Above the mage!

Chapter 554 Yarna's Fall
The single word "read" brought Yarna endless humiliation.

This is not a reply, but a blatant disregard.

Sunefa's meaning is very simple.

Your explanation, your compensation, your historical ties.
All this talk is pointless; let's just get to work.

The truth lies in the strength of one's fist.

When the difference in strength is so huge, if I still argue with you, are you stupid or do you think I'm stupid?
Of course, the answer is obvious.

The fool is naturally Yarna.

At the Winterhammer stronghold, the Grand Elder solemnly reported to Yarna:
"War Mother, Sunefa has already led the army from Phoenix."

Yarna nodded silently.

"War Mother, are we really going to give up this territory?" In the silence, the Grand Elder forced himself to speak again, his voice tinged with reluctance.

This settlement has been cultivated by the Winterhammer for generations; it is their home, and every inch of this land is soaked with the sweat of their people.

They were born and raised here, and have long developed a deep affection for this land.

"Otherwise, Elder, are we really going to wait here to die?" Yarna glanced at the Elder, her tone as cold as the wind on a snowy plain.

Yarna may be "foolish," but she's not completely foolish.

She knew perfectly well that if Winter's Hammer were to officially go to war with the True Ice Tribe, her side would have no chance of winning.

Only a fool would fight a battle with no chance of winning.

The previous letter of negotiation was just an attempt, an attempt that she herself did not have much hope for.

Her real purpose was to try to buy herself more time through this action.

In her opinion, even if Sunefa disregarded her negotiations, they should at least go back and forth a couple of times, right?
Keyarna never expected that Sunefa's reply would be so dismissive.

This made her realize that Sunefa no longer considered her an equal.

And that is also a fact.

Having quickly grasped the situation, Yarna soon adjusted her mindset and decided to proceed according to the original plan.

We definitely can't win if we fight.

Lowering it is impossible.

After eliminating those two paths, she was left with only one:
escape.

The entire clan migrated.

Although she was very reluctant to leave this place, which had been run by generations of people and had various well-established facilities, she had no other choice under the current circumstances.

In the North, the rise and fall of tribes is actually quite normal.

"Back then, our Winter's Hammer almost faced extinction, but we survived and thus mastered the power of fire."

"This time, it's the same for us. We're just leaving temporarily, and we'll always return one day." Faced with the Grand Elder's silence, Yarna paused for a moment before finally speaking to comfort him.

Her voice was still a little hoarse, but unusually firm.

"A crisis can sometimes be turned into an opportunity."

"Our forced migration this time may also bring a new turning point for our tribe."

“War Mother, I understand what you mean. One day, we, the Hammer of Winter, will return, not in our generation, but in the next, and the generation after that.” The Grand Elder was both echoing Yarna and convincing himself.

“That’s exactly right,” Yarna affirmed, regardless of whether it was self-deception or not.

After receiving news that the Zhenbing tribe was about to march on Winterhammer, Yarna gathered all the elders of the tribe and discussed the decision to relocate the entire tribe.

As for the previous letters of negotiation and the gathering of troops to feign resistance, those were all just a show for the outside world, a smokescreen.

For a large tribe like the Winterhammer, a migration is not as simple as moving house, which can be done in an afternoon.

They needed time to organize supplies, time to determine their migration route, and even more time to conceal their true intentions and avoid being detected by Phoenix's spies.

Among the things they wanted to take with them, the most important were the various tools and "equipment" they had built over the years, as well as the various precious ores they had collected.

"Time is running out. Tonight is the last chance to evacuate. We must complete the evacuation preparations before midnight and then set off overnight. As for those things that we can't take with us or that we don't have time to pack up, just destroy them," Yarna added.

As for those large, portable "equipment" items, such as forging furnaces, Yarna would certainly not leave them to the Zhenbing tribe.

It should be said that nothing of value is intended to be left behind.

The elder nodded in agreement and was about to turn around to relay the order when Yarna called out to him, "Wait."

Yarna's voice suddenly became unusually calm, yet it carried a chilling cruelty: "And those elderly people, and those injured tribesmen who are unable to move easily, they can't keep up with the pace of migration and will drag the entire tribe down... Let them stay here, there's no need to take them with you."

“Sunafa values ​​his reputation highly. If these people stay, they will definitely survive.”

The elder was startled, but he said nothing. He simply nodded heavily, lifted the tent flap, and came out.

Yarna also stepped out of the tent and looked up at the sky outside.

The wind grew stronger, and the dark clouds, like heavy black cloths, pressed down, making it hard to breathe.

It looks like there will be another blizzard tonight.

This is not good weather for migration, and it will make the journey more difficult.

People may suffer frostbite, get lost, or even lose their lives in the snowstorm.

But she had no other choice.

Moreover, it wasn't entirely bad weather.

At least this kind of weather can effectively conceal their movements.

The sky gradually darkened, as if it had been soaked in ink.

The Winter's Hammer camp, however, was "brightly lit".

Various lighting spells, such as [Firelight] and [Lantern Dance], were cast, illuminating the entire encampment, but they could not dispel the panic in the air.

With the final moment approaching, Yarna no longer cared about whether the news was leaked. She directly announced to her people the decision to migrate the entire tribe, instructing them to prepare and depart as quickly as possible.

The news immediately caused a commotion among the unsuspecting members of the tribe.

"Migrate? Where are we going?"

"Aren't we going to fight the Zhenbing tribe to the very end?"

"."

However, under the tribal system, the War Mother still held considerable prestige.

Therefore, although many people had different thoughts, even knowing that the future was uncertain, they could only choose to obey and subconsciously follow the instructions, starting to pack their bags and prepare to migrate.

Yarna flew through the air, her gaze sweeping over her panicked tribespeople below, but her heart remained undisturbed.

As a ruler, indifference was a basic quality in her view.

However, for some reason, Yarna always felt a strange sense of unease.

It felt like a thin needle was subtly pricking her nerves.

At that moment, Yarna's pupils suddenly contracted, and her gaze locked onto a certain direction in the night.

After a moment of silence, she spoke with difficulty: "If I said that what happened back then was just a misunderstanding, would you believe me?"

Yarna's voice trembled slightly, almost imperceptibly.

What she was most worried about happened.

In the direction Yarna's gaze was fixed on, the once pitch-black night sky now had a pale blue halo slowly emerging from the darkness, carrying a suffocating sense of oppression.

The pale blue halo gradually became clearer, revealing a tall figure.

Sunefa, carrying an ice bow, her long hair fluttering in the night wind, stared expressionlessly at Yarna.

Upon hearing Yarna's words, she slowly shook her head, her eyes showing no emotion whatsoever.

Yarna's carefully laid trap of "negotiation delay" and "feigned military force" ultimately failed to deceive Sunefa.

In fact, Sunefa's thinking was very simple: working backward from the result, given Winter's Hammer's strength, if she couldn't defeat it or subdue it, her only option was to escape.

Although Gaode Maps has stated that population and talent are the most valuable resources, and other external factors are insignificant, given a choice, one would certainly want them all.

Winter's Hammer has been operating for so many years, and its "infrastructure" is already extremely complete. Sunefa definitely hopes to take it over intact.

Based on her understanding of Yarna, she knew perfectly well that the other party would definitely not be willing to leave these things to Zhenbing.

So after setting off with the main tribal force, Sunefa left the party alone and rushed toward Winter's Hammer as fast as possible.

Sure enough, they ran right into Yarna, who was preparing to burn all the things in her tribe that she couldn't take with her before leaving.

"What do you want from us, Winter's Hammer?" Yarna's voice carried a final struggle as she gripped the greatsword, her knuckles turning white.

She would never have dared to confront Sunefa head-on unless she was desperate.

Last time, she joined forces with the Frostwolf Clan's Warmother, but they were easily defeated by Sunefah. Now, she is all alone, and her chances of winning are even slimmer.

"If you spare your life, the people of Winterhammer will naturally be under our command."

Sunafa's voice was calm yet carried an undeniable power: "In Phoenix, they can eat their fill, wear warm clothes, and have a stable life. It's no worse than if they were with you."

“Sunafar, my Winterhammer has a deep ancient connection with your True Ice tribe. Do you really intend to wipe me out today?” Yarna’s face was ashen.

But when she spoke, even she felt her words were weak and powerless.

“Those who defy my king shall pay with their lives,” Sunafa declared, making his stance clear.

These words were like a sharp blade, completely shattering Yarna's last illusions.

Sunefa was determined to kill her, both for the ambush at the beginning of the year, for Phoenix's prestige, and to clear obstacles on the road to the unification of the North.

Yarna took a deep breath, a resolute glint in her eyes: "Are we really going to fight to the death?"

“Hehe.” Sunafa chuckled softly.

The fish is bound to die.

The network is broken?

That's not the case.

The moment the laughter echoed in the wind, Sunefa had already taken down [Blizzard], gripping the bow with her left hand and pulling the string with her right.

The power of pure ice gathered on the bowstring, instantly condensing into a crystal-clear arrow of pure ice.

As Yarna watched this scene, her face twitched slightly, and her eyelids twitched even more.

She actually felt that Sunefa's aura was stronger than when they last fought.

The fluctuation of that magical power was steady and heavy, like a boundless ice field, making it hard for her to breathe.

At this moment, a pang of regret rose in Yarna's heart.

Was it the best choice to follow the example of the Zhenbing tribe and worship Gaode as king?

Sunefa didn't care what Yarna was thinking or whether she was regretting it.

The moment the arrow of pure ice solidified, with a snap of the bowstring, the arrow shot towards Yarna like a streak of light, carrying an astonishing chill.

Yarna immediately pulled out the large hammer from her waist and channeled her magic power into it.

A burst of flame erupted, resembling a tornado or a giant serpent, its gaping maw lunging towards the Arrow of True Ice.

The moment the flames collided with the ice, a loud "sizzle" was heard.

The fire serpent twisted and struggled violently, but under the chill of the True Ice Arrow, it melted and shattered at a visible speed, eventually turning into wisps of green smoke that dissipated into the night sky.

It's not just a feeling, it's real!

Sunefa has really gotten stronger again!
Yarna's heart sank to the bottom.

In less than a year, such a short time has passed.

Why is Sunefa progressing so quickly?
In an instant, various thoughts flashed through Yarna's mind.

However, her thoughts quickly returned to her.

Because we haven't gotten past this hurdle yet.

With no time to prepare, Yarna could only hold the hammer horizontally in front of her as a shield.

The arrow of pure ice struck the greatsword, and with a crisp crack, it shattered into countless ice flowers.

The hammer was covered with a thin layer of ice, and Yarna was forced to retreat several meters, but she managed to stop the arrow.

"The Yang family's forging techniques are indeed excellent." Sunefa looked at the hammer in Yarna's hand and nodded as if taking a leisurely stroll, giving full affirmation to the Yang family's forging techniques.

“But…” She paused, then drew the bow again, magic gathering on the bowstring.

"He's not quite right!"

This time, what appeared between the bowstrings were two arrows of pure ice!
Whoosh!
The arrow of pure ice shot towards Yarna like a shooting star, accompanied by a piercing whistling sound.

This time, the speed was several times faster than before, tearing the air apart and creating tiny wind blades.

A pale blue chill trailed a half-foot-long mist from the arrow's tail, freezing even falling snowflakes instantly in its path, turning them into tiny ice crystals that flew forward with the arrow's momentum.

Yarna's expression changed drastically. She cast a spell, and just as the arrow of pure ice was about to hit her, her figure vanished as if in a flash.

However, something unexpected happened to her.

As her position shifted and she regained her footing, her pupils suddenly contracted, and her heart felt as if it were being gripped by an icy hand.

Those two icy arrows didn't miss their mark, even as they followed her afterimage!

They found the point where her body changed shape in an instant and followed her.

The trajectory was terrifyingly bizarre, without the slightest hesitation, as if Yarna's teleportation had merely pointed it to a new target direction.

Yarna's expression changed drastically. She had no time to think, because the arrow was already close at hand.

Yarna suddenly held the great hammer horizontally in front of her chest, while frantically pouring her magical power into the hammer.

The fire runes on the hammer were instantly activated, and dazzling red light burst forth from the gaps in the runes.

The raging flames spread upwards along the hammer handle, quickly engulfing the entire hammer in a burning fireball, even turning her arms red with the flames.

Yarna roared and slammed the burning hammer forward to block it.

The flames crackled and popped as they rubbed against the air, and the high temperature even caused the surrounding ice to melt slightly, forming a thin layer of water mist.

She pinned her hopes on this last line of defense, hoping it could stop the two icy arrows, even if only for a moment, so that she could find another chance to live.

But the next second, she was completely desperate.

The moment the Frost Arrow collided with the Fiery Hammer, there was no earth-shattering roar, only a teeth-grinding "sizzle".

The extreme chill emanating from the arrow, like an invisible torrent, instantly crashed into the flames.

The once blazing flames began to shrink and darken at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The edges of the flames quickly froze into ice, and the red flames were frozen into tiny sparks the moment they touched the arrow, crackling and falling onto the ice field before being extinguished instantly.

In the blink of an eye, the flames on the hammer vanished without a trace.

Only the hammer body remained, frozen white and covered with a thick layer of ice.

An even more biting chill surged wildly into Yarna's arm along the hammer handle.

It wasn't just ordinary cold; it was a deathly chill that devoured all life, instantly penetrating her pores and spreading throughout her body along her blood vessels.

“No…impossible…” Yarna tried to scream, but found that her throat was also frozen by the cold air, and she could only make a weak “hoarse” sound.

Yarna's body began to tremble uncontrollably.

It wasn't out of fear, but because the extreme cold caused her muscles to spasm.

She could feel her body temperature dropping rapidly, her skin turning from pale to bluish-purple, then to a bloodless, deathly white, and finally faintly revealing an icy sheen.

Sunafa remained standing in the distance, calmly observing everything as if watching something inevitable happen.

The next instant, the chill finally reached Yarna's heart.

After a sudden contraction, the heart stopped beating completely.

(End of this chapter)