On the Outer City Wall, the soldiers who had long prepared stood at a distance, watching the ever-advancing tide of White Mist. Each of them wore a heavy expression.
At first, they didn’t understand why in the middle of the night they were suddenly summoned to assemble, dress properly, and climb the walls, only to be told this would be a grueling defensive battle.
They initially took it lightly; after all, Red Pine City had enjoyed peace for so long. The last time soldiers spilled blood was during an internal struggle…
Years of calm had numbed their sense of crisis.
But when they saw the eerie white mist rolling in, every one of them swallowed hard and gripped their weapons tightly.
Those weapons were the only faint source of security they had.
Escape was simply not an option.
The Knight Squad enforcing discipline stood not far below the walls.
Any cowardly retreat that caused the defense to collapse would result in immediate execution, and the rest would be driven back to fill the gap.
No retreat was possible; they had to fight their way out.
Within the pale mist, countless monstrous figures flickered.
A few White Mist Ghosts ran ahead, leaping onto the walls.
Using their thin claws, they pushed against the incoming arrows and kept climbing upwards.
When they reached the wall tops, several spears stabbed down and ended them.
As the tide of white mist drew near, the sheer number of monsters became clear—anyone who saw them closely had their eyelids twitch uncontrollably, and the more experienced among them shouted out.
“This is even fiercer than the Monster Tide at the North Gate!”
Every ten years or so, the Northern Mountains would see a frenzied Monster Tide sweeping through the northern kingdoms, but even that was nothing compared to the massive scale before them now.
The soldiers’ initial fatigue evaporated completely.
This was a matter of life and death; they couldn’t afford distractions and raised their spirits to the utmost.
As the order to attack was given, soldiers raised their weapons to block the monsters trying to climb the walls, while the Mage Order, under unified command, relentlessly bombarded them.
The bombardment mainly consisted of elemental Fire Magic. Fire Element Magic was the easiest to learn in the Elemental Magic System, resulting in a large number of Fire Element mages.
Yet, even under the onslaught of explosive Fireball Technique spells, the monsters seemed oblivious to fear or death, relentlessly charging forward.
Even when a concentrated fireball radiating terrifying heat hurtled straight toward their faces, the monsters neither dodged nor flinched, letting the fireball burn a gaping hole through their pale bodies.
When the concentrated fireball hit the ground, it triggered a subsequent explosion of flames.
Like a cannonball, it burst in the dim night sky into a bright orange-red flower.
The two long eastern defense lines made holding the position difficult.
Even relying on the Mage Order’s Fireball Technique to clear the ground only temporarily stalled the monsters’ advance.
The white mist remained unaffected—no amount of wind magic could disperse it.
The White Mist surged over the walls with unstoppable force.
The civilian districts suffered first.
Although evacuation had begun long ago, progress was slow, and those at the rear of the evacuation column were attacked by monsters.
Within the city, wails rose in all directions. The Order of Knights had to split their forces to deal with the faceless White Humanoids that suddenly appeared from the mist.
These creatures did not come from anywhere else; they were manifestations of the White Mist itself.
When killed, they dissolved back into mist, only to reform again into monsters—seemingly endless.
Every time a monster regenerated, a deep sense of helplessness welled up from the heart.
Henna rode her armored horse, holding the reins in one hand while slaying a White Humanoid monster lunging at her with the other. Her face was grave.
She had underestimated the Mist Lord’s Church.
This mist was likely created through a special ritual. They had only two choices—
One: lead elite cavalry out of the city to charge directly at the ritual site and disrupt the strange source of the mist.
Two: retreat to the Inner City and activate its barriers, using them to conduct a war of attrition.
Ritual magic on this scale would consume enormous energy; as long as they could hold out for some time, the enemy would collapse on their own.
“Lord, the defense on the city wall has collapsed. This White Mist is too strange!”
An old knight, having broken through after a fierce battle, arrived before Henna with a squad of cavalry.
They bore some injuries, none fatal. Overall, the soldiers’ casualties weren’t heavy.
But this mist was not ordinary water vapor; it was more like white smoke from burning straw.
Breathing it caused a burning sensation in the nose and mouth, and prolonged exposure made the eyes sting and water uncontrollably.
Though these monsters posed a great threat to commoners, trained soldiers were not so easily affected.
Yet the relentless, tireless attacks—and the psychological pressure of the mist—were severe. Once morale snapped, collapse was inevitable.
“Lord…”
The old knight awaited Henna’s command. The Outer City’s rapid fall was unexpected and reflected a severe intelligence failure.
Henna’s domain lay between Red Pine City and the Western Wind Empire.
The neighboring cities had little direct contact.
She had expected a battle between people, not between people and monsters.
Henna hesitated. Charging out to disrupt the enemy’s formation was extremely risky and might even be a trap.
But if they held the line, the old noble faction within the Inner City was already waiting in ambush.
After a moment’s thought, the female lord’s eyes hardened, and she spoke calmly.
“Put down the internal strife first.”
Everyone present was shocked by those words.
Internal strife? What internal strife?
They still did not know what had caused this seemingly sudden battle to defend the city.
Inner City, Viscount Ganade’s Manor.
Numerous private soldiers had assembled, armed and armored.
Ganade sat astride a black horse, his gaze sweeping the gathering.
“Move out!”
At his stern command, these previously scattered and secretive private troops marched onto the avenue.
Their armored and armed presence startled the surrounding households preparing dinner, who hurriedly hid away.
The three Viscounts split into three paths.
Viscount Ganade, under the pretense of supporting the lord, intended to seize the Inner City gates.
Viscount Kost was assigned to deal with the North Gate’s possible assault.
Viscount Pryke, the eldest and most respected, headed to the Lord’s Manor to publicly accuse Henna of “crimes” during an ongoing banquet and to propose a new Asades lord.
Taking the city gates was meant to cut off the retreat of soldiers fighting outside, forcing them to face the encroaching White Mist step by step and exhaust their forces.
Then Ganade planned to rest and recover before striking again.
Their plan was idealistic, but reality had other ideas.
When Ganade arrived with five hundred private soldiers at the Inner City gates, the City Guard Knight Squad ignored his pleas for aid and launched an attack!
Immediately, the two sides clashed, steel ringing.
Ganade parried a sword strike and glared at the young knight, shouting angrily.
“We’re here to assist! What is the meaning of this?”
The young knight ignored him and ordered his men not to show mercy, clearly intending to annihilate this private army at once.
Ganade was furious but still unwilling to believe the plan had leaked. Gritting his teeth, he tried to negotiate again.
At that moment, the city gate opened, and a fiery red figure charged in.
Henna led the way on horseback, followed by elite cavalry.
Ganade’s heart leapt.
Why was she here? Wasn’t she at the frontline?
Damn it. What was the Mist Lord’s Church doing? They had promised to hold Henna back, so why was she still visible here?
The Inner City walls were higher, nearly ten meters tall, blocking the view of the outside.
Ganade swallowed his complex emotions and urged his horse forward.
He called out to Henna.
“Lord, we’re here to help defend the city!”
Henna sneered coldly, drew her long sword from its sheath, and pointed it at Viscount Ganade’s head.
“Shut up, you shameless traitor!”
Ganade’s expression darkened.
He now fully understood the plan had been exposed. Secretly, he wondered who had betrayed them—his first suspicion fell on Kost.
Though the Kost family shared their interests, they weren’t completely aligned.
Their fundamental interest lay with the noble class, though they had already converted part of their power into commerce.
Seeing Henna showing no mercy, Ganade touched a long box hanging at his waist, steeling himself to draw his blade and charge her.
Their strength was roughly equal. They dismounted and clashed fiercely.
Enya stood high above, overlooking the entire city.
The White Mist was now pressing against the Inner City walls.
She shifted from her Dragon Princess form back into the body of Phil.
She looked down at herself.
Her body still responded perfectly, without any odd sensations. But Phil’s earlier words had instilled a trace of caution.
“I’ll have to ask Antiros about this later.”
Enya sighed.
A black bubble of shadow formed upward from beneath her, enveloping her entire body.
As the bubble burst, Enya transformed into a Black Nun.
Her black habit was marked by a vertical white stripe.
Her silver-purple hair framed a face that was utterly void and pitch black. She felt a tightness on her body.
“I’ve used this form so much, I’ve already gotten used to it. Heh.”
Beneath the mask, her eyes pierced through the mist and fixed on a white-robed figure standing within it.
Among them, one aura drew Enya’s particular attention.
The white-robed figure wore a pointed, narrow hood, split by a black slit running from top to bottom.
From beneath his robe’s hem, mist continuously poured out.
His eerie presence rivaled that of the Black Nun atop Red Pine City. The two could not form a discernible face.