Noble District.
Columns of soldiers and knights marched across the neat cobblestone streets, as cannons mounted on wooden carts were moved into position.
The entire Noble District was completely surrounded. Cannons, gleaming with metallic luster, were set up on various streets and even atop high towers, their dark muzzles pointed skyward, aimed at the royal palace.
"Cannons ready!" a knight in plate armor shouted.
"Cannons ready!"
"Cannons ready!"
The shouts echoed, relayed from one soldier to another.
"Fire!"
The Third Prince Casey gave the command through his Den Den Mushi.
Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom...
As if a thousand cannons fired simultaneously, countless dark shells launched from their barrels, trailing scorching flames as they soared towards the royal palace.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
"What's that?" Inside the royal palace, a soldier turned, curiously watching the countless black dots in the sky.
"Quick! Get down! Take cover!" an old veteran, who had fought in several wars, screamed in terror, already diving behind a wall.
"Oh my god! Am I dreaming?" A knight on horseback in the royal palace square looked up, staring blankly at the shells raining down from the sky, his expression ashen.
In such an open square, there was nowhere to hide from the bombardment; all that was left was to await death.
Rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble...
Suddenly, deafening explosions continuously boomed, shaking the very earth. The strong smell of gunpowder filled the air. Dark smoke rose like black clouds, and in an instant, the entire royal palace was engulfed in a sea of fire.
The Clifford Royal Palace had been built five hundred years ago by order of King Dasco I. It was square-shaped, covering approximately 300,000 square kilometers, and served as the residence for successive kings of the Clifford Kingdom.
On a street in the Commoner District.
A purple-haired young man wearing black metal knight's plate armor heard the cannon fire and immediately turned his head towards the source of the sound. Several similarly armored young people beside him did the same.
"That cannon fire... what's going on?!"
This purple-haired youth was tall, nearly three meters, with sharp brows, bright eyes, fair skin, and a handsome, imposing demeanor. A diamond-encrusted cross-shaped longsword hung at his waist.
"It seems to be from the Noble District and the royal palace direction!"
"Such fierce artillery fire, is there a war?"
"Is there a connection between the bell earlier and this cannon fire?"
"Could it be a coup?"
Not only were these armored youths discussing, but people on the streets also buzzed with uneasy chatter.
Rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble...
"Damn it! Who dares to bombard the royal palace?" Amidst the cannon fire, a young knight, sheltering beneath the royal palace wall, cried out in shock and fury.
This man had golden hair, emerald green eyes, a ruby-gold crown on his head, and wore silver armor. In his hand, he held a gleaming cross-shaped longsword.
He was the First Prince of the Clifford Kingdom, Byrd Dasco.
Although his swordsman skills allowed him to cut steel and even cleave incoming cannon shells, there were simply too many shells. In an instant, they turned the palace into a sea of fire. With his current level of swordsmanship, he couldn't possibly cut them all. If he didn't take cover, he would be blasted to death.
He saw with his own eyes a knight in sturdy plate armor being directly struck by a shell. Under that terrifying kinetic energy, the metal plate armor shattered, flying in all directions, and the entire person was torn to pieces on the spot, turning into a bloody rain.
Another soldier was hit in the chest by a cannonball; his upper body instantly vanished without a trace, leaving only a blood-soaked lower half a few meters away.
"No... it couldn't be His Highness the Third Prince, could it...? Only his forces aren't here," an old nobleman, similarly hiding behind the wall, trembled and guessed in terror.
"Bastard!" Hearing this, Byrd roared, "How dare that scoundrel?! The Clifford Royal Palace has been passed down for centuries, and Father King's body is still inside! Does he want to incur everyone's wrath?"
At another gate of the royal palace.
Similarly, a young knight wearing a yellow-jeweled golden crown was hiding in the underground chamber of the gatehouse, protected by a dozen knights. Outside, cannon fire boomed, and dust and debris constantly fell from the shaking ceiling.
"Your Highness Bolton, are you alright?" a tall knight, nearly three meters tall, strong as an ox, and wearing worn-out plate armor, asked in a deep voice.
"I'm fine," the Second Prince Bolton shook his head, brushing off the debris from his golden hair. Then, with lingering fear, he asked, "Wilmin, what exactly is happening?"
Just moments ago, dozens of cannon shells had suddenly slammed down. If not for the Royal Guard Commander, Wilmin Bowen, who had pledged allegiance to him, selflessly protecting him, he would likely be severely wounded, or even utterly destroyed.
Wilmin Bowen, 36 years old, from a commoner background, was the Royal Guard Commander of the Clifford Royal Palace and oversaw the palace's Imperial Guard.
"I don't know for sure. I only know that someone is bombarding the royal palace. I glanced earlier, and the entire palace is covered in fierce cannon fire," Wilmin Bowen shook his head, also somewhat terrified. Under such a large-scale bombardment, the royal palace might be razed to the ground.
"Damn it! Father King's body is still in the royal palace! What are they trying to do?" Bolton stared blankly for a moment, then roared repeatedly, "It must be that bastard Casey! He's colluded with pirates! Only that filthy pirate scum would come up with such a malicious plan!"
"It must be them! They must be trying to wipe us all out! Bastards, a bunch of absolute bastards!"
Figuring out the identity and objective of the attackers caused Bolton, who was usually mild-tempered, to curse uncontrollably. Most of his army and subordinates were outside, and it was likely that few would survive this cannon fire. This was his accumulated foundation of years.
"Pirates?" Bowen frowned, tearing off his tattered metal plate armor as he asked, "Rumor has it that His Highness the Third Prince is cooperating with a pirate crew, and that pirate crew is under the command of a great pirate who is one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. Is it true?"
Bolton nodded and said, "That's right, it's..."
"To dare bombard the royal palace, you're asking for death!"
Suddenly, before Bolton could finish speaking, a furious roar came from outside, seemingly from deep within the royal palace.
The air above the royal palace became still, as if it had stopped flowing. Similarly, countless dark cannon shells hung frozen in mid-air. Then, all the shells suddenly split in half, as if cut by an invisible slash.
Rumble, rumble, rumble...
The next second, countless severed shells exploded in mid-air. Thick black smoke and scorching flames enveloped the sky above the royal palace.
"What a powerful slash!!! This is..." The First Prince Byrd stood up, looking at the scene in astonishment.
"Elvish Saxon-sama has made his move! Excellent!" an adjacent noble lord exclaimed in delight.
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