Winter Lord: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 163 The Fierce Battle of the Mages

Several months ago, Archmage Jürgen Locken suddenly lost contact.

So the Supreme Master issued an order.

Twelve Silver-Masked Mages, directly under his command, were dispatched to the North to search for the truth.

The objective is the northern border and the tribal ruins further north.

Because the area was vast, the twelve of them were divided into four groups and searched separately.
This wasn't a very difficult task; it was just about finding someone...

At least that's what everyone thought at first.

But reality soon taught these determined silver-masked mages what it meant to be "completely clueless".

The wind is cold in this icy land, and the clues are even colder.

Several weeks passed in the blink of an eye, and there were no ruins, no corpses, not even a trace of residual magical energy.

"This place is really starting to feel like a maze." Leisier frowned as he looked at the map, then casually lit a ball of magic flame at his feet.

The three sat around the campfire by the stream, took out their dry rations and began to chew them, their faces expressionless.

"I told you long ago, climbing into management is the right path in life." Modi crunched on a piece of bread so hard it could kill someone.
"The Silver-Masked Mage sounds impressive, but what's the difference between him and a cow or a horse? With just one word from the mage, we have to run all the way to the Northern Forest to find someone we couldn't find for a month."

“If you want to become a Golden-Faced Mage, you’ll have to learn how to lick asses first,” Lyshill glanced at him, his tone flat.

"Then forget it." Modi glanced at him sideways.

Flavia didn't speak, but just lowered her head and tore at her dry rations, as if she was thinking.

Her gaze occasionally drifted to the shadows in the woods, where the wind seemed a little off.

The firelight flickered, and the interplay of snow and forest shadows created an inexplicable sense of oppression.

"Speaking of which, do we really need to go on? There's not a single trace of magic left," Modi asked in a low voice.

Leisher did not answer, but simply looked into the depths of the woods.

"We've come this far, we can't just turn back now," he said softly. "Let's go ask the locals later."

While they were chatting idly, Lin Feng's attitude subtly changed.

What should have been just the soft rustling of leaves in the forest was suddenly mixed with a strange, unusual noise.
The creaking sound was like the friction of bones colliding, or like rusty metal being dragged across ice, dull and twisting.

"Wait." Flavia stopped speaking, her brows furrowed, and her gaze suddenly swept behind her.

"Something's coming."

The next second, the shadow of the tree split open, and five or six figures rushed out from the dark forest.

They were clad in tattered leather armor, their cloaks torn like rags, yet their steps were remarkably synchronized and eerily fast.

His face was expressionless, his eyes unfocused, as if some kind of deathly intent filled his entire face.

The dark purple totems on their chests appeared like birthmarks, pulsating as if alive, like a heart beating on the skin, making a rhythmic "plop, plop" sound.

What's most terrifying is that their muscles don't contract, but wriggle, like clumps of leeches rolling under the skin.

Transparent worm threads kept crawling out from the corners of the eyes and mouth, and in some cases, you could even see the worms wriggling under the skin, like a nightmare that seeped into your bones.

“This isn’t human,” Flavia said in a barely audible voice. “No heartbeat…like an empty shell, being controlled by insects to walk.”

Lyshill frowned, silently donned the silver mask, and fiery magic runes appeared on his palm.

Modi had already stood up, ready for battle: "Never mind what they are, just make them stop."

"Armor Transformation Technique: Petrified Body!"

With a low roar, gray patterns rapidly climbed all over his body. He rose up like a stone statue, and the next moment, his feet exploded, propelling him forward like an arrow released from a bow!
"Drink——!!"

A powerful punch sent one of the insect warriors flying, crashing through two trees before slamming into the ground.

but--

"Giggle."

The insectoid creature emitted a strange sound like teeth being dislocated, flipped out of the pit, and with a snap, its neck rotated 180 degrees, its eyes facing Modi, and it actually swung its sword horizontally!

"I rely on!"

Modi raised his arm to block, the blade drawing sparks from the petrified arm, and the recoil caused him to slide back half a step.

This is not the strength of a puppet; this is real combat power capable of killing.

"Get ready to take control!" Leisier shouted, flicking his right hand.

"Fireball - Chain!"

Three fireballs flew out, hitting three insect warriors and exploding into towering flames!

As the flames swept through, the insect warriors rolled and fell to the ground like charred corpses.

But the next second, the men suddenly rose from the fire, still gripping their axes tightly, and charged forward despite their charred bodies and lack of pain.

"They can even charge forward by crawling?!" Leahy muttered through gritted teeth.

One insectoid warrior, whose lower body had been blown off, crawled like a centipede using his arms, and his speed was not much slower than that of an ordinary person.

The worm silk fluttered from the corner of its mouth, accompanied by a nauseating, grotesque laugh, as it pounced on Flavia.

"Disgusting!" Flavia muttered as she dodged.

"Swift Blessing - Divine Protection, Mordi!"

The magical light swirled, and Modi accelerated again, instantly closing in on the insect warrior's flank. He delivered a downward punch, slamming the warrior into the ground. The sound of bones shattering accompanied the thud of insect sacs bursting.

A faint, sour smell of insect sludge wafted through the air.

"Leahyr, there are two more behind us!" Flavia shouted a reminder.

"Understood," he replied in a deep voice, firing rapidly with his left hand.

"Fireball!"

Another wave of fire roared out, the scorching impact illuminating the dark shadows in the forest.

But the insect warriors had no instinct to hide; they weren't "fighting"—they were "following orders."

Even with severed limbs, melted eyeballs, or half a body missing, it still instinctively lunges, bites, slashes, and approaches.

They are not afraid of pain, not afraid of death, and they don't even operate within the concept of "death".

Like walking corpses, yet more ruthless, faster, and stronger.

The real terror is not that they have lost their consciousness.

Instead, they retain the fighting instincts of warriors, yet are completely unbound by "death".

Although the insectoid warriors were so powerful they seemed unnatural, the three mages were not novices; to become silver-masked mages meant they were already among the elite of the mages.

The numerous life-or-death missions have imprinted experience, skill, and reflexes into their very being.

Even when facing these monsters, they proceeded cautiously and steadily.

Modi charged forward, drawing the enemy's firepower, his heavy fist blades continuously smashing their bodies.

Leisier controlled the fire precisely, detonating it every three seconds without wasting a single ounce of magic.
Flavia calmly chanted incantations, continuously adding shields and speed boosts to the two of them.

Their coordination was almost perfect. They fought and retreated, heading south into a small ravine, attempting to use the terrain to break free from the entanglement.

But surprises often arrive quietly in the most familiar rhythms.

"Swiftness Spell - Third Stage Activation!" Flavia chanted softly.

Just then, a bug warrior suddenly pounced, getting right up close to his face without warning!
“Fura!” Lyshill exclaimed.

The next second, the insect warrior's chest cavity suddenly exploded.

"Boo!!"

With a sticky and terrifying cracking sound, the entire insect sac exploded into a pulp, releasing a corrosive greenish-black liquid, which, along with countless translucent tiny insects, sprayed out like raindrops!

"Ahhhhh!!"

Flavia had no time to dodge and was hit head-on, screaming as she fell to the ground!
Her clothes were instantly torn apart by the corrosive liquid, and a sizzling sound was heard as they burned. Large red and swollen blisters appeared on her shoulders, neck and arms, and her skin was burned into patches of pale white and red!
What's even more terrifying is yet to come!

The sprayed insects "burrowed" inside!

Several translucent leeches wriggled and slid into her body along her earlobes, nostrils, and even throat!
"Cough, cough cough cough...!!"

She coughed violently, her body convulsed, and her mind seemed to be instantly thrown into chaos. Flavia suddenly rolled over, her fingernails gripping the ground tightly, spitting out a few drops of blood-mixed saliva, her eyes already beginning to glaze over.

She could feel something "gnawing" at her brain, bone marrow, and even soul.

Modi roared and swung his sword, slashing down the swarming insect shadows one by one, then practically ran back to the cover behind the ruins.

"Flavia?!"

The girl's body was curled up on the ground, as if scorched by flames, her whole body convulsing uncontrollably, her skin red as if boiling water.

"Damn it... what on earth did you get?!"

He rushed forward, picked her up in his arms, but suddenly froze.

The trembling stopped.

She was eerily quiet, as if her soul had been ripped out.

"Fura... hang in there—!"

He almost instinctively tried to back away, but before he could regain his footing, the girl in his arms suddenly moved.

No, they stood up.

She slowly straightened up, her movements as mechanical as a puppet being manipulated by strings.

That familiar face had long since lost its warmth and vitality, leaving only a deathly stillness.

"Flavia...?"

Modi stared at her in astonishment.

Those eyes were now glowing with an eerie purple light, like ghostly figures emerging from the abyss.

The magical fluctuations emanating from her fingertips were undoubtedly Flavia's magic.

But it was extremely chaotic and distorted.

“Are you still there, Fura? If you can hear me, then…”

Before he could finish speaking, Flavia suddenly raised her hand.

Without the slightest hesitation, a streak of purple light instantly pierced through the air and arrived.

Modi's pupils contracted sharply.

The spell pierced his chest.

His body jolted, hot blood gushed from his mouth, and his gaze remained fixed on the empty expression on her face.

"So...you've already..."

He could no longer hold on and collapsed heavily, losing all his life.

Flavia remained standing upright, like a walking corpse puppet, purple light slowly emanating from her palms, like a flower of malice blooming silently in the cold night.

Leahy stood frozen in place, watching Modi fall, watching the figure who had once fought alongside him now twisted into some kind of bizarre vessel.

"No, it's impossible..."

His heart felt as if it had been seized by a sharp blade, and for a moment he forgot to breathe.

Flavia walked slowly toward him, her steps heavy yet extremely steady.

Her eyes still gleamed with that eerie purple light.

Without emotion, only commands.

Behind her, five or six insect warriors also quietly approached, their bodies deformed and faces blank, like extensions of the same will.

"Swarm awareness!"

The terrifying words that Lysir had read in the secret texts.

They are building a kind of resonance, a spiritual fusion.

He gritted his teeth, took a deep breath, forcibly suppressed the grief and fear in his heart, and suddenly swung his staff.

"...Wind Drive - Blaze!"

A fierce wind and flames rose up, sweeping forward and creating a scorching wall of fire that temporarily forced back the approaching insect warriors, giving them a brief respite.

However, he was a step too slow.

"Shh-!"

A stream of slimy, foul-smelling liquid slammed into his left shoulder.

The armor corroded and collapsed instantly, and acid burned into his flesh along the cracks. The next moment, several finger-length insects wriggled and burrowed into his wound!
"Uhhhhhh!!"

The excruciating pain exploded in his mind like a thunderbolt, causing Leahy to stagger backward, his face instantly turning pale.

He could feel the worms wriggling wildly inside his body, as if searching for gaps between his nerves and meridians... to control him! To erode him!
"I can't give up yet!!"

He roared, bit his tongue, and used his last bit of clarity to forcefully gather magic power, setting up a temporary barrier to seal his meridians.

Even if it backfires, even if it drives him mad with pain... he absolutely cannot become the next puppet!
"Displacement Technique!"

The blinding light engulfed his figure, and the next second, Lyhill appeared dozens of meters away, staggering and falling heavily to the ground. The wound on his shoulder tore open, splattering a deep red stain.

He struggled to his feet, took a few steps, and finally fell into a crevice in the mountain wall, tumbling awkwardly into a cave hidden behind vines.

Deep inside the cave, it was dark and damp, with moss and blemishes covering the stone walls. The air was filled with a musty, damp smell, as if no one had set foot there for many years.

The sound of the wind was also sealed off, leaving only his heavy breathing echoing in the silent space.

Leahy leaned against the rough rock wall, covered in blood, barely able to tremble.

His body temperature fluctuated, and his skin was eerily pale, but his eyes still held a glimmer of resentment.

Gritting his teeth, he erected a barrier, and his meager magical power temporarily forced back the insects that had invaded his body.

But that's just a short-sighted solution; the longer it drags on, the heavier the price will be.

“Ha…hahaha…”

Lyshill's breath was mixed with blood foam, and the bright red blood overflowing from the corner of his mouth was like withered petals scattered among the rubble.

The veins on his forehead bulged like snakes, and the demonic power within his body surged like a tide, with more than 70% already used to block the meridians and suppress corrosion.

He had only 30% of his magic power left, barely enough to keep his mind clear.

But as soon as the beacon spell was attempted, it collapsed into a wisp of light.

"It's still...not working..."

Leisher's hand fell limply, as if all his strength had been drained away, and he could only slide helplessly onto the stone ground beside him.

Time seemed to freeze. Every minute and every second was pulling him toward the brink of death.

day and night.

There was no water, no food, and no light.

Only the relentless "worms" within him and a will nearly shattered by torment.

Leisher once thought he would die on the battlefield, at the end of some glorious battle.

Unexpectedly, it would rot quietly like a discarded rag doll in this dark cave.

The dawn of the second day had not yet arrived.

The insect body finally fell silent.

Perhaps it was suppressed to the limit, perhaps its instincts dissipated, or perhaps it was simply dormant.

He was finally able to catch his breath, and his taut nerves suddenly collapsed like a snapped string.

It felt as if all the flesh and blood and strength had been drained from him, and he slowly slid to the ground, his vision going completely black.

Is this the end...?

A bitter smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, as if he were mocking himself, or perhaps accepting it.

Just before consciousness completely sank into darkness.

A voice was heard: "Are you alright?"

(End of this chapter)