Chapter 265: Chapter 252: A Traitor’s Fate, Training the Troops, Mechanical Mage Esra

Almost at the exact moment Yagor charged resolutely out of the slums, surging toward the city wall with overwhelming killing intent, a sudden pang struck Walter’s heart. Atop the wall, the City Defense Officer was at his wit’s end, trying to rally his Soldiers, restore the defensive weapons, and rescue those suffering from the backlash.

As if sensing something, he subconsciously turned to look back into the city.

Perhaps it was due to his familiarity with his colleague, or maybe it was just intuition, but even from such a great distance, his eyes locked precisely onto Yagor’s charging form, which looked like a burning war chariot.

The sight made his pupils contract sharply.

"How is he in the city!? After that day, I thought he was—"

Before Walter could process the thought, another cannonball slammed into the ramparts, the tremendous roar leaving him dizzy and disoriented.

When he finally managed to shake off his dizziness, he saw that another swath of the Soldiers he had just rallied now lay on the ground.

The sight nearly drove him to despair.

’How are we supposed to fight this war? How can we possibly defend this city!?’

By all logic, the defensive weapons mounted on the city walls should have a natural range advantage. Attacking from high to low should be a complete slaughter; they should be nearly invincible within their firing range!

And yet, the Resistance Alliance had somehow acquired cannons with a range that defied all logic. From the moment the first shot was fired, his men hadn’t even seen the enemy. They could only take the humiliating, passive beating!

Not to mention the cannonballs carried additional effects like Purification, Impact, and concussive blasts...

So even though the bombardment wasn’t particularly frequent or devastatingly lethal, it was still enough to suppress the defenders on the wall and prevent them from mounting an effective rally!

’Under these circumstances, what is the right thing to do!?’

In his daze, an idea flashed through Walter’s mind.

’Wait... why am I even thinking about this...’

’I only yielded to those people to survive... Now that the city is indefensible, are they really going to come after me? They’ll have to deal with the noble’s army below the walls first!’

’So, what am I still doing here? I just want to live... Is that so wrong?’

At this thought, the light returned to his eyes.

Drawing on his intimate knowledge of the city, the City Defense Officer devised an escape route in an instant. He instinctively began to move quickly along the battlements.

’If that idiot Yagor could get into the city through some secret passage, then I can certainly—’

Just as he rounded the base of a tower, preparing to slide down a ladder to the ground level, a lanky shadow emerged silently from the darkness of the structure.

The moment the shadow appeared, Walter froze in place like a field mouse eyed by a viper.

He felt a damp, sticky sensation, like putrid sludge, creeping up the back of his neck. It was bone-chillingly cold and carried the sickly-sweet stench of sulfur and rotting flesh, a feeling that seeped inch by inch into his very marrow.

He tried to scream, but his throat felt as if it were gripped by an invisible hand, allowing only a few gasps that sounded like a broken bellows.

A ghastly gray mist crept silently across his eyes, greedily devouring his last struggling thoughts.

His past ambitions, his greed for wealth, and even his fear of death all dissolved into the churning gray mist, leaving nothing but a hollow, icy void.

Just as he was about to be reduced to a mere puppet, the shadow drifted closer. A low, resonant voice echoed from beneath its hood.

"Go now, Mr. Walter. Go and face your destiny..."

"The betrayer will, in the end, be pierced by the blade of betrayal. What a... beautiful cycle."

Walter turned his neck woodenly, his joints emitting a sharp CRACK-CRACK, like rusty gears being forced to move.

The face that had once been twisted by betrayal was now devoid of expression. Deep within his eyes, only the murky gray of the solidified mist remained.

In silence, like a puppet pulled by invisible strings, he began to walk stiffly, retracing his steps.

As he staggered past the Soldiers who lay on the ground, their lives uncertain, a bizarre scene unfolded.

The fallen bodies began to twitch and rise to their feet!

Broken bones reset themselves with an unnatural grace, and specks of ghastly green ghost-fire ignited in their vacant eyes.

They picked up their scattered weapons and silently fell into formation behind Walter, forming a grim procession of the walking dead.

The lanky shadow, which had been standing in place, vanished without a trace, leaving only a barely audible chuckle to dissipate on the wind.

’Heh... A pawn should know its place...’

...

Below the city walls, the grand army of the Resistance Alliance pressed its assault.

Heavy battering rams struck the city gates with thunderous thuds. Siege ladders hooked onto the cannon-scorched stone walls. The shouts of battle, the clash of steel, and the wails of the dying mingled into a churning, fetid mire that seemed to burn the lungs with every breath.

Jon stood atop a ruined wall, coldly observing a small group of rebel soldiers ahead. They had been forced into a dead end by a Walker-model Mechanical Body and two Guardians.

There were seven or eight of them, their armor in tatters. Their faces were a mixture of the desperation and hysteria that came with being trapped.

"Stay back! We’re not to be trifled with!"

"AAAAAHHH!! GET LOST!!!"

To Jon, however, these roars from what were clearly small-fry soldiers were less interesting than a kitten’s meow.

He simply turned his head and gave a detached command.

"Esra, use your Mechanical Body to deal with them."

Esra, who was right behind him, flinched at the command. Her fingers instinctively tightened around the Control Crystal Disc in her hands.

"Y-Yes! Mr. Jon!"

The black-haired girl took a deep breath. The cold air, thick with the stench of rust and burnt metal, stung her throat but also helped to clear her head.

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