Lord of Winter: Beginning with Daily Intelligence - Chapter 494 - 301: Heavy Strike
Chapter 494: Chapter 301: Heavy Strike
Red Rock Pass.
The iron horse neighed softly, like a long-silent blade waiting to be drawn.
Over a hundred knights of the Broken Blade Knight Order stood in neat rows on the platform of the pass.
Their battle robes were no longer the deep blue of Frost Halberd City but had donned the custom-made red and blue cloaks of the Red Tide Territory, signifying they originated from Frost Halberd and were now loyal to Red Tide.
They were supposed to be stationed here as merely a “buffer point” of the Red Tide’s northern defense.
But now, at last, they were about to embrace the opportunity to express their loyalty for the first time.
At the front of the formation, a rider stood in the wind.
It was Regi Olson, the deputy head of the Broken Blade Knight Order, formerly the youngest Extraordinary Knight of Frost Halberd City.
His silver hair lifted slightly in the dawn light, an ice-blue longsword resting across the saddle, restrained yet thunderous in aura.
He surveyed the entire army, his gaze like a blade sweeping across the face of each knight, speaking unhurriedly:
“We’ve just joined Red Tide and haven’t yet fought a battle worthy of our vows. You all remember what Lord Louis has done for us.
Provisioning for your families, thrice the salary, healing potions when you’re injured, and even arrangements for your children’s education… all have been well taken care of.
And now it’s time to repay all of this.”
With that, he slowly drew his longsword, slanting it across his chest, the sunlight reflecting off the blade in an icy gleam.
“We are the edge of the Northern Territory, the blade of the vow.”
Regi’s horse hooves moved half a step forward slowly.
Behind him, a hundred knights simultaneously tapped their sword hilts to the ground, the clashing of armor like a hundred iron bells ringing in unison, followed by a collective shout that shook the pass walls:
“Fight for Red Tide, no retreat without victory!!!”
……
As the scout rode into the castle, bringing back that chilling message, Viscount Zachariah was arguing with two advisors over the arrangement of the sacrificial ceremony in the hall.
“My lord, it’s the Red Tide Knights at Red Rock Pass, coming this way, not a patrol… it’s the Knight Order!”
A mere sentence, yet it pierced Viscount Zachariah’s heart and lungs like an ice pick.
His expression darkened abruptly, slamming the table as he stood up, shouting angrily, “Louis?! How dare he!”
There was anger in his tone, but the panic was unmistakable in his eyes.
He thought he had weathered this crisis a month after the Red Tide Special Envoy met with failure, since surely they wouldn’t resort to forceful coercion.
But who knew, they would directly send knights to seize! Is there truly no law in the Northern Territory anymore?
Yet, upon learning that the opponent was only a hundred knights, a flash of contempt crossed Zachariah’s eyes, this young man was truly overconfident, and must be taught a lesson.
“Only a hundred men? Do they think a hundred men can step into my territory?”
He sneered, tossing the military report into the fireplace, the paper quickly turning to ash in the flames, but he felt no warmth at all.
“Assemble the entire army.” He ordered coldly, “Call out my ’old friends’ I sheltered during the insect disaster, it’s time for them to prove their loyalty.”
Then he donned his armor, ascending to the high walls of the inner castle, looking down at the warriors in the courtyard.
Under Zachariah’s command, three hundred knights lined up ready, all of them hereditary knights of the Zachariah family.
They were trained and raised in the territory from childhood, his most loyal knights, his most trusted strength.
And outside the castle, another four hundred light-armored warriors were quietly gathering.
Unlike the regular knights, their armor was varied, yet their demeanor was fierce and unruly, with an almost beast-like lust for battle in their eyes.
These were the Snow Swearers who had survived the insect disaster by luck.
They were once the Empire’s mortal enemies, once igniting war and blood snow in the Northern Territory.
Now they were secretly sheltered and incorporated by Zachariah into his private army, secretly hidden within.
This was something he could never let be revealed.
If it were discovered he secretly harbored and privately maintained remnants of the Old Snow Country, even if the Red Tide Territory remained silent, the other Northern nobles would never let him off.
In such a scenario, he would not only lose his lands but might not even leave a complete corpse.
Eight hundred men gathered, weapons clanging, banners waving.
Zachariah climbed to the top of the castle, raising the scepter in his hand, a voice carried through the entire army: “Let them know, the might of the Red Tide does not apply to our Snow Country bloodline!”
The soldiers responded in unison, their shouts like thunder.
……
The morning frost had not yet dissipated, the cold wind stirred the Red Tide battle flag, flapping loudly.
One hundred knights of the Broken Blade Knight Order stood in formation before the city, the Red Tide sun emblem shining brightly in the sunlight.
Regi’s gaze swept coldly over the high walls.
Shadows beneath gray-white cloaks silently stood, backlit, outlining faces both unfamiliar and familiar.
Regi’s eye twitched slightly, immediately recognizing they were no ordinary garrison.
He had served in Frost Halberd’s Broken Blade for over ten years, the scent… he knew it too well.
Snow Swearers.
A name that should have been extinguished in the insect disaster, yet still lurked in shadow like a venomous snake.
He snorted coldly, his gaze growing colder, his voice not loud, yet sharp as a blade scraping armor: “Those rats, still not all dead.”
The fire within him slowly kindled.
He had a blood feud with the Snow Swearers.
Had personally dragged the corpses of brothers ambushed and slain by the Snow Swearers from the battlefield.
Had fought tooth and nail to break free from their ambush, just to leave a glimmer of hope for his comrades.
He thought this swarm had long been devoured by the insect tide, yet here they were, crawling out like maggots from meat again.
Regi’s hand had already grasped the hilt of his sword: “It seems we are in the right place.”
He slowly drew the longsword engraved with the Broken Blade emblem, pointing it at the tightly shut city gates: “Magic Burst team, prepare.”
