The first catapult released with a loud thunk, the arm snapped forward and launched the stone high into the air.

A moment later, the others followed, eight in total, one after another!

Whoosh~ Whoosh~ Whoosh~

Tristan watched as the stones arced across the sky.

Then came the impact.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The first stone struck an Iron Golem square in the chest. The explosion of force crushed it and destroyed the other Golems around as well.

In just one stone, four Iron Golems were shattered…

However, the Mage observing the situation knew that only two of those golems had their cores destroyed.

It means that, given time, the destroyed golems would repair themselves.

Soon, another stone hit the ground near a cluster of golems, sending up a cloud of dust and shrapnel. One golem lost its footing and fell, almost crushed beneath the weight of another…

Well, accuracy was a big concern on this matter, but with the large size of the golems and the stone itself, it was still acceptable.

As several stones were launched, cheers erupted along the wall.

However, the golems didn't stop… There were still a lot of them marching forward… Those who had fallen also slowly stood up since their cores weren't completely destroyed.

Kristian swallowed hard and turned back to the pulley… They had to launch more of them!

"Reload!" the sergeant ordered! "We've got a few more shots! Make them count!"

And so they did.

Again and again, the catapults fired, and the defenders of Hesa City braced themselves for the battle that was only just beginning.

***

The final stone launched from Catapult #3 struck the ground with a deafening crash…

Boom!

It sent a shockwave through the battlefield. Dust and fragments scattered, and one Iron Golem was knocked off its feet, its chestplate cracked from the sheer force of impact… Well, it was a miss, and it wasn't too surprising. However, the crew definitely felt bad for missing that shot.

After all, it was the last shot.

All eight catapults had exhausted their supply, ten massive stone shells each, hurled with nothing but gravity and torque.

There were no high-level enchantments included on it… Just raw, crushing weight.

And now, the golems were too close.

"Cease fire!" Sergeant Darnel shouted. "They're at the wall!"

Kristian stepped back from the catapult, panting.

At this point, his arms ached from the cranking, but his eyes stayed locked on the advancing line.

The trench had certainly slowed them. The stones had shattered dozens. But the Iron Golems kept coming.

They were now within melee range.

This time, as they got closer, Kristian confirmed that their bodies shimmered faintly, wrapped in a veil of mana that deflected arrows and dampened magical impact.

Even the cannon crews, stationed along the ramparts, were struggling to make a dent.

"Load the cannons!" came the next order.

The defenders scrambled to adjust. Cannons were wheeled into position…

Kristian watched as powder was packed, shells were loaded, and the cannon crew targeted a cluster of Iron Golems…

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The cannons fired in synchronized bursts, sending shockwaves through the wall.

Some shells struck golems directly, exploding against their iron bodies. But most of the damage was absorbed by the mana veil. The impact scattered dust and debris, but the golems kept moving!

"Tsk… They're shielded really well" one of the mages shouted. "The veil is absorbing physical force!"

"Then we need to break it!" another replied. "Physical damage alone won't do it!"

The realization spread quickly.

Without overwhelming force, like the catapults, or a combination of magic and strong crushing force, the veil wouldn't break.

And if the mana veil held, the golems would reach the wall intact. Needless to say, if they reached the wall intact… They would smash it.

"Not good…" The sergeant realized this as well.

The city couldn't afford to have its walls destroyed now…

Before the golems could reach the base of the wall, the order was given.

"Deploy the knights! Form up!"

The gates opened.

Soldiers and knights surged out in formation…

It could also be seen that the knights were actually from the Magicblade Order and also from the noble families living within Hesa City…

Just like that, shields were raised to protect the city…

Behind them, archers lined the ramparts.

This time, these archers were fully ready. The arrows nocked on their bows had received enchantments for piercing.

Kristian watched from above as the first clash began.

Steel met stone.

The knights struck hard, aiming for joints and weak points.

They were targeting the knees of the Golems to stop their movement since this would make the Iron Golems behind them stumble or stop.

"Focus on their joints! Destroying their core will not be easy! Focus on stopping their movements, the Archers and Mages will do their job to destroy those cores!"

With these instructions, the battle became clear… Some managed to stagger the golems, forcing them back a few steps. Then, arrows rained down from above, targeting exposed cores and heads of the golems…

Still, the golems were overwhelming.

Every blow that landed was met with a counterstrike. Iron fists slammed into shields, sending soldiers flying. One knight was crushed beneath a golem's foot. Another was hurled into the wall… It was so strong that his armor dented and his sword shattered.

The archers did their best, but the mana veil would soon come up after it was destroyed by a few shots…

"So annoying... These Iron Golems are too adaptive!"

"How can they regenerate so quickly!"

"They're too strong! How did they allow these creatures to come out of the Dungeon?!"

Those who came from the outpost near the 17th Dungeon heard those words and were almost lost for words.

However, they were busy right now and couldn't really respond to such an ignorant comment. They could only glare in the man's direction…

The golems weren't just strong, they were coordinated. They moved in formation, covering each other's flanks, pressing forward like a living siege engine.

In just a few moments, they started to get overwhelmed!

Thankfully, it didn't last that long!

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