Winter Lord: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 289 The Ending Battle (Part )

Crimson mist churned in the air, and angry flowers bloomed silently within the bodies of the dead, emitting an eerie red light, making the battlefield resemble a bloody inferno.

The young knight Leonard hid behind a rock, his chest heaving violently, and the longsword in his hand trembling uncontrollably.

His comrades, Joss, Michelle, Taran... just moments before, had fought alongside him, but now they lay dead in the chaos of battle, their faces twisted beyond recognition by anger and vines.

“He’s gone mad…” Leonard murmured in a trembling voice.

He witnessed Taran, his eyes bloodshot under the crimson mist, roar as he plunged his longsword into his friend's back, as if he could not recognize his former comrade at all.

On the other side, the dire wolf roared and leaped up, pinning down a Broken Blade Knight and tearing his skull apart with its sharp teeth.

A crimson mist rose up, and the corpse quickly split open, with vines dancing wildly like blood snakes, creating a twisted garden of flesh and blood under the flames.

"Run!" he heard someone shout in the distance.

Leonard wanted to escape, to turn around and leave this hell, but his legs wouldn't obey him and could only tremble slightly.

But at that moment, a thunderous voice rang out on the battlefield: "Charge with me!!!"

The sound was like a hammer striking iron. Leonard looked up sharply, and through the blood mist and the afterglow of the angry flowers, he saw that familiar figure.

He was a towering man, clad in deep blue heavy armor, wielding a giant hammer, riding his horse into the cracked snowfield, like a hero from an ancient legend.

Duke Edmund, the Empire's strongest shield.

Behind him, hundreds of elite knights of the Cold Iron Legion followed closely, the ground rumbling like a mountain collapsing, each with a firm gaze and none showing any fear.

“Follow me charge!!!”

Upon hearing this, Leonard felt as if he had been struck by a heavy hammer.

He gritted his teeth, stood up from the ground, and despite his trembling hands and feet, he inexplicably raised his sword.

"Go! Keep up!!" he roared as he charged out, joining the surging torrent of iron.

Duke Edmund took a deep breath of the snowy wind; the cold seemed to freeze his heart, yet it also sharpened his mind to a razor's edge.

He raised his giant hammer high, his muscles beneath his armor taut like steel, and the knightly talent buried deep within his bloodline instantly boiled over.

"War Gravity, activate!!"

An invisible pulse rippled outwards like an earthquake.

The frost giants in front roared in unison, and the monsters that had been advancing in a scattered manner suddenly turned their heads as if being pulled, their eyes fixed on the man who was charging forward like a god.

The instincts of anger and resentment were all directed at Edmund alone.

The three frost giants roared and pounced, the snow cracked and the raging vines flew, like a colossal beast from the apocalypse.

Instead of slowing down, he accelerated his charge, his long hammer whipping up icy gusts of wind as it spun.

Three frost giants roared and charged forward, each ten meters tall, with raging vines writhing on their massive bodies, like apocalyptic monsters tearing through the sky.

Edmund, however, did not slow down at all. Instead, he suddenly spurred his horse, and the warhorse neighed and leaped forward, raising its warhammer high like a blizzard breaking through the air.

The frost giant at the forefront swung its giant vine axe, bringing down a bloody wind.

"Drink!" Edmund roared, his warhammer sweeping out horizontally.

The metal and wooden frame collided, causing the vibrations to crack!

He forcefully resisted the force of the axe, using the momentum of his charge to brush past it, and then slammed the hammer into the giant's knee joint.

"Crack!"

Its kneecap shattered, and it crashed into the snow with a pained howl, crushing several barbarian soldiers following behind into a bloody pulp.

Just as the second giant was about to strike, Edmund turned and leaped from the side, smashing his hammer into the joint between the giant's hamstring and waist.

That strike was as precise as a surgical operation, yet as deafening as a thunderclap.

The giant's entire side collapsed, emitting a shrill roar. After struggling for a few steps, it collapsed to the ground, its corpse rising like a collapsing mountain, kicking up a large cloud of snow dust.

The ground rumbled and trembled as a frost giant, five meters taller than its kind, appeared, wielding twin hammers made of giant rock and vine bones, its eyes burning with fury like flames.

It fixed its sights on Edmund and suddenly launched a charge!

"Come on," the Duke whispered, then abruptly dismounted and gripped the heavy hammer with both hands.

The giant king roared and brought down both hammers with the force of crushing a mountain.

Edmund growled and roared as his warhammer slammed into him head-on!

"boom!!"

The ground cracked and the snow shattered. A shockwave erupted from the center of the collision, overturning the surrounding barbarian soldiers and knights!

Edmund staggered back five steps, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, but his body remained as solid as a mountain!
Then he gritted his teeth and roared, leaping up and slamming his hammer down!
This time, it struck the giant king squarely in the groin!

"Boom!"

His thigh bone shattered, vines flew everywhere, and the giant king staggered as he was struck from the side again, forcing him to kneel on one knee!
Before it could catch its breath, Edmund spun his hammer through the air and crashed down on the lower edge of its neck!

"broken!"

The terrifying king fell heavily, its massive body crashing into the middle of the canyon.

The knights, witnessing this scene, seemed to see the hope of war ignited in the cold snow.

"For the Duke! For the North!!"

It's unclear who shouted it first, but the next moment it erupted like a volcano that had been suppressed for too long.

Tens of thousands of soldiers roared in unison, their furious voices piercing the clouds and splitting rocks, even the crimson mist seemed to be shaken apart for a moment.

The battle line advanced instantly.

The knights charged out like a torrent bursting its banks, their heavy armor crushing the snow, their iron hooves shattering the ice, and their various weapons tearing through the raging vines and flesh.

Edmund did not stop either. He personally wielded his hammer and charged into the enemy ranks, carving a bloody path like a god of war!
On the left and right flanks, the Silver Fang Army and the Broken Edge Army also emerged from the second line of defense, engaging in fierce fighting and tearing at the Vine Beasts, exchanging lives and blood for blood.

Encircled from three sides!

At this moment, the allied forces gained the upper hand.

Unfortunately, the good situation did not last long, and a sudden change occurred.

In an instant, the sky seemed to be torn apart by an angry giant hand, and the entire sky sank into an inky abyss.

A colossal shadow, over twenty meters tall, slowly rose. It was not a living being, but an existence born from anger itself.

Fury coiled around his bones, blood vines entwined his body, and raging flowers, like pulses, burst forth on his back and head, while lava-like red light seeped from within, illuminating the entire battlefield.

On the giant's shoulder, a figure stood, like a king judging all things.

He was clad in rattan armor, with a cloak of burning fury trailing behind him, and a crown of thorns writhing on his head like a blood-red crown. He seemed no longer a mortal, but a ruler who resonated with this land of fury.

Titus Frostfire.

He didn't say a word, but his anger had already begun to respond.

A crimson light poured down from the giant's body, sweeping across the entire battlefield like a burning tide of fury.

Every ray of light is a seed of anger.

The barbarian corpse trembled and writhed in fury, its skin cracked, its flesh swollen, and its tendons and bones twitching and twisting like ropes.

The raging vine burst forth from his chest, coiling around his limbs and broken bones, forming a raging vine devoid of will and only knowing how to tear apart, which lunged at the knights' defensive line that had not yet retreated!
Meanwhile, the remaining barbarian soldiers, those madmen already nearing their limits, completely lost control amidst the raging crimson light. Their muscles bulged, tearing through their armor, their teeth cracked into fangs, and liquefied red blood flowed from their eye sockets.

Fueled by rage, they howled like wild beasts, brandishing their heavy weapons, tearing through knights' shields and sending cavalry horses flying!
"Be careful!!!"

A centurion of the Silver Fang Army shouted, but before he could raise his shield to defend himself, he was knocked away head-on by a berserker. His heavily armored chest caved in, and his flesh and armor exploded together!
The Broken Blade Army's defensive line was breached by the Wrathful Vine Corpse Puppet, and two young knights stood back to back, desperately guarding the passage.

One man was dragged into a pile of corpses after his ankle was entangled by angry vines. Before he could even scream, the vines of the dead bit through his helmet, and blood spurted several feet!
The other man retreated in terror, his spear trembling, but was suddenly stabbed in the throat by a fallen comrade who rushed from behind. The comrade's eyes were empty; he was no longer human.

The battlefield was like a rift in hell.

Battle banners burned in the raging tide, and knights fled, fought, and roared amidst the corpses of their comrades.

Vines intertwined, flowers grew wildly, and a crimson mist swept over, almost suffocating people.

Just moments before despair threatened to erode morale, Duke Edmund stood firm as a mountain on the front lines.

His armor was stained crimson with blood, his giant hammer hung low, but his voice was powerful: "Silver Fang, Broken Edge, hold the flanks! Cold Iron Knights, follow me... to slay the King!"

If Titus is not defeated, the pulse of fury will pour down like rain, and the allied forces will be unable to resist!
Edmund understood this, so he had to kill the source first.

Thus, the strongest heavy armored knights in the North charged toward Titus.

The knights, in a cone formation, followed the Duke and charged in from the center, crashing into a death jungle woven from furious vines, walls of corpses, and pools of blood!
For every ten steps forward, a high-ranking knight would fall from his warhorse, become entangled in the red vines, and be dragged into the bloody mud.

But the sacrifice of one person will surely bring down dozens of barbarian soldiers.

Edmund charged ahead, followed closely by thirty-seven extraordinary knights, all of whom were warriors who had survived various bloody battles in the North.

The raging giant roared, shaking the sky, and swung all four arms, unleashing a storm of vine whips!
A young knight was instantly lifted into the air, his flesh and blood exploded, and his body was devoured by the raging flowers.

"Don't stop! Keep pushing forward!!" Edmund roared, his eyes bloodshot, and he was the first to break through the formation.

Then he suddenly roared, his fighting spirit exploded, and a blazing light was released from beneath his heavy armor.

"War Gravity!"

A powerful aura, heavy as the stars, suddenly erupted, and the massive head of the Wrathful Giant abruptly turned, its eyes, filled with furious rage, locking onto him.

The next moment, the giant roared and pounced!

“Drink aaaaaaa——!”

Edmund did not dodge at all; he spurred his warhorse and charged at full speed, meeting the enemy head-on!

"boom!!"

The heavy hammer collided head-on with the giant vine arm, and the blue battle aura around the body instantly ignited, distorting the air like boiling water!
With a loud cracking sound, the giant's entire arm shattered in the sonic boom!

Edmund leaped out using the momentum, like a shooting star streaking through the wisteria blossoms!

At this moment, the extraordinary knights behind them pressed forward, unleashing their respective bloodline talents!
"Flame Spirit Charges!"

A fiery spear struck the ground like thunder, piercing the giant's knee tendon and bursting forth with a spray of blood and charred vines!
"Wind Fang Six-Hit Combo!"

Two silver figures unleashed six wind blades in succession, slicing open the vine breastplate and revealing the blood-red core inside!

"Lightning Strike!"

On the other side, a rider galloped close in, wielding a heavy sword and thrusting it forward, piercing the core of the rage.

With a "crack," the entire blooming flower instantly collapsed!

The wrathful giant roared as it retreated, its body swaying precariously.

Even an old knight with a broken blade gritted his teeth and roared, igniting several magic explosive bombs at his waist.

He leaped up and charged into the depths of the giant's throat, his entire body burning with rage!

"boom!!"

Like a thunderbolt from the heavens, a mushroom cloud of fire exploded from the giant's throat, and the blazing light engulfed half of the field of vision!
The giant wailed and fell backward, its massive body crushing the angry garden like a mountain, petals flying and blood mist churning.

Titus's body, like a puppet with its strings cut, fell from the shoulder of the wrathful crowned giant and crashed heavily into the blood-stained snow in the center of the battlefield.

The dull thud seemed to shake the entire canyon, and crimson vines and shattered petals flew everywhere, like a bizarrely blooming funeral.

At that moment, everyone thought he was dead.

But the next second, the earth began to creak.

"……wrong!"

A knight was about to step forward to confirm when his eyes widened in shock.

The ground beneath Titus trembled as if alive, and fiery red vines spread from the cracks, pulsating like a heartbeat, bulging into a writhing platform of flesh and blood.

Chichichi——!!

Dozens of blood vines, hanging upside down, grew wildly from the ground, lifting the "corpse" high up!
This is not self-salvation, this is sacrifice!

Titus's body convulsed violently in mid-air, his helmet shattered, his eyeballs bursting from the raging flowers, and tendrils bursting out of his mouth and nose.

His body cracked and twisted, reassembling itself inch by inch. Vines pierced through his joints and tore his muscles, reshaping him into a bizarre being.

Titus's consciousness had long since been completely extinguished; this remaining body was merely a vessel controlled by his rage.

He is no longer Titus Frostfire.

Rather, it is the embodiment of the burning grief of Fujiwara!
He slowly opened his arms, and the furious vines spread across the battlefield like tentacles, a domain of flesh and blood quietly taking shape, and a new hell had begun.

The next instant, crimson mist erupted from his body like a raging torrent, engulfing the battlefield!
"Cover your mouth and nose! Quickly!!"

The knight shouted, but it was too late.

That was no ordinary crimson mist, but rather a concentrated rage released after burning countless drops of willpower and blood.

Even with a special mask and bitter medicine, they couldn't withstand the mental onslaught mixed with this rage.

It was a madness that seeped into the very marrow, a pollution that transcended the body and went straight to the soul!

"Ah ah ah ah ah!!"

A superhuman knight suddenly clutched his head and knelt down, his eyes bloodshot and tears streaming down his face. His armor was pierced by raging vines, and his eyes burned with fury. The next second, he swung his sword at his own teammate!
"We...cannot lose..."

Another Iron Knight gritted his teeth, his spear trembling, but he ultimately couldn't withstand the fury creeping in his ears. His reason was completely consumed, and he roared as he charged toward his comrades.

One by one.

Even the Duke of Edmund himself felt a heavy pressure creeping into his mind.

Is this a failure?

He felt an unprecedented sense of powerlessness, and his thoughts were quickly swallowed up by chaos.

But right now!
"boom!!!"

A deafening roar shattered the silence!
A gust of wind tore through the crimson mist.

It has a crisp, cool fragrance, like the scent of flowers and leaves in the early spring morning, which awakens the senses!

Edmund's consciousness seemed to be suddenly pulled back by a large hand.

He suddenly opened his eyes, breathing rapidly, his blood vessels throbbing violently.

"This smell...is...?"

He turned his head and saw a bright red flag fluttering in the wind on a high slope at one end of the canyon!
(End of this chapter)