Warhammer Divine Throne-Chapter 580 - 254, Let Them Go

At night, atop Turis Castle, the knights shouted loudly in unison.

"Blood Red Duke is dead!"

"Blood Red Duke is dead!"

"Blood Red Duke is dead!"

The Sea God Knights, riding their steeds, galloped around inside the castle. The leading Standard Bearer held high the Blood Red Duke's head, inspiring the garrison throughout. Seeing that the Blood Red Duke was dead, the morale of the garrison inside Turis Castle soared.

Outside the castle, the Vampire's army was gradually approaching. The Vampire's army attacked without beating drums or making a loud noise, everything seemed so quiet.

A massive Zombie Legion and Skeleton Legion silently approached Turis Castle. Strangely, this army seemed to consist almost entirely of zombies and skeletons, with very few Desolate Tomb Guards.

The Undead Army was gradually closing in, while the castle's garrison was still immersed in the joy of eliminating the Blood Red Duke, failing to notice the impending danger. Only a few soldiers took out longbows, lit the arrowheads with fire, and shot towards the other side of the river.

"Whoosh~" This was the duty of the garrison during the night watch. Every one or two minutes, a fire arrow would be shot from the city wall to scout the nearby movements.

As the fire arrow descended, it pierced the shoulder of a zombie inside the Undead Army. The corpse oil ignited, and the zombie immediately turned to ashes in the flames.

"Enemy attack!" came the piercing shout from atop the castle. The human army reacted swiftly, regrouping immediately. The Peasant Archers drew their short bows, and the Infantry Corps of long spearmen and swordsmen gathered, followed by groups of Ranger Knights.

The prolonged standoff had shaped the defenders' quick response. When the Zombie Legion's ladders were just set against the wall, the garrison inside the castle was fully prepared for battle.

An intense battle was inevitable. However, after more than half an hour of fierce fighting, Bodric and Francois felt something was strange, and even the peasants sensed something was off.

The Vampire's offensive seemed fierce, but in reality, it was weak. Large masses of zombies and the Skeleton Legion indeed had vast numbers, but after a period of fighting, the defenders realized that the Undead Army had completely lost the presence of those elite troops. The formidable Desolate Tomb Guards, Undead Knights, and Bloodthirsty Celestial Ghosts were all missing.

Their enemies were only the endless hordes of corpses and the Skeleton Legion.

The strength of these forces was such that even peasants could suppress them. The Vampires had extremely weak control over zombies or skeletons, as any damage would cause these undead to immediately fall and lose control.

The more the peasants fought, the more confident they became, and their morale soared as they firmly held back the Undead Army's momentum at the walls and gates. If not for Bodric's concern about potential traps and his ban on pursuing, the peasants might have felt they could drive these undead pests to the riverbed to feed the fish.

"Fire the cannon~~" Dwarf Engineer Dugen shouted, as a heavy cannon fired, blasting a straight line through the formation of the Undead Army, shattering dozens of zombies.

No matter how one looked, the garrison held a firm advantage, but the undead stubbornly maintained their current piecemeal attack tactics.

"It's very strange." Inside the Inner Castle, Bodric and Francois watched the battle surrounded by knights, as Duke Boldro remarked curiously: "It's understandable that Blood Knights and Bloodthirsty Celestial Ghosts, Bloodthirsty Bat Wolves weren't sent into battle, but it's odd that there aren't even any Desolate Tomb Guards? I could lead the Sea God Knights in a charge to wipe out these pests."

"I don't know. The Red Duke is dead, and I'm not sure who's commanding this Undead Army now. I'm having difficulty determining if the enemy has another plan or if it's a carefully designed trap." Francois shook his head slightly.

The Duke of Winford, known as the Enemy of the Undead, had once defeated the Necromancer Heinrich Kemler. Francois well understood that without the Blood Red Duke and siege weapons, the Vampires no longer had the means to take the castle. Hence, Francois's strategy was to stall, relying on the high walls and fortifications, with the undead bound to crumble first.

The war had reached a standoff, with lively but not savage battles on the walls.

The night battle continued until dawn. When the sky first showed the light of dawn, the Undead Army began to collapse and retreat entirely. When Bodric appeared on the wall, he witnessed an unbelievable scene.

The Vampire army's position across the river was completely deserted; all the troops had withdrawn, leaving the abandoned undead pests without control, turning back into mere corpses.

After a long night of battle, the human garrison of the entire castle felt utterly exhausted, too drained to pursue the Vampire army. Bodric ordered the burning of the bodies and the clearing of the battlefield.

Laine also arrived. Bodric, Francois, Laine, Julius, and the others looked silently at the now deserted Vampire army camp.

With a serious expression, Julius said, "It seems... the Vampires have retreated?"

"No... from what I know about Vampires, they wouldn't just give up so easily. Even if they really intended to retreat, they wouldn't do it this way," Francois said, puzzled. "Typically, if Vampires planned a retreat, they would straightforwardly throw all their forces into a big battle, and if they couldn't win, they'd use large hordes of corpses and skeletons as a rearguard…"