Chapter 184: The Glacier Annihilation Battle (Part 1)
"Solem above."
"They haven't even reached us, yet—"
"How could we possibly defeat such enemies?"
As the barren plains transformed into a lava-filled inferno, the remaining hundred Frost Giants were paralyzed with fear, terrified of drawing the attention of the dreadful red dragon.
Armored ogre soldiers surrounded them, binding the Frost Giants tightly with ropes as thick as a human wrist. It took three or four ogres to secure a single giant before transporting them southward.
"These Frost Giants will become expendable tools of the Empire."
"They will not be allowed offspring, nor faith, and during idle times, they will rot in dark dungeons."
"They will build our walls and strengthen our defenses, reduced to toil and lashings, and their blood—will belong to me."
Cassius's eyes gleamed.
To him, these so-called Frost Disasters, who had left a trail of bloodshed, deserved no mercy. Draining every ounce of their value left him with no moral qualms.
"Yes, as you command,"
Langpu responded, his tone enthusiastic.
As a mage, he felt no kinship with the Frost Giants. Instead, he was excited by the prospect of studying the "Eternal Frost Power."
Dolo stepped forward to report:
"Master, I've questioned the situation at the Wahala Glacier. These giants were surprisingly easy to interrogate."
"Beyond the three hundred Frost Giant warriors who marched south, another hundred elders and children, along with a few dozen warriors, remain stationed there. During their absence, the Eternal Frost Tribe has been under the care of the High Priest and eldest elder, Noor Eternal Frost."
"The High Priest, is it..."
"Understood,"
Cassius replied calmly.
To destroy the Eternal Frost Tribe, he knew he must eliminate their priests and extinguish their faith entirely.
Having already provoked Solem and earned the enmity of this slumbering god, Cassius decided to go all-in—annihilating what few followers remained in Anzeta, enslaving their tribe, and eradicating their faith.
After the collapse of the Giant Empire, giants became a rare sight across the lands. Storm and Cloud Giants had largely left the material plane, serving other lawful gods, celestial beings, or benevolent metallic dragons. As for Frost Giants, their brigand-like existence dwindled with each successive war, until they were pushed to the northernmost edges of the world.
"Tell me where they are, and I will deliver a Disaster they will never forget."
"As you command."
Wahala Glacier.
Inside the massive yet crude Frost Giant ice fortress:
"It's over... everything is ending."
"My prophecy was correct. The fated disaster has arrived to destroy everything and enslave our tribe."
Noor set down the scrying ice orb and rose unsteadily. Two Frost Giant warriors nearby rushed to assist him but were pushed away by the elderly priest.
He muttered to himself, seemingly in a fit of madness.
"No, no, perhaps there is still hope."
"Quickly, summon all the young warriors of the tribe."
The warriors, confused by Noor's panic, complied nonetheless, obeying the authority the elder had wielded for centuries.
Dozens of Frost Giant warriors gathered beneath the glacier.
"What's going on with Elder Noor?"
"Why summon us?"
"Chief Kasa hasn't even returned yet. It's only been a few days; the holy southern campaign must still be ongoing."
The young warriors whispered among themselves, puzzled, until the frail, timeworn figure of Elder Noor appeared.
"Kasa's campaign is over. They faced the fated Disaster and have been... utterly annihilated."
His voice was hoarse yet resolute.
A stunned silence fell over the group, breaking into an uproar moments later.
Though they had been left behind to guard their sacred land, these warriors had yearned to march south and believed Kasa would strike fear into the hearts of southern humans.
Yet now, in just a few short days, 300 Frost Giant warriors had been wiped out?
This wasn't just incredible—it defied everything the Eternal Frost Tribe had known for centuries!
"Elder Noor, your magic must have failed!"
"Failed? You've gone mad!"
"Kasa could fight dragons barehanded! There's no way those humans could defeat him!"
"Elder Noor, we are the Frost Disaster!"
The elderly priest sighed, sorrow etched across his face.
Even he had believed the "fated disaster" in his prophecy referred to themselves—that the Frost Giants would sweep through the North like a Disaster, reclaiming their kingdom. Now, he realized they were merely victims of the true disaster.
Noor raised his trembling hand and drew a circle on the icy surface with his staff. A chilling wind swept through it, revealing an image of a terrifying red dragon. Beneath the dragon were dozens of Frost Giants struggling in molten lava, their outstretched hands desperately reaching out as the searing magma melted flesh and exposed their white bones.
Noor ended the spell, his voice heavy.
"Do you see now?"
The Frost Giants were struck silent.
Without this grim vision, they could never have fathomed Kasa's mighty army reduced to such a desperate end.
"We are the Eternal Frost Tribe's final line of defense, my comrades."
"Evacuate the women and children. This is our battle."
"Elder, I—"
A young Frost Giant attempted to speak but was silenced by Noor's cold glare.
Suppressing their unease, the young warriors obeyed, beginning the evacuation.
Only Kasa's young son, Koman Eternal Frost, was brought before Noor.
The boy was barely thirty, still a child among Frost Giants, standing less than four meters tall—dwarfed before the elder priest.
Yet Koman's gaze burned with hatred, a reflection of the Frost Giant way—mourning their kin with vengeance.
"I will kill that dragon and avenge my father. Elder Noor, let me fight! I am Kasa's son; I fear no death!"
Noor placed a trembling hand on the boy's head, speaking softly:
"I am near death's door myself..."
"But you are different. The chosen blood flows in your veins. You are our final hope."
"Child, flee southward, to the Anstica Mountains. Preserve our tribe. Let the name of Eternal Frost one day... inspire fear again."
With shaking hands, the elder priest slid a luminous transformation ring onto Koman's finger.