"For the title of Viscount, I am willing to pay any price. Likewise, I believe that when faced with a prize as ripe for the picking as Silver Mist Castle, you won’t refuse a victory that cos with almost no risk."
Having said his piece, he bowed once more, then turned and left the camp under the "escort" of the Knights, his figure disappearing into the night.
Only after he was long gone did Alex finally speak.
"My lord, that man... he’s a venomous snake. Are we really going to trust him?"
Raylo sat down again, poking at the campfire.
"He was right about one thing."
"What’s that?"
"I don’t have to trust him. I only have to trust in human greed."
He turned his head to look at his Personal Guard Captain and military instructor.
"Ed, send the order. The entire army is to prepare for a night raid."
"Lillian, I need Kaine and his Elite Knights to be the tip of the spear that pierces Silver Mist Castle."
"Yes, sir!"
"Of course, brother."
The night wind grew colder, making the flags behind Raylo snap and crackle.
The night was as black as ink, swallowing both Silver Moon Lake and the castle that stood upon it.
A thin mist drifting over the lake added a hint of mystery to the scene. In the distance, only a few specks of fire flickered on the battlents of Silver Mist Castle, like the eyes of a slumbering behemoth.
But in Raylo’s camp, there was a grim silence.
There were no loud noises, no fires, only the soft clinking of tal plates and the restless snorting of warhorses and Magical Beasts.
All the soldiers were assembled and ready. A cold, murderous aura coalesced in the darkness, like an invisible net about to be cast over the seemingly peaceful castle.
Raylo stood on a high point at the edge of the camp, surrounded by his core command staff.
Storm Griffin King Baofeng crouched quietly by his side, its tawny Iron Feathers glinting with a cold, tallic sheen under the faint starlight.
"Knight Kaine."
Raylo turned to give his instructions to Knight Kaine.
"Kevin can be trusted, but he also can’t. If the side gate opens smoothly, proceed as planned. But if it’s a trap, or if there’s an ambush inside..."
"The assault team will imdiately switch to a full-frontal attack."
Kaine answered without hesitation.
"With my speed, I can tear a breach in the walls before the enemy can encircle us. When that happens, I ask that you order the main force to storm the castle directly, my lord."
"Very good."
Raylo nodded.
"Go, Knight Kaine."
Kaine nodded, and his figure once again lted into the darkness.
Rows of dark silhouettes stood silently, like mobile fortresses.
They were the heavy-armored aces of Black Stone Territory and Amber Territory—the Mammoth Knights.
They would be the first wave of power, tasked with destroying the castle gates and crushing the enemy’s formations.
"My lord, it’s almost ti."
Ed reminded him softly.
Raylo looked up. The midnight stars flickered uncertainly.
"Relay my orders."
His voice wasn’t loud, yet it carried clearly to his entire command staff.
"Mage Squad, ’light the lamps’."
"Yes, sir!"
The order was passed down, and ten dark specks rose silently into the night sky.
It was the Pegasus Mage Squad from Amber Territory.
They ford a loose formation high in the air, the tips of their Magic Staffs beginning to glow with multicolored light.
The next second, the night sky was lit ablaze.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
One after another, dazzling suns rose into the air.
They were followed by dozens of basin-sized Fireballs that streaked across the night sky, trailing long tails of fla. Like a brilliant teor shower, they smashed precisely into the front walls and arrow towers of Silver Mist Castle.
BOOM! RUMBLE!
The violent explosions instantly shattered the midnight silence.
Flas and shockwaves erupted across the walls, sending rubble flying. The blaze illuminated the entire castle.
Terrified screams and chaotic shouts erupted from the battlents.
The Donne Family’s tattered white swan banner was blown to smithereens in the first volley.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
The castle’s warning bells were rung in a hurry, their sound sharp and chaotic.
The figures on the wall scrambled in a panic. Clearly, they had never expected Raylo to launch an attack in the dead of night.
"Pegasus Knights, fire at will!"
The Pegasus Knights quickly adjusted their formation. This ti, they loosed special arrows enchanted with the Light Technique.
Hundreds of Light Arrows rained down like a shower of blossoms, embedding themselves all around the castle. They emitted a blinding white light, illuminating the entire battlefield as if it were day.
Under the intense light, every movent of the defenders on the walls was clearly exposed.
The chaos inside the castle was plain to see.
Squads of soldiers were rushing out of their barracks, scrambling to their posts under the furious shouts of their officers.
At the sa ti, atop the castle’s slender Mage Tower, a massive Crystal flared to life. A pale blue Magic Shield rapidly expanded, covering the entire castle like an inverted bowl.
"The castle’s Magic Shield is up!"
Alex shouted.
Just as the Magic Shield fully ford, the Crystal on the tower suddenly flickered violently, its light wavering.
Imdiately after, the newly ford Shield rippled violently like a popped balloon. Countless unstable cracks appeared on its surface before it dissipated completely with a low hum.
"Kevin has made his move."
Raylo said softly.
At almost the exact mont the Magic Shield vanished, an inconspicuous little gate on the castle’s west side slowly creaked open with the soft sound of a chanism.
Kaine was at the vanguard. Becoming a streak of light, he crossed dozens of ters in an instant and was the first to charge through the small gate.
The six Earth Knights behind him followed close on his heels.
And behind them were twenty elite Great Knights.
Inside the gate, several of Kevin’s confidants, who were there to receive them, had just dealt with the original guards. Before they could even catch their breath, they were startled by the sudden, ghostly appearance of this elite squad.
Kaine wasted no words, his cold gaze sweeping over them.
"The control room for the gate’s winch—where is it?"
The lead confidant shivered and hastily pointed in a direction.
"Over there, on the third floor of the tower!"
"Lead the way!"
Everything was proceeding according to plan.
On the high ground, Raylo watched the small flashes of light from skirmishes within the castle, knowing Kaine’s assault team had successfully penetrated its interior.
Soon, the main gate of Silver Mist Castle began to open slowly from the inside.
He vaulted onto Baofeng’s back, drew the sword from his waist, and pointed it toward the brightly lit Silver Mist Castle. His voice bood like thunder.
"Mammoth Knights, advance! Trample any enemy that stands in your way!"
"Moonlight Knight Order, clear the path!"
"Storm Griffin Knights, take to the skies! Pegasus Knights, spread to the flanks! Suppress all enemies on the battlents who dare to resist!"
"All forces, attack!"
ROAR!
Dozens of mammoths let out a heaven-shaking roar. They began their heavy advance, the very earth rumbling beneath their feet.
Like a herd of unstoppable War Giant Beasts, they launched a devastating charge toward Silver Mist Castle.
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