162: Chapter 162 Crimson Sunset! Lone Shadow on the Snowy Plain! The entire audience was shocked!

The setting sun was like blood, dyeing the horizon and the snowy plains a somber, dark red.

It had been over an hour since The Count chased into the mountains alone.

Every pair of eyes on the city wall was fixed on that greyish-white forest line in the distance.

The elite cavalry led by Commander Miles was arrayed inside the city gate, their horses' hooves occasionally striking the frozen earth, waiting for the order to charge out and provide support if needed.

Vanessa did not leave the wall.

She stood by the battlement, letting the north wind tousle her hair.

Reason told her—based on their interactions over these past few days, Rowan was by no means a reckless person; if he dared to pursue, he must have had something to rely on.

But she still felt her mind in turmoil, glancing towards the distant sea of forest from time to time, complex emotions flashing in her eyes.

After all, that was the home turf of a Lord-level magical beast.

She slightly curled her fingertips and whispered to herself: "Rowan, you better not actually die, or I'll be at a huge loss!"

Helena stood a step behind with lowered eyes, quickly processing the information gathered from various sources.

Her expression was calm, but deep within her eyes lay a layer of ice.

In the hour since The Count had left, certain hidden undercurrents had begun to stir restlessly.

A list had already formed in her mind.

But the premise for all of this was The Count returning safely.

If The Count didn't return... what meaning would this list have?

She sighed inwardly.

A faint trace of powerlessness brushed across her heart.

Cecilia stood quietly in the shadows, her expression calm and unruffled.

Logically, this should be what she was hoping for—if the mission target died, her infiltration mission would end.

Yet her gaze kept drifting towards the mountains involuntarily, her heart tangled with unclear emotions, unable to tell if it was anticipation or... something else...

She couldn't help but think of that night.

Regardless, he was, after all... a person she would never be able to forget for the rest of her life...

Adeline and Charlotte stood side by side.

The two young girls had exchanged glances more times than they could count, seeing the same uneasiness in each other's eyes.

Isabelle prayed with her eyes closed.

This devout believer of the Morning Dawn held a small holy emblem, her red lips parting gently as she murmured prayers.

Commander Desmond and Portia paced back and forth on the city wall, their footsteps heavy.

The soldiers gripped their weapons tightly, silent as iron, with only the white mist of their breath dissipating quickly in the cold wind.

The morale, which had been slightly boosted by the arrival of reinforcements, was sinking bit by bit as time passed.

"The Count... you must come back..." Someone murmured in a low voice, but before the words could finish, they were swallowed by the howling wind and snow.

Just then—

"Look! Over there! There's movement in the forest!" The lookout at the top of the arrow tower roared hoarsely.

In an instant, everyone on the city wall looked towards the edge of the forest in unison!

The wind and snow seemed to have eased slightly.

But the twilight was deeper.

The world was like a painting sketched in black, white, and grey.

And at the end of that painting, behind the snowy forest line—a figure as massive as a mountain slowly appeared.

It was the Lord of Frost Howl!

Everyone's heart suddenly sank into an ice cellar.

But the next moment, someone noticed something strange.

The giant wolf's posture... was not right.

It wasn't moving on its own; it looked like it was being dragged, a deep trench plowed into the snow.

A moment later, a tall, straight figure stepped out from the shadows of the forest line.

His figure appeared so small before the massive corpse of the Lord of Frost Howl.

Yet every step he took on the snow felt like it was stepping on everyone's heart.

Silence.

A deathly silence.

Everyone widened their eyes, their faces filled with extreme horror and shock!

What were they seeing?

The Count... Count Golden Flame, Lord Rowan...

In his left hand, he dragged a ferocious wolf head.

Even in death, the head still glared with bared fangs, as if frozen in the majesty and ferocity it held in life.

In his right hand, he dragged a mountain-like headless wolf body.

The Frost frozen on its fur shimmered with a ghostly blue cold light in the golden glow of the twilight.

The Lord of Frost Howl.

It was the Lord of Frost Howl?!

That Lord-level beast that had driven thousands of low-level magical beasts to cause heavy casualties to Black Mountain City—just like that, it was dead?!

Not only dead, but beheaded, and dragged all the way back!

"Clang!" Commander Desmond's sword fell to the ground, but he didn't seem to hear it.

He just stared fixedly at the wolf head and body drawing closer and closer.

His entire face was twisted from extreme shock.

Portia swayed violently, reaching out to grab the battlement to steady herself.

Vanessa subconsciously covered her mouth.

She came from a military family and knew better than most people present—going deep into the snowy forest alone, and on the opponent's home turf, slaying a Lord-level magical beast in its prime...

This meant what kind of crushing strength!

This was definitely not something a regular Great Knight could do!

She watched the figure slowly approaching.

Her heart hammered.

An indescribable palpitation rippled through her heart, causing her already bright and elegant cheeks to flush with a captivating rosy red.

Helena watched the figure in the distance, her delicate body swaying imperceptibly.

When the Lord of Frost Howl's dead, ice-blue eyes clearly came into view, she felt a boom in her mind.

All her thoughts, calculations, and worries were shattered by this simple, brutal scene filled with a sense of absolute power.

All her previous assessments and so-called contingency plans seemed so ridiculous and petty at this moment.

She realized with absolute clarity—absolute power was the only law that held true in this world!

A cold and firm realization appeared in her mind, replacing the brief dizziness.

Cecilia's pupils constricted.

She looked at the two halves of the wolf corpse representing absolute death, then at the man dragging it.

Boundless chill exploded from her tailbone, instantly spreading through her limbs and bones.

All her previous thoughts now seemed so childish, fragile, and vulnerable in the face of this unparalleled display of violence!

In her beautiful eyes, a strange, inexplicable emotion she hadn't even realized surged up.

Adeline and Charlotte were completely stunned.

They had studied countless classic battle cases in the military academy and analyzed various miracles of the weak overcoming the strong, but no book could explain what was before their eyes.

This was not tactics, not strategy; this was a thorough, desperate crushing of power!

It was an absolute gap in strength!

"The... The Count... Victory!!!" Finally, a young soldier with a flushed face let out a cracked, wild roar!

This roar was like igniting a prairie fire.

The next moment—

"Victory to The Count!!!"

"Victory to the Empire!!!"

"Victory! Victory!! Victory!!!"

The cheers, like a landslide and tsunami, erupted, soaring straight into the sky, shaking the snow on the city wall until it fell in rustles!

Every soldier raised their weapons high, beating their chests forcefully!

Their faces were flushed with excitement, their eyes burning with fanatical light, looking at the figure walking slowly towards them.

Commander Miles was the first to fully recover from the shock.

Immense ecstasy made his whole body tremble.

"Open the gate!"

"Cavalry, follow me to meet him!!!"

The heavy city gate swung open with a boom.

The iron cavalry surged out from the gate like a black torrent, spraying up snow dust that obscured the sky.

Reaching the edge of the forest, the cavalry suddenly split into two rows, their movements as neat as if cut by a knife or axe.

The armored warhorses exhaled white mist, neighing as they trod on the snow in the cold wind.

Commander Miles rolled off his horse, knelt heavily on one knee in the snow, lowered his head, and shouted:

"Welcome back, The Count, victorious!!!"

"The Count's divine might, victory!!!"

The cavalry on both sides simultaneously raised their blades to the sky and roared in unison:

"Victory!"

Rowan stopped.

He casually let go of the wolf head and body he was dragging.

"Hm." He nodded slightly at Commander Miles.

The afterglow of the setting sun fell on his face, which carried a faint smile.

He said softly: "Bring them back."

"Understood! My Lord!"

Commander Miles beat his chest with his fist, receiving the order with a clang.

He stood up abruptly, and with a wave of his hand, several elite soldiers stepped forward silently, using iron chains to drag the giant beast's remains.

Rowan mounted his horse and flicked the reins gently.

The cavalry automatically separated, guarding the sides and rear, like stars surrounding the moon.

The iron hooves started again, grinding over the snow-covered road.

The giant wolf's corpse plowed a deep trail in the snow at the end of the procession...

After entering the city gate, Vanessa had already run down the tower.

She watched the man returning in the afterglow of the sunset amidst the cheers of the masses, light and shadow rippling in her eyes.

She knew that this man's power and the secrets he hid far exceeded her boldest imagination.

And a strange, burning emotion was growing wildly in her heart.

In the crowd, Helena, Cecilia, Isabelle, Adeline, and Charlotte—their gazes were also tightly following that figure.

Some with awe, some with adoration, some in a trance...

Rowan sat on his horse, looking at Commander Desmond, Portia, and others who had hurried over, and calmly ordered:

"Hang this wolf head high above the city gate, exposed to the wind and snow."

"As a warning to others."

"Have the craftsmen properly handle the wolf's body; categorize the fur, bones, magic cores, and other extraordinary materials, then seal and store them. Do not make any mistakes."

"Distribute the remaining flesh to the soldiers who defended the city today, allocate it according to merit, everyone gets a share."

"Understood! My Lord!!"

Commander Desmond and Portia replied in unison, their voices loud and clear.

After giving the orders, Rowan did not stay any longer.

He gently squeezed his horse's belly and rode leisurely towards the main hall of the castle.

Vanessa, Helena, Cecilia, and the others exchanged glances; no words were needed.

They all turned silently and followed that straight back.

The setting sun sank completely below the mountain ridge, and twilight descended.

The ferocious wolf head was hung high, its empty eye sockets looking towards the vast snowy forest outside Black Mountain City.

And deep in the castle, lights were lit one after another.

...