Chapter 388: The Bloody Battle of Franz Square

"Boom!" The Skaven giant rat charged through, scattering the human front lines. The already demoralized soldiers fled in disarray.

Thousands of rats swarmed the streets, rushed through houses, and leaped over walls. These hungry and greedy slave rats couldn't wait to feast on human flesh.

Slave rats are the lowest tier of the entire Skaven society. These ratmen, averaging 1.2 meters tall, make up the largest group in Skaven society. Their lives are extremely harsh but fortunately short. Food is so scarce in Skaven society that cannibalism is a common practice. Every rat's life is a fierce struggle for survival. If a slave rat shows any sign of weakness or injury, it is immediately swarmed and devoured by others.

If a slave rat barely survives numerous battles and skirmishes, it might be promoted to a clan rat, somewhat similar to Bretonnian serfs. However, most slave rats end up slaughtered.

"Kill! Kill, kill!" The rat tide attacked the fragile humans. The refugees, barely holding makeshift weapons, retreated step by step. There were too many Skaven. Many refugees killed one rat only to face three more the next second. After killing those three, countless more closed in.

There was no end to the killing!

As the battle progressed, the morale of the refugees and militiamen approached collapse. Many tried to flee, only to be overwhelmed by the rat tide.

However, some displayed immense courage in this desperate situation.

"Kill! Kill the rats!" A middle-aged man brandished a worn-out spear, piercing a clan rat's belly. The gushing blood fueled his rage. This once-honest farmer burned with terrifying anger.

His home was gone, his family gone, his livelihood gone!

"Damn rats! I'll never forgive you!!!" Many refugees shared similar thoughts. Their endless grief filled them with a deadly resolve. Instead of giving up, they fought the Skaven with a crazed determination to take down as many as possible.

"Fight!" An Imperial captain wielded a halberd, cutting down swathes of rats before him. Witch hunters struck with their rapiers, never giving up!

"Fireball!" In the midst of the battlefield, Veronica raised her staff hastily. The magic of the Wand of Udine gathered, forming a large fireball. Veronica's sweet eyes were filled with rage. The Garland witch lifted her hand, and threads of searing flame danced in the air. "Go!"

The massive fireball, trailing a long streak, charged straight at the Skaven giant rat wreaking havoc among the humans.

Veronica panted lightly. The continuous casting had significantly depleted her mana. She focused on the Skaven giant rat.

The giant rat noticed the incoming fireball. This massive creature, too bulky to dodge, decided to take the fireball head-on.

The beast, crafted with the evil Skaven technology, raised its arms to block the fireball.

"Boom!" The fireball hit the Skaven giant rat directly. The explosion's heat wave engulfed the beast and the nearby rats.

"Did it work?" Veronica squinted, preparing to cast another spell.

"Roar~ roar!!!" From within the blast's aftermath came the giant rat's roar. This monstrous creature had withstood Veronica's fireball! It stood tall, a shallow burn mark on its charred right arm, still burning, but it didn't hinder its movement. The beast roared and charged straight at Veronica!

Veronica started chanting to cast a fire shield, but the giant rat gave her no chance. It moved swiftly, knocking aside two halberdiers in its path, reaching Veronica in an instant, and swung its massive paw down.

"Fire shield!" The Garland witch tore open a scroll, forming a fiery shield in front of her.

The giant rat ignored the shield, leaping over it.

The giant rat wasn't stupid.

"Damn!" Veronica stopped her chant halfway, turning just in time to see the giant rat's massive paw. "Bang~"

Veronica was sent flying, crashing heavily against a wall and slumping to the ground.

"Ugh~" Veronica's crimson leather outfit was torn. She spat blood, the pain from her internal injuries ripping through her nerves. She suspected her ribs were broken.

The pearl jewelry on her body glowed, its warm power protecting her. Veronica knew this was a gift from Ryan's biological father. She used the strength from the jewelry to stand up.

The ground shook; the giant rat was coming again!

The beast rushed at Veronica, lifting its foot to crush her head.

Veronica drew her sword, ready for a desperate fight!

"For the Lady!" A shout came from behind the giant rat.

A flaming sword pierced the giant rat's chest from behind. The beast howled in pain, clutching its chest. The sword was pulled out and slashed again, carving a deep, bone-revealing wound in its side.

The giant rat wailed, staggering back. The sword's divine power melted its flesh and life force in ways it couldn't comprehend. The second strike caused severe damage, forcing the beast to abandon its current prey and turn to face the new threat.

It was a female knight in finely crafted Vibranium armor. Her golden curly hair and heroic figure stood out on the filthy battlefield.

"Face judgment, Skaven scum!" Sulia cleaved several attacking rats in half without even turning her head. Gone was the warm smile and noble demeanor; now, her face showed only cold fury and the Lady's wrath.

The sword, blessed by the Lady of the Lake, clashed against the giant rat's charge, creating a dazzling light.

In an instant of face-to-face combat, blood splattered. The giant rat swatted away Sulia's sword aimed at its heart, but its head paid the price. Sulia gouged out one of its eyes, leaving a deep wound across its face.

"Die! Face judgment under the Lady's light!" Sulia advanced, her movements as graceful as a ballerina's but forged in blood. She slew several clan rats and rushed to the giant rat, gripping her sword with both hands for a powerful strike.

"Rawr!" The giant rat swung its left arm, aiming at Sulia's head.

"Clang~"

Sulia completed her strike, making a drawing motion before gathering strength for another attack.

Blood sprayed as the Lionheart Sword nearly severed the giant rat's left arm. The beast realized its left arm was useless. As it tried to raise its right arm, Sulia's sword pierced its right leg.

The knight's divine aura was too overwhelming. The giant rat couldn't even look at her directly. With its right leg wounded, the beast collapsed. It opened its mouth, emitting a "squeak, squeak" sound.

Sulia didn't care what it tried to say. She stood firm, reciting the Lady's hymn, raising her sword high and beheading the beast.

The headless giant rat's body fell with a crash, catching the attention of the Skaven horde, or at least its commander. A Plague Priest wielding a plague censer pointed at Sulia, spreading a vile, disease-ridden fog with its foul magic.

"Yes, yes! Golden-haired one! Kill, kill!" It ordered several low-level Plague Monks to attack Sulia.

The knight remained calm, slicing through the Plague Monks effortlessly. Not a drop of blood touched her.

Despite losing some minions, the Plague Priest's goal was achieved. It cast a spell towards Sulia.

Plague Breath!

A thick, toxic mist enveloped Sulia, who stood protectively in front of Veronica.

"Kill! Kill!" The Plague Priest, covered in sores and pus, approached with its censer.

However, the poison mist didn't affect Sulia. Instead, something on her armor activated.

A radiant golden light shone around Sulia, dispelling the mist. The golden inscriptions on her armor glowed brightly. The Plague Priest began to burn upon contact with the light.

The priest couldn't comprehend the change but had no time to do so. Under the golden light, it evaporated into a wisp of smoke.

This sight terrified the Skaven horde, causing their morale to waver. Clan rats and stormvermin angrily ordered the slave rats to continue fighting but considered fleeing themselves.

"Banishing Light!" Three beams of pure light swept across the battlefield, engulfing over six hundred Skaven. Veronica, biting her lip, struggled to stand, controlling the magic with her last reserves of strength.

The witch knew this wasn't the time to worry about her mana loss. She directed the magic, controlling three vortexes of light, one for each attacking direction.

Large groups of slave rats, clan rats, and some stormvermin were incinerated into ashes. The magic vortexes moved, heading towards the attacking Skaven.

The Skaven's morale finally broke. They fled in panic, leaving countless corpses behind.

Veronica sighed in relief as the rat tide retreated. A wave of dizziness almost made her collapse.

"Veronica? Are you alright?" Only about one hundred fifty survivors remained after the brutal fight, mostly soldiers and militiamen. The refugees suffered heavy casualties. Seeing Veronica falter, Sulia hurried to support her.

"Quick, retreat! The rats are gone for now. We must get to the church." Veronica's face was pale, blood trickling from her mouth. "Quickly."

"Alright!" Sulia nodded, shouting to the others, "Retreat! Head to the city walls!"

"The sounds on the wall have stopped. Let's hope we won!" Imperial Captain Huber, wounded and weary, felt lucky to be alive.

"Let's hope so." Witch hunter Abel, with only a minor shoulder wound, remained vigilant.

The exhausted survivors climbed the stairs behind the square, gathering more survivors and urging them to seek refuge at the Church of Justice.

Three hours later, the gates of Hemgart were in sight.

The survivors approached the gate, the imposing twenty-meter-high walls eerily silent. Veronica and Sulia exchanged glances, signaling the soldiers to ready their weapons for battle.

As the survivors prepared for another fight, a pile of objects was thrown from the wall.

Sulia instinctively stepped back.

Several bags fell to the ground, each filled with Skaven heads! Many of the heads were still covered in frost.

The gate slowly opened, revealing Rick Guards Rudolf and Wagner, sword and shield in hand. Behind them were a dozen greatswordsmen and knight retainers, followed by dozens of guards, all bloodied from battle. Seeing Sulia and Veronica, Rudolf breathed a sigh of relief and spoke, "Hurry, we've repelled the Skaven attack, but those beasts won't wait long. They'll be back soon!"

"The defenses on the walls are severely damaged. We can't hold them off if they attack again."

"Quick! Get to the Church of Justice! We must build a new line of defense before the rat tide returns!"

"Fire a signal flare to let Lord Ryan know we've successfully retreated to the walls," Sulia instructed Wagner.

"Yes!" Wagner, an engineer by trade, immediately signaled for the flare to be launched.

...

Hemgart, marketplace.

"Boom!" Watching the signal flare rise into the sky, Ryan, standing atop a pile of stormvermin corpses, tore a Plague Priest in half with his bare hands. He nodded. "Good, it seems Sulia and the others have successfully retreated to the walls."

The chosen champion of the Lady of the Lake pulled the head of a dead Skaven giant rat from beneath the hammer of Thor, revealing a cruel smile.

"It's show time!"

...

Update! It seems everyone doesn't like reading about battles? There are very few comments on this chapter. Since it's the weekend, I've added another chapter!

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