Lord of Winter: Beginning with Daily Intelligence

"Ah——! Ah——!"

The residents on the street simultaneously let out piercing wails.

Their faces, just freshly formed, melted like waxworks under high heat, quickly softening and collapsing, reverting to faceless lumps of flesh.

The knights suddenly regained clarity, cold sweat sliding down their backs.

Louis’s voice boomed through the loudspeaker: "It’s an illusion, they’re just monsters envious of your human appearance.

Three hundred meters ahead, unleash full-coverage fire! Burn!"

Flames advanced along the street.

The fleshy buildings rapidly carbonized in the intense heat, a smell of burning spreading through the air.

The city lost its form in the blaze, leaving only twisted, collapsed ruins.

Just as they were about to finish clearing, the ground suddenly began to tremble.

The mist was torn open from the front, and a cavalry corps charged out from between the ruins and scorched earth.

More than three hundred stitchers linked by thorns advanced in unison.

Their bodies were forcibly expanded, eradicating the line between human and beast.

Their limbs were crudely stitched to places not their own, thick threads oozing dark red liquid as they ran.

The monster at the forefront was a head taller than its kind.

Six arms grew from its shoulders and back, with a forcibly assembled centaur structure for the lower body.

Its four main arms wielded jagged Heavy Swords the size of doors, while the other two arms hung back, swaying as it ran.

It let out a chaotic and ear-piercing roar, yet moved with unnatural swiftness.

A light reconnaissance tank from the Red Tide vanguard adjusted its direction, and the turret-mounted machine gun fired.

The bullets densely peppered the monster, only raising a few blood splatters on the half-meter-thick layer of stitched fat.

The next moment, the monster was already upon them.

Four stout arms simultaneously grabbed the tank’s turret base.

With a screeching metal tear, the turret was forcibly wrenched from its mount, swung up and smashed into the side.

The tank lost its armament and flipped heavily onto its side.

This scene caused a brief pause in the infantry line at the rear.

Reynold had already rushed to the forefront.

"Knight Order, move up for the kill!"

He drew his Chain-saw Sword, the teeth growling deeply as they engaged.

Over a hundred Red Tide Knights, clad in standardized dark red plate armor, stepped forward from the ranks.

The Fighting Energy ignited simultaneously.

Scarlet, azure, gray, and other hues erupted from their bodies, like tangible flames, distorting the air in the heat waves.

A stitcher swung a Heavy Sword overhead.

The advancing Red Tide Knight held his sword in both hands, unflinching and unwavering.

"Boom!"

The huge sound reverberated, spider-web-like cracks appeared under the knight’s feet, yet he did not take a single step back.

The scarlet Fighting Energy on his body surged instantaneously, withstanding the overwhelming brute force.

"Too slow."

The Greatsword swung, stretching the scarlet blade light out several meters, cleaving the bloated figure in half down the centerline.

Organs shattered in the explosive Fighting Energy, the corpse twitching even as it fell, with more stitchers pressing forward.

Severed limbs writhed on the ground, attempting to reattach, quickly turning the battlefield into a chaotic melee zone.

"Clear a path!"

The roar of engines drowned out all else.

Over a dozen heavy Steam Tanks charged into the battlefield from the flank, crushing ruins with their thick armor.

The six-armed centaur turned, trying once again to upend the steel.

As its palm touched the armor’s surface, blue-white lightning flashed abruptly.

The alchemical electric shock reactive armor activated.

Under the high voltage, the monster’s muscles instantly charred and convulsed, its movements rigid.

The crushing roller at the tank’s front spun to life, the spiked cylinder drawing in the monster’s lower half.

The horse-leg structure was shredded in an instant, blood and flesh scattering into the air.

Reynold surveyed the battlefield: "They have too many limbs, adhesive rounds, lock their movements."

White alchemical foam launched from the rear, covering the front.

Excessive arms and legs entangled rapidly in the adhesive.

The more the monsters struggled, the tighter their limbs entwined, with some binding themselves into immobile flesh balls.

Reynold sheathed his Chain-saw Sword: "Artillery, scour the area."

White flames descended from the sky.

The adhesive and fat simultaneously ignited, white phosphorus fire burning through the skin, penetrating the marrow.

The bound monsters, unable to roll, could only howl in the raging fire.

Minutes later, nothing was left on the road but a field of charred, carbonized remains.

Heavy tanks rolled over them, tracks producing crisp cracking sounds underneath.

The Fighting Spirit Knights reformed their ranks, their breathing not yet fully steady.

The command car’s armored door opened slowly, Louis’s voice projecting over the battle’s aftermath: "The surrounding threats have been cleared, leave the rest to the follow-up troops."

His gaze passed over the still-smoking ruins, settling on the Holy City in the distance, bathed in a golden glow: "Vanguard, continue with me, straight to Avalonia."