ccnovels Chapter 630 - 629: Thaw
Chapter 630 - 629: Thaw
The team headed east all the way, hardly encountering any anticipated enemies.
No elite Crystal Cluster Legion, no reinforcements from large troops; all the way, the unit led personally by Gawain only encountered a few small wandering Crystal Clusters. Those monsters, having lost control, wandered aimlessly between plains and hills, charging at the armored trucks recklessly whenever they saw one, only to be easily annihilated, posing no threat whatsoever.
This situation persisted until the fragmented high walls of The White City appeared in the observer’s field of vision.
The soldier serving as the observer returned to the vehicle and took off his multi-functional tactical scope, his face showing some astonishment: "Reporting, we have discovered large frozen traces ahead with a wide-area magical surge!"
Amber’s sight passed through the observation hole of the carriage, looking at the ruinous street scene outside. She saw large patches of frost covering the collapsed bricks, tiles, and wooden beams, with traces of blood dyeing the ice crystals hanging among the remnants. In the outskirts of the city, the snow and ice were not overly abundant, but as the team penetrated more deeply, a world that could only be described as an icy wasteland gradually appeared in front of everyone.
Thick layers of ice covered the entire Inner City District, with countless corpses turned into cold sculptures. The howling wind whipped up layers of snowflakes, hitting the steel armor of the tanks. The central area of the city suffered a massive freeze, so powerful that one might wonder if winter had returned to this world—in such a season that was supposed to be warming.
Amber stared at the scene outside in astonishment, unable to help but mutter to herself, "What... is going on here..."
"A very powerful... wide-area spell, legendary level," Wright couldn’t help but murmur to himself, "I’ve never seen a spell like this."
"White Knight, dismount and proceed on foot," Gawain contemplated while watching the frozen city outside through the observation port, then suddenly ordered, "The remaining crews and soldiers, remain vigilant, move slowly."
The armored trucks carrying the White Knight soon stopped, and Wright led his elite Priests to leap off, holding their warhammers as they moved to the forefront of the team.
Gawain also got off the vehicle with Amber and Maji. He jumped to the ground, his metal boots heavily stomping on the solid ice, which immediately issued a crisp, ethereal crackling sound unmistakably not produced by normal ice crystals.
Gawain bent down, casually picking up a few shattered icicles, then infused them with magic while slowly crushing them. Those seemingly solid ice blocks instantly cracked with a crisp stridency, then dissolved into magical dust carried away by the wind, slowly melting into the air.
Amber’s eyes widened upon witnessing this scene, "Ah... all this ice was created by magic?"
"It has been such a long time since I saw this scene... Snow’s ’Cold Disaster’," Gawain’s mind conjured up corresponding memories as he quietly remarked and glanced at the slightly dazed Maji beside him, "When did Victoria break into the Legendary Peak?"
"Legendary Peak? No... Victoria should merely be at the legendary initial stage..." Maji paused, then anxiously asked, "Do you know what happened here? Why is it so silent—the enemies and Mountain Legion seem to..."
"No need to worry," Gawain interrupted Maji, "since it’s frozen here, she and the Mountain Legion must still be alive. Of course, some extra things should also be alive..."
Just as he finished speaking, the soldiers exploring ahead suddenly shouted, "Sir! There are many frozen giants here!"
That scene was unforgettable—countless Crystal Cluster Giants were frozen inside solid ice, covered with a transparent ice layer appearing like peculiar armor standing in the sunlight, grouped together in the castle area’s squares, steps, and roads, still maintaining their various postures from when they gathered, as if they hadn’t realized Bitter Winter had arrived at the moment of freezing.
It seems most of the Crystal Cluster Giants besieging The White City were left here.
Amber stared in astonishment at the eerie scene before her, only speaking after a long time, "Did the Northern Duke do this? If she had such a capability... why didn’t she use it earlier..."
"This is the legendary spell ’Cold Disaster,’ but I doubt Victoria can skillfully use it, and without skillful usage, Cold Disaster can’t kill any enemies—Victoria likely only used this spell upon realizing reinforcements were coming, temporarily leaving the Crystal Cluster Legion here that could have returned to Red Maple promptly," Gawain casually voiced his guess, also feeling a bit nostalgic, "This doesn’t seem to match Snow back in those days, Snow used to play this hand of Cold Disaster marvelously..."
Wright came to Gawain’s side, "How should we handle these... ice sculptures?"
"Smash them, while they’re still frozen, smash them," Gawain glanced at the heavy warhammers in the White Knights’ hands, then looked at the surrounding armored trucks and soldiers before finally gazing at the Crystal Cluster Giants, "Leave only the largest one, preemptively lock it up; after ’thawing,’ it might be sent back as research material."
"They’ll thaw?!" Wright first expressed astonishment, then promptly commanded the warriors to execute Gawain’s orders, "Quickly get moving, smash these ice sculptures..."
The White Knights raised their healing and saving hammers, beginning to rescue these twisted souls, while Gawain stepped towards the nearby slope, "Let’s go inside and check Victoria’s situation, the center of Cold Disaster seems to be in the castle’s inner court, she should be waiting for us inside."
In the castle’s inner courtyard area, Gawain, Amber, and the others soon found the Mountain Legion also in a frozen state and Grand Duchess Victoria Wilder embraced by the knights and mages of the Mountain Legion.
The last of the Mountain Corps and their lord were frozen inside the artificial ice mountain in the Inner Court District, where the ice layers were far thicker than outside, freezing nearly two-thirds of the Inner Court into a single entity. Even the White Knight’s warhammer probably couldn’t shake it. Through the crystal-clear ice, Gawain could clearly see those weary yet resolute soldiers, the scarred knights, the mages and attendants who had already drawn their daggers, and, of course, Victoria Wilder, who was gripping her magic wand and frozen in her last expression.
Seeing Victoria also frozen, Gawain looked a bit surprised.
Everyone was awed by the power and splendor of this legendary spell, while Gawain temporarily put away his surprise and began explaining the details of this spell according to his memory: "Snow Wielder once created the Cold Disaster, a spell capable of temporarily freezing an entire battlefield. The ice it summoned could even freeze weaker legendary heroes, but it itself does not have lethal power—all the ice blocks are magical products. The entities frozen within are merely temporarily suspended in the field of magical power. Once the Cold Disaster ends and the magical field dissipates, the frozen targets will regain their ability to move. Therefore, it can only be used to temporarily control the field and does not possess any direct lethal power..."
"Why do I feel there’s something wrong with this spell..." Amber commented with a strange expression, looking at the giant ice mountain in the Inner Court, "What if the spellcaster gets frozen inside as well... What’s the point of this ’Cold Disaster’? Everyone gets frozen for a while to cool off, and then continues fighting after the ’ice’ melts?"
Gawain glanced towards Victoria’s direction, pondered briefly, and said, "Actually, back in the day, Snow wouldn’t freeze himself within the Cold Disaster...
"I also can’t figure out how Victoria ended up freezing herself."
Amber: "...Huh?"
Wright and his priests took quite some time to carry out Gawain’s orders, smashing all the "ice sculptures" found in the Inner City District of the castle—or hammering to death every crystal cluster frozen inside. Meanwhile, Gawain, standing in the castle courtyard, waited even longer for the effect of the Cold Disaster to end and the magical power to dissipate.
Right before everyone’s eyes, the enormous ice mountain almost instantly collapsed and dissolved, and the survivors of the frozen Mountain Corps awakened one by one. These loyal warriors’ thoughts still seemed to be stuck in their previous state; driven by instinct and inertia, they scrambled around for a bit before being startled to find that the area was filled with strangers armed to the teeth.
Gawain stepped forward only after the chaos had subsided a bit. He crossed over the magical crystals still lingering in the air and extended his hand to the astonished Victoria, "I didn’t expect to meet under such circumstances—fortunately, I wasn’t too late."
"It’s you... You’re the one attacking Red Maple?!" Victoria finally seemed to react, stretching out her hand with a momentary lapse—such a breach of etiquette was rare for the Grand Duchess, yet considering the ordeal she had just gone through, it was understandable, "I really didn’t expect... Ah, those monsters outside the castle..."
"Already dealt with, I know the ’Cold Disaster,’" Gawain said with a smile, "Though I am curious, aren’t you worried about someone who doesn’t know about the Cold Disaster getting close? After the ice is lifted, those suddenly reanimated crystal cluster giants could pose a huge threat."
"In all of Anzu, anyone capable of rescuing the Mountain Corps would definitely recognize the ’Cold Disaster.’ It’s the symbolic power of the Wilder Clan," Victoria said. "However... I also didn’t think it would be you..."
"I’m afraid the southern borders are the only area with a complete military force now," Gawain shook his head and then looked at Wright, who had just returned from completing a task, "Take the White Knights to treat the wounded; many here need emergency care and healing blessings. Also, bring the food here and prepare clean drinking water..."
The warriors immediately sprang into action, and the tense yet orderly rescue efforts promptly unfolded. The injured soldiers of the Mountain Corps received effective treatment and reassurance, and the ample food and water brought by the vehicles supplemented the energy of these exhausted individuals.
Amid the tense, busy yet orderly rescue, Victoria forced herself to stay alert and inquired about the current external situation from Gawain.
"Regrettably, the knights from the royal capital do not possess the capability to turn the tide. They are likely doing their utmost to defend St. Soniel city. The Western Frontier Corps hasn’t been seen near the Gorgon River and might be wholly absorbed into St. Soniel’s battlefield. The Eastern Legion has been entirely wiped out, leaving the whole East in a state of lawlessness. I am working on maintaining order there..."
Gawain relayed his gathered information one by one, each piece further dampening Victoria’s mood.
"I didn’t expect things to have deteriorated to such an extent..." The Grand Duchess frowned deeply, someone usually sparse with expressions, yet today all her emotions were laid bare, appearing especially vivid, "I thought the East would preserve a portion of its main force against this disaster... but I didn’t expect them to be worse off than the Mountain Corps."
"The disaster first erupted from that area," Gawain said, curiously looking at Victoria, "Actually, I am quite curious... Why did your Cold Disaster freeze you too? From what I know, when Snow created this spell, it didn’t have the issue of freezing the spellcaster."
Victoria fell silent for a moment, and the atmosphere on-site seemed a tad awkward during those few seconds.
"Actually, I haven’t mastered this spell..." the Grand Duchess finally had to admit frankly. She took out the pale-gold snowflake talisman inherited from her family, with a hint of guilt in her tone—a guilt towards her ancestors, "The Cold Disaster lost its inheritance several generations ago, and the Wilder Clan’s symbolic power has always been based on this talisman."
The Northern Wilder Clan lost the inheritance of the "Cold Disaster" generations ago...
Gawain suddenly felt a bit wistful, contemplating the power of time’s passage. But soon, his attention was captured by the unique material luster of the talisman in Victoria’s hand.
"Do you know where the material for this talisman came from? Did you melt down a piece of Eternal Stone Slate?!"