Chapter 109

Hearing Aurora’s words, Barrett felt a chill in his heart. Furious, he shouted, “They don’t need to sacrifice themselves! The Mystic Army is leading the siege! We’re just supporting them. Even if you’re here to help me, you could have them load stones instead of sending them to their deaths!”

Michael, ignoring the chaos, commanded, “Mystic Army, up the ladders! Anyone not part of our unit, kick them down!”

Initially stunned, the Mystic Army quickly regained its composure. They resumed climbing, pulling down or kicking off anyone not wearing Mystic Army armor. People continued to fall, but at least they had a chance to survive without being speared.

Seeing the situation stabilizing, Barrett shoved Aurora aside. “Go cry somewhere else!”

He rushed to the catapults and instructed, “Keep loading the stones! Keep firing!”

Aurora stood, wiped away her tears, and hardened her expression. She ordered her soldiers to fall back, intending to rush in once the city was breached. Her troops simply must steal Carissa’s glory! Barrett would regret this!

Unaware of the chaos at the ladders, Rafael and Carissa focused on destroying the crossbow machines. Liam had clearly prepared enough archers to replace those they killed, but at least the arrow rain was less dense.

Rafael needed an opportunity to open the gate, a task requiring more than one person to cover him. Only he and Carissa possessed the skill to do it alone; Violet and the others couldn't manage it.

The gates of Simonton City were heavy, nearly ten meters tall, and reinforced with two layers of iron. Opening them was an arduous ordeal, especially with countless arrows raining down.

Rafael refused to let Carissa take that risk. After taking down several archers and waiting for the next wave, he darted to Carissa’s side. Quickly dispatching an archer, he whispered urgently, “Cover me! I’m going down to open the gate.”

Carissa spun her Rose Spear, glancing at Rafael. His face was covered in enemy blood, and she assumed hers was probably the same.

“Yes, sir!” she responded.

On the battlefield, lives were as cheap as grass. Amidst the torrential rain of arrows, Rafael’s battle robes fluttered as he darted through the city like a shooting star, quickly ascending and descending to reach the city gate. Carissa followed closely, spinning the Rose Spear to shield him.

Seeing this, Violet and the others quickly took positions on the four corners of the city walls to destroy enemy archer formations.

A group of Mystic Army soldiers on the walls saw what was happening and shouted, “Shield unit, to the gate!”

Many Mystic Army soldiers, armed with shields, quickly descended the stairways on either side. The spear unit followed closely behind, using the shield unit for cover and fighting their way down. Their disciplined training paid off—their offensive and defensive formations were perfectly executed. The hardships endured during training had become muscle memory.

After taking down one wave, the shield unit quickly repositioned to face the next. They fought up close with blades, and the spear unit advanced once a sufficient distance separated them from the enemies.

Soon, they reached Rafael and Carissa, forming a tight shield formation around them, like an iron fortress.

Barrett ordered the catapult crews to continue launching stones, keeping the enemy at bay. Even he was surprised at how well he and Carissa coordinated. He then ordered a halt to the battering ram, pulling everyone back to prepare for the breakthrough.

By now, Aurora had composed herself. Gripping her sword, she was ready to charge in once the gate was breached.

The heavy city gate groaned loudly.

Standing at the highest point and commanding the troops, Liam didn’t order his men to hold their positions. He focused intently on one spot, but with so many people on the battlefield, he couldn’t discern Aurora.

However, he wasn’t worried. He knew he wasn’t the only one watching for her. All the Westhaven soldiers were looking for her, as capturing her was their primary goal. They had spent significant resources and manpower for this purpose.

As the gates opened wide, the Hell Monarch Army and reinforcements surged in like a tidal wave.

(The final lines, "COIN BUNDLE: get more free bonus D," appear to be extraneous and unrelated to the story.)