Chapter 243. Start of Sirol City's Siege.

"We have Sirol City in sight!"

Lyra heard the announcement and looked into the distance. The flatland allowed her to look quite far into the distance and spot the city's silhouette. The man who just shouted spoke again, informing the high commands. "There are people at the front of the city."

Folter squinted, and he asked. "Taro is a clever man. What are those people doing? Can you see?"

The man frowned, trying to focus his gaze. "They are… moving some wooden surfaces? I am not completely sure. Their actions seem suspicious."

Folter said with certainty. "Traps." He looked at Lyra and said. "He must've placed several traps at the front to force us to walk around the city when we arrive. If we hadn't spotted them, we might've been under siege while circling the city, causing several casualties. I think that we should move the entire army west and attack them from there."

Lyra frowned. "Isn't it too obvious? If he was really that clever, I am sure he must have ways to hide those people placing traps from our spotters. It feels deliberate."

Folter shook his head. "I have known that man for many years. He is probably preparing other things, and his main aim must be making us divert our trajectory. The time he is gaining by forcing us to surround the city from the outside is what he is truly aiming for by placing those traps, not to harm us." 

Lyra found it reasonable and asked the people around them. "Any ideas?"

One of the <Second Energy Cycles> spoke. "Lady Lyra, I still recommend a frontal attack. If he is so sure that we are going to divert our trajectory, the best we can do is to attack frontally to go against his predictions. This might give us the upper hand. The traps, while dangerous, should not cause much damage as long as we are prepared!"

Lyra shook her head. "Rejected. If he has placed traps there to force us around, there must be some very serious ones. I don't want to lose a <Second Energy Cycle> before we even arrive at the walls. Remember that Sirol City has been standing for a long time, and it has always been under Taro's family. His tactics must not be that simple."

A female high-level human spoke. "Lady Lyra, how about dividing our army? With Lord Folter and Lady Lyra at the helm of the command, we can flank the city from two sides. I am sure that if we do that, we might take that man, Taro, by surprise."

Lyra paused and pondered. "That's a good suggestion. What do you think, Folter?"

Folter hummed and commented. "I think it is a good idea. While I agree that one side of our army will have difficulties facing Taro's plans, the other side might be able to breach through and infiltrate the city. Once we are inside, gaining the upper hand will be much easier by using the civilians as a way to reason with him." Folter sighed. "To be honest, I thought he would be on our side instead of the enemy's. I don't really understand how he can even reason his stance without sounding emotional."

Lyra smiled. "He is human, after all. You are very emotional creatures that sometimes disregard all reason and move with just emotions." 

Folter snorted. "I don't appreciate those comments, Lyra. Even if they are the truth."

Lyra laughed. "Oops~. I'll try to hold them back next time."

After a few moments, Lyra spoke. "We'll use Dacaria's plan. Groups one to thirty-five go with Folter; groups from thirty-five to seventy-five, come with me."

Folter asked, confused. "Why not divide the army in the middle?"

Lyra looked at Eila and said. "Because she is the leader of group one. If you think that having Eila is a disadvantage, I don't mind commanding the groups from one to thirty-five myself."

Folter hummed. "Fair enough. Groups one to thirty-five, follow me!"

The 14,000 people who formed those groups followed Folter and separated from the overall army, leaving 16,000 people following Lyra. 

Lyra saw them aim toward the West side and nodded. Then, she commanded. "Follow me. We will penetrate from the east side of the city!"

Meanwhile, back in Sirol City, Taro heard the report, and his lips arched. "Perfect."

Delia looked at him with both awe and feeling a bit creeped out. "How did you know that they would actually divide and attack both sides instead of focusing on a single side?"

Taro hummed. "Because Folter is with them, they will overestimate me. That old man has eaten a few losses from me, so he will act cautiously and recommend attacking from the West or East. However, since Lyra knows me very little, she might ask for aid from people around her. Of course, this is if she isn't a narcissistic woman, which, by the information I've received, she is not."

Taro hummed and added. "Since they have Eila, I was honestly a bit afraid that they would divide into three groups and attack from the south, east, and west. Thankfully, it seems that the information I received about Eila not being quite liked in their alliance is right, and therefore, they went according to my plan." Taro looked at Deila and smiled. "To be fair, I was quite lucky this time around. Many factors mixed, allowing me to have a relatively easy time predicting my enemies."

Delia blinked a few times and turned to look at the divided army. "You know, I am glad that I never really had any misgivings with your City. I feel that I would've eaten a big loss if I did so."

Taro shook his head. "Mareful City is stronger than Sirol City at almost everything. Moreover, your personal strength is far above mine." Taro laughed. "I am the one who is glad you didn't initiate any attacks. Unless you provoked me first, I actually have Mareful City on a "do not provoke" list."

Delia smiled and shook her head. "Let's move out as planned. I will keep my army hidden for the first part of the attack and then appear on the war front where Eiia is. I am basically an 'Anti-Eila' measure, right?"

Taro nodded. "You are the only one with enough personal strength to face her for a while without being utterly demolished." Taro paused and looked down below. "Well, so I thought at first. If we play our cards right…" Taro's eyes flashed coldly. "We might create a burial place for her here."

Delia frowned. "You plan on killing her? That's too risky. A cornered beast will lash out indiscriminately. Eila is far from a beast; she is more like a World Tree with legs."

Taro sighed. "You are right. If we had Liu Shu's personal aid, we might've been able to kill her. Without her, though… It is too difficult."

Taro's and Delia's combined armies, together with Liu Shu's other allies, amounted to nearly 21,000 people. While the numbers were around two-thirds of what their enemies had, they were taking part in a defensive battle. 

Of course, the number of combatants was measured by how many were above Level 20 or with similar strength. After all, there were some sub-level 20s who had outstanding stats and could measure up to people above their energy cycle. 

Those below Level 20 would only participate after a breach occurred due to their lack of strength as a last stand. Usually, though, if the higher levels failed to contain an attack, the rest's participation was more like a desperate attempt. 

Taro reached the East side of the city and waited calmly. He was not giving orders since most orders had been given previously. After a few moments, his assistant received a note and spoke. "City Lord, Eila is not on this side of the battlefield. However, the enemies have concentrated more troops on this side. We've counted over 15,000."

Taro shook his head. "That's a bad strategy. Having one side being overwhelmingly stronger is a much better option." 

The assistant blinked her large eyes and asked. "Why?"

Taro smiled and gave her a side glance. "I'll teach you later about these things. Now is not the time. We must focus all our attention on the enemy in front of us."

"Understood!"

A whistling sound appeared behind Taro as a firework shot skyward, exploding into a green smoke cloud. That was the signal to tell that Eila was not on their side. 

Seeing the signal, the reserve armies moved in a large part toward the West side of the circular city. 

The tall walls, made of solid rock, reached over 20 meters in height. To cross them, the enemies would need ladders or to take down the gates. Around the city, there was a moat dug with Earth Aether spells. More often than not, it was considered a distraction instead of an actual obstacle. After all, the enemies could use spells to create bridges and make those moats useless. Instead, they were there primarily against beast attacks.

Once the armies at the West and East stopped at around 3 kilometers from the walls, two spells shot skyward from both armies, exploding in the sky. 

Those lights represented the start of the city siege. The sky on the west suddenly darkened slightly as a thunderous cloud gathered on top. 

Eila's body surged with torrents of Aether Mana as she pointed at the distant wall. "<Fulminant Strike>."

RUMBLE!

A purple lightning bolt rushed forward and struck the distant wall with a powerful blast. Everyone on the wall felt the wall faintly trembling, leaving many speechless. Delia, hiding between soldiers, arched her lips wryly. "She's gotten even stronger… Does that woman really belong to this area? Her talent and strength are both terrifying."

Folter pointed forward and ordered. "Charge!"

The group of 14,000 shouted, their voices reverberating with terrifying momentum, and then, they charged. The second in command from Taro's army looked at the approaching army and lifted one arm. "Prepare!"

Archers and spell casters pointed skyward, starting to gather their energy. The enemy army crossed the three-kilometer distance quickly, approaching the city at an accelerated pace. 

The rumbling of their steps was transmitted through the ground, reaching those on the walls. 

The second in command leading the West side of the conflict was named Zoria. He was a veteran who had followed Taro since they were children. Seeing that the enemy crossed the two-kilometer landmark, he made another prolonged shout: "Ready…!"

All archers and spell casters stretched their bows and crossbows into a full moon and channeled their energies into their staffs, wands, or other magical items. 

Zoria's pupils constricted when the first person stepped on a certain spot where Taro had planted his traps. At that moment, the land below them exploded.

BOOM!

Simultaneously, Zoria ordered the release of attacks. "FIRE!"

The few thousand on the wall released their spells and attacks, aiming at around 1500 meters from the walls. The spells and arrows crossed the sky, some landing in the general area of the enemies, while others fell short or missed the target. 

Meanwhile, both enemy armies were confused and surrounded by the screams of their brothers and sisters.