Andesha was no stranger to the stench of blood.
She stood in front of the door of the communication tower, maintaining the posture of pushing the door open halfway. The senses of a high-grade Extraordinaire spread out, and the various presences in the tower were reflected in her mind. A few seconds later, she retreated and closed the door again.
She turned around and strode towards the East Hall like a gust of wind. Countless thoughts and speculations mixed with the information revealed by all the recent events, spinning like a storm in her mind. Her footsteps gradually calmed down, and questions began to appear in her mind. The first question that popped up in her mind was —
If she wanted to deceive the highest commander of Winterwolf Fort for twenty-four hours without any blind spots, and ensure that no one accidentally broke the 'curtain' … How many people would she need?
On the way to the East Hall, Andesha carefully analyzed the possible illusions around her. She checked all the anomalies one by one, and slowly restored the original appearance of the 'farce' in the past two days.
Count Parlin Wintercastle stood in front of the Magic Focal Point in the East Hall. The circular platform in the middle of the hall was inlaid with a huge crystal device. Magical light constantly flowed from the device. The Count of Winterwolf's attention was focused on a few of the main streams of light. He was monitoring the magic balance of the entire Winterwolf Fort and the load of the shield. He was also adjusting the deployment and rotation of the Black Flag Mage Regiment to ensure that the mages and the fort were always in the best condition.
Other than Count Wintercastle, there were only a dozen combat mages in the hall who acted as sentries, guarding the various doors.
As soon as Andesha stepped into the hall, Count Wintercastle sensed her presence. The middle-aged man with a dignified aura raised his head and said casually, "You're here at the right time, Andesha."
In the next second, he noticed Andesha's extraordinarily solemn expression and the faint solemn aura that was transmitted to him.
"What happened?" Count Wintercastle immediately asked, and before he finished speaking, a layer of soundproof barrier appeared out of thin air, completely enveloping the surrounding area within a few meters. "This place is safe."
"The mages on duty in the tower are all dead," Andesha knew about the existence of the soundproof barrier, but she could not help but lower her voice. Her expression was so serious that it was almost terrifying. "They died about a day ago."
There was no need for her to explain further. The Count of Winterfort's expression darkened. In a matter of seconds, the quick-thinking battle mage had retraced all the time nodes in his mind, retracing all the key events that could be connected to the communication tower. "That's why we didn't send a single message …" he said in a low voice.
"Or even worse — Winterwolf Fort spreads information that shouldn't be spread."
"That adjutant beside you … No, he's not enough, there are more …" The Count of Winterfort's tone was cold. He did not doubt the authenticity of Andesha's sudden news because he knew his good friend's daughter well. She would not lie about such things. "They're all affected …"
Andesha took a deep breath, "Not everyone who is affected will lose control like the Priestesses. Most of them are hidden among us, and they … … are still rational."
An indescribable pressure enveloped her, and it even revealed a bone-chilling terror. Andesha was no stranger to death, and she was not afraid of it. But she found that she was facing something even more terrifying than life and death on the battlefield. It seemed to be everywhere, invisible and intangible. It was hidden beside everyone, even in the depths of everyone's soul. It had stirred up the life and death of countless people, and many people did not even know it had come until the day they died.
For many years, Winterwolf Fort and its countless soldiers were the source of Andesha's pride and confidence. But at this moment, she felt as if she had fallen into an abyss.
"What do you plan to do?" The Count of Winterfort suddenly stared at Andesha. His eyes were as sharp as the stars in the winter night. "Do you have any way to salvage the situation?"
Andesha bit her lips, and her expression was gloomy. "… In a way, I'm even worried that we have lost control of Winterwolf Fort. Those worshippers of the God of War who have lost control are obviously pushing for a war, and any attempt to stop the war from worsening will inevitably be countered. I don't dare to bet on the extent to which the worshippers have infiltrated Winterwolf Fort."
To the young Wolf General, this was a great insult and humiliation. A commander of a fort who had lost control of his own fort and his army because of such a reason when war was about to break out had never happened since the founding of the Typhon Empire. But now, it happened to the future successor of the Wendell family. If she did not experience it for herself, who would dare to believe it?
Of course, Andesha also knew that the situation was not that bad. She did not completely lose control of Winterwolf Fort and her army, and more than half of the soldiers in the fort were still loyal to her. But from the looks of it, the severity of this matter was not much different from a complete loss of control. Under such circumstances, she did not have the energy to spare and did not have the means to identify the worshippers hidden among the ordinary soldiers. Furthermore, Cecil's men were still attacking the fort.
Explosions continued to sound from the west wall. Cecil's long-range cannons had launched a new round of bombardment.
Amidst the explosions, the Count of Winterwolf looked into Andesha's eyes. "Reason and logic tell me that there will be no victor in this war. Cecil and Typhon are both stepping into the abyss, and our most fatal problem now is that all communication channels have been cut off or jammed, including the messengers we sent out. Cecil's men have most likely misjudged the situation in Winterwolf Fort, or even the situation in the entire Typhon Empire. Once they cross this line of defense, even without the interference of the Church of the God of War, this war will turn into a disaster …"
"So I'm thinking about how to take back some of the initiative. We have to find a way to send the news out of Winterwolf Fort, whether it's to the imperial capital or to Cecil's men," Andesha clenched her fist. "And we have to prevent those who are tainted from noticing and disrupting this —"
"And the most important thing …" The Count of Winterwolf said. But before he could finish his sentence, a series of more intense and disturbing explosions came from afar. It sounded like the sound of the southwest shield being bombarded.
"And the most important thing," the Count of Winterwolf repeated after the explosions subsided. "Not all soldiers and officers can understand what is happening now like you and me. I mean those who are awake and unaffected. The Divine Calamity is a secret, and we've hidden it too well. The soldiers of the empire only know that we've already started an all-out war with the Cecil Empire, and that they've already reached the walls of Winterwolf Fort. At this time, your actions of contacting the outside world and seeking peace will definitely cause them to waver. "
"I don't care so much now," Andesha said immediately. "Count of Winterwolf, I need the help of your mages. Winterwolf Fort is full of soldiers and Knight who are more or less connected to the God of War. Only your mages are reliable now. I need your magic. You can try to regain control of the communication tower, build a new external communication system, or any other way to let Winterwolf Fort 'speak' to the outside world. "
"I will think of a way," the Count of Winterwolf only considered for a second. "But we have to hold this fort intact tonight. Cecil's attack at night shows no signs of weakening. It is even more violent than during the day. I suspect that they are even planning to rely on more and more long-range 'Skyfire' to smash our shields and walls. I called you here for this matter. The Magician's Eye has seen that Cecil's men have added two more firing points to the northwest. They are using large vehicles to bring some kind of magic cannons that are bigger than the main cannons of the war chariots to the frontline. Those things are not ready yet, but they are ready to attack at any time. "
"How many more magic cannons do they have on the way …" Andesha could barely control the astonishment in her voice. "Can the Black Flag Mages get rid of those two firing points?"
"They are beyond the range of the army's spells. Cecil's choice of location is very good. They have probably figured out the limit of the Black Flag Mages' attack. It seems that we can only rely on strengthening the shields to resist those things. "
"… Understood. I will order the energy of the magic cannons to be transferred to the shields. At the same time, let the battle mages of the Knight Legion prepare to go up the walls to maintain the shields."
Just as Andesha's voice trailed off, an ear-piercing screech suddenly sounded from afar. After a very short delay, an explosion that was more deafening than any of the previous cannon blasts, causing the entire fort to tremble faintly under the night sky!
The battle mages in the hall were shocked by the huge explosion. Palin and Andesha's expression changed at the same time. The two of them quickly rushed out of the hall and rushed to the bridge that connected to the walls. They raised their heads and looked in the direction of the explosion. In their line of sight, the thick energy shield outside Winterwolf Fort was rippling with layers upon layers of ripples, and an even larger explosion occurred a few seconds later.
After a slight delay, the second explosion finally reached Andesha's ears.
'Is it that kind of cannon?'
Palin's face flashed with a pondering look. The next second, he drew a rune in the air and quickly gave a new order to the battle mages of the Black Flag Mages. "Fourth to sixth echelons, charge up and cast two wide-area illusions at A2 and A3 in the northwest. Seventh to tenth echelons, reinforce the shields and prepare for the follow-up attack!"
Andesha also quickly rushed to Winterwolf's side. She knew that her adjutant and the other commanders must be on the other side of the rune. No matter how many of them had become carriers of the divine corruption, at least in the matter of 'battle', they would definitely listen to her orders. "Claudian! Immediately transfer the energy of the magic cannons to the shields! Let the battle mages go up the walls … "
Orders after orders were swiftly issued. Although the defenders of Winterwolf Fort had fallen into a momentary panic due to the sudden attack from the ground, order was quickly restored. More energy was transferred to the shield, and more mages turned their attention to the new source of attack. The defensive power of the fort was quickly adjusted, and the shield that had been shaken for a short while gradually stabilized.
Andesha and Palin stood on the bridge, adjusting the defensive power of the fort through the runes while paying attention to Cecil's new attack. They looked down at the tense situation in the fort, and saw that the shields near the walls had stabilized. Both of them sighed in relief at the same time.
Almost all the defensive power of Winterwolf Fort was now concentrated on the walls and shields. Cecil's tireless attacks on the ground made Andesha feel heavy pressure, but fortunately, the fort seemed to be able to withstand it.
… …
Philip received the latest information from the ground forces.
"Even the Truth-I Orbital Cannon can't break their shields …" He muttered softly to himself, as if he was surprised by the strength of Typhon's border fortress. "Or is it that the Black Flag Mages are strengthening the shield of the fortress?"
"It seems that it's really difficult to break through the fortress in a short time with just ground firepower," a senior staff officer said. "General, it's almost midnight."
Philip glanced at the mechanical watch on the table, and then his eyes fell on the magic network terminal not far away.
… …
In the dark night where the cold wind was howling, a low hum sounded between the clouds. War machines made of steel and crystal swept across the sky like ghosts.
More than 20 mass-produced "Dragoons" were arranged in a circular formation under the command of their captain. They were cruising along the border of Winterwolf Fort's alert zone in low-speed night flight mode.
Kina took a deep breath. The Breeze Shield and the reliable cockpit blocked the cold wind outside, but she still felt as if she could smell the cold and slightly bloody air outside. She looked down at the observation window below her and saw lights flashing and bursting at the edge of the dark land. Light blue flashes continued to cut through the darkness.
At the end of the crisscrossing lights was a fortress tenaciously standing on the ground. The shield above the fortress was rippling, but there was still no sign of it being extinguished.
The young Air Force commander took a deep breath again and calmed himself down slightly.
It was not the first time she flew, and it was not the first time she was on the battlefield. She had ridden the Griffon over the Firmrock Fortress under the fire of war, and also flew over the land contaminated by the Crystal Disaster with the giant eagles of the elves, and soared over the old the Captical that was on the verge of collapse.
But that feeling was different from now.
She clenched her hands on the control stick, and the hum from the anti-gravity ring and the Dragonborn drive gradually calmed her down. She turned her head slightly and saw that the machinist cum bombardier sitting behind her was also nervous.
"Relax. It's not the first time we have held these controls," she said.
"I'm just thinking of a loud opening," the bombardier said, pretending to be calm. "Say it when the bomb is dropped."
"Don't do such useless things," Kina said immediately. "Focus on —"
She was only halfway through her sentence.
A device on the aircraft's control panel suddenly lit up. The next second, she heard General Philip's voice coming from it.
"Dragoons, on mission. Code Z-17."
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