Northlands in Grave Peril, Countless Monsters Attack!

The Northlands of the Dawn Kingdom.

A frigid wind carrying a foul stench swept across House Herick's defensive line. In the distance, raging flames lit the exhausted faces of the soldiers near the fortress.

The flames and smoke from the burning mountains and forests could not conceal the stench brought by the White Walkers, and everyone's expressions were somewhat twisted.

The chaotic roars and howls constantly assaulted the soldiers' minds.

Fortunately, those terrifying White Walkers still feared fire. Pressured by the burning mountains, they temporarily retreated, and the sounds seemed to be growing more distant.

"Countess!" Countess Lucina Herick walked along the castle wall as several soldiers hurriedly bowed in greeting.

Lucina Herick waved her hand, but everyone could see her exhaustion.

"Countess, you should be resting inside the castle!"

A burly adjutant quickly stepped before her and said worriedly, "You've already overexerted yourself fighting those White Walkers..."

"Bullshit! Even if another wave like that came, I'd still win!" Lucina snapped, cutting off the adjutant. This was not the time to talk about such things.

Perhaps because she had raised her voice too much, she could clearly feel the countless wounds beneath her armor throbbing faintly, with some of them even beginning to seep blood again.

"What a sorry state. I've never fought such a miserable battle in my life." Lucina looked around, tugging at the corner of her mouth. "Those brainless things are really hard to kill! No wonder most of the books in the family library are about dealing with these damned creatures!"

"You lured most of the White Walkers into the traps all by yourself. These wounds... this sorry state, they are all proof of your glory!" the adjutant said solemnly.

"Save your flattery. I'm not interested!" Lucina looked toward the sea of flames ahead. "This fire won't stop those monsters for long. How is the civilian evacuation going?"

"They've all been transferred to the rear, though getting them to Winterhold will take some time." The adjutant took a deep breath. "Also, word came from Winterhold. Their army is heading toward our Herick Castle."

"They're heading for Watcher's Wall, aren't they?" Lucina inhaled deeply. "We aren't the only ones in trouble now. We can't place our hopes on Winterhold."

"But we're facing the most White Walkers this time..."

"But we're the strongest! We are the wolves of the Northlands, Knight Bruno!" Lucina's tone was resolute. "I am the Wolf General of the Northlands, the Countess of Herick! This is what we must face!"

Time passed, second by second.

The forest outside Herick Castle, which had stood atop those ridges for who knew how many years, had been reduced to scorched earth.

Countless towering trees had burned to ashes.

Yet the rotten stench had not faded. Instead, it grew even stronger.

Around three hours after the open flames died out, those twisted, terrifying, nightmare-like monsters appeared in sight once more.

"Bring up the catapults!" Lucina shouted. "We need catapults to deal with monsters spread across such a wide area! You, go gather every mage at once. Prepare to activate the Battle Mage Tower!"

She knew the monsters were coming!

And they would only get faster!

Once they smelled the breath of the living within the fortress, they would go mad!

In fact, it was exactly as the information she had found in her ancestors' records described.

When they came within roughly three kilometers, the White Walkers swiftly changed from a muddled state to one of frenzy.

The terrifying monsters roared madly and charged toward them without fear of death!

Even more terrifyingly, some among the monsters could cast spells. Some had been transformed from the corpses of human mages, while others had once been magical beasts of the forest.

Those spellcasting White Walkers had already begun gathering energy, apparently preparing to hurl spells at them!

Perhaps this was the only good news they could see: White Walkers needed time to "chant" before casting spells as well!

Countless stones were hurled from the catapults.

With every volley, countless White Walkers were smashed to pieces. Yet before long, many of them would rise again and charge once more, as though they were truly immortal!

The Battle Mage Tower began firing wave after wave of magical beams.

Compared to the catapults, the magical beams were far more effective.

Most monsters struck by the beams seemed to die, unable to rise again... at the very least, these monsters could truly be killed.

The White Walkers' spells arrived!

The sturdy city walls actually began to corrode beneath the White Walkers' magic.

Walls that had been incomparably solid only moments ago now became as fragile as sand, crumbling in the wind. Even areas that had not been directly struck began to weaken.

"Pollution!"

The word instantly surfaced in Lucina's mind.

When enough White Walkers gathered together, they began polluting their surroundings.

She had great confidence in the thickness of her fortress. Even though this White Walker magic was highly corrosive, it would not be easy for it to corrode the entire castle. But it would still weaken the fortress, reduce its overall strength, and... affect the coming battle!

"Stop those spellcasters! Prepare to cast the Legion Spell!"

Lucina attacked the distant enemy with magic as she issued orders.

The Legion Spell was actually a special magic array that could link several War Mage Towers together, unleashing an attack far stronger than that of an individual War Mage Tower. It was an excellent choice against these long-range magical units.

However, once used, those War Mage Towers would likely be unusable for some time, their mana severely depleted.

But now was not the time to worry about that. They had to deal with those White Walker Mages as quickly as possible, or their castle would become incredibly fragile!

At her command, several mage towers nearby began radiating intense red light. Before long, the lights converged and shot straight into the sky.

Boom!

With a deafening blast, the beam that had shot into the heavens descended vertically from deep within the battlefield, instantly vaporizing every White Walker within its range.

The long-range attacks of the superhumans, the catapults, and weapons such as war ballistae ultimately ended this chaotic, brutal battle. The offensive formed by countless White Walkers was finally shattered...

But the panic in people's hearts was only beginning.

Watching the White Walker army vanish into the distance, Lucina walked steadily along the wall, though her expression had long since turned as cold as ice.

A massive breach had appeared in the sturdy fortress, and many soldiers on the castle walls had been polluted by the White Walkers... Once polluted, there was only one choice: burn them alive before they transformed into White Walkers!

What made her even more uneasy was that many mages in the War Mage Towers had been drained into shriveled husks. They would not be able to fight again for the next several months.

If another wave came... "Damn it! Could Watcher's Wall have collapsed?! What about the joint garrison?! What about the watchtowers?!"

Lucina could not help thinking that if something had truly gone terribly wrong at Watcher's Wall, then this was only the beginning... For now, she could only hope the problem was not too serious, or that there had merely been a lapse somewhere...

After a long while, Knight Bruno came to Lucina's side. "My lady, the casualty report is ready. Please review it!"

Lucina nodded slightly and took the report with a heavy heart.

Watcher's Wall had stood here for a thousand years, causing many people to forget what White Walkers were, and even how to fight them... This battle had not been won easily. In fact, the cost was almost glaring.

"Take it away. Follow the rules and provide compensation to the families of the fallen." Lucina irritably pushed the report back. "Determine whether the wounded have been polluted. If they have, then..."

She did not continue, because she knew Knight Bruno understood what she meant.

But before she could finish speaking, another unsettling sound came from the distant valley.

How could they be back so quickly?!

Lucina's face darkened, filled with disbelief.

The family records stated that they needed at least several days to regroup. How could they possibly return this quickly?!

It was as if... someone was controlling these White Walkers... No! How could that be possible? What intelligent creature in this world could control these monsters?! Absolutely impossible!!! Every living being was their target!