Chapter 172: The Ambush Seen Through

Therefore, it took Venigo a full twelve hours to complete all preparations. Unhurriedly, he led his mercenary group out of Icewind Town and headed deep into the wasteland.

High atop the Dragon Tower in the center of Icewind Town, Ross silently watched Venigo and his men depart.

"My lord, isn't this Young Lord Fox a bit too casual? Can he really pull this off..." The speaker was Ross's subordinate, that rash swordsman, who appeared quite calm at the moment.

"Casual? Not necessarily. His actions, personality, and even his combat techniques are far too changeable. A person like that is not so easily seen through." Ross twitched the corner of his mouth and continued to stare in the direction where Venigo had disappeared.

"Have Kisha follow them. I want to know their every move. However, don't get too close, or they'll surely be discovered," Ross ordered.

...

Venigo seemed entirely unaware that someone was tailing his party. He was as relaxed as if he were on a spring outing.

The Prism mercenaries rode their unique cold-resistant packhorses, dressed in thick, warm duck-down inner armor, and advanced slowly against the howling wind and snow.

The little wolf-sprite seemed to have an endless reservoir of energy. Although the weather here was bitterly cold and the winds fierce, she ran and frolicked in the snow as if nothing were amiss.

She had no need for chainmail; draped only in a warm duck-down outer jacket, she skipped and bounded through the blizzard. The deep snow that would have trapped ordinary people was like flat ground to the little wolf-sprite—she could even change direction mid-air, naturally unfettered by mere snow.

While the little wolf-sprite's advantage lay in the instinctive air cushion beneath her feet, Suna was practically floating over the snow.

The others did not possess such convenient abilities as these two and had to rely on packhorses. Though short-lived, these special creatures bred by Venigo specifically for snow travel were actually quite inexpensive. They possessed thick layers of fat and tightly curled long hair with exceptional thermal insulation, allowing them to operate normally in extreme cold. These packhorses had broad hooves with webbing between the toes, which greatly increased their contact surface with the snow, enabling them to walk briskly across it without sinking deep.

Aside from not running particularly fast, these packhorses had virtually no flaws.

Venigo had his equipment thoroughly prepared; several bags of various sizes hung across his packhorse's back to handle different situations. In fact, in places unknown to others, Venigo had hidden a few life-saving trump cards.

He had always subscribed to the motto: "Victory favors the better-prepared side."

Amidst the snow, the little wolf-sprite's ears suddenly twitched. She unconcernedly continued her frolic, making a wide circle across the snowy field before leaping excitedly onto the back of Venigo's packhorse and hugging him from behind.

The little wolf-sprite whispered a few words quietly into Venigo's ear, then dashed away with a bright laugh toward Honey. The two girls chattered for a bit before soon beginning to fight over the candy Venigo had made—if not for the swirling blizzard and the fully armored mercenaries surrounding them, wouldn't this scene be that of a family on a spring outing?

A slight movement stirred within the snow.

When Venigo's packhorse stepped onto a seemingly ordinary patch of snow, the snow erupted into a column two meters high. A dark shadow leaped out fiercely from within, wielding an exceptionally thick right arm that smashed Venigo's packhorse into a pool of bloody mud with a resounding crash.

"Transformed army of the Goat-Cry Cult, Shield-Armed Berserkers." Venigo dropped gracefully onto the snow and snapped his fingers.

Almost simultaneously, more Shield-Armed Berserkers vaulted out from the snow, brandishing their massive right arms to launch an attack.

Yet, the Prism Mercenary Group was prepared. The moment the enemy burst from the snow, they had already struck first.

Shield-Armed Berserkers were a defensive unit, boasting formidable defense and astonishing brute strength, but they had always been at a disadvantage in terms of speed. Had the ambush succeeded, it might have inflicted heavy casualties on the Prism Mercenary Group, but given advance warning, their speed made it difficult to achieve significant results.

Most of the Prism mercenaries wielded greatswords. This weapon possessed immense power and broad applicability, and above all, because the team had an exceptional swordsman as an instructor, it was easy to train a highly practical elite corps of swordsmen.

Sweeping in beneath the right arms of the Shield-Armed Berserkers, these weapons cleaved through their tough hides and sturdy muscles, snapping their blood vessels and tearing open their internal organs in one fluid motion, instantly inflicting heavy, hard-to-heal wounds.

Most of the mercenaries accomplished this successfully. Abandoning their sluggish packhorses, they rolled to evade the attacks of the Shield-Armed Berserkers and countered in stride, dealing a heavy blow to the Goat-Cry Cult's monster soldiers in the very first exchange.

Not all Shield-Armed Berserkers were so easily dealt with.

Clearly, certain special individuals among them possessed a stronger explosive power than their peers. This burst of momentum propelled their clumsy bodies, allowing them to attack with greater agility and ferocity than the others. These individuals shared a common trait: slightly reddish skin and bony protrusions on their foreheads...

"Red comet with horns and triple speed?" Venigo chuckled lightly and snapped his fingers.

Character construction, Demon Warrior system, Canadian Sasquatch Bigfoot, construction complete.

In the blink of an eye, using his white fur coat as a "feature," Venigo completed his character construction, transforming himself into a snow-mountain monster covered in white fur known as Bigfoot. This humanoid monster possessed the ability to manipulate ice and snow alongside formidable brute strength, and above all, it would never sink into the snow.

Venigo let out a strange howl and sprinted towards the red-skinned Shield-Armed Berserker that had previously ambushed him. He swung his arm and delivered a direct punch straight to its chest.

The opponent howled and crossed its thick arms in front of its chest to block. However, its prized strength proved far too fragile against Bigfoot's inhuman power. With a single strike, the Shield-Armed Berserker was sent flying by Venigo's punch.

Venigo's other free hand swept swiftly across the snow, scooping up a handful of snow and hurling it toward the airborne target. Bigfoot's special ability turned this ordinary snowball into something akin to magic, slamming viciously into the Shield-Armed Berserker's chest and turning it a comical icy blue.

Frozen stiff!

Next, Venigo ruthlessly stomped the frozen enemy into ice shards with his monstrous Bigfoot feet.

He waved his fists and let out an excited, roaring howl toward the sky.

This brutal combat style struck fear into the hearts of those who were supposed to be the genuine monsters.

Meanwhile, Honey's mass fear spell manifested at the opportune moment.

Although little Honey, who had teamed up with Venigo many times, was somewhat ditzy, she was undoubtedly a master of toying with the enemy's minds. She didn't understand much about psychology or hypnosis; she simply relied on her innate divine spell talent to manipulate and influence the minds of both friend and foe, creating a combat rhythm more favorable to her allies.

At that moment, Sophie raised her sword, shouting loudly to weld the Prism mercenaries into a sharp blade, and took the lead in charging straight toward the Shield-Armed Berserkers.

Without any fancy flourishes, it was just a straight thrust to the chest—simple, much like her swordsmanship, unreasonably simple.

"There won't just be this one type of monster. Nua's modified military forces have distinct characteristics; using just one type completely defeats the purpose," Venigo muttered to himself.

Further in the distance, more snow pits appeared one after another. This time, out emerged packs of rusty cavalry.

Clearly, the Goat-Cry Cult's modified military forces had also adapted to the extreme low temperatures of the northern border. Not only did these cavalrymen have added thermal furs, but the modified warhorses they rode also possessed exceptionally wide hooves similar to Venigo's packhorses, capable of generating airflow upon stepping onto the snow to disperse pressure over a larger contact surface, preventing the horses' legs from sinking entirely into the snow.

Because cavalry were unsuited for ambushes, they regrouped at a distance, building up charging momentum before launching their assault.

Aside from the rusty cavalry, there were also rusty spearmen, one-eyed archers, and faceless mages. Unsuited for being buried in the snow, they had reorganized at a distance and only advanced toward the front upon seeing the ambush fail.

"No matter how much they're modified, cavalry just aren't suited for snow warfare," Venigo grinned, baring rows of sharp teeth that gleamed dazzlingly in the snowlight.

He grabbed two handfuls of snow and hurled them at the charging cavalry.

Struck by the snowballs, the lead two cavalrymen slowed down and were immediately trampled into a pulp of bloody mud by their comrades surging up from behind.

"Did you think I'd be completely unprepared?" Venigo chuckled, lifting his long, white-furred arms and swinging them down hard.

Mid-battle, half of the mercenaries fell back, pulling heavy crossbows from the scattered backpacks on the ground. Familiarly pulling back the crossbow arms, stepping into the stirrups to string them, inserting sharp bolts, raising their weapons, and taking aim.

As for close-range attacks, companions stepped in to handle them. Among them, Sophie and a few other master swordsmen played a vital role; it was solely thanks to their continuous rescue efforts that the casualties on the Prism mercenary side were kept strictly limited.

"Ilyu!" Venigo shouted.

The silent, burly youth leaped out from behind Venigo. Clad entirely in half-ton magnetic storm armor, he held his hands straight out, unleashing a violent torrent of electrical current toward the oncoming rusty cavalry.

The magnetic storm current instantly swept across the front ranks of the rusty cavalry. A dozen rusty cavalrymen bearing the brunt of the attack were instantly charred black by the electricity, only to be ground into fragments by the stampede of more cavalry thundering past behind them! Scoring a hit, Venigo reached out, grabbed Ilyu by the back, and hurled him backward with brute force.

Yuri shouted as he stepped in front of Venigo. Shoving a large, whitish gelatinous lump into his mouth, he swallowed it with a wry face and violently swung his right arm.

Instantly, the high explosive charges Yuri had consumed were digested by his stomach. Alchemical products that would have been absolute poison to ordinary mortals became the ultimate fuel within Yuri's genetically modified, unrecognizable stomach, generating a massive surge of energy that was channeled straight into his right arm.

Preparation complete, bio-gun charged. Next came the moment of blossoming!