### Chapter 91: One Force Breaks the City
Hiss—
The huge Horned Horse beneath me snorted, its hooves restlessly tapping the ground.
On the grassy plain at the edge of the pine forest, over two hundred Golden Armored Knights stood unnervingly silent. They gazed up at the fiery glow descending from the sky, flames slicing through the rain, with thick smoke curling up like a long, dramatic tail, accompanied by a howling wind, like a blazing meteor. Yet the knights, with their imposing formation, stood their ground like mountains, not betraying an ounce of fear.
Their bravery instantly calmed my originally panicked heart that wanted to turn tail and flee from the attack.
They have a way to block it…
As this thought popped into my mind, I turned to look at Isaac in the front line of the army.
There he was, the bald guy who forgot to put on his helmet, standing straight on his beast’s back, staring at the flames with a single hand raised high above his head, bellowing, “Anastasy!”
“Anastasy—”
Over thirty knights in the front row echoed his battle cry, their voices synchronized like a well-oiled machine, unsheathing their swords with a resounding “clang.”
The knights held their swords with both hands, their blades standing tall before them, a thin golden light emanating from their bodies, transforming into streams of light resembling watery waves drifting ten meters ahead of the formation.
It’s a miracle!
That Anastasy Sin Barrier, the one Nero had once trapped Irush in!
Buzz buzz buzz buzz…
The soft hum of golden light spread out from the rain, dozens upon hundreds of streams of light shot up from the knights, converging ahead and then “whoosh—” fanned out, forming a semi-transparent light wall like cicada wings, shielding over two hundred of us, including me, behind it.
Immediately after, the formation in the front erupted with dazzling golden light once again. Next to Isaac stood a young bishop I recognized from the earlier ambush at the village, who complimented me. He raised his right hand on the beast’s back, slightly angling his body as if pretending to throw a spear.
Amid the golden light, a Holy Lance embellished with intricate engravings suddenly condensed, appearing several meters above the bishop’s head. It seemed like he was holding it in mid-air, taking a deep breath, gazing far into the castle, and with a low shout, he mimicked a throwing motion.
Whoosh—
The Holy Lance sliced through the air, producing a breathtaking crack as it sped away from my view.
At the same time, a searing wave of fire surged down from above, almost grazing the descending lance, the shrill whistle growing louder, a massive and fiery fireball came crashing toward us, closer and closer, and then boomed against the barrier.
Boom—!
Holy moly.
The explosion shook the earth, and my heart raced, hastily covering my ears as my head buzzed from the impact.
Scarlet flames erupted like a flamboyant flower in the air about ten meters ahead, scorching heat surged, and fierce winds lashed out like a kn*fe, turning the lush grass below into ashes, tearing the earth and trees apart. Flames leaped three to four meters high in the air, a terrifying shockwave swept through everything for dozens of meters around.
But whether it was the flames or the wind, or the shock from the explosion, all of it was blocked by that thin yet nearly transparent Sin Barrier. The residual force from the blast brushed past the gap below the barrier, and at this point, it hardly even ruffled my hair.
I stood at the front of the right wing of the formation, watching as the explosion gradually dissipated. The Sin Barrier rippled without sustaining a scratch.
Clang—
Isaac drew his sword.
The young bishop clasped his hands to his chest and softly prayed, the residual light swirling around him still brightening as if he were a shining star. The hum of the miracle resonated in my ears, and the radiant glow spread out from under the bishop, wrapping around the knights once more.
I couldn’t help but squint.
This is—
A warm stream flowed within me, a thin arc of light enveloped me and the giant beast beneath me, the armored horse raising its front hooves and giving a resounding neigh.
“Wow, wow…”
I hurriedly tightened my grip on the reins, hunched over to avoid being tossed off.
As the explosion faded, the scarlet flames burned in the rain, the blinding golden light gradually waned, and the Sin Barrier flickered like what it was – just shining specks before vanishing.
At the front of the formation, like a giant, the bald guy pointed his sword downward and shouted sternly, “Honor in my heart, faith by my side, justice as my sword, the wails of our enemies count as our achievements!”
“Defend our glory!”
Clang!
The knights in front responded by sheathing their swords and turning their beasts around toward the rear of the formation, and then the next hundred knights surged ahead, snatching short-bladed weapons hanging from the saddles, grasping the ends and swinging them to their sides—
Crack crack crack crack!
The sound of gears whirring echoed around, turning the short blades in the knights’ hands into two-meter-long silver spears, the sharpened heads adorned with barbs, raindrops glistening as they dripped from the hook-like curve, and I vaguely saw a sunflower emblem carved upon them…
What a devious weapon…
It’s the Central Workshop’s folding sickle spear!
I recognized it right away.
“Knights of the Divine, break the darkness!”
Isaac stood tall, his figure bathed in a soft golden halo while the giant beast beneath him stomped its feet, restless and antsy.
His manly voice boomed, stirring the spirits of everyone around, ringing across the entire plain.
“Follow me—”
“Miss Silvya, get your weapon ready; we’re going to charge!” Safiros shouted loudly from my side.
The next moment, the bald guy swung his sword down.
“With one force, we break the city!!!”
Thud, thud, thud… rumble rumble rumble…
The earth trembled, mud and stone flinging into the air.
The sound of iron hooves thundered like rolling thunder as Isaac led the charge, and over a hundred knights sprang into action, their golden light swirling around like a shadow, not a single battle cry erupted, the battle-hardened knights remained calm and silent, following Isaac’s lead and launching an attack on the distant castle.
Safiros zoomed past me on his beast, turning around to shout, “Let’s go! Stay close—”
As if I needed telling!
I gripped the beast’s back tighter, held the reins firmly, leaned down and the Horned Horse neighed loudly, racing ahead.
In the outrageous bouncing of my vision, the golden armored torrent spread out in the rain, with the beasts trampling the grasslands, bits of grass and mud flying high with each stomp, all swept past my ears along with the howling wind.
The knights pushed forward at an increasing speed, and my hefty beast matched their pace, its full gallop quickly outstripping Safiros, surpassing countless knights, and reaching the front lines of the formation.
Whoosh—
On top of the fortress walls, the third fireball came arcing toward the plain, brilliant in hue.
“Go!”
I urged the giant beast to quicken its pace, feeling my bouncing backside barely gripping the saddle as I partially stood, one hand holding the reins while the other shot skyward, my palm blooming with a dazzling blue glow.
Bang bang bang bang!
A chill radiated over my head, raindrops freezing into ice, large and small ice crystals gathered above, forming a floating ice wall almost twenty meters in diameter. The incoming fireball “boom” smashed against the ice wall, a violent explosion rang out in mid-air, the scarlet flames exploded outward, and the ice wall shattered, leaving the knights nimbly dodging the falling flames and fragments of ice, while billowing smoke rose into the sky. That blossoming spectacle of ice and fire unfurled for a moment before it, too, was thrown behind us along with the echoes of the explosion.
Nice…
I shook my tingling hand, tightened my grip on the reins, and with a “whoosh—” zipped past under the explosion, not looking back, eyes locked on the fortress walls.
No sign of life…
The fortress walls now had a gap, seemingly made by the earlier Holy Lance, but there were no other figures nearby. I couldn’t spot the heretic launching fireballs at us.
Whoever could deliver such a powerful and precise attack from so far away had to be exceptionally strong… it was too far to make out, perhaps another three-stage foe, but it should only be one person…
In any case, I needed to locate and take them out first.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh—
Suddenly, three consecutive fireballs shot up from another side of the fortress, coming in like missiles.
Oh cr*p!
I inwardly cried out in alarm.
Yet the next moment, a thin barrier once again coalesced in the air ahead, as the knights behind me united their forces to cast a miracle and intercept the incoming fireballs.
Boom boom boom!
The echoes of explosion once again reverberated through the sky.
The galloping knights surged rapidly past beneath the barrier, hooves pounding with no intention of pausing. Isaac, equipped with his indestructible aura, shone like a brilliant stream on the ground, raising his sword and shouting, “Accelerate and charge!”
The knights leaned forward, gripping their spears and riding their beasts, forming an arrowhead led by Isaac, thrusting into the rain, their hoofbeats creating waves across the plain.
…Five hundred meters.
At this moment, the formation was about five hundred meters away from the fortress.
And the distance was shrinking swiftly.
Four hundred meters… three hundred fifty… three hundred…
The giant beast beneath me huffed loudly, each impact of its iron hooves sending shockwaves through the earth, rumbling in my ears, yet despite the vast movement, I could still distinctly hear my own heartbeat.
I had never felt this way before.
Caught in the battlefield, looking around, surrounded by reliable allies… even though there were barely two hundred of us, these folks were the cream of the crop from the church, battle-hardened and in perfect sync, easily countering enemy attacks.
And behind me, there were over a thousand more warriors like this.
That feeling could stir one’s bl**d and make one’s heart race.
…Two hundred meters.
Above the fortress, the heretic continually launching fireballs at us had paused.
And at this closer distance, I could clearly see countless figures on the castle walls. Flames blazed from their hands and bodies, clearly prepared to launch their next attack as soon as we got a little closer.
“Flank the sides! Assault the gate—”
Isaac shouted loudly.
The gates of the castle were tightly shut, with an outer layer of spiked iron bars pulled down; the wall appeared to be at least ten meters tall… how are we supposed to force our way in?
“Baldy!” I urged my beast to the front lines, calling out to Isaac, “You and I are going up the wall!”
Isaac grinned maniacally, “Ha! Let me blast the gate to smithereens first!”
…Blast the gate to pieces?
“Is that even possible!”
One hundred meters.
“Short stuff, pay attention to the front!”
Numerous arrows shot out from the castle walls, zipping through the air and landing among the rushing knights, yet no one made a move to dodge, as the arrows were deflected by the protective barrier around them, causing no harm whatsoever.
Fifty meters.
The charge of the knight formation began to slow.
“Clear the way!” Isaac shouted.
Thirty meters.
I tugged on the reins, slowing down and sidestepping, tilting my head to scan the wall for any opportunities.
In the next moment, a hum of a miracle emanated from Isaac’s direction.
“Feel my judgment fist—”
From his mount, the man threw a punch toward the castle gate.
Brilliant golden light burst forth from the punch’s wind, carving a ravine into the ground ahead, wild gusts of air mixed with mud vaguely forming a massive fist, which then crashed into the iron bars outside.
Clang clang clang clang…
The tremendous sound was enough to make one’s ears ring.
In my view, the massive iron bars along with the gate were twisted and deformed, collapsing inward toward the castle walls.
“Ha ha ha! What a rush!”
The panicked voices from the fortress were drowned out by Isaac’s raucous laughter.
“Now! Short stuff! Let’s go up and slay those mice—”
