Dan Wule, the "Dadan" of this group of marauders, whose name translates to "Wolf Head" in the language of the nomadic tribes, commanded a thousand-strong cavalry division under the tribal chief's banner, serving also as a battlefield commander.
His orders were relayed through messengers, and one after another, the marauders turned their arrows toward Kino, unleashing a torrent of arrows that rained down upon him.
As the marauders focused their fire on Kino, Lugo and his mercenaries raised their shields, forming an impenetrable wall in front of him.
The clash of steel and iron rang out, like a violent storm battering a city. Lugo and his men could feel the increasing weight of their shields, but fortunately, these were fine pieces of equipment purchased by Kino from Silvermoon in Twilight City, crafted not to be pierced easily. The force of the arrows was absorbed, and they managed to hold their ground for the moment.
Kino had drawn the marauders' fire, which was fortunate for the other soldiers, who quickly mustered the courage to emerge from the bastions and retaliate with crossbows, causing waves of bloodshed among the marauders and throwing them into disarray.
Upon seeing the shield wall in front of Kino, Dan Wule knew it was futile to attempt piercing it, and so issued another command to eliminate the exposed soldiers.
For a time, the soldiers of Shilin Town found themselves at a disadvantage in the exchange of fire, with casualties mounting.
This deadly exchange, with lives being traded, clearly favored the side with fewer men.
Kino glanced at the brightly lit wall on the side, then gave the order: "Cease fire."
"Cease fire!" "Cease fire!"
...
At the sound of the messengers' shouts, the torches on the city wall quickly extinguished, plunging the area into complete darkness, with only the occasional gleam of crossbow bolts visible, making it impossible to discern the enemy.
In contrast, the desert marauders, in order to keep their horses calm, needed a certain level of illumination.
In the vast darkness, their torches acted as guiding lights, and the soldiers of Shilin Town had little need to aim, firing toward the brightest spots, where the enemy was densest, and even wild shots would hit.
The disparity in vision caused heavy losses for the marauders, and the advantage gained from the earlier exchange of fire quickly vanished.
A subordinate rode up to Dan Wule and spoke in a deep voice, "Dadan, if this continues, we will lose more and more men."
Dan Wule looked toward the darkened city walls, a cold smile spreading across his face. "Then let's try 'that.'"
The subordinate, upon hearing this, grinned more fiercely.
Dan Wule spurred his horse and galloped to the front of the lines, his booming voice echoing across the army: "Fall back one hundred paces! Fall back one hundred paces!"
The marauders, highly disciplined, obeyed without hesitation, retreating a hundred paces, distancing themselves from the walls by a further two hundred paces, rendering both sides' arrows and crossbows ineffective.
Baisa, witnessing this, immediately rejoiced, "They're fleeing!"
Amidst the soldiers' cheers, Kino squinted, knowing that this was not a retreat.
After the marauders halted, they rushed toward the pack horses, retrieving something from their supply crates.
Dan Wule, having long memorized Kino's position, fixed his gaze on him, a bloodthirsty smile curling on his lips.
"First squad, throw the oil vials!" At Dan Wule's command, eighty marauders quickly advanced toward the city walls.
Kino's brows furrowed tightly. "Concentrated fire! Don't let them approach!"
Arrows flew from the wall like a storm, but their accuracy was terrible, only managing to down thirteen marauders, three of which were struck by Kino himself.
The remaining sixty-seven marauders reached the wall, retrieved oil vials from their waists, and opened them, hurling them onto the battlements.
As the black, grease-like substance spilled from the vials, coating the walls and some of the soldiers, the defenders of Shilin Town were momentarily dumbfounded.
"Fire!" Dan Wule's scream was like the call of death itself.
The marauders threw their torches onto the wall, and the flaming projectiles arced through the air like falling stars, igniting the black substance upon impact.
This black, greasy liquid was an alchemical concoction, extracted from deep beneath the desert, known as "Desert Fire."
Desert Fire was a strictly controlled military substance in Dagolan, only available with royal authorization, even if one possessed gold moon coins.
In previous raids, the marauders had never used Desert Fire, but this time, it was clear that the nomadic tribes had mastered its refinement.
This substance, thick as lard, was almost impossible to extinguish once ignited. Even if one tried to smother it with their hands, wrap it with clothing, or roll on the ground, nothing worked. It could even burn underwater, the flames intensifying until they consumed the body entirely.
Shilin Town had become the first victim of Desert Fire.
The flames erupted like a furious dragon, curling and roaring, engulfing the city walls and transforming them into a fiery hell.
"Ah! Help! Help!!" One soldier, doused directly with Desert Fire, was transformed into a human torch, his skin and muscles quickly desiccating and charring in the flames. Desperately, he ran around, crying out in hopeless agony.
"Kill him!" Kino shouted from a distance, but the soldiers, slow to react, could not prevent the man's agonizing run.
A soldier, unable to dodge in time, collided with the burning man, and the greasy fuel splattered onto him, turning him into a human kebab. His body crackled and sizzled as the fire consumed him, and within moments, half of his body had been charred. He rolled on the ground in pain, unable to extinguish the flames on him.
"It's too hot! I don't want to die! Mother!!"
"Don't come near! Don't run toward me! Ah!!!"
"Help! Someone help me!!"
"Water! I need water!!!"
...
Screams echoed as burning soldiers ran in all directions, spreading Desert Fire to all corners of the city wall. Wooden structures quickly burned into charcoal, collapsing and burying the soldiers who could not escape in a sea of flames.
The marauders formed successive waves, throwing more and more Desert Fire vials, and the endless black smoke swirled above the walls, like death's black tongue devouring all life it touched. Burned corpses littered the ground.
As the temperature soared, even soldiers who hadn't caught fire suffered burns to their airways. Some were trapped in the areas where the fire was most intense, unable to escape. They could only futilely slap at their smoking, shriveled skin, rolling and screaming in agony before gradually losing their breath, becoming lifeless charred corpses.
As for Kino's side, it must be said that Lugo and his men truly valued money over life. Fearing that Kino might lose his life and they would not receive their final payment, they still maintained the shield wall.
Several vials of Desert Fire exploded on their shields, burning fiercely, nearly turning them into hot irons, yet they did not retreat.
Kino continued to use his hand crossbow to shoot down the panicked, burning soldiers, shouting, "Everyone! Focus on the ones on fire, then retreat from the walls!"
This command was crucial. Although Desert Fire was raging, it had only scorched the wall itself. The stone structure was not easily burned down.
But if the burning soldiers ran amok and ignited other wooden structures, even reaching the gate's mechanisms, it could lead to disastrous consequences.
However, under the force of Desert Fire, the morale of the Shilin Town defenders had already shattered. In blind panic, they fled the hellish inferno, even the messengers abandoning their posts, leaving Kino behind on the walls.
Lugo, still struggling to maintain the shield wall, yelled, "Retreat quickly! With this fire, the rookies will only worry about saving themselves. No one will listen to your orders!"
Baisa shouted as well, "Hurry up! The fire circle is closing in!"
Lugo and the others could barely hold on. The heat from the Desert Fire had penetrated their shields, searing their arms, and their flesh was nearly stuck to them.
The surrounding flames grew more intense, and once the fire circle closed, they would have no chance of escape.
"Retreat," Kino was forced to order.
As they retreated, Baisa instinctively glanced at Kino, noticing his sour mood.
Under the attack of Desert Fire, the Shilin Town defenders had suffered over half their losses, with at least 150 soldiers now charred corpses upon the walls.
The remaining survivors were all injured and terrified. Had it not been for Baisa executing a few deserters to establish authority, a mass rout might have occurred.
Three minutes after the retreat, Kino's worst fear came to pass.
Unable to eliminate the burning soldiers in time, the fire had spread across the walls, eventually reaching the gate's bearings and destroying the mechanisms holding the gate.
"Boom!" The gate lost its balance and crashed like a fallen giant, shaking the earth and sending scorching dust into the air.
The last line of defense for Shilin Town had vanished.
At this moment, there was no longer any barrier between the walls and the enemy!