Winter Lord: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 329 A Heavy Blow Against the Evil God

"Your subordinate is incompetent." Ferran, the commander of the Cold Iron Knights, knelt on one knee, cold sweat beading on his forehead, his face so gloomy it was almost dripping water.

The edges of his battle aura armor had not yet receded, indicating that he had just escaped from a dangerous environment.

"I've reached the end of the first stone step of the altar," he reported in a low voice. "Any further down, my will begins to blur and my senses become disordered. Even with my battle aura protecting me, it's difficult to maintain. If I force my way through, I might go mad."

The temporary camp fell silent for a moment.

Louis stood at the table, his gaze fixed on the coordinates circled in red on the map.

After a long silence, he sighed softly, his tone gentle rather than accusatory: "Don't blame yourself, you've done very well. It's very possible that even a peak knight might not be able to break through that mental blockade."

Ferran paused slightly, then looked up at Louis.

Since the fall of Duke Edmund, there has been no true peak powerhouse in the entire North.

Ferran is a high-ranking extraordinary knight, the most powerful individual in the entire Red Tide Territory, and even in the entire Northern Territory.

This investigation was specifically initiated by Louis, who transferred him back from the northern front lines to investigate the secrets of this strange altar.

As a result... they were stopped at the door.

In other words, no one in the entire northern part of the empire can currently decipher the truth of this ancient altar on their own.

“This is no longer an ordinary ruin.” Louis’s gaze was cold. “This is the altar of an evil god; we must strike hard!”

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone was stunned.

Louis, however, had already picked up his pen and written a line on the tactical briefing: Tactical level adjusted to: Combat verification of the third type of magic-powered high-explosive bomb.

…………

The wind and snow have not yet stopped, and the world is a single color.

The snow in the Ancient Abyss Canyon has been cleared to create a large, gentle slope platform. About 300 meters from the Snowfield Altar, a giant, black iron-colored device is slowly being put into place.

It was a steel beast that seemed to have been dragged out of hell.

Six heavily armored steel bulls, their necks as thick as stone pillars, exhaled white mist as they struggled to drag the heavy cart frame.

In the center of the gun carriage, a massive metal tube, as thick as a roof ridge, was prominently mounted.

Its entire body is as black and shiny as ink, wrapped with silver-white rune grooves and channeling channels, and shimmers with a barely perceptible magical light in the cold light.

The cannon barrel is made of molten iron, a metal that does not corrode for thousands of years and is resistant to high temperatures and energy backlash.

The craftsmen hammered and forged it in the steam engine furnace, making it as stable as a mountain.

The barrel is polished to a mirror finish to reduce friction loss and energy backlash during the firing of the magic explosive round.

This is a masterpiece created by Chichao Workshop after three years of secret research and development, showcasing the pinnacle of craftsmanship.

"A magic-explosive cannon barrel launcher... the only cannon in the world capable of withstanding third-generation magic-explosive shells." The man standing beside Louis had gleaming eyes, his voice trembling, "My child, he's finally about to speak for the first time!"

The person who said this was naturally Hilko.

He wore an inappropriate white trench coat, a frenzed smile that seemed out of place, and clasped his hands together in front of his chest, rubbing them back and forth as if what was about to happen was not an experiment, but a celebration.

Louis stood beside him, on a high point in the snowfield a few hundred meters away from the magic explosive bomb, watching the artillery crew complete the final calibration process.

He was backed by a whole line of knights forming a defensive line, and the security measures on site were meticulous.

It's not that I'm cowardly, it's just that a wise person doesn't stand under a crumbling wall.

Louis turned to Hilco and asked, "Are you sure it can break through that lower seal?"

“If even that doesn’t work…” Hilko grinned, “then I can only suggest the crazy ‘double-barreled’ solution!”

Louis did not respond, but only glanced down at the map, positions, and wind direction indicators on the command platform in front of him, and then glanced at the busy loading knights below.

That was an elite unit composed of specially trained magic-explosive knights from the Crimson Tide Knights.

The entire team initiated the sealing and filling procedure with the utmost precision.

Because this is not an ordinary weapon.

It is the ultimate result of three years of secret crafting by the Crimson Tide Territory, a monster jointly created by the Crimson Tide Workshop and the Mage Forest.

Red Tide's third-generation magic explosive bomb, magic energy high explosive bomb.

The projectile is over four meters long, dark blue in color, and has a spiral structure that serves both to resist pressure and to conduct heat.

The interior has a hollow double-cavity structure, with a heart made of "condensed energy crystal core" embedded in the core.

It was a black crystal containing distilled and compressed magical beast crystal liquid and magical energy extraction fluid.

Its activity is extremely high, and it is always pulsating slightly, like the heart of some kind of dormant organism that is on the verge of awakening.

The materials used are not ordinary; they are made from ten rare magical beast crystals from the Northern Territory, and the extraction ratio is extremely strict. The process is overseen by both the Red Tide Pharmaceutical Research Bureau and the workshop.

More importantly, the "magic rune core" that stabilizes the energy flow of the entire projectile cannot be completed independently by Red Tide alone.

That was Louis personally wrote a letter to consult the three great masters, Master Lin, and then the Red Tide Workshop reconstructed and adapted it.

The entire process was incredibly expensive, but in return, this magic bomb could theoretically release powerful shockwaves with precision and stability, creating a dual effect of a high-temperature shockwave and a magic energy oscillation layer at the detonation point.

In theory, it is enough to collapse a small mountain.

That's why a dedicated launcher is needed, a special loading and escort are required, and Hilko needs to be present on-site to ensure everything goes smoothly.

Moreover, only this one cannon in the whole world can withstand its roar.

"Activate the stabilization array!" the guard knight shouted.

Intertwined rune patterns appeared on the cannon barrel.

The knights, with perfect coordination, inserted the magic-explosive bullet into the cannon barrel, producing a clear "click" sound as the metal engaged.

The runes on the cannon barrel lit up, and the ground in the distance trembled slightly.

"Activate the cooling spool, lock the wind direction, adjust the elevation angle to 18 degrees, and activate the triple stabilization ring!"

"Loading complete!"

"Ready to launch!"

Rumble, rumble...

The magic explosion cannon barrel emitted a deep rumble like the roar of a wild beast, and the entire cannon body trembled and resonated, a sign that the mountains were about to be torn apart.

"Hahaha!! Launch it now!!"

Hilko nearly jumped up, staring wide-eyed at the monster he had created.

Louis simply stood there quietly, his gaze fixed on the white expanse where the altar was located.

He twitched his finger slightly, signaling the knight commander to give the order: "Fire."

At this moment, the snowfield stood still.

The next second, thunder shook the earth and flames soared into the sky.

A ball of blazing white demonic flame tore through the sky, streaking across the canyon like a meteor amidst roars and tremors, heading straight for the darkness that slumbered beneath the seal.

This strike is destined to be recorded in the history of this world.

"boom----!!!!"

The heavens and earth suddenly split open.

A blinding white light burst forth from the altar without warning, like the sun falling to earth, swallowing up all colors on the horizon.

Three seconds later, the shockwave, carrying with it an endless sea of ​​fire, scorching lava, and exploding gas clouds, suddenly expanded, like a giant beast roaring out, making people's eardrums ache and their hearts clench.

The entire Guyuan Canyon area, centered on the altar, was completely leveled within a radius of 100 meters.

The permafrost, as hard as steel, was blasted into millions of fragments. The intense heat instantly vaporized the snow, which condensed into a mushroom cloud of white mist that rose into the sky, churning violently in the wind and blotting out the sun. The area where the altar once stood has now collapsed into a massive crater spewing crimson lava.

The rock strata were burned through, and the surging magma from underground rolled out, flowing slowly along the fractured surface, like the first cracks in hell.

Countless fragments of stone, ice, and ancient bricks were blasted hundreds of meters away, creating an effect resembling a meteor shower.

On the observation high ground a few hundred meters away, more than a dozen Red Tide Knights were almost all knocked to the ground by the blast.

The artillery crew was thrown several meters away and crashed heavily into the snow. Their protective armor was deformed by the impact, and blood seeped from the corners of their mouths.

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!"

Hilko raised his hands high, his clothes fluttering, and spun around in the snow like a madman: "I did it!!! Did you see that, my lord!"

"This is no longer a bomb...this is the war cry of a god!"

He was almost in tears, his voice was trembling, and he felt as if he was about to ascend to heaven.

On the other side, Ferran, the commander of the Cold Iron Knights, stood on the half-ruined cliff top, staring intently at the place where the ancient altar once stood, remaining silent for a long time.

The ground collapsed nearly ten meters after the explosion, and the remaining snow, rocks, and broken rocks were all melted by the high heat.

Now only a scorched, burning wasteland remains, like a blank space erased by the gods.

"This shot... is beyond human capability to stop." He murmured, his voice so low it was almost swallowed by the wind and snow.

Ferran had witnessed the amazing performance of the Red Tide Magic Bomb on the battlefield during the Brood War, and knew that the Red Tide had a very strong Magic Bomb, so he thought he was already mentally prepared.

But as he watched the magma fissure in the scorched earth slowly collapse, like the gaping maw of a demon still panting, steam billowing up and obscuring the sky.

"But...who would have thought it had become this powerful?"

At that moment, a strange feeling suddenly arose in Ferran's heart.

It was a kind of... faint sense of loss.

He recalled his youth when he led his knights across the Frost Plains, crushing enemy forces with his fighting spirit on several occasions, becoming the steel blade of the North whom everyone looked up to.

But now?

This magic bomb can wipe out an enemy stronghold, a mountain, or even... a city without losing a single soldier.

What does this mean? It means that the main force in the war is no longer his knights.

"Perhaps... those glories I was once so proud of will truly be buried by history."

Ferran instinctively gripped the sword at his waist; the blade remained silent, as if it too sensed its master's bewilderment.

His throat bobbed slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he only sighed.

Louis, who caused all of this, remained unmoved, silently watching the still-burning crimson embers.

The high-frequency hum following the magical vibrations sounded like some kind of demon whispering incessantly.

This shot was truly astonishing.

Like the dragon flames in ancient legends, the forbidden arts that went out of control, or the golden feather flower oracle from three hundred years ago.

Louis didn't show much emotion, but only he knew that the excitement in his heart was almost breaking through his mask of restraint.

Louis certainly understood what this meant.

Even if the enemy is the Dragonblood Legion, if they are caught off guard, a single strike can uproot them, turning them into dust and charcoal, leaving not even ashes.

This was the trump card he had been dreaming of.

It is also the last trump card in the turbulent game of the Iron-Blooded Empire's future.

Despite his excitement, he knew clearly: "This power... should not be used lightly."

It must not be known, must not be understood, and must not fall into the hands of others.

It should only appear at the moment that "determines fate".

The snow continued to fall, and in the distance, embers of fire still burned on the scorched earth, wisps of white mist rising from them.

Louis slowly withdrew his gaze and turned to look at the silent technicians and knights standing in formation behind him: "What happened today must not be told to outsiders."

Before a reply could be received, a piercing and agonizing scream suddenly erupted from the depths of the leveled earth, piercing through layers of smoke.

"Ah ah ah ah ah!!!"

The voice was neither human, nor wild, nor demonic.

It was like an ancient shadow breaking free from its seal and roaring, or like a forgotten existence crying out its angry and painful last words in its final moments before death.

At that moment, the entire snowfield seemed to stand still.

Everyone felt their hearts tighten at the same time, their eardrums felt like they were being pierced by sharp needles, and a strange shiver spread from the soles of their feet to the back of their necks.

A young knight who was close to the epicenter turned deathly pale instantly. His knees buckled, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud. His face twitched, and he mumbled incessantly, as if he was still struggling to resist some kind of corrosive force.

"Circulate your battle qi!" Ferran shouted sharply, secretly circulating his own battle qi to steady his mind.

Everyone felt as if something was watching them for a moment.

It emerges from the earth not with the eyes, but with the weight of its very existence.

The next second, a plume of gray-black smoke rose silently from the cracks in the scorched earth.

The smoke writhed like a living creature, rising from the cracks in the ground and swirling in the air.

It seemed as if it was searching for something, or as if it was struggling to escape.

No one dared to utter a sound; they could only watch helplessly as the plume of smoke churned and twisted.

Finally, after emitting a piercing shriek like metal being cut in the air, it suddenly exploded into invisible dust, which dissipated with the wind.

As the last wisp of smoke dissipated, the eerie screams abruptly ceased.

Like something that has finally died completely.

"Everyone, evacuate the core area! Take the unconscious knight with you, move him carefully, and ensure there is no further contact!"

Louis's tone left no room for argument, and he quickly ordered the guards and knights present to retreat.

After a magical explosion powerful enough to shatter mountains and split the earth, the most dangerous thing is not the explosion itself, but the things that are not completely dead after the explosion.

"Once you've completely calmed down, we'll organize a second exploration."

However, before he could finish speaking, a faint, almost imperceptible wisp of purple smoke appeared deep within the charred ruins.

The wisp of purple mist meandered out silently, twisting and swirling in the air, as if it possessed a consciousness, evading everyone's sight.

The next moment, "Whoosh!"

It flew toward Louis at an incomprehensible speed!

Louis's pupils contracted sharply. Before he could defend himself, the purple mist had already silently entered his brow!

It felt like a cold bolt of lightning piercing my soul.

He shuddered, his feet swayed slightly, and his face turned as pale as paper in an instant.

No one noticed that everyone was still immersed in the shock and aftershocks of that cannon shot, discussing it animatedly, and no one was aware of this strange intrusion.

"Again?!"

This feeling... it's so familiar...

Just like the wisp of red mist that emanated from Titus's corpse and forcibly invaded his body, it came silently once again!
"They're so far away!"

Louis gritted his teeth, quickly closed his eyes and concentrated, activating the dual barriers of Primal Meditation and Tidal Breathing to seal his sea of ​​consciousness.

(End of this chapter)