77. Ceasefire

The dwarves harbored an inexplicable reverence for Mo Fei, believing him capable of anything. Thus, they never imagined anyone could harm him, unaware that, at this moment, Mo Fei was at his wit’s end, desperate and helpless.

Facing such a hard-fought battle, with the enemy outnumbering them several times over, all they could do was defend, and defend again. Even if they wanted to make a move, they had to guard against a sudden counterattack. For Mo Fei, who had always been accustomed to seizing the initiative and launching attacks, this was utter torment. He had always been the one to strike first. Now, forced to hunker down in one place and remain constantly on guard, Mo Fei had had enough.

“Hilai,” Mo Fei called out one sleepless night, stepping out of his tent to find the dwarf Hilai also awake.

“Why aren’t you resting?” Mo Fei asked.

“City Lord, I’m trying to figure out how we’ll fight tomorrow!”

“Any ideas yet?”

“None,” Hilai sighed. “The Demon Island forces outnumber us, and aside from our berserkers who can match them, our other units, if separated, can't inflict significant damage or play a decisive role.”

“That’s true,” Mo Fei agreed. Judging from the day’s battle, it took at least six or seven of their soldiers to hold off one of the enemy’s, and even the warriors of the Dragon Empire needed two to stand against just one. Only the berserkers could contend one-on-one and gain the upper hand.

“We can only strengthen our defenses. In just a day, we’ve used up almost a third of our arrows—shows how fierce their assault has been. Still, we held out,” Hilai said, a proud smile breaking through.

“Just hold on for two more days. Kain should be almost here. Knowing him, he’ll probably bring the whole empire,” Mo Fei said with a laugh, thinking of Kain’s unwavering concern for him. If Kain knew he was under siege, he would have rushed over immediately. That he hadn’t arrived yet meant he must have realized the severity of the Demon Island’s threat and was out gathering reinforcements.

…

At last, dawn broke. The defenders hastily ate what they could and rotated the men on the walls. Now, they had to rest in shifts, always prepared for a sudden attack.

By noon, Demon Island’s camp across the battlefield remained eerily quiet. The enemy seemed busy with something in their camp, perhaps preparing for another siege.

Unexpectedly, the entire day passed without another assault.

Mo Fei then surmised that Demon Island must have encountered serious trouble. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have let such a golden opportunity slip by. If the siege had continued at that pace, it would have only taken a few more days to wear down the defenders until only hand-to-hand combat remained.

Even as Mo Fei pondered what could have caused Demon Island so much trouble, the seaside city of Dragon Roar in the Dragon Empire was in utter chaos.

When the Demon Island commander ordered his mages to board ships and confront the seven warships arrogantly anchored offshore, he watched in horror as all twenty warships carrying two thousand Demon Island mages, after a brief but fierce struggle, caught fire and sank to the depths.

Fortunately, the enemy did not take advantage and enter the harbor; otherwise, the crowded warships there would have been lost as well.

In the imperial capital, Sky Dragon City, the past two days of pursuit and a day and a half of siege had cost Demon Island nearly sixty thousand troops, with another forty thousand incapacitated. Though their numbers still gave them an advantage, what about after more time had passed? In all previous wars, Demon Island had never suffered such heavy losses in a single campaign. Had the armies of this continent grown stronger without their knowledge?

On this continent, they were always outsiders. If they could not take Sky Dragon City quickly, should they fall back as originally planned? The island itself was not yet truly prepared for another war. Their only long-range force was the two thousand mages, now lost. Only their melee troops remained, and Sky Dragon City could not be taken by force alone. What now? Just retreat?

The more he thought, the more unwilling he became. Yet what use was reluctance? If those seven enemy warships entered the harbor, there would be no escape. Most of Demon Island’s fleet was here.

After long deliberation, the Demon Island commander had to admit this surprise attack had failed. Now, how to end this was all that mattered. He ordered a halt to the siege.

As Mo Fei welcomed a new morning, he also received the news he most desired. Kain had arrived with nearly one hundred thousand imperial troops, including twenty thousand light-armored crossbowmen from the Elven Kingdom and thirty thousand pikemen sent by the Stonegold Empire under Kain’s command. However, this time, Kain had managed to assemble only about thirty thousand heavy cavalry.

At the same time, the Demon Island commander received intelligence from the camp at Sky Dragon City that not only had reinforcements of a hundred thousand troops arrived under Kain, but nearly fifty thousand more from the Dragon Rock Empire were also on their way.

All of this forced the Demon Island commander to make a choice.

Mo Fei knew Demon Island was not yet ready to invade the continent. Otherwise, these past two days would not have been so quiet. There was no sign of military preparations for attack in their camp—if anything, it looked like preparations for withdrawal.

Kain’s hundred thousand strong force soon arrived, with the Dragon Rock Empire’s reinforcements merging with his army under unified command. To pin the enemy down, Kain set up camp outside, in an open field.

“It’s almost over. When this is done, the continent will see another few decades of peace, and then we can finally go home.” These days had been so busy that only at night did Mo Fei remember the beloved waiting for him in the Empire of Death.

From Kain, Mo Fei learned that the empire’s seven warships had made all the difference—no wonder the enemy had rushed to send mages back for defense. Still, Mo Fei was puzzled by Demon Island’s warships: such massive vessels, yet not equipped with any long-range attack force. Their defenses were incomplete—how did they dare venture out? No wonder his mere seven warships could hold off the enemy’s entire fleet.

“Let’s not sink them all. If they have no way back, they might fight to the death,” Mo Fei remarked after understanding the situation—just as the dwarven elder on board had said. Both could see further ahead than most.

Even with Kain’s reinforcements, Demon Island still held a numerical advantage. But now, lacking preparation and the will to fight, they were simply waiting for negotiations.

This would be the first time Mo Fei would negotiate without having outright won. It had never happened before, but now it had to be done.

As expected, that afternoon, the enemy camp’s main gate swung open. A small group of cavalry, escorting a burly general, slowly rode out.

Upon learning this, Mo Fei hurried to the city wall. Watching the approaching party, he gave his order: “Open the gates wide, give a military salute, and welcome them in.” No matter what, such opponents deserved respect. The siege had taught Mo Fei that this continent was not as he had once thought. He was now filled with anticipation for what lay beyond, eager to see it for himself one day.

Hearing Mo Fei’s command, the berserkers at his side were momentarily stunned. As one started to protest, Mo Fei barked, “Send the heavy cavalry to welcome them—go!”

Now everyone heard the order clearly. One berserker strode to the battlements and shouted, “By His Majesty’s command, open the gates! Heavy cavalry to ride out and greet our guests!”

In an instant, the tightly closed gates swung wide. Ten thousand heavy cavalry, ever at the ready, marched out in two columns. This time, none bore weapons in their hands; just as in times past, the City of Death welcomed honored guests with the same ceremony. Now, it was extended to their adversaries.

Watching these formidable, awe-inspiring heavy cavalrymen mounted on giant beasts, the Demon Island commander’s eyes filled with astonishment. Since when had this continent bred such fearsome cavalry? Had he overlooked a crucial report, or had the continent’s people simply dismissed this army as insignificant?

Gazing upon the heavy cavalry astride their massive warbeasts, the Demon Island commander was filled with awe. It was fortunate he had decided to come in person, for he had long wished to meet the general who had halted his advance. He did not yet know that the man responsible was Mo Fei, sovereign of the Empire of Death!