Free Web NovelThe moment he stepped out of the tent, cold wind and light snow brushed his face, carrying the unique chill of late autumn in the Northern Realm.
Louis tilted his head slightly, looking at the gloomy sky.
“Less than three hours left.” He quickly reviewed several contingency plans in his mind.
The defensive perimeter was already constructed, and all kinds of traps were ready; fuel for preheating and Magic Bombs had also been transported out, just waiting to be ignited when battle began.
Everything was as designed in the blueprint, so he was not flustered.
Louis turned to Lambert and ordered, “Notify all the Knights to assemble immediately. I have something to say.”
In less than a quarter of an hour, on the open ground east of the Red Tide camp, an entire contingent of the Knight Order was arrayed in formation.
Louis stepped onto the makeshift high platform, his gaze sweeping over the Knights he had personally trained.
He spoke, his voice not loud but every word resonant: “According to reliable intelligence, a Mother Nest has fully awakened in Green Rock Rift. The Worm-Eaten Household will reach the Red Tide Territory border within three hours.”
These few short sentences were like a thunderclap striking the battlefield.
The entire field stirred, with low murmurs and the unconscious tightening of grips on weapons rising and falling.
Many Knights’ expressions changed. This was not the first time they had heard the word “Mother Nest,” and many had even participated in Mother Nest extermination campaigns, knowing what that implied.
That was not an enemy; that was disaster itself. Even if Lord Louis had defeated it twice, it was not to be underestimated.
But Louis did not let them think too much. His voice immediately rang out clearly: “I know what you are thinking. But you do not need to be afraid. Because we are ready! Ready with all means of attack, just waiting for it to fall into our trap!
Behind you are the people of Red Tide Territory, your families, your friends, the homes you built with your own hands!
Every step you take, behind you is the entire Red Tide. There is no retreat! Only victory!”
He took a deep breath, his tone as steady as a mountain: “But this is not a suicidal battle.
We have fire, we have traps, we have contingency plans. Every ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) single one of you has trained, has drilled!
This is not a suicidal battle! It’s not about dying, but about winning! Winning a victory that belongs to us—that belongs to Red Tide!
Let the people behind us see that even if it’s a Mother Nest, as long as it dares to step half a pace into Red Tide, we can turn it to ashes!”
He suddenly raised his right hand high, his fist like a sword, his voice like a resounding bell: “In this battle, we do not seek miracles! We only believe in human will! Only believe in fire! Only believe in the swords in our hands!
All units! Red Tide Knights!! Prepare to face the enemy!”
Initially, there was a deathly silence.
The north wind howled, stirring up dust and battle flags on the open ground.
But no one moved.
Everyone seemed to be processing the intelligence they had just heard.
Suddenly, a metallic clang broke the silence.
It was an older Elite Knight. He slowly drew his sword, its blade glowing with a faint red battle aura in the sunlight, like a lit spark.
Then came a second, a third—
Clank, clank, clank.
Column after column of Knights drew their weapons, some gripping swords, others holding spears, their gazes burning as they watched the figure on the high platform.
“Even if it’s a Mother Nest—as long as Lord Louis points the way, we will charge.”
“He won’t let us die in vain.”
“We have defeated them twice, and we will defeat them a third time, and then we will continue to defeat them!”
Lambert stood quietly to one side, watching the scene before him and nodding silently.
He had led these Knights in drills on the training grounds, guiding them again and again to swing their swords, charge, fall, and get back up.
He had seen their doubts and their wavering, and he had seen them bleed and persevere.
But now they were like drawn blades, their fighting spirit surging like a tide.
Not a single person flinched.
It wasn’t because they weren’t afraid of the Mother Nest, but because—the person standing on the high platform was Louis.
Their Lord, their sun. freewёbnoνel.com
The man who had led them to victory time and time again.
Now he said: “We are ready.”
And so they believed.
They believed his every word, every decision, even if the abyss lay ahead, they were willing to leap with him.
This group of Knights, forged by iron and fire, had silently etched this belief into their very bones.
The strong wind rose again, and the battle flags flapped loudly.
The Knights knelt on one knee, plunging their weapons heavily into the ground, responding to their Lord with a pre-battle oath:
“For Red Tide! For Lord Louis!”
Three hours passed in a flash.
Just as the morning breeze still lingered at the edge of the valley.
“Buzz!!!”
The Cold Iron Resonating Pillars began to vibrate.
It was a sound like metal tearing through the air, deep yet piercing, like a death knell, carrying a pressure that seemed to emanate from deep underground.
Louis abruptly turned, his gaze shooting like an arrow towards the direction of the mountain path.
It was not a small probing force.
He only listened for a moment before concluding—a large-scale Worm-Eaten Household was approaching!
The rapid vibration frequency and continuous buzzing indicated that this enemy force was extremely numerous, moving very quickly, with pressure on both the surface and underground simultaneously.
Lambert said beside him, “Both the main and secondary paths are reacting. The scale is larger than expected.”
“I know.” Louis’s eyes were calm. “This is the Mother Nest’s direct probe, and also—an opportunity for us.”
Before the buzzing faded, the entire Red Tide military camp was already in motion.
“The Worm-Eaten Household is coming!” a Knight said.
“Good timing.” Another old Knight sneered, pulling down his faceguard.
None of the Knights hesitated. They had already been ignited by the earlier speech, and hearing this buzzing, it was like a raging fire leaping onto dry tinder.
Some swung onto their horses, some hoisted flamethrowers, some ran towards the detonation ropes by the trap pits—
There were no screams, no panic, only action.
“Switch all contingency plans to combat status!” Louis ordered, his voice clearly reaching everyone’s ears. “The first line must not retreat, the second line must not falter, and the third line must be ready for reinforcement.”
On the other side, at the northern mountain valley entrance of Red Tide Territory, the Worm-Eaten Household army slowly poured in from the narrow valley mouth.
Their forms were twisted and chaotic, their skin cracked and peeling, bones protruding from their bodies, exposed like sharp blades.
In their eyes, mouths, and ears, purple-black fungal mycelial networks pulsed, as if some life was struggling to hatch within their bodies.
Born from the deep breeding grounds of the Mother Nest, they had shed human reason, yet retained some terrifying “combat instinct.”
These Worm-Eaten Household creatures themselves had no thoughts, but their movements were not purely blind charges.
The Mother Nest in Green Rock Rift, that deep will gradually awakening, had begun to intervene in command in a primitive yet ruthless manner.
It was learning, it was adjusting.
It was gradually becoming a true war machine.
It understood how to scout, how to flank, how to analyze the prey’s reactions.
Thus, the Worm-Eaten Household force did not choose to attack from the main path directly, but rather infiltrated from the north valley path, aiming directly for the Southeast flank of Red Tide Territory.
That was an area that seemed to have a weak defense, a “no-man’s land,” and what guided them forward were merely a few light cavalry harassing and fleeing in the woods.
The Mother Nest sensed no movement from the front, and the Red Tide army seemed to be avoiding battle and retreating.
It smelled a “weakness.”
So it ordered the Worm-Eaten Household to accelerate their advance, confident and arrogant, as if it already saw the corrupted city ruins and the scorched earth behind the Worm-Eaten Household.
Yet, it did not know that this was precisely the first layer of a deadly trap laid by Louis.
South of Red Tide City, on the upper floor of a defensive earthen building, layers of people completely surrounded the only small window.
That small window was the only “eye” in the entire third floor of the earthen building that could currently glimpse the battle.
Initially, people scrambled to look, some bringing stools, some carrying children, and some even bringing dry rations, planning to stay there until the end.
Cries, pushes, and curses mingled into a chaotic din.
Finally, the city guard captain could no longer bear it and roared, “Are you watching a battle, or are you at a market? So noisy, the enemy will laugh their teeth off!”
He looked around, his gaze shifting, and pointed at a tall, thin young man: “Roke! Your mouth is always full of tavern stories. Did you say your ancestors were bards? Use it now! You watch, we listen!”
The young man was startled, then straightened his back: “Alright!”
He pushed through the crowd and stood before the window, adjusting his cloaked mantle like a storyteller before going on stage.
However, just as words were about to leave his mouth, a “thump, thump, thump” tremor came from the distant mountains, as if the earth was violently shaking.
Roke’s heart tightened. He leaned out and saw waves of Worm-Eaten Household creatures surging like a flood amidst thick smoke.
Their limbs were twisted, neither fully human nor fully ghost, like nightmares awakening in the darkness.
Even from a distance, it was clear that these monsters were wantonly rushing towards the valley.
The people behind him stirred: “Hurry up and tell us! What’s happening?!”
Roke swallowed hard and forced a calm smile, "Don't panic, everyone! This surge of monsters is actually Lord Red Tide Lord's brilliant plan—luring them into a trap!"
But he was secretly nervous, thinking, 'How would I know Lord Louis's plan? I'm just making this up to stabilize the situation.'
Unexpectedly, the 'lie' he spoke came true the next moment.
“Boom!”
On the mountaintop, the sleeping mechanisms suddenly roared, and giant wooden spikes, carrying irresistible force, whistled down the slope.
They crashed to the ground, instantly crushing the front ranks of the Worm-Eaten Household, sending blood and severed limbs flying, the terrifying momentum akin to a mountain god's wrath.
Roke's eyes nearly popped out, but his mouth quickly caught up with the rhythm: "Did you hear that!? This is the first deadly trap laid by Lord Louis—rolling logs, divine punishment from the heavens!"
“Roar!!” The common people also grew excited, and someone shouted first, "Well fought!"
Before the words fell, the ground suddenly collapsed with a rumble, a section of the earth wall caved in, and black oil gushed out, soaring like the fires of purgatory, burning the Worm-Eaten Household in front alive.
Roke waved his hand in response: "Now look at the second trap—the pitfall collapse!"
“Boom—!!”
Roke swallowed hard, just catching his breath, when suddenly, two red lights flared up outside the windows.
Accompanied by a rusty mechanical roar, flamethrowers spewed forth, orange-red tongues of fire writhing like venomous snakes, instantly weaving a barrier of flames at the valley entrance. The Worm-Eaten Household struggled before the wall of fire, their cries shrill and piercing.
“Boom—boom—!!!”
Iron plates fell, and flamethrowers extended from the side ramparts, like battle dragons opening their mouths, sweeping flames!
"And finally, the third line of defense, the fire wall—flamethrowers on both sides activated, sweeping demonic flames, incinerating corpses, and destroying the enemy's courage!"
"The mouth of purgatory has opened!" Roke roared, "That is the furious flame of the earth fire, the heart of Red Tide, the embodiment of our people's wrath!!"
“Woo-wah-ah-ah-ah-ah—!!!” This time even the children cried out, everyone stomping their feet on the floorboards, "Long live Lord Louis!!"
And just as Roke was about to breathe a sigh of relief, secretly thinking that his words had barely managed to stabilize the situation, he was about to open his mouth to comfort the gradually relaxing common people.
However, a sudden roar shattered his thoughts, shaking the entire earthen building.
“Boom!!”
A deafening roar, like thunder striking, caused his heart to pound violently.
Roke sharply turned his head, his eyes flashing with unconcealed shock and excitement.
It was a Magic Bomb.
A tactical light Magic Bomb.
Dozens of light Magic Bombs descended from the sky, landing with pinpoint accuracy between the sea of fire and the valley floor, their intense shockwaves instantly tearing everything around them apart.
“Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!”
The moment each Magic Bomb exploded, the air seemed to be ripped open, fire and smoke billowed, and scattered bone fragments and Worm-Eaten Household bodily fluids rained down like blood, sparkling in the night sky, like a crimson starfall.
In just five minutes, the first vanguard of the Worm-Eaten Household army was almost completely annihilated.
Roke's eyes widened, and he stood frozen by the window, watching the shocking scene in disbelief.
The violent air current brought by the immense power almost stirred up all the air in the entire valley.
He could feel the heat and pressure in the air, and the aftershocks of the explosions made him involuntarily raise his voice again: "That is—Magic Bomb! The fire weapon personally chosen by Lord Louis! Specifically for dealing with these monsters! Their remains are completely crushed beneath this sea of fire!"
The onlookers had already forgotten their initial panic, their eyes filled with indescribable awe and shock. "Even if they are immortal monsters, they absolutely cannot escape! This is the true power of Red Tide!" Roke's voice was hoarse,
but still filled with pride and passion.
He looked at the clamoring common people, a smile on his lips: "This battle, we have already won!"
These brief words, like the striking of a morning bell, instantly resonated with everyone present.
The crowd was silent for three seconds, then "Long live Lord Louis!"
Someone shouted it first, and then, like a haystack catching fire, the entire earthen building erupted in a frenzy.
Men shouted, women cried, children waved their fists.
Every face was filled with excitement and fanaticism. "My mother was right! Only the Red Tide Lord is the true hero who protects us!"
"Gods bless? No—Lord Louis blesses us!"
"My heart has been pounding for the past two days, but now—I feel like even if it's hell outside, we're not afraid anymore!"
"Lord Louis is like a general descended from heaven!"
"My son was just born, I'm going to teach him his first words: 'Lord Louis'!" People chattered, all speaking of reverence and gratitude.
An old grandmother with white hair leaned on her cane, sobbing as she said, "With Lord Louis here, our lives are worth living."
Someone else was so excited they stomped their feet: "Do you remember? We used to live by scavenging dry grass roots in the snow! Now we can live in earthen buildings, and there are people protecting us! It's not that we're lucky, it's that we followed the right person!"
Roke was pushed and surrounded by the crowd, some stuffing steamed buns into his hands, others dried fruits.
A little girl even tied a bunch of dried herbs to his arm, grinning, "Thank you for telling us all this. You speak just like a hero from a play!"
Roke didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Then you should thank Lord Louis, not me—I'm just a storyteller!"
The cheers of the common people were deafening, almost shaking the brick walls of the earthen city loose.
But Louis, standing at the edge of the battlefield, showed no joy.
His gaze passed over the sea of fire and thick smoke, over the charred remains of the Worm-Eaten Household, and landed on the unburnt forest valley in the distance.
The wind was subtly changing direction.
He smelled the scent of decaying incubation, an odor a hundred times worse than the Worm-Eaten Household, spreading from the valley.
"It's not over yet," Louis murmured softly, his eyes sharp as blades.
"The main Mother Nest hasn't moved yet."
Just as he finished speaking, deep within the muddy, snowy forest of the valley, a gigantic sac was writhing.
It had been half-submerged underground, but now it slowly lifted its body.
The Mother Nest sensed a threat.
It had originally thought that this small territory named Red Tide was merely an isolated outpost, and that sending some low-level Worm-Eaten Household slaves and assault types would be enough to tear through the defenses and flatten the hills.
But now, it had to admit, this was a tough nut to crack.
The flame-torn valley indicated one fact: to conquer Red Tide, it had to launch an all-out attack.
The Mother Nest's thoughts were slow, but not illogical.
In its not-fully-evolved brain, a simple, brutal strategy was born—devour it.
Devour the entire Red Tide in one gulp.
So it moved.
A section of the forest valley began to collapse, trees were flung away, and the snow melted into putrid fluid.
A massive insect shell sac slowly crawled out from underground, its back covered in mottled black-brown bone plates and oozing raw flesh.
Dozens of tentacles extended like vines from around the sac, rubbing against the remaining snow and scorched earth, making wet, squelching sounds.
Even more terrifying, transparent Worm-Eaten Household continuously 'dripped' from the pores on its body.
They were like incompletely formed fetuses, sliding out of the Mother Nest's sac, landing, twitching, and then immediately rushing forward.
A group, another group, and yet another group.
These Worm-Eaten Household were not like the orderly troops from before, but more like a corrupted flood, astonishing in number, leaving nothing alive in their wake, the air seemingly corroded.
Roke watched the colossal figure slowly advance along the main mountain path, his throat tightening, unable to utter a single word.
Fire walls spraying, rolling wooden spikes, continuous traps—the pre-arranged defenses erupted like prematurely triggered mechanisms.
But those killing moves, which had been highly effective against ordinary Worm-Eaten Household, were now powerless before the Mother Nest.
Its thick outer armor withstood the flames head-on; the spikes could not penetrate its body, a mixture of soft flesh and bone plates; and its self-healing tissue wriggled, regenerated, and sealed the wounds at a visible rate.
"This—" Roke swallowed hard, forcing out a sentence, "There's a—a rather large monster coming."
Everyone turned to look at him.
But he paused, then pretended to be nonchalant and announced loudly, "But everything is within Lord Louis's expectations. Don't panic, everyone!"
The moment he shouted this, even he himself felt a lack of confidence.
