Ten, nine, eight, six, five, four, three, two, breaths were held with one second left until the deadline General Alina gave expired, everyone on the eastern walls of the Balsici Castle was looking at that spot in front of the siege army.
"Zero!"
A word echoing in hearts spilled from between the honey-colored lips at the same time. The palanquin surrounded by tulles on three sides shattered along with the four eunuchs carrying it, and pieces of wood smeared with flesh were scattered in all four directions.
A breath later, General Alina, clad in her battle armor with metal wings on its back, was on the walls of the Balsici Castle. She wanted to shatter the transparent barrier appearing before her with the flying strike she made with her right hand clenched into a fist, but the ripple created by her blow dispersed as if it never existed after appearing for a short while.
"How interesting! It's pathetic you think you can stop me with this protective shield, let's see how much longer the thing you hide behind can protect you?"
Gliding through the air thanks to the wings of the armor that had purple stripes running all the way down the bright metal breastplate starting from its two shoulders, General Alina was in front of the soldiers on the walls again a moment after she landed, and this time her fists were coming down on the transparent barrier like pouring rain.
Just like the interlocking of rings created by raindrops falling into a puddle, the energy explosions created by the impact of General Alina's fists were stacking on top of each other. To ignorant eyes, what was happening could be seen as fists swung for a relentless flurry, but what was actually happening was a planned attack method where each amplified the effect of the other.
"Master Leonardo, how long can your invention, the protective shield, withstand these blows?"
Bookworm was calm despite a General attacking like crazy no more than ten paces away from him. When he turned to Master Leonardo to get information about the protective shield providing him this advantage, he found him watching Alina with confidence just like himself.
"As long as a sufficient power source is provided, it can withstand such attacks forever!"
Forever, it probably wasn't possible to give a more ambitious time estimate than this. Satisfied, Bookworm directed his gazes to Dimitri Balsici; what he wanted to know was quite clear.
"Under General Alina's attacks, our power consumption might have increased a little, but we still have enough power crystals to block this attack for six months. Looking at the supply frequency provided by the Orc Empire, there is nothing for us to worry about!"
The soldiers eavesdropping on the conversation breathed a sigh of relief; while the woman who had prevented them from getting a good night's sleep for months was a few meters in front of them, their hearts had almost stopped, but now they could rest easy.
There was nothing wrong with their thoughts, they had only jumped to conclusions a bit too early, because General Alina had also evaluated the situation and given her order while continuing her attacks.
"What are you waiting for? All forces, charge! If even one person stays behind, I will kill you all with my own hands!"
Their breaths, which had returned for a brief moment, became unstable again. The blood flowing from their hearts and circulating their bodies took on a fierce state as if wanting to tear their veins apart. The Balsici Castle hiding behind the protective shield now had to withstand the combined attack of not just one person, but thousands of soldiers. The hands of the human soldiers on the walls began to tremble; while up until today they had only dealt with the frontline units at most, now the enemy was attacking with all the power at their disposal. They panicked when the inevitable end came, they wanted to find courage by looking at each other, but those right beside them were at least as terrified as they were.
"Brave and heroic soldiers of the Balsici Family!"
Just when they were on the verge of being caught in the whirlpool of despair, that voice they were long familiar with rang in their ears. The man they fought for and became partners in fate with as the days passed, the Head of the Balsici Family, Dimitri, was speaking.
"The bravery you have shown so far is on everyone's lips not only on the Mercenaries' Lodge but all over the world. Your stance like an indestructible wall against the army supported by the dominant powers of the continent will be told from generation to generation as a heroic epic for centuries, just as it is told today!"
The moment Dimitri saw the situation his own soldiers had fallen into in his own home, he understood very well what awaited them. Perhaps their safety might be provided by the protective shield, but for its continuity, the soldiers in the castle needed to work as they always did.
While the traces of fear slowly starting to take over their souls began to reflect on their bodies, it was necessary to prevent this. Otherwise, the soldiers, unable to fight and unable to run, would fool themselves by choosing to freeze, and this situation would cause the efforts that had been going on for months to be wiped out in a single move.
"The shield protecting the only heirloom left from my family was designed by Great Master Leonardo. This indestructible wall is not an ultimate defense tool that will not yield passage to an army of ten thousand, even a hundred thousand people. Trust in it, and continue doing whatever you have been doing up to today. Victory will ultimately belong to you, the glorious Balsici Family Army!"
The effects of Dimitri's speech could be read from the changing body language of the roaring soldiers. Gazes had sharpened, frozen legs had started functioning, and everyone inside the castle had set out to fulfill the duty assigned to them.
"Master Leonardo, do we have a chance to fire the new generation weapons?"
Seeing thousands of soldiers right up to the foot of the wall and attack-purpose mechanical devices brought into firing range, Bookworm started rubbing his hands together. If they could use the new generation weapons whose destructive power he had witnessed just in the morning hours, they could carry out the biggest massacre recent history had seen.
"Unfortunately, we don't have the chance to do such a thing. Maybe we can fire a few shots with smaller caliber weapons, but you can guess that this will do us more harm than good!"
Both the defense-purpose mechanical device protecting them and the new generation weapons Bookworm wanted to use used energy as the main material. They could make some small attacks while the shield was active, but since this would disrupt the integrity of the energy field, it would serve no other purpose than providing an advantage on behalf of General Alina.
From a breach that would form in exchange for the death of a few hundred people, the enemy could gain an advantage. Even the most impassable walls could be razed to the ground thanks to a single crack forming. Taking this risk was not rational at all, the purple-robed orc who held the command of the defending side settled for waiting, but the person dealing the greatest damage to the shield with her attacks didn't share his view.
"Let the weapons run at full capacity, everyone make their strongest attacks!"
Her shout echoed across the battlefield, and when the soldier at the very end of the front heard these words, General Alina said a few more things that only those on the Balsici Castle walls would hear.
"Then, it wouldn't be bad at all if I get a little serious too, right?"
A breath after the silver spear, the same color as her armor, appeared, the shield securing the defense line shook violently. The current of the same color spreading along the shield, starting from the purple dot appearing at the tip of the weapon, seemed to be telling the people of the Balsici Castle that things were not going well.
"She finally decided to truly use her power."
Dimitri knew what what he saw meant based on his past experiences, but the attack was so obvious that even the orcs witnessing it for the first time understood what was happening. General Alina was skilled enough to use weapons and armors that stored electrical energy in nature; if the subject was overcoming an obstacle made of energy, it was almost impossible to find better than her on the Mercenaries' Lodge.
"It's over, this is it!"
The man who had encouraged his soldiers just a few minutes ago had to hold onto the walls so as not to collapse; it was obvious the traumas related to his father's death had come out of the hole they hid in and launched an attack in his weakest moment.
Dimitri's head was down, his body swayed as if to say 'I'm about to collapse'. The burdens brought by the past had rendered his mind unable to work, but a hand placed right in the middle of his back would bring him to his senses.
The hand, which covered almost his entire back, was green in color; his frozen body was slowly thawing with the hot energy like lava flowing from there, and the merchant was about to hear words he hadn't heard before.
"Have you ever seen how a General dies before, Dimitri?"