Berserk: The Prophet

At the moment, neither Edward nor Judas have brought large-scale siege weapons, so they really can't do anything to the impregnable "Dragon's Nest" in the short term.

The situation reached a stalemate. After a brief discussion with Abecassis, Kadi ordered some soldiers to build extended ladders using local materials. He, on the other hand, personally led another group of soldiers to Chester to transport some cannons.

Since the situation is already like this, we might as well set up camp and wait for dinner. Abecasius nodded; he already had some doubts about Kadi's abilities. However... fortunately, the general plan remained the same.

Perhaps it's true that Grant is just a bunch of good-for-nothings left, including that Edward guy!

......

While waiting for the siege ladders to be built and for the rudimentary siege engines to be constructed, Edward's heart was not as calm as it appeared. Gazing at the distant dragon's lair, his thoughts drifted back to the days he spent with Gurenberdo and Hikel.

The times they spent sweating together on the training field and sharing the joy of victory in the camp kept flashing through his mind. Occasionally, a trace of hesitation and struggle would flash in his eyes, but it would soon be replaced by emotions that he could not control.

No matter how you analyze it, the best position to breach the "Dragon's Nest" is undoubtedly on Edward's side. The north side of the "Dragon's Nest" has no cannons for defense, and it is not as high as the south wall. As long as the engineering equipment is built, it is quite easy to attack the wall.

However, they did not have to wait long, as Grand Duke Ho Khun's troops arrived soon.

He Kun rode a tall horse clad in horse armor, a stark contrast to his short stature. Behind him stretched a vast army of elite troops, with hundreds of cargo horses pulling sixteen heavy cannons toward the Fire Dragon's Nest.

—Those were spoils of war from the last battle with Juda.

Upon arrival, Grand Duke He Kun inspected the battlefield situation, his face terribly grim.

"Useless! A bunch of useless trash!" He Kun roared, his eyes, like those of a viper, fixed on Edward.

"What? Is it because of a mere woman that you haven't taken the Dragon's Nest yet!?"

"You've disappointed me greatly, Edward! Once you have power, what kind of woman won't you have?"

"You haven't displayed the domineering presence expected of royalty!!"

Edward was displeased with the Grand Duke's rebuke, but dared not show it. He simply lowered his head and remained silent.

Seeing that Edward remained silent, He Kun became even more furious. "Hmph, this time I've brought cannons. If we still can't take down this fire dragon's lair, you'll all come back with your heads!" With that, he directed his soldiers to set up the cannons and prepare for a new round of attack.

Inside the Fire Dragon's Nest, Gurenberudo and Hikel also saw the cannons brought by the Hokun troops, and they knew that the battle to come would be even more difficult.

Gurenberdo gritted his teeth, pondering a countermeasure. Should he go out of the city to fight? At this moment, the people of "Fire Dragon's Nest", especially the elite cavalry and the Flame Dragon Knights, were feeling demoralized because of the betrayal of their vice-commander Edward.

Hikel looked at Gurunberudo with concern, "What should we do now? These cannons are incredibly powerful; the city walls here probably won't be able to withstand them."

Gurunberdo took a deep breath. "We absolutely cannot sit idly by and wait to die!"

No one could believe that this most fortified fortress... the "Dragon's Nest" that Juda had fought for ten years, had completely exposed its vulnerable side to its own people.

However, this is understandable, as 14 years of continuous war had already depleted the entire savings of the Duchy of Grant. For such a small territory, just maintaining the expenses of the army was a difficult task.

Almost all of the annual maintenance costs for the city walls were spent on the south side, while the north side of the city walls had not been maintained for many years.

“...Edward.” Folda’s voice faintly sounded from the rear of the troops, and Edward turned around to look.

...Looking at Folda, whose hair was disheveled and whose clothes were already somewhat tattered, Edward was torn by pain. He knew all too well how Hokun was capable of such a stunt, and if the siege failed, not only would his own life be in danger, but his mother would also likely suffer unbearable humiliation. On the other hand, he simply couldn't bear to kill his former friend; their past friendship was like a thorn in his side.

But under Hekun's watchful eye, he was forced to participate in the attack preparations. Edward let out a long sigh of relief; indeed, this was his fate...

The ladders are ready; once the cannons are in place, we can take down the "Fire Dragon's Nest" in one fell swoop.

Gurenberu observed the situation on the battlefield. Juda had not yet brought in any cannons. They absolutely could not allow the Grand Duke's cannons to blow open the gate of the "Dragon's Nest" and put them in a situation where they were attacked from both sides.

Gurenbeldo quickly made a decision, ordering the Flame Dragon Knights to assemble at the north gate of the city, and to build up advantageous terrain by piling up sandbags, boulders, and anything else available on both sides of the road. At the same time, he dispatched elite cavalry to hide on both sides of the city gate, ready to launch a surprise attack or provide support to Gurenbeldo if the enemy attacked the city.

"Hickel, the defense of the city is in your hands. Juda can't attack for the time being, so first take care of the Grand Duke and... In short, leave it to me!" Gurenberdo paused, then donned his armor, boarded his chariot, and went into battle.

...He wanted to confront Edward face-to-face!!

"Clang—" The sound of chains twisting together as the gate was opened by dozens of people caught the attention of He Kun and Edward.

"...Hmph, what a reckless fool, actually going out of the city to meet the enemy all by himself." He Kun said disdainfully, and then ordered a row of Grant's long spear guards to line up in front of the cannons that were not yet fully set up, ready to meet the enemy.

Gurenberudo drove his chariot out of the city, heading straight for Edward. When Edward saw Gurenberudo coming, a complex expression appeared on his face, but it was quickly masked by a hint of hatred, because he was indeed jealous of everything Gurenberudo possessed.

“...Edward!!” Gurunberdo’s roar could be heard clearly even from a hundred meters away.

Edward looked at Gurenbeldo's murderous expression and suddenly burst into laughter: "Gurenbeldo, today it's either you or me who dies."

That's just like his style of doing things. With only a 500-man knightly order, he dared to go alone into an elite force of 6,000 men.

"Ughhhhh!!" With the powerful gallop of eight warhorses, Gurenberudo took the lead and leaped from his chariot, jumping to the center of the spear formation in one breath. Wherever the giant hammer passed, not a single piece of armor was left!

Like a meat grinder, it reaped the lives of the enemy. The giant hammer that was once only swung at the Judas was now being swung at the Grant soldiers who had been leisurely living in the rear, easily and completely crushing the Grand Duke's spear formation.

Under the roar of Gurenbeludo and his repeated attacks with the giant hammer in his hand, the soldiers of Grant were terrified and their battle formation fell into chaos!

In Grant...who doesn't know the legendary name of Gurunberudo?!

...With only five hundred cavalry, they decisively defeated Qiu Da's twenty thousand men!

They had no legitimate reason to act! The rumor that Gurunberudo had sided with Juda has long been debunked! They are aiding and abetting evil!!

What's more... they only have a mere six thousand troops!!

That thing... is simply beyond the capabilities of humans!

Grand Duke Hokun had already fled to the very back of the army to put on a show when the spear formation was breached, and used Fulda as a hostage.

"Edward! Go and take care of Gurenbeldo!! Otherwise..." Hokun had already pressed his sword against Fulda's neck.

Edward sensed the danger and inwardly groaned.

...This despicable guy actually had the audacity to come up behind me and threaten me!

He was well aware of Gurenbeldo's bravery, and the soldiers in the spear formation were now in a dilemma, forced to press forward. In the chaos, the soldiers fought each other, shouts and screams mingling together, and their morale was on the verge of collapse.

However, this was also within Edward's control, and he had just instructed people to arrange a countermeasure.

"Fire arrows!!" Edward disregarded the lives of the soldiers in the front ranks. Since it was the Grand Duke's independent deployment and they weren't entirely willing to be used by him, he might as well weaken Hokun's forces little by little.

"Whoosh whoosh-!"

Private soldiers kept by nobles don't care about anything else; they will obey orders as long as the lord tells them to follow a certain general.