novelraw Chapter 563: The Game Between Rangers
Chapter 563: The Game Between Rangers
Although the power of the Great Frost had dropped below 10%, it didn't mean that spring had arrived.
In fact, even when galloping on the great plains at the northern foothills of the Locke Mountains, one had to endure low temperatures of nearly minus sixty degrees Celsius, as well as the erosion of a small amount of Frost Mana.
The average force-twelve cold wind swept up tiny, razor-sharp ice shards that had been frozen solid, cutting at their faces like countless tiny daggers.
The entire world was still a chaotic expanse. Not to mention the sky, even the nearby Locke Mountains couldn't be seen.
But in reality, this was already an extremely good state.
Li Wei rode his 5-Star Warhorse, carrying Hathaway as he charged at the very front to lead the way. Ten thousand meters high in the sky, Adai transformed into the size of a sparrow, striving to absorb the free Frost Mana around to prevent larger streams of free Frost Mana from crashing into them.
Perhaps because of the plains, Frost Mana gathered very easily, just like tornadoes. Li Wei and his group had only been traveling for half a day when they encountered this kind of danger three times. The concentration of these Frost Mana streams swept up by the cold wind was extremely high. Although the center temperature was still not quite minus eighty degrees, the danger contained within was actually close to 40% of the Great Frost's power.
While this couldn't cause too much of an impact, it would delay their journey and affect their speed. In contrast, infantry units like the Ice Legion and the Ranger Legion wouldn't have this problem.
At this time, Hathaway wasn't idle either. Third-tier ice magic was continuously and calmly released. Like blooming flowers, it unfurled in front of the warhorse, rapidly compacting the ground flat, while simultaneously forming two three-meter-high ice walls on both sides.
Thus, a twenty-meter-wide rapid ice and snow expressway was formed.This facilitated the rapid passage of the Blazing Knights behind them without any unexpected risks. It also reduced the stamina consumption of the warhorses and lessened the physical and spiritual exertion of the knights, allowing them to easily gallop past at a speed of 150 kilometers per hour.
Behind Li Wei, Thousand-man Commanders like Jocelyn, Victor, Javier, Duan Bowen, and Chang Wei took turns holding the Blazing War Standard. Flames soared on it, radiating boundless light.
Twelve fully charged Legion Skills were being slightly consumed, continuously bringing excellent buff enhancements to the entire army, including stamina enhancement and, most importantly, wind-breaking!
A wind force of over level ten was not so easy to overcome. The impact it had on speed and the stamina consumption it brought to the warhorses were immense.
Therefore, they must break the wind!
Currently, things were looking quite good, even better than expected.
Especially this temporary ice and snow expressway created by Hathaway; it truly was a huge help.
"How long can you keep this up?"
"Me? Li Wei, thank you for your concern, but you've probably forgotten what my codename is: Snow Mountain Witch Hathaway. I made my name playing with ice magic. What's more, releasing ice magic in the current environment comes with nearly a 90% advantage buff. In reality, I could continuously release third-tier ice magic like this until the end of the world."
Hathaway's tone was relaxed, very casual and free.
Then Li Wei felt reassured. It seemed that galloping five thousand miles a day would still leave time to rest.
The current Blazing Legion was simply too awesome.
Over the next two consecutive days, Li Wei led the team and dashed out ten thousand miles in one breath, successfully arriving at the northeast corner of the Locke Mountains, which was also the location of Duke Will's main city on the Ascension Continent.
"Pass down the order, the whole army halt!"
When they were still about five hundred miles away from that main city, Li Wei shouted the order for the whole army to stop. He had ridden Adai here before, but similarly hadn't dared to approach, because there was a power here that made him feel different. It felt like it was biding its time, and also like it was sleeping.
Li Wei couldn't describe it accurately, but his intuition told him he couldn't disturb this existence.
"Everyone dismount, we detour!"
Without explaining anything, Li Wei decisively chose to detour. This was the simplest approach. When facing a 5th-Tier Epic, especially an existence that had lived for thousands of years, one should maintain sufficient awe.
Spending the better part of the night, Li Wei led the team to successfully detour around this area before finally ordering them to rest.
By early the next morning, they continued on their way. Ahead of them was the eastern end of the Locke Mountains. Although the terrain here was still flat, the elevation was still very high. This was the Dindal Plateau located between the Locke Mountains and the Dindal Snow Mountain.
Including the Dusong Plains, it was actually all an extension of this plateau.
Continuing to gallop south along this plateau for about a thousand miles, the terrain began to change and the elevation began to drop. Often within a distance of just a dozen miles, there would be a drop of two to three hundred meters.
And the further south they went, the greater the drop, and the more complex the terrain became. Ravines, mountain ranges, canyons, and cliffs emerged endlessly.
Rapid galloping was no longer possible.
"I know this place. If we go another seven or eight hundred miles forward, we'll enter the Whispering Forest. And if we continue east, it's Jiang Xinran's initial starting location and the place where she perished."
"If a war breaks out in this place, then regardless of whether it's the attacking or defending side, they will both have a feeling of having a nightmare."
Li Wei's tone was brisk, even carrying a hint of excitement.
With such complex, ever-changing, and sufficiently vast terrain, the defending side simply couldn't defend from a single point; they had to invest more troops to establish an effective defense line.
As for the attacking side, not to mention being unable to unfold their formations, they could also be easily interrupted.
But this place was truly a paradise for troop types adept at mountain warfare.
Even more so, it was a treasured land that the Scout profession dreamed of.
Of course, it wasn't that there were no routes for rapid transit.
There were. Duke Will's people had long before the Great Frost arrived, relying on the edge of the Locke Mountains, opened up a massive troop transport route two hundred meters wide on the Dindal Plateau, leading straight to the east side of the Whispering Forest. And in one breath, they built three main city-level fortresses, twelve large fortresses, twenty-seven medium fortresses, and over fifty small fortresses along this route. Traps and hidden bunkers were innumerable, directly covering that area.
And although Li Wei and his group were friendly forces and theoretically could pass through this road, if they did that, there would be too many variables.
If they were delayed for ten days or half a month in the middle, then it would be fun.
In short, they had to detour.
"All cavalry dismount! Change into 5-Star Enchanted Heavy Armor and bring out your heavy shields. Maximize your defense! Guard Legion, armor up! During the first half of the journey, the cavalry brothers carried you. Now in the second half, it's our turn to take the cavalry brothers!"
"Guard Legion, in groups of five! You know the old rules without me telling you. Each group will take five to ten Blazing Knights. Remember, our ultimate goal is to pass through quickly, but that doesn't mean you pass through randomly like herding sheep. Pay attention to traps along the way and all suspicious traces. Squads, companies, and different troop types must coordinate closely. Don't forget what I trained you on before."
"As for the brothers of the Blazing Legion, next you will need to obey orders in all actions. This is not a battlefield you are familiar with. Do not have any doubts, and do not harbor any thoughts of insubordination. If you have such thoughts right now, it's best to stop them. You must strictly follow the Guard Legion brothers leading you, and do not ask why!"
"Move out!"
Li Wei quickly gave a greeting and also changed into enchanted light armor. He had Adai descend and transform into a fierce bird with a hundred-meter wingspan, then brought Hathaway to sit on it.
"I don't quite understand, what kind of operation is this?"
When Adai pulled up to an altitude of ten thousand meters in one breath, Hathaway couldn't help but ask. Right now, looking at the ground, there was only a vast expanse of clouds and mist; nothing could be seen. From this distance of ten kilometers, even if they shot arrows from a commanding height, they wouldn't be in time to provide support!
Li Wei said indifferently, "My operation is the correct operation. Only in this way can we pass through this area. What's difficult here is not the complex terrain, but rather that because of the complex terrain, it has become a divine realm for scouts to battle of wits."
"So if you think you can use ice magic to condense an ice highway and then quickly pass through, believe me, you won't even know how you died. A top-tier Tier-4 Ranger, like me, as long as the timing is right and all conditions are met, can instantly kill any 5th-Tier Epic."
"Hathaway, combat experience has always been your weakness. You are very smart, but you've been away from the battlefield for too long. If you want to be a good War Mage, and want to be competent in the Mage position in a five-person or ten-person squad in the future, you still have far too much to learn."
"Remember, in this battle, do not make a move easily. Just stay on Adai's back and provide a few buffs when needed."
"What, this battle? When did the battle start? Why didn't I know?"
Hathaway looked surprised. Clearly she had been inseparable from Li Wei along the way, and she hadn't seen Li Wei leave alone or do anything. Moreover, the journey had clearly been very smooth. Why was it that once they arrived here, without another word, they had already entered combat?
And clearly she possessed 24 points of Inspiration, yet at this moment, she seemed like a piece of trash, looking even inferior to those Guard Legion soldiers.
"Stay calm. This is the war of scouts, the war of top-tier Rangers. There are no dazzling exchanges of magic bombardment, no highly skilled close-quarters combat like warriors, and certainly no invincible bravery like knights, where the world loses its color the moment Delusion Breaking is activated. The war between scouts and Rangers never begins with both sides revealing themselves. Killing the enemy where they can't be seen—this is the correct, common rhythm."
"And you don't need to belittle yourself; this is not your battlefield."
As Li Wei spoke indifferently, he had already activated his Magic-Piercing Perception, which meant his Perception could soar to 36 points in the next five seconds.
Although it still couldn't reach the level of 40 points where one could walk sideways, in this peripheral battlefield, it should be enough.
And the moment Li Wei's Perception was activated, Hathaway next to him felt a bizarre sense of centrifugal force, as if her spiritual power was about to be drawn out. But in reality, it wasn't drawn out, nor was there any actual impact. Yet she knew that her 24 points of Inspiration had been hijacked and misled by Li Wei's Perception at this moment.
If Li Wei were an enemy, she wouldn't even have a chance to make a move.
At this moment, Hathaway vaguely understood Li Wei's intention, or rather, what he called a war?
This was Li Wei's home ground. Within a radius of ten kilometers—which was the maximum area formed after the Guard Legion scattered like herding sheep.
"This is a deterrence! And it is also the first signal of war between scouts and Rangers. And in the past hour, we have already been illuminated by three waves of scout squads using very high Perception. It swept over in an instant, almost without any warning. Even I could only vaguely catch a trace. But I think the other side has already obtained most of the information about our vanguard legion."
"And this represents the start of the war."