Chapter 200: Awakened
Everything in and outside of Greenrock was soaked in life. Even the rocks seemed to have traces of life, causing him to respect Sapphira even more. However, since then she had not spoken a word.
Aquilia cried for a while before she recovered. Eritrea vented by shooting until all the arrows in her quiver finished before she eventually wept, but Sapphira didn't even shed a tear.
All she did was stay by Asher's frigid body, day and night, until the meeting that was currently going on.
Since Nero heard the news, he vanished. Adam, on the other hand, led the troops alongside Paul, Lambert, and Alec.
"We should do what is necessary." Sapphira finally spoke.
"Send a letter to the regent. But we should be ready for his questions." Katarina sighed in defeat. Since Sapphira had spoken, she had to go along.
"Is he gone… just like that?" Aquilia couldn't believe it.
Silence reigned for a long time. The moment Sapphira got to her feet, the doors were pushed open by two King Swordsmen, revealing a gray-haired man clad in black walking toward the hall.
He held Euodias in his hand, and his eyes burned like golden flames. His confident gait seemed to release formless ripples, ones that synced with the hearts of everyone in the hall.
Thud! Thud!
"We greet His Lordship!"
The King Swordsmen fell on one knee with their heads lowered.
"He rose from the dead." Katarina muttered.
All of them were shocked to the core. Alex walked past Sapphira, who stood frozen. He hurriedly closed the gap and hugged Asher.
"My Lord…" He gasped.
Asher was about to pat him when Eritrea joined the hug. His stern expression broke as a small smile appeared on his face.
"What's going on? Did I oversleep?"
Aquila slowly rose to her feet. "You were ice-cold dead. There was not a strand of life in you. How are you now alive?"
Hearing this, Asher's bright golden eyes flickered. "I don't know."
Sapphira's eyebrows furrowed when she heard Asher's reply. Others brushed it off without thinking deeply, but she did. His reply of how he's still alive proved that he was oblivious to it. This meant he knew of his death, or he would have asked questions and not looked so shocked.
A gleam flashed through the fairy's eyes.
After embracing Katarina, Asher and Sapphira's eyes met.
"I'm glad you're awake." She bowed.
Asher raised an eyebrow. He took three bold steps, closing the gap between them and wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her in for a hug.
When their bodies met, Sapphira's eyes widened for a split second before her walls crumbled. Her grip around him tightened while he caressed her back.
After the hug, Asher looked at Greenrock through the windows. The castle looked different with all the greenery around, and most of all, his men were missing.
"Where are the troops?"
"General Adam led the march for Tiberias three days ago. They should be close to the city."
Alex replied.
Turning, his expression was more solemn than ever. He knew the secret of Tiberias's walls, but Adam did not have knowledge about it.
"Prepare; we'll leave by dawn tomorrow."
"But my lord—"
Asher lifted up his hand, causing everyone to keep silent.
"I am fine."
'When will you relax?' Sapphira said inwardly. "General Adam, General Paul, and Grand Commander Alec are excellent men. Have a little faith in them while I examine you for a day or two. After that, you can march for Tiberias."
Asher turned his head toward her.
......
Two nights after that night, Ashbourne soldiers, fully clad in their armors, marched toward a 25-meter-tall wall that was constantly attacked by brimstones from 30 trebuchets!
The two large moons ushered their light upon the battlefield. Smoke rose into the clouds, but the walls were still intact as a barrier protected it from the brimstones.
A huge man clad in Ashkelon Knight armor sucked in air and placed his mouth on a horn held by two soldiers.
A mighty sound came out. Hearing it, the Ashbourne infantrymen began to sprint toward the wall. Their armor made clanking sounds, and the combined sounds of their steps were thunderous, especially those of the massive Desolate Wolves, who were behind the Ashkelon Knights.
In their midsts were people on the backs of gray wolves. These people wore hooded cloaks and held silver metallic spears that had different elemental crystals.
On the back of their black cloaks was the sigil of House Ashbourne.
They were the mages trained by Aquilia and upgraded by Asher during the month spent transporting the people of Greenrock.
All of them were now gold-ranked mages!
Stones of varying sizes were launched from the catapults at the top of the wall. The stones wrapped in clothes and lit up in flames left fiery trails in the dark sky.
The priests slammed their staff against the ground, causing a bluish transparent wall to rise, protecting the Ashbourne troops from the stones.
Boom! Boom!
Both sides kept launching stones until the infantry reached the bottom of the wall. The moment they reached there, Tigris footmen at the top of the wall began to throw stones.
The Ashkelon Knights raised their shields.
"Mages!"
Alec's roar echoed.
About twenty mages with staffs that had yellow crystals came together and cast spells that gathered stones, using them to form a staircase!
The Tigris soldiers tried their best to destroy the staircase, but more stones kept adding to it, causing the staircase to grow more robust.
Hundreds of knights kept ascending until they faced a wall of Tiberias garrison soldiers marching down as one.
Running ahead of the Ashkelon knights was a man in black armor. His eyes flickered as he opened his mouth and took a deep breath.
Roar!
A roar in similitude to that of a massive dragon erupted from the mouth of a mere man.
The fierce energy in the roar shattered the shield wall, killing dozens instantly!
"For Lord Asher!"
Shing!
Adam unsheathed his cleaver and pointed it towards the others. His men ran past him and engaged the soldiers.
The sound of metal clashing with metal, roars, screams, and yells resounded.
With slow steps, he approached the wall's chaotic walkway.