NOVEL NEXT Chapter 37: Chapter 36: The Siege of the Imperial Capital – Part 1
Chapter 36: The Siege of the Imperial Capital – Part 1
The air above the Imperial Capital was thick with the acrid scent of blood, smoke, and charred flesh. The golden walls, once symbols of unshakable strength, now bore the scars of relentless war.
Atop the southern battlements, Crown Prince Min Ye Kyaw Htin stood tall, his golden war armor stained with the blood of both friend and foe. His sharp golden eyes, once filled with pride and authority, now reflected only exhaustion and dread.
The Imperial Army, once the mightiest force in the known world, was being cut down, piece by piece.
His trusted officers stood beside him, their expressions grim as they watched the battlefield unfold.
The holy crusaders of the Church of the Sun came in waves, their chants of divine justice filling the air like a death song. They were fanatics, fearless and relentless.
For every Imperial soldier slain, an enemy fell as well—but the Empire could not afford this war of attrition.
At this rate, the Imperial Army would crumble long before the enemy ranks thinned.
"Archers, release arrows!" a commanding voice rang out.
From atop the walls, tens of thousands of arrows blotted out the sun, raining down upon the advancing crusaders.
Screams erupted, but the enemy did not falter.
"Infantry! Defend the walls! Don't let them scale it!"
The Crown Prince's officers barked orders, and the Imperial foot soldiers pressed forward, clashing against the grappling invaders who climbed the siege ladders with terrifying efficiency.
A holy knight, clad in radiant armor, reached the top of the wall, his greatsword glowing with divine energy.
He swung—three Imperial soldiers were cleaved in half with a single stroke.
The Crown Prince drew his golden sword, stepping forward.
Clang!
His blade met the holy knight's, a shockwave blasting through the air.
The knight grinned, his eyes burning with zeal.
"Blasphemer. Unbeliever. You will burn in the Creator's light."
The Crown Prince gritted his teeth, forcing the knight back with a powerful counterattack.
"I will burn in no man's light! This Empire will not fall!"
His blade ignited with golden flames, slicing through the knight's helmet and splitting his skull in half.
But as one knight fell, three more took his place.
The battle raged on, the walls turning into a sea of corpses and burning flesh.
For three relentless days, the Imperial forces held.
But the enemy was endless.
The bodies of the dead piled so high that the battlefield had become a mountain of corpses, the stench of rotting flesh and blood thick in the air.
The Crown Prince stood atop the battlements, panting, his armor dented and soaked in blood.
General Nay Myo Thura, the Commander-in-Chief, approached, his weathered face lined with exhaustion.
"Your Highness, we cannot hold much longer."
The Crown Prince wiped the blood from his forehead, his eyes cold.
"Are they retreating?"
The General shook his head.
"No. This is the calm before the storm."
The air grew unnaturally still.
A chilling silence spread across the battlefield.
The Church's warriors halted, stepping aside.
A single column of figures emerged from the front lines.
500 warriors in white robes embroidered with a crimson sun.
They moved in perfect unison, their faces concealed by hoods, their steps eerily synchronized.
A sense of pure dread settled over the capital.
The Crown Prince's breath hitched.
"Shit."
His hands tightened around his sword.
"They're Inquisitors."
A ripple of hushed terror spread among the Imperial officers.
The most elite warriors of the Church of the Sun. The ruthless executioners. The harbingers of divine judgment.
The Inquisitors knelt in eerie silence, lifting their hands to the heavens.
Then, they began to chant in unison.
"The only Supreme is the Creator. The Grace He bestows upon us is infinite. The light of judgment shall fall upon the heretics. Let their sins be burned away in holy flame. May their bones be cleansed in the radiance of righteousness."
The air shimmered.
The sun turned crimson.
The ground trembled beneath their feet.
A pulse of divine power surged through the battlefield.
"Holy Cleansing."
A column of burning red light descended from the heavens—a pillar of divine destruction.
The Crown Prince barely had time to shout—
"TAKE COVER—!"
BOOM.
The main gate exploded.
The entire section of the wall collapsed in an instant, obliterating everything
A massive shockwave tore through the surrounding buildings, ripping apart soldiers, and collapsing defensive formations.
"AARRRGHHH!"
"THEY'RE—THEY'RE ALL GONE!"
"HELP! HELP ME—!"
A 1-kilometer radius of the capital vanished in an instant.
The Imperial Knights, defending the main gate, ceased to exist—reduced to nothing but ashes.
Even inside the city, civilians were caught in the blast, their homes erased as divine fire rained upon them like judgment itself.
On the shattered remnants of the outer wall, Min Ye Kyaw Htin collapsed, his golden armor scorched and cracked.
He gasped for breath, blood dripping from his mouth, his body trembling from the force of the explosion.
Yet—he was still alive.
Because two men had shielded him with their very lives.
General Nay Myo Thura.
The Royal Grand Sage Zeya Kyaw Htin.
The Commander-in-Chief was bleeding heavily, his entire left arm missing, but he still stood, his sword clenched tightly in his remaining hand.
The Royal Grand Sage, once the most powerful mage in the capital, was kneeling beside him, his robes drenched in blood, his golden staff cracked in half.
Both men were on the brink of death—but they refused to fall.
The Holy Army poured through the broken gate, thousands of zealots flooding the city like locusts.
And yet, the two men stepped forward.
"Protect the Crown Prince! GET HIM TO THE INNER WALL!"
The Royal Guards, though battered and bleeding, obeyed immediately, grabbing the Crown Prince and dragging him away.
But Min Ye Kyaw Htin resisted.
"NO! WE CAN STILL—"
The Commander-in-Chief turned to him, his bloodied face breaking into a small smile.
"Do not resent your brother."
Min Ye Kyaw Htin froze, his mind racing.
The Grand Sage coughed blood, his voice weak but firm.
"Live on, Your Highness. The Empire… must not fall."
His eyes softened.
"Your brother… loved you. He never hated you. He only ever wanted to protect you."
Min Ye Kyaw Htin's breath caught.
Tears burned in his eyes.
But before he could speak—
The General turned away, raising his sword one last time.
"For the Empire! FOR THE KING!"
And he charged.
The Royal Guards dragged Min Ye Kyaw Htin away.
And as they retreated, the last thing he saw was his beloved teachers standing against an army of thousands.
General Nay Myo Thura fought like a beast, cutting down wave after wave of holy knights.
The Royal Grand Sage unleashed his final spell, summoning golden dragons of pure mana, setting the battlefield ablaze with divine energy.
The Imperial soldiers followed them into battle, knowing they would not return.
Min Ye Kyaw Htin, despite his rage and despair, was powerless.
He could only run.
Grand Sage: "It was an honor to die like a hero with you my dear friend."
General Nay: "It was an honor for me as well my best friend and Thank you."
With a smile they both charged to the endless enemy forces.
And as the crown prince reached the inner gates, he heard their final war cry.
"For the Empire! YAAAHHHHHHH!"
Then—silence.
The Outer Wall had fallen.
And two of the Empire's greatest heroes were no more.
(Continue….)