Steel, Explosives, and Spellcasters

No matter what it resembled, for Winters, it meant the approach of death.

The ice was groaning.

In places invisible to the naked eye, deep within the ice layer, ice crystals started to crack under the stress exceeding their limits.

The accumulated stress found a way out through a fracture, which rapidly extended in two directions, crossing the entire lake in the blink of an eye, making the already unstable ice even more treacherous.

But Winters couldn't care less; he couldn't decide if the ice would break, where it would break, or when it would break.

He could only focus completely and not miss any abnormal noise, ready to abandon the sled or cut the ropes at any moment.

Besides Winters, there were four other sled teams on the lake.

Other sleds, each carrying one or two people, were arranged similar to Winters's sled—people and equipment separated, with the Warhorse tethered far behind by ropes.

The difference was that the other sleds used trained specialized sledding dogs. But the hotel manager could only find six sledding dogs, so Winters's two unnamed wolf dogs had to be hastily employed.

To minimize risks as much as possible, the five sled teams were spaced far apart, almost out of sight of each other.

Only the sharp sound of ice knives gliding across the ice, incessantly, let Winters know that his subordinates were also rapidly approaching North Shore.

The shortest distance between two points is a straight line.

Hotel manager Kovyrian's so-called method was to cross the ice lake directly to North City.

By boat in summer, by sled in winter, this was a common mode of travel for the people of Steel Castle.

But it was deep winter now, and even at noon, when the sunlight was sufficient, the ice lake might collapse on its own, only to refreeze later in the evening when the temperature dropped.

This repetitive process made the ice extremely unstable, incapable of bearing the weight of a snowmobile.

So what Kovyrian gave to Winters was a "sled," a square board on top, with two ice knives set in wood underneath.

The whole sled was hardly bigger than a wash basin. It seemed less like a vehicle and more like a toy.

But this toy-like contraption managed to deliver Winters, Caman, Xial, three other guards, and the complete sets of their armor and weapons safely to North Shore without incident.

Along with hotel manager Kovyrian and White-haired Roger, who arrived at North Shore as well—for Kovyrian, who was over fifty, to prove the viability of crossing by sled, was the first to ride the sled into the ice lake.

After a brief yet seemingly endless journey, an exhausted Kovyrian dragged the sled ashore,

To lighten the load, those on the sled wore very little, braving the freezing cold. The constant terrifying sound of the ice cracking also scared the old man half to death; he slumped on the lakeshore, unable to stand for a long while.

White-haired Roger was shivering as well, fumbling to get some clothes to wrap Kovyrian in.

Though Kovyrian had countless complaints and blames in his heart, he couldn't utter a word at that moment. Uncle and nephew looked at each other speechlessly, staring blankly at the lake.

Winters searched along the lakeshore, and soon found Kovyrian and Roger.

Seeing the "Baron" safe and sound, the stone in Kovyrian's throat dropped to the ground, he forced himself to stand up and greeted: "Your Excellency…"

Winters supported the hotel manager: "You've been a great help to me, but I need to borrow your nephew for a bit longer."

Kovyrian hesitated, wanting to speak.

"Don't worry." Winters looked at the white-haired young man: "I'll return him to you in one piece."

...

[North City District of Steel Fortress]

[Este Estate]

The Este Estate has now become a battlefield.

The carefully tended garden by six full-time gardeners is ablaze, flames spreading in all directions with the help of the wind.

In the southwest corner of the garden, a towering spruce has been swallowed by the red flames, acting like a massive torch piercing the darkness everywhere.

The outer gate of the Este Manor was easily breached, and the towering walls were as if they were mere narratives.

The guards of White Eagle wanted to use the complex terrain of the manor to ambush the attackers, but they were shocked to find out during the melee that the attackers were no less familiar with the manor than themselves.

Gunshots are coming from all directions, and fire is everywhere. There's no place to flee, no place to hide.

"Where do you find the guts!" Outside the main entrance, a one-eyed guard fights against three, roaring in fierce battle: "Dare to lay hands on the Este family!"

A Saracen-style scimitar swung by the one-eyed guard created a breeze around him, impenetrable like water, and for a moment, the three assassins could do nothing against him; instead, they were forced by the fierce offensive of the one-eyed guard to retreat step by step.

But even the brave one-eyed guard couldn't stop other assassins from shattering the high windows and leaping into the main hall.

A masked person who had been at the back from the start walked towards the main door: "Step aside."

The three assassins entangled with the one-eyed guard quickly retreated upon hearing this, putting distance between themselves and the one-eyed guard.

The masked person extended his grip towards the one-eyed guard from afar, and then clenched fiercely: "[Ancient language] Crushed to the Bone!"

The body of the one-eyed guard suddenly trembled, his remaining eye instantly stained with blood, followed by a chilling sound of bones deforming throughout his body—hand bones, arm bones, shin bones, cervical vertebrae, and spine twisted and contorted unnaturally as if collapsing, turning his once robust and muscular body into a grotesque freak.

The most terrifying part was that the one-eyed guard didn't die immediately; his lips trembled, and his throat intermittently emitted spine-chilling moans.

An assassin stepped forward and killed the one-eyed guard with a sword—if that pile of something could still be called the one-eyed guard.

The masked person gestured, and the assassins who had been blocked outside by the one-eyed guard streamed into the main entrance.

The masked person walked over to the twisted body of the one-eyed guard, observing it with a bow. Was he reveling in his own success, or was he silently mourning?

His face hidden behind the mask, no one knew his thoughts. When he put on the mask, he lost his self and personality, becoming the avatar and agent of another force.

The sound of hoofbeats, like war drums, grew louder and clearer from afar. According to prior arrangements, those on the perimeter should have intercepted the incomers.

Yet, the sound of the hoofbeats seemed unhindered, flying through the streets without delay, approaching Este Manor like lightning.

In a few breaths, the hoofbeats were already behind the masked person.

The masked person turned around in shock, and a silver dragon-like white horse leaped high, flying over the blazing shrub firewall like thunder, like a rapid stream, directly pouncing towards him.

The masked person extended his hand, chanting loudly.

However, what returned from the void was not power, but terrifying curses and an overload of phantom pain beyond his endurance.

Fortunately, the phantom pain lasted only a brief moment; a flash of cold light, and the masked person's head was severed from his body.

In the fleeting moment flying towards the sky, the masked person finally saw clearly:

There were two people sitting on the horse.