Meanwhile, atop the protective cliffs of Hargar, Lulu peered through her binoculars. She could already see the enemy infantry flooding in, flags waving high, with cavalry bringing up the rear. But then, Lulu's eyes widened as she spotted siege towers and two catapults trailing behind the main force. Without wasting a second, she rappelled down the cliff and ran to Lucia, who was waiting at the base of the ridge.
"Lucia, they're here," Lulu reported. "They've got catapults and siege towers. It looks like they're really planning to level us."
"Hmm... siege towers and catapults, huh? Fine. Get my horse," Lucia said.
"Wait... what are you doing?" Lulu asked, confused.
"Destroying those towers and catapults," Lucia replied.
"By yourself? Isn't that dangerous? Please, don't be reckless," Lulu pleaded.
"Don't worry. At the very least, I want to break their morale first. By the time I get back, I want the cavalry—regardless of the number—to be ready. We're going to be the ones taking the fight to them," Lucia countered.
"Alright," Lulu said.
Lulu ran through the gates and returned shortly after leading a white horse. Lucia vaulted into the saddle and turned to Lulu.
"Wait for me here. Tell Theo to hold his position even if he sees me, and be ready to move out the moment the enemy falls into chaos. I'm off," Lucia said.
Before Lulu could even respond, Lucia spurred her horse and took off at a full gallop. Lulu stood there stunned for a moment before calling a soldier to relay the message to Theo, who was waiting in the forest.
***
Over in the enemy ranks, Alesya led the Nortrom forces. With a thousand troops marching behind her, she could already see the sheer cliffs standing like a fortress in front of Hargar. She smirked.
"Good thing I brought the siege towers and catapults based on the scouts' info. But since when did Hargar have a barricade like that?" she wondered to herself.
Alesya kept her horse moving alongside two commanders. One of them looked ahead through binoculars, his face twisting in surprise as he saw a lone rider approaching them.
"Commander Alesya, someone's coming out to meet us," the commander said, handing the binoculars to her.
Alesya took them and peered through. She saw a single rider carrying a massive greatsword. From a distance, the rider's clothes looked like the garb of the barbarians from the dark continent.
"Hah... looks like they realized how outmatched they are and sent someone to surrender so we don't advance," Alesya said arrogantly.
But as she kept watching, the horse stopped a fair distance away and stayed perfectly still. Alesya looked again as the distance closed slightly. She was shocked to see that the rider was a girl—clearly Libelian, not a barbarian, despite her tribal war attire. The girl raised her greatsword toward the sky. Alesya looked up and gasped as black clouds began to swirl in the sky directly above the rider.
"Boom!"
A massive bolt of lightning struck the girl's blade, making it glow with a blinding light. The girl then swung her sword down toward Alesya's army. Instantly, a horizontal bolt of lightning tore through the air at high speed, gouging the earth as it shredded through the ranks.
"Hey! Get down! Move!" Alesya screamed.
The infantry scrambled to break formation, trying to dodge the lightning heading straight for them. Those too slow to move were incinerated instantly. Alesya leaped from her horse and rolled to the side; her horse didn't make it, ending up charred by the bolt that cleaved through her line.
She turned just in time to see more lightning strike the siege towers behind her, which burst into flames immediately. The electricity then jumped to the neighboring tower before moving on to the two catapults. Every war machine was reduced to burning wreckage. Alesya stood up and grabbed her binoculars, squinting through the lenses.
The girl on the horse lowered her sword, turned around, and galloped back toward the city. Alesya saw her troops frozen in place. Their faces were masks of pure terror; they had just witnessed the impossible with their own eyes, and the sight of their comrades turned to ash without a word had broken them.
"Hey! Don't lose your nerve! Keep moving!" Alesya barked, mounting the horse of the commander next to her.
But the infantry and archers ahead of her were dead silent. Each soldier looked as though they were questioning every life choice they had ever made, or perhaps their lives were flashing before their eyes. One thing was certain: their morale had been struck down by that lightning. Realizing her troops weren't going anywhere, Alesya fumed. She knew that if she pushed them now, they'd be slaughtered. Finally, she screamed:
"Fall back! Retreat! We need to regroup!" she yelled, turning her horse around alongside her commander.
The enemy line began to withdraw, but before they could fully retreat, the thunderous sound of many hooves echoed across the field. Alesya, already heading back toward her camp, looked back through her binoculars. She was horrified to see a cavalry of demonic riders led by the "Lightning Girl" emerging from behind the cliffs, charging straight for her men. Her soldiers gave up on any semblance of a formation; they turned and ran in a blind panic toward their camp. But as they reached the edge of the forest...
"Attack!"
Theo's voice rang out. A hundred cavalrymen charged from the woods, cutting down every infantryman, archer, and rider who was too slow to flee until no one was left. Theo tore through the ranks, his blade catching those trying to escape or put up a fight. He looked over to see Lucia's forces crashing into the front, obliterating the panicked enemy lines before linking up with Theo's group, which had cut them off from the middle.
Alesya, riding pillion behind her commander, could only look back in helpless rage. She watched her soldiers being butchered on the spot and saw the smoldering ruins of her siege towers and catapults. Her face was bright red with fury, her eyes locked on the girl who was casually swinging a massive sword to finish off the remaining troops.
"Dammit... I underestimated them by only bringing a thousand men. I need to contact Father and ask for reinforcements. The twenty-five hundred back at camp won't be enough to take that city... Who the hell is that lightning girl?" Alesya muttered to herself, seething.
***
After confirming there were no enemies left, Lucia and Theo dismounted. They watched the few surviving soldiers scramble back toward their camp. Theo stood beside Lucia, who kept her eyes fixed on the fleeing survivors.
"Should we go after them, Lucia?" Theo asked.
"No need. They'll be back with a much larger force next time, that's certain. It's obvious that whoever is attacking us completely underestimated our strength by bringing so few men. From here on, we have to dig in. They still don't know our true numbers," Lucia replied.
"Hmm... but the catapults and siege towers? Do you think they know about the cliffs surrounding the city?" Theo asked.
"Yes, they definitely had intel beforehand. And next time... it won't be just three towers and two catapults. They'll bring a lot more of both. We have to be ready and hold out until our main army arrives," Lucia answered.
"Alright, I get it," Theo said.
Lucia turned and looked at Theo. She smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Good work, Theo. From now on, you are a knight in the service of myself, Leon, and Livia," Lucia said.
"Huh... really? Thank you. I truly appreciate that honor," Theo said, bowing his head.
When Theo moved to kneel, Lucia stopped him and shook her head. She turned to walk back.
"Don't kneel yet. We still have to hold this city for a few more days. Come on, let's get back," Lucia said with a smile.
"Yes, Your Highness," Theo replied, smiling back.