The army, led by General Akshan, surrounded the capital city. While his soldiers were powerful enough to break through and conquer the city, he preferred to do the conquest without the slaughter of innocents.
The walls of the city stood proudly, yet their stone structure was destined to crumble under the boot of the first legion.
The defense was left to humans, which made it about as difficult to break through as a rotten wooden plank. No kingdom had access to many Greater elementals; he, as a grand general, knew more than many, and in his vast knowledge, there was one or two at maximum per human kingdom.
A small grin formed on Akshan's face. While thick, the walls were far too poorly built as a result of embezzlement and the authority of the church.
He hated theocracy of Zigurat more than even the influence that very church had in his home of Valar.
"Arcanists! Crush those walls!" Akshan drew his blade from its sheath and pointed it toward the capital of Zigurat.
He hit the reins and rode to the side of the vanguard of the First Legion.
A row of men dressed in brown and gray robes stepped forward; their hands were empty, yet they were not unarmed.
The Arcanists could call upon many elements depending on their class and specialization.
While the first legion only employed a few dozen Arcanists, they were a potent asset, as they would prove so once more.
Akshan looked over them as a magical circle appeared in front of their hands.
In unison they chanted, "[Earth Mastery: Boulder Toss] [Elemental Convergence: Meteor Strike]"
The chanting was like a song in Akshan's ears. He was incredibly proud of each of his corps in the first legion. Arcanists, Paladins, Rangers, and even the Clerics. They were all his pride and joy.
The large boulders conjured by arcanists merged together as the row of spell casters prepared to launch a giant rock at the gate of Zigurat.
The world went silent for a moment.
The giant boulder floated just above the ground, and then it launched forward.
It rolled in the air before crashing into the wall and raising a mass of dust. It dug inside and tore through the fortification like it was made of paper. The boulder, as all magical creations disappeared, leaving only a massive hole in the wall and some ruined houses.
"Charge! Take what is ours!" Akshan ordered, and the first legion obeyed.
The Vanguard, led by Paladins, rode forward, closely followed by warriors and rangers who kept just enough distance to cover the melee fighters.
The general nodded in a satisfied manner before riding after the soldiers.
There was absolutely no resistance as they marched into the heart of Zigurat.
Some skirmishes they had against their army were quickly dealt with, yet the only actual threat was the greater elemental that the priests of Chrunus had unleashed.
'Is it possible they have another one?' He frowned; he couldn't discount the possibility. If there was one enemy capable of threatening his legion, then there was a possibility for even more to appear.
He shook his head; even if relatively weak, Zigurat had access to the greater elementals, his legion had the support of Aurelia's Angels. They would win even if the enemy threw two at them.
'Perhaps I shouldn't call them enemies.' This was not a conquest of enemies; unlike every other time, this was not a war.
It was the unification of humanity under one flag of Christianity.
He approached the breach point and slowly rode inside the city. His men were ordered not to harm civilians, and so they did not.
The rows of civilians watched from the sidelines as his army made its way through the city.
They stared with disbelief and fear, yet they understood they were safe. The First Legion was disciplined and knew how to behave when conquering. Unlike the fourth, they would not dare rape or pillage.
'If they did...' He smirked. Last time one of his soldiers dared do so, he was stripped of his rank and thrown into the dungeons.
His eyes scanned the populace, despite being in the heart of the kingdom, their homes were ragged and worn. They wore no luxury, nor were they fattened up like in Valar.
It saddened him deeply that the church dared to do so.
However, sadness did not last; it was quickly replaced by anger at the fact that citizens were not living in prosperity, not due to the lack of resources, but the incompetence and the dominance of the church.
He gestured for a trio of soldiers to follow him as he slowly dismounted. It was necessary for them to march to the castle and take it over, and if the king was in there, capture him alive.
'He needs to face judgment for being a pawn of the church.' Akshan merely disliked the church of Chrunus before; however, when he witnessed what they were doing in Zigurat, a kind of darkness veiled his sigh.
'I see why both the Queen and the great hero hate the church.' He crossed his arms. He had questioned why they were so adamant about eradicating it, yet now it was clear.
The church was a parasite that needed to be uprooted.
His gaze swept over the buildings. "Beware ambushes, this is far too easy even for us." His followers saluted as they formed defensive lines while marching toward the castle.
No soldiers, no ambushes. Not even a single guard.
"What are they planning?" He muttered under his breath.
It did not make sense that they just let the forces of Valar waltz into the city and occupy it without resistance.
'We didn't even need to break the wall...' He let out an audible sigh.
Soon they reached the castle gate, where the king was supposed to rule from.
'A puppet, not a king.' His brows furrowed as she pointed his sword toward the large wooden gate of the castle.
"Break it!"