Three days passed since the last battle, Cail's defenders tried to break through our second camp twice, but with no success, they only ended up losing more units.

Siege towers and carriages with magic ballistas on top were prepared, and now it was finally time for the final attack.

Cail had only one set of walls, but like Hoss, the noble quarter was in the centre. We knew from some survivors who were interrogated that many nobles already left the city before we arrived, but some of them would remain to the bitter end.

After taking the walls, the army would march there to take the city. I would join the army after they took the walls, hunting for strong people between the walls and the centre.

I knew the purificators would also participate, with every probability they wanted to pillage the nobles' houses, or maybe go for the defenceless merchants' houses near the centre.

Anyway, I would stay away from the centre and focus on the part right before it, there would surely be people trying to protect the entrance to the centre.

I was again the only one of the heroes participating, but Erian would probably be there too, although for different reasons.

As the army advanced from the wall the artillery was fired, but without all the shooters killed previously what they threw at the army was completely insufficient. Some of their artillery was also destroyed by the ballistas.

The only reason why they were still resisting was probably the centuries-long hatred towards Hoss and the empire.

The towers reached the walls, and warriors started taking the walls while other soldiers rammed the gate.

Stairs of earth were also created in the small portions of the wall secured by the people on the siege towers, and the soldiers started pouring from both the stairs and the towers.

Soon all the front part of the wall was taken, and the gate was destroyed by the ram.

The soldiers on the wall started supporting from above the soldiers on the ground, who took the entrance of the city, then the defenders started retreating through the main street.

I departed with a cohort sent as reinforcement, and also saw a certain healer sneak inside the troop disguised as a soldier, I doubted that whoever was watching over me didn't notice her, but they let her do.

Right in front of the cohort I was in the purificators also walked excitedly towards the city, with their weapons in their hands and exited eyes on their faces.

Their animal laughter foretold madness.

I ignored them and continued to walk.

We entered the city and walked through the main street now dotted with corpses.

When we arrived near the centre we saw a group of soldiers fighting against a group of enemies defending the entrance to the noble district.

The purificators then went to their aid and soon killed all the defenders, some then entered the noble district on their own, some in groups, and some returned and took one of the streets on the sides, going to pillage houses.

Most of the cohort's soldiers marched in formation inside the noble district together with the soldiers already present, while some teams went to the lateral streets to check for defenders in the rest of the city, I went with them.

I went with a group of fifty soldiers, and soon found a group of five adventurers protecting a big building, I didn't know what it was but it was probably a building of importance like a branch of the alliance's adventurers' guild or a barrack.

The adventurers didn't seem too strong though, shot an illusory fireball to the shield-bearer on the front and then I launched a Fireball at the warrior holding a greatsword on his side right away and.....

“aaaaaaaaah”

He took fire right away, they were probably beginners.

Anyway, they were raising their weapons towards us, I could allow myself to feel pity right now, I would let them go if they fled though.

But they didn't.

The tank charged towards me while an archer and a mage shot their attacks at me, but I avoided them by dodging to the side with fire enhancement, then passed by the tank, cut the magician's head while passing, and then created a cloud of smoke around the archer.

He shot an arrow blindly but missed, then I entered the smoke and cut her throat, she fell to the ground with her eyes wide open, I shot a Dark Bullet in her head to end her suffering.

Then, as the others were taking care of the tank, I approached the healer, who was trying to heal the swordsman.

“Flee, I'll let you live if you go away now.”

She looked at me with a scared but firm expression then took out a knife and took a step forward while screaming.

“Aaaaaaaaah.”

I shot a Dark Bullet to her leg before she could get closer, then finished her immediately with another Dark Bullet. I finished the swordsman too and then ordered the soldiers to restart advancing.

'What a pity.'

I felt sad, but I kept looking for more power.

After a few minutes, I sensed something coming from my right and moved away right away, an arrow hit where I was standing before.

Two soldiers behind me were killed by arrows, then a cloud of black smoke formed around the soldiers. Some warriors then jumped down from the buildings around, it was ten of them, they seemed stronger than the adventurers from earlier.

The soldiers formed a square formation, going on the defensive, I retreated behind them. Them soldiers nullified some of the smoke in front of them, and when the Zavenians clashed with them, I leaped behind a warrior and killed him before he could react.

Then a warrior shouted.

“One of the Imperial pigs uses dark, careful!”

I leaped again, but this time my adversary wasn't caught unprepared and was ready to block my attack.

But I then used Phantom Limb, and what he ended up blocking was nothing but smoke, my sabre then cut his sword's hand on the wrist. Then I shot a bullet in his head.

The soldiers did nothing but defend since they could see nothing, but with two of the four warriors killed they could nullify the magic and started fighting back.

I then heard one of the archers shout.

“Damn pigs, retreat!”

The archers and the mage disappeared right away, but the soldiers caught one of the warriors and I blocked the other.

I did nothing but slow him until the soldiers caught up and attacked him from behind, then I easily finished him.

After that, we continued marching through that road and found some wounded enemy warriors, they were trying to heal, but when they saw us, three of them took out their weapons, and the other two just watched with fear in their eyes.

I created a trail of smoke and leaped to one of them, trying to kill him before he could attack me, but he wasn't pointing his weapon at me, he was pointing it to his heart, and so were the other two.

I cut his head before he could kill himself, there was no need to let that power be wasted, then killed another one with a Dark Bullet, but lost the third, what a waste. It was commendable how they tried to deny their souls' fragments to their enemies though.

I then looked at the other two, one of the two looked at me, with desperation in his eyes.

“Please, I have a daughter.”

I sheathed my sabre, took the two adventurers' weapons, and then said to the soldiers:

“Let them live.”

The clerics looked at each other, then nodded reluctantly to me.

I then said to the adventurers:

“You two should hide somewhere safer.”

“Y-yes thank you, good sir.”

Then went away, limping for the wounds. I didn't look at them twice and then went forward.

We arrived at the wall without encountering any other enemy. I already obtained a good amount of power, but there might be still more around. The soldiers then returned towards the centre, they now had to join the others in the nobles' district, there I would find another group of soldiers to go into another street.

We did almost all the street without any encounter, but right before I arrived at the centre, saw a certain healer, now disguised as a civilian, sneaking inside the building the weak adventurers were protecting, but soon after I saw a purificator follow behind her. I didn't know if it was by chance or on purpose, but that made my blood boil the same.

I then told to the clerics:

I have something to do, you go ahead.”

“But, mister hero, we can'-”

“Go.”

“We, can't le-”

“I'll take responsibility, you go, or I'll tell your superior you use demonic magic.”

“.....”

He was taken aback by my words and didn't protest when I walked towards the building.