Two days after the siege began, with a single command from the allied commander, the coalition forces surged toward the gates of the Imperial Capital like a swarm of locusts, morale soaring.
After all, in over a thousand years, no rebel force had ever made it this far. Even with the devastating losses they had suffered at Esdeath's hands, their spirits remained high. Many of them truly believed the fall of the Empire was already a certainty.
But a closer look at the allied ranks revealed they weren't as united as they seemed. Despite the chaos, the troops were clearly divided into three main factions—proof that the alliance was tenuous at best. If they actually succeeded in toppling the Empire, a struggle for dominance among them would be inevitable.
As the battle erupted, the fighting grew increasingly fierce. The Imperial forces, now cornered, unleashed a ferocity born of desperation. Meanwhile, the allied troops, driven by the prospect of glory and noble titles, were blinded by bloodlust, scrambling to scale the city walls at any cost.
Gunfire, arrows, falling rocks—all came into play. Hundreds died with every passing second. In no time, the ground at the base of the walls was soaked in blood, littered with severed limbs and torn flesh. Yet the carnage only fueled both sides further, turning the battle into a relentless slaughter.
"Generals, charge! Take the capital in one strike! The first to scale the wall will receive a thousand taels in silver and be granted the title of First-Class Viscount, with hereditary rights!"
"Think of the gold and women waiting inside! The nobles who once looked down on you—once we break in, even their precious daughters will be yours for the taking! Their wealth too! So move! Charge!"
To boost morale, the coalition resorted to every tactic imaginable. Bribes of rank and wealth were just the beginning. The Revolutionary Army even went so far as to promise the soldiers access to noblewomen and riches inside the city.
And it worked. Most of the allied soldiers were once commoners, many harboring deep resentment toward the aristocracy. Some were driven by greed, others by hatred—but whatever the motivation, the offers were simply too tempting to refuse.
The result was a wave of frenzy. The troops charged like madmen, some with multiple arrows embedded in their bodies, still clawing their way up the walls.
On the Empire's side, morale was clearly faltering.
Their numbers were drastically lower. Against over 300,000 coalition troops—continuously reinforced—the Empire had barely 100,000 left, even after including Haruki's security division and the soldiers who had retreated from surrounding regions. Since the battle began, they hadn't had a moment to rest. They were stretched thin and exhausted.
To make matters worse, the allied forces had several Teigu Users among them, launching long-range attacks that not only caused heavy damage but also placed enormous psychological pressure on the defenders. Meanwhile, there wasn't a single Teigu User among the Imperial troops on the walls.
Great General Budo was currently commanding the Imperial Guard to defend the Royal Palace. At this critical moment, not just the Emperor, but nearly all of the Empire's top officials—Haruki excluded—were gathered there. No risk could be allowed.
As for why Budo himself had to stay in the palace—this world had Teigu Users. Without someone powerful enough to hold the line, even a single enemy Teigu User could slaughter everyone inside. If that happened, the Imperial Capital would fall without resistance.
After retreating, Esdeath left behind only a brief message instructing the officials to help defend the Imperial Capital—then vanished without a trace. Along with her, the three Teigu Users under her command, the Three Beasts, also disappeared.
In truth, on her return to the capital, Esdeath had brought the Three Beasts back with her to Haruki's mansion. Since then, she had been standing alongside Haruki and the others atop the estate's tallest tower, silently observing the battle unfolding beyond the city walls.
The terrain near the Royal Palace was elevated, and Haruki's mansion, built with extreme extravagance, offered a clear view of the entire capital and even the surrounding countryside when viewed from its highest point.
If one looked closely, a faint golden barrier could be seen hovering above the estate. It was the Sun-Devouring Grand Formation that Haruki had activated.
Don't be fooled by its appearance—it wasn't easily broken. Its defense far surpassed what the thin veil suggested. Even Haruki himself would have to expend considerable effort to break through it by force.
Esdeath had been genuinely startled the first time she encountered it.
As for the Three Beasts, Haruki hadn't forced them to stay outside, out of consideration for their loyalty to Esdeath. But their stay hadn't been pleasant either. Since entering, they'd been confined to a separate room. Several days had passed, and though they weren't treated harshly, they endured it all in silence—out of respect for both Esdeath and Haruki.
...
Back on the battlefield, time had made the difference between the two sides more obvious. More and more coalition soldiers managed to scale the walls. Though most were quickly cut down, it was clear that the Empire's defenses were beginning to falter.
"Looks like the city's about to fall. I honestly didn't think I'd live to see the day."
Esdeath commented quietly as she watched the distant fighting.
"To rebuild something new, this kind of collapse is necessary. If we just pushed the coalition back this time, give it a few years and the same thing would happen again. A little disaster... might be just what the Empire needs."
Hearing Haruki's words, the women around him nodded, though most didn't fully grasp his meaning.
Just as Esdeath predicted, it wasn't long before more coalition soldiers breached the walls, and brutal hand-to-hand combat erupted.
No matter how fired up the defenders were, their physical exhaustion eventually caught up to them. And soon after, the gates of the Imperial Capital creaked open—from the inside.
For the first time in a thousand years, the ancient city lay completely exposed before the rebel army.