Chapter 56: Encirclement and Assault
Northern Border, Ice Wind Zone.
The gale howled, carrying snowflakes as it swept past. The bone-piercing cold wind made it hard to keep one's eyes open. Amid this biting chill, two cavalry forces were marching at full speed.
The wind and snow ahead gradually lessened. After the Wolf Cavalry Legion marched another few kilometers, the snow stopped, and the temperature rose slightly, reaching around minus 40 degrees Celsius.
The ground beneath was no longer an ice field but frozen tundra covered in thick snow. Each step on the snow produced a crunching, creaking sound.
Given the low temperatures within the Ice Wind Zone, Northern Border commoners could not live there. It was the second natural barrier of the Northern Border, second only to the "Yatade Wall."
These two barriers were not without flaws. The Ice Wind Zone, in particular, severely restricted trade in the Northern Border. Conversely, it also kept the outside world relatively ignorant of the Northern Border, adding a layer of mystery to the region.
On the dragon's back, Su Xiao glanced at the map in his hand. According to Tuerte, to launch a surprise attack on Fierce Winter City, they first had to break through several layers of checkpoints.
First was the sentry line. This line of defense was the easiest to breach. At the edge of the Ice Wind Zone, every 500 meters stood a sentry tower built from ice. The Northern Border had no shortage of ice; only manpower was needed to establish a comprehensive warning line.
The sentry line was to be breached by Baha and Ofu leading their teams. Baha excelled at assassination, while Ofu of the Holy Emblem was skilled in poison and infiltration. Before becoming a physician, her father had trained her as an assassin.
After passing the sentry line came the conventional defenses. The troublesome part was the hidden sentries. Once discovered by a hidden sentry, the Ice Descendant forces ahead would mobilize fully, forming layers of blockade lines.
Su Xiao looked toward the horizon. Judging by the sun's position, it should be morning. The surrounding wind made him unable to feel the sun's warmth.
After waiting over ten minutes, Baha sent a message: the "nails" had been pulled clean, and they could pass directly through the sentry line.
After Su Xiao gave the order, the Wolf Cavalry continued marching. Before long, rows of sentry towers built from ice appeared ahead.
Ofu stood atop one of the sentry towers. Hanging around the tower were several Ice Descendant soldiers, their throats constricted by extremely fine threads.
A crisp cracking sound came from one of the corpses Ofu had suspended. The corpse's neck was twisted at an unnatural angle.
Hearing this crack, Ofu slapped her forearm, releasing the threads binding the corpse. Her reaction was quick, but too late.
Crack, crack, crack~
Ice appeared at her fingertips, rapidly spreading toward her hand. The flame rune on her armor activated immediately, but the encroaching ice only slowed slightly. It had already climbed her pinky and ring fingers, about to spread to her palm.
With a swish, two fingers flew off. Ofu stepped back two paces, used a short knife to pick a roll of bandage from her waist pouch, bit down on the knife's handle, and began wrapping her wound. Her expression remained calm, but the knife handle in her mouth creaked under the pressure.
This was the enemy's rear. Unlike the main battlefield, hidden dangers lurked everywhere here. Seemingly insignificant things could take a life.
"What happened?"
Tuerte's shout came from below the tower.
"Nothing serious. Lost some fingers."
Ofu spoke through gritted teeth, still biting the dagger. She quickly treated her wound and was about to jump down from the tower when she suddenly felt vibrations beneath her feet. Without hesitation, she leaped sideways.
Boom!
The tower Ofu had been standing on exploded. A pillar of ice-blue light shot into the sky.
Ahead, the Wolf Cavalry army, which had been marching rapidly, halted and looked back.
"Damn! What's going on with Holy Emblem?"
Baha cursed under his breath. The pillar of light shooting into the sky was far too conspicuous. Clearly, Holy Emblem had made a mistake while handling the sentries.
Before long, the Holy Emblem Knight Order's army arrived from the rear. Tuerte, leading them, had a grim expression.
"The enemy... came back to life after dying."
"Came back to life? Undead?"
Baha guessed why Holy Emblem had run into trouble.
"What's undead?"
Tuerte clearly had never heard of such a concept. The supernatural forces in this world were runes, crystal power, and the like.
"A very troublesome thing."
Baha didn't explain in detail what undead were. So far, he hadn't encountered any undead-type enemies in this world. What they had seen more of was erosion by a cold energy with dark characteristics.
This was fundamentally different from the undead type. One was energy erosion; the other was soul awakening—two distinct power systems.
On the boundless snowy plain, the Wolf Cavalry Legion and the Holy Emblem Knight Order gradually converged and began charging together. Due to the earlier accident, their trail had been exposed.
This was certainly not good news, but it wasn't severe either. There were many hidden sentries in the Northern Border's rear. Even if they hadn't been discovered now, they would have been detected by hidden sentries after advancing another ten-plus kilometers.
The Wolf Cavalry Legion plus the Holy Emblem Knight Order totaled nearly a million troops. Unless the Ice Descendants of the Northern Border were blind, they would soon notice this massive army.
Boom, boom, boom!
Multiple blue pillars of light rose into the sky ahead. The garrison forces stationed in the Northern Border's rear had fully mobilized, clearly having discovered the Wolf Cavalry and Holy Emblem Knights.
When news of such a large enemy force emerging from the Ice Wind Zone reached the Northern Border officers on the rear defense line, their blood nearly ran cold. If this army broke through the defense line and entered the Northern Border's deepest rear, the consequences would be unimaginable.
The seven garrison forces in the Northern Border's rear displayed unprecedented coordination. First, they arranged their defenses in a long line, then advanced forward in a sweeping formation.
From an aerial view, several layers of human walls formed by Ice Descendant soldiers were rapidly advancing across the snowy plain. A few kilometers ahead, the Wolf Cavalry Legion and Holy Emblem Knight Order charged at full speed.
"Engage! Surround the enemy!"
A Northern Border officer roared from a high vantage point. On either side of him, Ice Descendant warriors surged past like a tide.
In terms of numbers, this main force composed of seven Northern Border garrison units numbered at least 1.6 million. And this was just the vanguard; reinforcements from the rear would not be few.
The Northern Border dared to wage war against Duoyin precisely because it had the confidence to do so. For one thing, surviving in the Northern Border's frigid environment required hunting skills—specifically, hunting supernatural beasts.
Such living conditions made the Northern Border nearly a nation in arms. Apart from the elderly and children, anyone who picked up a weapon became a warrior.
The cold wind howled past Su Xiao's ears as he surveyed the battle below. The enemy forces were forming a C-shaped semi-encirclement. His own troops were like a sharp spike, driving straight into the enemy's encirclement.
Dull thuds came from below as the air blast kicked up large clouds of snow. A cavalry force that had built up momentum was not easy to stop.
The Wolf Cavalry Legion and the Holy Emblem Knight Order broke through the enemy's defense line in an extremely short time, successfully creating a breach. The cost was that their charging momentum came to a halt.
Just as their cavalry slowed, another enemy force appeared ahead. This force numbered around 100,000 soldiers, positioned perfectly to block the Wolf Cavalry and Holy Emblem's advance.
Do not underestimate these 100,000 Ice Descendant soldiers. Their positioning was impeccable. After suffering over half their casualties, the surrounding main forces closed in.
Seeing this, Su Xiao ordered the Wolf Cavalry Legion to break through to the right flank. Holy Emblem understood immediately and began breaking through to the left flank.
Unbeknownst to them, the Wolf Cavalry Legion had been encircled by the enemy. The enemy's supreme commander was very troublesome—or rather, this was to be expected. He bore the responsibility of guarding the Northern Border's deep rear; without real strength, he could not hold such a position.
Amid the chaotic battle, the Wolf Cavalry broke through to the right, while Holy Emblem broke through to the left. Around the battlefield, more and more enemy soldiers arrived as reinforcements, nearly forming a massive circle that completely surrounded the Wolf Cavalry and Holy Emblem.
In the chaos, Legion Commander Tuerte cut down an enemy soldier with his sword. He looked up at the sky. The black dragon was still circling, indicating that the time had not yet come.
"Full breakout!"
Tuerte shouted. In truth, this was a ruse. His real intention was to have the Holy Emblem Knights tighten their formation, preparing for a breakout later.
Yes, the Wolf Cavalry and Holy Emblem being surrounded here was intentional on Su Xiao and Tuerte's part. If they hadn't done this, the march toward Fierce Winter City would have faced layer upon layer of obstacles.
Currently, their own troops numbered nearly a million, all elites. To trap these two elite forces here, the enemy would need at least three times their numbers, or even more, to fight a war of attrition.
Otherwise, not only would they fail to trap these elites, but they would also be gradually whittled down.
To surround the Wolf Cavalry and Holy Emblem, the Northern Border would have to pull in a large number of Ice Descendant warriors. This would inevitably leave the Northern Border's rear defense line weakened.
Bang!
A signal flare shot into the sky in the distance. A massive ф mark appeared high above, blood-red in color, visible from far away.
"Roar!!"
The Demon Flame Dragon Barbatos in the sky let out a dragon roar. Hearing this roar, Tuerte in the chaotic battle pulled a metal tube from his saddle, aimed it at the sky, and pulled the thin cord on the tube.
Bang.
A golden signal flare rose into the sky. As soon as this flare appeared, all Holy Emblem Knights activated the charge runes on their armor.
The Holy Emblem Knights formed ranks amid the chaos. Moreover, the Wolf Cavalry on the right flank were fighting their way over with all their might.
After more than half an hour, the Wolf Cavalry surrounded the Holy Emblem Knights, separating them from the surrounding Ice Descendant soldiers. The ground was stained with blood.
The Holy Emblem Knights roared in unison. Golden light surged from their bodies. Having already formed their charge formation, they began breaking through directly ahead. The Wolf Cavalry in that direction immediately parted to both sides, opening a wide passage.
Rumble...
Hooves pounded the ground. Snow melted under the flames. The 490,000 Holy Emblem Knights of the Holy Emblem Knight Order nearly became a single entity. A massive phantom of a fiery lion appeared above them, roaring toward the sky.
The entire Holy Emblem Knight Order charged at the enemy ahead with majestic arrogance, like a force of destruction. In just a few minutes, they shattered the enemy's front defense line and surged forward across the vast, white snowy plain.
Behind the Holy Emblem Knight Order, the Wolf Cavalry Legion also broke through. Just as they emerged from the encirclement, the Wolf Cavalry halted, forming a long line to block all the pursuing enemies from behind.
The enemy forces behind charged forward but fell like wheat before a scythe. The Holy Emblem Knight Order had already run far away. The Wolf Cavalry Legion now showed its ferocious side.
After holding off the pursuing enemy for a full ten minutes, the Wolf Cavalry Legion turned and charged toward Fierce Winter City.
First, lure the enemy here to reduce the military strength on their rear defense line. Then, Holy Emblem would break out while the Wolf Cavalry covered the rear. This was the plan agreed upon long ago.
The Demon Flame Dragon Barbatos flew at full speed. Su Xiao stood on its back. Directly below him, the Wolf Cavalry army raced across the snowy plain.
After marching for one hour, the Holy Emblem Knight Order appeared ahead. The difference in speed became apparent at this point.
After marching at full speed for 2 hours and 37 minutes, a magnificent city emerged in the wind and snow ahead. This was Fierce Winter City, the main city of the Northern Border.