Storming a city gate was the tactic with the highest casualties in the era of cold weapons.
But in the face of the Black Rock Tribe, which possessed high explosives, even the sturdiest city gate was nothing more than a relatively thick layer of iron sheet.
Half an hour later, the bombardment finally ceased.
The entire wall of Tiee Fortress was in a state of complete disarray.
All the arrow towers had been destroyed, the magic ballista positions had turned into ruins, and not a single standing Imperial Soldier could be seen on the walls.
The entire castle was like a tiger with its claws and teeth pulled out; it still looked massive, but it was no longer a threat.
"Rifle Battalion! Forward! Suppressive fire!"
At Akomann's command, two squares of the Rifle Battalion advanced with steady steps to a position three hundred meters from the wall.
"Raise rifles! Aim for the battlements! Free fire!"
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The dense sound of gunfire rang out once more.
A metal storm composed of thousands of bullets instantly covered the entire front of the wall.
Although no defenders could be seen on the wall, this continuous suppressive fire ensured that no stragglers would dare to peek out and fire cold arrows.
Under the cover of gunfire, an engineering squad consisting of dozens of elite soldiers, carrying several large canvas bags, quickly rushed toward the city gate.
They were the Demolition Team of the Black Rock Tribe.
Every member had undergone rigorous training and was proficient in placing and detonating explosives.
Braving potential sporadic attacks, they rushed to the base of the gate at top speed.
While a few soldiers stood guard, others skillfully stacked explosive packs at key points like the gate's hinges and locks.
"Quick! Quick! Quick!"
The Engineering Captain leading them urged in a low voice.
They connected all the explosive packs with wires, then pulled a long detonation cord and quickly retreated to a safe distance.
"Chief! We're ready!"
The Engineering Captain signaled toward the rear.
Wu Liang nodded.
Everyone's gaze was focused on that massive steel city gate.
"Detonate!"
At the command, the soldier in charge of detonation slammed down the detonator.
An electric current traveled along the wire and reached the gate instantly.
Everyone stared intently at the city gate.
The next second.
"BOOM—!!!!"
An unprecedentedly loud explosion rang out, as if heaven and earth were splitting apart.
The entire ground trembled violently.
A massive fireball suddenly expanded at the city gate; orange-red flames mixed with black smoke surged dozens of meters into the air, forming a small mushroom cloud.
That massive gate, forged from fine steel, inscribed with defensive arrays, and weighing dozens of tons, was torn to shreds like paper under the horrific force of the explosion.
Countless twisted steel fragments were hurled hundreds of meters away, burying themselves deep into the ground with sharp whistles.
A huge gap appeared in the entire section of the wall where the gate had been, as rubble and dust fell like rain.
The shockwave from the explosion even made the Black Rock Tribe soldiers hundreds of meters away feel a tightness in their chests.
As the dust cleared slightly, everyone saw that shocking scene.
The once-indestructible main gate of Tiee Fortress was now gone.
The entire battlefield was deathly silent.
All the Black Rock Tribe soldiers looked at the gap in stunned silence, their eyes filled with shock and fanaticism.
Before such power, what were fortified cities or ramparts? They were nothing but a joke!
"Ember Fire Legion!"
Ignis's war cry broke the silence, her voice trembling slightly with extreme excitement.
"Charge with me!!"
She was the first to raise her battle-axe, rushing out like an arrow from a bow.
"Kill!!"
Thousands of Ember Fire Legion soldiers let out mountain-shaking roars, following their commander like a black tide, surging into Tiee Fortress through that massive gap!
Akomann also drew her long saber, her gaze sharp.
"Black Rock Army! Follow! Clear out all resistors!"
The war had entered its final stage.
A street battle with no suspense was about to unfold within this century-old castle.
When Ignis led the Ember Fire Legion soldiers into Tiee Fortress, they weren't met with the prepared enemies they had imagined, but with chaos and panic.
The Barbican behind the gate was packed with Imperial Soldiers who had fled from the walls.
They thought they would be safe hiding here, but they never expected that even the sturdiest gate would be blown to the sky.
When they saw Ignis's flame-like figure and the wolf-and-tiger-like Black Rock soldiers behind her, the Imperial Soldiers' psychological defenses completely collapsed.
"Ah! They've broken in!"
"Run! Run to the Inner City!"
"Don't block my way!"
Panic triggered a severe stampede; many soldiers didn't even die by the Black Rock Army's blades, but were trampled to death by their own comrades.
Ignis looked at the chaotic scene, a cruel smile appearing on her face.
"Leave none alive!"
She roared, her battle-axe sweeping out.
"Puchi!"
The three Imperial Soldiers in front of her were instantly sliced in half at the waist, blood and organs splattering everywhere.
This bloody scene completely ignited the bloodthirsty nature of the Ember Fire Legion soldiers.
They roared, brandishing their weapons, and charged into the chaotic crowd, initiating a one-sided massacre.
The riflemen did not participate in this close-quarters combat. Under Akomann's command, they quickly occupied the high ground on both sides of the gate.
Looking down from above, they used precise shots to pick off Imperial officers trying to organize a counterattack or stragglers fleeing toward distant arrow towers.
The entire Barbican turned into a bloody slaughterhouse.
Ignis was killing with gusto, covered in blood; her fiery red hair was soaked in blood, sticking to her cheeks in strands, making her look like a Shura returned from hell.
Every swing of her battle-axe claimed several lives.
Ordinary armor was like papier-mâché before her.
"Exhilarating! So exhilarating!" She laughed loudly, her laughter sounding particularly piercing amidst the screams.
Akomann, however, was much calmer.
She didn't rush into the crowd like Ignis; instead, she stood at the gap, directing the follow-up troops to enter the castle in an orderly fashion.
"Shield Squares, clear the Barbican, and hold the main road!"
"Rifle Battalion, split into squads, advance along the walls, and clear out the remaining enemies in the arrow towers and fortifications on both sides!"
"Light Cavalry dismount and act as reserves, ready to support at any time!"
Her orders were clear and effective, and the units under her command began to "sweep" the massive castle like a precision machine.
Wu Liang did not enter the city immediately.
He sat on his horse, silently watching it all with Annia.
Annia's face was already pale, devoid of any color. She bit her lip hard, her body trembling slightly.
Although she had broken ties with the Merlin Family, Tiee Fortress was, after all, where she had grown up. She was intimately familiar with every blade of grass and every tree here.
Now, this place she once called home was being consumed by the flames of war and slaughter.
Her heart was filled with complex and painful emotions.
Wu Liang noticed her trembling and reached out to hold her cold little hand.
"Scared?" he asked softly.
Annia shook her head, then nodded, her voice so soft it was barely audible:
"I... I don't know. I just feel... very sad."
"That's how war is, Annia."
Wu Liang's tone was very calm.
"It's kill or be killed. Kindness to the enemy is cruelty to oneself. If we were the ones who lost today, the fate of the Black Rock Tribe would be a hundred times more miserable than theirs."
He rested Annia's head on his shoulder and said:
"You don't need to watch this. Close your eyes. Remember, from now on, your home is in the Black Rock Tribe, not in this cold stone castle."
Annia obediently closed her eyes, but two lines of clear tears still rolled down her cheeks.
She knew Wu Liang was right.
But logic was one thing, and emotion was another.
Just then, a sudden surge of intense magical fluctuations came from inside the city.
Several massive walls of fire appeared out of thin air, blocking the Ember Fire Legion's path forward.
Immediately afterward, countless ice spikes and wind blades whistled from the direction of the Inner City, causing some casualties among the charging Black Rock soldiers.
"Oh? There are still Mages?"
Wu Liang raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.