At the frontline of Winterwolf Fortress, the flames of war had ignited on the land and were still burning.
On the east side of the defensive line, a fierce battle had just ended in the long and narrow valley. A legion of Typhon Extraordinaires tried to sneak into the valley and attack Cecil's supply line. However, during the march, they alerted a mobile regiment that was temporarily stationed nearby. A fierce battle broke out between the Extraordinaires and the ordinary people armed with steel machines. Three hours later, the remnants of Typhon retreated. Cecil's army, which had suffered some damage, rested on the commanding heights of the valley and remained alert until reinforcements from the rear arrived.
A young officer with bronze skin came to this battlefield that was still emitting smoke. The chilly northern wind whistled through the valley. The wind carried the pungent smell of burnt earth and carbonized flesh. All of this made this young man who was deeply trusted by Maryland couldn't help but slightly narrow his eyes.
He looked up at the end of the ramp and saw three destroyed tanks lying in the explosion crater. Smoke was still billowing under the twisted armor plates. Further away, soldiers were moving around. The soldiers were cleaning the battlefield and putting the bodies into body bags.
Typhon's people did not take all the bodies with them when they retreated. It was best to bring these dangerous remains back and burn them completely. Who knew what kind of trouble would happen if they left them here.
A company commander wearing a second-generation enchanted armor with a blue emblem ribbon on one of his shoulders came to the high ground. He saluted the young officer with bronze skin. "Officer Payne, the collection of the bodies is done."
"Hmm." The young officer called Payne nodded. He then frowned slightly as his eyes fell on the destroyed tanks. "… Typhon's people are gradually mastering the way to fight tanks in small-scale conflicts. They don't have to rely on military-level spells. Their Extraordinaires can also fight our tanks."
"It seems so. Their tactics are improving fast and they have been learning from us." The company commander nodded. "Now they no longer use melee units to attack the tanks head-on. Instead, they rely on various Extraordinaire units to cooperate with each other. When the conditions allow, they will use various magic traps. When the conditions don't allow, they will use the powerful Knight to form a team of five to ten people to withstand one or two cannon blasts. The mages will use cover to quickly cast spells, using quagmire spells or rock spells to trap the tanks. At the same time, they will use counterspells such as arcane impact to try to destroy the magic cycle in the tanks. Lurkers will perform close-range explosions or rely on multiple mages to attack …
"At present, the tactics of Typhon's people often cost a lot of casualties, and they can only deal with small groups of tanks and multi-purpose tanks. But it is a fact that their tactics are constantly improving. They have also come up with some powerful 'new gadgets', such as the explosives used by the Lurkers. They are a great threat."
"… A mixed army formed by Extraordinaires is actually so difficult to deal with …" Payne could not help but frown. "They were helpless against our steel tanks not long ago …"
"Before the war with Typhon, we have never seen an opponent who can use Extraordinaires like ordinary soldiers," the company commander said bluntly. "Even the historical records of Changfeng Stronghold did not mention this mixed army and tactical change. This should be something that Typhon has developed in recent years."
"We have never seen an 'Extraordinaire army', so we were caught off guard." Payne could not help but sigh. "And Typhon has never seen an 'ordinary army' using steel machines. They were also caught off guard … This is a war that has opened the eyes of both sides."
His gaze swept across the battlefield. Typhon's black flag fell on the cold ground, stained with mud and ashes. The red lines on its surface were particularly eye-catching.
He was sincerely glad that this war came when Typhon was at its weakest. This idea may not be enough of the 'Knight spirit', but Payne knew that the era of the Knight spirit had passed.
After a moment of thought, he retracted his gaze and looked at the company commander beside him. "Have you done a preliminary examination of the bodies? What's the result? "
"Yes, the examination has been carried out, and the results are basically in line with General Philip's prediction," the company commander immediately said. "Several of the enemy commanders showed signs of physical mutation, which can be identified as' completely infected '. Most of the ordinary Knight and some of the auxiliary soldiers also showed extraordinary resilience and recovery ability, which can be identified as' mind mutants'. All of the above enemies are rational. As for the mages who followed the army … they did not seem to be contaminated by the God of War's spirit. "
"… So, in the Typhon army sent to attack the Winterwolf Defense Line, the proportion of people who are mentally contaminated is increasing, especially the officer class …" Payne nodded slowly and said in a deep voice. "When the Winterwolf Defense Line first fell into our hands, only about half of the enemy officers who came to counterattack were mentally contaminated …"
"Isn't this normal?" The company commander was a little confused. "This means that the contamination is spreading in Typhon's army, and more soldiers and officers are affected by the God of Madness. Their infection is on the verge of going out of control."
"No." Payne shook his head with a serious look on his face. "You've got one thing wrong. Although we call this a 'mental plague', its speed and scope of contamination are actually limited from the beginning, and it is unlikely to cause such a rapid infection now.
"This' mental plague 'uses the belief in the God of War as the basic medium. According to the analysis of the scholars, only when the belief in the God of War reaches a certain level, humans will be infected. So if you are not a devout believer in the God of War, you will not be infected anyway. But if you are a devout believer in the God of War, you will have been affected as early as the first few days of the outbreak of this' plague '."
The company commander listened to his superior's explanation and finally slowly understood. "That is to say, the number of 'infected' in Typhon's army should have stabilized a few days ago. In theory, there should not be such an abnormal increase … But what's the matter with the sudden increase of infected people?"
"… I don't know." Payne shook his head and looked into the distance. "But we should be able to figure it out soon."
…
East of Winterwolf Fort, in the snowy forest near a nameless mine, a few hazy figures were moving swiftly between the forest and the snow.
These figures were as agile as forest beasts, and their bodies were shrouded in some kind of constantly changing magic halo. Under the effect of the magic effect, their figures were almost completely integrated with the surrounding environment. Only when one looked closely could one notice the fleeting silhouettes. They quickly crossed the border of the snowy forest, bypassed a trail that even hunters rarely used, and finally stopped at a secret hideout deep in the forest.
A giant tree that had been dead for a long time had fallen here. The huge trunk of the tree had weathered and decayed, forming a wooden wall that sheltered them from the wind and snow. Several soldiers in white light armor and white overalls were guarding the place. When the team that went to investigate the situation returned, these soldiers instinctively raised their vigilance. But soon, they confirmed the identity of the newcomers through the identification sigils they carried with them and relaxed a little.
"Safe. You can turn off the light bending force field."
A low voice sounded as if it came out of nowhere. After that, the figures that returned from outside the snowy forest removed their camouflage one by one, revealing the same attire as the soldiers guarding the hideout.
This was a team of steel rangers that had penetrated deep into Typhon. In this season of snow, they had changed into equipment that allowed them to move freely in snowy areas. At the same time, they all carried the light bending force field generator that could conceal them.
They had been active in this area for two days. At the same time, several other teams were active in several other areas nearby.
"Where's Officer Solderlin?" The team leader who returned from outside the snowy forest looked at the obvious hideout and asked curiously. The moment his voice trailed off, a magnetic voice came from right under his nose. "I'm here."
The golden-haired Solderlin stood up from a nearby wooden stake. Before he made a sound and moved, the soldiers did not even notice his existence.
The high-grade Silver Elf ranger did not even need to use any extraordinary skills to become invisible in front of ordinary people. The team leader could not help but be in awe of this incredible ability. He then hurriedly saluted and said to Solderlin, "Sir, we're back from Pine Town. The operation went well."
"Tell me what you found," Solderlin said. There was always a trace of melancholy in his elegant temperament. "The other teams have not replied yet. You're the first to complete the investigation."
"Yes, sir." The team leader immediately nodded. "The informant's information is accurate. We saw that several buildings in the Typhon barracks near Pine Town have changed the coat of arms on the outer walls. Judging from the shape, it should be the resting place of the noble officers and the decorated Knight. We also saw several large-scale people coming and going. There was also an army gathering at a junction in the southeast. Judging from the flag and coat of arms, it should be a National Knight Regiment from the central region. "
Listening to the team leader's organized report, Solderlin slowly nodded. "Very good. You saw something very important."
"It's a pity that we can't go deeper into the southeast." The team leader shook his head regretfully. "The magic sentries there are too tight. There are Mage's Eyes everywhere. Mages are everywhere. There are even mages standing guard at the entrance of the village. Our Light Bending Field may not work there."
"… It's not that mages don't want money, but the Typhon have always been rich." Solderlin pursed his lips and could not help but comment on a sentence that Gwen once said. "Money is money."
As he spoke, there seemed to be a hint of melancholy between the handsome blonde elf's brows, but he soon shook his head. "The next time we communicate, I'll send the information you've scouted and the information we've collected last time to the rear. In the meantime, everyone should rest and reorganize. After that, we'll move again."
After that, the high-grade ranger turned around and left the hiding place. He nimbly came to a nearby big tree. He hid himself under the leaves of The Winter Sun and sat down between the branches of the tree. He was half alert and half resting.
"Is the commander in a bad mood today?" The team leader could not help but look over there and said to his comrade beside him. "I feel that he's frowning."
"He's been like this recently. It's okay," a Steel Ranger said casually. "Elves are said to be very emotional. Maybe when they see the snowy scenery, withered trees, and barren mountains, they'll feel emotional …"
The team leader thought for a moment and nodded in agreement. "Oh, that makes sense …"
The warriors kept their voices low, but their voices still could not escape the sharp ears of the elves.
Sitting on the tree branch, Solderlin's ears twitched, but he didn't care about the idle chatter of his subordinates. He adjusted his posture slightly, barely causing the tree branch to shake at all. Then, he raised his head and looked at the clear blue sky in the winter with a slightly melancholy expression.
After a long time, he sighed softly. "… Why don't they have hair?
"Magically … Magically, does it still count?"
…
"This is the latest intelligence from the frontline." In the study of Cecil Palace, Heti placed a sorted document in front of Gwen. "The defensive line of Winterwolf Fort has been stabilized. Although the counterattacks of Typhon are getting fiercer and fiercer, we have sent reinforcements in time. Zero and the giant serpent have also arrived near the Shadowy Swamp in time. The warriors have finally gained a foothold there."
Gwen took the document from Heti. While listening to the report, his eyes quickly scanned the document. Soon, his eyes slowed down, and after hearing Heti's words, he said to himself, "Sure enough … the proportion of 'polluters' in the army of Typhon has increased …"
"Theoretically speaking, the spiritual pollution spread through the chain of faith can't have such a 'surge'. The non-believers won't be contaminated, but the devout believers will be heavily contaminated from the beginning. Between these two groups of people, the spiritual pollution of the gods doesn't 'spread' from person to person," Heti said. "So … you're right."
"Yes, I'm right," Gwen said with a smile. His expression was complicated and subtle. "Look here, these signs of mobilization, these complicated, subtle, and rapid reorganization …"
He sighed. It was hard to tell whether he was crying or laughing.
"These 'new' infected people are gathered and transferred from the rear. Rosetta Augustus is launching his huge ruling machine and war machine. In a series of personnel adjustments, he is constantly sending soldiers affected by the god of war to the frontline of Winterwolf Fort. He is using our power to purify the pollution. Maybe … he is also using this to eliminate his political enemies."
Listening to Gwen's words, Heti's expression became strange.
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