Glacier Destruction Battle (End)

"On Amanata."

"That was simply a natural disaster."

Inside the temporary stronghold of the Embers of the Burned Kingdom, Earl Trischka stared in disbelief.

"The Everfrost Tribe has been wiped out just like that. From now on, there will be no more Frost Scourge."

Trischka couldn't help but mutter to himself.

He gazed at the dark clouds in the distance that blocked out the sunlight and covered half of the Vahalla Glacier, and listened to the roar of thunder in his ears. His voice trembled, a rare occurrence for him.

"Boom!"

Another thunderclap resounded, and even though they were nearly thirty kilometers away, people could still feel the terrifying power of the Vengeful Storm. The intense magical fluctuations even washed over everyone's faces.

The old scholar Morr took out a handkerchief, wiped the cold sweat from his brow, and muttered under his breath:

"This, this is also a good thing."

"I thought this Frost Scourge would result in countless deaths and injuries, but now it's all good. The Dragon Lord of the Embers of the Burned Kingdom has even dealt with the root cause."

Yelina wiped her pale cheeks and forced a reply:

"Yes, the Frost Scourge was resolved just like that. With the help of that Red Dragon, our Bosque Duchy didn't even have to contribute any manpower or resources. It's a win-win situation for everyone."

But Trischka stared at the sky in silence, his face clouded with gloom, and only slowly spoke after a long silence.

"Ninth Circle Spell".

"At least Ninth Circle Spell, or even higher."

He turned to look at Morr, his expression extremely grave, and asked in a deep voice, "Morr, do you know what this means?"

No, I don't know.

Morr's forehead broke out in a cold sweat again.

Trischka's tone grew increasingly heavy, and even his voice became more hurried:

"This means that the Red Dragon could easily destroy our city, or even our entire country, and that's Ninth Circle Spell!"

"I once personally witnessed the legendary Court Mage of the Fadlan Kingdom cast Ninth Circle Spell. Meteors fell from the sky, and in just a few breaths, the rebellion of tens of thousands of people was quelled. The unknown spell cast by this Red Dragon is even more terrifying than that fluctuation."

By the end, his voice was trembling slightly.

Trischka sighed softly and lowered his eyes, but the image of the surging storm lingered in his mind.

Grand Duke Leo sent him here to investigate the situation, mediate between various parties, and win the greatest benefit for the Bosque Duchy in this war.

The ideal scenario envisions is a stalemate between the Embers of the Burned Kingdom and the Everfrost Tribe, a protracted and fierce battle. In this case, the Bosque Duchy could use the guise of "allies" to weaken the Embers of the Burned Kingdom, then seize an opportunity to deliver a fatal blow, eradicating both monstrous forces and maintaining order in the the North to the greatest extent possible. At the very least, it would severely weaken the burgeoning Embers of the Burned Kingdom, leaving it unable to focus on the south.

But both he and Grand Duke Leo underestimated the Red Dragon's strength.

They never imagined that this Red Dragon would end the battle in just a few days, eliminating the Everfrost Tribe —a Frost Scourge that had plagued the Northern Kingdom for nearly a thousand years—in one fell swoop, and even chasing them to their homeland, the Vahalla Glacier, where they wiped out the Frost Giant.

"We've lost the initiative. The Embers of the Burned Kingdom has become a behemoth that we can't handle. We must inform the Duke of this as soon as possible. Our Bosque Duchy cannot afford to lose."

"Unless an external force intervenes, we can only wait for the the North to be swallowed up by the Red Dragon."

This is what Trischka thought to himself.

A sour feeling rose in his throat; he wanted to say something, but couldn't utter a word.

"Military advisors, this war is over. Do you have any further insights?"

A strange voice interrupted Trischka's thoughts.

Everyone turned around at once, and it turned out to be Mezhuolash, the leader of the Tiefling Kingdom of the Embers of the Burned Kingdom.

This sworn Paladin is also considered a high-risk individual within the Bosque Duchy. He is widely known for his ability to Control Undead and is called "Hand of the Evil Spirit" by the people of the the North kingdoms. Legend has it that he is a terrifying being who sacrifices hundreds of living people every day, turning them into living corpses.

However, Trischka did not readily believe such rumors. At least the "Hand of the Evil Spirit" appeared quite polite and dignified, unlike the villains in the stories who were filled with hatred for the living. It was just that his pure black eyes were somewhat chilling.

Trischka bowed slightly and replied politely, "His Your Majesty Keosius's power is awe-inspiring. It was a completely crushing battle. What can we insignificant people say?"

"I have only a few words to say—congratulations, the Embers of the Burned Kingdom has achieved a complete victory. The Frost Scourge that has threatened the the North for nearly a thousand years has been resolved by you. The entire Anzeta will cheer for this, and on behalf of His Majesty the Duke, I extend my highest respect to you."

Mezhuolash smiled and shook her head, saying:

"You should know that this is not what the master wants to hear."

Trischka's expression froze, and a helpless, bitter smile appeared on his face.

"I will report the situation here truthfully to His Excellency the Duke. From now on, we should cease our underground operations against the Embers of the Burned Kingdom, accept your compensation treaty, and only hope that you can maintain the most basic peace."

Mezhuolash listened to Trischka's pleading words and nodded in satisfaction.

He finally spoke again, a devilish smile on his face.

"My respected master thinks the same way. He hopes we can reach a consensus and does not want to get involved in meaningless disputes."

"I hope you can understand that our Embers of the Burned Kingdom is not a country that plunders indiscriminately and does not value production. At least before we have digested the legacy of the Lakman Duchy and the Norton Duchy, we have no intention of starting a full-scale war."

Tiefling paused, a threatening glint in his dark eyes.

"Of course, if any country wants to try, we don't mind being a little greedy."

Trischka let out a long sigh, a forced smile appearing on his pale face, and extended his hand.

"Of course, peace is a consensus among all nations of order, and we in Bosque are no exception."

Two hands of different colors clasped together.

"' Frost Scourge ' is nothing compared to a true natural disaster; the harsh winter that lasted for millennia caused it no trouble whatsoever. On that day, a terrible Vengeful Storm swept across the entire Vahalla Glacier, completely wiping out the Frost Giant civilization that had lasted for thousands of years, and the surviving Frost Giant became slaves of the empire."

"He once again demonstrated his catastrophic power to all of Anzeta. With the easy annihilation of the Everfrost Tribe, the ' Frost Scourge ' was no more, replaced by the even more terrifying ' Dragon Scourge,' and the entire the North trembled under His wings."

Some scholars believe that the "Winter's Fall Battle" objectively eliminated the Frost Scourge that had plagued the the North for thousands of years, and thus had some positive significance. However, I have always believed that we should not regard the perpetrators as heroes because of their occasional good deeds, as that would be disrespectful to the countless righteous people who bravely sacrificed themselves.

"While the ' Frost Scourge ' certainly brought immense disaster to the people of the the North, the dragon's rule completely overturned the sacred order of the the North and ruthlessly destroyed the justice of Anzeta. This was undoubtedly a more profound and widespread catastrophe."

—Duke Luton, * The Anzeta Chronicle: The Winter's Fall Battle *