Chapter 177: Alternating Cold and Heat
Storm Highlands, north of the Trier Throat.
This region, once ravaged by blazing flames, was now besieged by relentless cold winds.
"By my god Solem above,"
"You are the ancestor of all Frost Giants. Grant our enemies eternal rest."
"The blizzard is your mighty breath. Fight alongside us as the embodiment of cold, and plunge our foes into everlasting terror!"
The Frost Giant shamans chanted ancient incantations in unison, the mysterious runes on their bodies lighting up.
[Eternal Frost's Descent]
The sky churned with freezing clouds that roiled and spread, unleashing a terrifying blizzard upon the once-quiet land.
This was the Eternal Frost power passed down through Frost Giant tribes for generations, and this without the aid of the sacred artifact. If they were to reclaim the Eternal Frost Horn, the blizzards would become even more devastating, enough to engulf the entire Storm Highlands.
The blizzard advanced rapidly southward, with hundreds of Frost Giants marching in its midst. The howling winds were mixed with battle cries and rugged songs.
"We are the piercing frost, the surging ice mist."
"The biting winds, the icy wraiths, and the eternal howl."
"Humans tremble before us, and even dragons bow to the cold winds."
"We come from the ancient past, following the glory of old, bringing the white storm back to the land."
"We... are the Endless Frost Disaster!"
The chieftain of the Eternal Frost Tribe, Frost Giant warrior Kasa Eternal Frost, donned his menacing white dragon-scale armor. Black war paint marked his face as he rode atop the largest tundra land dragon, raising his heavy double-edged axe with one arm.
"For the Eternal Frost Tribe!"
"Reclaim the sacred artifact and restore the glory of our ancestors!"
The sunlight was nearly blotted out, the wasteland turned a brutal frost-white, and amidst the snowstorm, the Frost Giant army advanced like a towering ice wall toward the south.
This catastrophic spectacle shook the earth, leaving all life in the wasteland trembling.
The howling winds proclaimed to Anzeta's inhabitants—
The Frost Disaster has arrived!
Outside the Trier Throat.
The Ember Kingdom's forces stood ready.
Ogre heavy infantry gripped massive shields, hobgoblin foot soldiers held their spears in orderly formations, wyverns flapped their wings in low-altitude swarms, and the plains land dragons used as war fortresses snorted heavily.
"Damn it..."
"It's that blasted thing again."
Watching the overwhelming snowstorm, a cold-fearing dragon-blooded hobgoblin spat on the ground, recalling unpleasant memories.
The Ember Kingdom's forces were facing such formidable opponents for the first time. Against the Frost Giant army bringing the cold winds, the human troops in the Battle of Trier seemed almost insignificant.
Yet this also stoked a fervor among them—a lust for battle gifted by their flowing red dragon bloodline.
Langpu gazed at the approaching blizzard with a heavy expression.
"Such a high-caliber spell..."
"The casting method is not arcane but divine, and the scale is close to the ninth tier. Truly a tough opponent."
So evaluated the ogre archmage.
However, despite the intimidating sight, Langpu showed no fear. Adjusting his gold-rimmed glasses, he calmly analyzed the situation.
Dolo, standing nearby and growing impatient, said to him: "Langpu, can you deal with this so-called Frost Disaster or not?"
"Just staring at it won't stop the snowstorm."
Langpu turned his head slightly, casting a calm but faintly mocking glance at Dolo:
"Pointless urging won't solve anything either."
"Commander Dolo, are you frightened after that near-death experience against a human with Frost Giant lineage?"
Dolo gritted his teeth in anger, smoke puffing from his nostrils. That incident had brought him much humiliation, and Langpu's ill-timed mention only stung further.
"Langpu, I warn you! Do not demoralize the troops!"
"I'm simply stating the truth."
Langpu smirked, his grotesque face twisting into a sinister grin.
"For a spell of this caliber, I cannot resolve it alone. However, we have our greatest trump card—our master."
......
In human form, Cassius stood silently atop a mountain, watching the advancing Frost Giants and the terrifying blizzard accompanying them.
"You think you're the only ones who can manipulate the weather?"
"Frost Giants."
Cassius muttered softly.
He revealed the ring on his finger. The Storm King's Eye, now firmly in his control, radiated a dazzling light.
It was an eighth-tier spell from the Weave—
[Control Weather]
With a surge of powerful magical energy, the climate over several kilometers underwent a dramatic shift.
Temperatures soared, moisture evaporated rapidly from the ground, and the air became hot and humid, generating massive clouds of steam.
This warm current collided with the advancing cold winds, triggering a violent reaction.
"Whoosh—"
With a resounding roar, a massive cloud belt stretching thousands of meters formed at the boundary. Ice, snowflakes, and hail sublimated instantly, replaced by rolling steam clouds and heavy warm winds blocking the blizzard.
The opposing forces clashed, collided, and wore each other down, stabilizing the temperature and creating a waterlogged, mist-shrouded zone.
Even before the armies clashed, the battle of spells had already begun.
Narrowing his eyes, Cassius controlled the Storm King's Eye with sheer will, opposing the northern blizzard.
"This spell's quality is impressive. Controlling the weather doesn't grant me full dominance."
"The Eternal Frost Tribe's casters are no amateurs."
"It seems I can't trigger a calamity here like in the Battle of Trier."
Even Cassius was surprised by the tenacity of the blizzard, its Eternal Frost rune power nearly matching his eighth-tier spell.
Within the swirling white chaos, several Frost Giant shamans wore grave expressions. For the first time, they encountered such resistance, leaving them uncertain of their next move.
"By Solem above."
"The power of Eternal Frost... is being... blocked."
The Frost Giant's storm-charge, which usually crushed all in its path in the north, had met its match for the first time—a force that compelled their respect.
Among the Ember forces' "observation group," Treliska noticed the changing weather and the distant battle between blizzards and warm winds, finding it unbelievable.
"This level of magical confrontation—how could it appear in a magical wasteland like Anzeta?"
"Neither the Frost Giants nor the red dragon should be here."
Treliska pondered to himself.