( Karna's POV )
By the time Neatwit returned to the base camp with Sophia as his restrained prisoner, Karna and the Cowards Army had completed setting up the long-range siege weapons.
"You're back? So Rocky's plan actually worked?" Karna asked, sighing in relief as he had been on edge for the past hour, feeling anxious about whether or not Rocky's risky plan would succeed.
"Yes, apparently the kid's a genius. I'm telling you Karna, very soon he will replace you as the Earth's strongest fighter.
That boy is beyond fearsome" Neatwit said, as he began singing praises of Rocky and his potential.
"Well of course, he is a genuine 'SSS' talent. Of course he will overtake me in the long-run" Karna said, as he smiled softly at the thought of there being someone who could finally surpass him and with it take the burden of carrying all the hopes of Earth.
"So…. Where do I put this little runt?" Neatwit asked, as he gestured towards Sophia who he was carrying like a sack of potato over his shoulder.
"Language! Neatwit…. Although she's a prisoner, we will treat her with respect befitting the Champion Of Poseidon" Karna said, glaring slightly towards Neatwit who was left speechless by Karna's gentlemanly attitude.
"Since we don't have a pig-farm here, put her in a tent and place a couple of our best mages alongside her as guard.
If everything goes to hell, she will be our insurance to get Riva back" Karna said, as he made a pig-joke to make Neatwit chuckle.
"Hahaha the classic dirty pig-barn…. Good one" Neatwit said, as he appreciated Karna's humor and proceeded to carry Sophia to the nearest tent, as he asked two of the True Elites finest mages to guard her.
********
Only after securely placing Sophia within a tent, did Neatwit move his attention to the army set-up, as he felt awe-struck looking at the giant Arch-Ballistae and the Inferno towers that were set up behind the army lines.
"Damn son, those cowards really bring a lot of firepower with them to the streets for sure" he commented, as he took a moment to admire the beauty of the dwarven machinery.
"You're back at the perfect time… the fireworks show is about to start" said Karna, as he too looked like a kid waiting for candy, as he seemed restless and excited to see the fireworks in action.
Unfortunately, the operation of the siege weapons wasn't under the purview of the Elites and fell under the purview of their alliance partner Zane and his cowardly forces.
Hence, although Karna and Neatwit felt restless to see the massive siege weapons in action. All they could do was wait patiently, until the cowards started the assault.
Thankfully, after what felt like an eternity, the assembly workers working on the weapons started to quickly dismount the structures, as it seemed like the cowards were preparing to fire their massive weapons.
"Begin–" said Zane, as upon receiving his signal, the Cowards Army finally initiated their attack.
The first to fire were the Arch Ballistae.
A dozen or so of those machines, all fired their arrows at once with a deafening twang, as the cowards covered the entire sky in a rain of arrows, which traveled over the heads of the two armies and towards the enemy palace with incredible speed and precision.
"Ohhhhhhh— WOOOOO!!"
Standing underneath the arrows, the True Elites cheered for the cowards, as they watched on the show with bated breaths, waiting for the hundreds of thousands of arrows in the air, to wreak devastation upon the enemy soldiers who were trembling atop their posts on the outer wall.
"Bye, bye, outer wall forces" said Neatwit, as to him it seemed like the destruction of the enemy forces was a done deal under this sort of firepower, however, just as the arrows were about to hit, a barrier formation suddenly sprang to life, some 20 meters ahead of the outer wall.
*SHUA*
*CRACKLE* *CRACKLE* *CRACKLE*
The golden barrier that had abruptly sprang to life absorbed the impact, glowing brightly with each projectile that struck its surface.
*Cheer*
Cheers erupted from the soldiers defending Floor 21 as they witnessed the barrier's activation.
Their morale soared as they believed that the barrier would protect them from the relentless assault of the enemy.
In stark contrast, shock and frustration washed over the True Elites and the Cowards as they realized the presence of the unexpected barrier formation.
"It's a high-level spell," Karna muttered, his eyes narrowing as he assessed the situation. "It can withstand a lot of enemy firepower."
Zane, however, projected unwavering confidence. "Don't worry my men," he said, addressing his army.
"This barrier won't hold against our continuous barrage for long." He declared, as he seemed to have utmost confidence in his siege weapons.
"Bring out the flames!" Zane commanded, as the cowards activated the Inferno towers.
*FAWOOSH*
While jumping into formation ahead of the siege weapons, the cowards had asked the Elites to leave a straight pathway wherever the inferno towers were going to be built.
For the sole reason that when they activated the Inferno beams, the temperature of the beam was going to become too hot for normal soldiers to bear, as the second as to when the Inferno tower was activated, the Elite soldiers standing underneath, even at a distance, immediately started to feel the heat.
The inferno tower spat dangerous flames from its mouth, directed in a concentrated stream at the barrier. The intense heat caused the air to waver and the ground beneath the flames to scorch, as witnessing the power of the flames, Karna could not help but feel a shiver run down his spine, as he imagined being blasted by such heat directly.
*Booom*
The golden barrier around the palace still held strong when the flames from the Inferno tower hit it, however, small cracks began to appear in its structure, a testament to the power of this siege weapon.
"No worries…. We are only getting started" declared Zane, as although the inferno tower did not immediately demolish the enemy barrier like Zane hoped it would, he still did not seem to be worried, as the cowards were only getting started.
—-----
/// A/N - Bonus chapter for hitting the PS target, good job everyone! ///