The first ray of dawn over Profound Ice City pierced the cold mist of the Far North.
The scorch marks on the battlements had yet to fade, and laborers were hauling bricks and stones to rebuild the breaches layer by layer.
The corpses strewn across the ground were gathered and sorted, and the Human Race soldiers were laid to rest.
The eerie creatures' corpses were piled outside the city and burned, black smoke carrying pungent turbid qi into the distance.
Inside the city's Wounded Soldier Camp, the scent of medicine mingled with the stench of blood. Medical officers hurried back and forth, so busy their feet barely touched the ground.
After three days of desperate fighting, the surviving defenders could finally let their taut nerves relax.
Had Su Ming not arrived in time, this city—and every last one of them—would have become nothing but dry bones on the icefield.
Inside the Commander's Residence, Su Ming sat in the seat of honor, his fingertips tracing the Icefield Map on the desk.
On the map, the thousand miles north of Profound Ice City were still marked as territory controlled by the eerie creatures, their strongholds scattered like stars across a chessboard.
Behind him, Murong Xue wore a brand-new suit of silver armor. The arrow wound on her shoulder had been treated and bandaged, and she was reporting the battle's casualties in a somber voice.
"In this battle, over seven thousand three hundred defenders were killed, and over four thousand wounded. Civilian casualties within the city approached twenty thousand."
"Over twenty thousand eerie creatures were slain, mostly ordinary soldiers. They lost none at Emperor Tier or above."
Su Ming nodded slightly, tapping a spot deep in the Far North on the map.
"Their main force remains intact. They will certainly return."
"Our forces