Chapter 167: Dailenna's Chronicles
Though minor setbacks had occurred—along with far more casualties than anticipated—Kenyaza City ultimately fell to the Kingdom of Ashen. The four-hundred-year-old Norton Duchy was thus brought to an end.
The remaining members of the Norton family were captured one by one by the relentless "Nocturne" units, hunted down house by house. Not a single soul escaped. Nearly all were dragged to the dungeon beneath Northwind Keep.
After all, those with even a trace of Frost Giant blood were impossible to miss—both in their towering frames and in the distinct, icy scent of their very essence.
Dragon-blooded Earth Giant Commander Dolo, shaken by the ordeal, had grown deeply disheartened. He formally requested temporary leave from the military command and swore an oath to become a Dragon-Bound Holy Knight. Now, he is deep in training within the Chamber of Dragon Oath—whether he’ll succeed remains uncertain.
In the Council Chamber, Kai Xiusu lounged upon the throne, idly twirling the horn in his hands with evident delight.
Obtaining such a Gear so effortlessly was nothing short of a stroke of luck.
[From Ancient Ice, Stolen for You.]
[You have acquired a Legendary Artifact — Everfrost Horn]
Everfrost Horn
Quality: Legendary
Creator: Kobar Youshuang
Description: In the forgotten age of antiquity, during a war that spanned generations, Kobar displayed terrifying magical talent. He summoned an ice wall over a hundred meters tall, freezing a primordial Red Dragon solid. This act made him a blazing star among the giant empires, founding his own giant clan and even receiving the noble surname “Youshuang” directly bestowed by the Frost Giant deity, Sollem.
When the war finally ended and both sides lay broken, the aged Kobar still lived. Knowing that his enemies would destroy his bloodline after his death, he severed his own right leg, inscribed ancient Runes upon the bone, and forged it into a horn imbued with Eternal Frost Power. On his deathbed, he passed it to his son.
When the horn is blown, a howling blizzard erupts—any being hostile to the Youshuang clan is sealed into eternal slumber.
"I shall freeze all things—not just my enemies, but everything. Kobar Youshuang."
Effects:
(Requires "Youshuang" Frost Giant Bloodline to resonate. Without it, effect is only one-third as strong.)
- Eternal Frost Runes Power: Upon activation, the Runes glow with icy blue light. The strength of the storm becomes yours. Within hundreds of meters of you, a perpetual blizzard rages. Magical hailstones and snowfall descend from the sky, freezing your enemies solid.
- Kobar’s Glacier Prison (9th-level Evocation Spell): A glacier hundreds of meters high erupts from the ground, trapping the target creature. The imprisoned being suffers continuous cold damage until death.
- Extreme Cold Icefall (8th-level Evocation Spell): You open your palm, unleashing a torrent of frigid energy like a waterfall. Those caught in its flow are slowed and take severe cold damage.
- High-Level Ice Spike (7th-level Evocation Spell): You conjure several jagged ice spears that deal both piercing and freezing damage.
"Not bad for a relic of the Frost Giant lineage."
"Truly a powerful Legendary Artifact—though it's a shame it demands so many conditions. And it doesn't exactly harmonize with my True Red Dragon Form."
Kai Xiusu assessed it with a faint smirk.
This Gear was, in essence, designed to counter Red Dragons. And yet, he was a genuine Red Dragon—someone who could bathe in magma without flinching—yet still found himself utterly vulnerable to the extreme cold. The Eternal Frost Runes Power was fundamentally incompatible with his nature.
Worse still, activation required the Youshuang Frost Giant Bloodline. Though he had captured every last descendant of the Norton family, their blood had been diluted across generations. It was far too weak to awaken the full potential of such a Legendary relic.
"Good thing it ended up in Oliver’s hands."
"If it had fallen into the grasp of a Frost Giant elder… I might’ve had real trouble."
Kai Xiusu felt a shiver of unease. Even the Duke, blinded by his own strength, hadn’t managed to unlock half the horn’s power before it already sent chills down his spine. That was enough to prove just how terrifying it truly was.
A sultry, feminine voice cut through his thoughts.
"Master, I’ve found the records!"
"This Duchy of Lakanman’s archives contain the details—here’s the book: The Secrets of the Norton Family."
Dailenna stepped into the hall, clutching an ancient, tattered parchment book. Her expression was bright with triumph.
Kai Xiusu continued to examine the bone horn, intrigued.
"Extract the key points. Read them aloud."
"Yes, Master."
"This horn is called the Everfrost Horn—the sacred heirloom of the Youshuang Frost Giant clan from the Wahala Glacier region. Centuries ago, it was stolen by an ancestor of the Norton family—a Frost Giant who had defected."
Dailenna flipped to the final pages, her expression growing darker. Her brow furrowed.
"When the horn is sounded again, the Frost Giants from the Far North will come at all costs to reclaim it—the glory of their ancestors."
"What’s wrong?"
Seeing her sudden shift to grave urgency, Kai Xiusu’s curiosity sparked.
She spoke in a heavy tone.
"Frost Disaster."
Dailenna slowly lifted her head, checking to see if the Red Dragon had interrupted. Only when she saw no sign of displeasure did she continue.
"The Youshuang Clan, by conservative estimate, numbers over three hundred Frost Giants. They hail from the Northernmost region of Anzeta—the Frozen Forbidden Zone, the Wahala Glacier."
"Every few decades, these Frost Giant tribes descend southward with blizzards in their wake. The timing is unpredictable. The people of the Northern Regions call this invasion 'Frost Disaster'."
"The last such event occurred over sixty years ago. That disaster left the Northern Kingdoms in ruins—tens of thousands dead. One duchy nearly collapsed entirely. My grandfather witnessed it firsthand. Entire villages and farms were razed. Roads were choked with broken human and beast corpses. Some cities were left buried under endless ice—mere ruins of what they once were."
At these words, Kai Xiusu’s golden eyes flickered with sudden, unmistakable delight.
"Three hundred Frost Giants…"
"Isn’t that just the perfect raw material for the Everfrost Horn?"
He stared at Dailenna, his voice low and deliberate.
"Dailenna. Remember your place."
"Our Kingdom of Ashen becomes the disaster for all enemies—never the victim of one."
"Order the Collective Retainers to prepare for battle. I’m going to collect a great many Frost Giant Bloodlines."
Dailenna finally snapped back to reality. She realized she was no longer the serpent woman trembling beneath enemy boots. She was now a member of the Kingdom of Ashen, ruled by the Red Dragon himself.
Yes, he was called the Cataclysm. And the entire Northern Regions trembled beneath his wings.
"Yes, Master."
She dropped to one knee, her voice trembling with a strange, fierce excitement.
(End of Chapter)
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