Though a minor mishap had occurred along the way and caused unexpected casualties, Kenyaza City was ultimately captured by the Kingdom of Cinders, bringing an end to the Principality of Norton after more than four hundred years.
Following rigorous house-to-house searches by the Nocturne force, every member of House Norton was apprehended without exception, nearly all of them escorted to the dungeons of Northwind Keep.
After all, those carrying even dilute frost giant blood possessed frames far too conspicuous—and their blood bore a distinct scent of its own.
Meanwhile, Duoluo, the dragonblood hobgoblin commander, was left utterly dejected after that harrowing battle. He took the initiative to request a temporary leave from the military command from Cassius and took an oath to become a dragon-blessed paladin. He was currently deep in training within the Dragon Oath Hall, though whether he would succeed remained to be seen.
Inside the Council Hall, Cassius reclined on the throne, turning the horn over in his hands with keen interest.
Acquiring such a piece of equipment without lifting a finger was an unexpected boon.
[Ice of antiquity plundered by your hand.]
[You have acquired legendary equipment—Horn of Everfrost]
Horn of Everfrost
Quality: Legendary
Creator: Kobar Everfrost
Description: In an ancient era long forgotten, during a protracted war spanning multiple generations, Kobar displayed terrifying spellcasting talent. He summoned a wall of solid ice over a hundred meters high, freezing an ancient red dragon into a block of ice. This feat made him a rising star within the giant empire, enabling him to establish his own giant clan and even earn the surname "Everfrost," bestowed personally by Thrym, the god of frost giants.
When the war finally ended and both sides were crippled, the aged Kobar still lived. Knowing that his past enemies would threaten his clan once he was gone, he severed his own right leg, carved runes upon the thigh bone, and crafted it into a horn imbued with the power of Everfrost, entrusting it to his son before his death.
When the horn sounds, howling blizzards sweep forth, plunging all who oppose the Everfrost Tribe into eternal slumber.
"I shall freeze all things—not only my enemies, but everything that is mine! —Kobar Everfrost"
Effect:
(Requires resonance with "Everfrost" frost giant bloodline; otherwise, effects are reduced to one-third.)
Power of the Everfrost Runes: When the horn sounds, the runes gleam with an icy-blue light, granting you mastery over frost and snow. Howling blizzards will swirl continuously within a radius of hundreds of meters around you, raining down hail and snowflakes imbued with magical chill to freeze your foes.
Kobar's Glacial Prison
9th-circle evocation spell
An arctic glacier nearly a hundred meters tall rises from the ground to imprison chosen creatures. Those trapped within suffer continuous cold damage until their death is complete.
Glacial Cascade
8th-circle evocation spell
You open your palm, pouring forth a torrent of extreme cold like a cascading waterfall. Creatures swept by the torrent are slowed and suffer cold damage.
Greater Cone of Cold
7th-circle evocation spell
You create sharp cones of ice that inflict cold and piercing damage upon enemies.
"Truly a sacred relic of the frost giants."
"A genuinely powerful legendary item. A pity there are so many restrictions, and its compatibility with my true red dragon form is poor," Cassius murmured in appraisal.
In a sense, this equipment had been crafted specifically to combat red dragons. As a genuine red dragon capable of bathing in magma, he was ill-suited to extreme cold; the power of the Everfrost runes was fundamentally incompatible with him.
What was more, activating this item required frost giant blood. Though he had captured all the scions of House Norton, their bloodline had been diluted over countless generations—nowhere near enough to draw out the full might of such a legendary relic.
"Fortunate that it was in Oliver's hands."
"Had it fallen into the hands of a frost giant elder, even I would have found it troublesome to deal with."
Cassius felt a lingering trace of caution.
Duke Oliver, head spun by power, had likely failed to unleash even half the legendary equipment's potential, yet had still managed to pose a slight threat. That alone was testament to its immense strength.
A seductive, melodious female voice broke Cassius from his thoughts.
"Master, I've found records about it!"
"The archives of the Principality of Lakeman contained references to it—right here in *Secrets of House Norton*."
Delenna appeared in the hall holding a tattered parchment tome, a delighted look on her face.
Cassius toyed with the bone horn in his claws, his interest piqued.
"Pick out the key parts and read them to me."
"Yes, Master."
"This horn is named the Horn of Everfrost, an ancestral relic of the 'Everfrost' frost giant clan around the Vahara Glacier. Several centuries ago, it was stolen by the ancestor of House Norton—a renegade frost giant..."
Delenna turned to the final pages. Her expression grew solemn, her brow furrowing slightly.
"When the horn sounds once more, the frost giants from the far north will stop at nothing to reclaim it—to reclaim the... glory of their ancestors."
"What is it?"
Seeing Delenna act as if facing a mortal threat, Cassius grew curious.
She spoke two words with grave weight:
"The Frost Calamity."
Delenna looked up cautiously. Seeing that the red dragon did not interrupt, she continued:
"The Everfrost clan is a tribe of over three hundred frost giants by conservative estimate, hailing from the Vahara Glacier in the 'Frozen Forbidden Land' at the northernmost edge of Anzeta."
"At irregular intervals, these frost giant tribes ride the blizzards south to invade. The timing is unpredictable, and the people of the Northlands have come to call these incursions 'Frost Calamities.'"
"More than sixty years have passed since the last Frost Calamity. That catastrophe inflicted devastating losses on all the northern realms, killing and injuring hundreds of thousands, and nearly destroyed a principality. My grandfather witnessed it with his own eyes. Villages and farms were plundered bare, roads were littered with the mangled corpses of humans and beasts, and entire cities were reduced to snow-covered ruins."
Hearing this, a sudden glint appeared within Cassius's golden pupils—delight.
"Three hundred frost giants..."
"Aren't they just delivering materials for the Horn of Everfrost right to my door?"
Cassius fixed his gaze on Delenna and said with deep meaning:
"Delenna, remember who you are."
"Our Kingdom of Cinders will only ever be a calamity to its enemies; we will never be the victims of any disaster."
"Notify all our vassals and forces to prepare for battle. I intend to harvest a bountiful supply of frost giant blood."
Only then did Delenna snap back to her senses, realizing she was no longer the yuan-ti who had trembled beneath the iron hooves of enemies, but a member of the Kingdom of Cinders ruled by a red dragon.
Indeed, he was hailed as a living calamity, and the entire Northlands trembled beneath his wings.
"Yes, Master."
Delenna knelt on one knee, an inexplicable excitement trembling in her voice.
Chapter 166