the people inside in advance.

In his opinion, using a few cities to buy time for the assembly of reinforcements and pre-war preparations was the wise course of action.

Perhaps just a moment's difference could change the fate of an entire country.

Of course, all this was futile. In the face of absolute power, these were all useless efforts.

Urged by Cain, the Abyss Army rapidly advanced towards the Roman Empire Capital. They were already impatient to taste blood.

As the Abyss Army continuously approached, a nauseating stench of blood and decay drifted towards the Roman Empire Capital on the wind.

When the defenders on the city wall smelled this odor, their hearts tightened instantly, and their hands unconsciously gripped their weapons tighter.

They knew that the enemy was not far away.

The overall commander for the Roman Empire in this battle was Grand Marshal Gavin.

His face was resolute, and his eyes showed the calmness and determination honed through countless wars.

As the empire's sole remaining Sky Knight, Gavin had fought across the land since his Great Knight days, achieving illustrious military feats in expanding the Roman Kingdom's territory.

Now, he had no idea how many battles, big and small, he had experienced.

He only knew that the Roman Kingdom, originally situated in a place of constant warfare, was growing larger, and its national strength was becoming increasingly prosperous.

Finally, it brazenly declared itself an Empire under the fearful gaze of the surrounding kingdoms.

As the Emperor's most trusted commander, he naturally bore the responsibility of being the overall commander for this defensive war.

However, this time the enemy was different from usual; they were demons he had never encountered before.

Not only did they possess formidable strength, but what was more troublesome were their bizarre and varied abilities.

This greatly increased the difficulty of defending the city.

But the people were behind them, so there was nothing left but to fight to the death.

Soon, a black tide appeared on the distant horizon.

As the Abyss Army drew closer, the faces of the defenders instantly turned pale.

Although they had heard that the enemy were Otherworld invaders, everything before their eyes still overturned their understanding.

The four-armed Snake-people wielding sharp swords had eyes filled with bloodthirsty light.

Swarms of Blood Bats blotted out the sky and sun, their flapping wings stirring up gusts of bloody wind.

The enchanting and eerie Abyss Banshees occasionally let out shrieks.

And there were dense swarms of Worms, covering the entire ground.

The most terrifying were the two monstrous beasts.

One was a ferocious dragon-beast the size of a fortress; with every step it took, the ground beneath its feet trembled incessantly.

The other was a fleshy Worm tens of meters long, its body covered in dense holes. It wriggled its massive body, forcefully carving out a wide path on the ground.

Facing these non-human existences, the morale of the defenders instantly plummeted, and fear quickly spread through the army.

Gavin looked at the soldiers' terrified expressions, his heart sinking.

He drew the long sword from his waist without hesitation and fiercely struck the bronze alarm bell on the city wall.

The sword qi collided with the bell body, and a deafening clang pierced the sky, echoing over the entire Imperial Capital.

The soldiers were startled awake by the bell sound and all turned their gazes towards Gavin.

Gavin took a deep breath and roared with all his might:

“Warriors, do you see that group of monsters ahead? They are demons who kill without batting an eye!”

“Before stepping onto this land, they have already massacred thirteen cities! Not a single person survived in those cities!”

“Now, they have come to our doorstep, aiming their fangs at the cities behind us, at our loved ones!”

“Today, if this city falls, not only will we perish, but the entire Roman Empire and even the entire Aelan Continent will plunge into eternal damnation!”

Gavin roared hoarsely:

“Our loved ones are behind us, our country is beneath our feet! Tell me – can we retreat?!”

“Fight to the death, no retreat! Fight to the death, no retreat!”

The warriors also roared loudly, completely venting the fear in their hearts.

“Now... raise your weapons! Draw your bowstrings tight! Tell these Otherworld bastards – on this land, even the very air you breathe is the roar of warriors!”

Gavin's words completely ignited the warriors' passion. At this moment, they had cast aside fear and put life and death out of their minds.

At this moment, the Abyss Army had reached the city gates.

Cain sat on the Desert Dragon, watching Gavin on the city wall hoarsely rallying morale, listening to the roars of the defenders, a sneer of disdain appearing on his face:

“It's merely the death throes of ants. Enjoy this last bit of freedom well, for after today, even the right to breathe will have to be granted by the Abyss!”

Hundreds of zhang away from the city wall, Cain waved his hand, halting the Abyss Army's advance, then methodically made battle arrangements:

“The Worm Army will burrow underground to infiltrate the city and create chaos. Blood Bats and Banshees will fly high to attack the defenders from a distance. Shadow Assassins will look for opportunities to capture the city gates. The Devil Race and Snake-people will wait outside the city and charge in immediately once the gates are opened!”

For this siege, Cain had specifically borrowed a hundred Shadow Assassins from Ye Chen, and now they were put to use.

Otherwise, relying solely on Worms or Blood Bats to capture the gates would inevitably increase casualties.

Upon receiving the order, the various armies swarmed towards the Imperial Capital, requiring no preparation at all.