The afternoon lights grew dimmer in the west as the illumination of the setting sun covered the aerial cavalry of the Garudia Kingdom. The night had settled as the mounted attack of these flying beasts and men entered the boundaries of the Wolfenstein Kingdom. The flapping of wings from this aerial army woke up the people of the business district as the horns of war resounded. The high walls of the western gates did not even serve as an obstacle as these mighty winged creatures glided over the citizens of the Wolfenstein Kingdom, clawing at them as their riders impale others.

The fire-breathing wyverns served as the Garudia's army's sieging tool. Although their fire breath does not pack the necessary 'fire-power' for the walls, it was still effective in destroying buildings that are made from light materials and would easily create the kind of chaotic situation perfect for this type of one-sided battles. The marketplace, where merchants and traders were peacefully asleep within their stalls and make-shift tents, was set ablaze as the occupants were slaughtered mercilessly by the sudden attack.

It took more than half an hour before the capital could send the cavalry that was closest to the western district. The valiant effort of the guards and knights that were initially assigned on the west wall was not in vain as they dragged out the battle for quite some time even though it was futile from the start. The few hundred soldiers that were deployed within the district were able to at least slow down the attack until the reinforcement arrived.

Prioritizing the civilians, the remaining knights that were only mildly injured during the attack were then detailed to commence the evacuation of the civilians that had survived and would head towards the capital after the new cavalry arrived. Within an hour of this night raid, almost a thousand of these civilians easily perished at the hands of the riders and the claws of these winged beasts, but none of the knights died without shedding blood from the opposite side, it was indeed the proof of the high quality of the Wolfenstein army. 

The Garudia forces suffered quite a few losses from even this minor standing defense. It was still a bit of a precarious situation as the soldiers on the ground seem to be a lot stronger than they had imagined.

These mounted riders have no real way of engaging an enemy from afar except the meager fire breath that only lasts for split seconds. That would definitely not be enough to do any damage to these elite soldiers on the ground. All they could do is to engage at a low altitude as they joust their spears against the swords of these knights. Although it was a bit tricky from the start, the Garudia Kingdom had finally been able to push the fighting forces of the Wolfenstein Kingdom back.

Even though the Garudia Kingdom had the upper hand, they were still conscious of the time limit. They had to finish the task of destroying the business district within a few hours, or the more formidable reinforcement would start arriving. Their worst enemy would be siege weapons and spellcasters that are able to invoke magic mid-flight. These were the basic weakness of their aerial troops. It was indeed an advantage to be able to fly with these beasts that span a few meters in size, but their maneuverability was not necessarily the best. They could barely avoid any projectile that might come their way.

The number of the Wolfenstein Reinforcements started thinning as time went on. It would not be long before they were entirely exterminated, probably before the hour had passed. But even so, they were willing to die for those people that are still being evacuated. All those innocent people that were saved were well worth it for these fighters that have suffered from being away from their families for so long. It was better to die in this place where they were defending their loved ones than to die in vain on alien soil...

A loud booming sound followed by multiple mysterious noises disseminated from a distance as a few of those flying Griffons exploded from the impact of an unknown attack. A few more noises followed by series of explosions covering the flanks of these flying beasts. They had no idea where they were getting hit from, let alone what they were getting hit with. The formation of the Garudia Kingdom was immediately destroyed in seconds as nearly a thousand of their troops were eliminated!

The blasts from said attacks killed a few dozens of the flying beasts in one shot...

A buzzing slate stopped above the knights that were still defending the western district. They had witnessed the sudden arrival of this mysterious entity that could wipe out the enemy in mere seconds. One of the knights exclaimed with joy.

"It's... It's our King! King Feihren! He has arrived..." 

The knights became teary-eyed as they patted their breastplates. They had believed that this situation was hopeless. This knight knew about the prowess of their new king in terms of large-scale battles, and it seems that this time he will prove it once more. The knights that were fighting a battle that seemed unwinnable a few moments ago had their morale boosted to the heavens. Their king was like a bright beacon of hope.

The army of the Garudia kingdom then immediately changed tactics as they shifted their attacks towards the only flying unit amongst the enemy. It was indeed terrifying to fight against someone who could do such a massive amount of damage within an area. But it would be a different story if they could just close the distance and fight this supposed king of the Wolfenstein Kingdom in close quarter aerial combat.

"Defend the people on the ground." 

Feihren straightforwardly commanded Jyuu to help him against those that are still attempting to attack below as he tossed Samael's gem towards one of the enemies that were closing in the distance.

Samael transformed mid-air as he grabbed a hold of one of the wings of the creature he appeared near, ripping it apart as both of them started descending. They ultimately crashed, but Samael made use of the beast to 'soften' his landing, squashing the poor wyvern into a pulp. 

"Go put out the fires, then assist in evacuating the people. Carry as many as you can away from here," Feihren added as Samael nodded and immediately rushed forth.

There were indeed instances when a few griffon riders would glide lower than the Titan Slate and attack one of the injured knights on the ground. But Jyuu could easily defend the people below as he pounced towards the griffon, clawing its rider off as his jaws crushed the poor half-bird's skull. Being agile and all that, Jyuu had easily traversed through the lines as he defended every single one of the people on the ground, and made quick work of those who still dared.

Feihren continued his assault as he had confirmed the situation below. It was indeed getting better.

It was over an hour and the reinforcements from the capital had arrived. It was the worst-case scenario that the enemy was not hoping for. Hundreds of mages with flight magic were deployed and had quickly arrived on the scene. Leading them was the Prime Minister of the kingdom himself, Marvin. They had imagined that the western district would have fallen by now. Yet to their surprise, only a portion of it was destroyed and somehow, the kingdom had held on.

Marvin flew at a higher altitude to inspect the situation.

"Feihren?" 

Marvin did not expect that their king would arrive at this perilous time. It seems that Feihren would always be there when something that involves slaughtering arises. Commanding the fleet of flying mages, Marvin rushed forth towards Feihren.

The battle had been dragged for so long that the head of the attack for the Garudia army had decided that it was better off to retreat for now. They had lost over 4,000 troops already and that number was still steadily increasing as Feihren continued his assault. Although these riders had tried their best in an attempt to avoid the blasts, many were still unlucky as they would be hit by another incoming shot soon after they had evaded another.

The army of a few thousand flying beasts then turned their backs they burst forth in a hurry, immediately leaving the battlefield as if nothing had happened. Marvin arrived as he asked Feihren, 

"Your Majesty, should we give chase?" 

Feihren glanced at Marvin and the mages as he replied in a low voice. 

"...You were late. Don't give chase, I'll handle it. Set up a magic barrier spanning the entire western wall." 

Feihren was cold in his reply, yet his eyes could not avoid tearing up,

'You were late.' They were indeed late with the reinforcements. Yet Feihren could not help but also blame it all on himself as he was also 'late'. He should've arrived way before all this had happened...

But all this blame should not be placed on anyone within the kingdom, instead...

Aiming down the Demonic Carbine towards the direction of the enemy, Feihren then switched to WMD mode. The same ominous black aura covered Feihren as a straight beam of light flew through these chaotic skies... Wiping out the escaping enemies... Every last one of them...

Feihren landed as he hopped off the slate towards one of the bodies of these flying beasts.

Tearing off the cloth from the dead beast that bears the coat of arms of the Garudia Kingdom, Feihren stared at the horizon with bloodshot eyes...