The dust cloud grew, stretching across the horizon like a monstrous, encroaching storm. The distant glint of steel resolved into countless spears, swords, and armor. King Leo Von Delgado's royal army. Tens of thousands. Their war banners, emblazoned with the Golden Lion, fluttered like predatory flags. My heart hammered, a frantic drum against the completed Theodosian Walls. Lindsy, my queen, my pregnant wife, was safe within our chambers, a constant, burning image in my mind. This was it.
"They're here," Miles whispered beside me, his voice grim. The air thrummed with a low, menacing roar—the collective shouts of a vast army, echoed by the rhythmic pounding of war drums. The ground itself seemed to tremble.
I took a deep breath, the cold night air biting at my lungs. "Asuna, Feron," I commanded, turning to them, my voice cutting through the rising din. "Confirm all positions. Main gates, north, south, east, west. Ensure every cannon is loaded, every gunner at their post. No hesitation. This first strike, we make them understand the folly of their arrogance."
Asuna, his face set in a grim mask, nodded. "Understood, Your Majesty. Our men are ready." Feron, usually eager for action, looked unusually solemn. Even he seemed to grasp the terrifying scale of what was coming. "My City Guard will hold the inner wall, Your Majesty. No one gets past."
Miles, ever the compassionate one, looked at me. "The villagers are all within the inner city, Shouyo. As Elara confirmed, the infirmaries are prepared. Food stores are secure. But their fear… it's palpable."
I placed a hand on his shoulder. "Their fear is natural, Miles. But soon, it will be replaced by awe. And then, by conviction. They will see that Rimuru City stands, unbreakable."
My mind raced, the Kakeru part of me calculating logistics, projecting enemy movements, predicting their tactics. King Leo would not expect resistance of this magnitude from a 'rebellious village.' He would expect a quick, brutal suppression. I intended to shatter that expectation.
The next morning, the sun rose, illuminating the vast, overwhelming force gathered outside our walls. It was a sight that would make any lesser city surrender on sight. Knights in polished plate, endless ranks of spearmen, archers covering the flanks. They moved with a chilling, professional discipline, forming siege lines, preparing their siege engines. Their confidence was palpable, a tangible wave of superiority that rolled towards us.
I watched them from the command tower, a grim smile forming on my lips. Arrogance. It was their greatest weakness.
A single, trumpeting call echoed from the Delgado army. Their vanguard, a massive wedge of heavily armored cavalry, began to charge, their hooves thundering across the plains. Behind them, infantry advanced, shields locked, a human tide aiming to crash against our newly completed outer wall.
"Fire the northern cannons first," I ordered, my voice steady, amplified by a speaking tube connected to the gunners below. "Target their lead cavalry. Then, rotate and blanket the infantry behind them. Continuous fire. Do not let up!"
The command was given. A moment of tense silence, then the world exploded.
BOOM!
The first cannon roared, a deafening thunder that shook the very foundations of the wall beneath my feet. A blinding flash of mana-infused gunpowder, a cloud of acrid smoke, and then a massive, iron ball screamed through the air. It struck the lead ranks of the Delgado cavalry with devastating force. Horses screamed, men were ripped apart, a horrifying, bloody chaos erupting in the midst of their charge.
BOOM! BOOM!
The other northern cannons followed, a synchronized symphony of destruction. Their meticulously aimed shots tore gaping holes in the advancing infantry lines. Soldiers, once marching in lockstep, now stumbled, fell, or were obliterated by the sheer concussive force. It wasn't just the impact; it was the raw power, the terrifying sound, the alien nature of the attack that shattered their composure. They had never faced anything like it.
I watched, my heart cold with purpose. This was the terrifying power of Rimuru City. The culmination of my Divine Blueprints, of Johnson and Johny's relentless engineering.
"Maintain fire! Adjust trajectory! Target their siege engines!" I bellowed, my voice raw but unwavering.
The Delgado army faltered. Their charge, once so confident, dissolved into disarray. The cavalry, decimated and panicked, turned and fled, trampling their own infantry. The infantry, caught between the relentless cannon fire from the walls and the panicked retreat of their own cavalry, broke ranks. Their leaders screamed orders, tried to rally them, but it was useless. The sheer, unexpected devastation, the horrifying efficiency of our defenses, was too much.
BOOM! CRASH! One of their massive trebuchets, still being assembled, disintegrated under a direct cannon hit, scattering wood and metal across the field.
Panic spread through the Delgado ranks like wildfire. They had expected a resistance, perhaps even a formidable one, but not this. Not an unseen, thunderous force that tore through their formations as if they were made of paper. This wasn't a battle; it was a massacre in the making.
Within thirty minutes of the first cannon shot, the grand charge of King Leo's royal army had utterly failed. They were in full retreat, a desperate, disorganized scramble back across the plains, leaving behind hundreds of dead and wounded. The battlefield was a horrifying testament to our defensive power, littered with broken bodies, shattered siege equipment, and discarded weapons.
A stunned silence fell over Rimuru City. Then, from the inner city, a tentative cheer erupted, quickly swelling into a roar of triumph, a joyous cry of disbelief. The villagers, my citizens, had witnessed the impossible. They had seen the might of King Leo's army crumble before the walls of Rimuru.
I stood on the tower, watching the retreating dust cloud, the grim scene of carnage below. My hands were steady, but a cold weight pressed down on me. We had sent our message. A clear, terrifying message: Rimuru City would not fall easily.
But I knew this was just the beginning. King Leo, a proud and ruthless monarch, would not accept this humiliation. He would regroup. He would learn. He would send more. The question wasn't if he would return, but how. And what devastating, unexpected tactics would he unleash upon us next? I looked at the distant, retreating army, a chilling certainty forming in my mind. This victory, though sweet, was only the first, brutal round. The true war, fueled by a king's wounded pride and the deep-seated avarice of distant nobles, had only just begun.