The six companions settled down to rest on the spot. Douglas swiftly started a fire, retrieving a plate-sized cylindrical device from his backpack. He placed it on the ground and pressed a button on its side, causing flames to erupt from the device.
Resembling an oversized windproof lighter, this was one of Okhema's Magitech products. Requiring only periodic battery replacements, it could be used for extended periods.
As the flames rose, Douglas immediately held his hands out to the warmth, exhaling deeply. "Phew~ That's warm!"
Just then, he noticed a fish skewered on an iron skewer being held toward him. Turning, he saw it was Cipher.
Cipher's cat tail swayed slightly as she remarked, "What's wrong? This thing's meant for outdoor barbecues anyway."
Indeed, the device was officially named the "Civilian Portable Magitech Campfire." Still, Douglas couldn't help but retort, "I just mean, you're moving way too fast! You're already grilling fish?"
He paused, then added, "Got any more? Give me one."
In just ten seconds, the scene transformed into Cipher, Douglas, Aria, and Feidric huddled around the Magitech Campfire, roasting fish together.
In this icy wilderness, gathering around a crackling campfire with friends—warming up while roasting food—held a unique charm.
The only drawback was the Magitech Campfire's unnatural silence. If it were a wood fire, the crackling and popping flames would have added to the atmosphere.
Soon, the first batch of roasted fish was ready. Cipher, Douglas, and Feidric each grilled a single fish, while Aria, holding a skewer in each hand, simultaneously roasted two.
This wasn't because she was greedy. As soon as they were done, Aria stood up and scampered over to Hysilens and Cerydra, saying, "Sister Hysilens, Your Majesty Cerydra, here you go~!"
This child... she's practically an angel!
However, when Cerydra took the first bite of the grilled fish Aria offered, her expression froze.
This fish... hadn't even been properly scaled.
It wasn't just a matter of taste; it was a question of whether it was even edible!
Come to think of it, Aria had grown up in a remote inland village and had likely never seen a fish before. Naturally, she wouldn't know how to prepare one. She had simply mimicked Cipher's earlier attempt, trying to replicate what she had observed. As her first attempt, it was bound to have flaws!
Cerydra glanced at Aria, who was busy preparing another fish and not paying attention to her. She surreptitiously spat the mouthful into the Ice Cave, then carefully examined the grilled fish in her hand.
It wasn't just the scales; the internal organs hadn't been properly cleaned, and the seasoning hadn't been evenly applied during grilling. This wasn't just bad; it was beyond words.
Cerydra looked around and beckoned to the Little Owlbear rolling around nearby. The creature tilted its head obediently and scampered over.
Cerydra removed the roasted fish from the skewer and tossed it directly to the Little Owlbear. The creature leaped into the air, snatched the fish mid-flight, and swallowed it whole in one gulp.
Less than three seconds later, Cerydra saw the Little Owlbear's eyes roll back uncontrollably as it opened its mouth and retched violently.
Watching this, Douglas couldn't help but quip, "Is that even a sound an Owlbear can make?"
Feidric replied expressionlessly, "Who knows? Maybe it's the fish screaming."
Aria turned her head, puzzled. "Huh? What?"
"Nothing!" Cipher said, shoving her own half-eaten roasted fish into Aria's mouth. "Here, you eat this."
"Mmm... mmm?" Aria blinked, humming a few times. Cipher responded, "Don't worry about it. I'll grill another one for myself. You eat this first."
Douglas chimed in again, "It's pretty absurd that you can understand Aria's gibberish."
Time drifted by as Aria and the other three warmed themselves by the campfire and chatted. Hysilens and Cerydra stood slightly apart, gazing into the distance. Finally, silhouettes appeared on the horizon.
"They're here," Hysilens murmured.
A few more minutes passed, and the figures grew clearer. The clan didn't seem very large, numbering only about a hundred people. They had naturally noticed Hysilens' group, and their advancing steps couldn't help but pause momentarily.
After a brief consultation, eleven tall and burly barbarians broke away from the main group and strode toward Hysilens and her companions.
Their eyes swept over the five figures before settling on the fish bones scattered on the ground. A stern expression crossed their faces. "You all," one of them said, "these are the fish school of the North Wind Clan. Do you understand what it means to hunt another clan's fish?"
It meant a complete and utter declaration of war. After all, fish were the lifeblood of the barbarians!
Hysilens, however, wore a puzzled expression. "But these fish swim freely underwater," she said softly. "How can you claim them as your own?"
At her words, the eleven Barbarians drew axes from their waists, instantly creating a tense atmosphere. Cerydra chimed in, "Enough of this useless talk, Dux Exsecutoris! Show them what you're made of!"
Douglas blinked, taken aback. "What? Huh?"
Cerydra raised an eyebrow. "There are only eleven of them. What's the matter? Can't handle that?"
Douglas shook his head frantically. "No, no, no! Of course not! I guarantee to carry out your orders, Your Majesty the Empress!"
He simply hadn't grown accustomed to the strange title "Dux Exsecutoris," which sent a chill down his spine just hearing it. Still, Douglas stepped forward, retrieving his weapon—a silver, double-bladed great axe—from behind him.
At that moment, the leader of the eleven Barbarians, after glancing around, finally spotted Cerydra and exclaimed, "Holy crap, there's a midget too?"
In an instant, Douglas felt the temperature around him plummet—though it might have been his imagination. Then Cerydra's voice rang out, "Don't kill them, but don't hold back either. Got it?"
"Absolutely!" Douglas replied instantly. This was the perfect opportunity to prove himself to a Demigod—one he wouldn't miss for the world!
Thud! Douglas slammed his axe into the ground, gripping the handle with one hand and dragging the weapon forward, leaving a long, thin gouge in the earth.
Still, the Barbarians continued their taunts:
"Dux Exsecutoris? Ha ha! What kind of ridiculous title is that? Did that little girl send you here to die alone?"
"Wait, is this little runt your Boss? Seriously? You're going to make me laugh myself to death!"
"Hey, buddy, aren't you freezing in all that gear? Why don't you go back and warm up by the fire? No need to fight—you'll freeze to death before I even lay a finger on you!"
"Ha ha ha ha!!!"
It's worth noting that Douglas was bundled up in a thick cold-weather suit, while the eleven Barbarians facing him were clad only in crude animal-hide vests—seemingly torn straight from animals, crudely processed, and thrown on.
Lacking even buttons or zippers, the Barbarians' arms and parts of their chests were completely exposed to the icy wasteland. Yet they seemed completely unfazed by the extreme cold, moving about normally and carrying on as if it were a mild day. This starkly demonstrated just how absurdly resilient these Barbarians were.
In the Northern Territory, there's a peculiar saying: "The less you wear, the more 'manly' you are." To the Barbarians, Douglas, layered in thick clothing, probably looked like a 'sissy boy'.
Douglas simply shrugged. "If I have warm clothes, why wouldn't I wear them?"
In Cerydra's previous life, there was a saying by the sea: "Eating fish roe makes children stupid." The underlying reason was simple: poverty. Fish roe was delicious but scarce, and adults coveted it for themselves, so they concocted this myth to trick children into avoiding it.
The Northern Territory had given rise to the peculiar saying, "The less you wear, the tougher you are." At its core, this belief stemmed from the region's extreme poverty and lack of clothing. While these barbarians might indeed be resistant to the cold, who would willingly endure icy winds if they could wear warm clothes?
Douglas swaggered up to within about ten meters of the barbarians and drawled, "So, are you coming at me one at a time, or all at once?"
Seeing his insolent demeanor, the already irate barbarians, furious about the stolen fish, erupted in anger. "Brothers, grab your weapons and take him down!"
The eleven barbarians surged forward, surrounding Douglas. Simultaneously, Douglas raised his Great Axe with one hand and unleashed a sweeping strike.
The barbarians wielded short axes, while Douglas wielded a Great Axe over two meters long. In such a close-quarters battle, the long-handled weapon held a decisive advantage. With a single sweeping strike, he halted the entire Barbarian charge in its tracks.
What followed was even more astonishing. As the sweeping strike ended, Douglas's other hand snapped onto the axe handle, executing an abrupt stop. With a swift twist, he rotated the axe from horizontal to vertical. Stepping forward, he brought the Great Axe down like a hammer, smashing it down on the barbarian at the edge of the formation.
Caught completely off guard, the man was sent flying through the air for at least ten meters before crashing to the ground with a muffled groan. The impact likely shattered several bones.
After a year of intensive training under Okhema, Douglas hadn't quite reached Legendary status, but he was now among the top Gold-tier combatants.
Just recently, in the Arcane Federation, Beyond Legendary Wizards had been as common as pebbles. As Ancient Gods and Outer Gods clashed in cosmic battles, Gold-tier warriors were utterly insignificant cannon fodder.
Under normal circumstances, however, Gold-tier strength represented the pinnacle of combat power, revered by most of the world's inhabitants. These eleven Barbarians were mostly at the Bronze level, with the strongest few possibly reaching Silver, but nothing more.
In truth, Douglas could have slaughtered them all in a matter of minutes—it would have been child's play. Too easy. But Cerydra's goal was conquest and dominion, not massacre, so he had to leave survivors, which proved to be a considerable constraint for him.
The moment they clashed, the Barbarians realized Douglas's strength was exceptional. One of them shouted, "He's a tough nut to crack! Everyone, be careful!"
Immediately, the remaining ten Barbarians' skin visibly reddened, and steam began to rise from their bodies due to the intense heat.
"Aaaaahhhh!"
"Aaaaahhhh!!"
Bestial roars erupted in succession—it was Rage.
Yet Douglas remained unfazed. Had the combatants been evenly matched, Rage might have tipped the scales in the Barbarians' favor. But the gap in their combat prowess was too vast; even Rage couldn't bridge it.
Douglas twisted a mechanism on the axe's haft. Crimson runes blazed to life on the formerly silver axe head. He raised the axe high and slammed it down with tremendous force into the open space before him.
BOOM!!!
A violent explosion erupted where the axe blade met the ice. Flames soared skyward, instantly blasting three of the nearest Barbarians off their feet.
After all, Douglas had spent a year in the Okhema military. It wasn't exactly surprising that his weapons and equipment were custom-made by Okhema's military factories, including an axe that could explode.
Amidst the flames and billowing smoke, these barbarians proved to be truly outrageous. Some were even charging forward while still ablaze, finally closing the distance to reach Douglas.
In close-quarters combat, the advantage of long-handled weapons vanishes entirely, even becoming a hindrance. Douglas, never one to hesitate, immediately released his weapon and charged forward bare-handed!
Facing the enemy's axes, he didn't flinch or dodge as long as the blows weren't aimed at his head. Instead, he lunged forward, throwing a straight punch directly into the enemy's face!
The barbarians were equally relentless, showing no intention of evading. Even if it meant taking Douglas's punches full-force to the face, they were determined to bring their axes down on him.
Bang! The sound of Douglas's fist connecting squarely with the barbarian's face.
Clang! The sound of the axe striking Douglas's armor and bouncing off.
Yes, beneath his thick winter gear, Douglas wore a suit of armor. This was the reason he had felt somewhat cold earlier—the metallic armor was ice-cold!