Free Web NovelThree days after the battle ended, a thousand miles north of Frost Halberd City, there was no longer a single insect shadow.
All the nests seemed to wither, dissolve, and collapse overnight.
The black tide that once covered the mountains was like a decapitated creature, twitching uncontrollably for a few moments before falling silent forever.
The surviving knights, fully armored and wearing gas masks, stepped into that dead land, each step accompanied by the sound of rotting flesh collapsing and sporoplasm splattering.
The air was filled with a nauseating stench of blood and decay, as if the entire land was slowly rotting.
The Doomsday Mother Nest was destroyed; that colossal shadow, once as divine as a god oppressing the world, ultimately fell amidst flames.
And what collapsed with it were all the “wills” that controlled the insect swarm; those monsters that once dominated the nightmares of the Northern Territory were now nothing more than a puddle of sewage.
Although the war had ended, bringing a sigh of relief to everyone.
Yet, looking at the burnt ruins, collapsed cities, and terrain eroded by insect eggs, people could not ignore the cruelest truth in their hearts.
This war was won, but the cost was horrifyingly high.
According to rough estimates, the Northern Territory’s total population decreased by more than four-fifths.
Millions of lives, like a tide, vanished in just a few weeks, without even having their names carved onto tombstones.
Dozens of once prosperous towns became breeding grounds for insect nests, covered in bones and broken walls.
Ancient Northern Territory families were completely wiped out, their bloodlines severed, their banners no more.
The terrain was no longer as it was yesterday; the cavities left by the exploded insect nests became new rifts, rivers changed course, plains rose, roads became wild forests, and fortresses sank into swamps.
The Northern Territory was no longer the Northern Territory of yesterday.
The future reconstruction would undoubtedly be extremely difficult. The most affected was naturally the Governor of the Northern Territory, Duke Edmund, who had exhausted everything in this war named “Doomsday.”
This was not merely the decline of his body, but also the collapse of his political landscape.
The Northern Territory was his root.
But now, four-fifths of the population of this land had turned into corpses, and the nobles, towns, and knights who once supported his ruling system were weakened or annihilated.
Most of the subordinate vassals who once spoke grandly in the council hall completely disappeared from the empire’s map after the disaster, all listed as missing.
His carefully laid out noble Northern Territory defense system had become a mere formality.
And the real crisis was his body; after the Doomsday War, his internal organs were almost half-destroyed, and his battle qi was severely overdrawn.
What was worse, his only heir was still in the Duchess Elena’s womb.
An unborn infant would have to face a future lacking protection.
If there was no turning point, the Edmund Family, one of the eight great families since the founding of the empire, might rapidly decline.
The Edmund Family, without a Duke, would be an empty shell waiting to be sold.
And the impact of this war would not only change the Northern Territory’s landscape but would certainly affect the entire empire’s landscape.
The Dragon Blood Legion, the military force representing the empire’s sharpest will, paid a heavy price in the Doomsday battle.
Commander Arthur lost an arm; although he could still fight, his combat power was greatly reduced.
Deputy Commander Gaius was currently unconscious, his battle qi exhausted, his fate uncertain.
And among the hundred-plus top combatants under their command, elites from various great families of the empire, only forty-two returned after the war.
The great families would not miss this opportunity to challenge the powerful Emperor.
The future of the empire’s core noble circle was about to face turmoil.
And Louis, who had rendered great service in this war, was already at the center of this storm.
The wind in Frost Halberd City still carried a chill and a Fishy smell.
Arthur walked slowly, draped in a black cloak, his right arm reduced to a stump tightly wrapped in bandages.
“I’m leaving.” His voice was as deep as ever, but with a hint more warmth than usual.
After a moment of silence, he spoke softly: “Gaius will live.”
“I will personally escort him to the Imperial Capital to receive the highest level of ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) treatment. No matter the cost, we will make him wake up.”
Then he paused, his gaze falling on Louis.
“And you. I will report your merits in this battle directly and truthfully to His Majesty.”
At this point, this usually taciturn man uncharacteristically showed a hint of hesitation, but finally spoke:
“You did very well. Your elder brother is truly proud of you. He—he told me about you, more than once.”
Louis bowed his head slightly, as if to hide his emotions.
Then Arthur turned and left, returning to the Imperial Capital with the remnants of the Dragon Blood Legion.
After bidding farewell to Arthur, Louis was also about to leave Frost Halberd City and return to Red Tide Territory, but of course, before leaving, he had to say goodbye to Duke Edmund.
On that stone wall, which had been washed by blood dozens of times, he saw Duke Edmund again.
He was draped in the empire’s standard black and gold cloak, standing by the broken battlements, his face so pale it was almost indistinguishable from snow.
Louis knew that Duke Edmund’s condition was very bad.
It wasn’t just the apparent fatigue and aging, but a true pathological collapse, a tearing from within.
The Daily Intelligence System had already sent a message: he had forced himself to overdraw his heart meridian once before the Doomsday Mother Nest battle, and now his battle qi was turbulent, his internal injuries severely backlashing, causing him sleepless nights and pain like a knife burning his heart and lungs.
The Duke was still alive, purely relying on his will; if there weren’t so many things that needed him to hold up, he might have died two days ago.
And without a miraculous encounter, he probably wouldn’t last for many more years. freёweɓnovel.com
Louis was still very sad; the Duke was a great figure who always stood behind him.
If it weren’t for his backing, trust, and resource mobilization, his Red Tide Territory might not have developed so smoothly. If one day the Intelligence System provided some miraculous elixir, he would send it to the Duke.
Thinking this, he had already arrived before the Duke. freewebnovel.cσ๓
“You’re here.” The Duke’s voice was still as firm as iron and stone, even though his chest was already heavily scarred.
He turned around, his tone like he was handling official business, yet also like he was entrusting his only son.
“You rendered great service this time; the entire Northern Territory—owes you a favor.”
“But you should go back. Return to Red Tide, and properly settle those who survived. The rewards that are due will come soon—His Majesty will personally issue the order.”
He coughed lightly, covering his mouth with a handkerchief, a little blood quietly seeping out.
“And.” He added, his voice a few shades lower, “If there are refugees, orphans—take in as many as you can. The Northern Territory is gone, but people cannot be without roots.”
The wind carried the smell of blood.
Louis did not answer immediately; his gaze rested quietly on this man who had once awed the Northern Territory.
This figure, who had once single-handedly suppressed the entire Northern Territory and quelled rebellions, now appeared incredibly frail in the setting sun.
“...Take care of Emily for me.”
This instruction was more like an entrustment of an orphan than a command.
Louis looked at him, his expression complex, a never-before-felt heaviness in his chest.
This hardest shield of the empire was quietly cracking.
“...I will do it.” He nodded solemnly.
The Duke waved his hand, as if giving an order: “Go.”
Louis turned and descended the city wall, his figure stretched long by the setting sun.
