Winter Lord: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 217 Rescue
The wind and snow poured into the broken watchtower, and the smell of blood and spores mixed into a nauseating stench.

Veris Calvin stood on the crumbling watchtower of the city wall, staring at the colossal object slowly emerging from the mist and snow in the distance.

He gripped the sword hilt tightly, only to find his fingers trembling slightly.

Even though he was already a high-ranking knight, he couldn't control the heavy, uneasy feeling of suffocation in his chest.

That's the mother nest.

It was bigger and more bizarre than I had imagined.

Like a fallen tree trunk, or the spine of some creature that shouldn't exist, it drags a whole river of twisted insect corpses across the ice field.

Veris gritted his teeth and glanced down at the territory behind him.

This small valley was built by him over a year.

He remembered every stone path, every house, and the name of every person in his community.

He had sweated and bled for this land, personally inspecting the joints of the stone walls at night to ensure they were tight, and pulling log carts with the people during the day.

Now...maybe everything will be destroyed.

He couldn't help but give a bitter laugh: "Even if the hive didn't attack me first... it was my turn."

The two territories closer to Frost Valley than his had already fallen.

The intelligence his scout knights brought back consisted only of vague screams and flames; they couldn't even find complete corpses, and the scouts only lasted half a day.

The mother nest didn't even waste time completely devouring the prey before quickly moving on to the next one.

"Can I outlast them?" he murmured, his eyes somewhat vacant.

Veris knew very well that what he had been facing was only the advance team.

Those black-shelled, immortal insect corpses are nothing more than appetizers for the mother nest.

And I... have already lost nearly a third of my knights in order to clear them out, even with Louis's warning and knowledge of their weaknesses.

Now that the terrifying Mother Nest has come in person, can it withstand it?
At the edge of the field of vision, a massive shadow appeared like a shipwreck in the fog.

It dragged countless wriggling tentacles, and wherever it passed, the snow turned into a spore-filled swamp, the forest groaned, and the earth seemed to tremble.

Seeing the physical form, he almost dropped his sword and fled south.

But then he remembered the letter Louis had written.

That letter, written in extremely simple language, was one that he read three times, word by word.

"Your location is the next target of the Mother Nest. Once I've dealt with things here, I'll send reinforcements to you. The longer you can hold out, the more people you can save."

When he saw the sentence "I will be there," he felt an urge to laugh for a moment.

That kid actually thought about saving people? He actually went to face this kind of enemy? Who does he think he is?
But he also understood that only Louis would truly dare to say "I'll be there" when the Mother Nest was pressing in.

Willis turned around and looked at the dilapidated but still standing stone wall.

Retreat? Of course he can retreat.

The knight is still here, the warhorse is still here, and even the escape route on the flank is ready.

He could guarantee that he would leave alive.

But when he thought of his people who were still hiding in the cellars, by the warehouses, and under the broken walls, when he thought of the way they looked at him, when he thought of the people he had personally protected for a year, he could not turn away.

He didn't want to turn around either.

“…Why don’t we hold on a little longer?” he said.

He gritted his teeth and growled, "Just a few more hours... just a few more hours!"

Flames rose from the command tower behind him, and he swung his sword forcefully.

That was a signal, and also a vow.

"Everyone to defensive positions! Don't let these beasts set foot in Crimson Cloud!"

Even if it means death, he will use this blood-stained snowfield to clear a path for reinforcements.

The main body of the mother nest is finally approaching.

The mountain of bodies, like a living mountain of calamity, slowly emerged from the thick fog and snow, dragging hundreds of writhing limbs.

The swarm of insect corpses followed closely behind, surging into the valley like a black tide. The snow beneath their feet turned into a spore-filled swamp, and the air was filled with the stench of decay and death.

The soldiers on the city wall were deathly pale, some of them holding weapons but unable to stop trembling.

Willis Calvin donned his armor, his cloak stained crimson, and charged into battle, raising his longsword and roaring, "Unbreakable defenses! The enemy shall not set foot in Crimson Clouds!"

Morale was boosted for a moment, but soon they were plunged into deeper despair.

Because he had witnessed that horrific scene with his own eyes.

He saw the abyssal behemoth, like the mouth of hell, which seemed capable of devouring all courage and hope.

He was speechless for a moment.

Even if he is an elite knight, a lord, or the guardian of Crimson Cloud.

But at that moment, he wavered.

Veris forced himself not to look at the valley dwellers hiding in the abandoned houses and cellars behind him, and not to listen to the children crying.

Force yourself to believe: "Just a little longer... just a little longer..."

But he knew that this time he might really not be able to wait for rescue.

When the mother hive suddenly swung one of its limbs, as thick as a city wall, it ripped away the entire western defense line.

In that instant, the soldiers were thrown into the air like sandbags, and the entire fortification collapsed with a roar, along with his resolve.

Veris murmured, "I'm sorry... everyone..."

He was about to order a full retreat.

at this time--

"Woo——!!"

A sharp whistling sound, tearing through the air, came from the horizon.

A cannonball streaked across the night sky, its speed and momentum like a meteor crashing into the mortal world.

"Boom!!!" At that moment, the heavens and earth seemed to shatter.

A massive explosion erupted on the front of the hive, flames surged up to a height of hundreds of feet, and the scorching shockwave crushed everything in its path.

The insect corpses were instantly burned to charcoal or blown into the sky, and the surrounding air seemed to be sucked out, turning into a vacuum-like pressure.

The Mother Nest, that colossal entity that had just loomed over us like the Grim Reaper…

It let out a scream, low and distorted, like the roar of the entire abyss beneath the earth.

Its chest burst open, exposing a large area of ​​scarlet internal organs and wriggling sacs. Amidst the spray of blood and flesh, the colossal body, weighing several tons, began to retreat.

Instead of moving slowly, it shrank back in terror, like a wild beast whose nerves had been set on fire.

Veris's mouth gaped open, almost big enough to fit his fist inside without him noticing.

He couldn't speak, he could only stare at the "thing" still burning amidst the embers and black smoke.

"What is this...?" he murmured, his voice carried on the wind.

He wasn't the only one who was stunned.

The knights around him all stopped what they were doing, staring at the firelight and the fleeing, mythically terrifying Mother Nest that had been driven back in a single blow, almost forgetting to breathe.

This terrifying thing once crushed a territory in an instant; in their eyes, it was an almost insurmountable calamity.

But now, it is afraid, afraid of that terrifying explosion.

"It's...it's him!" A young knight was the first to react, trembling as he said, "It's Lord Louis...he's here!"

On the hillside, amidst the swirling snow, a blood-red battle flag with a gold sun emblem rose high.

That's the flag of the Red Tide Territory...

The golden sun rose amidst the flames and iron fire, as if to dispel the darkness and despair.

Amidst the neighing of warhorses and the dust kicked up by their hooves, a young commander leaped from his horse, landing with the grace of an eagle, his heavy armor robe fluttering in the wind.

He took off his helmet, his black hair reflecting the firelight, his eyes sharp as blades, and his voice steady as a hammer striking a drum.

"Fire attack team advance! Flamethrower formation number two! Target: densely packed area of ​​insect corpses!"

He was, of course, Louis Calvin.

In Veris's eyes, Louis at this moment was no longer human, but a god descended to earth.

Bearing flames and fury, they came in place of the Dragon Ancestor, to fight for despair.

"boom--!"

Another heavy magic explosion missile roared out from the portable launcher, piercing the night sky and accurately hitting the open chest of the Mother Nest.

The damaged core exploded completely amidst the flames and roar, as if it had been struck by lightning. Black blood and spore mist surged out, and the insect shell shattered into pieces.

The mother nest emitted a twisted wail, half of its body collapsed, and dozens of limbs twitched and fell to the ground.

It tried to escape and retreat, but was suppressed by the flames and unable to move.

"Flamethrower first row! Advance three steps! Burn the bodies infested with insect spores!"

"Ugh——!"

At Louis's command, dozens of fire-breathing knights simultaneously ignited their nozzles, and the fire scale ointment spewed out scorching pillars of fire in the night, weaving together a hellish curtain of fire that incinerated the remaining insect corpses in droves.

The screaming and struggling insect corpses exploded, twisted, and turned to ash in the high temperature.

This mother nest is highly evolved, so it survived two magic explosions.

It writhed in agony, trying to unleash its insecticidal mist, but was struck in the head by the third magic explosion bullet...

With a loud bang, its skull exploded, collapsing onto the scorched earth like a rotten fruit, unable to move.

The entire battlefield was silent for three breaths.

"...Dead?" Veris murmured, his voice filled with disbelief.

It's that simple?
This terrifying mother nest was thus completely destroyed amidst the sea of ​​fire and explosions.

The embers of the flames were still burning, and a faint smell of blood permeated the scorched earth.

Veris stood on the crumbling city wall, his hair singed by sparks, his face covered in soot and scratches, looking as if he had crawled out of a pile of corpses.

He gasped for breath as he wiped the blood and grime from his face, watching the fire attack team neatly retreat, and couldn't help but smile bitterly.

Just then, a heavily armored warhorse stepped into the ruins, its familiar red and gold cloak billowing in the wind.

“Louis…” Veris rushed forward to greet him.

Louis dismounted, took off his gloves, glanced at him a few times, and said calmly, but with a hint of weariness and concern, "You've done a good job holding on for so long."

Willis's tense nerves relaxed, and he shook his head with a wry smile: "I almost couldn't hold on. If you guys had been a few minutes later, I really would have had to run away."

“Well, I’m not too late.” Louis patted him on the shoulder. “Where are your men? What are the casualties?”

"More than twenty knights have died, and there are still seventy wounded, both lightly and seriously. The losses among the militia are even greater... as you can see."

Louis nodded, his eyes not reproachful, but listening attentively, and said in a low voice, "You didn't lose the city, and you saved a lot of people. This battle was not shameful."

After saying that, he looked at the charred pile of insect corpses in the distance, then turned back to Veris and said:
"I'll leave two groups of flamethrowers and one medic for you. Your men should rest first and clear out the remaining bug corpses. I'll also have logistics put you on a waiting list for supplies, and we'll try to get some more."

Louis continued, "I have to get to other parts of Snowpeak County. The defenses of those nobles in the north are about to collapse. We need to plug the gaps before the swarm spreads."

Veris nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

At that moment, Willis suddenly realized that he and Louis were no longer from the same world.

Even though they were both upper lords, he was a baron while Louis was only a viscount.

After arriving in the North, he wasn't without feelings of jealousy.

He felt that Louis was luckier than himself, having arrived in the North earlier and thus having so many opportunities to rise to power.

But at this moment, all he felt was admiration, gratitude, and relief.

I'm glad that when I was choosing a territory, I gritted my teeth and chose the one next to the Red Tide Territory.

I'm glad I'm thick-skinned; I humbled myself and begged for help from Louis.

Veris gazed at the still-burning corpse of the Broodmother, and once again raised his sword, stained with dust and blood, as if in response to the departing battle banner.

(End of this chapter)