Those time travelers that year

This is the consequence of fighting independently and commanding their own armies. If even one person harbors a disloyalty, it will lead to this domino effect. Fortunately, because there are so many people, the battle lines aren't just one; each line is spaced far enough apart, preventing a rout where scattered soldiers break through the main force and cause a major defeat.

—The prerequisite is having a ruthless and decisive command core.

Is this the mounting paper?

No!

Upon seeing this wave of fleeing soldiers, the voter panicked.

At that moment, through the connected magical communication system, a middle-aged man's voice roared, "Stop those fleeing soldiers! Everyone on the second line, stop those fleeing soldiers from arriving..."

"...Spellcasters, all cast Fireball and Fire Wall towards the center of the fleeing troops, then create a gust of wind to blow the flames and heatwave away, forcing these idiots to roll to both sides. Anyone who doesn't roll, kill them on the spot as quickly as possible. Knights, prepare for a group charge. After the flames die down, break through those useless trash and those savage frost giants... otherwise, everyone will be doomed." This voice came from someone in the allied forces. Judging from his ability to roar in magical communications, it proved that he was not of low rank. Coincidentally, he was one of the few generals who was shrewd and had sufficient command experience.

He may have only commanded a regular army of a thousand men at most, but he was still one of the most capable generals in the entire coalition. In addition, his age gave him enough experience and insight to speak out directly in this critical moment in an attempt to turn the tide.

It has to be said that if we acted according to this guy's suggestion, we might actually be able to salvage some of the chances of victory. But that's just a hypothetical. Although what the speaker hastily said was indeed the best and only solution, unfortunately, the nominal commander, the one from Silvermoon City, immediately stepped forward to assert his presence—directly rejecting this only hope.

The woman on the paper pointed at the general who had spoken, accusing him of disregarding human life, and then rattled off a long string of angry words, as if she really thought she was the queen of the North. However, she wasn't wrong; the general was indeed disregarding human life, engaging in slaughter and attempting to stop the rout. The fleeing soldiers, gripped by the terror and burning passion of the killing, would have been utterly terrified and stopped in their tracks.

But stopping would only allow the pursuing frost giants to kill even more, even if it could save the second line of defense and the entire allied army… The same logic applied to the planned knightly charge: a mass charge would crush the fleeing soldiers, forcing them to scatter to the sides, and incidentally, slightly halting the frost giant onslaught, buying the rear troops enough time to react. However, if this were done, not a single knight in the mass charge would return.

A means to salvage the situation by killing and shedding blood among their own people.

The general who spoke may have been limited by his vision and other factors, preventing him from fully utilizing his talents, but his words were indeed the fastest way to solve the problem at present.

However, this plan was rejected by the voters of Silvermoon City. Then, this naive voter cast a spell remotely, cutting off the general's hope of recklessly ordering the spellcaster he could command to act. He then used an illusion to create a massive phantom and a divine-sounding voice, attempting to use his prestige and charisma (or rather, his flamboyance) to rouse the panicked soldiers to their senses and turn them to fight the pursuing frost giants (and die).

649. Calamity

idiot woman!

At this moment, many who knew about this battlefield began to mock. This included, but was not limited to, the hidden saints, the chief of the red robes, the old monsters who had survived from the Netheril era and lived in seclusion, and even a husky that had arrived at the edge of the battlefield and was observing from a certain spot.

Also shouting angrily was the general who had made a suggestion but was ruthlessly rejected and forced to pay the price. This middle-aged man, who was even approaching old age, was so angry that his face turned red. He was supported by his sons and subordinates while crying and cursing.

“The wicked paper that brings misfortune, the witch that brings misfortune to the north…” the middle-aged man cursed angrily. “It’s all over, all over. We should never have compromised with this naive paper. It’s all over.”

Clearly, as the spectators expected, the Silvermoon City elector's attempt to use his prestige and charisma to turn the fleeing soldiers around and fight back was utterly ineffective. Spells that granted courage were useless at this moment, because such spells could only influence the mind, not alter reality. With tens of thousands of soldiers collapsing for various reasons, personal prestige and charisma, coupled with covertly guiding spells, were insufficient to stop them.

If she could still contact her superiors, they might have stopped her naive plan. Unfortunately, like other powerful deities, the Goddess of Magic was blocked by monkeys. As time went by, these networks of faith were gradually dismantled and shattered by the monkeys, and this network was attached to the magic network.

Aside from the three who were determined to reform everything, the influence of all other powerful and intermediate divine forces on the Prime Material World has completely collapsed. As for the rest, they have long since fallen into the Prime Material World.

So unsurprisingly, the Silvermoon City's paper-mounting technique was completely ineffective. All the voters superstitiously believed in their own magic, their own gods, and the 'order' and 'ought' that had continued for thousands of years. They never imagined that in a time when everything was different, they were merely like a mantis trying to stop a chariot under the wheels of history—overestimating their own strength.

The routed soldiers had no intention of turning back to fight. This might have been effective when the collapse first began. But now, it wasn't that these soldiers wanted to escape; they were being pushed by the crowd. They had no choice but to run. With all formations and order broken, escaping offered a chance of survival, while turning back meant certain death.

The evil of human nature erupted at this moment. These defeated soldiers had no intention of sacrificing themselves. Moreover, they all understood that they did not need to run faster than the frost giants, but only faster than the people next to them.

So all sorts of underhanded tricks and dirty tricks were used against those around them. Everyone was in complete chaos in their attempt to escape. Just like that, the entire fleeing army was chased by the frost giants and crashed headfirst into the second line of the allied forces.

Chaos, slaughter, bloodshed...

Heaven had mercy on the soldiers of the second line. They never expected that before they could even engage the frost giants, the routed soldiers would first swing their elite weapons and slash at their fellow soldiers.

The crowd surged, blood splattered, and the entire second line was utterly routed by the fleeing soldiers. The valiant knights attempted to rally and salvage the situation with a desperate charge, while the archers, drawing their longbows and under the command of their officers, indiscriminately unleashed a deadly rain of arrows upon those ahead.

But it was no use. The fleeing soldiers broke through the second line of defense, pushing and pulling along the soldiers on the second line as they continued towards the center of the allied forces. Fortunately, the second line of defense was now packed with the fleeing soldiers. Although the frost giants caught up and slaughtered them, it slowed down the fleeing soldiers' advance, allowing the troops behind to finally regain their senses and hastily begin to formulate countermeasures.

And that was the only effect it had, for which at least several thousand lives were lost, but the chaos continued to fester.

"It's over, it's over..." The general who spoke at that moment saw the scene of the rout soldiers destroying the second line of defense through the image provided by the spellcaster under his command who had just broken through the magical blockade and regained his spellcasting ability.

The main force of around 40,000 to 50,000 men, along with the allied forces of over 100,000 men supported by cooks and logistics, were already considered hopelessly lost in the eyes of this middle-aged general, who possessed only a modicum of military skill. The first and second lines of troops suffered at least several thousand casualties, most not killed by the frost giants, but trampled to death by their own men.

At least 20,000 soldiers perished in the massacre, and it's impossible to expect them to regroup quickly. On the contrary, their greatest contribution was simply slowing down the frost giant army with their lives. Of course, after that, the number of routed soldiers would definitely double, forming an unstoppable rolling ball that would crush everything in its path.

"Go, go quickly!" The general, who had recovered from his grief and anger, pulled over two young men who had come to the battlefield with him; they were his two sons.

At that moment, the middle-aged general seemed to sense something in the darkness, and immediately ordered his trusted men to split into two groups, each taking one of his two sons and fleeing the battlefield to a different place.

The eldest son was ordered by his father to return to the territory and, as far as possible, begin relocating the willing residents to larger cities like Silvermoon City or Winterfell. He was also forced to swear an oath as a descendant of the pioneers, promising to die in battle rather than abandon his people and bring shame upon the family.

The younger brother, on the other hand, was arranged to leave the northern region directly.

"Take him to the Church of the God of Dawn." The middle-aged general ordered his tearful retainer. After speaking, he drew his sword and led the remaining men to the last line of defense, where the main force of the allied army was located, preparing for a desperate battle.

After that, the brothers never saw the middle-aged general again, nor their own brother. The younger brother was sent to the Church of Dawn, far from the North, and eventually became a reformer, while his elder brother had already died a heroic death in the chaos of the North, covering the evacuation of the territory's inhabitants.

But a century later, the family prospered again because of its good reputation.

Of course, that's in the future. There are other people who will do the same thing as this middle-aged man, and they are all quick-witted.

However, without exception, they all chose to stay rather than flee. Then they made the decision to go to the final line of defense—this war required deaths.

The voters who caused this incident will absolutely not take responsibility; on the contrary, they are more likely to pin the blame on these noble lords.

Now, facing a crushing defeat, they can no longer retain their elite soldiers to protect their territory and interests, and they have no way to withdraw from the battlefield.

Even if they leave, the mudslinging that follows will absolutely tarnish their family's reputation and honor. To save face, no one doubts that Silvermoon City's politician, who appears to be a good person but is actually just as much of a bastard, will use every means to clear his name.

After all, compared to these noble lords, Silvermoon City, with its control over rumors and poets, has a far greater influence in terms of public opinion than these noble lords who have few opportunities to expand their influence.

650. Rout

A war that came out of nowhere, a defeat that came out of nowhere.

This was the thought shared by everyone who was secretly observing this war. The noble alliance, which was originally capable of matching the frost giant army gathered by Oryr, was wiped out by a series of seemingly coincidental factors.

Nearly half of the elite troops were reduced to a rout thanks to the combined efforts of their incompetent allies. Even if some astute generals planned to contain the situation with slaughter and death before the rout became irreversible, the biggest ally was the nominal commander, a figurehead appointed through political compromise, a self-proclaimed great-powerful voter, and a shameless witch.

It may seem unbelievable, but that's the reality.

It's so realistic that no one can believe it.

Upon closer examination, this isn't surprising. Firstly, the local nobles, after countless generations, have long lost the arrogance of their pioneering ancestors. The vast majority of noble lords are obsessed with their absolute power. It's important to understand that there's no unified kingdom in this region, no complete system of command and order. Even though it's nominally connected to Silvermoon City, no noble lord intends to have a clear leader.

Furthermore, the various threats in the wild mean that the economy here is not as prosperous as that of the Red Robe Mage-controlled areas. Winterfell may not be bad, but the infighting among the city's leaders and the covert hostility between various guilds and gangs exacerbate internal strife and prevent it from effectively expanding its influence.

As for Silvermoon City, it's utterly despised by all the noble lords, all because that chosen one has always intended to become the de facto Queen of the North. You say it's for the cause of justice? Nonsense! That's just a way to fool adventurers and uninformed commoners. Do you really think those nobles are fools?

An alliance formed under such a superficial unity was a joke from the start. If they won a favorable battle, it might not be a problem, but once they encountered a difficult battle, the seemingly united but actually divided nobles would create a series of troubles.

The nobles intended to maintain their rule unchanged, so they could not afford to lose their elite troops here. Meanwhile, the chosen people planned to use this opportunity to gain greater prestige and push for the formation of a northern city-state or the Silvermoon Kingdom centered on Silvermoon City, but this was secretly opposed by all the nobles.

When the war began, orders could not be delivered to every soldier, and the command was chaotic, resulting in a massive rout that almost no allied forces could have foreseen. The inexplicable collapse of the first line of defense is not hard to imagine. If the rout had been stopped with harsh and cruel methods, it could have been salvaged. Unfortunately, a nominal commander, eager to assert his presence, completely ruined everything.

Soldiers in a rout cannot be turned around by magic or divine power. As for personal prestige, the so-called chosen one never even considered it. While her prestige was unmatched in Silvermoon City, what about elsewhere? The noble lords who came to prevent Silvermoon City's influence from infiltrating had long ago used various means to tightly control related information, making most people believe that those stories were just tales and not reality.

So this naive fellow believed that he could appease the soldiers who had fallen into a rout due to various accidents and dispel their chaos and fear with his personal prestige and magic, which was not true in the first place.

The routed soldiers of the first line were driven into the second line by the frost giants. The chaotic situation made it impossible for the frost giants to advance. As a result, in the melee, the second line was broken up. Some nobles on the second line, seeing that things were going badly, hurriedly gathered the soldiers they could muster and chose to flee the battlefield.

For the main force of the allied forces, the soldiers of the last line of defense, this was an unforgivable spell of fear. It was a fear that even spells and divine magic imbued with courage could not dispel. Seeing the tide of fleeing soldiers and the frost giants slaughtering them from behind, these soldiers, already on edge, quickly reached their breaking point.

Fortunately, at this critical moment, someone finally stepped forward and saved the situation.

But it wasn't the elector who had acted like a saint; that idiot was currently stunned and praying to himself. The other electors had come to their senses, but embarrassingly discovered that they seemed to lack the ability and authority to command the remaining troops.

The one who saved the situation was a wise noble lord who came to his senses.

Just as the fleeing soldiers were about to be driven by the frost giants, charging towards the main force of the allied army as if breaking through the second line of defense, a series of magical bursts erupted. Fireballs, walls of fire, exploding fireballs... a deluge of evocation spells rained down, and amidst the thunderous roars and waves of flame and heat, the soldiers, whose minds had been shattered, jolted awake, barely managing to break free from their terror.

Then, just as the general who spoke at the beginning had said, faced with his colleagues who showed no mercy in killing him, and the orders that spread throughout the battlefield under the influence of magic, these defeated soldiers finally understood, more or less, that continuing forward would also lead to death, while running to either side would prevent them from dying.

However, this approach came too late; it could only salvage a portion of the situation, not resolve the fact that the allied forces had been defeated. The already routed soldiers were severely weakened, both physically and mentally. Even if they retreated from both sides and were reorganized, they could not form an effective fighting force. Most importantly, the frost giants, who were advancing with great momentum, were coming.

In the sky, the battle between celestial creatures and metal dragons against the tamed white dragon was gradually gaining the upper hand. However, this was of little use; to the endless frost giants on the ground, the celestial creatures and metal dragons were simply easy prey.

The vast amount of spells, magic, and supernatural powers had already been used up in the battle against a group of white dragons, and the remaining melee combat was far from enough to help the noble alliance turn the tide of battle.

The metal dragons flapped their wings and simply left, having already fulfilled the terms of the dragon covenant. Besides, the metal dragons, with their generally higher intelligence, clearly understood that the situation below was beyond their control, so they simply fled.

The remaining celestial beings, being summoned by magic, are at most projections; even if they die, they simply return to the upper realm.

Coupled with their inherent nature, the remaining celestial creatures, after defeating the white dragon, all swooped down and returned to the allied forces to resist evil until the very last moment.

The battle continued, and the frost giants suffered heavy casualties, but the noble alliance was almost completely defeated. Eventually, the chosen ones had no choice but to grit their teeth and use magic to cover the army's retreat.

As for Euryl...

Clearly, this goddess of winter was more skilled, never showing herself from beginning to end, leaving the chosen ones who planned a decapitation strike helpless. Even knowing she was among the frost giants, this enraged goddess clearly didn't want to be a boss fight where she was ganged up on; instead, she called upon all her minions to gang up on her.

651. The Clever Husky

For a boss that doesn't obediently enter the instance or participate in a tabletop role-playing game, it's clear that voters with ample experience in tabletop role-playing games have no way to deal with this situation.

Euryl made a huge impression with his actions. He showed that he didn't need to personally intervene when his subordinates could handle the situation. On the contrary, to save face or out of necessity, the voters had to waste a lot of spell slots casting magic to cover the allied forces' retreat. Even so, in the chaotic battlefield, the spell slot system—a nightmare to use—was still incredibly frustrating.

However, an even more deadly situation was yet to come. As the chosen ones began to use spells recklessly, consuming spell slot after spell, the Goddess of Winter, who had been hiding among the frost giants, finally got her chance.

If it weren't for harvesting fear and faith to transform them into divine power, Oryl wouldn't have been able to unleash a blizzard and bring the cold winter here ahead of schedule.

Now, with the defeat of the entire noble alliance, the soldiers' heartfelt fear was naturally also harvested by Euryl.

Then the sky darkened completely. Under the influence of Euryl's divine power, a cold wind swept through everything around, and torrential snow, accompanied by the icy wind, rushed towards the entire noble alliance.

This scene completely terrified the voters.

A chilling consciousness locked onto them, and a massive dimensional anchor descended upon them.

As voters, they could naturally sense that Oryl's will and divine power were distorting the magic network of this area. A large amount of primal energy surged from the distorted magic network, and Oryl was gathering this primal energy together.

Extraordinary divine power - the power of nature

This is a supernatural power that allows gods to directly control natural phenomena. It can create and stop breezes or terrifying tornadoes and hurricanes at will; it can raise or lower the temperature at will; or it can trigger violent earthquakes and change the weather as it pleases.

Her fear, coupled with the despair arising from the defeat of the noble alliance, granted Oryl a tremendous amount of power. And now, Oryl transformed this power into a cataclysmic event that would bury the entire alliance.

Boom!!

A deafening roar erupted, and in the distance, vast swirling clouds twisted and turned. Then, a tornado carrying countless shards of ice and snow descended from the sky. The tornado swept directly towards the location of the noble alliance, and simultaneously, the surrounding temperature plummeted to -50 degrees Celsius.

At this moment, your chosen ones, who were part of the allied forces, finally understood something. Why did Oryl, one of the raging gods of the chaotic faction, not show himself but instead remain hidden, merely sending frost giants to attack?

Initially, these voters believed she was afraid of becoming a target and being besieged by ambitious individuals who desired godhood. This is why these voters dared to cause trouble for Euryl. What they wanted was to force the goddess of winter to reveal herself, thereby eliminating her once and for all.

Of course, whether there are other motives involved is another matter.

After all, if one could obtain the divine status of Euryl, once everything was over, the goddess of magic would probably not mind promoting one of her loyal followers, just like the god of magic, Azus, who was promoted to a subordinate god.

However, all of the above are just fantasies of these voters.