School Transmigration: I, Chosen as the Saint by Dragons at the Start-Chapter 183 --The Fall

After gaining an understanding of the situation in the outer city, Dawson slowly descended the high tower, finding the journey unexpectedly strenuous.

He continually calculated how long the outer city could hold, how long the inner city might last, but he knew no matter the math, they couldn’t wait out the arrival of General Wang’s reinforcements.

Ironblade City was destined to become a city of the dead.

Now, there was nothing left to do but that one thing.

He made his way to the drawing room.

To the east and west, the demon army’s catapults relentlessly bombarded the city walls, while to the south, after several volleys of sword rain, the demon army’s vanguard was about to engage in close combat with the city’s defenders.

And to the north, under the cover of archers on horseback, infantrymen carrying ladders rushed towards the city walls.

The twilight of Ironblade City had begun.

Kistan lay prone at what used to be the city gate, covered in dust.

When the shaking began, he quickly judged it wasn’t an ordinary earthquake.

Under his command, the city’s defenders swiftly withdrew from the walls, but more than half were buried in the ruins, a sight too ghastly to behold.

He had no choice but to order his guards to end the suffering of those who were screaming in pain, lest the morale of his troops collapse entirely.

Then, he issued orders to re-form ranks, with archers in front using the remnants of the walls as cover and infantry in the back, ready for hand-to-hand combat.

He lay at the remains of the gate, directing the archers to fire in volleys.

The orc vanguard of the demon army, hit by several rounds of arrow rain, lost many, yet they were helpless against the human archers behind the ruins.

But finally, they closed in on the remains of the wall.

These creatures of simple minds launched a frenzied charge.

"Retreat!"

At Kistan’s command, he led the archers to fall back fifteen meters behind the infantry.

As soon as orc infantry appeared atop the ruins, Kistan ordered the infantry to raise a shield wall while the archers fired at will, annihilating an entire squad of orcs.

However, the demon army’s reinforcements continuously arrived at the ruins, and under the cover of a barrage of arrows, they quickly breached the wall with their vast numerical advantage.

Infantry clashed directly with infantry, and the city’s reserve forces also arrived in waves, turning the battle into a war of attrition.

Wielding a heavy sword, Kistan cut down one ugly demon after another, his movements straightforward and efficient, sparing no extra effort.

Even so, he began to feel overwhelmed; the demon army’s numbers were too great, and continuing this way was not sustainable.

He turned to a lieutenant beside him: "Where is the cavalry?"

"Unable to deploy, they’re all at the rear."

"Hold the front, ready the middle and rear for street fighting. I’ll personally lead the cavalry!"

"Yes!"

The situation on the battlefield began to change.

To the demon army, it seemed as if the forces guarding the south city were collapsing, the middle and rear troops were scattering, and the front lines were gradually being breached.

After the complete disarray of the middle and rear troops, the front finally could no longer hold, and the line collapsed entirely.

Thus, the demon army pursued these remnants into the south city.

However, what the demon army didn’t expect was Kistan’s cavalry charging through the city’s main streets.

Several cavalry units charged back and forth along the main roads of the city.

After each charge, they did not linger but moved on to the next target.

The scattered demon forces were picked off by archers hidden on rooftops and inside civilian homes.

The retreating infantry avoided direct contact with the enemy, spreading out across the city to protect the archers.

This integrated tactical system of different military branches significantly disadvantaged the demon army.

Seeing the south city difficult to conquer, parts of the demon army attempted to attack the eastern and western city walls from within, but there were always cavalry units nearby.

Several assaults were repelled by the cavalry, resulting in heavy losses.

This exemplified Kistan’s brilliance in military strategy.

He had repeatedly simulated urban warfare before the battle, meticulously planning the number of cavalry squads, their routes, responsible areas, intervals between units, and emergency response mechanisms.

Thus, no matter where the demon army attacked, they faced cavalry assaults, naturally incurring higher losses than the defending troops.

This situation persisted until the demon army’s cavalry units entered the city.

Without the advantage of cavalry, Kistan’s forces could only rely on favorable terrain to block the demon army.

Some of the city’s civilians also joined the fight, intensifying the battle.

By midnight, Kistan’s armor was drenched in blood, and his directly commanded cavalry unit had suffered significant losses.

With the defenders dwindling amidst continuous attrition, most of the south city had fallen into enemy hands, and the eastern and western sections were gradually being eroded.

Realizing the dire situation, Kistan sent a lieutenant to assess the conditions in the north city and the inner city.

Then, leading the remnants of his cavalry, he charged into an elite orc battalion.

Swinging his heavy sword, he cut down any orc that stood in his way, until his valiant steed finally succumbed.

Leaping forward, Kistan plunged into the heart of the elite orc battalion, wielding his heavy sword as if it were as light as a piece of paper, momentarily throwing the orc elites into disarray.

Kistan’s cavalry carved a bloody path to protect their commander, but against the overwhelming number of enemies, their efforts were in vain.

Blood clouded his vision, and after wiping his eyes, Kistan realized that only the lieutenant, who had rejoined the ranks at some unknown time, remained.

"How does it stand?" Kistan asked, still concerned about Owen and the lord’s situation.

Owen must not die here, and the lord...

"The saint of dragons’ troops are preparing to break out, and the lord has decided to share the fate of the inner city," the lieutenant coughed out blood, falling dead with two arrows lodged in his back.

"So, it’s finally ending?" Kistan muttered to himself with a bitter smile.

As if in answer to his question, a rocket streaked across the sky.

He looked up to see the western city wall overtaken, rockets firing into the still fighting areas, setting Ironblade City ablaze.

The fire illuminated the city as if it were daylight, allowing him to see the fierce faces of the orcs surrounding him.

He lifted his heavy sword again.

The orcs parted to make way, and their leader appeared before Kistan.

After observing Kistan, the leader spoke to the orcs beside him: "Warriors, grant him an honorable death."

An orc stepped forward, charging at Kistan with a mace.

Kistan sidestepped and cleaved the orc’s head in two with a swing.

Another orc rushed at him, and with a block and a thrust, Kistan claimed another life.

One by one, the orcs dueled with Kistan.

After slaying the thirteenth orc, Kistan’s strength and arcanergy were nearly depleted.

His right hand suddenly went numb, the heavy sword falling from his grasp, leaving him powerless to continue fighting.

Kistan glanced at his right hand to find a tiny poison dart embedded in it, then he heard the sound of a skull shattering.

Looking forward, he saw the orc leader crushing the head of a darkcast asura standing beside them.

"This despicable creature turned out to be the orc’s overseer. How laughable," the orc leader said to Kistan.

"I have observed your way of fighting. You can infuse arcanergy into your heavy sword without showing any outward sign, your sword moves are succinct, far more practical than the fancy flourishes of some of your people. This is the swordsmanship of a true soldier. You are a respectable opponent."

"That’s quite the compliment," Kistan managed a bitter smile, his body starting to go numb.

The orc leader approached Kistan, picked up the heavy sword, and placing it against Kistan’s left shoulder said, "For this, I will grant you an honorable end myself."

With those words, he thrust the sword through Kistan’s chest.

Kistan slumped against the orc leader, murmuring, "The east city wall..."

"Your men are still resisting; you have not lost."

The orc leader looked towards the rockets firing from the east city wall and withdrew the sword.

Kistan’s eyes quickly lost their spark of life, and the orc leader gently laid him on the ground, bowing in respect.

"Leave a few to guard the body," he instructed his subordinates.

"After the battle ends, cremate him. The rest, follow me to attack the inner city."

"What about the overseer?" an orc inquired.

"Dismember him messily and say he was killed by the enemy’s random sword slashes," the leader responded without turning back, continuing towards the inner city.

The orcs assigned to guard the corpse checked Kistan’s breath to be sure he was dead before daring to lift his body.

Yet, they could never understand why this man had a slight smile on his lips even in death.

"Saint, the western city wall has been taken, our left flank is now engaged in close combat with the enemy," the lieutenant reported, his face smeared with blood, his sword hand trembling.

"I understand, prepare to open the gate," Owen had made his decision.

The moment the south city wall fell, Owen realized everything was over.

Even at his peak, he couldn’t turn the tide against the massive demon army.

Receiving the lord’s order that permitted only a breakout but no reinforcements caused him immense pain.

Owen left enough archers and guards on the walls, gathering the remaining soldiers behind the city gates, ready to charge out at any moment.

The wait was longer than he anticipated; Kistan had held out until deep into the night.

Owen had thought it would take no more than half an hour for Kistan’s front to completely collapse.

Ironblade City was a fortress notoriously difficult to conquer, designed with both an inner and outer city.

The larger a city, the more soldiers, provisions, weapons, and horses it can accommodate, controlling a broader area.

However, when one side of the walls completely collapses, the defenders lose the protection of the walls.

Being outnumbered and having to defend a longer line makes a collapse more likely.

Yet, Kistan managed to hold out against the overwhelmingly superior numbers of the demon army for so long.

Owen couldn’t help but admire this man he had known for only a few days.

Remembering his face, he felt an unexpected sense of loss.

But nothing could change the situation.