Sword of Dawnbreaker

Chapter 267 - 266: The Blade Ignited

Andresha Wendell watched those soldiers from the Infiltration Squad who had returned from the Dark Mountain Range, her brows furrowed tightly.

The infiltration operation in the Dark Mountain Range had failed. Although Andresha had considered the possibility of failure at the start, she didn’t expect it would happen so quickly, nor that the powerful Elf Ranger would be unable to return.

According to the intelligence brought back by the returning soldiers, they were exceptionally successful in the first half of the infiltration, easily bypassing the ”Dark Mountain Pass” of Anzu’s eastern defense line. However, the situation took a sudden downturn when they neared that legendary developing new territory in the southeastern Anzu—one squad suddenly lost contact. Based on subsequent clues, it was confirmed they were attacked by the Anzu Army and completely wiped out. Then the main squad led by Soldrin went to investigate, and they quickly lost contact as well.

No one had the chance to transmit any information back—not even the Magic communication insects could be released, something that only happens when faced with instant, devastating blows.

So the other squads withdrew quickly, not lingering for more than a quarter of an hour.

The soldiers’ choice was correct. If the main squad led by Soldrin could be instantly annihilated, then lesser squads continuing would surely meet their deaths. Withdrawing preserved some living forces and brought back explored intelligence to the commander, but this did nothing to improve the mood of the young Wolf General—in fact, realizing the existence and threat of that new territory, her mood worsened.

That developing territory indeed existed, and based on its strength, this Gawain Cecil was also real—even if not truly an ancient hero, at least a powerful figure cultivated by Anzu comparable to a Third Realm Duke. What was initially thought to be the weakest link on Anzu’s border had now turned into a troublesome problem, since that decaying, sluggish royal family of Anzu turned out not to be as incapable as first anticipated... They timely realized the critical issues on the national defense line and had begun taking remedial actions.

And just before Typhon’s formal attack.

Andresha had the soldiers rest, while she herself went to the desk and spread out a huge map before her eyes.

Based on the intelligence barely brought back by the Infiltration Squad, she could roughly estimate the location of that new territory—it was near the downstream end of the White River, at the starting point of the eastern extensions of the Dark Mountain Range, backed by the Dark Mountain Range, fronted by the river, with vast open plains and dense forests on both sides. It was indeed a nice place, and ”Gawain Cecil” had a good eye for choosing territory.

In Andresha’s eyes, this mysterious developing territory was like an abyss; she knew it was there, yet couldn’t probe what was inside, which made the always competitive Wolf General particularly displeased. But as an excellent heir of the Wendell clan, Andresha quickly suppressed her youthful restless mindset. She exhaled softly, picked up pen and paper from the side, and began writing a letter:

”Reports from Winterwolf Fortress... Dark Mountain Pass does have a weak point, can bypass Anzu’s eastern defense line... Cecil territory indeed exists, should have strong military deployment, but specific situations remain mysterious... All else in defense line as usual, no further movement from Anzu’s side, in recent days...”

A commotion from outside interrupted Andresha’s writing. The young Wolf General looked up with a frown and called out loudly: ”What’s happening outside?”

The heavy wooden door of the room was pushed open, and a trusted guard came in: ”Commander! There are... strange things approaching on the plains in front of the fortress!”

”Strange things?” Andresha was displeased with the vague description: ”Be clearer.”

”Like... giant humanoid monsters! Coming from the direction of the Dark Mountain Range!”

The resonant sound of the bell already rang out, mixed with sharp horn blasts and the loud shouts of various level commanders. Winterwolf Fortress responded most appropriately to the unknown threat—the city gates were swiftly shut, soldiers rushed to the walls to prepare the defenses. Scalding hot oil and heavy logs were pushed to the edge of the merlons, while on the vast snowy plain facing the walls, ominous red clouds were gathering in groups.

Andresha mounted the walls, her sharp eyes of the high-level knights allowing her to see what those creatures on the plains looked like. For the first time, this youngest female Winter Wolf commander had a look of astonishment on her face: ”What are those... things?!”

Gigantic blood-colored humanoid beings wobbled on the plains. They resembled mythical ancient giants with a size far surpassing that of humans, yet they had no human facial features or limb details. Blood-red mud-like substances squirmed and flowed over their surfaces, those featureless heads so terrifying that even Andresha felt her scalp tingle when she saw a large group of such giants approaching the fortress!

They were indeed the nightmarish forms of desecration, distortion, and terror, yet they appeared here, right in front of Winterwolf Fortress!

”Quickly bring up the catapults! Deal with creatures of this size with catapults!” Andresha immediately shouted, ”You, and you, go summon the Mage Corps, get them up on the Combat Mage Towers!”

Meanwhile, as Andresha quickly set up defenses, those massive humanoid monsters swaying on the plain also began to accelerate—they seemed to finally ”catch the scent” of living beings and Magic Power, becoming instantly excited from their previous dazed wandering state. These terrifying monsters let out silent roars, bowing their heads to launch a fearless charge at Winterwolf Fortress. Among them, some of the monsters with the ability to cast spells raised their arms high during the charge, unleashing chaotic energy arrows with ominous black-red glows. These arrows shrieked through the air, drawing long parabolic arcs and striking heavily against the sturdy fortress walls.

Under this inexplicable energy corrosion, the solid bricks of the wall weathered and crumbled like fragile sand!

Even areas not directly hit by the energy arrows showed apparent signs of fragility on the surface of the walls!

Andresha immediately noticed the corrosive effect of those chaotic energy arrows and realized their dreadfulness. Although the thickness of Winterwolf Fortress’s walls meant that the damage these energy arrows could inflict wouldn’t be fatal in the short term, their effect of altering the ”nature” of the rock was weakening the overall strength of the entire castle!

”Stop them!” Andresha drew his Longsword and slashed out a silver-white shockwave, eliminating the leading spell-casting monster, ”Don’t let them near the walls!”

A chaotic and bizarre fierce battle erupted in front of the Winterwolf Fortress.

At the same time, in the newly built armory of the Cecil territory, Byron solemnly presented a uniquely designed single-handed sword with a wondrous aesthetic to Gawain.

”Sir, the first finished product of the Melting Sword has been successfully tested.”

Gawain carefully observed this brand-new weapon, which was the result of countless efforts by technicians and blacksmiths, and his heart gradually filled with joy.

It was a beautiful weapon, both beautiful and lethal—the overall tone was deep, almost black, and the sword body and hilt demonstrated the precise aesthetic of industrial products everywhere. It was a single-edged sword that, in Gawain’s view, seemed more like a hybrid between a battle sword and a cleaving sword: its spine was straight and sturdy, and on the black metal, one could see the magic symbol array serving for heat dissipation, reinforcement, and other functions. The blade had a slight curve at the front and revealed a deep blue hue. The sword’s hilt appeared thicker and more complex than a normal single-handed sword. On the inside of the guard, there was a hardly noticeable trigger mechanism, specifically designed with a position and size that ensured it wouldn’t affect a Soldier’s ability to fight with the sword. Next to the trigger was a toggle-style safety device—to prevent the sword from being accidentally activated and injuring the wearer during carrying.

Gawain reached out and picked up this sample of the Melting Sword, swinging it casually a couple of times. To him, the sword was slightly lighter but felt particularly handy, clearly showing that the technicians seriously considered Sir Byron’s suggestions when designing the sword.

”I reduced some of the weight from the sword body and adjusted the balance so it still offers good stability,” Sir Byron explained beside him. ”A lighter sword can save the Soldiers’ stamina, and since the Melting Sword relies on a high-temperature blade for attack rather than using weight and inertia like a regular cleaving sword to break armor, reducing the weight doesn’t affect the sword’s lethality.”

Gawain nodded and then activated the high-temperature blade.

Accompanied by an extremely slight noise from the sword hilt, the energy stored in the Magic Capacitor was transmitted into the heating symbols embedded within the blade. The burning symbols initially used for making magic traps began to take effect. Gawain saw the originally deep purple blade rapidly redden, becoming intensely hot and bright within just a second or two, resembling a solidified golden-red flame covering the sword’s body.

The heat did not dissipate, so standing near the Melting Sword only felt slightly warm. Gawain experimentally pressed the blade against an iron plate used for testing, almost effortlessly cutting the plate into two pieces—the sensation was akin to slicing a particularly hard piece of butter.

Gawain did not wear a guard and carefully felt the heat at the sword hilt, curiously asking the Mage Technician beside him: ”How did you solve the thermal insulation problem and ensure the Melting Sword’s stability?”

”Sir, the purple steel blade and sword body of the Melting Sword are not a single piece. We added an insulation layer made by mixing quartz sand and crystal dust in between and used purple steel rivets running through the spine to connect. The rivets still transmit some heat, so we also included an enhanced high-temperature resistant magic symbol array around the rivets and added a heat dissipation structure on the spine. This way, all the heat is directed away in time, preventing the Melting Sword from burning itself out or injuring the user.”

”Doesn’t the strength of the sword decrease because of this?”

”There is a slight decrease, but since purple steel itself is a very strong and stable magic material, and the refined steel we now forge is more resilient than the steel from before, the strength of this sword remains sufficient—and it doesn’t often need to ’go head-to-head’ after all.”

At this point, Sir Byron added a comment beside him: ”Of course, if the energy runs out or in unavoidable situations, Soldiers can still use this sword to fight the enemy to the death—the purple steel blade is sharp enough to serve as a regular sword for a short time.”

”Excellent,” Gawain gently swung the Melting Sword in his hand, the blade with astonishing high temperature leaving a dazzling trail of light in the air, ”Our territory’s safety now has an extra layer of protection.”