The polished stone projectiles, reloaded and ready, whistled ominously through the air, tearing through the ground and leaving a horrific path of blood and mud.

The heavy crossbows, as thick as a baby's arm, pinned Saracen soldiers in full armor together.

Their sturdy armor was as fragile as paper before this terrifying war machine.

Rauf, mounted on a warhorse and clad in exquisite scale armor, watched from afar amidst his personal guard, feeling momentarily at a loss for what to do.

"The enemy is currently in turmoil and can only exert half of their power at most."

"With the Scorpion-tailed Lion and Minot working together, even if they can't defeat the Witch, they can at least match her."

"We have already placed two siege towers against the city walls, and our chief force is engaged in fierce battle. To withdraw now would mean all previous efforts are wasted."

"Moreover, all our siege weapons have been deployed in this battle. If they are damaged, there is no time to rebuild, especially since Losa has not yet summoned all his vassals."

These thoughts gave Rauf the illusion that victory in this war of attrition was within reach if he just committed a bit more power.

The sunk cost from previous endeavors made him reluctant to give up.

"But I can't afford to lose any more of my elite troops. Send the Bedouins to fight, and I'll promise them an extra share of the spoils."

Rauf's face showed a touch of pain, "Damn it, how are these siege weapons crafted by the Franks so accurate?"

Sophisticated siege engines like weighted catapults require a high degree of technical expertise, and Rauf hadn't anticipated that capturing such a minor Eira Port would be so difficult.

So he hadn't bothered to hire engineers skilled in building such machines.

Even if he had a weighted catapult, it would be of no use.

Unless it was the type with extremely long range, which also required more advanced technical expertise and was harder to construct.

Otherwise, the elevated and exceptionally precise Siegfried High Tower would teach him a lesson.

...

Ned panted heavily, relieved as the tide of black-armored soldiers finally retreated; these were likely the enemy's elite, well-equipped, fearless warriors, shouting "Holy Fire Everlasting" and fighting to the death, exerting considerable pressure on the Black Eagle Banner Team he led.

Though intended as a standing army, the Black Eagle Banner Team couldn't compare to the Varangian Guard and seasoned veterans; their combat skills were lacking.

At best, they could match the enemy's black-armored soldiers.

"Ha, the Holy Land is truly a great place. These heretics are much better than the bare-chested Barbarians from the Baltic who only know how to charge blindly."

He laughed, uplifting the morale of the soldiers around him.

His fellow Imperial Knights weaved through the ranks, patting shoulders and tousling heads to show camaraderie.

Despite showcasing some shortcomings, the Black Eagle Banner Team's performance was commendable and followed a rotation strategy like the veteran soldiers.

Front-line soldiers would fall back when exhausted, replaced by those from the rear, significantly reducing casualties.

On the other hand, the victories of the Eagle Banner Brigade were terrifying.

These coordinated veteran soldiers lived up to their name and fought like kill machines, often stabbing newly deployed troops through the heart or simply pushing them off the walls with their shield formation.

A keen observer would notice that the number of enemies on their section of the wall never exceeded ten at any time.

...

Losa took a deep breath, the bulging veins from Bloodfall gradually subsiding.

He stepped on the Scorpion-tailed Lion's belly and pulled out his Cross Sword, giving it a light flick, flinging the blood onto the battlements. The blade remained spotless and new.

It seemed they had terrified them enough; only five Scorpion-tailed Lions remained circling above the city walls.

Furin's prepared Blood Spears hovered in midair, ready to mercilessly pierce the knights riding them if they dared to swoop down.

Her red robes swelled with the swirling magic power.

Her terrifying spiritual power, more than double Losa's, made her surpass most mid-level wizards, even among this world's magic wielders.

Just then.

A bone dagger, seemingly formed from countless vengeful spirits, appeared like a poisonous scorpion from the shadows behind Furin, its malice perceptible at a glance.

The arm beneath the black robe appeared as if reaching from another world.

As it viciously plunged the dagger toward Furin's heart from behind, a massive giant scorpion could faintly be seen lurking in the shadow.

"Get away!"

The terrifying aura of the Dark Lord surged unchecked within Losa.

This aura held immense sway over dark creatures.

The Black Wizard's dagger hand hesitated slightly.

This gave Kurs the chance he needed.

Kurs's face, as if unchanging even under a mountain's weight, now brimmed with monstrous veins, and his twin tusks pierced his lips.

He was visibly furious.

He was skilled at manipulating shadows, but the unknown Assassin before him exceeded his control of shadows and even dared to come assassinate his beloved Her Highness the Princess.

This was simply an humiliation!

Clang—

Kurs' hands met the white Bone Dagger, both non-metal materials, yet producing a crisp metallic clash.

The Black Wizard emerged from darkness.

But did not appear behind Furinjira; instead, he appeared on the city wall ten meters away.

He looked at Losa, with a mocking expression: "What a terrifying aura, too bad it's all show—if not for the Scorpion God granted me divine sight, perhaps I might have been fooled by you."

Responding to him.

Was Losa's merciless Holy Spear, this elusive enemy clearly had ties to the Dark Camp, or else would not be intimidated by the "Dark Lord" aura.

Light converged.

The Holy Spear appeared out of thin air in Losa's hand.

The mocking expression on the Black Wizard's face instantly froze.

"Divine Artifact?"

The Holy Spear was a Divine Artifact, undoubtedly.

He wanted to flee, but the characteristic of the Holy Spear to hit its target couldn't be dodged by ordinary people.

Prajna reminded: "He's not a Wizard, he's likely a Divine Favored of a Totem God, capable of borrowing Power from the god he worships."

Losa slightly nodded.

God-slaying, we've done it before, last time was the Crocodile God, this time, offer a Divine Favored to the spear.

Bang!

The Holy Spear pierced through the Black Wizard's body, instantly revealing countless wailing spirits upon his skin.

These were all souls imprisoned within him, intended to return to the tribe for the Scorpion God's sacrificial rite.

They were tormented by suffering, swiftly purified and dissipated under the radiance of the Holy Spear.

The Black Wizard let out a pained roar: "The great Scorpion God won't spare you, you blasphemer."

Losa had no intention of speaking, coldly observing the scene.

But the Black Wizard's face suddenly showed a hint of fear: "No, no, great Scorpion God, you're going to strip away my divine favor—are you afraid of this blasphemer?"

A strange sound echoed from behind him.

Soon, a shadowy Scorpion appeared, its compound eyes glanced at Losa before rapidly vanishing.

Prajna frowned: "What did it say to you?"

Losa sneered: "It said, 'Let the well water not interfere with the river water.'"

The Black Wizard let out a manic roar, but Kurs was already behind him, mercilessly slashing down.

A head rolled to the ground.

As the Holy Flame burned, the Black Wizard completely turned to ash.

New Power surfaced within Losa, successfully reaching the top tier of the experience he hadn't amassed by only slaying two Scorpion-tailed Lions.

"Rest, and let them bleed a bit more, then we'll prepare to counterattack."

As time passed.

The intensity of the enemy's assault weakened, with day marches and not resting well at night.

How could they sustain such a fierce offensive?

Seeing no progress in a long time, Rauf also felt like retreating, beginning to order the sounding of the withdrawal horn.

"It's time to give them a fatal blow."

Losa stood on the city wall, decisively ordered.

At the city gate, the drawbridge was lowered.

The Varangian Guard, armed with Two-Handed Axes, led by Hans, charged towards the retreating enemy forces.

Losa brewed the Breath of the Giant Dragon, and upon nearing the enemy camp, it swept out like a colossal sword wielded by the Fire God.

Flames wreaked havoc.

Lamentations rose all around.

Simultaneously, from the rear of the enemy camp, came the sound of galloping hooves.

Clad in Silver Armor, Jeanne shouted: "Boys, it's time to beat the drowning dogs, charge with me!"

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