The Children of the Forest's dwelling was located near the weirwood tree, with a strange circle of weirwood branches marking the entrance.
Mako could still sense the residual energy. Moonshadow, a Child of the Forest, explained that it was a protective magic array set up by her sisters, primarily to isolate external forces and humans.
Her gaze filled with sorrow as she spoke, as if reminiscing about her deceased kin.
Although the Children of the Forest were small, their dwelling was surprisingly spacious. Mako and the others entered with ease, experiencing no sense of crowding.
Mako led the way, guided by the information he remembered. He had asked Moonshadow about the specific dwelling, but the last Child of the Forest in Wolf Tail Forest claimed she had never seen the mountain cave Mako described.
All the passages in this area were interconnected, and the air was fresh, unlike the stuffiness typically found in mountain caves. Moonshadow said magic had been applied to the dwelling to ensure air circulation.
Moreover, the Children of the Forest had cast spells on the crystal stones within the dwelling, ensuring the underground cave was always filled with light.
The Children of the Forest of Wolf Tail Forest had lived this hidden, underground life since the Ancient Dawn War.
Their cavern, after being magically altered, was like a massive maze. If Mako and Moonshadow hadn't known the way, the group might have gotten lost long ago.
"Roar."
Shadow Lynx let out a low growl, seemingly displeased with its surroundings. Fortunately, Moonshadow soothed it.
Seeing this, Mako teased, "What? Is the King of the Forest afraid of the dark? Aren't you supposed to be so tough?"
Shadow Lynx bared its teeth at Mako, growling menacingly to express its displeasure.
This creature seemed quite resistant to Mako. Although Mako had saved its life, it would always interrupt whenever Mako and Moonshadow spoke.
Moonshadow used Source Language to communicate with it. This language was passed down by the gods served by the Children of the Forest. It was said to allow communication with all things, similar to Mako's "Understanding All Things" skill.
The language sounded somewhat like singing, but it was different from the usual melodic tones. Moonshadow said that Source Language was a unique rhythm belonging to all things in the world, representing the origin and the beginning!
Every time Mako spoke, he'd hear the Shadow Lynx muttering nearby, things like "Humans untrustworthy!" "Humans leave!" "Humans are cunning," all in its beastly tongue.
It made Mako wonder if there wasn't a human soul lodged inside it, behaving like a gossipy old woman!
Later, Mako learned from Moonshadow that during the last time Mako treated the Shadow Lynx, he'd also checked its gender. The creature apparently held a grudge ever since!
Hearing the reason, Mako didn't know whether to laugh or cry. In his past life, he'd been quite fond of large wild felines and canines, but circumstances hadn't allowed it. Mostly, he just hadn't had the money!
Now, in this world, no one was stopping him. So, he'd revived the interest. Mako already had thirty Snow Bears.
Therefore, upon seeing this Shadow Lynx, he'd been thinking of catching another one to make a pair with this one. He hadn't expected to be resented by this highly intelligent creature!
Just as Mako was thinking of teasing the big cat, he suddenly sensed a strange, chilling energy emanating from a certain cave.
He raised his hand, and the surrounding soldiers immediately became alert, advancing in the direction Mako indicated.
As they went deeper, the cold energy grew stronger, just like the Wight they'd encountered on the ground – chilling and bone-chilling!
Suddenly, eerie howls echoed from the depths. Ice Spiders, each as big as a calf, appeared at the cave entrance.
These spiders seemed to be made of ice, their bodies a blue-black color. Their eight spider legs and bodies were covered in barbed ice spikes.
Their six eyes emitted the same eerie blue glow as a Wight. A pair of dagger-like fangs scraped against each other, the sound grating on everyone's nerves!
"Humans! Die!"
With the chilling words, the Ice Spiders attacked Mako and his group. Their sharp ice claws left fist-sized holes in the ground.
Sas Ting and the others took their shields from their backs and drew their longswords, charging forward.
The Snow Bear Knights cranked their crossbows, loading Obsidian arrows, ready to fire.
"Swish, swish, swish!"
A volley of crossbow bolts rained down on the first Ice Spider to attack, its head instantly pierced by arrows, shattering into a mass of ice!
However, it didn't die. The Ice Spider continued its charge for a short distance before collapsing into icy fragments, just over three meters from Sas Ting and the others.
Watching the Ice Spiders draw closer, the ten Snow Bear knights only fired two rounds before discarding their crossbows and charging forward with their warhammers.
The two sides clashed directly. Although the Ice Spiders looked terrifying, their attacks relied solely on claws and fangs. Once the warriors grasped their attack patterns, the fight became much easier.
Seizing the opportunity, the soldiers plunged their Obsidian weapons into the heads and abdomens of the Ice Spiders. Others had their claws smashed off.
Sixteen Ice Spiders, just as the legends described, were reduced to piles of debris. These creatures only seemed intimidating; their actual combat strength was mediocre.
Especially for Sas Ting and the other two, they were even weaker. A shield to block, a sword to swing, and they could be wounded.
And Mako felt that these Ice Spiders didn't seem quite like the Wights. They didn't possess the ability to shatter iron weapons or magical armor.
However, Mako thought they looked like they were still in their infancy. After all, the legendary Ice Spiders were the mounts of the Wights. These creatures, only about two meters in size, didn't seem to be at a rideable level.
Feeling secretly relieved, Mako quickly gathered everyone and continued to advance deeper. Their Obsidian weapons were nearly depleted after this period of use.
Fortunately, they were getting closer to their destination. Sensing the energy fluctuations in the air, Mako realized that there seemed to be an even more powerful energy source deep within the cavern.
The group continued their journey and, after marching for more than ten minutes, arrived in a vast space. This was a massive mountain cavern composed of countless ice pillars.
Inside, towering crystal-clear, blue-black ice pillars stood. Upon seeing these ice pillars, Mako immediately ordered everyone to stop.
His order had just been given when a violent blizzard struck. The group instantly lost their bearings, blown about and stumbling.
Amidst this violent storm, an ice spear flew rapidly towards Mako. Due to its extreme speed, no one reacted in time.
伴随着 Moonshadow's scream, Mako instinctively dodged, but the ice spear still struck his left shoulder.
A wave of icy, bone-chilling pain instantly numbed the left side of Mako's body. He cried out in pain, feeling like he was about to die.
Sas Ting and the other two immediately raised their shields, huddling around him. Henk and the others seemed a bit flustered.
Mako urgently shouted, "Don't panic! Watch out! We've encountered real Wights, not those half-finished ones! Wolf Fang! Use cloth to protect your hands and pull out this ice spear for me."
Hearing Mako's command, everyone calmed down. However, the enemy hiding in the shadows didn't attack again after that first strike. No one knew what was going on.
"Pffft!"
Wolf Fang pulled the ice spear out of Mako's shoulder, and blood gushed out immediately. Mako quickly used "Vitality Regeneration" on himself.
Under the magic's effect, the wound gradually healed, and the feeling in his limb slowly returned to normal. Everyone around couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief!
Mako felt incredibly lucky. In those TV dramas, that kind of spear could even kill dragons. Luckily, the guy on the other side wasn't the Night King, or he'd be done for today!
Seeing that the enemy wasn't attacking, Mako ordered his men to advance. Henk had originally wanted Mako to stay back.
But Mako refused, citing their lack of magic. He first used the Blessing Ritual, and a huge angel's phantom instantly appeared above them.
Mako had only intended to test it out, but he didn't expect the energy released by the angel's phantom to actually have a certain restraining effect on the blizzard.
The two energies canceled each other out, weakening the blizzard somewhat. Mako seized the opportunity and ordered everyone to attack.
At this moment, under a giant ice pillar in the center of the space, an incredibly old Wight was half-sitting on the ground, holding an ice spear.
He looked extremely weak, seemingly devoid of strength, and the energy fluctuations on his body were intermittent. Suddenly, his body shook violently.
Then he saw the angel's phantom in the air. Seeing this, the old Wight's expression was clearly stunned, as if he had never encountered such a situation before.
He steeled himself, pushing his body up and grabbing his ice spear, ready to fight. "Pfft," a sharp obsidian arrow pierced his palm instantly.
He couldn't hold onto the ice spear. With a clang, it fell to the ground. At this moment, Mako's subordinates quickly surrounded him!
Mako was certain now. The thing behind the Wight was his mission target.
"Human! Die!"
The gaunt, aged Wight spoke in a raspy Source Language.
As soon as he finished speaking, he yanked the arrow from his hand and conjured a smaller ice spear, throwing it directly at Mako.
The instant the Wight attacked, over ten arrows struck him. The short spear veered off course because the Wight was hit, missing Mako.
Under the effect of the obsidian arrows, the Wight quickly disintegrated into dust, leaving only the fallen ice spear.
Mako's injuries had almost completely healed. He didn't need Wolf Fang's support anymore and walked towards the massive ice pillar on his own.
The ice pillar was about three meters in diameter, stretching from the ground to the cave ceiling. It was covered in mysterious runes, seemingly telling a story.
Mako stared at the runes. His "Understanding All Things" skill activated instantly, allowing him to quickly decipher their meaning.
"Death and rebirth, ice and fire from the same source, life and death merging, our ancestor's return, all realms withering, all things extinguished, the Cold Race endures!"
Mako carefully considered the meaning. It seemed to be the Wights' prayer. He thought back to the later plot events in the television show.
Mako realized the Night King seemed to have been following this very process: resurrecting soldiers, luring the dragon to its death, resurrecting the ice dragon, and eliminating the Three-Eyed Raven!
The ultimate goal of all these actions seemed to be the resurrection of their puppeteer.
Mako had a vague feeling that he would eventually have to confront this behind-the-scenes manipulator.
"Are they gods, or what? Or, as some of the great gods in my past life speculated, are the so-called gods in this world just weak rule-based consciousnesses!"
After reading the runes, Mako silently speculated in his mind, his heart in a turmoil.
Seeing that there was no longer any danger around, Mako had Henk hand him his knight's broadsword.
Guided by that wisp of consciousness energy in his mind, Mako channeled all his strength and struck the ice column with a single blow.
Bang
The ice column shook violently under Mako's strike, and the knight's broadsword was firmly embedded in it.
Whoosh
Strange energy suddenly flowed out from the crack, and they, as if with a consciousness of their own, rushed into Mako's body and roamed wantonly within it.
Finally, they all attacked Mako's consciousness, seemingly trying to seize control of his body.
Meanwhile, in Mako's consciousness, twisted and bizarre entities were wreaking havoc.
Their goal was to completely destroy this world of consciousness, devour the host's memories, and gain control of the body!
Suddenly, a majestic dragon with pure golden scales appeared in this world, its golden light completely restoring the damaged space.
At this moment, the dragon looked at the invaders with fury, its eyes suddenly emitting two dazzling beams of light. The immense energy beams instantly turned more than a hundred of the entities into dust.
Facing this powerful dragon, these twisted entities showed no fear; instead, they attacked the golden dragon even more frantically.
Roar!
A clear dragon's roar, carrying terrifying energy fluctuations, erupted from the dragon's mouth, and energy waves, like ripples, annihilated all the attacking entities.
Now, the entire space was filled with transparent light points, transformed into primal energy. The terrifying consciousnesses that had been present initially were now completely gone, as if they had never existed.