Chapter 47: Mutual Harm
The dragon flame illuminated the night sky. Due to the impact force of the dragon flame, large sections of the 'Yatade Wall' shattered, and the high temperature caused steam to rise and surge.
With a loud crash, a long segment of the 'Yatade Wall' was burned through at its midpoint. The upper half came crashing down. Such a massive object falling from a height of several hundred meters—one could imagine how spectacular the scene was.
Compared to the Demon Flame Dragon Barbatos' side, Amu's side was even more spectacular. A large number of threads formed from ice energy connected to his arms. An iceberg rose behind Amu, quickly reaching several hundred meters high.
On this night lit only by starlight, a 50,000-strong Northern Border force had rapidly arrived in the nearby area.
The leading sergeant major tilted his head slightly, looking at the black dragon in the distance and the rapidly expanding iceberg. The tens of thousands of Ice Descendant soldiers behind him all did the same.
The sergeant major's expression was somewhat dazed, but soon, an indescribable terror appeared in his eyes. Without even needing to think, he could imagine what the destruction of the 'Yatade Wall' represented.
"Warriors, for the Northern Border, even facing a dragon, we must not fear!"
"Roar!"
The Ice Descendant soldiers let out a short, fierce roar, then struck the frozen ground with their long-handled weapons.
"Kill!"
The sergeant major charged at the front. As he sprinted forward, the scales on his body tightened, and his physique visibly expanded a small circle. His height increased from 1.85 meters to over 2 meters. Not only that, but the teeth in his mouth became sharper, and an ice-blue color appeared in the center of his pupils.
This 50,000-strong Ice Descendant force was menacing, but because they had arrived in such a hurry, there was no time to send out scouts. Additionally, the black dragon and the iceberg attracted most of their attention, and since there was no moon tonight, they had not yet noticed the Wolf Cavalry Legion blocking their path ahead.
With a bang, a huge ball of light rose into the air. Gems compressed together were at the center of the light ball, emitting a strong light that illuminated a large area around them.
Whoosh~
A deep, heavy horn sound came. The Ice Descendant warriors charging forward saw that, about a kilometer ahead of them, the enemy stood nearly filling the entire field.
"Retreat!"
The Ice Descendant sergeant major roared with all his might. Just from what he could see, the enemy numbered at least over 100,000.
These enemies all rode war wolves, wore thick, well-crafted armor, and their overall style was that of the Chaos Legion, with details revealing Elven craftsmanship.
Just from a glance, the Ice Descendant sergeant major knew these were elite enemy troops, at least on the level of the Holy Emblem Knights.
"Enemy numbers."
Orc Hero Wobol spoke. The personal guards behind him immediately reported the approximate situation of the enemy.
"A 40,000 to 60,000-strong Ice Descendant force? Yuya, take 50,000 wolf cavalry to meet them. Don't kill too fiercely, and... drive them back as quickly as possible."
No sooner had Wobol finished speaking than a female wolf cavalryman charged out from behind him. This was the female wolf cavalryman Yuya, the one who had been hung on the city wall by Su Xiao's order for beating a suitor half to death.
Yuya was born with a pair of red pupils. She didn't have the robust feel of a Grey Orc, because she was a hybrid of a Duoyin person and a Grey Orc. As for any sense of belonging to Duoyin, she had none at all.
Yuya's birth came about because her father, years ago, was overcome with lust and abducted a Duoyin female military doctor on the battlefield, resulting in her.
50,000 wolf cavalry charged toward the Ice Descendant force ahead. They were extremely fast. The Ice Descendant force hadn't retreated far before they were forced to stop and form a defensive formation.
Yuya, riding her war wolf, charged at the front. The armor she wore was quite different from most Grey Orcs, because her physique was closer to that of the Elves. Thus, Elven craftsmen had custom-made a set of armor and weapons for her.
The weapon in Yuya's hand was like a sword and a spear. This greatsword was nearly 1.7 meters long in total, with a third of it being the hilt. The blade was covered in patterns, and the hilt was studded with rice-grain-sized gems.
Not only the sword hilt, but the armor on Yuya's right arm was also inlaid with rice-grain-sized cyan gems. This was her means of combat.
During the high-speed charge, Yuya raised her greatsword. A fluorescent cyan light appeared on the blade, making the greatsword somewhat dazzling.
The war wolf beneath Yuya reached the enemy. From the wolf's back, she swung her sword down, aiming at a large metal shield ahead. The blade cut through the air, emitting a chilling whine.
Before the sword even arrived, the Ice Descendant warrior behind the shield let out a strange cry. The oppressive force bearing down on him made him feel death.
Boom!
A fan-shaped slash spread out from the front. Within dozens of meters ahead, the broken bodies of enemies and armor fragments were scattered everywhere. Cyan flames rose, sizzling as they burned the frozen ground.
After delivering this slash, the gems on Yuya's right arm armor dimmed. Her crimson eyes narrowed, and her expression was icy.
"You're in trouble, Yuya."
A wolf cavalryman rushed past Yuya. After sidestepping an enemy's spear, he swung his long-handled battle axe from low to high. The axe blade struck the enemy's jaw, and the enemy's head burst open like a watermelon.
Yuya, with bloodstains on her face, looked confused. But soon, she recalled that her Great Lord had said before the expedition that she was not to use the battle technique on her sword unless she encountered elite enemies or needed to break through a stronghold. She had forgotten just now.
Clinging to a last shred of hope, Yuya looked back. Their eyes met. Baha, serving as the supervising commander, was staring coldly at Yuya.
Yuya shuddered inexplicably. There weren't many things she feared, but her Great Lord, Kukulin Bai Ye, was the one she feared most, bar none.
Compared to Yuya's gloomy mood, the enemy Ice Descendant sergeant major was in despair. All around him were enemy cavalry. He felt like a small boat in a flood, about to be overwhelmed by the enemy.
The weapon in the Ice Descendant sergeant major's hand had long since broken. His right arm was numb from continuously blocking the enemy's charging slashes. His left torso was cut open, causing him to lose blood rapidly.
With a tearing sound, the Ice Descendant sergeant major saw a cyan greatsword and a female wolf cavalryman with crimson pupils. Her gaze was cold—the look of someone accustomed to killing. The Ice Descendant sergeant major's final feeling was one of cruelty and beauty.
With a plop, the upper half of the Ice Descendant sergeant major's body hit the ground. A wolf claw stepped on his head, and the war wolf howled at the sky.
50,000 regular Ice Descendant troops against 50,000 ultimate-form wolf cavalry. The battle lasted only 30 minutes before the enemy suffered over half casualties and eventually routed.
Blood froze on the frozen ground, leaving a battlefield strewn with corpses. The wolf cavalry turned back toward their main force.
About an hour after this Ice Descendant force was routed, a second force, numbering around 200,000, arrived.
The same strategy was used: scatter the enemy as much as possible, maximize the cavalry's advantage on the plains, and minimize wolf cavalry casualties.
Facing the Northern Border's forces, Su Xiao preferred to drive these enemies back. He wasn't here to fight the Northern Border to the death; that would only benefit Duoyin.
After repelling four waves of reinforcing enemies, it was now around 4 AM. The 'Yatade Wall,' which separated the Northern Border from the Central Region, had been destroyed for a full 35 kilometers.
Meanwhile, in the Duoyin Royal Capital, inside a palace.
The magnificent palace was resplendent. On the fifth floor of the palace, in a greenhouse, a magic circle emitted a faint glow.
The aged Duoyin King sat on a wooden chair, a blanket covering him. Across from him sat a projection cast by the magic circle.
This projection wore full-body armor, from which cold air rose. On its conical crown, traces of frost spread. This projection was none other than the Extreme Ice Lord.
"Extreme Ice, the Wolf Cavalry Legion destroying the 'Yatade Wall' was not my order."
The Duoyin King spoke calmly.
"15 million Imperial Gold Coins, 15,000 Holy Silver Coins. Duoyin King, you are very generous. To have the Wolf Cavalry Legion destroy the 'Yatade Wall,' you are very generous."
The Extreme Ice Lord's projection spoke in a deep voice, icy cold, as if it could freeze one's soul.
"This is a misunderstanding..."
"Shut your lying mouth. Let the war continue. The war between you and me has never been false. Since you truly want to ally with the War Demon, then the Northern Border is the enemy of both your factions."
The Extreme Ice Lord's projection dissipated. Only the Duoyin King remained in the greenhouse. The plants around him quickly withered, even catching fire. His gaze turned toward the darkness inside the greenhouse.
"Duoyin King, if you are willing to listen to my explanation, I have at least a dozen reasons to explain the current situation."
In the darkness, Huishenshi pressed down on his hat. Things had suddenly taken a turn for the worse.
...
Northern Border, Fierce Winter City.
In a dark great hall, a figure sat on a throne made of ice.
Crack, crack, crack...
The Extreme Ice Lord's fist clenched until it cracked. He had been played—played by Duoyin and the Chaos Legion together.
"Someone come."
The Extreme Ice Lord shouted in a low voice. Several Northern Border officials hurried into the hall, all lowering their heads, waiting for the Extreme Ice Lord's orders.
"Block Duoyin's magic communication. Order the War Hammer Force to immediately annihilate the Holy Emblem Cavalry."
...
At a certain dangerous location in the Northern Border, amidst the raging wind and snow, the Holy Emblem Knights were waiting in the blizzard.
"Ah~, ah~, ah-choo!"
An Imperial soldier sniffled. Born in the Central Region, even with a strong body, he still felt cold now.
In this damn place, if you spit, the spit would turn into an ice lump before it even hit the ground. At minus 95 degrees Celsius, the Holy Emblem Knights could endure it, but they had been enduring it for almost two days now.
"Soldiers, hold on! The Wolf Cavalry Legion will arrive here by noon tomorrow at the latest."
Legion Commander Tuerte shouted loudly. His knight armor was covered in ice crystals. If one looked closely, they would see that he was also shivering a bit from the cold.
Just then, a sound of breaking air came from afar. Legion Commander Tuerte looked into the distance and felt relieved. It was the Heavy Hammer Force. This force would be a formidable enemy later, but for now, the two sides wouldn't start fighting. This was part of the plan agreed upon by the Duoyin King and the Extreme Ice Lord. Those who knew the entire plan numbered fewer than the fingers on one hand.
Simply put, the plan was to pretend to ally with the War Demon. In reality, the Holy Emblem Knights and the Heavy Hammer Force would temporarily join forces, lure the Wolf Cavalry Legion to the Northern Border, and then the Heavy Hammer and Holy Emblem forces would join hands to destroy the Wolf Cavalry.
The Wolf Cavalry Legion's mobility was too terrifying. Both Duoyin and the Northern Border felt threatened. Since war between Duoyin and the Northern Border was inevitable, they chose to temporarily unite at the beginning of the war to eliminate the Wolf Cavalry Legion, this major threat.
Whoosh~
Wind pressure came from above. A Heavy Hammer warrior, four meters tall and clad in ultra-heavy armor, dove down from high altitude. The hammer head, two meters long, swung down.
Boom!
Ice shards and broken flesh splattered everywhere. Legion Commander Tuerte staggered back. Blood had just splashed onto his face when it froze due to the low temperature.
"Lord Tuerte, deploy full defensive formation! We have completely broken with the Northern Border! Also, we might... really have to ally with the Wolf Cavalry Legion."
Hearing this, Legion Commander Tuerte drew the longsword from his waist. With a whoosh, flames erupted all over his body.