As I speak! Vast swathes of the Demon-Sealing warriors who had charged to the base of the city wall were incinerated.

Yet, swiftly, a massive black cloud surged forth from Aotian's iron phalanx. On closer inspection, it was a dense procession of siege chariots, each mounted with scaling ladders—easily over five hundred in total, a suffocating swarm bearing down on the battlements. These ladder chariots bore some resemblance to modern fire trucks; their ladders could extend and retract freely, ensuring that any wall, no matter its height, could be scaled once the ladder was secured. The base of the chariot was exceptionally wide and thick, not as outrageously large as a modern heavy truck, but certainly the size of a small delivery van. This broad foundation was cast from sturdy iron armor plating and ebony wood, making it difficult to pierce. Furthermore, the base incorporated a mechanical drive system akin to the pedal mechanism on modern trucks. Instead of an engine, it was powered by a foot-pedal mechanism; a dozen strong warriors stomping in unison could get the ladder chariot moving, and steering proved nearly as straightforward as controlling a modern truck, though the speed was naturally unimpressive.

However, the solid chassis and wide, heavy base ensured that once a ladder chariot extended its ramp, it became incredibly stable and difficult to dislodge. On the continent of Marfa, the ladder chariot was an indispensable weapon for the attacking side in any siege warfare.

Following closely behind the ladder chariots were no fewer than a thousand tortoise-shell chariots. These were constructed from a composite of dark iron and ebony. They had flat bases supported by four wheels and also utilized a pedal-powered mechanical drive system similar to bicycles. In essence, the bases of the tortoise-shell chariots were comparable to the ladder chariots, only scaled up to accommodate more personnel, effectively making them the size of a modern coach bus. Propelling such a massive vehicle required the combined effort of at least twenty brawny warriors. While their speed was agonizingly slow, their iron plating granted them monstrous defensive capabilities; the defensive siege weaponry—catapults and heavy crossbows—were utterly useless against these behemoths. Even the inferno raging across the ground due to the Fire Wall spell could not halt their inexorable advance.

“They intend to force a breach,” Jin Yaohong stated gravely. “The ladder chariots and tortoise-shell chariots are advancing simultaneously.”

“It’s finally coming,” I admitted, feeling a knot of tension. I hadn't expected mechanical propulsion systems resembling modern technology to appear in the cold steel warfare of the Marfa world.

Rumble, rumble!! Rumble! The towering ladder chariots lumbered forward, slow yet resolute, reaching the foot of the wall. Even surrounded by raging seas of fire, they encountered no significant hindrance.

Slabs of magical logs and massive stones rained down from the sky, yet these too failed to inflict any meaningful damage on the charging vehicles. With a heavy thud, the tall ladders slammed against the battlements, erecting a ramp as if by magic.

Immediately, countless Shield and Blade warriors poured out from the robust tortoise-shell chariots behind them. Shielding themselves with great bulwarks, they advanced desperately up the ladders under a relentless deluge of stones and logs.

It had begun! The most brutal confrontation of offense versus defense between conventional troop types was now underway.

I watched the situation around the wall with growing tension. Feng Qingtian and the others stood ready, swords drawn, poised to strike. Meanwhile, Jin Yaohong and his group looked grim, their gazes fixed far out into the enemy formation, seemingly sensing or tracking something.

“Long Push Poles! Wolf Fang Balls! Rolling Logs! Fire Oil! Attack! The Purgatory Killing Squad, prepare! Mages and Archers, fall back to the second line!” Yan Kai’s thunderous voice boomed across the wall. “The Scarlet Moon Killing Squad, stand by for support.”

“Yes, sir!”

The Mages, Taoists, and Archers swiftly retreated more than ten meters, clearing the front line. Everything was moving with disciplined order. The Purgatory Killing Squad warriors, clutching their Purgatory weapons, immediately rushed to the merlons. This was the moment for true melee combat; only Warriors would prove useful now.

Clang!

Almost the instant the ladders touched the wall, countless thick, gigantic, branch-like objects rapidly pressed against the ladders, shoving them back. Upon closer inspection, behind these massive timbers stood two dozen stout warriors, heaving against the colossal beams, desperately trying to push the ladders away. Yet, the ladders, once forced back, would quickly press against the wall again. This was because the ladder chariots’ wide, sturdy bases prevented the Long Push Polemen from easily dislodging them. However, this constant pushing and leaning caused the ladders to sway violently, rocking back and forth like giant weathervanes, yet refusing to topple.

This motion had an unfortunate side effect: the Demon-Sealing warriors climbing the ladders were thrown about like people on a swing. A slight misstep meant a fatal plunge to shatter on the ground below.

“Smash them!” Yan Kai roared. “Fire Oil, burn the ladders!”

Soon, the warriors of the Prague Legion, who had been waiting in perfect readiness, seized containers resembling buckets from behind the merlons and tipped the pitch-soaked contents down onto the advancing enemy.

But this maneuver exposed them to attack; archers and mages below the wall seized the opportunity, killing many. Numerous soldiers, mid-pour, were skewered by arrows and crashed down the wall, taking their buckets with them.

Nevertheless, the soldiers pressed on, emerging through sheer force of will to ignite the ladders perched on the battlements.

The ladders of the siege chariots were crafted from durable, fire-resistant ebony, making them difficult to ignite with a Mage’s fire magic. However, using the spilled fire oil as fuel allowed the ebony to catch fire—this was the most common tactic against the ladders. Still, burning down a single ladder took considerable time, and the attacking force aimed to storm the walls during this brief window.

Boom!

In an instant, every ladder resting against the wall was drenched in oil and engulfed in roaring flames.

Yet, this blaze failed to deter the Demon-Sealing warriors who climbed desperately through the inferno.

Driven by their protective Battle Aura, the Demon-Sealing warriors charged like madmen. Some, fully engulfed in flames from the oil, still fought their way onto the wall. The scene was terrifying beyond description. I could not fathom what kind of conviction drove these warriors to fight with such suicidal fervor.

“Rolling Logs, down!” Yan Kai’s guttural command cracked like thunder once more.

Immediately, countless warriors carrying massive logs hurled them down with desperate force. They dropped the logs with practiced skill; the wide, thick timbers rolled down the ladders almost perfectly aligned, smashing squarely into the Demon-Sealing warriors halfway up, sending them plummeting to become paste on the stones below.

Even those who managed to scramble onto the wall were immediately cut down by the Purgatory Killing Squad.

Although the Demon-Sealing warriors were formidable, the climb up the ladders had already drained significant stamina. Furthermore, the Purgatory warriors fought from a position of superior ground advantage, launching attacks the moment an enemy appeared, thereby preventing the Demon-Sealing warriors from utilizing their devastating offensive power.

However, more ladders kept locking onto the wall, and the Demon-Sealing Shield and Blade soldiers climbing them surged forward like an unstoppable tide.

Roar! Roar! Roar! With several guttural bellows, dozens of Dragon-Demon warriors simultaneously broke through a Long Push Point on one section of the wall, launching a ferocious assault on the defending soldiers. In a flash, they cut down a significant number of the Prague Purgatory Killing Squad warriors.

“Damn it! It’s their Scarlet Moon Killing Squad!” Several veterans in Feng Qingtian’s formation immediately recognized the danger.

“Scarlet Moon Killing Squad, move out!” Yan Kai yelled urgently.

“Yes!” Feng Qingtian and his team, who had been waiting impatiently, surged forward the moment the order was given. “Charge!” The three-hundred-strong elite squad burst forth like tigers released from the jungle, instantly reaching the edge of the merlons.

Roar! Slash! Gleaming blades and wild Battle Aura erupted in a sudden explosion of force!

Where light flashed, rain of blood followed. In the blink of an eye, dozens of enemies were felled. The Long Push Point, which had nearly been lost, was instantly retaken.

“Excellent skill,” several veterans of the Scarlet Moon Killing Squad cheered in unison.

“Indeed,” Feng Qingtian and the others began to relax, anticipating a lull.

“Ah, watch out!” It was Han Yunzhen’s sharp cry of alarm.

Swish! Swish! Simultaneously, three dazzling beams of light flashed—three giant greatswords sliced toward Feng Qingtian with lightning speed.

“Ah! Such speed!” Even with Feng Qingtian’s cultivation level, he was caught off guard. In an instant, two sharp rays completely sealed off all his escape routes.

The central strike aimed with terrifying velocity directly at Feng Qingtian’s chest.

Roar!

Feng Qingtian instantly maximized his protective Battle Aura and launched himself to the right in a flash of light and electricity.

Clang! While blocking the heavy, powerful blow from the right, he dodged the deadly strike aimed at his center.

The missed blade slammed brutally into a wall buttress, sending shards of stone flying.

Failing the initial assault, the three Demon-Sealing Shield and Blade warriors pressed their advantage, swinging their blades anew at Feng Qingtian. As Feng Qingtian rolled across the ground, he roared, flipped up, and unleashed a crescent moon slash.

Clang! His powerful Battle Aura was solidly blocked by the massive shields of the Demon-Sealing warriors, eliciting a dull, heavy impact.

Clang!

Roar!

Almost at the same moment, the three Demon-Sealing warriors struck again with their giant steel blades. The blades targeted Feng Qingtian’s head, waist, and lower legs, respectively. Due to the sheer size of the massive steel blades, Feng Qingtian’s options for evasion were nearly extinguished.

“Ah! Leader!” Several veterans cried out in shock and rushed toward the three Demon-Sealing warriors, attempting to rescue Feng Qingtian from peril. The nearby Purgatory Killing Squad members also desperately engaged the three warriors.

But help was too far. The colossal steel blades descended before them.

Roar!

Cornered, Feng Qingtian roared, unleashing a blazing sword energy from his Frost Condensing Sword, aimed directly at the Dragon-Demon Shield and Blade warrior in the center. This was clearly a strategy of mutual destruction, or perhaps Feng Qingtian’s only viable option in this predicament: forcing back the central attacker would allow him to break free from the combined assault zone of the three.

Clang! The Frost Condensing Sword clashed head-on with the warrior’s massive steel blade, with no finesse involved.

Slash! The terrifying rebound force slammed Feng Qingtian backward, causing him to vomit blood instantly. The hands gripping the sword throbbed with agonizing pain, almost entirely losing sensation.

“Who are they?” Even now, Feng Qingtian could not believe the terrifying offensive strength these Shield and Blade warriors possessed. He was at the peak of the Scarlet Moon rank, yet he was being pushed to the brink of disaster by three Demon-Sealing Shield and Blade warriors.

In a flash of thought, Feng Qingtian quickly ducked and rolled to the side.

Swish! Two streaks of cold light whistled past, grazing the very scalp of Feng Qingtian.

However, the warrior he had just repelled with the blast immediately roared and lunged forward, bringing a massive steel blade down in a crushing vertical strike against the prone Feng Qingtian.

“Get away!”

Roar!! Swish!

Suddenly, three streaks of electric light flashed forth, intertwining like three long snakes, instantly ensnaring the three Demon-Sealing Shield and Blade warriors. A blinding flash of intense fire followed.

Bang!! Swish! Three heads flew into the air.

It was Han Yunzhen’s Swift Light Film and Tong Lei’s Raging Fire Sword Qi striking simultaneously, saving Feng Qingtian at the critical moment.

“Incredible, and they are just regular Shield and Blade warriors,” Feng Qingtian said, shaking with lingering fear.

Tong Lei and Han Yunzhen, along with the others, were equally grave-faced. They knew Feng Qingtian’s strength well; the fact that just three Shield and Blade warriors could put him in such a desperate situation was shocking. How many such soldiers did the Aotian Legion truly possess?

“Leader, there’s no need for surprise,” several veterans noticed their concerns and explained. “Those three were not ordinary Shield and Blade warriors; they were One-Star Brigadier Generals within the Aotian Legion. Even within that army, their numbers would not exceed one thousand. They are the absolute elite of all their soldiers, usually deployed as the vanguard to seize the Long Push Points held by the defenders. It’s fortunate you managed to kill them; otherwise, our Long Push Point would have fallen.”

“Shameful,” Feng Qingtian and the others looked utterly stunned. Only now did they truly grasp the difference between a pure Warrior and a Ranger.

“What immense power!” Tong Lei murmured. “And their coordination is flawless!”

“It seems we need to focus,” Han Yunzhen said seriously.

Mm! The younger members nodded slightly. Having so easily surpassed the veterans upon entering the army had made Feng Qingtian and his comrades a bit complacent, making them think that all soldiers in the military were of the same caliber.

However, the recent peril instantly made them realize how far they still lagged behind those battle-hardened veterans. In a one-on-one fight, those three Demon-Sealing Shield and Blade warriors were no match for Feng Qingtian. But through their exquisite teamwork and near-suicidal fighting techniques, they nearly brought him to grief.

All this transpired in mere moments, but the battlefield did not pause for their brief lapse in attention.

“Leader, watch out! The next wave is coming!” several veterans shouted urgently.

“Let them come,” Feng Qingtian tightened his grip on the Frost Condensing Sword, staring down at the Demon-Sealing warriors rapidly approaching the wall base.

“Kill!” Soon, dozens of Demon-Sealing warriors forcibly breached the Long Push Point again, but Feng Qingtian and his team, already on high alert, immediately engaged them.

Golden figures darted through the corners of the wall like phantoms. Dazzling Raging Fire Sword Qi flashed periodically, each strike harvesting the lives of several Demon-Sealing Shield and Blade warriors. It seemed the soldiers’ impressive strength and formidable defense were rendered useless against the spectral agility of Feng Qingtian’s team and the terrifying assault of their Fire Sword Qi. No longer underestimating the enemy, Feng Qingtian and his group finally displayed their true capabilities.

On the other flank, Han Yunzhen proved equally formidable. The veterans didn’t even see her mouth the incantations before countless bolts of lightning and icy roars rained down like a squall upon the surging Shield and Blade soldiers. Every warrior struck perished instantly. Such powerful offensive magic was being cast by Han Yunzhen instantaneously, and the frequency of her attacks was horrifying.

As for Xia Ya, he remained consistently active, deploying mass Healing Charms and Divine Armor Spells, along with Ghost Shields, whenever his comrades needed them most. He even managed to slip in a few Red Poisons and Green Poisons on the Dragon-Demon Shield and Blade soldiers who had managed to scale the wall. His Holy Word Divine Beast, however, was fiercely brave. Any Demon-Sealing warrior caught in its Holy Word Fire Breath suffered indescribable agony, and even those who managed to block the flames with their great shields were sent flying like kicked soccer balls by the sheer force of the Divine Beast’s massive body, smashing into paste below the wall. Xia Ya’s performance, both in direct offense and team support, was absolutely impeccable.

All the veterans sucked in a sharp breath! Gods! What kind of monsters were these people? Their skills were terrifyingly potent.

Both Han Yunzhen’s super-magic and Feng Qingtian’s Raging Fire Sword Qi were not only devastatingly powerful but incredibly precise. In such chaotic combat, they managed to strike enemies accurately without ever harming their allies—this level of mastery required untold amounts of grueling training. How laughable it was that they had viewed these individuals as mere rookies, resentful of their higher military rank. Only at this moment did the veterans truly accept Feng Qingtian and his team as their leaders; this was genuine acceptance, not mere submission to superior force.

“Roar! Well done!” Stimulated by Feng Qingtian’s astonishing skill, the veterans cheered in unison, their morale soaring.

Mm! Feng Qingtian and Tong Lei exchanged faint smiles before charging toward the other Long Push Points that the Demon-Sealing Shield and Blade soldiers had managed to breach.

“Right, we can’t fall behind either!” the veterans roared with passionate zeal.

“You’re right! Don’t let them look down on us!” someone shouted, leading the cry. All the warriors summoned their strength and rushed toward the Shield and Blade soldiers who had reached the battlements. In an instant, the Scarlet Moon Killing Squad swept across the wall like a dynamic, flowing dragon, appearing in every location where support was most desperately needed, aiding the defending soldiers.

“Good work.” Watching Feng Qingtian and the others darting across the wall, I wished intensely that I could join the fray myself. However, noticing the grim expression on Jin Yaohong’s face, I could only resign myself to inaction.

It seemed Jin Yaohong was still waiting for the enemy’s Heavenly Demon warriors to appear!