Chapter 526: Defense of the Pinnacle Palace

Seemingly fearing the power of the cannons, the undead vanguard retreated.

Watching the undead forces slowly withdraw, Ryan standing on the city wall breathed a slight sigh of relief. His face initially relaxed but then became more serious.

Standing beside him, the sorceress Theresa leaned on her staff as she approached. She reached out her hand, covered in white lace gloves, and touched one of the dwarven cannons with great interest. "So this is your assurance?"

Theresa lightly patted the "dwarven cannon," which made a "thunk-thunk" sound instead of the expected metallic clang.

The cannon was made of wood. In fact, most of the "cannons" on the walls were wooden models.

When the undead vanguard approached, only a few of the cannons were real, and it was those few that fired, scaring off the undead vanguard and buying precious time for the defenders of the Pinnacle Palace.

This was all part of Ryan's plan. He had early on ordered the dwarven craftsmen to create these realistic dwarven cannon models, packed in crates, just waiting to deceive the undead.

"These will only fool the undead once," Ryan said calmly, shaking his head slowly. "Once the undead realize, and the main undead army from Mousilon arrives, these won't deceive Matthew Bard."

"But they've served their purpose," Theresa nodded. "They've played their role."

"Exactly," Ryan suddenly said to Theresa, "If Lady Aurora were willing to join this war, our chances would be significantly higher."

"My mother should have returned to the council by now," Theresa shook her head apologetically. "I've tried my best to persuade her, but she said this was the limit. I'm sorry, Ryan..."

"It's alright, I understand," Ryan said understandingly. From Aurora's perspective, she wasn't like Theresa; she didn't have such a strong position to support him. Agreeing to use grand spells to create blizzards and hailstorms previously was already a significant favor. The Mousilon campaign was ultimately Ryan's war, not Aurora's, nor the Garland Council's.

Vampire influence spread throughout the Old World. Once, a Kislev tsarina, "Bloody Katerina," was a blood descendant of the Lahmia family. Aurora didn't want to expose herself as entirely opposed to vampires.

"Hurry up! The undead will return soon! We must get all the cannons onto the walls before dawn!"

"Yes!"

All five thousand defenders of the Pinnacle Palace were mobilized, preparing to defend the castle.

Five hours later, at dawn.

The retreating vampire lord Bellitus finally met Matthew Bard leading the undead army on the road from Mousilon to the Pinnacle Palace.

"Bellitus? What's going on? Didn't I order you to attack the Pinnacle Palace with all your might?" Matthew Bard was puzzled upon seeing Bellitus and Hal-Harris. He questioned, "Why didn't you follow orders?"

"My lord! The southerners have fortified the castle defenses! The walls are full of cannons!" Bellitus urgently reported to Matthew Bard. "We attempted to attack but were met with cannon fire!"

"The walls are full of cannons?!" Matthew Bard, clad in black cursed armor with a cross helmet topped with a golden snake statue, pondered for a moment, then shook his head sharply. "Impossible! I know the walls of the Pinnacle Palace and the dwarven cannons. If the castle fell late the night before last, Ryan and his army couldn't have fully deployed the cannons by yesterday afternoon! The weight of the dwarven cannons is immense; they couldn't possibly haul them up the walls through the tower passages. The only option is hoisting them, and the Pinnacle Palace walls don't have the lifting mechanisms like the Empire's walls. They'd have to build those first, so no matter how you look at it, the southerners couldn't have transported so many cannons onto the walls. It's impossible!"

"But we really saw the walls full of cannons!" Bellitus instinctively retorted. "We were also attacked by some of them when we approached! I retreated to preserve our strength!"

"Attacked by cannons?" Matthew Bard quickly grasped Ryan's plan and roared angrily, "Damn, Bellitus, you were deceived! Those cannons aren't real!"

"But we were fired upon! The cannons on the walls attacked us!"

"Only a few of the cannons are real! Bellitus, you fool!" Matthew Bard pulled on his undead warhorse's reins, contemplating the situation. "Damn! Ryan-Macado, as the chosen champion of the Lady of the Lake, is so cunning to use such despicable tactics! It's unworthy of his status!"

Hearing Matthew Bard, the blood knights around the Serpent of Mousilon all nodded in agreement and indignation.

In several battles, Ryan's tactics baffled the vampires. He never intended to fight the undead in regular warfare. His various underhanded strategies left the vampires in awe, thinking how the chosen champion of the Lady of the Lake could stoop to such tactics, a stark contrast to the straightforward battles they were used to with Bretonnian knights.

Ryan-Macado, a truly cunning individual.

"Hal, why didn't you remind Bellitus?" Knowing that anger was useless now, Matthew Bard pointedly asked his deputy, Hal-Harris.

The von Carstein vampire baron with snow-white skin and a bald head chuckled. "Would it have mattered? He's your lapdog, and I'm your subordinate. You prefer obedient dogs over capable subordinates, don't you?"

That's because the von Carstein lineage is known for betrayal, it's in their blood! Matthew Bard thought. However, he knew now wasn't the time to turn against Hal-Harris. Instead, the Duke of Mousilon uncharacteristically apologized, "I didn't think it through. Mr. Harris, I apologize."

Hal-Harris seemed taken aback by the apology, pausing for a few seconds before accepting it with a huff.

"The situation is dire now! Gentlemen, I hope we can set aside old grudges and focus on defending Mousilon! Defend this land of the undead!" Matthew Bard ordered the undead army to gather. "Send word to Melowen to bring his troops to join us! We must march immediately!"

"We must retake the Pinnacle Palace within three days!"

At dawn the next day, after a forced march of nearly two days and nights, the undead army of Mousilon finally reached the Pinnacle Palace.

Matthew Bard immediately led the undead army in a fierce assault on the defenses. Waves of undead troops attacked from all directions. Thousands of zombies and skeleton warriors launched the first assault.

However, during the night, the walls had been fully equipped with real cannons.

Under Ryan's orders, the dwarven engineers began bombarding the undead army.

Matthew Bard's initial assault was met with a barrage of cannon fire. Dozens of cannons fired simultaneously, instantly reducing hundreds of zombies and skeleton warriors to fragments. Whenever small groups of undead approached the walls, dwarven and human gunners, along with serf archers, opened fire.

The roar of cannons, the volleys of muskets, and the twang of bowstrings filled the air around the Pinnacle Palace. Wave after wave of undead troops continuously assaulted the defenses, with corpse carts leading the charge, but each time they were repelled by the defenders.

From dawn until noon, the entire fortress was shrouded in smoke, with humans and undead locked in a fierce battle.

The battle continued until noon when the sun weakened the undead, forcing them to regroup.

Matthew Bard realized he was in a dilemma. To continue, he would need to deploy elite troops near the walls, risking significant losses. Alternatively, continuing with zombies and skeleton warriors would drag the battle out indefinitely.

Ryan and his forces also showed their weaknesses. Their numbers were relatively small due to the preemptive strike, and they couldn't leave the castle. Furthermore, the relentless attacks and continuous cannon-hauling left them exhausted. After Matthew Bard's relentless assault, the defenders of the Pinnacle Palace were weary. The undead had managed to breach the walls several times, only to be repelled by the defenders.

Ryan led the Holy Grail Knights, swiftly reinforcing the front lines. Whenever the undead breached the defenses, he and a dozen Holy Grail Knights would appear, cutting down the undead with ease. They were like a whirlwind of death, crushing all undead hopes.

"Hold the line!" Ryan's hammer, Thunder's Hammer, smashed down, turning a Grave Guard into a pile of iron scrap. He swept his hammer, sending a dozen skeleton warriors flying off the wall. The Lady's chosen champion crushed a ghoul's throat with his hand, throwing the entire beast off the wall. "Hold the line! Soldiers, for the Lady! For Bretonnia!"

"For the Lady!" Inspired by Ryan's valor, the defenders' morale soared. The knights fought bravely for glory, knowing the Lady was watching. The serfs cursed the undead, willing to give everything for their chance at knighthood.

"Fire!" The Dwarf Gunner Squad "Dugan's Black Powder Brotherhood," commanded by Engineer Dugan-Ironhand, fired collectively, clearing the current wave of undead.

"Blizzard!" Sorceress Theresa chanted a powerful spell, freezing waves of zombies and skeleton warriors, greatly hindering the undead advance.

However, more giant siege ladders reached the walls. The walls of the Pinnacle Palace were not high, and the Grave Guards led countless skeleton warriors in climbing, while human gunners and serf archers fiercely resisted.

Seeing the ongoing bitter struggle, Matthew Bard hesitated.

The swamps around the Pinnacle Palace weakened the cannons' effectiveness. The undead had reached the walls, engaging in bloody combat with the defenders. Yet the undead suffered heavy losses. Continuing the assault could drive the defenders

 out, but at the cost of over half his forces.

No! I cannot abandon this now! Matthew Bard gritted his teeth, making a decision. "Melowen!"

"Present!" Mad Duke Melowen, leading a large group of Black Knights, responded.

"Follow me! I will personally lead the charge!" Matthew Bard drew his Serpent Sword, roaring, "Blood Knights, advance!"

As Matthew Bard led the charge, the Lake Witch Morgiana ascended the castle's highest point, accompanied by a special dwarven super-heavy cannon.

The cannon was engraved with holy runes of the Lady of the Lake and covered in scriptures, with statues of the Lady at both ends and a golden Holy Grail symbol on the barrel.

This cannon was produced in Ryan's dwarven military factory, blessed by five Lake Seers and the Lake Witch Morgiana throughout the process. It was named "Morgiana's New Toy," loaded with magical explosive shells.

Two Holy Grail Guardians carried a large crate filled with twelve magical explosive shells.

"The Serpent of Mousilon has decided on a final assault," the Lake Witch said coldly. She addressed the chief engineer of the Angrund clan, Halhaf-Prospector. "I don't understand cannon operation, so I'll leave it to you."

"Oh ho~ Don't worry!" Halhaf-Prospector assured her. Around him, two Lake Seers blessed "Morgiana's New Toy," while the engineer himself gave a thumbs up, aiming at the target.

"Elevation 46°48′!"

"Elevation 46°48′!" The dwarven engineers adjusted the cannon to the correct angle.

"Fire!" Halhaf's mouth opened wide, his long white beard fluttering in the wind.

"Fire!!!" The fuse was lit.

The battlefield was suddenly engulfed by the deafening roar of the cannon.

"Boom!!!"

A massive shell, glowing with the light of the Lady, shot from the top of the Pinnacle Palace. The huge shell fell among a Grave Guard regiment, exploding and consuming an entire regiment of Grave Guards.

In the blinding light and earth-shaking blast, the entire regiment was engulfed in the explosion. The firestorm and holy light enveloped the entire regiment.

When the dust settled, over a hundred Grave Guards had been blown to pieces.

"Perish, evil undead. You are steeped in sin! In the name of the Lady, I sentence you all to death!" Morgiana, satisfied with the devastation, continued her work. The winds of magic swirled around her as she held the Holy Grail of Potions, chanting a spell to bring the Lady's judgment upon the world.

"Sixth-circle magic, Regeneration!" Emerald light enveloped the entire Pinnacle Palace. All troops received the Lake Witch's magical protection. Wounded knights and serfs felt a gentle green energy healing their wounds and restoring their strength.

"Dazzling Light!" Bright yellow light exploded on the walls, piercing undead flesh and armor. The blinding light inflicted severe damage, turning hordes of zombies and skeleton warriors into piles of rotting flesh.

"Fog of the Lady!" A white mist covered the battlefield. All human soldiers, except the undead defenders, felt protected by the mist, their speed and strength enhanced.

These three large-scale spells drained much of Morgiana's power, but the Lake Witch wasn't done. Her eyes gleamed as she spotted Matthew Bard. The Duke of Mousilon was preparing to lead his elite troops into battle personally.

The winds of magic howled as Morgiana began chanting her most powerful spell. Holding the Holy Grail of Potions, she unleashed its power. In response to her call, a wandering comet in the sky was drawn towards the battlefield!

"Holy Grail Comet, destroy my enemies!"

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