Lord of the Sky City

"You have a back-up plan, right?"

Watching Cyril's departing figure, Karina turned to Rocky.

From her tone, it was clear that she still didn't quite trust the Mairente Family. Her mistrust wasn't rooted in fears of betrayal—she knew they wouldn't dare—but in doubts about their capability and strength.

In her view, Cyril voluntarily taking on the dual task of attacking and defending Kasin City was far beyond the current capabilities of the Mairente Family. The saying "a fallen phoenix is worse than a chicken" aptly described their situation. Karina truly doubted their ability to seize Kasin City, let alone defend it afterward.

She did understand, however, that Rocky was giving them a chance to prove themselves, and Cyril would likely cherish this opportunity. Her determined gaze said as much. But belief and resolve can't offset a lack of strength. If Cyril failed, did Rocky have a back-up plan?

"Of course I do, but I trust Cyril won't let me down."

Rocky nodded, affirming that he had made necessary preparations, though he still believed Cyril would deliver a surprise. However, the latter half of his answer was irrelevant to Karina; all she cared about was that there was indeed a contingency plan, ensuring their efforts over the last two months wouldn't go to waste.

With that reassurance, she left Thunderhawk City. By the third day, Thunderhawk City, Rose City, and Machine City had all departed the airspace above Backhill Village, heading directly toward Kasin City.

Rocky, having traveled to Kasin City multiple times for reconnaissance, was thoroughly familiar with its layout. Thus, their journey proceeded without any mishaps. After two days of flight, the fleet arrived over the city.

The three Sky Cities hovered above Kasin City, prompting Rocky to recall his and Karina's earlier visits here. Back then, their strength was far inferior to now, and they had to tread cautiously. Yet in such a short span of time, they were now preparing to conquer the place.

"Commence the operation."

Rocky issued the order from within Thunderhawk City, and it quickly passed to Machine City. Having been on high alert, Cyril immediately led the family troops into movement upon receiving the command.

A mighty fleet soon emerged from Machine City—the entire military force of the Mairente Family surging out like a tidal wave!

"Looks like Cyril is pulling out all the stops this time, deploying every bit of manpower the family has for battle," Rocky observed, standing at the bow of the War Steed alongside Karina.

Attempting to seize a city was no trivial endeavor; it could take days or even weeks. Rocky would only act once the city was under control, giving him the chance to assess Cyril's performance.

Through previous operations in Qingyuan City, Rocky had closely worked alongside the Mairente Family's forces and understood their military strength well. After the battle in Qingyuan City, the family's warships had dwindled to just six or seven hundred, while their Void Magic Corps had been virtually wiped out, leaving only around a hundred soldiers. Their losses had been devastating.

Yet now, the number of warships Cyril deployed noticeably exceeded those from their earlier encounter. At a glance, Rocky estimated over a thousand ships. Despite this fleet not qualifying as a substantial army for a family owning five Sky Cities, for the Mairente Family, it was a remarkable effort. Considering they hadn't replenished any resources since leaving the Allied Forces and relocating to Backhill Village, Cyril had evidently drawn upon every ounce of their reserves for this battle.

Indeed, Cyril had spared no effort, deploying all the family's usable, battle-ready forces to ensure this fight was a resounding success.

As the fleet fully mobilized, Bernardo issued several commands, spreading the groups apart as they flew toward various strategic points of Kasin City.

"Sound strategy," Karina remarked, nodding as she observed the division of troops. Having been a major force in counterattack campaigns herself, she understood well how to conquer cities.

The best approach was to attack from multiple fronts, dispersing forces to strike simultaneously in various locations. This would scatter the demons within the city, ensuring each troop faced fewer opponents individually. If the assault focused on a single entry point, the city's demons would swarm that area, prolonging the fight indefinitely while multiplying losses and consumption.

In this regard, Bernardo's tactical decisions were impeccable.

It wasn't surprising, however, since the Mairente Family had only recently returned from the battlefield of the counterattack campaign, with Bernardo leading most of their engagements. Both Bernardo and Cyril had gained substantial experience during that time, which was precisely why Cyril dared launch the offensive against Kasin City; they now had the requisite expertise.

Thus, the battle commenced swiftly. The divided troops engaged the demons scattered throughout various sectors of the city. They first unleashed a round of bombardment from the warships, reducing the demon numbers before deploying ground forces. These ground troops stabilized the areas they secured, delivering coordinated strikes against the demons from both air and land.

Still, even under the divide-and-conquer strategy, Kasin City's sheer size posed significant challenges. The nearly ten thousand demons within the city, despite being dispersed, were formidable foes and not easily eradicated. Moreover, the fighting naturally attracted more demons to specific battle zones.

Under such circumstances, a prolonged struggle unfolded, lasting through a full day.

By dusk, Bernardo's units had established a solid foothold in five of the city's sectors. Within these zones, the family troops demonstrated exceptional efficiency, annihilating approaching demons with overwhelming force.

Conversely, the battles in the remaining four sectors were far fiercer. Despite repeatedly repelling the demons and attempting to deploy ground forces, the troops encountered relentless counterattacks that thwarted their efforts. Without a stable ground presence, warship bombardments alone couldn't effectively control the areas, leaving the demons unchecked.

This outcome left both Cyril and Bernardo frowning, as the situation was shaping up to be less than promising...