Chapter 135: Aftershock (Part 1)
BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG—!
A continuous series of explosions echoed as the terrifying “Ice Meteor Shower” rained down, delivering a catastrophic blow to the snowy landscape.
From the perspective of the Northern Army, it was like a storm of frost meteors. With a casual wave of the girl’s hand, a dazzling blue light erupted, and then the shockwave followed, knocking them off their feet and sending them scrambling for stability…
As if trying to bury the entire Knight Corps right there!
In just a few seconds, everyone could hear a distant roar, a desperate cacophony akin to waves crashing, but that sound quickly submerged under the increasingly intense booming noise, followed by an earthquake-like tremor.
The ground beneath the snow began to tremble uncontrollably in the face of this overwhelming force that left no room for resistance. A few leading soldiers of the Northern Army reacted swiftly, yelling for everyone nearby to retreat quickly.
However, no amount of shouting could prepare them. The most intense impact from the ice mountain struck within the blink of an eye, and a massive wave of snow, carrying frigid winds, swept through before anyone could react.
“Get down—”
“Everyone, get down now—!”
Soldier Sanks could only hear the squad leader yank him as he staggered backward, shouting with all his might to warn the rest of the Northern Army. The man’s brain was still in a fog, utterly unable to comprehend the chaos unfolding before him.
“Get dow—”
Without warning, a towering wave of snow crashed right into him, the wind slashing at his face like knives. The squad leader’s yelling abruptly halted. Sanks felt as if he couldn’t breathe; he clamped his mouth shut and squeezed his eyes shut just as the squad leader tackled him to the ground. The temperature plummeted, and icy winds filled his armor, stabbing into his very bones like a thousand needles, causing him to shiver uncontrollably.
Time passed.
A long, long time…
Sanks couldn’t tell how long it had been, but finally, the impact stopped.
Shaking his head vigorously, he popped his head out from the snowdrift with a loud “puff” and gasped for air, only to erupt into a fit of coughing.
“Cough! Cough—”
The man was frostbitten, his face turning blue, his hair and eyebrows frosted over. Trembling, he huffed warm breath into his hands, struggled to rise, and turned to drag the squad leader, who was also buried, out of the snow. He flipped him onto his back, pulled off his heavy but cold helmet, and patted his face: “Hey, hey… wake up…”
Sanks felt his tongue tangled, his body stiff: “You… you okay…?”
After a few shakes, the squad leader finally opened his eyes and coughed violently: “Cough…cough! You… what the hell… cough! We’re still… alive, right…?”
“It’s fine, it’s… it’s fine… just… got hit by the shock… nothing serious…”
“d*mn it… it’s freezing…”
Both men were sturdy, having lived in bitter cold regions for so long; they weren’t down for the count just because of a sudden snow wave. Soon they steadied themselves and helped each other up.
Around them, other soldiers buried in the snow also began to rise.
In the distance behind them, those troops stationed more to the south, like the ones at Erin Castle and New City of Kaliye, were presumably reacting as well. A rumble of footsteps and the clanging of hooves echoed as a multitude began to converge towards the north…
Ahead, the swirling snow mist gradually dissipated in the chaotic wind.
“Is anyone dead? If not, get up and move—”
“Is there any booze left?”
“Someone toss me a drink—”
“Looks like things are quiet up ahead…”
“The Church folks aren’t making any noise! Hey, someone get the Red Knights to regroup! We need to check the situation behind the ice mountain…”
“They… couldn’t all be dead, right…”
Within the cold, the chaotic calls of the soldiers filled the air, Sanks felt his temples throbbing, the frost-induced headache making his vision blur. He shook his head firmly and instinctively looked up towards the top of the ice mountain.
Far to the north, the sky was clear again.
The calamity of the ice meteor shower had apparently ceased. Fluffy snowflakes fell gently, bestowing a quiet calm upon the white expanse. The cold wind swept through the valley, stirring up the accumulated snow, and at the base of the vast ice mountain, Sanks caught a glimpse of the girl’s shadow, still standing at the peak, looking down at where the Knight Corps must have been.
However…
That place seemed utterly silent.
The Northern soldiers, at that moment, could no longer hear any shouts or screams from afar. Though the giant ice mountain obscured their view of the other side, they had no idea just how devastating the previous “ice rain” had been for the once-mighty Knight Corps…
Since that colossal ice mountain had risen from the ground, they had never seen the Knight Corps again.
In their hearts, the soldiers quietly acknowledged one truth…
By the time they regrouped and attempted to charge forward again, when they flanked around the mountain to the other side, what they would see… would likely be a lot more corpses.
The battle was over…
The imagined clash of the two armies fighting fiercely, shedding bl**d for the North, that tragic moment was probably gone for good.
At least, not today.
“Who on earth…”
Some among them, like Sanks, who noticed the tiny figure atop the ice mountain—one casual wave of her hand and she released such devastating power… they didn’t even know if she could still be considered “human,” but that faint, seemingly ordinary figure, perhaps a little scrawny, looked like she had just a head, two legs, and two arms…
Just like any of them.
“Who is helping us…”
“Has anyone seen that person before…?”
Gradually, almost all the soldiers in the valley lifted their heads, gazing at the small figure standing on the mountaintop from afar, separated by swirling snow.
At this moment, how could they still not realize…
That terrifying ice meteor shower, which had so decisively silenced the Church Knight Corps, and even the giant ice mountain that had saved everyone’s lives, likely… probably… maybe…
All stemmed from that figure.
She…
No, that lady…
Single-handedly, in less than a minute…
Had turned a fierce Knight Corps, loaded with countless strong knights and faith-driven warriors… into a mere footnote, rubbing them into the ground flat, leaving no chance to fight back.
This fact…
Even when staring them right in the face, witnessing it with their own eyes, it was still hard to believe.
But…
They had indeed seen it.
Undeniably.
“Could she be… a strong one sent by the Duke?”
“A strong one?”
“If such a powerful being existed, why did we have to lay siege for two months, constantly being restricted…”
“But she saved us…”
“She attacked the Church soldiers…”
“One hit and done…”
“And also… that was the Frost Order, wasn’t it…?”
“Whoa whoa whoa…”
“This is too outrageous!”
“What on earth is going on…?”
Sanks listened to the subdued discussions around him, suddenly snapping back to reality. He wanted to shout, “I know who she is!” but the words got stuck in his throat, brewing for a long time, but ultimately he couldn’t yell it out.
He…
Actually didn’t know the girl’s name, hadn’t even had the chance to ask.
CRACKLE—!
Suddenly, a bright streak of lightning flashed across the front sky, and two figures leaped down from the lightning, landing in the clearing among the crowd just a hair’s breadth from Sanks. One was being carried by the other; the one in the cloak was hauling a man clad in bright red armor, who was clearly bloodied all over…
Sanks recognized them instantly.
“Taku—”
