Man on the ark, forced to become king

Standing amidst the howling wind and snow, Bozokast felt as if he had returned to that battlefield, back to the days when he traversed the battlefield.

The difference is that this time he has mastered new power.

He is the Forge Knight, Bodrokastie.

"The Many Facets of the Crucible"

The sounds behind were drowned out by a buzzing noise and became indistinct. A dazzling golden light suddenly burst forth from the tall figure, and the armor underwent subtle changes as a result.

A pair of enormous golden wings, several meters long, unfurled from Wendigo's back, lifting his heavy body into the air.

The Wings of the Furnace!

This is the initial life force of the Golden Tree, one of the hundred aspects of the Forge. It comes from the borderlands, the prayer of the ancient Golden Tree, and is the power controlled by the Forge Knights.

boom! ! !

Light, endless light, as if a sun had fallen here. A violent shockwave erupted along with the radiance, sweeping everything away like a raging storm, scattering the snow and crushing the rocks.

Wendigo, wielding a tree spear, descended from the sky. The power of the Furnace Prayer was unleashed in its entirety, and pure destruction tore the Originium Bug's sturdy carapace to shreds. The exploding slime was dissolved in intense golden light before it could spread.

When the light faded, the enormous Originium Bug, as big as a small mountain, had vanished. Only the slime and fragments remaining in the soil could be seen as evidence of its existence.

"Yelena, what do you intend to do?"

The towering Wendigo emerged from the crater of the explosion, stepping onto the ravaged ruins. His helmet-covered head turned slightly, and a fierce aura swept across the surroundings, causing the miners who had just recovered to tremble and lower their heads, not daring to meet his gaze. Even the Ursus soldiers mixed in with the crowd cowered and hid behind the group, not daring to utter a single word.

They didn't have the courage to be presumptuous in front of such a powerful figure.

We originally intended to—

Yelena was stunned for a moment, and was about to explain the Reunion Movement's plans in this mine when a glimmer of light suddenly fell from the void, turning into a small leaf that landed in her palm. Talulah's message, which she had left in the leaf, entered her heart as the leaf dissipated.

“We originally planned to take over this place, but this natural disaster came too strangely and suddenly. We can no longer stay here. Talulah arranged for the Shield Guards to lead the main force to transfer first. She and the Yetis are rushing over here, preparing to lead the miners here to escape. We don’t have much time. The Ursus army will definitely blockade this area.”

"That's fine."

Upon hearing this, Bozokast looked up at the sky. The dark clouds gathered on the sky had become thicker, making the light dim, as if it were about to fall into night.

Within the swirling vortex, silent flashes of electricity flickered, relentlessly releasing awe-inspiring and destructive pressure.

This was indeed a bizarre natural disaster, arriving without warning and possessing immense power. Such a disaster, capable of completely destroying an entire region, is rare in historical records. "Large-scale natural disaster" is insufficient to describe it; perhaps "super-large" or "giant" would be more accurate.

Faced with a disaster of this scale, regardless of the purpose of the army group that has penetrated deep into the ice field, it will inevitably stop its ongoing mission and instead assess and seal off the area where the natural disaster is about to strike, in accordance with the emergency plan.

When he served in the Ursus army, Bozokastie had led his men to do similar things and was very familiar with the process.

It's impossible to leave it unattended.

While natural disasters bring destruction, they also bring abundant mineral resources. The energy concentrated in the disaster will condense into a large amount of Originium crystals after the disaster ends. Given the scale of this disaster, the mines that will be formed afterward will be enough to be mined continuously for several years or even more than ten years.

Moreover, while the destructive power of natural disasters is often described as being able to destroy everything, that is actually inaccurate. This is because no matter what form a natural disaster is, such as an earthquake, meteorite, storm, or any other disaster, it is impossible for it to indiscriminately destroy the land within its coverage area; there will always be loopholes.

If some creatures in the disaster-stricken areas are lucky enough to escape destruction, they may mutate into more powerful infected creatures under the catalysis of high concentrations of Originium radiation. After the disaster ends, the beasts in the surrounding areas will also be attracted by the Originium and may also mutate.

If left unattended, those monsters will scatter into the wilderness, threatening scattered towns and villages and causing great trouble.

Therefore, regardless of the scale, it is necessary to send troops to seal off the disaster-stricken area.

Furthermore, the army groups deployed across the ice plains should have already begun to establish a preliminary blockade of the surrounding area. They do not need any additional orders; they know exactly what to do and when to do it. The discipline and crisis management capabilities of the Empire's most elite legions are far superior to those of ordinary patrols and garrisons.

"Yelena, gather them together and follow me. I will lead you away from here."

However, even knowing that the place would soon be sealed off, Bozokasti was not afraid and still planned to leave with the infected according to Talulah's idea.

Not only could Talulah not ignore the thousands of miners gathered in the mine, but he also could not turn a blind eye to it.

After leaving Ursus's army, fighting for the infected and the oppressed became his motivation to continue fighting. Bozocasti could not turn a blind eye to the lives of thousands of people.

He will lead everyone away, even if the elite army of the Empire stands in his way.

—The premise is that these people are willing to follow him and obey his commands.

Unlike Talulah, Borocasti is never one to indiscriminately extend kindness. The saying "God helps those who help themselves" applies here as well. He will only protect his followers and will not blindly care about the lives of others.

There are many miners, and some will always have different ideas. Whatever their purpose, he won't interfere with those who are unwilling to leave. People should always pay the price for their choices.

As he expected, after Yelena went to great lengths to intimidate the miners and gather them together, only about two-thirds of them chose to leave with her. The rest had their own agendas and were not prepared to do so.

Yelena hesitated for a moment, but Botswana had no intention of wasting any more words. After glancing at the crowd gathered around her, she took a step and walked to the front of the line.

"We're leaving."

As he spoke, he strode forward, leaving everyone with a broad silhouette.

The infected miners looked at each other and followed behind. They didn't know what was about to happen, but the figure walking at the front gave them a strange sense of courage and security.

Yelena followed behind the group, watching the tall and imposing figure move forward step by step, her eyes seemingly sparkling.

She felt that her father seemed different after returning this time. He had lost some of the weariness of old age. If he used to be a reassuring shield that could protect people from all storms, now he was like a sharp spear that seemed to pierce through all obstacles, and his actions were decisive and efficient.

Chapter 227 A Lone Charge

'Faster, faster!'

The team, clad in snow camouflage cloaks, sped across the snowfield, kicking up a trail of snow mist.

Normally, this would be a very unwise move, as the marks left on the snow by high-speed travel do not disappear immediately and could easily provide clues for the enemy to track.

But Talulah couldn't care less about that now. On their way from the ambush point to the mining area, they had already discovered traces of Ursus army activity. It was obvious that the army group roaming the ice plains had discovered the Scourge's anomalies and started to move. Before long, this area would be completely sealed off by the army group, and the difficulty of leaving would skyrocket.

Therefore, she had to get there as quickly as possible to take away the infected people in the mining area, as well as Yelena.

She was even considering the worst-case scenario: if things really couldn't be saved, she would at least do everything she could to rescue as many people as possible. In the worst-case scenario, Yelena had to be rescued.

Although the infected all believe that she is the soul of Reunion and the core of the entire organization, Yelena's existence is equally important in Reunion. After Bozokasti's death, Yelena became the link between Yetis, Shield Guardians and Reunion. If she were to die here, Reunion, which had just begun to show some signs of improvement, would not only fall apart, but would also suffer serious internal rifts.

Furthermore, from a personal perspective, Talulah also considers Yelena a very important friend.

People are always selfish, and even though thinking this way is somewhat inappropriate, Talulah cannot deny that if she had to choose between an ordinary infected person and Yelena, she would definitely choose Yelena. Ultimately, absolute fairness is impossible.

"That's in front..."

Suddenly, the Yeti, who was following at the back, paused slightly, and the rushing group stopped at that moment. Everyone saw the figure that was faintly visible in the snowstorm in the distance, as well as the tall figure standing at the front, with dark gold full-body armor that seemed to emit a faint light under the dim sky.

"Big Uncle?!"

"Mr. Patriot?"

After a moment's thought, both Talulah and the Yetis recognized the figure. The Yetis even rubbed their eyes in unison, unable to believe what they were seeing.

How could someone who has already died reappear here?

Actually, the Yetis and the Shield Guards didn't entirely believe Yelena's claim that they could see Bozokasti again if they went to Chernobog; the idea of ​​someone coming back from the dead was simply too far-fetched.

But after the death of Bozokasti, who had been their leader, Yelena, as his daughter, naturally became the new leader of everyone, and no one wanted to expose her words, even if they were likely unrealistic fantasies.

But now, the delusion has actually come true?

They didn't go to Chernobog, but instead met their deceased leader again here. As for admitting their mistake... that was impossible. Bozokasti had left too deep an impression on them. Every move he made was highly recognizable, and they could tell him apart without even seeing his true face under the armor.

Without a doubt, that is Bozokasti.

"Let's go there!"

Compared to the Yetis who were stunned into silence, Talulah was much calmer, only momentarily lost in thought before recovering.

She had met Bozokasti back in the Great Golden Tree and even had a conversation with him, so she already knew about his resurrection. Her surprise at this moment was simply because she couldn't understand why they would meet again here.

Didn't they say that Mr. Patriot can't return to their team for the time being?

With this question in mind, Talulah quickened her pace and approached, and the Yetis hurriedly followed.

"No time to explain, catch up with the group."

However, before they could get close, Bozokasti's voice came through the wind and snow.

Wendigo, clad in dark gold armor and wielding a tree spear, led the procession, with Yelena beside him. Behind them were hundreds of infected, supporting each other as they made their way through the snow. The procession appeared somewhat chaotic, but they moved at a considerable pace. Driven by their will to survive, the weakened infected used all their strength.

Upon seeing the Yeti team and Talulah rushing towards them, Borocasti did not hesitate and continued forward, his agility far surpassing that of the past.

"Mr. Patriot, what brings you here?"

The two teams quickly met up halfway, and the number of people at the front increased from two to three. The Yetis had a lot to say and a lot to ask, but they knew it wasn't the time to talk, so they consciously dispersed among the infected to maintain order as the team moved forward.

Only Talulah followed beside the tall Wendigo, asking in a low voice.

"The leader has allowed me to come here. We'll explain more things after things settle down. Right now, we need to break through the army's lines."

Bozokasti shook his head, offering no further explanation, as there was no time for that now.

The arrival of Talulah and the Yeti gave him a small sense of relief. With their combat strength replenished, breaking through the blockade would be less difficult. However, he still could not let his guard down.

No one knew better than him what kind of combat power the Ursus army group possessed, and that it would not be easy to cross their lines.

“When we arrived, we discovered signs of the army group’s activities. They should already be surveying this area. It will probably take some time to establish an encirclement. With you here, it shouldn’t be difficult for us to leave.”

Marching on snow is not easy. Even the elite troops of Ursus are still limited by the snowy environment. Moreover, the transmission of intelligence takes time, so it is impossible to complete the blockade of the Scourge area so quickly.

Talulah had anticipated that they would encounter an interception when they left, which would be difficult for just the few of them. However, with the addition of Bozokasti, a high-level combatant, they would probably be able to break through directly.

"Don't underestimate the Imperial Army's mobility. They have expanded the Empire's territory and defeated countless powerful enemies. The patrols you've encountered are far inferior to them."

Bozokas quickened his pace and gave a deep, reassuring remark.

In his eyes, Talulah and Yelena were still children who hadn't seen much of the world. Confined to the vast ice plains, their world was limited to what they could see. They couldn't comprehend just how powerful the Ursus Empire's army, which it was so proud of and which fought against other nations, truly was.