A large number of Southern Barbarians and demons are pursuing them from behind and will catch up soon. If the two armies confront each other head-on, the chances of victory are slim, and the Silver Army, whose strength has not been fully recovered, is very likely to be wiped out.
Most of the Silver Knights couldn't swim, so they had no way to cross the river without any tools.
Moreover, given the current situation—looking at the Horus River, its current is swift and its abyss is bottomless. Even aquatic creatures might not be able to cross the river before being swept away by the raging current.
What many people don't know is that the name "Horus," given by the southerners, actually means "abyssal trap that devours its prey."
Finchley dismounted, crouched, and pressed his right ear close to the ground to listen for the movements of the enemy army a kilometer ahead. He estimated that the two armies would be facing off in less than a quarter of an hour.
Finchley mounted his warhorse again and whistled to summon the scarlet starlings.
Priscilla followed behind Alphonse, proposing as she ran, "I can use the wind to carry you all across to the other side! Trust in my power!"
Alphonse hurriedly fastened his armor, put on his cloak, and turned to ask, "Can you send the whole team over in one go?"
"How many times did you score?"
"No! Time is running out, and doing this will severely deplete your magic power. If we don't manage to get everyone across to the other side in time, the remaining forces—including yourself—will face tens of thousands of mixed human and demon troops!"
"I'll go to the other side first, and I'll deliver as much as I can..."
"Then what about the people left behind? You want them to face the enemy and fight a battle they will surely die?" Alphonse retorted sharply.
“But…” Priscilla grew increasingly anxious, as the distant sound of barbarian war drums could be faintly heard.
He placed his hands on her shoulders to calm her down, saying, "Don't worry, I have a plan."
Alphonse ignored Priscilla and turned to walk toward Desfield.
The pure white dragon mount raised its wings and let out a soft cry.
He gently stroked Desfield's chin, asking as if to a mother, "Desfield... do you remember the emblem you carved for me before I set off? I have always followed your instructions not to reveal it except in times of crisis; but now, at this critical moment for our army, we must use it no matter what."
After saying that, he bit off his glove and revealed the mark.
“Child…” Daisy rose into the air, radiating holy light as she hovered.
The child's unwavering will and unprecedented spirit completely moved the Holy Dragon. It began to pray for Elphons, to pray to all things, and to gather the power of all things into this mature child.
Priscilla was stunned. The sacred beast before her concentrated all the white light it had summoned onto Elfons.
The icy emblem, "Radiance of the North," is brimming with magic and glows white. Aurora borealis emanates from it, enveloping its wearer.
"Gentlemen..." he promised the soldiers, "Please believe in me, believe in your commander;" and then promised Priscilla, "Please believe in me, in my strength."
At the same time, the sound of barbarian war drums grew ever closer, until they could even see each other's shadows.
From the center of the valley, a beam of white light pierced the sky. Then, the blazing sun vanished without a trace.
The sky at this moment resembled a seamless, boundless mirror of blue sand.
Snowflakes and ice rose in continuous waves, covering the entire valley. The turbulent Horus River was conquered by the extreme cold and instantly froze into a solid, thick layer of ice.
Finch used his sword to poke the ice surface to estimate its thickness.
The results showed that the longsword had not pierced the ice. The thickness of the newly formed ice was estimated to be more than one-third of a meter.
As long as everyone on the vehicle gets off and spreads out as much as possible, the ice layer is large enough for the Silver Knights, with thousands of soldiers, to cross quickly without any risk of the ice collapsing.
The soldiers had never carried out a mission on ice before and were still apprehensive.
Only when they stepped onto the ice, which was as hard as stone bricks on flat ground, did they gradually feel at ease.
"Although we were able to get through here smoothly, the enemy is still in hot pursuit, so be careful."
"At this moment, the most important thing is not to lose your composure."
"Let's be careful as we go."
"..." The soldiers of Silver Army reminded each other, and then fell silent. The only sound in the valley was the turning of the wheels of the four-wheeled carriage.
At this moment, almost every warrior in the snow-covered valley had a thin layer of snow covering their armor. Gusts of icy mountain wind swept through, sending chills down their spines.
Alphonse led the way, deliberately preventing his mount, Desce, from taking flight, instead walking steadily on the ice to test its safety. The white dragon and the shadow of the knight led the silver army.
Until they completely crossed the Horus Glacier, the path beneath their feet never trembled. Silver smoothly stepped across the ice and overcame the obstacles.
Just after crossing the ice, Finchley caught up with Alphonse, who was leading the way, and whispered to him;
“Through observations of the starlings, I learned that the barbarians have mobilized more than half of their forces for this pursuit. It seems they anticipated that we would be intercepted by the Horus River and intended to wipe us out from the very beginning, hoping to defeat us here.”
Finchley added, seemingly implying something: "The pursuing army was led by their people's chieftain."
Alphonse nodded, a smirk playing on his lips. "The barbarians were unaware of the 'Radiance of the Far North.' Unexpectedly, they've now gifted us a chance to retaliate!"
"Just like an old saying I heard from elsewhere—'A loss may turn out to be a blessing in disguise!' The defeat in the last battle had actually paved the way for this victory."
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