Inside the main gate of Stormveil, many large ballistae had once been set up.
But these powerful siege weapons had now been destroyed by various means, lying scattered on the ground.
Clearly, the equipment had lost its defensive function.
Thus, the main gate of Stormveil was now guarded only by the Exiled Soldiers.
At this moment, the Exiled Soldiers were treating the wounds of the injured on the ground.
A huge commotion from a battle had erupted outside the gate just moments ago, and they had been staring intently in that direction, ready to fire at any moment.
Instead, a group of Tarnished had inexplicably appeared from behind and launched a surprise attack.
Caught off guard, they had suffered considerable losses.
What was worse was that those Tarnished had no intention of fighting them to the end.
As the Exiled Soldiers drew their swords to fight back, the Tarnished completely disengaged.The group of Tarnished just kept looking for opportunities to destroy the defensive equipment here.
Once all the machinery was destroyed, the Tarnished fled without a second glance.
With all their might, they had only managed to leave behind three or four Tarnished corpses.
Men from further back in the castle had also come to report everything they knew.
That group of Tarnished had emerged from within the city. Not only were they destroying the city's defenses, but they were also setting fires everywhere.
The residential inner bailey was now in a state of chaos.
The powerful Banished Knights had already been mobilized, hunting down the Tarnished who were roaming the city.
The orders these soldiers received were to stay put and continue guarding the main gate.
However, they weren't too worried about enemies from the outside.
To this day, no one had ever broken through the Fell Omen's defense. Not ever.
Just as they were thinking this, the great gate of Stormveil slowly began to rise.
Several figures walked into the city.
The Exiled Soldiers were stunned, then they all grabbed their weapons.
What's going on? The people outside defeated the Fell Omen?!
And why did the gate open? No one was seen entering the control room!
"Quick! On guard! Sound the horn!"
A tall soldier commanded.
Most of the soldiers guarding the city here had lost their minds, with only a few retaining their sanity to act as command nodes.
After all, guarding a city didn't require much intelligence; their physical instincts were enough to aim at the enemy and fire.
Furthermore, unlike the Godrick Soldiers, the Exiled Soldiers had no new recruits joining their ranks.
These Exiled Soldiers had truly endured since the era of the Stormhawk King.
And for that very reason, when the hawk's cry sounded, the instincts deeply etched into their very flesh were activated.
The Exiled Soldiers collectively lowered their weapons and knelt on one knee in Bai Shi's direction.
The few soldiers who still had their wits were stunned for a moment, then overcome with joy and emotion.
"The Ancient King! It is the Ancient King!"
These soldiers also dropped their weapons and knelt with the others.
Since their defeat, they had been banished, not even allowed to show their faces.
They were sentenced to exile in what was once their homeland.
Even though they remained in Stormveil, their home was no longer their home.
Because Stormveil had long since lost its monarch.
Even the storm had waned, sullied by the crime of grafting.
Beneath their crimson hoods and faceplates, their shriveled eyes were moistened with tears for the first time in ages.
The Ancient King had come out on his own accord. He had offered to mobilize the soldiers to help Bai Shi conquer Stormveil. The soldiers were supposed to go home.
But Bai Shi had refused the Ancient King's proposal, only asking him to order the soldiers not to attack.
After all, these soldiers were currently Godrick's subordinates.
It wasn't that he was worried about them turning against him, but that bringing these soldiers along would be of little use. If they were Banished Knights, he could have taken them.
He would wait until after he killed Godrick, then he could righteously take command of the soldiers.
As Bai Shi officially set foot in Stormveil, the storm surrounding the castle surged violently once more.
A faint wisp of wind drifted onto Bai Shi, gently enveloping him.
A layer of wind armor formed over the Banished Knight's armor, and its weight was greatly reduced.
Without using any magic, a faint wind blade coated his sword.
It wasn't just Bai Shi; everyone beside him received the same boon.
Bai Shi was greatly surprised and asked the Ancient King in his mind what was happening.
The Ancient King's voice carried a hint of pride:
'Did you think the storm enveloping Stormveil was just for decoration?'
'This was our inspiration, drawn from the grand-scale sorcery covering the entire Raya Lucaria Academy—the Magical Domain.'
'We created our own storm to surround the whole city, to defend against siege projectiles and to enhance our soldiers' defense and attack.'
Then the Ancient King grew somewhat wistful.
'This storm was supposed to be perpetual, just like the one at the Chapel of Anticipation, but it has been left untended for so long that it nearly stopped.'
'But it's fine. I have returned.'
So that was it.
Bai Shi didn't ask any more questions. There would be time for that after he officially took over Stormveil.
Bai Shi led his people past the Exiled Soldiers.
They passed through the once-impenetrable defensive line without any obstruction.
Ensha stepped out of a small room and silently noted everything that was happening.
Bai Shi seemed to have been colluding with the soldiers of Stormveil for some time. This matter had to be reported.
Sir Gideon Ofnir had once instructed Ensha to look for several people within Stormveil.
Among them was a rumored descendant of the Stormhawk King.
'Could it be him?'
Ensha performed a prayer, completely silencing his presence.
It was just a guess. He had a more important mission.
——
Following the main path, Bai Shi and his group quickly passed through Stormveil's defensive outer bailey.
Along the way, every Exiled Soldier they encountered laid down their arms and knelt before Bai Shi in salute.
Upon entering the inner bailey where everyone lived, the scene before them left the group dumbfounded.
Within Stormveil, raging fires were visible in several places.
The shouts of battle continuously echoed from the distance.
Livestock raised in the city were running rampant, and residents who had lost their minds were also running around aimlessly.
The Godrick Soldiers were busy guiding the sane residents to safety.
They didn't even notice Bai Shi and his group, who had just entered from the outer bailey.
The main gate was guarded by the Fell Omen, after all.
Even if the Fell Omen was defeated, there were still the siege weapons and the Exiled Soldiers.
In their eyes, it was impossible for any enemy to get through the main gate; they just needed to quell the chaos inside the city as quickly as possible.
Although they disliked the Exiled Soldiers from the outer bailey, they acknowledged their strength.
But who could have imagined that this time, the intruders were led by the former master of the Exiled Soldiers.
Even though their minds had faded, living like the walking dead, they had never forgotten their ancient glory.