With the fierce bombardment of Leon's siege weapons, the western wall of Whitehold was finally breached, the dust rising and the shattered wall filled with the stench of smoke and death. The defenders within the city quickly fell into chaos, but Arthur's calm and resilience brought them a moment of peace. Leading the elite allied cavalry, he charged out of the city gates and engaged in a life-or-death struggle with Leon's army.
Although the city walls had been breached, tens of thousands of allied soldiers inside continued to resist with determination. They feared nothing, holding the western gap with all their might. Arthur led the charge, and with his brilliant tactics and unwavering will, the allied forces temporarily pushed back Leon's vanguard. The battle was fierce, with fire lighting up the sky and blades clashing. Arthur, mounted on his warhorse, his eyes sharp, wielded his sword with precision, each strike claiming an enemy's life. His majestic presence inspired those around him, as if their morale had returned to its peak.
However, with the arrival of enemy reinforcements, the situation quickly changed. Leon's assault grew stronger, and the allied forces at the front were soon overwhelmed. The western gap was firmly captured, and the entire allied army found itself in a desperate situation, surrounded on all sides by the enemy. The soldiers' cries and the neighing of warhorses mingled into a symphony of death.
Just then, a glimmer of hope came from the rear. Horace's reinforcements and the Silver Wolf Tribe, led by Chak, had successfully repelled a two-thousand-strong raid led by Darius Walter, temporarily stabilizing the rear. Horace's forces were rushing to the front, easing the pressure on the defensive line. Although Whitehold was still surrounded by Leon's forces, the support from Horace's army gave the defenders a chance to turn the tide.
A flash of resolve crossed Arthur's eyes. He knew that if they did not seize this moment to launch a fierce counterattack, the allied forces would fall into an unprecedented crisis. He turned to his commanders and issued a decisive order: "Concentrate the forces, prepare to break through!"
Though the morale of the allied forces had already faltered and the situation was dire, Arthur led Horace's elite forces in a charge against Leon's siege troops on the western flank.
Arthur understood that this battle would determine the future of the entire allied army and the fate of Strongson. No matter the outcome, he and his soldiers had made the hardest decision—they would fight until the last moment.
The western gate of Whitehold was finally breached after a series of brutal assaults. One of Leon's four commanders, Oscar Valde, led the charge toward the city outskirts. The other three forces, commanded by Harlo Goldberg, Ruben Solder, and Tim Drake, followed closely, attacking from all four directions, surrounding the city that had held out for so many days.
Despite the breach of the western gate, Arthur did not lose hope. Facing the pressure of the enemy, he kept a sharp eye on the situation and decided to lead a thousand elite defenders in a breakout. He refused to wait for death and issued a decisive order: "Break through from the western gate! Charge the enemy's rear!"
His command was like thunder. Arthur led a fierce cavalry unit out of the city, cutting through Leon's infantry, who were preparing to secure their lines. The sudden counterattack shocked the enemy, scattering their infantry, and chaotic sounds echoed through the air.
Although Arthur's forces were vastly outnumbered, their battle experience and countless trials had forged unparalleled courage and resolve. They swiftly flanked the enemy from the sides, moving quickly from left to right and back again, repeatedly disrupting the enemy's formation. Incredibly, the enemy infantry failed to regroup in just a few minutes, leaving large gaps in their lines.
Seeing the collapse of the infantry's formation, a commander under Harlo Goldberg—Talvin Gray—rushed forward to stem the tide. Talvin, a towering figure with a reputation for fearlessness, fought back against Arthur's assault, using all his strength to stabilize the infantry. He ordered his men to hold their ground and called on all who could stand to form a new line of defense.
However, Arthur did not give him much time to breathe. Despite the infantry's counterattack, Arthur's forces charged once again, breaking through the line Talvin had established. The defenders within the city saw this, their morale rising as they poured out of the gates to strike down the disorganized enemy.
Harlo Goldberg's troops collapsed in an instant under Arthur's attack. Although he tried to stabilize the lines, he ultimately could not withstand the surge of the allied forces. While the three deputy commanders of the infantry were busy directing the retreating units, Arthur and the defenders crushed them. Talvin Gray and the other two commanders perished in the chaotic melee, and the fourth of the four generals, Harlo Goldberg, was captured after a brief but intense battle.
Arthur, expressionless, looked at the captured general in his hands. The turmoil in his heart finally settled, and he spoke coldly: "I will not kill you, but you will not survive to return."
With Harlo Goldberg's capture, Arthur's forces succeeded in annihilating Leon's western army, and the battle around the western gate of Whitehold shifted in favor of the defenders. The defenders' morale surged, and the enemy's defeat sent shockwaves through the other attacking forces.
Shocked by the sudden turn of events, Leon could hardly believe it. He had expected the siege to go as planned, but Arthur and the allied forces had far exceeded his expectations. His military advisors suggested that the allied forces' supply lines had been cut by Darius Walter, and that they should now focus on intensifying the attack on the western gap with three armies to completely break the defenders.
Leon agreed to the suggestion and ordered the other three forces to join in a concentrated assault on the western gap. This time, he would not rely solely on infantry but would unleash a full-scale attack.
As the battle unfolded once again, Arthur and the allied forces prepared to face three simultaneous attacks. In this new round of fighting, the allied forces' morale was at an all-time high, and nothing seemed capable of stopping their resolve and courage. Meanwhile, Horace's reinforcements and Zack's Silver Wolf Tribe were fiercely engaging Leon's southern army in the rear, with the battle remaining evenly matched.
In the crucial moment of the battle, the eastern army, led by Oscar Valde, personally faced off against Arthur in an intense duel.