WebNovels

Chapter 36 - Chapter 36: I Think I Can Win!

The heavy air inside Tino City weighed on everyone like a leaden blanket. At the heart of the fortress, General Yatiman stood tall, his broad shoulders stiffened with pride, his eyes glowing like those of an old tiger who refused to acknowledge weakness.

Before him, three deserters knelt on the cold stone floor, their armor dusty and battered from their frantic retreat. Their trembling forms were a shameful reminder of the Ross army pressing closer every hour.

One knight at Yatiman's side couldn't suppress his fear. He looked at the deserters, then glanced toward the city gates, beyond which the banners of Ross already fluttered. His scalp tingled, and sweat trickled down his temples.

"It's too fast…" he muttered under his breath.

He was right. Normally, to march through the entire Nord Kingdom would take at least two weeks. Yet in less than a week, the Ross army had stormed every town, every village, every fortress, leaving only Tino, the capital, still standing.

"How can this be possible? Are the Ross soldiers all knights and magicians?" whispered another, his voice filled with disbelief.

The knights around Yatiman shifted uneasily. None of them could understand how an army of only two thousand could sweep through Nord's defenses like a scythe through wheat. Fear made their hands clammy, their breathing quick.

But Yatiman's eyes flashed with fire. "Enough! All deserters shall be executed without mercy!" His deep voice echoed like a war drum across the hall.

The deserters cried out, begging for mercy, but Yatiman would not waver.

"I have led armies for decades," Yatiman thundered. "I have tasted defeat many times, but I have also wrestled victory from the jaws of disaster. The Nord Kingdom stands at the edge of the abyss, and someone must step forward to turn the tide. That someone is me!"

He pointed toward the city wall as though daring the Ross banners to come closer. "There are five thousand defenders in this city, and only two thousand Ross soldiers outside. How can we not defend these walls?"

The surrounding knights straightened at his words, encouraged by his defiance. Yatiman was no ordinary general; he was over sixty years old, a man forged in countless campaigns. His experience was unmatched, and his reputation in Nord was legendary. If anyone could turn the tide, it was him.

Not two thousand. Not even twenty thousand—Yatiman believed he could hold the wall against them all. That was the measure of his confidence, of his iron will.

Yet the war they now faced had already moved beyond the limits of his understanding.

The deserters screamed again as they were dragged away, but Yatiman refused to believe them. His tiger-like eyes blazed with stubborn resolve.

"No," he muttered to himself. "I will not accept it. Not everyone in the Ross army is a knight or a mage. Numbers do not lie. Five thousand against two thousand—Nord will endure!"

He clenched his fist. Not only would he hold the city wall, but he dreamed of striking back, of turning the tables, of crushing the Ross invaders in one decisive counterattack.

---

Outside the Walls

Beyond the gates, the Ross commander Rotis surveyed Tino City with cold eyes. His army stood ready, disciplined and silent, their weapons gleaming beneath the gray sky.

Rotis recalled the order he had received from His Majesty Gavin Ward: "Take the entire Nord Kingdom in a week." Now it was the seventh and final day. Only Tino remained.

There could be no delay. Failure was not an option.

"Artillery Battalion—prepare!" Rotis commanded.

Behind him, more than sixty 120mm PM-38 mortars were rolled into position. The muzzles pointed directly at the towering ten-meter walls of Tino. Soldiers worked quickly, shells loaded, barrels adjusted.

Rotis's gaze hardened. "Today, the Nord Kingdom falls."

---

On the Walls

Inside the city, the defenders remained blind to the storm gathering outside. Two groups of patrolmen switched places along the battlements.

Captain North, a brash officer with more arrogance than wisdom, sneered at the Ross encampment in the distance.

"Two thousand men," he scoffed. "They can camp out there all they want. They'll never break our walls. Five thousand Nord warriors stand ready. Let's see them try."

His men chuckled nervously, taking comfort in his bravado. Many of them shared Yatiman's confidence, believing sheer numbers and strong walls would save them.

Another soldier spoke with admiration, "General Yatiman is the greatest commander in Nord's history, our military god. With him leading us, we cannot lose!"

But before he could finish, a strange sound pierced the sky.

"Whistle…!"

The guards squinted upward. There was nothing visible, only an eerie shriek growing louder.

"What's that noise?" one muttered.

North snorted dismissively. "Probably those cowardly Ross dogs trying to scare us. Their camp is three kilometers away. What could they possibly—"

BOOM!

The explosion silenced him mid-sentence. A fireball erupted on the wall, hurling men through the air. Stone shattered, flames roared, bodies burned.

"AHHH!" Soldiers screamed as the shockwave blasted them backward. Smoke and gravel rained down.

"What—what is this?!"

Before anyone could answer, a storm of explosions followed. Mortar shells rained down upon the city like thunderbolts from the heavens.

Flames tore across the ramparts. Black smoke coiled upward, blotting out the sky. Inside the city, entire streets shook under the bombardment.

Captain North staggered, his ears ringing, his body trembling. He looked around, wide-eyed, unable to comprehend the devastation.

"Get down! GET—" His words were cut short as another shell struck nearby. The blast hurled him high into the air. When he crashed down, his legs were gone—scattered into bloody fragments. His scream curdled the blood of those who still lived.

Everywhere, soldiers were cut apart, burned alive, crushed beneath rubble. The once-proud defenders were reduced to shrieking, scrambling ants caught in fire.

Above, an eagle soared calmly, circling as if mocking the chaos below.

---

Collapse

General Yatiman rushed out of the command hall with a dozen knights. His face was red with fury, but also lined with disbelief.

"What's happening?!" he bellowed.

A knight pointed toward the battlements, his voice trembling. "General! The wall… the wall!"

They stared together as a section of the mighty wall shuddered, cracked, and with a final deafening roar, collapsed into a heap of rubble.

Countless Nord soldiers were crushed alive beneath the falling stone. The air filled with dust and screams.

"The wall… the wall has fallen…" the knight whispered.

Yatiman's eyes widened. In that moment, his unshakable confidence crumbled with the stones of Tino City.

Everything he had believed in—numbers, experience, his reputation—was suddenly meaningless against the Ross army's terrifying artillery.

And for the first time in decades, the great general felt the icy grip of despair.

---------------------------------------------------

Get membership in patreon to read more chapters

Extra chapters available in patreon

patreon.com/Dragonscribe31

-----------------------------------------------------

More Chapters