Winter Lord: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 469 Monster
The darkness before dawn had not yet receded, and the basin, like a giant, closed bowl, quietly waited for its prey to fall in.

Five thousand heavily armed knights charged down the slope amidst Karen's roar.

This was an unstoppable torrent of power, with lances and longswords raised high, like a steel forest advancing forward.

Karen rode at the very front, his cloak billowing behind him.

He could feel his blood surging in his ears, and his chest was filled with an almost suffocating excitement.

Crystal Rock City lies ahead. If we charge through, the heart of the Federation will stop beating this morning.

"Accelerate!" His command was swallowed up by a battle cry.

"For the Empire!"

Five thousand knights roared in unison, their voices echoing repeatedly within the basin, as if trying to tear the night sky apart.

However, when the team reached the lowest point of the basin, none of the expected events occurred.

There was no rain of arrows, no explosions, no magical glow, no ambushes leaping from the shadows, and not even a breeze.

The world seemed to have been muted, with only the heavy breathing of warhorses remaining, sounding particularly jarring in the empty basin.

In that instant, he sensed something was wrong. Kalein raised his hand, about to order the team to regroup.

Suddenly the sensation under the horse's hooves changed; the rocky ground, which had been hard and cold just moments before and could clearly provide feedback from vibrations, was now exposed.

In just a few breaths, it became soft and sticky, with an abnormal burning sensation.

His warhorse suddenly neighed, a fear born of instinct.

The first row of knights began to slow down, followed by the second row.

The horses' breathing became rapid and disordered. Some began to spin in place, while others even tried to back up, but were pushed forward by the cavalry behind them.

"What's going on?! A trap?!" A knight's voice, filled with obvious panic, boomed through the ranks.

"Your Highness! The ground is shaking!"

"Is...is this a swamp?!"

Karen lowered his head, his pupils suddenly contracting.

The basin's surface did not sink into a mud pit, but rather undulated very slowly.

Like a huge muscle that is breathing.

The golden liquid spread outwards along the knights' hooves, revealing fine and regular patterns on the ground.

It wasn't a crack, but more like... scales that hadn't fully opened, or veins wriggling under the skin.

For the first time, a chilling thought flashed through Karen's mind.

They weren't rushing into a basin; they were stepping into something.

"Boom-"

A muffled roar, almost indistinguishable to the ear, came from the deepest part of the earth.

Kalein's pupils contracted sharply.

He did not sense any magical fluctuations or battle aura bursts.

There was nothing there, but all the metal had become heavier.

It wasn't just a little bit; it was as if it were being dragged by an invisible weight, and the gravitational pull on the steel increased dozens of times in an instant.

The knights didn't even have time to understand what was happening.

The forelegs of five thousand armored warhorses cracked simultaneously with a dense and clear sound.

"Click, click, click—"

That's the sound of bones being crushed when they can't bear the weight.

The formation during the charge instantly disintegrated.

The knights were pressed into the ground in perfect unison, as if by an invisible giant hand falling from the sky.

The heavy steel armor slammed into the liquefied ground, splashing up scalding golden liquid.

One of the riders was almost thrown off, his knees slamming heavily onto the ground, causing his vision to go white.

He tried to stand up, supporting himself with his sword, but found that the sword that had accompanied him in battle for many years was now as heavy as a nail, pulling his arm tightly to the ground.

Here, steel became an instrument of torture.

The plate armor originally intended for protection has now been transformed into an iron coffin weighing several thousand kilograms.

The knights struggled desperately, trying to unfasten the buckles and remove their protective gear, but their actions were completely rendered meaningless.

An even more terrifying change followed: the temperature of the golden liquid was rising rapidly.

Metal is the best conductor, and heat was conducted along the armor, mercilessly searing into the flesh.

"Ah! Ah! Ah!" The knights let out a shrill wail.

The skin sizzled under the iron plate, muscles spasmed, nerves were burned, and consciousness was torn apart in excruciating pain.

"I...I can't take it off!"

"The armor is jammed!"

"The skin... the skin is stuck to the metal... Ahhh!!"

Desperate screams rose and fell, soon merging into a continuous chorus.

The "For the Empire" chant that had resonated through the valley just minutes before vanished completely at this moment.

Instead, there were the simultaneous wails of five thousand people, as if they were welded to their feet by steel.

The sound echoed back and forth within the narrow, arc-shaped structure of the basin, with no exit and no end.

The basin began to tremble, initially only very slightly, as if the earth were turning over in a dream.

Then the vibrations quickly became clear and heavy, with an incomprehensible rhythm, as if some enormous thing was slowly stretching its limbs underground.

Karen looked up and saw that the outlines of the basin, which had originally stretched out like black mountains in the night, were changing.

Soil, gravel, and large rock strata slid off the mountainside piece by piece, as if they had lost their grip, and crashed into the still churning golden molten liquid below, making dull, short sounds.

As the outer shell peels away, what is exposed below is no longer rock.

Instead, it is a solid, smooth, black structure that gleams with a cold light under the reflection of molten gold.

Composed of obsidian-like material, it is thick, sharp, and interlocked to form a massive framework that cannot be measured by conventional means.

Magma gold flows between these skeletons like blood vessels, delivering a bright light source to every joint.

The entire basin was instantly illuminated.

At that moment, Kalein finally understood that this was never terrain; it was a curled-up body.

As that colossal body stretched out, the air was forcibly compressed, producing a low, booming sound.

The edge of the basin began to shift, and the original ridge was actually its limb.

Then, a huge head, so large it made you feel instantly at ease, looked down from the night sky.

The skull was a multifaceted structure made up of countless precisely cut diamond facets, each edge refracting the light of molten gold.

It looked down at the five thousand heavily armored knights struggling and melting in the golden water in the center of the basin, without anger or contempt.

Just like a human watching food fall into a bowl.

At this moment, Kalein's reason completely broke down.

He saw familiar flags melted away, saw his royal guards thrashing about in their armor but unable to break free, and saw his generals, who had once charged alongside him, being slowly welded to death by the steel he was so proud of.

"Enough—!!" he roared, his throat ripping.

Thanks to the extremely high proportion of precious metals in the royal ceremonial armor and his own powerful fighting spirit, he barely managed to break free from the terrifying gravitational pull that targeted iron.

He didn't choose to run away; instead, he turned around and looked behind him.

In that area that had not yet completely sunk, nearly a thousand extraordinary knights, who had also broken free of their restraints, were standing with difficulty.

Their armor was glowing red-hot, their battle aura surging outwards almost uncontrollably, some men's cloaks were already ablaze, and some men's mounts collapsed with mournful cries. This was the empire's last blade.

Karen raised his broken sword high above his head.

“You can still move,” his voice was hoarse but unusually clear, “Charge with me!”

There were no grand speeches, no slogans of "Long live the empire," only a cruel order.

Hundreds of extraordinary knights raised their heads.

They saw the diamond head that blotted out the stars, the terrifying body that stretched across the earth, and their comrades being melted alive in the center of the basin.

Fear still exists, but there is more of a resolute determination that there is no way out.

They raised their weapons simultaneously, and their remaining fighting spirit was ignited at that moment.

Hundreds of figures simultaneously launched their final charge at the edge of the churning golden sea of ​​corpses, heading towards that colossal being!

"kill!"

Karen charged ahead, stepping over molten steel and flesh, his fighting spirit burning to its limit, his life draining away with every breath.

He drew his sword, a treasured weapon that had accompanied him in battle for many years, its blade engraved with the emblem of imperial power and glory.

He squeezed out all the remaining fighting spirit in his body at once, his blood vessels bulged, and his fighting spirit burned out of control, exploding with crimson light around him.

This was the strongest blow of his life.

"Monster—!!" His voice sounded extremely small in the empty basin, yet it carried a tragic air of impending death.

The extraordinary battle aura transformed into a slash solidified to its limit, tearing through the air and fiercely striking the lower limb of the mountain.

The sword struck the leg structure made of high-purity diamond the instant it made contact.

"Ding." A crisp, light sound.

The battle aura slash, powerful enough to cleave rocks, was completely neutralized the moment it made contact, leaving not even a trace of white.

The recoil force traveled back along the sword, and Kalein felt a numbness in both arms, while his former severed arm was in excruciating pain.

The next second, the sword that had been with him for many years shattered inch by inch, starting from the tip, and the fragments fell into the golden water and were instantly swallowed up.

He stood there, holding only the broken hilt of his sword.

The being did not even bow its head; it simply continued to stand up.

Immediately afterwards, the diamond head tilted forward slightly.

An irregular crack appeared between the crystal faces, and deep within the crack, darkness began to swirl, and a visible distortion took shape in the air.

A deep, resonant vibration emanated from its body, as if billions of pieces of metal were being dragged toward the same center simultaneously.

In the center of the basin, the knights who could no longer move, the flesh welded to their armor, the broken weapons and vests, were forcibly pulled from the golden water by an irresistible force.

Someone was struggling frantically in mid-air, futilely trying to unfasten the clasps that had long since fused with their flesh.

In the instant of weightlessness, someone let out a dissonant cry, calling for their mother, wife, or the legion's commands that could no longer be heard.

Some people clung tightly to their companion's corpse, as if as long as they didn't let go, they would fall back to the ground together.

The entire legion seemed to be dismantled into parts, or crushed into dust, turning into a black storm that tumbled and collided in mid-air before being dragged toward the slowly opening maw.

Kalen stood still.

He watched helplessly as his legion was swept away layer by layer, as the banners burned in the air, and as the figures of extraordinary knights struggled for a moment at the edge of the vortex before disappearing completely.

Finally, his body suddenly felt light, he lost all feeling under his feet, and was pulled into the air by that irresistible force.

In that instant of weightlessness, he saw only a churning golden sea of ​​molten metal below, with no more living soldiers.

In the last instant before the last prince was sucked into that diamond mouth, only one thought flashed through his mind.

The world is doomed...

"Snap! Snap! Snap!"

The sound of diamond-like structures meshing with steel, bone, and flesh echoed through the night sky...

……

The night wind blew in from high above, carrying mineral dust and the bloody smell of burnt metal.

The terrace is suspended above the obsidian exterior wall, with a bottomless abyss below, while the basin in the distance is illuminated by an unnatural golden light, as if it were daytime.

Duke Raymond gripped the high-powered alchemical telescope mounted on the railing tightly in both hands.

He saw Karen standing in the golden molten metal, and saw the sword that symbolized imperial power shatter the moment it was swung.

Five thousand imperial knights were seen being torn apart like flying iron filings, their armor and all, and dragged into the abyss made of diamonds.

Each devouring was accompanied by the sounds of metal rubbing together and bones breaking.

Raymond's hands were bulging with veins, as if he were about to crush the lens barrel.

His stomach was churning, and a sour feeling rose in his throat, but he suppressed it tightly.

what is that?
A living being? An alchemical construct? Or a god artificially created?
He once thought that the dragon-blooded boy he hid in the secret room was a trump card that could influence the course of the world.

But at this moment, in the face of that being who treated the mountains as his body and the army as snacks, all his calculations seemed like a wooden tower built by a child.

With just a gentle breath, it will all collapse.

"I can't show weakness," Raymond forced himself to think.

He picked up the glass of red wine, using the tilt of his head back to hide the uncontrollable twitching at the corner of his mouth.

The crystal glass made a soft sound between his fingers, and an almost invisible crack had appeared on the glass.

The federal congressman standing next to him gently swirled his wine glass, but his gaze never left the golden light in the distance, as if he were admiring a grand fireworks display.

"Duke, you seem surprised?" The councilman's voice was gentle and casual. "Do you think our ultimate weapon... is a little too lively?"

Raymond did not answer immediately.

The congressman took two steps forward, leaned against the railing, and spoke with an almost pious expression.

"Please don't misunderstand, it's not a weapon. It's the cornerstone of the Emerald Federation, our guardian deity whom we've worshipped for three hundred years."

Over the past three hundred years, we have fed it batch after batch of the purest magic stones and the most precious metals.

The councilor gently raised his glass, gazing at the colossal figure slowly raising its head in the distance: "Today, to welcome guests from afar, it has finally awakened."

He turned to look at Raymond, his smile still gentle.

"In this world, no one can stop an awakened god from feeding, neither the steel of the Empire nor Louis Calvin, who is rising in the south."

A chill ran down Raymond's spine.

He put down his wine glass, elegantly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief, took a deep breath, and let the trembling in his chest gradually subside.

When he looked up again, his expression had returned to calm, and he commented, "Indeed impressive. The Federation's alchemy... lives up to its reputation."

"That idiot Karen deserves to die. He only took the vanguard; the Empire's main army, logistical system, and the provinces controlled by my Raymond family remain intact."

Raymond straightened his bow tie, straightened his back, and struck a pose befitting a duke.

“I won’t be like him, offering myself up as a meal. I know how to assess the situation.”

I am willing to join the Emerald Federation with the remaining Imperial Legion and all intelligence on the Imperial defense system.

In exchange, I hope to retain my family's place in the new federal order.

The congressman stared at him for a few seconds, his gaze as if he were assessing an asset about to be added to the treasury.

He then nodded slightly: "A wise choice."

He snapped his fingers. A waiter appeared silently and brought two glasses of blood-red wine.

“Then it’s a deal, Congressman Raymond.” The congressman raised his glass in acknowledgment.

Raymond took the glass, and even though he tried his best to control it, the wine still swayed slightly in the glass.

From this moment on, he was no longer a duke of the empire, but a sheepdog of the Federation at the feet of this monster.

(End of this chapter)