"Guan City!"

A command, heavy as a tolling bell, echoed across the skies. In the next instant, the massive gates of Frost Halberd City.

The heavy sluice gate, crafted from Profound Steel and inscribed with seven layers of Anti-Curse Demon Patterns, slowly closed amidst a rumbling sound.

"Crack — Clang!"

With a loud clash as the lock bolt engaged, the entire city seemed to awaken like a giant beast that had lain dormant for years, layers of Magic Runes lighting up between the walls.

Boom—!!

Seventeen Magic Fortresses positioned around Frost Halberd City simultaneously activated, the tips of the fortress towers exhibited complex arrays, icy blue magic arcs leaped and intertwined in the air, like stars weaving a net.

The Cold Flame Reactor at the heart of the city erupted in light amidst a low hum, dense Magic Energy rapidly conducted along the earth's veins, awakening the networks.

A web of Extreme Cold Energy rose, extending like a spider web from the central castle to each fortress, finally converging at high altitude into a Super Barrier.

The Northern Territory's strongest wartime fortress at last revealed its true fangs.

And from the distant black mist, the Insect Tide rolled in like waves.

"Initiate the catapults! Load the Cold Crystal Magic Explosion Bullets!"

With the issuance of tactical commands, the giant magic energy catapults arrayed along the battlements slowly ascended, embedded with levitating inscriptions within their massive arms, as Curse Power shimmered, the first wave of Cold Crystal Magic Explosion Bullets was loaded into the track.

"Fire—!"

Swoosh!!!

The firmament was momentarily cleaved, one Cold Crystal Explosion Bullet after another dragged long blue-white tails like comets falling, fiercely crashing into the writhing sea of insects.

Boom—!! Boom boom boom boom!!

With each landing, an area was instantly frozen.

The violent explosions instantaneously froze a five-meter radius of insect corpses into ice sculptures, the ice crystals fractured upon detonation, slicing flesh around, cold currents storming to devour all life in its path.

Yet they continued to move.

Despite being frozen, despite dismembered remains, despite freshly shattered to pieces.

The next second, they'd reassemble, reform, twist, and stand up again.

It was an exceedingly bizarre scene.

It was as if the entire insect sea had been lulled into 'death' for a moment, but soon awakened from the slumber.

Upon the battlefield interwoven with debris, ice crystals, flames, and cold air, they began to move in a rhythm akin to sleepwalking, silently journeying between life and rebirth.

A Dragon Blood Knight stood upon the ramparts, staring at the endless tide of insects with unrelenting vitality, and muttered, "This is too disgusting… They're not here to fight, but to amalgamate."

Suddenly his spine felt icy as if envisioning himself becoming one of them.

At the highest watchtower of Frost Halberd City, the cold wind blew fiercely, the cloak billowed in the air like a burning flag.

Duke Edmund stood atop the high walls, his eyes colder than the sky.

Those endlessly reorganizing insect corpses surged like tides, but were temporarily halted under the fortress barrier of Frost Halberd City.

Yet it was only temporary; the barrier would not hold for long.

The Duke stood silent for a while, raising his palm lightly: "Gather everyone—senior commanders, Mage Tower representatives, Dragon Blood Legion commanders and deputy commanders… and those Political Advisors sent from the Imperial Capital."

...

Meanwhile, deep within the writhing throne, a pair of crimson eyes were fixed upon the same battlefield.

"Hehehehehe… Hehahahahaha—!"

A spine-chilling laughter echoed amongst the flesh.

The Desperate Witch lounged against the throne pieced together of insect shells and human bones, her slender fingers tracing lightly in the air, as though conducting a grand symphony.

He "saw" it.

He saw bodies writhing, amalgamating, disintegrating, reforming, indiscriminately, across species, even fractured bones and frozen entrails spontaneously began to "construct."

He saw the Dragon Blood Knights' roar and bloody battle, they fought tooth and nail, severing the neck bones of amalgamated monsters only to birth new forms stronger than before.

He saw Frost Halberd City ignite the cold flame, initiate the Extreme Cold Barrier, fall after fall of Cold Crystal Magic Explosion Bullets from the sky, freezing insect corpses into pulverized ice sculptures.

… But what did that matter?

"Hehehehe… Hehehehah… Hahahahahaha!!"

The Desperate Witch chuckled aloud, laughter twisted like the chest convulsions of an asphyxiating being.

He covered his mouth corner, trembling with excitement like a child eager for the ending.

"This… this is my trump card," he murmured, his tone filled with ecstasy akin to desire, "A poison purer than any magic... the revival of the deceased."

"Of course," he gently stroked the writhing joints on the throne, "Such poison isn't casually spread… Only by absorbing sufficient Death Energy can it activate once."

"But now," in his eyes reflected the snowy battlefield and the fallen figures, "seizing the entire Northern Territory… is enough."

"How many days can Frost Halberd City hold? Three days? Or five days?"

He spread his palm as if weighing the last barrier of the Empire, lips lifting in a playful smile.

"More than enough. Enough for me to incubate more nests, enough to scatter this 'Doomsday Gift' into the heart of the Empire.

The Imperial Capital, the entire Empire… will all become my nursery and hatchery. The Empire's ashes, are the finest soil.

The Doomsday Nest shall eventually sweep the whole world, peeling, cleansing, dissecting your so-called order, gods, bloodlines, oaths...

infusing them with worm embryos one by one."

He rose, his silhouette slender as jade, trailing a scarlet tide with a floor-length gown, like a goddess descending, or a devil kissing the earth.

"Ah… I'm one step closer to the end.Mark my words, every one of you living, dead, commemorated, forgotten, will become a dish at my banquet."

Laughter resounded again, frenzied, joyous, brimming with anticipation, like a noble high priest preparing an infantile ritual for the world.

...

Frost Halberd City · Governor's Mansion

Beyond the wind and snow, colossal gates opened wide.

Inside the meeting hall, the dim lights had not extinguished, casting shadows upon the worn battle flags and carved reliefs of magic patterns on the stone walls.

At the center stood an ancient conference stone table, its legs still engraved with the Empire's emblematic runes, yet its surface scarred and marred by time and battles.

In the center lay embedded the Empire's Mark and Frost Halberd Crest, denoting the level of this current conference—the Empire's highest wartime council.

Gigantic lamps hung from the ceiling, beams of cold light casting down from above, illuminating every face burdened with solemnity.

Heavy curtains were tightly drawn, arrays isolated the wind and snow, only the distant rumbling and occasional vibrations of the floor reminded everyone that the battlefield lay not far outside the city.

People arrived gradually.

There were senior commanders clad in red and black cloaks, their expressions grave, and Grand Mages hurriedly arriving with magic robes dusted with snow.

Some Political Advisors dressed in the Imperial Capital's uniform, their demeanor obviously out of place compared to local generals, appearing yet to grasp the chaos.

Louis quietly found a spot to sit in a corner.

He held no formal title nor was he part of Frost Halberd City's formal military structure, in theory not qualifying to attend such high-level meetings.

But it was a special arrangement by the Duke, intentionally grooming him.

When Gaius entered the meeting hall, his gaze swept over Louis, recognizing his younger brother, he winked at Louis but said nothing more.

After all, now was no time for pleasantries.

Everyone entering the hall carried a complex mix of emotions.

Heavy, puzzled, angry, but most of all a sense of foreboding: the decisive moment was drawing near.

No one clamored, no one exchanged pleasantries.

People merely nodded to each other knowingly, then quietly took their seats, their eyes landing upon the still empty main seat.

Until heavy footsteps were heard…

Duke Edmund, cloaked, stepped into the hall, his silver hair by his temples glimmering like frost under the lights.

He slowly seated himself at the main position, the whole person like a mountain, steady and silent, yet causing the air in the meeting hall to suddenly become heavier.

"Everyone's here." He began softly, his gaze sweeping over faces before him, then heavily fell, "Now, no one will doubt what we are facing."

No one replied.

For no one dared to readily define the scene they witnessed: bodies reviving, splicing and reforming, insect tides surging like bloody waves, the earth like a death god's birthing bed.

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