Shadow Slave novel Chapter 3047

As the ocean of steel flowed toward the walls of the city, its defenders unleashed a hail of arrows at the enemy. The mighty siege engines installed atop the bastions groaned as they were drawn, ancient runes igniting with ethereal light — then, enormous bolts were sent barreling into the advancing horde, carving bloody paths through it.

Most were aimed at the looming figures of the enemy Saints. Some hit their mark, some missed, but no projectile failed to reap a bloody harvest. That was one of the disadvantages that the Steel Horde suffered — due to the sheer number of soldiers under Azarax's command, it was almost impossible to miss when aiming at their disorganized formation. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

The warriors of the Steel Horde raised their shields as they ran, hoping to save themselves from the deadly rain of arrows. Still, countless soldiers fell, pierced by the sharp arrowheads... some of them were merely wounded, not killed, but it didn't matter. Seconds later, they were trampled on and crushed under the endless sea of soldiers running behind them, dying brutal deaths.

That was the cruel nature of the Steel Horde. It had no mercy to spare, not even to its own warriors.

Of course, these vanguard forces were merely cannon fodder, composed mostly of mundane humans. Azarax held his elite forces back and deployed them far more strategically, knowing that even his reserves of Awakened fighters were not limitless.

He had already lost a horrifying number of soldiers under the tall walls of this city. Not only mundane soldiers, but also Awakened, Ascended... even Trancendent champions. The mercenary army the Mason had hired, led by the unyielding War Maiden, was a chillingly deadly bunch — especially her five lieutenants, who were more skilled and powerful than even the most seasoned veterans among his thralls.

Perhaps Azarax should have expected no less from the zealots of War. Still...

That only made him desire them more. That was how the Steel Horde grew — the weak were culled by the enemy, and then the enemy champions took their place, enthralled by the King of Kings.

These mercenaries would come to serve Azarax, as well. The proud War Maiden would kneel before him... and after that, she wouldn't be able to keep her pride for long. He was looking forward to that day with great anticipation.

For now, though...

She and her five Transcendent champions were proving to be quite a nuisance. Standing behind the wall, Effie regarded the advancing horde somberly and then leaned down to pick up a block of stone from the ground. That block was as large as a house, weighing hundreds of tons — nevertheless, she lifted it effortlessly, resting its whole weight on her shoulder.

Then, placing her other hand on the rampart of the wall, Effie exhaled and tossed the stone block into the sky.

Its passage was not as flashy as that of Azarax's comet-like battle axe, but no less terrifying.

Soaring high in a steep arc, the enormous block of stone reached an apex somewhere above the front ranks of the Steel Horde and then plummeted down. The soldiers trembled and cried out as its shadow fell on them — a moment later, Effie's stone collided with one of the colossal siege towers, making its middle section explode. The tower was heavily armored and protected by a complicated weave of runic enchantments, but even sorcery could not handle the dreadful power of great mass and gravity-assisted acceleration, folding under the devastating force of the impact. A vast swathe of the siege tower exploded into a cloud of debris, pieces of its armored shell mixed with body fragments and rivers of blood. Its upper part fell, while the lower part careened and toppled into the mass of soldiers below.

The losses caused by that one throw numbered in the thousands. The soldiers sheltered inside the tower had turned into a crimson haze, and more soldiers still were crushed under the falling debris.

Effie was already reaching for another stone block.

At the same time, Kai released the string of his bow, sending an enchanted arrow streaking above the battlefield. It pierced the eye of a gargantuan beast who had been pulling another siege tower, making its entire head explode into a cloud of blood, bone fragments, and brain matter.

Usually, Effie would have used her shield to defend herself... but with her arm still recovering from receiving a blow from Azarax, she hesitated to reveal her weakness so soon.

"Draw your bows!"

The dreadful rustle was growing quiet, so it was safe — relatively so — to attack again. Azarax was going all out today, so despite the shields, many defenders had perished under the fatal rain of steel. Effie did not have to worry about having enough arrows for the next assault, at least — in fact, collecting the enemy arrows was the reason her own soldiers still had any to shoot.

The light of the sun dimmed again, signaling that another barrage was imminent...

The exchange of volleys continued for some time, Azarax losing ten times more soldiers than Effie was losing. However, she doubted that he cared about these casualties. Because no matter how many of them fell, their advance was not thwarted. In fact, it wasn't even slowed down that much.

Soon enough, the steel ocean reached the walls of the city.

And, most importantly, a powerful current of enemy soldiers flowed down the dry riverbed, reaching the gaping breach where the iron grate used to stand.

Far below, Morgan pursed her lips and moved forward.