50

The Frost Giant Strikes

Not far from the outpost, a team of frost giants rushed forward. Their bodies were similar to humans, but their skin was icy blue, as if made of ice.

The frost giants rode snow-white ice bears, heavily armored and roaring loudly.

"Fire arrows!"

The archers at the outpost bent their bows and loosed arrows, aiming straight for the frost giant team.

The frost giants raised their shields. Most arrows were blocked, but some pierced the shields with amazing strength, or found gaps, successfully killing a few frost giants.

After a few waves of arrows, the frost giants reached the Asgardian warriors, and the sound of battle filled the air.

When battling the Skrinthians, Asgard's warriors were like reapers, piling up enemy corpses with few casualties of their own. Against the frost giants, however, the Asgardians had little advantage.

In fact, they were at a certain disadvantage. The frost giants' bodies were extremely cold. Ordinary creatures other than those from Jotunheim would die upon contact. Even Asgardians, if they touched the frost giants with bare skin, would likely suffer frostbite, taking days to recover.

Fortunately, Asgard had a powerful tool called the Mirror of the Sun. Under its heat, the frost giants struggled. Their bodies seemed to melt like ice, water streaming and steaming off them, making them increasingly frenzied.

As the most dangerous creatures in Jotunheim after the Ice Beasts, the ice bears were as strong as any Asgardian warrior. However, in the light of the Sun's Mirror, an ice bear cavalry was clearly at a disadvantage against two Asgardian warriors.

It seemed to be just a harassing attack, and the battle did not last long. The frost giants quickly retreated, and the outpost began to rest.

"Doctors, prepare enough cold-reducing agents as soon as possible!"

Under the call of the medical officer, the doctors hurriedly began to prepare the cold-relieving agents.

The cold-relieving agent was a paste used to treat frostbite caused by contact with the frost giants. It needed to be prepared and used immediately, or its efficacy would greatly diminish.

Strictly speaking, only part of the cold-reducing agent needed to be prepared immediately; the rest was already made, so preparing a dose took only ten minutes.

Forseti approached a wounded soldier with a mortar containing the cold-relieving agent, and began applying the medicine.

The soldier's forearm was frostbitten, an area showing an icy blue color similar to the frost giants' skin, causing his arm to tremble uncontrollably.

The cold-relieving agent was in a paste form, and Forseti scraped some with a wood chip, gently smearing it on the soldier's arm.

"Hiss—" The soldier's arm shook violently, and he took a sharp breath.

The cold-relieving agent evenly covered the wound. Forseti applied a bandage: "All done."

The soldier, however, remained silent, looking at the bandage and then at a nearby open space where a dozen corpses lay—a small number of casualties for an attack in Jotunheim.

"Is your comrade there?" Forseti asked.

"No," the soldier shook his head. "It's my brother."

Forseti was silent for a moment. "He will be reborn in Valhalla."

"Thank you," the soldier said quietly. He put his helmet back on, got up, and left, still holding his weapon despite his injured arm.

After treating the wounded, Forseti found Ander. "When do we join the battle?"

"The adaptation period is ten days. In nine days, the newly arrived troops will officially participate," Ander said, looking at the casualties. "The frost giants live up to their reputation. This should have just been a harassing attack."

"Are you ready to fight, Forseti?"

Forseti shook his head. "I thought about it before, but now... Before becoming a real warrior, I should avoid fighting the frost giants, at least avoid melee combat."

"You can stand behind me and cast spells, as a mage should," Ander suggested.

Forseti nodded. "That makes sense. But I am not a mage, and I will never be a mage."

Ander: "..."

After the attack, most people were in a low mood, especially the new warriors, apprehensive after seeing the fierce battle with the frost giants. However, typically, after an attack, there would be no second battle for a few days, so the tension at the outpost lessened, and people continued to rest.

But no one expected today to be an exception.

Less than three hours after the first attack, just as the outpost was most relaxed, the frost giants attacked again!

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

This time, the war drums sounded late, not until the frost giants were almost at the gate of the outpost.

The reason was not just the timing but also the difference in the attacking frost giants.

"Roar--"

Earth-shattering roars echoed. Forseti looked out of the camp, stunned.

This time, the frost giants had brought several polar ice beasts. Their enormous bodies, like hills, covered tens of meters in a single bound, reaching the camp in a blink.

"The frost giants have really domesticated the ice beasts!" someone exclaimed.

"Four polar ice beasts... We're probably going to die here..."

"The frost giants attacked twice in a row. How despicable!"

The frost giants attacked in large numbers, at least ten times as many as the last time, with four ice beasts, forming a huge threat.

The polar ice beasts' massive bodies and roaring severely impacted Asgardian morale.

At this critical moment, the outpost commander, Hela, appeared in armor, holding a long sword. She looked solemn: "The dead, return to Valhalla! For Asgard!"

"For Asgard!" the soldiers shouted in unison.

"For Lian..." Forseti felt a surge of excitement and nearly blurted out.

"Forseti, come down!" Ander called from outside the window.

Armed and nervous, Ander hurriedly said, "This time, there's a real chance of being wiped out. Join my team."

"Roar - Roar!!"

At that moment, the four ferocious polar ice beasts leaped over the fence, charging into the camp. With a swipe of their giant claws, several soldiers were sent flying.

Though soon besieged by a group of soldiers, the ice beasts showed no signs of defeat, causing chaos in the camp.

Forseti saw the situation was critical and didn't hesitate. He climbed down from the window, staff in hand.

"Winter is coming."

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