Chapter 442 — The Battle Ends
Blade of Dawn · Page 3 of 4
A swift shadow darted through the air and in the blink of an eye was behind Suojilin. Amber's figure coalesced out of the shadow, lugging a bizarre weapon of combined mechanical and runic design. Only after confirming she had reached safety did she let out a great breath. "Mother of—that was thrilling... I thought I was done for..."
Suojilin glanced at the half-elf thief from the corner of his eye—mainly at the "mechanical warhammer" in her hands—and suddenly felt that after "Explosive Shot," here was another transcendent ability that could be adapted into one of the Steel Rangers' capabilities.
—Just which genius had dreamed up a "power sap"?
Amber, after catching her breath, raised her head and said to Suojilin, "Gaoyang... the lord's side has finished its fight. The fortress's supreme commander has been captured. The battle is about to end—reduce the scale of losses."
Even in such circumstances, the half-elf still remembered to say "the lord" properly.
Suojilin nodded at the message Amber relayed, then looked toward the bewildered, already disintegrating "defense force" of Fortress Stonehold. "Soldiers—you may lay down your arms now. Your supreme commander has fallen. Surrender at this point does not diminish your honor."
Ordinary soldiers did not much care about "face" when surrendering; that sentence was chiefly shouted for the benefit of the knights still showing signs of hesitation.
And as it turned out, when a way out was offered, most knights surrendered no more slowly than common soldiers.
The last defenders of Fortress Stonehold laid down their weapons, and the Steel Rangers began stepping forward to take prisoners, while Suojilin walked over to the deeply unconscious guard knight and looked down at him.
"Stopping a knight's brave act in this manner is not honorable, but the lord has ordered that after victory, needless losses and casualties be kept to a minimum. Knight, your courage commands respect, but the battle is over," Suojilin said, shaking his head slightly. "You will understand in time—after reeducation, you will become a glorious Cecil citizen."
Outside Fortress Stonehold, at the bow of the Aurora on the Whitewater River, Gaoyang stood with Sir Byron watching the fortress walls crumble under the artillery barrage. Sir Marchi, now disarmed and pale-faced, stood beside Gaoyang, staring at the nightmare scene in the distance.
The Calibrator beams still moved across the sky, and the last two towers of Fortress Stonehold were collapsing.
In the water beside the Aurora, Til emerged from the churning foam; the river lifted her into the air as though on the palm of a hand. The siren from the deep sea stared wide-eyed, unblinking, at the "Prism Cannon" mounted on the Aurora's deck.
In fact, she had been watching it for a long while already. The beam of light formed by that pure and savage magic glittered in her eyes, and it had clearly aroused the greatest interest in this siren.
A signal flare rose from the Fortress of Bedrock, and hard on its heels came a second.
Gaoyun let out a soft breath. "Looks like the fighting on Suojilin's side is over, and Luopeni? Gelan's company came through alive as well."
The gunfire from Height Two gradually died away, and the great Calibrator Rainbow Cannon at last extinguished its destructive focusing crystals. The rumbling from the pumps, amplifier banks, and magic cores beneath the deck slowly faded with it, until at last the "magitech arrays" along both sides of the warship folded away their steel-wrought wings.
Silence settled over the Whitewater River.
Gaoyang glanced at Sir Byron beside him. "We can go and take possession of our North Gate now."
Sir Byron laughed, but before he could speak, a sudden splash of water interrupted him.