Chapter 409: Burning the Alliance

All these actions seemed to reflect the determined belief of the pro-war faction that they must succeed in this battle. Gu Jian’s cautious behavior only made Rod even more impressed—he was indeed a talent.

When they reached the streets, they saw that the once bustling streets were now in chaos. The flashy nightclubs began to shut down urgently, while pedestrians rushed home at top speed.

After surrounding Dark Moon City for over half a year, the pro-war faction finally unleashed their final attack. The outcome of this battle would determine the ultimate victor, so carelessness was not an option.

The deafening sounds of fighting outside the city walls made the situation even more tense. The noises from the east, north, and south gates were particularly loud. As expected, there was no activity at the west gate! As they had predicted, the geographical location of the west gate meant the enemy was reluctant to attack there.

“How is it? Has the enemy launched their final attack?” As soon as he stepped out of the city lord’s palace, Rod saw Lilith and Sognar rushing toward it. He asked in a deep voice.

“Yes, the final battle has begun. All members of the pro-war faction are involved—this seems to be the last battle!” Lilith said with a solemn expression.

“Is everything ready? Are there any problems?” Rod nodded and asked after a moment of thought.

“Everything is ready. It depends on the situation over there. If we coordinate well, the plan should succeed!” Lilith said, taking a deep breath. After half a year of waiting, this day had finally arrived. The fate of the final battle hinged on tonight.

“What about over there?” Rod asked, glancing in that direction inadvertently.

“There should be no problems. Everything is ready. We’re about to go over there!” Hearing Rod’s words, Lilith and Sognar grew serious. They looked into the distance and spoke in low voices.

“Aida has already gone there!” Sognar added. At this moment, he no longer had his usual carefree demeanor.

“Let’s go check it out!” Rod nodded and told the two of them. Then, the three of them quickly headed to the right.

In just a few minutes, the city went from noisy to completely silent, which was somewhat disconcerting. All that could be seen was darkness and soldiers running past from time to time. A tense atmosphere filled the air.

Fights at the east gate, south gate, and north gate broke out first, intense and fierce, with shouts of battle echoing through the air.
“I hope you won’t disappoint us!” Rod muttered to himself, his expression indescribably complex.
Often, things don’t go as one expects; things usually turn out the opposite of what one hopes. Everyone knows this. But when faced with certain situations, people still hold onto a glimmer of hope.
The three of them reached the north gate first. Looking down from the high city walls, they could clearly see nearly ten thousand troops gathered outside the north gate—a vast, dark mass. There were less than eight thousand defenders on the walls. A fierce siege battle had already begun, blood was flowing, lives were being lost, and it seemed that every second, a life was lost here. War was always merciless.
“The other gates are in a similar situation! The situation is grave!” Lilith said in a low voice as she saw Rod’s grim expression.
The enemy forces were far too strong. The disparity in strength between the two sides was obvious, and Dark Moon City was clearly at a disadvantage. It was worrying. Leaving aside how well their plans were progressing, just looking at these battles—if they couldn’t hold on, no matter how perfect their plans might be, they would lose all hope of resistance, and their plans would fail before they could even be implemented.
Soon, Rod, Lilith, Sognar, and the others joined the battle. Of the three walls where fighting was underway, the north gate was in the most dire straits, as the enemy seemed to have deployed a large number of troops there.
Thanks to their defensive advantages, Dark Moon City wasn’t in immediate danger, but the situation was worsening by the moment, heading in a bad direction. The enemy charged at the walls like mad. The defenders fought back, killing those who managed to climb up, and tall piles of corpses accumulated below the walls!
Yet, all this didn’t stop the pro-offensive faction from continuing their attacks. Those soldiers trampled over their comrades’ corpses, launching wave after wave of attacks, leaving Rod and the others struggling to keep up.
“Is everything ready?” Rod asked in a deep voice after repelling another wave of soldiers who had climbed the walls.
“Everything’s ready!” Lilith replied between breaths.
At this moment, both of them were covered in blood, and the air was filled with a strong smell of blood. On the battlefield, broken limbs and corpses were everywhere, and the glaring red color was visible everywhere.
“Let’s go!” Seeing that the time was right, Rod shouted loudly.

Immediately, the people who had been waiting below the city walls for a long time rushed up toward the walls. Each of them carried a huge wooden barrel. Upon reaching the walls, they opened the lids, and a strong, pungent smell filled the air. Under the moonlight, a faint white light emanated from the barrels, revealing that they were filled with liquid. At Rod’s command, all the liquid that had been prepared for so long was poured down onto the city below. Like a storm, it instantly filled the air with a thick oil smell—probably all the oil that Dark Moon City could muster. Rod and his team had spent nearly ten days preparing this. Now, it finally came in handy, though it could only be considered a temporary solution. After all the oil was poured down, a bright red flame was thrown in. Boom… A dull roar, like a thunderclap on a clear day, echoed through the air. Instantly, the once-dark night was illuminated. The flames soared dozens of meters high, reaching straight up the city walls. Ah… Cries of agony filled the air as the area below turned into a sea of fire. Those soldiers and officials who couldn’t retreat in time or failed to react were trapped in the flames. The oil on their bodies ignited instantly, turning them into human torches. They screamed, struggled, and roared in pain—their cries seemingly spreading throughout Dark Moon City, causing those hiding in their homes to tremble with fear. This was the battlefield—a place of merciless slaughter, a war of life and death. Not only the north gate but also the east and south gates immediately became engulfed in flames, creating a buffer zone between the city walls and the pro-war forces outside. The pro-war troops could only watch helplessly as their comrades struggled in the flames. The magicians who had been prepared in advance were now useless; water not only failed to extinguish such flames but also intensified them. … “Damn it, what’s going on?” The sudden change left the archers and the pro-war elders behind, faces pale with anger, shouting in fury. They hadn’t received any news about this tactic prepared by the opposition—they hadn’t anticipated it at all. Caught off guard, they had no plan and could only order their troops to retreat temporarily.

“Damn it, why is there no news? When did they prepare these things!” Inside the tent, Gu Jian asked the officers below with a face as pale as iron.
The losses this time were significant—trying to steal something only resulted in greater losses. The night raid not only failed to bring them victory or gains but also caused them substantial harm. It made Gu Jian feel desperate.
“We don’t know. No one inside the city has sent any news. It seems Rod did this on his own, without leaving any clues at all!” Several officers sitting below Gu Jian looked disheveled, their faces blackened from burns. Clearly, those at the front lines had suffered heavy losses.
“Should we continue the operation over there?” asked the chief pro-war elder beside Gu Jian in a low voice.
“Continue? How? If we can’t hold them back here, they’ll reap benefits from their actions. Don’t forget, that damned Rod is still inside the city. Idiots, who knows what other tricks he has up his sleeve!” Thinking of his own plans, Gu Jian grew even angrier. They hadn’t expected to achieve much in the siege that night. After all, Dark Moon City had a strong defensive advantage, and winning would require a huge price. Under the current circumstances, the pro-war faction couldn’t afford further losses. The Black Phoenix clan was watching closely, the pro-war faction was divided into three factions with constant conflicts, the Mi Jiao clan had been destroyed, and the Wolf clan showed no signs of activity. Everything was unfavorable for them—they had to preserve their strength.
Otherwise, even if they captured Dark Moon City by force, what good would it be? Killing a thousand enemies would cost them eight hundred. Everyone knew that principle. Facing Dark Moon City’s desperate resistance, how much would they lose? How many would remain of their hundred-thousand-strong army after capturing the city?
How could they use that remaining force to fight against the Wolf clan, the Black Phoenix clan, and the Dragon clan? How could they pursue their grand ambitions?
“Stop it for now! I want to see how much energy Dark Moon City still has left! Hmph, we’ll continue tomorrow!” With a cold smirk, Gu Jian stared into the distance, his eyes flashing with a murderous intent that made the air around him seem several degrees colder, almost solidifying it and making breathing difficult.

This time, the ancient sword was truly enraged, and everyone present could see that. Of course, no one wanted to risk trouble at such a moment, so they chose to remain silent. It seemed today’s plan had failed, but none of this dampened their ambitions. Thinking of their own arrangements within the city, a smile appeared on these people’s faces once again. After the rain comes the sunshine—so what about Dark Moon City? Could they withstand a sudden storm after the clear weather?