Lord of the Frozen Winter: Starting with Daily Intelligence Reports

Snow fell in this silent place, where even sunlight was reluctant to tread.

Thomas, the captain of the White Night Knights, flipped and landed, a soft 'clack' echoing as his boots met the icy, frozen snow.

His shoulder guard bore the Red Tide Territory's emblem of a crossed sun and dagger, symbolizing the glory of the White Night Squad.

Behind him, fourteen Extraordinary Knights also dismounted, awaiting his command.

Thomas looked up at the depths of the Ancient Abyss Canyon, swallowed by snow mist, their destination for this journey.

“I will repeat Lord Louis’s original words: do not trespass, do not advance recklessly, prioritize self-preservation. If you encounter anything abnormal, report immediately and do not venture deeper on your own.”

Although Thomas was occasionally witty and humorous in private, at this moment, his tone was solemn, devoid of any jest.

All the White Night Knights nodded in understanding, acknowledging his words.

“Move out.”

As soon as he spoke, fifteen figures swiftly melted into the snowy wilderness, advancing towards their target.

The climate of the Ancient Abyss Canyon was too harsh, almost Kill everythinglife in the wind, but for these Extraordinary Knights, it was nothing.

Along the way, they surveyed the environment, avoided a high-tier frost bear in hibernation, and bypassed several groups of icefield boars rummaging for bones in piles of corpses.

It was a shame their objective wasn't hunting this time, otherwise it would have been a great harvest.

Finally, as they neared the periphery of the target Louis had given them, the air became unusually oppressive.

It was an extremely subtle fluctuation, not strong, yet bone-chillingly cold, as if some decaying and frantic will was hidden in the wind, gnawing at their ears.

“Something’s here.” Kane, a scout knight, raised his hand to signal the entire team to stop.

He possessed the bloodline talent of foreseeing danger, making him a rare and valuable talent, and a core member of the White Night Squad.

Everyone activated their Battle Qi barriers and looked in the direction he indicated.

In the lingering snow mist, several indistinct “figures” slowly drifted.

They crouched low, crawling on all fours like beasts in the snow.

These were not ordinary barbarian remnants, nor were they conventional magical beasts.

Their bodies were deformed and twisted, exposed skin covered in dark black patterns, as if viscous spores adhered to them, their eyes blood-red and lifeless, repeatedly muttering some vague phrases.

“Ancient Abyss gnawing hunger — return.”

Those voices were deep and chaotic, yet carried a power that pierced the heart, echoing and lingering in the air.

“They — they were once human,” a knight whispered, judging, “Now they’ve probably completely bestialized.”

Thomas’s expression was grim: “The ancient god of the cold abyss — that’s the forbidden faith of the Old Snow Country. The Empire once deemed it an evil god.”

He paused, his gaze darkening: “Capture them alive. We need to figure out what they are.”

Immediately, Thomas waved his hand, and the White Night Squad instantly moved like shadows in the snow, quietly fanning out in several directions to surround them. This was their standard formation for silent monster hunting.

Several knights retrieved a teal Magic Bomb from their waist.

These were concentrated Frost Leaf Magic Bombs, non-lethal tactical ammunition developed by Silco.

They contained “Frost Leaf Essence Mist,” capable of instantly releasing a large amount of low-temperature paralyzing gas.

They were highly effective against out-of-control demonized targets, especially adept at weakening muscle reactions and nerve responses, causing unconsciousness.

“Three, two, one!”

Several concentrated Frost Leaf Magic Bombs were simultaneously thrown, landing and rolling in the target area, then exploding with a bang.

“Boom!”

A cloud of blue smoke burst open, instantly spreading across the snowy plain and enveloping the bestialized creatures.

The bestialized creatures stumbled, their movements noticeably sluggish. One even trembled violently, as if its nerves were paralyzed.

But the next moment!

“!!!”

A taller bestialized creature suddenly roared skyward, violently breaking free from the mist’s restraint!

Its pupils glowed blood-red, veins bulged, drool foamed wildly from its mouth, and fragments of Battle Qi on its body turned into tearing black smoke, forcefully repelling the mist!

“It didn’t work?!”

The bestialized creature leaped towards Thomas like a hungry tiger pouncing, its claws leaving afterimages in mid-air!

“Abandon capture, prioritize self-preservation!” Thomas roared, his Battle Qi erupting instantly.

A circle of deep red Battle Qi exploded from beneath his feet, scorching and violent!

His longsword slashed out furiously, leaving a deep red trail in the air!

“Crack!!!”

The pouncing bestialized creature hadn't even landed when its entire right arm was severed by the Battle Qi, falling into the snow. Before it could even wail, it was scorched black by the red flames.

“Don’t get bogged down, resolve it quickly!”

“Understood!”

The White Night Squad instantly switched to combat mode, and fourteen Battle Qi flames erupted simultaneously.

One bestialized creature roared and charged, its muscles bulging like rocks, and its claw swipe created a sonic boom!

“Bang!!”

It was met head-on by a young knight wielding a massive shield.

A pale blue ripple of Battle Qi shield shimmered around him, and the heavy shield collided directly with the immense force, producing a deafening roar.

The beast’s body was actually sent flying two meters, and in mid-air, the knight’s shield-blade rotated, sweeping like a crescent moon.

“Crack!”

The sound of bones breaking mingled with a roar, instantly silenced.

On the other side, a black-haired knight lurking on the flank enveloped his body in Gale Battle Qi, instantly circling behind the enemy.

Swish!

Two icy blue daggers sliced through the air, precisely piercing the monster’s spinal column and carotid artery from behind.

Before it could react, its spine was broken, and blood sprayed.

Just then, another bestialized creature lunged at Kane, who was weaker and in the back row, roaring like thunder!

“Don’t let it get close!”

A tall shield-axe knight bellowed, a ripple of deep blue energy rising in the air.

He raised his shield-axe high, shouted, and swung it down with immense force, shaking the entire snowy ground.

“Boom!!!”

The monster was smashed into the ground, a bloody mess, no longer moving.

Each of these monsters was comparable to a high-tier barbarian warrior, possessing immense strength, incredible speed, and no reaction to pain.

Those with severed arms still swung their claws, and those with broken legs could still roll and bite, like an undead curse.

But the White Night Knight Squad’s coordination was crisp and efficient.

Every strike, every block, seemed rehearsed a thousand times, like the mechanical tactics of interlocking gears.

Battle Qi light intertwined in the night, some blue, some red, both chilling and dazzling.

And those dozen frenzied monsters were cut down one by one in less than half a minute.

Their bodies lay sprawled in the blood-stained snow, utterly still.

The bloodstains on the snow had not yet completely frozen, thick and black, carrying a strange, pungent odor.

Thomas knelt on one knee, using a short dagger to pry open the remains of one of the monsters. His fingertip touched the torn shoulder muscle, feeling strangely slimy, as if mixed with some kind of spore membrane.

“It’s somewhat similar to the structure of insect corpses,” he murmured, his brow furrowing even deeper.

He looked up, his eyes like daggers: “You heard it, ancient god of the cold abyss, return — these madmen are praying to some kind of existence?”

A knight added in a low voice: “The god believed by the Snowsworn, the ancient god of the cold abyss.”

Thomas’s expression grew even more severe.

If these mutated creatures were truly connected to the Doomsday Mother Nest...

Then this altar was far from being just some abandoned ruin.

He stood up, calmly giving orders: “Leave two heads and several tissue samples to take back to Red Tide Territory, especially the black blood and patterned skin. Bury the other corpses on site, dig deep.”

Several squad members immediately began expertly handling the scene.

Thomas called out a knight’s name: “Hais.”

A slender young man stepped forward; he was the fastest knight in the squad.

“You are to immediately retrace our steps, return to a safe place. If we do not return by the end of today, write a brief report of what we encountered today, send it back to Red Tide City, and deliver it personally to Lord Louis. Tell him the Doomsday Mother Nest might not be completely dead.”

Hais nodded: “I understand.”

Without any dramatic farewell, he vanished into the wind and snow the next moment.

Thomas slowly put on his helmet, the metal buckle clicking shut.

He turned to face the thirteen silent knights behind him: “We continue forward.”

No one responded, but all nodded silently, following closely.

They slowly advanced along a crack in the flank of the Ancient Abyss Canyon. The snow layer beneath their feet was thick, icy, and bone-chilling; only with Battle Qi protecting their bodies could they maintain mobility.

Suddenly, Kane, at the very end, whispered a warning: “Captain, look ahead.”

Thomas’s gaze sharpened, following the direction indicated.

An [N O V E L I G H T] abnormal bulge abruptly came into view.

It was a semi-circular curved surface, with snow frozen into a hard ice layer on top, its edges covered in unnatural crack patterns.

“Clear the upper ice and snow. Use two small Magic Bombs, detonate them at the edges, don’t damage the interior.”

“Understood!”

Two knights quickly moved forward, kneeling to set the bombs.

“!!!”

A muffled explosion rumbled in the ice and snow, the shockwave kicking up large amounts of ice mist.

In the rolling white mist, shattered ice shells scattered like flying blades, and the chilling vibrations made the air seem to tremble.

When the dust settled slightly, the outline of a massive stone slab emerged from the snow.

Thomas put away the short sword at his waist and quickly walked forward.

His boot soles made dull crunching sounds on the ice, and his fingertips brushed away the residual snow that had just been blasted away.

The distorted runes carved on the stone slab’s surface appeared before his eyes.

Thomas immediately recognized them as writings from the Old Snow Country era, but they were more complex, more ancient. His heart sank slightly, and he murmured, “Found it.”

The squad members slowly gathered upon hearing him, but maintained their combat spacing, no one acting rashly.

“Divide into groups, clear the ice layer along the cracks.”

As shovel after shovel of ice chips were thrown aside, the entrance buried beneath the snow finally revealed its true appearance.

It was a partially collapsed stone staircase entrance, weathered and mottled by time and frost, yet still leading deep underground.

And the moment it opened, the air changed.

What drifted from the stone steps was not merely the smell of decay, but a stench mixed with foulness, blood, and the odor of rotting raw meat, causing people to involuntarily frown.

A knight took a long-handled torch from his backpack, lit it, and threw it down into the depths of the passage.

The torch trailed a red arc of light, then plunged into darkness.

A few seconds later, the light point did not dissipate as usual; instead, after falling for several seconds, it was swallowed by some black mist, leaving only a faint red glow sinking into the abyss.

Thomas narrowed his eyes, watching the direction where the red light disappeared, muttering to himself: “Bottomless.”

He stood up, his gaze sweeping over the squad members standing solemnly beside him.

No one showed fear, but their eyes were a little more cautious than before.

“Carter and Rick, guard above. If we don’t return within thirty minutes, follow the plan to return to Red Tide Territory and submit the report.”

“Yes.” The two responded, without asking another word.

“The rest of you, follow me.” Thomas wasted no words, stepping into the darkness, his footsteps echoing dully.

The other eleven White Night Knights followed closely, entering in single file.

With each step down, the air grew more humid, and the sound of the wind seemed to gradually be replaced by some kind of “whisper.”

It was a strange language, vague, hoarse, murmuring, like broken poetry recited repeatedly, but all words had lost their meaning, leaving only absurd echoes.

Some knights’ faces were pale, cold sweat beading on their foreheads.

Thomas immediately turned and said: “Clear your heads. It’s just residual mental pollution, not a substantial invasion.”

Suddenly, Kane abruptly raised his hand, signaling everyone to stop.

On the rock wall ahead, faintly visible beneath a layer of frost, an ancient mural, buried by time, emerged.

Thomas stepped forward, and under the torchlight, a massive and ancient mural gradually revealed itself from beneath the frost.

The painting depicted a man and a woman, standing atop an altar, their expressions solemn.

Beneath their feet, two twisted giant beasts were suppressed, like some out-of-control demonic creatures, baring fangs and snarling, as if about to tear heaven and earth apart.

“That... that woman—” a knight murmured.

Thomas’s pupils suddenly constricted, his heart clutched by an icy hand.

The woman’s face was strikingly similar to the Doomsday Mother Nest they had personally witnessed during the War of Doomsday!

“Is it—is it the Doomsday Mother Nest?” a knight whispered, his voice trembling uncontrollably.

Not identical, yet there was an astonishing sense of resonance.

As if she was looking through the mural, at every soul that approached her.

Cold, indifferent, judgmental, like a superior gazing at ants.

A terrifying mental pressure suddenly descended.

Not only Thomas, but all the surrounding Extraordinary Knights’ expressions also changed dramatically!

They were not ordinary people.

They were knights who had crossed the threshold of the extraordinary, all strong-willed individuals.

But even they felt their will being stripped away by some invisible force, their souls dragged into the abyss of those hollow eyes in the mural.

“Listen—!”

A knight fell to his knees, clutching his head tightly, veins bulging on his forehead, blood faintly seeping from the corners of his mouth.

Two others struggled to draw their swords, but nearly plunged the blades into their own chests!

That was not an illusion.

It was some ancient and sinister whisper, seeping into their consciousness through the mural, through the sound.

“Everyone! Execute the breathing technique!” Thomas roared.

All the knights immediately activated their Battle Qi, using their own strength to resist the invading will, a scene like burning sparks in a snowy night.

An invisible mental struggle erupted in silence.

After a full dozen breaths, the whispers gradually receded, and the oppressive feeling ebbed like a tide. The knights knelt, gasping for breath, cold sweat soaking their inner armor. No one dared to look directly at the mural again.

Thomas’s face was ashen, a drop of cold sweat hanging on his temple: “No, this is absolutely not something we can handle alone.

Our mission is to bring the information back and let Lord Louis decide.”

He turned to face his team members: “Retreat!”