Chapter 734: Chaos
A biting cold wind sliced across every face like a blade, sending shivers down the spine. A single ice spike, glowing with a pale, icy gleam, plummeted from the sky, striking the Dragon-Scaled Cultivators.
"Watch out!"
"Phase Shield, full activation!"
Steel Tide slammed his chest plate’s rhombus device, and a pale blue energy shield flared into existence, enveloping him instantly. The impact of the ice spike sent a shockwave through the air, hurling him back several meters. As he rolled across the snow, he saw two comrades who hadn’t activated their shields in time—crushed directly by the spike. Their bodies froze solid in an instant, encased in thick frost. Even their blood had crystallized, turning them into perfect, lifeless ice statues.
"Shit..." Steel Tide’s face darkened. He pointed at the Frost Shaman riding the Abyssal Dragon, roaring: "Concentrate fire! Destroy that Frost Giant spellcaster!"
At the order, the Dragon-Scaled Cultivators switched to their Blast Arrow Rifles, loading armor-piercing rounds designed for large monsters. They fired into the blizzard-laden sky, aiming at the towering silhouette advancing through the storm.
Boom!
The gunfire vanished beneath the howling wind, drowned out by the crackle of ember sparks erupting from the rifle muzzles. Each round, forged with an alloy core, launched forward—only to strike an invisible wall of ice mid-air. Thick, crystalline barriers formed in the sky, and the armor-piercing shells embedded themselves deep into the frozen barricade, becoming part of it.
Seizing the moment, Steel Tide dashed to his frozen comrades, activating the emergency defense mechanisms embedded in their armor. Instantly, a surge of intense heat flooded their bodies. Frost melted. Blood trickled again. Their engine-like hearts restarted, thumping anew. Lungs expanded and contracted. The Dragon-Scaled Cultivators stirred back to life.
This was the power of the Dragon-Scaled Cultivators—unyielding life force, enhanced by Imperial Biotechnology. Even if one heart was shattered, they could still fight. Only if they were torn apart, minced into meat paste, or disassembled into scattered parts would they truly be incapacitated. Otherwise, they’d return to battle within moments, becoming nightmares for their enemies.
In the storm, the Frost Shaman seemed to notice these “little insects.” From over a thousand meters away, his deep gaze swept across the battlefield, sending chills down every spine, making hair stand on end.
"Insolent mortal entities," the Frost Shaman sneered, raising his scepter. "You know nothing of Lord Koscherci’s might!"
A gale howled. A blizzard spiraled through the sky.
"Crush these insects!"
"For the glory of Lord Koscherci!"
The Tanalir Frost Giants roared, their voices thunderous. They charged forward, wielding iron hammers and spears, their footsteps shaking the ground like distant thunder. Their bodies, warped by Abyss corruption, were now ten meters tall—giant, monstrous, moving like a rolling mountain of snow, descending upon the group.
"Die, vermin!"
One Frost Giant swung its massive hammer with devastating force, aiming straight at Steel Tide.
Boom!
The hammer slammed into the ice, sending shards and snowflakes flying into the air, forming a dense, freezing white fog. Steel Tide twisted aside, rolling away with lightning reflexes.
Using the fog as cover, he leapt high—seven or eight meters into the air—and brought down his Power Sword in a sweeping arc. The high-frequency vibrating blade sliced cleanly through the Frost Giant’s neck.
Spines!
Turbid, filthy blood erupted in a geyser. The giant’s head tumbled free, landing with a thud. Its massive corpse collapsed with a roar, kicking up a storm of snow. A pool of blood spread around it, dark and glistening.
"Long live the Emperor!"
Steel Tide stood atop the giant’s corpse, the Abyssal smoke curling around him. He raised his sword high, bellowing into the storm.
"Death to this insect! How dare it kill Drekk!"
"Crush it flat!"
A dozen more Frost Giants charged forward, their eyes blazing with fury, moving from all directions, their aura surging like a storm.
Shhhhk!
A spear, over ten meters long, tore through the air with a sonic boom. Steel Tide rolled aside just in time. The spear plunged deep into the snow, vibrating violently, sending snow and debris flying in all directions.
"Damn it, still ambushing?" Steel Tide snarled, furious.
"War狂哥, we’re here!"
The other Dragon-Scaled Cultivators, sensing the danger, rushed to support him. They formed a tight line, raising their Blast Arrow Rifles and aiming at the charging Frost Giants.
Boom!
Boom! Boom!
Gunfire echoed through the sky. Flares of intense flame lit up the blizzard. Dozens of armor-piercing rounds tore through the air, punching through the Frost Giants’ thick, icy skin. Their internal organs were shredded, reduced to bloody pulp. The beasts screamed in agony, collapsing in heaps, kicking up snowstorms with their final roars.
"No—!"
"This is impossible!"
The remaining Frost Giants fell, their bodies shattered, their forms dissolving into the snow.
"Try this!"
Chen Yan, the Deputy Leader, leapt from the flank. His shoulder-mounted plasma cannon roared to life, unleashing a brilliant sphere of light.
Boom!
The left half of a Frost Giant vaporized instantly. The massive, unbalanced corpse tumbled into a deep ice crack, triggering a geyser of molten lava that shot over a hundred meters into the air.
"You were the one who tried to ambush me, weren’t you?" Steel Tide slowly raised his rifle, aiming at a distant Frost Giant. After a few breaths, he pulled the trigger.
Boom!
The armor-piercing round screamed through the air, striking the Frost Giant dead center on the forehead. Hot brain matter exploded outward. Skull fragments flew six or seven meters, scattering across the snow.
Steel Tide blew a puff of smoke from his rifle’s muzzle, smirking. "Still want to ambush? I’ll make you inventive and unconventional."
Under the full transformation of Mechanical Divinity, these Dragon-Scaled Cultivators were terrifyingly powerful—each one capable of standing as a minor boss. And when the Vitajis Dragon-Scale Warriors coordinated with flawless tactics, their combined strength rivaled that of legendary warriors, easily ranking among the Empire’s elite.
In just minutes, the twelve-member team had slaughtered over thirty Tanalir Frost Giants. Their corpses, piled high, looked like rolling hills across the snowfield.
"For Lord Koscherci! Kill them at all costs!"
The cry echoed. Dozens of low-tier demons, howling from the steel ice plains, surged forward like a monstrous avalanche—countless, deafening, overwhelming.
"Captain," Chen Yan scanned the battlefield, voice tight with anxiety, "there are too many demons. Maybe we should retreat?"
"Fine." Steel Tide nodded, his expression grim. He turned to his black-skinned teammate. "Volgan, activate the teleportation array."
The Dragon-Scaled Cultivators carried one-time dimensional gate arrays in their armor—activated, they could instantly teleport out of the battlefield, bypassing space.
Steel Tide grinned at the approaching tide of demons. "We’ve already broken even. Just a little gas money for the road!"
But then his smile froze.
The teleportation didn’t work.
Instead, the horde of terrifying demons surged forward—teeth bared, eyes glowing, claws slashing. The mottled current of evil was about to swallow them whole.
Boom!
Steel Tide fired a round, obliterating a Kuase Demon. He shouted, panicked: "Black brother! Where’s the teleportation?!"
Volgan swung a fist, smashing the head of a timid demon in a thunderous crack. "The Abyssal power here is interfering. Spells aren’t being emitted properly. We have to break out of this Frost Realm by force!"
"You should’ve said that earlier!" Steel Tide leapt high, driving his Power Sword into the skull of an Ice Spider Demon. The blade vibrated at high frequency, tearing through flesh and spraying toxic mucus.
More demons poured in—huge, brutal Tanalir Frost Giants among them. Even the Dragon-Scaled Cultivators were beginning to struggle. The odds were overwhelming. They were outnumbered a thousandfold, even ten thousand to one. Pure numbers would crush them.
"Damn it, the demon numbers are insane. I can’t hold on much longer!" Chen Yan slashed through three Kwase Demons in one motion, then spun, impaling a Frothmaw demon charging from behind. He cursed under his breath.
The constant assault had cracked his power armor. His Chain Saw Sword was soaked in blood, dull and heavy.
"Just hold on. We need to at least get our money back." Steel Tide fired another round, blowing a massive hole in a Frost Giant’s chest.
He felt the pain—deep, gnawing, meat-level agony.
As a Dragon-Scaled Cultivator of Vigil Tower, dying in battle meant not just losing experience points—but also paying a massive sum in gold coins to rebuild their bodies.
"Vermin! You cannot defy Lord Koscherci’s will!"
"Avernus will belong to us! For the Abyss!"
Demons swarmed, relentless. Three more Frost Giants charged, swinging their war hammers in unison.
Steel Tide tried to dodge—but dozens of demons on the ground coordinated, grabbing his limbs, pinning him in place.
"Son of a—!"
He tore free with a roar, throwing off the demons. But the hammer was already coming—crashing into his chest.
Boom!
Steel Tide flew back thirty meters, coughing up blood. His internal organs were shattered by the shockwave. His chest plate cracked apart, sending shards flying into the air. He crashed into a rock wall behind him, carving out a massive, human-shaped pit. He lay there, drenched in blood, battered beyond recognition.
"Devour him!"
The demons howled, their eyes wide with hunger. Saliva dripped from their jaws, thick and foul. They lunged forward, drooling, eager to tear him apart.
"Hahahaha! Perfect! Rip him to pieces!"
The Frost Giants laughed, charging toward him, shaking the earth with each step.
"War狂哥!"
"Too many demons! I’m surrounded!"
The others tried to come to his aid—but they were trapped in the demon tide, fighting for survival themselves.
Steel Tide, buried in the rock, stared up at the approaching demons, his face etched with defiance.
Was this really how it ended? His first death as a Dragon-Scaled Cultivator—by a horde of insignificant pests?
He slowly pushed himself up, shaking off debris. Clutching his Power Sword, he adjusted his breathing, preparing for one final, desperate stand.
Then—
A familiar, blood-curdling scream echoed from above. Like the wail of the Reaper. A chill ran down his spine.
"That’s…"
Steel Tide’s eyes snapped open. He looked up.
Dozens of crimson shapes streaked across the sky, trailing blazing fire. They left behind radiant white trails—Crimson-Scaled Conquerors.
With a thunderous roar, Wyverns dove from above, raining down bombs like a storm.
Boom!
Boom! Boom!
Fire surged into the sky. The hundreds of demons in front of Steel Tide were instantly incinerated—reduced to ash. Not a single intact body remained.
Even the mighty Frost Giants were turned to dust in the flames.
"Hey, isn’t that the famous Steel Tide?"
Singo’s sarcastic voice rang from above.
Then came the mocking laughter of Stuffed Bun: "Wow, look at you—so pathetic. Got beaten to a pulp by low-tier demons. Armor all shattered. What a mess."
Steel Tide’s face turned red. "You don’t get it! I’m wounded in battle—taking on three giants at once! You think Lü Bu fought just one man?!"
But the Crimson-Scaled Conquerors were already pulling up, preparing for another dive. They didn’t hear him.
Steel Tide stood frozen, fuming.
Just then—ROAR!—a Kwase Demon lunged at him from behind.
"Still want to mess with me?"
Fueled by rage, Steel Tide swung a brutal fist, sending the demon flying. He charged forward, raining down punches like a storm. The demon was torn apart—mangled flesh, shredded limbs, reduced to a bloody pulp.
Suddenly, a wave of searing heat surged from behind him, clashing with the Frost Shaman’s Abyssal cold wind. The sky darkened as storm clouds rolled in, thick with steam and vapor.
Steel Tide turned.
There, emerging from the storm, stood Misha and the Twelve Dragon Oath Mages—now on the battlefield.
They wore crimson-gold robes, hovering in midair. Their golden eyes blazed with firelight.
"Dragon Wings Ignite the Heavens, Crimson Scales Burn the Sky, Furnace Eyes Scorch the Clouds, Roar Boils the Sea!"
The Dragon Oath Mages chanted in the ancient Dragon Tongue. Power surged from them—golden radiance bursting from every pore. The Emperor’s might, bestowed upon them, now flared in full.
Instantly, a scorching gale swept across the land. Glaciers melted. Snow vanished. The sky, once frozen, now turned a deep, blood-red orange.
"Frost Shaman?" Misha looked down at the giant, disdain in her voice. "In the Master’s presence, you’ll only be ash."
Farther away, Dragon-Bound Holy Knights marched in perfect unison—moving like a living fortress. Their willpower surged, and behind them, a colossal phantom of the Red Dragon loomed, vast and eternal.
(End of Chapter)
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