In the morning of the next day, as the sun began to rise, Argon struck again.

"Ding! Ding!... Ding! Ding!"

The warning bells rang loudly the moment Argon moved. If you just focused your hearing a little bit, you could even hear Lord Winthrop giving orders from the Castle's keep. I got up quickly, put on my armor, and gathered my weapons. After gathering all of my things, I rushed up the stairs. Taking advantage of the intact South Eastern watchtower, I leaped onto it. Focusing my eyes a bit, I could see an angry horde swarming the Eastern wall. Argon chose to strike with nearly full force today.

Seeing Argon's charging army, I was forced to show my hand, "Oh Flames of Sodom, your unquenchable fire, let loose you're unending wrath! Flames of Desolation!"

Thousands were killed by the flaming pillars I created, and a large wall of flames set the earth on fire. Hopefully, this slows their advance a bit.

"Eli! Tobi! take guard!"

"YES!"

Spending my mana was a huge risk. Sternrbright quickly answered my fears. A large stone came falling upon the Black Castle for the second time.

"We're going to divert its landing a bit! Everyone with me! Cast any spell with force behind it! Think air flow!"

I had my knights and a group of mages launch spells to divert the spell's fall. Gritting my teeth, I brought up both of my hands and cast three spells. An earth wall shot out of the black tower at an upward angle to hopefully push the stone back. Fire erupted in a pillar as I used Pillar of Fire and Airflow in conjunction. Multiple mages followed up with their own spells. Elijah set up multiple barriers on top of mine, and Tobias reinforced his wall with an Ice Barrier. Water, Fire, Wind, and Earth all shot forth, desperately trying to slow the spell's momentum. The great stone fell. We were able to slow the stone down with the spells before it was hit by over a dozen barriers that were set up at angles in an attempt to bring it down to the Castle's walls. The stone crushed the barriers with little resistance, but I noticed it was pushed back slightly and dropped towards the earth. We had almost succeeded.

"It's going to hit the wall!"

I couldn't tell who shouted, but I had already made my move. I threw a dozen Enchanted metal charms at the stone to make it ricochet just a bit more. The barriers all opened and met the stone in the air. The stone finally fell directly in front of the Castle.

"WE DID IT!" The mages screamed in victory, but I knew this was far from over. Victor was fast on the draw, "GET READY! THEY ARE COMING!"

Bronze knights rushed up the wall again. Argon was trying to conquer the Black Castle as quickly as possible regardless of the cost. Elijah and Tobias came together and defended the Western front together. They worked well together so more knights could move to the other walls. I desperately tried to defend the Eastern Wall with just my magic rings and crossbow, but I knew the moment I used any more mana, we'd face severe repercussions.

"Collapse the Castle walls!" A mage commander made it to the wall with the other knights and started dropping enchanted crystals on the walls. Winthrop screamed, "BLOCK THEM!"

"FLAME ARROW!" I cast a dozen arrows trying to stop the mages from taking down the wall. The 4th circle commander set up a barrier of ice to block me, but after three arrows hit the wall the fourth managed to get through and pierce his stomach. BOOM! It was too late. Winthrop and I were tossed through the air with over 20 soldiers. I gathered my bearing in midair and noticed multiple earth spears coming at me from different directions. I threw several charms to block them and covered my body in an armor of earth. A few of the spears managed to hit me, and I was thrown to the side of the western wall.

"LORD!"

"STAY BACK!"

I pushed myself back up and leaped back onto the Eastern wall. The wall had caved in half but hadn't completely fallen. Thirty knights and mages on Argon's side had managed to occupy the Eastern wall. I decided to change that, "Flame whip." I created a slightly complex flame whip and had it wrap around several of the knight's necks before pulling. I split the whip immediately afterward and started swinging multiple whips around. Rock arrows and fire spears came directly in front of me so I had a small whip wrap around my hand and deflected the spells to my left and right. I quickly killed the rest and held the wall alone. It didn't take long for Winthrop to follow behind me. Smoke surrounded the wall in a large plume reducing visibility while the screams of a vicious battle hung all around us. Elaine was the one who was good at close combat. She could handle Eli and Tobi with just a little magic and her fists. That was why I called her the Beast Mage. I may not be known for close combat magic, but I had been fighting in close quarters for decades. Running at the top speed I could muster, I brought in my flame whip and had it wrap around my arms. Knights and soldiers were continuously trying to occupy the Eastern wall while we showed some weakness. A soldier ran up to me with a spear while screaming. "Rarghh!" I ducked underneath his spear strike and swung my right hand in an upward motion. My whip pierced straight through him. A knight to my left charged at me trying to take advantage of my whips absence. Rolling to the side, I managed to rebalance myself before swinging my whip whips at the knight. He cast an ice armor around himself, but my whip cut right through it. Steam erupted before his neck flew up in the air. With great difficulty, we managed to reorganize and take control of the Eastern wall. I managed to find a moment to take a breath. That moment lasted until I felt a massive influx of mana.

I looked up, "That damn persistent bastard!" Another stone was falling on the wall while more knights were coming. "Tobi, Eli, Guard!" They rushed from their positions while I prepared to deal with the damned stone lord.

"I call upon the Great Spirit of fire! Manifest the Salamander, breathe into him your life and breathe out the spirit's flames! Salamander!" The white salamander made a reappearance and this time above my left hand. It opened its mouth and shot forth a terrifying white-hot breath blowing the stone to pieces yet again. I bit my lips from the pain as my left hand sizzled from the heat. A stone spear followed right after I cast my spell, aimed directly at my head.

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"Tower Master!"

Eli managed to make it time and produced an earth wall right before it hit. I ducked after the spear hit the wall. It pierced through and cut the top of my head knocking off my glasses. "Huff huff." I breathed in. Tobi brought me my glasses in short order while we managed to recover from today's onslaught. Argon had begun to retreat after the failed attempt to take the Eastern wall. Today's battle was all but done as its fierceness slowly died off.

"TEND TO THE WOUNDED! MOVE ALL OF THE WOUNDED TO THE CASTLE KEEP!"

Victor was giving out orders and trying to manage the situation. I simply sat down and rested, opting to recover my mana as quickly as possible. Eli and Tobi joined me and sat to my left and right. Eli of course had to mess with me, "Lord, are you trying to dye your hair red to match your wife?"

"Eli, you look so full of soot I wonder if you'll ever find yourself a suitor."

"Touche."

Tobi took a breath before saying, "Lord, can we manage to last before reinforcements arrive?"

"I believe we can. They can only push so hard with their resources. The reason they ended the battle is probably related to greed. They are probably planning to take the whole kingdom with their current forces. If they weren't being so greedy this battle would be far messier and far more difficult."

"More difficult than this?"

"Believe it or not Tobias, but yes."

We sat in silence as the Castle was repaired and the wounded were cared for. The Castle ward was a filled-in hole full of the bodies of the fallen.

Elijah sighed before saying, "Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day. When reinforcements finally arrive we should be in a much better position to defend. The calvary should completely overturn this situation!"

I had hoped for the same, but days went by without any reinforcements. We were constantly in an agonizing struggle just barely holding our position. After one week, both Argon's and our resources were running low. We had enough food, but we had run out of arrows and defensive items. The problem was reinforcements hadn't arrived yet. James should have taken control of this situation. I couldn't understand what the hold-up could possibly have been. Communication crystals were being blocked on both sides, but we sent a messenger! Why haven't they come? Did the message arrive safely? I should have sent more than one!

Uncertainty started clouding my judgment.

The Castle's defenses won't stand another day. We will fall in today's battle or tomorrow. It was the middle of the night when I made a decision. I gathered my knights from their slumber and visited Victor's chambers.

"Wahhhahh!"

"It's me, Victor. Calm down."

"Darien! You scared the shit out of me! I thought Argon's assassins came in the middle of the night!"

"Victor, it's time to gamble."

He looked at me with serious eyes before saying,

"Explain."

"Tomorrow, I kill the Brown Tower Master."

Elijah was the first to speak up, "Do you plan to die with him? Charging straight through thousands of enemies just to get to him first?"

"Eli, tomorrow will be an all-or-nothing gamble. Reinforcements should have arrived by now, and we are not in a position to wait any longer! The Castle will fall tomorrow or the next day whether we like it or not!"

Victor contemplated for a few seconds before he spoke sternly, "Tower Master, I think it's time you abandon the Black Castle. Set up a strong front in the Capital and prepare for Argon's full-scale invasion."

"I won't leave. It's not in my nature. Tomorrow I will go alone if need be."

Victor sighed, "Stubborn bastard! If you die the kingdom dies! You should know your value exceeds even the king himself! If you aren't here as a deterrent, then Elion can't stand as a nation. You and Winchester are the only Grand mages in Elion!"

"If the Black Castle falls, Elion might as well fall. If Argon manages to take the fertile Eastern plains they will choke us to death within a year, if not a few months! We must stand firm! We must fight!"

Tobias slammed the table and yelled, "Lord, a retreat is a better option than dying! Suicide is not an option!"

Elijah couldn't help himself and had to add his quip, "You dive in like a god of war and massacre all of Argon's forces on your own? Sounds like a plan, dear Archmage."

"I only need a few with me, less than ten that can act as a barrier for me. I'll launch the strongest spells I have, tearing down the Turtles defenses, and then I'll roast him whole. I need the strongest defenders we have to give me a chance at doing that."

Victor grimaced and said, "Darien, say you succeed; and you take down the Brown Lord. What happens after? Depleted of all your mana do you just sit there and wait for Argon to swallow you whole? Nothing will change if you die in this mission!"

"I don't plan on dying. Elijah and Tobias are two of the most mobile knights in Elion. If I'm depleted of all my mana, they will carry me, and we will all return. I'm not a fool, I know this is a dangerous mission. I understand that, but we must do it. We have to succeed here. We don't have time for anything else."

All three of them sat in silence. Elijah was the first to speak to me.

"Lord, I do not agree with you. It is my duty as your head knight to make sure you are safe. If I let you dive into the middle of Argon's army alone, I would have to join you in the netherworld as my honor dictates, but you are also my master; if you say you are going I cannot stop you. I will join your side."

Tobias looked as though he ate a sour fruit as he said, "I agree with Eli for once. I will join you even in a suicide mission, but I must say I think this is ill-thought. It truly might be better for the whole of Elion if you were to abandon the Black Castle and prepare for Elion's future attacks. My mother once told me you should never set all of your eggs in the same basket lest you drop them all and lose your meal. I think we should spend more time thinking before acting, Lord. However, Lord, I shall obey."

Victor was the last to speak, "We started this War with 600 knights, and we are left with less than 20. Tonight I will find you ten that shall stand with you. Tower Master, I wish you luck."

Lord Winthrop left the room in the dead of night. Tomorrow would stand to hold the most difficult battle yet.

Sternbright POV

Fools all of them! We could have conquered the walls twice already! Retreat, retreat, retreat! Why the Emperor gave his brother and advisor control of the army, I cannot currently comprehend. Our casualties amounted to more than half of our army! The Bronze Order has 100 knights remaining! We've lost almost half of our mages for what? For the Black Castle? Our campaign is already over. There is no chance of us making it the Capital of Elion and conquering it with our current forces. The Red Tower Master could leave tomorrow, and our mission would be over. Argon can't afford to send reinforcements right now! What we have is what we get why can't the Imperial prince understand that? I've never been so frustrated in my life!

"I think we can go about conquering the Black Castle tomorrow. We've had some setbacks, but in the end, Argon is always victorious."

Veins appeared on my head whenever he spoke.

"Victory? Over the Black Castle? True, but we have lost far more than Elion has! How are we to conquer them with our current forces and resources?"

"Lord Sternbright Argon will always find a way. That's what you're for."

I chose silence rather than debating the Fool. How could he and Imperial Emperor be related? They are completely opposite of one another.

The most important thing this war has taught me is the current gap between me and the Salamander. The difference is most visible in the results of our battles. I could feel it. It's not just the amount of mana we have. His magic is just of a higher quality.

I'm not afraid to admit when I'm outmatched. It's how I've lived for so long. If he remains at the castle tomorrow, we must prepare everything we have to at least get rid of him. The prince has to let go of his ego and pride and commit to at least accomplishing this. Otherwise, I'm afraid Elion will be untouchable unless the Emperor moves himself.