Charging the Tower with Your Bare Body

"Salayan, just say what you have to say. You're not cut out for flattery, you know that?"

"Wasn't I telling you to go and consolidate the liberated areas? What brings you here?"

"Is there a problem at the front?"

The middle-aged high-ranking knight with a thick beard shrugged indifferently.

"Your Queen. I have just received news that the southern states, which are still resisting, seem to have formed an alliance against Freljord..."

Subsequently, Salayan, as Anixid's most trusted second-in-command, also demonstrated the keen intuition of a seasoned veteran of the battlefield.

"They are consolidating their forces, and it won't be long before they take advantage of our unstable foothold to launch a fierce attack on the Knights."

"The opposing side has a large number of people, and I've heard they've even created several legendary magical weapons..."

"I think we need to make some preparations in advance..."

Anixid rose from behind the desk and strolled to the map showing the intertwined power of the southern states. She narrowed her eyes as she looked at Freljord, which only controlled a third of the territory.

"Concentrate superior forces, utilize mobile warfare, and defeat them one by one. How confident are you...?"

Salayan helplessly shrugged, then sighed deeply with a worried expression.

"My Queen, you're putting me in a difficult position..."

"Our Knights Order is strictly disciplined; we forbid forced conscription, looting, and disturbing the peace. We may have the prestige, but..."

The middle-aged knight habitually stroked his chin, plucked a whisker, and felt a brief thrill from the slight sting on his skin, which made his tone lower.

"I have no hope for understanding people's hearts. Whoever wins, these peasants who are used to being enslaved will side with them. Trying to reason with them or appeal to their emotions is useless!"

"Besides, unlike the well-preserved rear area that the Knights have painstakingly built, this is just a mess we left after driving those lords out of the castle..."

"Forget about getting any support from here, the Knights will have to subsidize their manpower and food supplies."

"During all those years I worked as a mercenary in the tavern, I never did anything this arduous."

Anixid remained noncommittal to Salayan's complaints, her gaze turning deep as she turned away.

"This isn't a one-off deal like when you were a mercenary. We need to be willing to pay the price to sever the roots of these old landowning nobles..."

Salayan instinctively plucked a whisker, feeling a stinging yet pleasant sensation. Just as he was about to release his grip by two fingers, he heard Anixid's cold snort.

"Let's get down to business! What kind of bad habits have you developed!"

"If you dare to throw your beard into my tent again, believe me, I'll make you lick the entire carpet!"

The seasoned veteran of the battlefield gave an embarrassed smile, reached out and placed the evidence outside the curtain, obediently stopping his scheming.

Seeing this, Anixid's tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly, and she rolled her eyes and snorted softly.

"Stop beating around the bush, you old fox, just tell me what plan you've come up with..."

Having worked together for so long, she knew this former subordinate inside and out.

If the situation is really as urgent as Salayan claims, the fact that he can talk back to her so calmly means he must already have a strategy in mind.

Salayan gave his old boss a thumbs-up, a confident smile appearing on his face.

"Your Her Majesty the Queen, we can't just feed people for nothing, can we?"

"Winter is almost here, those northern barbarians in Tydamir..."

After a moment's thought, Anixid suddenly realized something.

"Tydamir, are you referring to the Barbarian Tai Snaife? The former is a tribal title; in the south, we should use the latter, his formal name..."

Salayan shrugged indifferently, showing little interest in the barbarian king.

"Names don't matter. The important thing is that winter is coming, and they have nowhere to hunt. The weather in the North is getting more and more extreme every year..."

"If it weren't for our blood transfusion, these northern barbarians would be forced to gnaw on tree bark..."

"Besides, since they're so free, why don't we have Tai... Snaif bring men to the front lines to provide support..."

Anixid shook her head slightly, disagreeing with Salayan's idea.

They had just stabilized the entire north through a combination of measures including the supply of goods, trade, and marriage alliances.

If Snaif were to lead the barbarians south, it's hard to say whether that hot-tempered barbarian would be willing to take orders from a woman.

In those years, the barbarians' infamous reputation for frightening children in the south would likely have cast a shadow over the Kingdom of Freljord's reputation for justice.

If things go wrong, it could give the southern states a pretext to unite against her, inciting more ignorant people to rebel.

Besides, if those barbarians see the wonderful world in the south and are unwilling to return to the harsh living conditions in the north, it would truly be a case of overreaching themselves.

After listening to Anixid's analysis, Salayan did not give up, but instead pondered intently with a burning gaze.

"Your Her Majesty the Queen, what about Winter Fortress?"

"As long as we can form an alliance with that Grand Duke of the North, I guarantee that no matter how many cowards the Southern Allied Forces send, they will all die!"

Anixid frowned and raised her hand to interrupt her old subordinate's persuasion.

"Enough! Freljord doesn't need any form of aid. You, Salayan, are scared out of your wits by such a small population in the Southern Confederation?"

However, the middle-aged knight's gaze was stern, and his expression was serious.

"Your Her Majesty the Queen! How much of the supplies we give to the barbarians and Winter Fortress each year are squeezed from the teeth of our knights? Ask yourself that question!"

"Does that mean their lives are lives, but ours aren't?"

Anixid was equally unyielding, raising an eyebrow and slamming her fist on the table, her expression icy.

"Would you like to sit in my seat?"

Salayan's momentum immediately vanished. He stiffened his neck, unsure of what to say, and could only close his eyes in Affliction and try to appeal to people's emotions.

"Your Her Majesty the Queen, the people we built from scratch in this old place are hardly the same faces left."

"If this continues, I really won't have the face to see the elderly, women, and children who are waiting for their fathers and brothers to come home."

Anixid a deep breath, suppressing her inner turmoil, her tone cold and hard, tinged with a hint of helplessness.

"Forget it, a war fought by Southerners should be decided by Southerners."

"In short, not a single soldier in the North should be moved."

"As for the reason, you'll understand later..."

"Salayan, if you're willing to trust me as before, go and prepare..."

"If you want to leave, I won't stop you..."

Salayan's chest heaved violently several times, then his tightly closed eyes slowly opened, his voice low and somber.

"Your Her Majesty the Queen, I believe in you, I always have..."

This old subordinate, who was both a mentor and a friend, walked out of the military tent with heavy steps.

Anixid her sword and angrily chopped off a corner of the table, then threw the blade toward a corner of the northern border on the map.

Then, the Queen of the Southern Border lifted the cushion on the table, revealing a circular array composed of several purple runes. After hesitating for a while, she inputted magic power to activate it.

Anixid let out a long sigh, her expression somewhat dejected.

"Teacher, I'm feeling lost and hope to get your guidance..."

P. S.: The character development in some parts of the Super God Academy is too simplistic, so I'm going to fill in the gaps in the world-building.

Chapter 983, Section 1027: Charging Through the Tower with Physical Body

The Frostguard City, underground.

"Boom!"

Amidst the booming of the frozen earth, Kevin and his companions once again repelled many monsters that emerged from the ice caves.

However, the underground ice caves were intricate and complex, and the deeper the group went, the more confused they became, with their concepts of space and time becoming slightly blurred.

Despite repeated explorations, they were unable to find the path to the true source of the disaster.

During her brief respite, Hela frowned and beckoned to Kevin. A gentle tap on the ice to the side she pointed to produced a dull, hollow echo.

Their eyes met, and each summoned their weapon, carefully inserting it into the ice and rotating it. As the ice loosened, a dark opening was revealed on the inside.

No, it's not simply darkness...

As the group zoomed in, they discovered that the ice inside the cave was the color of dark ink, with strange, gaseous energy floating within it, resembling smoke.

"Buzz!"

As everyone stepped inside, a chilling tremor emanated from the deep darkness ahead.

Hmph! Playing tricks! I've killed countless gods, both named and documented, who do you think you are?

Kevin locked onto the tangible black shadow deep within his field of vision, a sinister smile playing on his lips. At the same time, he lightly wiped the spine of his sword, causing the runes on the 11th Holy Relic to emit a milky white light.

Immediately, swords of energy, Ruo Shui, were generated and transformed through energy, and driven by their master's thoughts, shot out suddenly.

Amidst a piercing whistling sound, a burst of white and black light erupted at the end of the passageway. The sound of staggering footsteps as they retreated immediately lifted the spirits of the previously anxious crowd.

It's human!

Sejuani's eyes gleamed with an icy blue light. When she saw the normal human silhouette in the darkness, her urgent desire for answers made the Grand Duke of the North take the lead and step forward.

However, this fellow human lurking in the darkness was not friendly, and he hurled three black frost spears at her.

Sejuani wielded her flail, knocking away spears one by one, which then embedded themselves in the ice on either side of the passageway.

As soon as the Frostclaw Knight followed, the strange runes that appeared on the tips of the three spear shafts suddenly lit up.

The black ice spear immediately exploded, sending tiny, sharp shards of ice shooting out in all directions.

Just as the group, who were clearly ambushed, felt a sudden jolt in their hearts, the friendly hero units, positioned in a triangular formation at the front and rear landing points, each had an energy barrier of a different color lit up around them.

The clanging and banging continued outside, but no piece of black ice could break through the defenses. The Frostclaw Cavalry, who had been rescued time and again, breathed a sigh of relief and looked grateful.

"Bang!"

Kevin shattered the last piece of black ice, inserted the 11th Holy Relic into the ice layer, leaned on his sword with both hands, and looked ahead with a cold and stern gaze.

Okay, protecting the minion wave as it pushes into the tower is the hero unit's responsibility, so the next step is to charge into the tower head-on.

The man at the head of the group stamped his foot and charged forward, causing a burst of white light to erupt around him, dispelling the surrounding darkness.

This made his figure resemble a holy knight from the legends of the Church of Light, exuding a sacred and majestic aura.

"Get out of my way, you ants!"

Amidst the interplay of light and shadow, the somber woman, clad in a wide mage's robe and wearing a flat-brimmed hat, let out a high-pitched and shrill roar, unleashing two rings of frost with a wave of her hand.

However, the 11th Holy Relic was unstoppable, and its terrifying power shattered the Frost Ring surrounding Kevin.

A powerful burst of sword energy shot out, accompanied by a series of soft thuds. At the same time, one of the sword pierced through the black-clad female mage's left shoulder.

The woman staggered backward, and in terror, she raised her right hand, a claw formed from black ice, and slapped at Kevin.

But as soon as the black-clad female mage made her move, Kevin swung his arm and unleashed the 11th Holy Relic.

With a sharp sonic boom, the formed Frost Claw shattered, and then the greatsword plunged straight into the woman's abdomen, pinning her to the ice wall behind her.

"Cough cough, what's wrong with me? My head hurts so much..."

"You have the Ice Bloodline? Quick... quick, get out of here! They're coming soon!"

The female sorceress in black looked up and vomited a mouthful of blood. As if waking from a dream, a mixture of confusion, Affliction, fear, and anxiety appeared on her face.

However, a slender finger suddenly shot out and mercilessly gripped her neck, the voice low and contemptuous.

"What the hell are you pretending for! Do you really think I'm like those idiots behind you who were persuaded, believing your nonsense?"

Kevin's sharp tone caused Sejuani and the other natives, who had shown some hesitation, to blush and look embarrassed.

Judging from the reaction just now, this black-clad female mage with the cat here is not only ruthless but also quick-witted, showing no signs of being mind-controlled.

Now that they've been caught red-handed, they're trying to play the emotional card and get away with it.

In a sense, Kevin and his two companions were all cunning fox spirits with millennia of experience; how could they possibly be fooled by this woman's clumsy acting?

At most, only the straightforward people from the Three Northern Tribes would be fooled by emotions.

"Puff!"