The Path to Lordship Begins in the North

"Don't be afraid, just charge straight in. These monsters are nothing to be afraid of. The more afraid you are, the stronger they will become!"

After saying that, Hammond took the lead and charged directly at a monster that had just passed through the area of ​​fire and was one of the few that had escaped.

As Hammond charged, he spun the end of his long-handled sword, which roared like a pulled engine, making the sword's orange-red light even more dazzling.

As Hammond drew closer to the monster, he unleashed his full force field, braving the wind and snow to unleash a lightning-fast slash that cut through the air. With a whooshing sound as if the air was being scorched, the monster seemed to have no time to react before it was cleaved in two.

The knights behind were dumbfounded. With Hammond's methods, there was no need to fear the monsters; the monsters should be afraid of him.

How can you learn this? What a load of rubbish!

Hammond stroked the long-handled scythe in his hand with satisfaction. Although he didn't know why the governor liked to call this kind of sword a Guan Dao, it was indeed much more useful than a spear when dealing with these monsters.

Seeing the stunned knights behind him, Hammond shouted, "Don't let your guard down! Go and support your comrades! If you're too scared to go forward, use your ray guns to support them! Move out!"

Upon hearing Hammond's angry shout, the knights immediately reacted and began to support their comrades on the battlefield.

Hammond also flicked the reins, continuing to rush across the battlefield to provide support.

Other parts of the battlefield were not as easy as Hammond's. Although there were ample means of keeping warm to help soldiers maintain their body temperature, the thick snow would cause them to deplete their energy more quickly and become more easily fatigued. Some unlucky soldiers would even get stuck in the snow.

Not everyone has Hammond's riding skills, allowing him to move freely in the snow.

If snowy weather occurs, combat will be even more difficult for the Gray Collars, as the reduced visibility will greatly increase the threat posed by the monsters.

Although the wind and snow will also affect the monsters, the impact is far less than that on the humans; the monsters don't even need to worry about keeping warm.

Even so, the battle line remained deadlocked. Hammond could clearly feel that the demons' offensive was not as strong as before. When the reinforcements first arrived, they really came in waves.

Now the opponent is cautiously probing with monsters that are only two or three meters tall. At first, Hammond could only see the size of the opponent's hooves, but now he can see less and less of them.

Is this a sign that the demons are starting to falter? No, Hammond is more inclined to believe that the demons are preparing something big.

In the distance, the enormous monster, resembling a small mountain, still stood on the battlefield, its several mouths occasionally emitting low growls.

It is now basically confirmed that the monster is the mastermind behind all the monsters; otherwise, there would be no reason why such a massive creature would remain hidden in the back and require special soldiers for protection.

Hammond pointed his halberd at the monster in the distance, thinking that one day, the Grey and White Collar would defeat it.

After repelling another wave of monster attacks, a knight came to inform Hammond that the governor had something to discuss. After glancing at the monsters that had been driven back again, Hammond spurred his horse back to the front lines.

Upon returning to his position, Hammond felt a slight tremor in the ground. He realized that the magic train was getting closer to the Golden Harvest Plain.

Now the magic train can basically provide seamless logistical support to the Golden Harvest Plain, so the entire position has gradually gained a foothold. The demons are accumulating strength, and so are the gray-collar workers.

The place where Lind summoned him was different from before; it wasn't inside the camp at the front line, but in a large square at the rear supply position.

It can be said that all the important figures on the front lines appeared together in this square, a rare occurrence.

Although the winter wind and snow were still fierce, it was nothing to those present. When Lind, wearing a cloak, saw Hammond arrive, he simply nodded in greeting, and Hammond also consciously joined the ranks of the generals.

It was clear that everyone present was somewhat tired, but there was a hint of excitement in their eyes.

Instead of giving an inspiring speech from the platform as before, Lind simply began by calling out, "Flora."

Saintess Flora, draped in a blood-red robe, stepped forward and bowed to Lind.

It was only then that Hammond noticed that Flora, who had been leading the nuns as military doctors, was dressed differently than before. Her blood-stained nun's habit remained the same, but the mask on her face had been replaced with a veil.

The mask is entirely dark black with a very simple, streamlined surface. The eye area is equipped with two round goggles, which can protect the eyes while ensuring a wide field of vision.

However, the most distinctive feature is the two cylinders, one large and one small, protruding from the front of the mask. The experienced Hammond immediately guessed what those two cylinders were for—most likely for filtering and purifying the air.

But are there any toxins on the battlefield that need to be filtered or purified?

After bowing, Flora went to the open space in the square and took out a peculiar musket from the tactical backpack on her back. The musket was connected to the backpack by a special pipe. Hammond recognized the pipe; it was used to give some special ray guns functions, such as the six Cleanse Guns used by the Governor's Royal Guard.

"Originally, I didn't want to use this weapon."

Linde's voice rang out again, but it was much lower than when he usually spoke.

"When we were dealing with Doug, we actually already had the technology to produce this weapon, but I never approved its production because it was too inhumane."

Hammond, who had been constantly at war, found it hard to understand what the governor meant by humanity. Wasn't the purpose of war to kill the enemy? If that was the case, why bother with anything about humanity? As long as the enemy could be killed, any means were permissible.

However, Hammond also understood that the Governor's humanity was different from the so-called noble wars of the previous nobles. After all, for the Governor, some of his enemies were also people of the North, so it was understandable that he could not use overly cruel methods against his future people when fighting.

Just as Hammond was pondering the meaning of humanity, he heard Lind continue in a deep voice: "To be honest, in my original plans, even when dealing with the demons in the future, I never considered this kind of weapon. But now it's different. Our opponents are a group of monsters, a group of aliens. Fighting these guys who aren't even humanoid, we really don't need to consider humanity anymore."

After Lind finished speaking, Flora also pulled the trigger.

The intense red-orange light instantly illuminated the surroundings, and waves of heat from the flames rolled in. The tongues of fire swirled in the air like a wildly dancing serpent, and instantly engulfed most of the square.

Because it was in an open square, and the wind direction had been calculated beforehand, the flames did not harm anyone.

But Hammond couldn't help but swallow hard. Now Hammond completely understood what the governor meant by humanity. This thing was indeed too inhumane. If Hammond were to capture a soldier operating such a device on the battlefield, he would absolutely not take him prisoner.

The heatwave vibrated the air, and the pungent smell of burning filled the air, making it suffocating. Yet, a long, charred trail remained on the ground, with sparks flickering in the embers.

Hammond now fully understood what the two cylinders on Flora's new mask were for filtering; they were a special magic circle used to purify the smoke and prevent the nuns from suffocating in the flames.

It's no wonder that these nuns, who were used as guards, would change out of their favorite bird-beak masks.

Hammond thought he might be imagining things, but he thought he heard Flora's barely concealed laughter beneath her mask.

At that moment, in the distant temporary station, the fully armed magic train, resembling a giant beast, arrived at the station.

Boxes of holy water and new weapons were unloaded from the vehicle.

Linde announced loudly, "Gentlemen, the counterattack is about to begin."