Chapter 310: Unexpected Collision

Chapter 310: Unexpected Collision

The cold wind howled, sweeping up flurries of snow.

The vast wasteland was gradually covered in white. Under the veil of wind and snow, the distant mountains’ outlines were barely visible.

The Anzeta Wasteland, known as the “Land of Extreme Cold,” had finally entered its long and brutal winter. At this time, all life on this barren land struggled desperately to survive.

The weather in the North was always unpredictable. Soon, the snowstorm dissipated, leaving behind a frost-covered landscape.

On a snow-covered road, thousands of troops trudged forward with difficulty. Wrapped in thin cotton clothing, they looked like a black river winding through the white world, leaving a long trail on the thick snow.

“Hurry! Keep up in the back!”

“Take advantage of the good weather and move faster!”

Viscount Faruk Edson shouted loudly, riding a horse and swinging his whip at his subordinates.

He was a noble of the Bosk Duchy, summoned to the battlefield by Grand Duke Leo’s orders, bringing his family’s private army.

However, he didn’t bring many knights. Instead, he had gathered a group of ill-equipped serfs as cannon fodder. Knights were the foundation of his family’s power, and he wouldn’t waste them so easily.

Looking down at the thick snow underfoot, Viscount Faruk spat and complained:

“Damn this weather.”

“I don’t know what Grand Duke Leo is thinking, starting a war at this time.”

Starting a war at the onset of winter was a decision made after many discussions among the Northern nobles of the “Anti-Red Dragon Alliance.”

Many soldiers in the Ember Kingdom’s army carried the hot bloodline of the red dragons, and in Anzeta’s frigid climate, their vitality would significantly weaken, possibly leading to casualties. Meanwhile, the hardy Skanians seemed more resilient in winter, hence Grand Duke Leo’s “Winter Offensive.”

Noble armies from all over the North began mobilizing, gathering at the borders of the Bosk Duchy, the Fano Duchy, and the Ember Kingdom, preparing for a decisive battle with the “evil red dragon kingdom.” Yet, despite their claims of giving their all, how much they would truly contribute remained uncertain.

Take the Edson family, for example. They sent their unvalued second son along with a ragtag army.

“What is that?”

Faruk raised his head. There seemed to be a few faint black dots in the sky.

The knight attendant beside him suddenly paled, recalling some terrifying rumors.

“My lord, it might be… it’s the Crimson Scaled Conquerors.”

“Impossible!”

Faruk’s face filled with fear, and he began to tremble.

He had only intended to muddle through and earn some battlefield merits. Reaching the camp and sending these cannon fodder to the front line would have been success enough. Who would have thought such danger awaited?

The Crimson Scaled Conquerors’ name had already spread throughout the North. It was said that they were monsters riding wyverns, arriving with terrifying dragon roars, bringing fire and death to their enemies.

The knight attendant reminded him:

“My lord, they appear to be scouts.”

“Ah, that must be it. The Crimson Scaled Conquerors’ target isn’t us.”

Faruk wiped the sweat from his forehead and forced a laugh.

Those small black dots really did just glide past overhead, circling in the air, which made him sigh in relief.

“Whew, thank goodness.”

“As long as I deliver this cannon fodder to the front lines, my task is done...”

“We’re almost there.”

Faruk muttered to himself, his voice barely audible, as he repeatedly prayed to the gods in his heart.

Once through the pass ahead, they would soon arrive at their destination. At that point, he could stay safely in the camp and let his guard down completely.

Yet reality often doesn’t go as planned.

“Vmmm—”

A piercing screech suddenly came from above.

Faruk looked up in panic, his eyes filled with fear of the unknown. He saw metal spheres falling from the sky.

“What is that?”

“It’s coming down!”

“Move! Don’t block me!”

“Do you want to die?!”

His “army” immediately fell into chaos. These cowardly and death-fearing people pushed and shoved, shouting noisily, even causing a stampede. It was unclear how many lives were lost in the turmoil.

“Boom!”

Suddenly, with a thunderous roar, the metal spheres exploded in mid-air.

Balls of fire fell from the sky, like divine punishment in the form of “rain of fire.”

Reflected in Faruk’s pupils was the firelight. He murmured:

“Gods above…”

As the metal spheres hit the ground, flames engulfed everything.

Screams and wails echoed everywhere. Soldiers’ cotton clothes caught fire, and even those lucky enough to escape had lost all will to fight.

This was the latest creation of the Ember Kingdom’s armory—incendiary bombs. They caused devastating damage to enemies, though such cruel means were condemned by some domestic scholars.

After one round of incendiary bombing, the soldiers had scattered and fled in all directions.

Faruk was fortunate enough to survive by quickly removing and discarding his burning clothes. He escaped the “rain of fire,” fleeing towards the destination on a terrified warhorse.

“Damn it… enemies like this.”

“I have to get out of here!”

Yet just as he reached the pass, a mottled tide and countless pairs of murky eyes appeared before him, accompanied by a cacophony of barking sounds—it was an army of kobolds.

“Awooo~~”

The largest, most dragon-like kobold leader tilted its head back and howled. He was Gold-Fang’s thirty-third child, though considering Gold-Fang’s promiscuous escapades, his rank might be even lower. However, he was clearly not highly valued, having been sent to lead a cannon-fodder army.

“It’s just kobolds.”

“They can’t catch me.”

Faced with the charging kobolds, Faruk, driven by his powerful survival instincts, pulled the reins sharply and displayed riding skills beyond his usual capabilities, urgently turning his horse around.

But the kobolds behind him cackled cruelly, raising their crude muskets. They loaded them with oily paper cartridges and prepared to fire.

“Bang!”

“Bang! Bang!”

Amid chaotic gunfire, wisps of blue smoke rose from the muzzles.

These kobolds were poorly trained, and the outdated muskets they used lacked accuracy. Bullets often flew wildly in all directions.

But there were enough of them. With dozens of muskets firing simultaneously, three or four bullets hit from over a hundred meters away, turning Faruk’s back into a sieve and knocking him off his horse, where he rolled several times on the ground.

Until his death, the viscount never understood how he was killed by kobolds from over a hundred meters away.

“I killed him!”

A kobold exclaimed excitedly.

“Get lost! I killed him! I hit his heart!”

Another kobold shoved the first one, cursing disdainfully.

And so, the two kobolds began brawling, barking angrily at each other.

Finally, the tall and strong kobold leader stepped forward, lifting the two kobolds up with one hand and grinning cruelly at them.

“Now, do you know who killed this human noble?”

“Of course… it was you.”

The two kobolds curled up and weakly replied.

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