Chapter 172: Frost Giants and Vassals
Gold-Fang sensed the escalating danger and immediately opened his mouth.
[Fireball]
Gold-Fang was no ordinary kobold in the Ember Kingdom. As a seasoned kobold sorcerer, he had mastered the magic within his bloodline and could effortlessly cast third-tier spells like Fireball.
A scorching fireball shot from Gold-Fang's mouth, hitting the unsuspecting frost giant square in the face.
The sound of flesh and skin sizzling filled the air as the frost giant's face was scorched black, leaving gruesome wounds. In agonizing pain, he released his grip, allowing Gold-Fang to free himself from the bone pick.
"So hot..."
Baya clutched his face, then threw his head back and roared in fury. His burn-scarred face radiated battle lust.
For frost giants, scars and trophies taken from their enemies were symbols of strength and value. Far from intimidating him, Gold-Fang's attack only ignited Baya's desire to fight.
"Dragon! I will kill you!"
"Come down and face me in battle!"
Baya hurled stones skyward, desperately trying to bring Gold-Fang down.
Dodging in midair, Gold-Fang grumbled to himself:
"What a damned lunatic."
He launched another fireball toward the ground, but this time, the frost giant blocked it with a bone shield.
"Your flames are pathetic, worm!"
"Come! Fight me in close combat!"
The frost giant leapt high into the air, attempting once again to hook Gold-Fang with his pick and drag him down for melee combat.
This time, however, Gold-Fang was ready. With a quick flutter of his wings, he dodged the pickaxe and maneuvered behind the frost giant.
[Burning Hands]
The winged kobold extended his claws, releasing a cone of flames from his palm that seared the giant's exposed back, leaving a massive charred area.
The frost giant howled in pain, tumbling to the ground and rolling several times to dissipate the impact. Yet he quickly stood up again.
"Your attacks are nothing!"
The frost giant growled, still brimming with rage and readying for another assault.
For frost giants, combat was a way of life. They frequently grappled with tundra beasts, and such injuries barely fazed them.
Seizing the brief respite, Gold-Fang surveyed the chaotic battlefield. The frost giants were effortlessly crushing the kobolds, even capturing a few cowardly ones.
Against the frost giants' overwhelming size and strength, the kobolds stood no chance. This wasn't a battle—it was a one-sided slaughter.
"If those frost giants surround me, I won't escape unscathed."
"These thousand kobold whelps are beyond saving. Informing the master of the frost giants' southern advance is more important."
Having spent months leading the kobolds in mining operations with little contact with the Ember Kingdom, Gold-Fang was unaware of external developments. However, he understood the terror of the frost giants.
With their average height of six meters and natural combat prowess, frost giants were fearsome warriors. Their battles could trigger avalanches on Whitecap Peaks. Just the few dozen frost giants present here could easily annihilate a city—far beyond what the kobolds could handle.
Deciding swiftly, Gold-Fang roared and took to the skies, unwilling to continue his futile skirmish with Baya.
"You foolish giant! I am no dragon, merely a kobold under the great red dragon's command!"
"Your so-called strength is nothing before my master!"
"Remember this: when my master descends, all of you frost giants will turn to ash!"
After spitting these words, Gold-Fang spread his wings and left the battlefield, soaring above the hills—one of the perks of flight.
Can't beat them? Just fly away.
The frost giants below bellowed in rage, hurling stones after him. However, Gold-Fang had flown too high, and even their immense strength couldn't reach him.
Baya, clutching his burnt face, snarled viciously.
"He's... not a dragon?"
"Just a mere kobold?!"
The frost giant warrior ground his teeth. The burn hadn't enraged him as much as this revelation.
If the scars were inflicted by a red dragon, they would be marks of honor. But being wounded by a puny kobold would make him the laughingstock of his tribe.
"Huff... huff..."
"I will kill him."
"And the dragon behind him."
Baya glared at the tiny black dot disappearing into the distance, his eyes filled with hatred. The burn scars on his face only deepened his rage.
With a casual stomp, he crushed another fleeing kobold into a bloody pulp before it could even scream.
The wilderness was littered with kobold corpses, their remains frozen and frosted over in the cold wind.
Meanwhile, the frost giants were unharmed as they swiftly cleared the battlefield. They only took the largest gold chunks, disregarding the kobolds' small trinkets and equipment.
Similar scenes unfolded across the Storm Highlands. Goblin strongholds were trampled, kobold mines were razed, and orc hunting grounds were destroyed.
The frost giants moved in several small squads, pillaging and demolishing everything in their path.
With the Ember Kingdom's defenses shifted southward, the northern Storm Highlands were left with no regular army—only neglected monster vassals. These were no match for the frost giant forces, allowing the giants to rampage unhindered.
In truth, Cassius had deliberately left the region exposed, using the frost giants to cull the rapidly reproducing monster population in the Storm Highlands.
The kobolds and goblins had multiplied uncontrollably without human oversight, threatening to overrun the entire region if left unchecked.
As Hobgoblin Commander Dolo once remarked, "These beasts breed like animals. I don't even consider them my kin."
The Ember Kingdom's leadership was already planning to classify kobolds and goblins into two distinct groups: Dragonblooded and ordinary.
Dragonblooded creatures would become citizens of the Ember Kingdom, while ordinary monsters would be treated as expendable resources—miners, porters, or cannon fodder.
Meanwhile, the kingdom's elite forces, such as wyverns and chimeras, remained stationed at Rock Fortress, far from the frost giants' reach.
Having received warnings from the kingdom, these forces stood ready for battle before Rock Fortress.