Shadow Slave novel Chapter 3045

The river flowing through the city was truly vast, spanning more than two kilometers at its widest point — that width narrowed significantly as it flowed under the city wall, but it was still tremendous. A dozen ships could sail on it without touching sides.

It was dozens of meters deep, as well, its unceasing current carrying millions of tons of water into the sea every day — tens of millions, even, if not hundreds. The river alone gave birth to a thriving civilization, and its slumbering power was simply unfathomable.

And yet...

That river was disappearing in front of their eyes.

"What do you mean, they are diverting the river?"

Effie's tone was incredulous.

When she heard Morgan's explanation, her expression turned grave.

As it turned out, controlling great rivers was not unheard of in the history of human warfare.

Somewhere far upstream, hidden from view, the engineers of the Steel Horde — and its countless soldiers, an almost inexhaustible source of labor — must have been busy for quite a while. It was not clear when Azarax had decided to obliterate the river, but it had to have happened months ago, perhaps even immediately after the first few assaults failed.

The soldiers of his conquering army had spent months digging gargantuan trenches and artificial channels that led away from the main bed of the river, separated from its flow by walls of soil until the right time. They weren't trying to stop the flow of water — that task was too titanic even for the great Steel Horde — instead, what they wanted to do was redirect the current, manipulating the river into changing direction and choosing a new path to the sea.

First, the last walls would be broken, and the channels would divert the river to a vast artificial lake. At the same time, the old bed would be blocked with mud and rock excavated during the creation of the lake. As a result, the lake would be filled with water, while the old riverbed would be drained. Eventually, new areas would be flooded by the river rushing toward the shore.

And the only vulnerability of the city defenses — the massive iron grate blocking the river, which was far weaker than the stone surrounding it — would be revealed, allowing the Steel Horde to launch a direct assault by walking across the dry riverbed. Instead of slamming into the unbreakable walls and trying to scale them, they would simply break through the grate and enter the city on foot.

Azarax had been preparing this plan for a while, and now, he was finally putting it in motion.

Effie glanced at her bandaged arm, then at the flowing water.

Her gaze was somber.

"How long do we have?"

Morgan retrieved her dagger, wiped its blade on her sleeve, and then absorbed it back into herself. Looking up from the muddy slope, she answered in a tone that echoed Effie's own resigned dread.

"Not long. Hours... a day, at best — the point is to strike fast, before the opening is fortified by the Mason."

Most importantly, many Awakened warriors had not fully replenished their essence yet. Effie herself was wounded and bruised all over, missing much of her soul essence. The same went for Morgan and Kai, while Seishan was more or less out of commission... 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

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