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.

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. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

The beheaded giant swayed and toppled, its enormous body igniting with an ethereal radiance. By the time it hit the ground, what was left in its wake was a headless human body — the body of a Saint whom Azarax had once defeated and enthralled.

Just like that, the Steel Horde lost another Transcendent champion.

If there was one advantage the defenders of the city possessed — apart from its impregnable walls — it was Kai and his inescapable skill as an archer. Nothing could hide from his gaze, and both his powerful bow and his arrows were a gift from the Lord of Shadows. So, even the Dread Warriors serving Azarax feared the Dragonslayer.

They feared him more than even the Soul Reaper, who had become known as an incarnation of Death among the soldiers of the Steel Horde. One would see the Reaper before being slain by her, at least — the arrows of the Dragonslayer fell from the sky while he remained invisible, hunting his prey from a vast distance.

Which was not to say that the Steel Horde had no answer to the deadly barrage.

Just as Effie hoisted another stone block on her shoulder, a dark haze rose above the advancing steel ocean. In the next moment, the world lost its luster, plunging the battlefield into dim darkness — that was a vast cloud of arrows blotting out the sun. Effie's voice resounded above the wall like thunder:

“Take cover!"

The soldiers pressed themselves into the battlements, the dedicated shield-bearers raising their shields to protect the nearby archers. Moments after that, the terrifying cloud fell upon the wall, spilling into the ruined streets below. A deafening rustle rose as the arrows continued to batter the defenders, continuing for a second, two... a dozen.

Effie herself staggered back when several annihilating blows landed on her armor — those weren't mundane arrows, of course, but instead those sent flying by the Saints of the Steel Horde.

Her size provided her with a lot of advantages, but it also made her a huge target. Luckily, her armor was of the Supreme Rank, so it held, allowing her to duck and hide her enormous figure behind the wall.

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.