Sword of Dawnbreaker

Chapter 617 - 616: The White City’s Blizzard

This terrifying chase seemed to quickly engulf the small squad, whether royal capital knights or conscripted soldiers, lives salvaged from The White City’s walls gradually drew closer to the Reaper’s embrace after a brief respite—Mitchell peered through the rear observation port of the vehicle, observing the distant scene, seeing hundreds, thousands of Crystal Cluster Giants closing in. These enormous humanoid creatures, standing three meters tall, charged with a momentum surpassing that of the Royal Knight Brigade, and the arcane lightning they unleashed frequently swept across the battlefield, persistently striking the vehicle’s barriers...

Further away, massive dust clouds rose, each signifying a new wave of pursuers rapidly closing in.

Then, a strange flash of light descended from the sky.

It was some sort of high-speed flying object, of which even Transcendents could barely capture a trace. It carried a faint greenish light, flying from the direction of the Gorgon River, skimming over hills and fields, then plunging into the distant dust clouds.

The next second, a terrifying flash of explosion and an even more horrifying thunderous boom nearly tore through Mitchell and the soldiers’ eardrums.

Numerous shattered limbs and crystals were flung into the air amidst the flash of the explosion, the dreadful shockwave flattening every protrusion on the ground within nearly a hundred meters, and as the earth trembled violently, even from such a distant interval, Mitchell could clearly see the barriers outside the battlefield vehicle ripple with subtle waves.

Soon after, more flashes appeared on the horizon, accompanied by sharp whistling sounds, landing continuously in the distance.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The sound of the earth-shattering explosions echoed one after another, each flash, each explosion, seemingly landing a Meteoric Spell right in the midst of the Crystal Cluster Legion. Mitchell could be sure of only one thing amidst the horrifying assault— the pursuit of the Crystal Cluster Legion was faltering.

The Cecil soldiers handling the vehicle and weapons evidently knew about the impending appearance of this astonishing "Skyfire" long before, showing no panic whatsoever. Simultaneously with the first great explosion, these soldiers seamlessly moved into the next phase of eluding pursuit. They began manipulating the weapons mounted on the vehicle to clear out the encroaching Crystal Cluster Giants, leaving behind large quantities of explosive magic supplies, known as Crystal Grenades, while commencing to move in the direction of the Gorgon River.

Throughout this entire process, Mitchell’s greatest concern was that those attacks descending from the sky might land on him—their power was so vast that the knight was resolutely convinced that even if a single strike landed near the convoy, his remains would instantly be scattered randomly within a hundred-meter radius, but reality proved his worry was redundant: those attacks evidently maintained a deliberate safety distance from the convoy, the nearest one landing hundreds of meters away.

Everything seemed like something rehearsed countless times.

Even the Crystal Cluster Giants, immune to pain and devoid of human feelings, would retreat under such an assault—the chase and break-out battle finally ended with a sweeping energy beam from the Gorgon River direction. That terrifying beam cut across the battlefield, searing the ground with a buzzing sound, ultimately leaving a nearly molten trench several meters wide, forcing the heat-averse Crystal Cluster Giants to scatter and retreat.

After that, the journey was uneventful.

....

On the 35th of the Revival Month, the riverine battleship "Pioneer" that set off towards the north first successfully rendezvoused with the Steel Cavalry Vanguard Squadron. Relying on the formidable support of the ship’s main guns, Sir Byron eliminated a group of Crystal Cluster Giants moving southward from the Gigantic Tree Path Entrance. Subsequently, the fleet temporarily docked on the riverside of the Fertile Woods in the north of the Pompeii Domain. After using the close-in guns to clear a safe landing zone, the landing forces and Steel Cavalry Vanguard Squadron established a base on the west side of the Fertile Woods in the Ronburg Region.

Meanwhile, the ground forces led by Gawain and Sir Philip also advanced via land routes to the Fertile Woods. Once assisting the Vanguard Squadron in clearing the remaining Crystal Cluster Legion on the periphery, the ground passage from the southern borders to the war-zone was opened; thus, from rocky ridges Fortress to Ronburg, river routes and land roads were finally unobstructed, officially establishing the supply line.

The temporary wall, formed by linking prefabricated concrete barriers and steel bastions with the "Steel Envoy" as a node, meandered near the riverbank. Armed soldiers on sentry posts vigilantly kept watch over the north. A large number of reinforced tents and prefab houses were neatly arranged within the base. Vehicles transporting supplies and personnel continuously moved in and out of this frontline base, delivering weapons, equipment, personnel from the southern borders while sending collected contamination samples and some rescued refugees back to the temporary labs and refugee camps in the rear. Everywhere the eye could see, there was a bustling scene.

The magic-guided vehicle carrying Gawain and Amber smoothly drove into the base. Through one side window, they saw, not far away, a half-collapsed castle still shrouded in dust, with part of its broken walls connected to the base’s fence, where a tall Crystal Relay Tower was already erected on the still-standing structure of the castle, the Signal Amplification Device slowly rotating, driven by a mechanical platform, sweeping across the gray sky.

The half-collapsed castle was "Ronburg", the full name being Lumber-Cree Castle, a royal directly governed territory located in the Plains of the Holy Spirits. The castle, along with the entire Fertile Woods surrounding it, was once a significant source of economy for the Moens, though following the "Fog Month unrest", the fortress and surrounding territory suffered damage and diminished in stature, it was still among the wealthiest lands in the southeast of the Plains of the Holy Spirits.

But that was in the past.

When the troops arrived here, the Crystal Cluster Infection had already spread into the Fertile Woods. There was a high probability that the leader here had died on the northern battlefield, and the knights and soldiers guarding the castle offered symbolic resistance for a few hours before they scattered and fled. Some of the commoners on the land got infected, while others fled into the nearby wilderness—in the process of establishing a landing zone, Pioneer’s bombardment shattered the already lost castle and scorched the infected woods. Now, this prosperous region had become one of the symbols of the disaster, with crumbling walls and lingering burnt scent in the air, reminding visitors of the impending war.

The vehicle passed the quarantine zone on the east side of the base, and across a row of fences, a dozen poorly clothed civilians were staring wide-eyed at the "iron beast" passing by not far away. They clung to the wire mesh of the fence, disheveled, some even still in shock, while not far behind them, more civilians queued up under soldiers’ command to receive food and medicine—maintaining a semblance of orderly chaos rooted in numbness.

Amber’s gaze swept past the civilians waiting for food and medicine behind the fence, her face carrying sympathy: "These people probably still don’t know what’s happened..."

"The knights in the castle said nothing when they fled, leaving behind everyone in the entire region," Gawain commented, "Sir Philip has already dispatched people to search for survivors nearby and establish quarantine zones, but the social order in this region is severely disrupted and might take years to restore."

Amber pressed her lips, though she knew that compared to the worse situation in the north, this was already considered lucky—the Crystal Cluster Infectors entering the Ronburg area were only a handful of stragglers causing damages insufficient to completely destroy the entire region. The fall of towns and large number of refugees mainly resulted from the early flight of knights in the castle, causing those monsters entering the area barely to face any resistance before waltzing into towns. Correspondingly, a considerable number of civilians also fled from the city, with not too much damage to towns in the eastern area of Ronburg.

As long as the Crystal Cluster is annihilated and refugees gathered, there’s at least hope for rebuilding here.

After her sober reflection, Amber stated: "After blood tests and Divine Arts checks, nearly a hundred infected carriers have been found. They still maintain a human form but carry energy reactions of divine evils. According to your orders, these individuals have been sent to the quarantine camps in the Pompeii Area."

"Instruct the person in charge over there to maintain close surveillance and, as long as the infection doesn’t spread, do the best to take care of them," Gawain earnestly instructed, finally exhaling slowly, "As long as they haven’t turned into monsters, treatment shouldn’t be abandoned."

Amber gave Gawain a glance: "Honestly, before, I was worried about what to do if you ordered the killing of all infected..."

Gawain glanced at the half-elf: "Do I seem like the kind of person who would give such an order?"

"It doesn’t feel like it, but you’ve also mentioned maximizing value—considering cost and safety, killing all infectors should be the most ’economical,’ right..."

"If we really did that, it would be too calculated," Gawain shook his head. "Even if we disregard human lives and public sentiment, those who have already carried the divine evils infection but haven’t mutated are precious samples. They can help our tech personnel understand the methods of the Oblivion Association. The hope to comprehend and end this disaster might lie with those infectors. Pittman and Kamel have already reached Pompeii; perhaps it won’t be long before they uncover the secrets of the Oblivion Association from these infectors."

Amber raised an eyebrow: "You truly have a better grasp of calculations than I do."

Gawain smiled and said no more.

Facing such a disaster, he indeed needed to calculate carefully but couldn’t simply treat human lives as numbers. He had to consider post-war development, the maintenance of social order, the gain and loss of public sentiment, the influence of history writers, and from these infectors, seek ways to combat the disaster—thinking about how to save more lives. A cold-blooded commander might only count heads, but a leader must consider much more than that.

He raised his head and, through the crystal glass embedded in the car door, gazed northward.

...

Crystal Cluster Giant Clod withdrew his gaze from the south.

The troops entering the Ronburg Region—although merely a ragtag and hastily gathered force—were annihilated in such a short time.

Due to the distance limitation, he couldn’t "see" clearly what the troops responsible for the southern expansion encountered, but from limited signals, he could still perceive the intense heat and thunderous phantom booms erupting for a moment on hundreds of Crystal Cluster Giants. This was perhaps a kind of extremely powerful Spell attack, most likely involving multiple legendary hero-level Mages entering the battlefield...

No matter the cause, it’s worth remaining vigilant.

Recalling not long ago, another troop ordered to eliminate intruders also encountered an incomprehensible fierce attack, suffering severe losses in a short time, Clod believed those Cecil Clan wandering from the southern borders were not easy to deal with—they probably were already prepared for this war.

Even though the legion is strong, it must be wary of formidable enemies from behind.

After this operation, it’s necessary to return to Red Maple City to remind the Archbishop from the church core.

And for now, focus should remain on the immediate battlefield.

Clod raised his head; the crystalized eyeball reflects the scene within The White City—this city has almost been destroyed by the legion, with over eighty percent of its area turned into ruins and debris. Yet an unrelenting snowstorm envelops its final castle area, with countless ice blades and deadly cold air making it impossible for the Crystal Cluster Giants to take a step further.

Archon Xidon ordered the legion to capture its castle area within three days.

Clod actually had a hint of disdain for such an order—even though he acknowledged the Archon’s absolute authority, he knew that newly appointed Archbishop wasn’t well-versed in military strategy; he was merely a powerful dark Druid. Though strong in Spell, he had never fought a war. Clod himself, however, was once one of the Duke of the East’s finest Noble Officers.

Of course, those days are gone, but the experience accumulated during that time still proves useful.

As someone often dealing with battlefields, Clod knows conquering the fortress ahead isn’t just about morale and Soldiers. The Mountain Corps and that powerful ’Northern Queen’ hold the advantageous position, occupying the castle area’s Magic Web. A legendary hero-level Mage is highly adept at managing their vigor, and when the casting environment is stable with a constant external supply of Magic Power, that ’Northern Queen,’ with some auxiliary magic supplies, can keep the snowstorm around the castle ongoing for an entire month—and the provisions in the castle are ample enough to sustain her and her legion longer than that.

But it’s alright, Clod has a good plan of his own.

A digging unit has already set out, excavating a tunnel from the fortress’s west side’s blind spot—the leader of that team is... none other than the former lord of The White City.

Of course, the lord has now embraced evolution and become part of the new era.

Led by the former leader, the digging team will attack the fortress protected by the snowstorm from underground.

However, they certainly won’t just storm into the castle’s inner courtyard or eliminate Victoria Wilder or wipe out that formidable Mountain Corps inside. In reality, they can’t approach the inner castle walls—no legendary hero Mage would leave their casting area unguarded. As soon as the tunnel digs near Victoria, the digging team will inevitably be exposed.

Their true task... is to sabotage the Magic Web nodes underground in the castle’s outer layers, disrupting the Magic Web’s integrity and cutting off the ’Northern Queen’s’ Magic Power.

Only the leader of The White City knows the location of every Magic Web node, as they are exactly what the leader established, and Victoria Wilder, though esteemed as Regent Duke, doesn’t necessarily know what’s inside the leader’s house in The White City...

Clod gazed at the seemingly never-ending snowstorm in the castle area, slowly revealing a hint of a smile.

In a vague psychic perception, he could sense that the digging team was still alive and digging deeper.

The former Earl of the Eastern Duke Clod, now giant commander, turned around and casually ordered his subordinates: "Attack when the snowstorm stops."