Alaster was not unfamiliar with war, but still the scenery that stretched out before him shocked him.

The Demons had acted almost immediately, loading their trebuchets and ordering their soldiers into formation.

The bells of the city were quickly rung, alerting the entire city to the now active threat. The few remaining citizens ran to take shelter before the City Watch shouted at them to grab whatever they could carry and get to the underground station.

Soldiers checked their equipment yet again and rushed to their positions. Engineers examined their machines before loading them with their various ammunitions. Archers ensured the buckets of arrows atop the towers and battlements were stocked and that their bowstrings were not fraying. Officers were hunched by their Section Commander, once more hearing the plan they had long since memorized.

Even a few Nobles stood at the wall, ready to defend their home.

And all this was just on the Outer Wall of Onigas. Down below, on the ground, each sectioned bailey was filled with infantry, ready to fight off any breaches. Talented Earth Mages were also among their ranks in order to seal any breaches as they occurred.

Breaching the wall before taking the top was the worst possible position a common soldier could be in as they were fighting not only the enemy in front of you, but also above and behind. What's worse, due to Onigas having an inner and outer wall, the attackers would be pelted with arrows and spells from above both in front of them and behind, while having to fight the enemy directly in front of them. It was a suicidal area. And yet, many a fortress had been taken because the ground had been taken before the walls.

The majority of the siege weaponry was atop the Inner Wall, where they would be able to support any combat on the Outer Wall. Strong wooden bridges connected the two, each one equipped with a powerful Explosive Rune, in case the enemy attempted to cross.

Alaster and his Death Knights watched the scenery atop on of the towers of the Outer Wall, waiting for the battle to come to him.

"Master, will we be permitted to join the fray?" One of the Death Knights asked.

Alaster really needed to name them as apparently, they were too weak of Death Knights to have one for themselves. It was up to the Master to name them.

Alaster really sucked with names.

"Not at first. I wish to see what the Demons are capable of against a prepared foe. Should the Humans require assistance, I will send you to provide it. Until such a time, remain beside me.

Have any more Knights arrived in the warehouse?"

"No Master. The first dozen should arrive before the sun sets."

"Good."

Alaster opened his thoughts to the Shadow beside Lezrum, but before he could begin communication, the first wave of Demons began to march forward.

An officer blew into a horn at his hip, prompting the archers to step up to the battlements, nocking their arrows and waiting for further orders.

Alaster rolled his shoulders and cracked his knuckles, "Here we go."

Necrotic Smoke oozed out of the cracks between Alaster's light armor.

Men and women backed away, afraid to touch the smoke, let alone breath it in.

As quickly as it appeared, it began to fade, revealing Alaster's transformed armor of overlapping plates of sleek black plates covering a woven mesh of dark crimson scales. A seamless helmet covered his face, leaving no gaps to exploit, and giving the impression of a faceless monster.

A short yet sturdy Halberd with a serrated edge on one side, a sharp point on the other, and a long blade at the top appeared in his hand.

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

Those around Alaster were not sure who to be more afraid of. The monsters numbering in the thousands, steadily marching towards them, or the monster standing beside them.

As the Demons marched closer, the Siege Engines adjusted their aim, waiting until they were in range.

Finally, they were.

Trebuchets released their boulders enchanted with Explosive Runes. The wave of Demons immediately scattered, running towards the wall with their siege ladders. Several were not fast or lucky enough however, and were engulfed in the explosive fire.

As they came closer, more and more Engines loosed. Catapults launched pots of flaming oil. Ballistae shot large accurate bolts at those who appeared to be commanding or inspiring. Scorpios unleashed stones the size of a fist but had Runes that exploded after several seconds.

The Demons screamed and yelled, not unlike Humans. Devils were thrown one way or another by the explosions. The Argalon foot soldiers were quite possibly having a harder time than the Devils. While they were stronger and more magically proficient, allowing them greater self-defenses, their large stature made them an easy target.

Finally, the Demons came in range of the archers. A short horn burst was the order to draw, yet a longer horn was the order to rain hell upon the enemy. Several hundred arrows, both from atop the wall and the towers, arched through the air with naught but a faint whistle, before they crashed down from the heavens, piercing the armor and even a few shields of the Demons.

Yet the Officers did not wait to see the effectiveness of the arrows, nor did the archers. Before the first volley had even struck ground, the second was in the air.

Alaster briefly pondered the effectiveness of volleys instead of independent ranging. But he suspected that seeing half a dozen of your friends dying in a single moment was much more of a morale crusher than seeing a dozen die over several minutes.

Yet still the Demons came, even as the field turned to broken earth and bloody mud with the corpses of their comrades. Still they came.

But then Lezrum decided to make a showing. At least, his Minions did. Being the crafty Lich that he was, he had hidden himself somewhere he would still be able to supervise.

Hundreds of his Undead flooded over the battlements, causing the defenders to scream and yell, but only a few actually attacked the Undead, and they stopped once they realized the skeletons were only interested in getting over the wall.

Dozens broke apart as they crashed into the ground, but many more did not. They picked themselves up, and charged at the Demons.

While even the weakest of the Devils were able to destroy a dozen of Lezrum's Skeletons, he had a thousand more to replace them. Broken bones and shattered skulls flew through the air for a moment before they disappeared back into Mana. But the Skeletons worked in their intention.

The Demons were slowed. They were still progressing towards the wall at a jogging pace, but they no longer advanced at a full sprint. Something the archers took advantage of.

It was much easier to hit a slower target.

It was obvious to any observer however that the Demons would reach the wall. They would raise their ladders. And they would climb to the battlements.

Alaster was not the only one to see this, as before the first wave had even reached the wall, the second wave began marching forward.

And once more the cycle repeated itself.

They came within range of the Siege Engines, and the Engines made them pay for it.

However this time, there were fewer arrows.

The first ladders had reached the walls. The Demons had sacrificed themselves to bring them, tearing the ladders from the lifeless hands of their comrades to take the ladders just another step forward.

In a moment, a dozen ladders were propped against the wall, dozens more lay broken and burning in the mud.

The archers were replaced by infantry who stood ready to repel any Demon who dared to touch the battlements.

A few of the more ambitious soldiers attempted to push the ladders away, but they were unable. The ladders of the Demons were over four feet wide, with each rung being over six inches thick. Each ladder was regularly reinforced with iron, making it difficult to break.

Two Devils could climb a single ladder at a time, or a single Argalon, and due to the height of the walls, and subsequent height of the ladders, nearly a dozen could be on the ladder at a time.

The archers in the towers were proficient in picking the Demons off the ladders as the towers were slightly extended from the wall, therefore allowing them a proper angle.

The shields of the Demons were strong, but even the strongest of mundane shields broke when an arrow with a Piercing Rune struck it.

Unfortunately for the Humans, the second wave also brought with it archers of their own, as well as their own portable cover.

They began to loose their own arrows as their infantry advanced. Several humans were hit with these arrows before the rest realized and took proper precautions.

Alaster continued to watch these events, analyzing every movement and reaction. While Lezrum's skeletons continued to drop from the walls, disrupting the Demons at the foot of the walls, where the archers struggled to reach them, they were more an annoyance now.

But even the Undead understood that Mana was cheaper than lives.

Gradually, the battle turned into a slog. A battle of attrition. Who would break first? Who would show weakness first? Who would be slaughtered like cattle?

Alaster still did not know.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.