Timeless Assassin

(A random Scout's POV, Sanfe City)

Once the sun began to go down, several scouts were sent into Sanfe City by the Legion Commander, with the primary objective to gather information on enemy and civilian movement.

For these scouts, entering Sanfe City had proven to be easier than expected, since the entire City looked like a storm had just passed through the place.

The commoners were not clueless, and they had noticed the thousands of ships descending from the skies earlier in the day, at which point they already understood that the planet was now under siege by the Cult.

As a result, they began hoarding food, water and other essentials like mana lamps and oil, since they knew that a curfew was most likely to be imposed in the near future.

Market streets had hence already been stripped of anything worth eating or drinking, as broken stalls sat toppled on cracked stone tiles, while empty crates and torn ration sacks lay scattered across intersections that once held food vendors and supply convoys.

Shop doors had been nailed shut from the inside.

House windows were either shattered or boarded, and entire alleyways stank of spoiled fruit, sweat, and rusted metal.

Civilians moved like ghosts through the side lanes, arms loaded with whatever they had managed to hoard, from bundles of rice wrapped in cloth to old plastic bottles refilled at public wells.

Children were seen dragging sacks heavier than their own weight, while mothers whispered instructions into their ears.

Patrolling soldiers scanned the rooftops with tight jaws, wondering if an enemy soldier lurked there or not?

No one spoke louder than necessary, and no one lingered in the open longer than they had to.

There was no need for announcements or declarations.

Everyone inside the city already understood that tough times were coming ahead.

The worst kind of tough times that started with a new flag being raised over the city gates.

Blockades had been set up at regular intervals using overturned vehicles, scrap metal sheets, sandbags, and debris.

Some were manned by uniformed soldiers, while others had no guards at all, and were left standing as deterrents more than defensible structures.

As the scouts reached the inner districts, it became clear to them that military presence, though scattered and sparse in this region, was still noticeable, as the soldiers seemed to have spread across the entire city like ants.

By now many civilians bore the look of fighters.

It had become impossible to tell who was military and who was not, as old men carried concealed blades beneath their cloaks, and women with market aprons moved like they had seen dozens of battles before.

Even teenagers looked twice when crossing intersections, their hands never too far from their bags, as if each one carried more than just bread.

As in the inner district, there seemed to be no sign of chaos, only preparation.

At the very center of the city, in the old public square, the enemy Commander had made no attempt to conceal himself.

Su Pei had erected a forward camp in plain view, surrounding himself with loyal officers, mana barriers, and an array of heavy shield plating reinforced by portable turret grids and dozens of defensive spells.

Archer towers had been raised on each corner of the square, carrying some of the best long range archers and snipers that the defending forces had, as more than a few scouts fell to their assault.

There were no civilians in the surrounding three blocks, which had likely been cleared to prevent interference, and the few patrols that remained near the outer fringe looked calm rather than nervous.

*Kugh—*

Seeing yet another scout die to an archer's arrow, his partner did not linger, nor did he push any closer to the center than was required.

His mission was to observe and return, and there was no doubt left in his mind that Su Pei was ready to make a stand here.

And hence, with his mission complete, he turned to report his findings.

—---------------

(Leo's POV)

Once multiple scouts reported their findings, Leo opened a map of the city and began marking every spotted blockade and patrol party on the map, as soon an initial picture emerged on what the enemy defences looked like.

He had many ideas on how to approach this operation, but he let the Legion Commander and other Lieutenants decide on the best course of action, as he understood that in the end, they were the ones risking their lives to capture the city, not him.

Dupravel, after having been given the confirmed location of the enemy Commander, left at once to try and assassinate the man, as he assured Leo that he would return within three days time with Su Pei's head.

As for how he was going to achieve this feat, Leo never asked, since he knew that it was too early for him to understand the movements of a Monarch, yet.

The rest of the Cult Army were given orders on how to march into the city come first light tomorrow, as the Lieutenants held meetings with their sergeants and captains to make sure they understood their tasks tomorrow.

Every squad was briefed on their assigned quadrant, every platoon warned about potential ambush sites, and every strike unit reminded that while this was a civilian-heavy zone, showing hesitation here would only get them killed.

Most of the soldiers finished their preparations to march by midnight, polishing their weapons in silence, checking their mana cores twice over, and placing their spare armor pieces beside their bunks for goodluck.

Engineers continued working through the night along the outermost trenches, installing mana detection arrays and fortifying the outer perimeter with attack cannons, while several junior officers double-checked the set-up of medical camps, so that retreating soldiers could receive immediate medical attention.

Soon, the final perimeter scans were completed just before dawn, as scouts confirmed no unexpected movement from the enemy's side.

And so, with all variables accounted for and every soldier briefed about their role, the siege of Sanfe finally began with first light.