robbery; pillage; seizure; hijacking; plunder; extortion
to rescue (someone); to save; to help (out of a difficulty); to save (spiritually); to redeem (from sin); to deliver (from suffering, distress, etc.)
ancient city; former capital
middle; center; heart; midst (e.g. of a storm); peak (e.g. of a season); (the) height (of something)
(national) capital (city); metropolis
town; city; municipal; urban
dweller; inhabitant; resident; user (of a website)
large number (of); many; majority
arrangement (of resources); deployment; stationing; posting; disposition; configuration
to descend (e.g. a mountain); to go down; to alight (e.g. from bus); to get off; to step down; to retire; to be granted
structure; construction; posture (e.g. in martial arts); pose; readiness; determination
moving forward (e.g. of a vehicle); onward movement; progress (of work, activities, etc.); advance; progression (of a disease, global warming, etc.); progression (e.g. chord progression)
to check; to hold back; to keep at bay; to stop; to prevent; to stem
to appear; to come in sight; to become visible; to be expressed (e.g. emotions); to become apparent (e.g. trends, effects)
workmanship; craftsmanship; grades; results; quality (e.g. of a crop); dealings
to surround; to crowd around; to gather around; to encircle; to besiege
only; merely; but; no more than
reinforcement (e.g. of troops)
breaking through; breakthrough; surmounting (a difficulty); overcoming; exceeding; passing
violent; furious; extreme; intense; fervent; vehement
attack; assault; criticism; censure; cyber attack (e.g. DDoS)
thunderous roar; roaring sound
to be piled up; to lie on top of one another; to come one after another; to happen over and over; to overlap (each other); to occur at the same time
battlefield; battleground
to assume an aspect; to take on an appearance
paving (a road); surfacing (with asphalt, concrete, etc.); pavement
stone paving; cobble paving; stone steps; check (pattern); pavé (rectangular dessert, usu. made from chocolate or several layers of sponge cake)
to break (into pieces); to be broken; to collapse; to crumble; to become less formal; to throw off reserve
collapse; crumbling; breaking down; (radioactive) decay; disintegration
to hang over; to shroud; to enshroud; to envelop; to screen
to tear up; to tear off; to rip up; to (forcibly) separate (a couple, family, etc.); to force apart; to tear apart
main street; avenue; boulevard
to run through (a crowd, gate, etc.); to sweep through (e.g. of news through a city); to run past (someone) from behind; to overtake
to stand in the way (esp. with legs spread out); to block the way; to stand in the way (e.g. of progress); to obstruct
to slaughter; to massacre; to butcher; to defeat soundly; to overpower; to vanquish
fast; quick; easy; simple; as soon as ...; the moment ...
sword (esp. a large, double-edged one); blade; bayonet; swordsmanship; stinger; ovipositor
many; a lot of; a great number of; numerous
in an instant; instantly; in a moment; instantaneously; in the twinkling of an eye