Blood and Ash on the Frozen Front
Makcrowdon could not grasp the emotion surging through him at this moment.
It felt familiar, like something he had sensed long ago, but far too distant to recall.
Yet understanding it as **fear** took only a moment.
“…….”
The tips of his fingers trembled violently.
His grip on the axe loosened as if his strength had drained away.
How could a mere young soldier, one foot from death, unleash such a…
*This pressure…*
It was not merely sharp.
It was powerful.
It was destructive.
And it felt something far more insidious, as if it had crawled up from the very depths of hell itself, sending a chill racing down his spine.
Those who had stared into dozens… hundreds of deaths would recognize this eerie aura at once.
Makcrowdon swallowed hard, his throat dry.
And now the Grim Reaper stood before him, axe dripping blood.
“Now only you remain.”
An instant later, his entire body erupted in gooseflesh.
Every hair on his arms stood on end, and the back of his neck prickled with a sensation he could not ignore.
Unbidden, he took a step backward.
But…
*…me?*
He was the warrior famed across the Kar tribe for his bravery.
He, who had never once turned his back on a battle.
Yet his instincts screamed at him now.
Run.
Do not fight here.
Still, Makcrowdon refused to yield.
It was the warrior’s honor that forbade him from turning his back on the enemy.
The earlier duel with Arteon had been a calculated retreat for victory’s sake.
Retreating now would mean fleeing in cowardice.
Moreover…
*…if I fall here, I hand everything over.*
With Ulgraak dead, he must hold this territory until the next successor arrived.
The successor might even be him.
But either way, retreating meant surrendering the entire southern coast of Elbarphiel Lake and beyond.
*That cannot be allowed.*
If that happened, the Helikel Canyon—once called the First Defense Line of the Northwest—and Elbarphiel Lake itself, the Northeast’s Fourth, would open a direct path to the empire’s cities.
They must be stopped at all costs.
*Click.*
Makcrowdon’s grip tightened on the axe.
But in that same instant.
“……?”
“……?!”
From far away, light burst forth, and black smoke rose into the night sky like a dark plume.
Arteon and Makcrowdon turned their eyes toward the rising smoke.
Each wore a different expression.
The smoke rose from the very base camp of the Kar warriors.
Most of them had been injured in previous battles and could not be here.
“Why…?”
Makcrowdon’s eyes widened in shock.
With Ulgraak dead, he was now the one in command of the warriors here.
Yet smoke billowed from the base camp.
“You bastards…!”
If the empire’s army had struck there, he could no longer remain.
Makcrowdon spun on his heel and sprinted toward the warriors.
The war had already…
*Fell.*
Even the surviving fighters must be rescued and sent home safely.
*Pi-pi-pi-pi-pi-pi-pi!*
He yanked the whistle from his sleeve and blew it with all his strength.
A signal of retreat.
But the Kar warriors fighting Special Operations led by Seran and Hadel could barely disengage.
“The enemy is retreating! Kill them all!”
“Do not let them escape! Revenge for every wound we’ve taken!”
Every fallen Kar warrior here was a victory.
One more corpse, one more honor.
But then—
*Slash!*
Makcrowdon burst from the side and split a pursuing imperial soldier in two.
Seran and the others jerked back in surprise.
The platoon members froze in place and stared.
“If you wish to pursue me, I will gladly oblige. Are there any more fools eager to die?”
Makcrowdon lifted his bloodied axe, crimson aura blazing around the blade, his scarred face twisted into a savage grin.
The deeper scars only made him look more terrifying.
And…
“…….”
The imperial soldiers faltered.
Makcrowdon turned and fled with the warriors.
Hadel’s voice rang out.
“Pursuit halted! Carry the wounded and fallen comrades back at once!”
“Understood!”
Hadel’s gaze met Seran’s amid the soldiers’ replies.
Seran nodded.
“Third Platoon, follow me! We march to join Lieutenant Arteon!”
“Sir!”
“Understood!”
The third platoon turned and ran after Seran.
What mattered to them was not merely killing Kar warriors, but confirming Arteon’s safety.
*Thump!*
Leading the charge, Seran and the platoon sprinted behind him.
Watching the soldiers pursuing him, Seran could not help but admire them inwardly.
*…Their fundamentals are solid.*
Especially their breathing and footwork remained steady despite the darkness and treacherous terrain.
From this alone, he could guess their level.
The moment they reached the suspected location of Arteon’s position, Seran and the platoon swept the area swiftly.
It had to be nearby…
“Lieutenant Seran! Over there!”
Barter, squad leader of the first platoon, pointed ahead and shouted.
Seran and the platoon rushed to the spot.
“Captain Arteon!”
“Platoon Leader!”
“Platoon Leader!”
Arteon lay collapsed on the ground.
Beside him rested an axe whose handle had snapped in two.
Seran rushed over and checked him.
“Impossible…”
“What happened?”
“Sit Arteon up immediately. It looks like mana overload combined with exhaustion and shock.”
“Roger!”
Barter, a massive frame, hoisted Arteon upright with effortless strength.
His body slumped sideways from unconsciousness, but Barter held him steady and looked at Seran.
Seran drew on his mana and pressed a hand to Arteon’s back.
*Flash!*
Arteon’s body jolted violently.
The mana entering his body acted as fuel, temporarily stabilizing him.
“Now… are you all right?”
“Think of it as first aid. Get him proper treatment soon.”
“Roger.”
“Barter, carry Captain Arteon.”
“Roger.”
Barter nodded at Grein’s order.
The moment he lifted Arteon, Seran said,
“Join Captain Hadel. We retreat with you. Inform us of the situation and move the main force forward quickly.”
“Sir!”
“Understood!”
As the third platoon marched with Arteon, Seran surveyed the surroundings.
*…What kind of battle left this?*
The ground was torn and scorched black. Trees lay completely charred.
A scene too vast for ordinary combat.
He himself wielded aura, yet…
*Is it possible to…*
Raise such power?
“……Huff.”
Seran exhaled softly and gazed toward the direction of the third platoon.
No, toward Arteon.
What secret hid behind that youthful face?
Yet Seran soon turned away.
Smoke still rose from the Kar base camp where they had fought moments ago.
Leon had said he would recall the Second Defense Line reinforcements there.
*What exactly happened?*
He could not say for certain, but he sensed the tide turning in their favor.
Right now…
*This war must end.*
Seran kicked the ground and broke into a run.
* * *
*Clop-clop-clop-clop!*
Horses thundered as imperial soldiers wielding shields and spears stormed the Kar base camp.
Late night.
The Kar warriors resting from injuries stared in disbelief at the sudden imperial assault.
“The enemy! The empire’s bastards are attacking—gah!”
In the blink of an eye, the Second Defense Line soldiers surrounded the camp and slaughtered the Kar warriors without mercy.
“Leave none alive!”
*Slash!*
The clash of steel and spear rang out.
“Kyaaaaak!”
“Aaaaah!”
The Kar warriors’ screams echoed across the battlefield.
Most could not even fight, yet they fell helplessly.
Their cries did not last long.
The ground soon ran red with nothing but Kar blood after the one-sided massacre.
Not a single survivor remained.
Watching the cold corpses, Rauen’s horse advanced.
*Tap-tap-tap.*
Rauen gazed upon the battlefield that had become the Kar camp.
His emotionless face looked even more sinister.
Rauen spoke.
“Burn it all. Announce our victory here.”
“Understood.”
Soon the soldiers lit torches and set every barracks ablaze.
*Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh!*
Flames roared and swallowed the entire Kar base camp in seconds.
The massive fire pierced the sky, black smoke spreading across the dawn horizon.
The darkness around them glowed bright under the flames.
As he watched the blaze, Rauen raised the sealed letter in his hand.
The red wax seal gleamed in the light.
It bore the imperial seal of Velkain Caeron.
Rauen stared at it quietly, then muttered low.
“Could it be… you foresaw this?”
The whisper vanished in the roar of the fire.
But then…
“Where is the messenger?”
“Here.”
Rauen turned to the messenger who had brought Leon’s recall order.
The man simply lowered his head in silence, as if stunned by the current situation.
Rauen said,
“You will return immediately and report our victory here. And…”
Rauen hesitated, as if about to say something else.
He shook his head after a moment of silence.
“No. Only this fact.”
“Understood.”
The messenger turned and fled like a coward.
Rauen gazed once more at the blazing Kar base camp.
*It will be revealed soon anyway.*
There was no need to speak it aloud.
Rauen recalled Leon’s face.
The man burned with ambition for success more than anyone.
*Smirk.*
A cold smile curved Rauen’s lips.
“So timing is everything, is it?”
He lifted his gaze to the hill that had become the decisive battlefield.
All that remained was one thing.
*If I secure victory there…*
The empire will finally claim the Elbarphiel Lake region they had long coveted.
Of course, even defeat on the hill would not matter.
Surrounding the wounded Kar warriors and cutting off supplies would suffice for them to die on their own.
“Commander.”
Soon Rauen’s deputy, Erd, approached.
Rauen turned his head to watch the rising sun in the distance.
A new sun, burning red alongside the flames, chased away the darkness.
And strangely, the mist that had hidden the hill began to lift with the light.
As if to announce the end of war, a quiet dawn enveloped the region.
And at its center.
“Line up the soldiers. We have come to confirm the end of this war.”
“Understood.”
Rauen, heading toward the hill, simply stared in silence.
* * *
A chilling, underground chill that no ordinary warrior could produce—yet here it was, born from a ten-year regression and the transcendent 8-star realm.