Chapter 12 Chapter Eleven Defense of Milne

"I bet three silver moon coins, it will go east tonight." Gaines said while throwing the silver coins in his hand when the one-armed demon appeared. "It's a gamble," Warren said. "It's been heading east three nights in a row, and it's supposed to change direction tonight." As usual, the stone demons sniffed around the gates before testing the sigil.It shifts positions methodically, never missing any dead ends.After confirming that there were no loopholes in the city gate, the earth core monster turned to the east. "Night," Warren cursed, "I thought it was going to be different today." Just as he was reaching into his pocket for money, the demon's roar and the sigil's flash died suddenly.

The two guards looked down through the guardrail, completely forgetting about the stakes, and saw the one-armed demon staring curiously at the city wall.Other geocentric monsters gathered around it, but they all kept a distance from the giant demon. Suddenly, the demon stretched out two fingers and swung its claws forward.There was no flash of light from the sigil field, and the sound of cracking stones could be heard clearly in the ears of the guards; the blood in their bodies seemed to have congealed. With a roar of triumph, the stone demon strikes again, this time with a straight fist.Even through starlight, the guard could still see stone fragments splashing with its claws.

"Horn," Gaines sang, gripping the rail with trembling hands.Suddenly there was a gust of hot air from under his feet, and it took him a while to realize that it was him who peed his pants. "Go and blow the horn." There was no movement around him.He turned to look at Warren, and saw his companion staring dumbfoundedly at the stone demon, a tear rolling down his cheek. "Go blow that alarm horn!" Gaines yelled.Warren recovered from his trance and rushed to the horn on the pedestal.He blew several times, and finally played a single note.By this time the demon had turned around and shattered more stones with a flick of its tail.

Karber shakes Aaron awake. "Who... what voice?" Aaron asked, rubbing his eyes. "It's already dawn?" "Not yet," Karber said, "The trumpet sounded, and a demon broke through the city wall." Aaron got up quickly, still not awake. "Breakthrough? Are there geocentric monsters in the city?" "Yes." Karber nodded, "or there will be soon, get up!" The two frantically lit the fuel lamp, packed their tools, put on a heavy cloak, and put on fingerless gloves that could keep out the cold without affecting their movements. The horn sounded again. "Two horns," said Kappa, "one short, one long. The breach in the wall is between the first and second watchtowers east of the gate."

There was the sound of horseshoes on the stone floor outside the door, followed by a knock on the door.They opened the gate to find Regan standing outside in full armor, spear in hand.His mirror-printed shield hung beside his heavy warsaddle.This horse was not an elegant steed like Nighteyes. This beast was strong, fierce, and short-tempered. It belonged to a rare breed of war horse. "Eliza is worried," he explained. "She asked me to protect you." Aaron frowned, but the terror that had haunted him since he woke up disappeared with Regan's presence.They harnessed the strong Jialun horses to the carriage, and then set off, following the shouts, crashes, and flashing magic lights, they rushed towards the gap in the city wall.

The street was empty, the doors and windows were all shut, but Aaron could see a light coming from under the door.The people of Miln awoke from sleep, biting their fingers nervously, praying that their sigil would not fail.He heard the weeping, and suddenly understood how much the Mernians depended on their walls. They came to a chaotic scene, with many dead or dying guards and magic sealers lying on the stone streets, with broken spears and burning wooden handles.Three bloodied guards were fighting a wind demon, trying to pin it down so that two sigil apprentice apprentices could trap it in a portable sigil circle.Others ran around with buckets, trying to douse the flames started by the dancing fire demons.

Aaron looked at the gap in the city wall - it was hard to imagine that a monster in the center of the earth could dig through a stone wall twenty feet thick - many demons were stuck in the hole, fighting to squeeze into the city. A wind demon squeezed out of the hole, raised its wings and ran wildly.A guard threw a spear at it, but it missed, and the demon flew unhindered into the city.A short while later, a fiery demon threw himself on the unarmed guard and slit his throat. "Hurry up, kid!" Kappa yelled, "The guards are buying us time, but we can't last long with such a big gap. We must close the gap as soon as possible!" Take the two portable sigil rings and give one of them to Aaron.

Under the guardianship of Regan, they rushed to the location of the key magic seal flag marking the magic sealers guild, which was a temporary position arranged by the magic sealers.Unarmed herbalists were there to rescue the wounded, fearlessly rushing out of the sigil to help those stumbling toward their positions.Compared with the number of wounded and injured, the number of herbalists is very small. Grandma Jon, the Duke's advisor, and Master Wenxin, the head of the Rubik's Guild, both came to greet them. "Master Kappa, I'm glad you can..." Jon said. "Where do we need our help?" Kappa asked Wen Xin, completely ignoring Jon.

"The main gap." Wen Xin said, "Set up the magic seal posts at the 15th and 30th angles." He said and pointed to a pile of magic seal posts. "For the Creator's sake, be careful! There's a horrible stone demon over there - the one who dug the gap. They're trapping it from breaking into the city, but you'll have to go through the Sigil field to Arrived at the location. It has killed three magic sealers, only the Creator knows how many guards will lose their lives in its hands." Karber nodded, and immediately walked towards the magic seal post with Aaron. "Who is on duty in the evening?" It asked while carrying the magic stamp.

"Max the Sigilist and his apprentice," Jon replied, "the duke will hang them." "Then the duke is a fool," said Wenshin. "No one knows why this happened, and Milne needs all the sigilists in the fray." He sighed. "According to this situation, after tonight, the number of magic sealers will be greatly reduced." "Set up the magic circle first." Karber said for the third time, "after you are safe, insert the magic seal into the pedestal and wait for the signal from the spotlight. There will be a flash of lightning-like light, please cover your eyes. Then align the sigil stakes with the angle on the main twig plate, do not try to connect with other sigil stakes, you must trust other sigil masters. After erecting, nail the pedestal into the gap between the stone slabs to fix it."

"And then?" Aaron asked. "Stay in the magic circle until someone tells you to come out," Karber ordered. "No matter what you see, don't come out, even if you have to stay inside all night! Clear?" Aaron nodded. "Very good," Karber said.He looked around the chaotic scene, waited, waited, and then yelled: "Now!" Then the two rushed, dodging flames, corpses, and bricks along the road, and ran towards their respective positions.A few seconds later, they ran out of the shelter of a row of buildings, and saw the one-armed stone demon standing in front of a whole team of guards and a dozen corpses.Its claws and fangs dripped blood in the streetlight. All the blood in Aaron's body was congealed.He stopped and turned to Regan, and the messenger met his eyes for a moment. "It must be looking for Qilin." Regan teased. Aaron opened his mouth to say something, but before he could say anything, Regan shouted, "Be careful!" and threw the spear behind Aaron. Aaron fell to the ground, let go of the sigil post, and hit his knees hard on the flagstones.He heard the shattering sound of Regan's spear hitting the face of the swooping wind demon, turned over in time, and saw the earth core monster bounce off Regan's shield, and then fell. Regan galloped his horse, trampled on the demon with his horse's hooves, grabbed Aaron at the same time as he picked up the sigil stake, and half-dragged him to the designated point.Kappa has already set up his portable magic circle and is preparing the pedestal for the magic circle. Aaron wasted no time in setting up the sigil immediately, but his gaze kept returning to the one-armed demon.The demon is attacking the magic seal force field that has been hurriedly set up in front of him, trying to break through the level with brute force.Whenever the magic light flickered, Aaron could see the weakness in the magic seal, knowing that the force field would not last long. The stone demon sniffed around, suddenly raised his head, and caught Aaron's sight. The two stared at each other for a moment, until Aaron couldn't take it anymore, and turned his eyes away first.The one-armed demon hissed and roared, redoubled his efforts, trying to break free from the gradually weakening magic seal force field. "Aaron, don't be in a daze, do your job well!" Karber yelled, and Aaron immediately came back to his senses.He ignored the cries of the inner earth monster and the guards as much as possible, unfolded the folding steel seat, and placed it into the magic seal post.He adjusted the angle according to the dim light, then stretched out his hands to cover his eyes, waiting for the signal from the spotlight. A moment later, a strong light suddenly appeared, illuminating the night like day.The runes quickly adjusted the runes and nailed the pedestal into the ground.They wave the white cloth to signify completion. After work, Aaron began to look around.Several magic seal masters and apprentices are still working hard to set up the magic seal posts.One of the sigil stakes glowed brightly in demonic flames.The monsters in the center of the earth screamed and dodged in front of the spotlight, thinking that the sun they hated suddenly appeared.The guards fought bravely with spears in their hands, trying to drive the demons out of the force field before the sigil was activated.Regan fought alongside the guards, galloping back and forth on steeds, holding up shining shields to reflect light as they drove back the panicked inner-earth monsters. But these fake sunlight can't hurt the monsters in the center of the earth.A team of guards jabbed spears in the spotlight, but the one-armed demon didn't flinch.Many of the spearheads snapped or slipped away as soon as they touched the stone demon's hard shell, and the rest were grabbed by the demon and yanked violently, pulling the gun-wielding guard out of the force field like a child shaking a rag doll. Aaron watched in horror at the carnage before him.The demon bit off the head of a guard and threw the body among the other guards, knocking down several.It crushed another guard with one foot, then swung its spiked tail and sent a third into the air.The man fell heavily to the ground, unable to get up again. The blocker stone demon's sigil is now buried deep under corpses and blood, and the one-armed demon breaks out of the force field and kills wantonly.The guards began to retreat, and some even ran away. Just as they turned around, the one-armed demon had already left them behind and headed straight for the magic circle where Aaron was. "Aaron!" Regan exclaimed, turning his horse.The messenger watched the demon rush away in panic, seemingly forgetting that Aaron was in the portable sigil circle.He raised his spear, rode his horse and galloped towards the back of the one-armed demon. At the sound of his voice the stone demon turned away at the last moment and stood still, taking the blow of the spear on his chest.The weapon shattered, and the demon stretched out its claws contemptuously, crushing the horse's head. The horse's head turned to one side, and it retreated into Kappa's magic seal circle, knocking Kappa backwards, and the magic seal pile tilted immediately.Regan didn't have time to untie the buckle, and fell to the ground with the horse, his calf pressed under the horse, unable to get up for a while.The one-armed demon came forward and tried to kill him. Aaron screamed and looked around for help, but no one was around to help.Kappa supported the magic seal post and struggled to get up.All sigilists near the gap are sending completion signals.They had replaced the burnt sigil stake, leaving Kappa's sigil stake unlocated, but no one came to his aid; the guards were terrified by the one-armed demon's attack.Even if Kappa had the means to repair the sigil post quickly, Regan would surely be doomed; the one-armed devil was inside the sigil web. "Hey!" He yelled, stepped out of the magic circle, and waved his hands vigorously, "Hey! Ugly!" "Aaron, hurry back to your magic circle!" Kappa yelled, but it was too late.The stone demon turned his head away as soon as he heard Aaron's voice. "Oh, yes, you heard that," murmured Aaron, his face hot and then cold.He saw on the other side of the magic seal post, the spotlight gradually faded, and all the monsters in the center of the earth were already about to move, and retreating in that direction was like committing suicide. But Aaron remembered the situation when he fought the stone demon last time, knowing that it regarded him as its private prey. With this in mind, he turned and ran past the sigil post, and then attracted the attention of a hissing fire demon, and the center of the earth The monster came rushing forward, its eyes glowing with fire, but the one-armed demon also moved at the same time, rushing to smash the lower demon. When he turned his head, Aaron had already run back to the other side of the magic seal post. The one-armed demon swung its claws fiercely, only to see a flash of magic light, shaking him away.At this time, Karber has straightened the magic seal post and activated the magic seal net.The one-armed demon roared angrily and beat the force field continuously, but the force field was indestructible. He ran to Regan.Carber hugged him and patted his ear. "Next time you do that again," the master warned, "I'll break your thin neck." "I was supposed to protect you..." Regan said weakly, with a hint of a smile on his lips. When Wen Xin and Jon disbanded the magic sealer, there were still sporadic geocentric monsters raging in the city.The remaining guards help the herbalists transport the wounded to the clinics in the city. "Aren't people sent to hunt down the escaped demons?" Aaron asked Ryan as he got into the car.He had a splint on his foot, and the herbalist gave him pain-relieving teas, and he was now in a coma. "Why do you do that?" Karber asked, "It will only kill the pursuers. In fact, it will be fine after dawn. It's better to go into the house. The sun will deal with the earth core monsters left in Miln Castle. " "The sun won't come out for hours," Aaron protested as he climbed into the carriage. "What's your proposal?" Karber asked, driving cautiously to explore the road, "The Duke has put all his forces into play tonight, hundreds of guards with spears and shields, and well-trained magic sealers. Have you seen Did they kill any demons? No. Demons can't be killed." Aaron shook his head. "A demon can kill a demon, I've seen it." "They're magic, Aaron. They can do things mortals can't." "The sun can kill them," Aaron said. "The power of the sun is not comparable to you and me." Karber said, "We are just magic sealers." They turned the intersection and then gasped.On the street before them lay disemboweled corpses, blood staining the surrounding flagstones.Some body parts were still burning, and the air was filled with the pungent smell of burning meat. "It's a beggar," Aaron said, noting the tattered clothes on the body. "Why is he wandering around late at night?" "It's two beggars." Karber corrected him, covering his mouth and nose with the corner of his clothes, and pointed to another corpse a little far away, "It must be that the shelter doesn't accept them." "Can shelters do that?" Aaron asked. "I thought public shelters couldn't turn anyone away." "It's not a rejection until it's full," Karber said. "The shelter isn't a good place anyway. Once the guards lock the gates, they start taking each other's food and clothes and doing horrible things to women." .Many beggars would rather sleep on the streets.” "Why no one cares?" Aaron asked. "Everyone thinks it's a big problem," Karber said, "but the citizens think it's the duke's problem, and the duke doesn't think he has to protect people who don't contribute to the city." "So the best thing to do is to let the guard go home, and the earth core monster will solve this problem." Aaron said angrily.Kappa didn't respond, and threw off the rein, intent on getting off the street as quickly as possible. Two days later, the whole city gathered in the Grand Place.A gallows was placed in the center of the square, on which stood the magic sealer Max, who was on duty that night when the incident happened. Oak himself was not present, and Jon was there to announce the verdict: "In the name of the Duke of Oak, the Light of the Mountains, and Lord Milne, you are found guilty of negligence in your duties and causing a leak in the magic seal of the city wall. Eight demons The sealer, two messengers, three herbalists, thirty-seven guards, and eighteen townspeople suffered because of your incompetence." "Would it be helpful to increase the death toll of the magic sealers to nine?" Karber murmured.The crowd clamored and threw rubbish at the magic sealer who had been standing there. "The sentence is death," Jon said, and the hooded executioner took Max's arm and led him to the rope, where he put the noose around his neck. A tall, broad-shouldered priest with a thick black beard and thick robes walked up to him and made a magic seal on his forehead. "May the Creator forgive your failures," the cultists intoned, "and grant us the purity of heart and good deeds to end its plague and be liberated." He took a step back, and the secret door opened.The crowd cheered and cheered as the noose tightened. "Stupid," Kappa spat, "the next time the demons invade, there will be one less to resist." "What did he mean?" Aaron asked. "What plague, and liberation?" "It's just a bunch of nonsense to fool the people," Karber said. "You'd better not believe that kind of stuff."