Revive Rome: Wait! Why not make the empress fall in love with me first?
Chapter 151 - 55: Artillery Bombardment of the City

"Peggy’s Spirituality can’t take much more of this," Rasul sheathed his Longsword. "We should stop here; if we continue, the kid won’t be able to handle it."

"Let’s leave it at that for now," Aske nodded, and Nora immediately stepped forward to cradle the battered Peggy in her arms for healing.

"I’m telling you, why does every member of your team seem like a monster?" Rasul asked, the sheathed Longsword resting on his shoulder, "Each one has an unwavering Will, never-say-die attitude, not retreating no matter the pain, and on top of that, they’re all pretty girls..."

"Too pretty isn’t good either, like delicate porcelain, always worrying that they’ll shatter at the slightest touch. It’s better to have some sturdy physique..." He licked his upper lip with his tongue, "I’m done playing, it’s time for me to go."

"Thanks for that," Aske nodded, "Your instruction over these three days has been grueling."

"No need for thanks. At first, I just wanted to see how long she could last, but I didn’t expect her to actually endure until now," Rasul waved his hand nonchalantly, "Anyway, make sure she gets a good rest."

"After all, there’s not much peaceful time left," he pocketed his hands, the Longsword awkwardly tucked under his left arm, "A more brutal War is coming soon, and if she doesn’t learn that sword technique quickly..."

That sword technique? Aske stared at his departing figure, what was this guy hinting at?

"You need to push your people hard, too. If they die in this War, then my last few days of sparring would have been a waste." Rasul disappeared around the corner.

"How is Peggy doing?" Aske pondered for a moment before turning to ask Nora.

"Her Spirituality is severely depleted, but there are no major issues; she might need some time to recover," Nora replied, her voice tinged with hesitation, "Aske, that War he mentioned..."

"Yes, it’s coming soon," Aske stood up, "Everyone, be ready."

Returning to the military camp, all the girls were already assembled, even Hood, who had always been in the workshop, had been called out.

"Just received the notice," Aske hung up his phone and addressed everyone solemnly, "The Latin Crusade is on its way again."

"This time it’s a full-scale assault, a total of about twenty thousand people."

"The vanguard has already reached the ruins of Olympia Town, equipped with a large number of Power Armors, Firearms, and..."

"...Mortars."

The explosion sounded like Thunder from outside, the floor beneath their feet seemed to tilt instantly, carrying with it a terrible aftershock and shockwave.

Hood lost his footing and fell to the ground. Eleanor quickly pulled him up and looked around to ask everyone:

"Is everyone alright?!"

Aske rushed to the window and yanked open the curtains.

He could see the smoke rising from below as if mortar shells had hit the Olympus Tree, causing a slight Earthquake throughout the entire city within the tree.

"Everyone, follow me," Aske said quickly, "Hood, you’re non-combat personnel, head immediately to the training ground on this level for cover. It’s closest to the trunk of the tree, less likely to be directly hit."

"Oh, okay!" Hood knew there was no time for hesitation and quickly nodded in agreement.

The members of The Azure Longsword hurried to the emergency elevator and swiftly made it to the top floor.

At the very top of the Olympus Tree, the central area was dominated by the Great Arena built atop the trunk, with massive branches stretching in all directions.

All areas around the branches, being ideal for Throwing down firepower, had become heavily guarded military zones, now occupied by the Mage Association and the Olin City Guard, who continually bombarded the area below.

"The situation has become grave," Ruda and Quintus, who had already been waiting nearby, briskly approached as the Azure Longsword arrived and spoke.

"As you can see, Lord Aske, the Crusaders have somehow procured a large number of 150mm mortars from the Holy Solomon Empire."

"Although these mortars are not particularly accurate, the sheer size of the Olympus Tree itself makes it not difficult to hit."

"Considering that the Olympus Tree houses the city, each hit on its trunk is akin to an earthquake within the city."

"A few more of these earthquakes, and Olympia City will be reduced to ruins," Quintus explained the severity of the current situation in a few words before continuing solemnly:

"Our mages are deployed in the branches, with most of our power dedicated to maintaining the scale-shaped array, attempting to intercept the mortars’ fire."

(A scale-shaped array is composed of numerous small defensive arrays pieced together, forming a shield-like layer of scales, generally used to protect large castles.)

"A smaller number of Arcane Mages are tasked with targeting and bombing the enemy artillerymen."

"However, the enemy’s command tactics are cunning; there are nearly no established artillery positions, all artillerymen are dispersed around the mountain."

Aske nodded in understanding and said, "So you mean we need melee personnel to leave the city and eradicate these artillerymen?"

"Exactly, otherwise the Olympus Tree cannot withstand such prolonged bombardment, because the cost of attrition is simply not proportional for both sides," Ruda added, "For them, it’s just an endless supply of artillery shells. For the mages of Olin City, it’s a real loss of Spirituality."

"So we must eliminate as many artillery troops as possible before the scales of war tip. Of course, the Latin Crusaders will surely arrange Knight Corps to intercept our forces leaving the city to fight."

"The intercepting forces won’t be too numerous," Quintus inserted, "Since our Arcane Mages will be focused on Throwing strikes to kill large numbers of troops, so they will have to choose to disperse their forces as well, blade against blade."

"Even then, it’s incredibly dangerous," Ruda said gravely, "Considering the enemy’s numbers far outweigh ours, even with dispersed combat, it will still be a bloody battle for us."

"There is still a chance of victory, though," Quintus said lightly, "According to the Lancaster Combat Equation, the loss of personnel on both sides only depends on the forces committed to the direct confrontation, and forces not involved in the direct fight, no matter how large, are just a number."

"Ha, Lord Quintus, wars cannot be calculated with mathematics," Ruda shook his head, his gaze shifting to Aske, "What do you think?"

"Lord Aske, are you prepared to fight a war that’s bound to be heavy with casualties?"

"Of course, do we have any other choice?" Aske said with a smile.

"Knew you would say that," Ruda laughed, patting his shoulder, and handed him a pair of glasses, "Here, this is something whipped up by the Mage Association, called ’tactical glasses’."

"Simply put, it’s a small communicator with an added electronic map," Quintus explained, "We have specialized radar-type mages responsible for monitoring artillery distribution below the mountain. The control system models them into light points and displays them on the electronic map screen within the glasses."

"For every enemy light point you take out, Olympia City will score points for your military achievements. After the war, including Second Rank Magic Potions, formulas, Spiritual Materials will all be added to the list of military honors to exchange as compensation for your defense of the city."

"Of course, that’s provided we win the war," Quintus said with gravity, "If we fail, Olympia City itself cannot be assured, and all the wealth prepared for you will naturally fall cheaply to the Crusaders."

"For Olympia City, for the people within the city, as well as for Honor, promises, and our own vested interests." He slowly turned away, looking down at the battlefield below where gunfire filled the sky, his voice growing deeper.

"We can only count on you now."