Chapter 945: Chapter 534: Destiny: Wild Hunt King vs. Frost Giant King (Part 4)

With a single breath, the freezing breath turned the storm overhead into hail, and the rainwater beneath their feet quickly froze.

Ripples of [Frost Aura] spread out, causing everyone on the battlefield, friend and foe alike, to enter a state of sluggishness.

At that moment, Ulysses felt a surge of inexhaustible energy coursing through his whole body. With a furious roar, he grabbed an iron ship anchor beside him and charged at the leading [Ancient Dragon King Whale].

The other Frost Giants and the Transcendents among the garrison grabbed giant harpoons used for whaling and charged forward, engaging in a life-and-death struggle with the clumsy Sea Monsters that had come ashore.

"Hah——! Go to hell!"

"Awooooo..."

Amid the most brutal close-quarters melee, Sea Monsters fell into pools of blood every moment, while Bearkin’s legitimate Transcendents and Frost Giants were swallowed whole by the monsters.

These polluted Sea Monsters were fearless of death and continued to spread the pollution from the "ecosystem" through their spilled blood.

Soldiers heavily tainted with this Sea Monster blood, if not promptly cleaned and diluted, would undergo varying degrees of mutation just like them.

Unlike the coral disease that once plagued the Bantaan Archipelago, where barnacles and corals grew on the body, this time, it leaned more towards coelenterates.

Stinging cells grew on the soldiers’ skin, organs degraded, and they used the same orifice for both eating and excreting...

It was a true transformation into an alien among aliens.

The increasingly overwhelming stench compelled one to vomit.

The Frost Giant King was engaged in an especially intense battle with a giant [Ancient Dragon King Whale], which had dozens of lizard legs growing beneath its belly.

The ground shook, seawater flooded in, and even the Edge Fortress trembled violently.

At this rate, despite heavy losses on the garrison’s side, they ought to emerge as the final victors.

After over half an hour, the slaughter gradually drew toward an end.

The [Bearkin] found a way to freeze half of the Dragon King Whale’s body in a thick layer of ice, straddled its head, and pounded its head heavily with their fists.

Panting heavily, the blows sent bloody ice shards flying everywhere.

One could see the entire blood-red coast had frozen over, which was the only means the Bearkin could think of to prevent the spread of pollution.

Lest they pay a heavy price to defeat the Sea Monsters, only to have their own stronghold meet a catastrophic end.

Yet, the Bearkin’s Frost Giant face bore no trace of joy, instead gritting their teeth, as if taking the Dragon King Whale beneath them for a more detestable being.

"Damn it, damn it! My legitimate forces were caught off guard by such a loss.

In the short term, not to mention attacking the Kingdom of Hightins to seize the Strait Islands, even if the [King of the Wild Hunt] doesn’t actively come to attack, it would be considered the creator’s blessing.

My Hightins, my beauty, my Empire, who knows when I can really hold them in my hands.

It’s all because of you monsters! Ah ah ah..."

The more the Bearkin thought, the more they hated, and their strength increased.

Yet, at that moment, an inexplicable voice sounded in their ear:

"Eighty!"

"Eighty!"

"Eighty..."

With each strike, a voice shouted "Eighty," and although they didn’t understand why, the mocking tone was unmistakably clear.

The [Bearkin] abruptly turned their head to see a young man wearing a crown, sitting leisurely on the crumbling ruins with his legs crossed.

In his hand, the [Sure-hit Spear, Gungnir], reduced to the size of a pen, turned into a silver dragon dancing at his fingertips, soaring up and down.

Yet, to the eyes of an experienced master of swordsmanship, it was clear that this "Fingertip Spear" was like a long spear or trident, exuding an aura of majesty like heavy weaponry.

It was clearly the transcendent state of "lifting light as if heavy."

As they made out the newcomer’s face, the Bearkin’s ice-crystal like pupils shrank sharply, blurting out:

"It’s you, Byron Lancaster?!

Isn’t today your coronation ceremony, why are you here?

Wait!

Iron Anchor Bay, Faroe Islands, and Hightins—our three families faced the Sea of Monsters directly, why didn’t they land on your territory?"

Don’t be fooled by this Berserker’s rough exterior, their mind was quite astute.

While speaking to buy time, they activated the [Royal Iron Decree: Northern Code] to send a message to the outside world.

Whether the Sea Monster Tide was an accident or not, they were determined to paint Byron as the culprit.

With this reason, they could justifiably purge domestic Protestant Doctrine and [King of the Wild Hunt] supporters.

But, in the next moment, Ulysses’ expression suddenly changed.

Following Byron’s raised finger, he saw a trident emblem appearing in the sky.

With the Solid Trident in Heather’s hands, which could impede transformation, the entire naval port’s airspace had long been sealed.

The outside world only knew they had encountered the Beast Tide initially, and then completely lost contact.

Even the residents in the nearby cities hadn’t detected anything amiss.

Ulysses finally realized Byron had no intention of leaving anyone alive in the naval port, and coldly remarked:

"Byron Lancaster! Are you planning to invade the Kalmar Union of Three Nations?"

Upon hearing, Byron leisurely stood up, scanning the brutal battlefield and the Frost Giants gradually surrounding him, while the [Halo of the Great Benefactor] quietly lit above his head.

He wagged a finger to negate the accusation, giving the Bearkin a compassionate smile:

"No, no, no, how could it be an invasion by us?

Clearly, the Sea Monster Tide slaughtered everyone in this naval port, and in our effort to aid our fellow Bayfolk, we unfortunately arrived a bit late.

Thankfully, while the disaster is ruthless, people are compassionate.

In the spirit of international humanitarian aid among Bayfolk, to prevent the spread of the ’coelenterate disease’ here, we painfully exterminated all Sea Monsters and the polluted ones.

Presented a clean sea back to the Kalmar Union.

And then..."

Byron’s smile vanished:

"Due to the incompetence of you and the Evernight Queen, when facing the subsequent second and third waves of Beast Tide, the military was empty.

The other lords and national people of Kalmar Union had no option but to invite us... for permanent stationing.

Could something with a Strong Claim Right ever be called an invasion?

This has, since ancient times, been the territory of the North Sea Empire.

Once I rebuild the North Sea Empire, matters of the Kalmar Union will be our matters, rest in peace, this territory shall be guarded by me!"

The [Bearkin] only felt the opponent’s words were annoyingly familiar, seemingly all own previous rhetoric.

Yet Byron’s fingertip short spear suddenly flashed coldly, as the spear shot out like a dragon, striking toward the Bearkin’s face.

It was as if it were fate.

According to legend, during the Twilight of the Gods, the Pantheon’s enemies were the Frost Giants.

The first divine war in the last Era Transition began with the Divine Spear thrown by the [King of the Wild Hunt].

And during this Era Transition, occurring among the Bayfolk, the first divine war appeared in an identical manner.