As the massive and bloated army of the northern barbarians was severed in half by the Imperial cavalry, the well-coordinated Imperial infantry took the opportunity to exploit the breach, encircling and dividing the enemy forces.
Soon, under the brutal and bloody onslaught, the morale and fighting spirit of the northern barbarians were utterly crushed.
Indeed, adrenaline can momentarily mask the fear of death, but only when the battle is going in your favor and casualties are within acceptable limits.
Clearly, under the slaughter of the sharp Imperial blades and their impenetrable shield walls, the once high morale, spurred by Numa Seika's encouragement, began to rapidly cool.
Especially after the center, where Numa Seika was stationed, was crushed and the command banner fell, the sight was like a bucket of cold water poured over the soldiers, chilling them to the core.
With no hope of victory and having lost their leader and spiritual support, the northern barbarian warriors, driven by their survival instincts, began to feel fear.
In the face of such overwhelming defeat and panic, it wasn't long before the first soldier surrendered...
...
Piles of weapons were discarded to the side as countless northern barbarians, heads hanging low, were herded by the Imperial soldiers across the blood-soaked battlefield littered with corpses.
"...He's still alive. So, this is the man who killed Esdeath's family? He's actually quite good-looking..."
Curiosity got the better of Selene, and she glanced briefly at the resilient Numa Seika. However, she quickly lost interest, as she didn't share Esdeath's extreme sadistic tendencies.
"Hak Foo... inform the medics to keep Numa Seika alive. Otherwise, Esdeath will come to me with her tantrums again. Once Esdeath arrives, hand him over to her."
"Hmm... speaking of Esdeath, Hak Foo, don't you like challenging the strong? I believe Esdeath won't disappoint you." With that, Selene prepared to leave on her mount.
"Please wait, my master..."
"Hm?" Selene frowned slightly and looked back, puzzled. "What is it?"
Hak Foo knelt on one knee and presented a strange, single-edged spear with both hands, saying, "Master, this is the weapon of the barbarian leader Numa Seika. Despite receiving multiple heavy blows, it sustained no damage."
"I suspect it might be a treasure, so I'm presenting it to you."
"Thoughtful of you..." Selene did not refuse. She knew Hak Foo's focus was solely on his fists, and aside from his gauntlets, he rarely used weapons.
Taking the spear with her right hand, Selene examined it closely. It seemed like a very ordinary weapon—simple in design, with no special features...
Ordinarily, a weapon made of regular steel should not have been able to withstand the immense force generated by Hak Foo's enhanced strength. Could it be that it was made from some kind of special metal?
This thought quickly took root in Selene's mind. With a snap of her fingers, her left hand summoned a luxurious, pure white sword, which appeared out of thin air in a flash of purple light.
"Let's see if they're made of the same material," she murmured as she gathered a faint layer of collapse energy on her hand. "Hm?!"
Feeling the faint, similar energy enhancement from both weapons, Selene's face lit up with surprise. "It's... Orichalcum!"
Though she had only speculated about the sword's material before, after the old Emperor's death, Selene had done some research and confirmed that this sword was made from the same Orichalcum used to forge Imperial Arms!
And now, a mere northern barbarian prince was wielding a weapon made from such a rare material. Could this mean that there was still an Orichalcum vein hidden in the far North?
Gazing at Gensa, who was overseeing the capture of prisoners in the center of the battlefield, Selene called out loudly, "Gensa!"
"Yes!"
"Quickly clean up the battlefield and summon the reserve garrison to take custody of the prisoners."
"Hak Foo, prepare to lead the vanguard and rapidly advance to capture the northern barbarians' capital—the Fortress City!"
"Yes!"
...
The wind howled and snow raged. Deep within the northern ice plains, a massive fortress city stood silently on the vast, white expanse.
This place was far from the frontline, and because no large-scale bombardment had been used, the news that the war had already begun and ended had yet to reach them.
On the city walls, a group of northern barbarian soldiers, dressed in thick, gray-green fur coats, nervously carried out their routine patrol.
"Damn this cursed weather! It's been getting colder and colder over the years... It's already this bad, and the temperature keeps dropping!"
One patrolman pulled his coat tighter, but no matter how thick it was, it couldn't stop the bone-chilling winds of the far North.
Sure, the northern barbarians were resilient to cold and harsh conditions, but they were still human! They didn't have Tyrant's adaptability.
Usually, temperatures of minus thirty to forty degrees were already enough to make them suffer, but now, with the temperature plummeting... it was heading toward minus fifty degrees!
It was truly life-threatening!
"If we could defeat the Empire and seize more land, that would be great. I don't ask for much, just for the climate within the Northern Wall—it's so much better than this damned place."
"Yeah, I hope His Highness can lead us to victory... let us enjoy some good days for once."
"Alright, enough complaints. Carefully inspect every corner of the wall. After our shift, we can go warm ourselves by the fire!"
The soldiers grumbled as they patrolled, forming a small squad of about a dozen men.
"Whooo... Hm? Look, there's someone below the fortress," one of the patrolmen said, his breath visible in the cold air, pointing toward the ground below the wall.
"Is it a messenger?"
"The snow's too heavy, it's hard to see... but it looks like they fell. Wait, is that blood?!"
"Damn it... something's wrong on the frontline! Quickly, go notify the captain!" A sense of foreboding swept over the veteran barbarian soldier, and after shouting orders to the others, he dashed toward the watchtower.
Soon, the gates opened, and dozens of soldiers, armed with a mix of long and short weapons, rushed out of the fortress.
Looking at the bloodied figure lying at the foot of the wall, dressed in a gray-green fur coat, the squad captain muttered, "...It's one of ours."
"There must be trouble on the frontline... go and inform the king!"
Just as they were lifting the frozen, unconscious comrade, a cold, rough voice called out, "There's no need for that—you're too late!"
The next moment, "Praying Mantis Fist!"
...
Beyond the city walls, a magnificent pyramid-like structure, seemingly out of place in this harsh environment, stood in the center of the fortress city. It was intricately carved like a work of art.
This was the palace of the northern barbarians' royal family.
Hundreds of stern-looking barbarian soldiers stood motionless outside the palace gates. Their equipment was more refined, and they were physically larger and stronger—they were the royal guards.
Suddenly, a series of thunderous explosions erupted from the city walls.
"Attack!"
Immediately following the explosion, the deafening sounds of battle cries filled the air, shaking the entire fortress city.
"Enemy attack!" Within moments, large numbers of heavily armored royal guards poured out from the palace.
The palace doors swung open, and a rugged middle-aged man, clad in pitch-black heavy armor with a beard a foot long, stepped out, wielding a massive sword. His eyes widened as he gazed toward the fortress gates in the distance.
"The King!" Upon seeing their king's commanding presence, countless northern soldiers immediately found their resolve.
"Follow me into battle!" Without saying much more, the northern king swung his heavy sword over his shoulder, exuding an aura of dominance.
"Yes!"
Just as they were about to rush to the gates to provide reinforcements, suddenly—BOOM!
The city walls collapsed?!!
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
"Kill—!"
Before they could even process the shocking sight, a swarm of dark-armored Imperial soldiers, like a black tide, flooded into the fortress city, accompanied by the sound of clashing weapons and battle cries.
In an instant, the entire fortress city was thrown into chaos. The deafening roars echoed through every corner, shaking the entire city.
Most of the able-bodied men had already been led out to battle by Numa Seika. Now, within the fortress city, aside from a few royal guards and patrol soldiers on the walls, the only ones left were the elderly, women, and children.
When they heard the thunderous noises, many rushed over to see the commotion, thinking that His Highness had returned triumphantly. But when they saw the forest of blades and the fully armored Imperial soldiers charging toward them, they were terrified.
Panic set in, and they scattered in all directions, screaming loudly. A few brave souls tried to resist with weapons, but they were swiftly crushed into pulp in the next instant!
The entire fortress city was in complete disarray. People were running in every direction, and the atmosphere of terror spread like wildfire, as if the end of the world had arrived.
"A large Imperial force has arrived, which means... my son and the army are likely doomed..."
Watching as the burly Imperial captain trampled and destroyed the city he had built, slaughtering his people, the northern king's grip on his heavy sword tightened, making an audible creaking sound.
He was the king, and he would never surrender. Thus... he would fight to the death!
"Children, follow me, kill—!"
...
Two hours later, the fortress city was littered with corpses. The Imperial soldiers had effectively taken control of the city.
Riding atop her unicorn, Selene surveyed the surroundings. Large-scale resistance had completely vanished. Aside from a few remaining barbarian soldiers putting up sporadic resistance in hidden corners of the city, most of them were either killed or had already surrendered.
The northern barbarians—annihilated!
"Where is Hak Foo?" Selene asked as she glanced at the adjutant of the vanguard standing respectfully by her side.
"Reporting, General. Captain Hak Foo is currently inside the barbarian palace," the adjutant quickly replied.
"The palace, huh..."
For a royal family that had ruled the far North for so long, let's hope they don't disappoint me and yield some worthy spoils.
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