Good! Good! Good!

"Three!"

Dalton's right hand was soon bitten off by a Frostjaw Wolf.

Blood spurted from the wound, and the intense pain caused his body to convulse.

Both of his hands were now completely gone, yet he still maintained that crazed posture, with an unyielding madness in his eyes.

His sword had long fallen to the ground, but he didn't give up on fighting. 

Even without hands, he still had his teeth.

Dalton lunged at a Frostjaw Wolf and bit down hard on its neck.

His frantic biting caused the wolf to howl in agony as it tried to retaliate, sinking its fangs into his left leg and viciously tearing.

Despite the excruciating pain, Dalton's jaw remained locked on the Frostjaw Wolf's neck, refusing to let go.

"Two!"

Dalton furiously tore at the wolf's flesh, the fur mixing with the blood in his mouth, the rancid taste spreading across his tongue.

He had lost all sense of reason, chewing on the fur-covered flesh, with blood streaming from the corners of his mouth.

As he gnawed and laughed maniacally, he muttered through his blood-stained lips.

"Delicious! So delicious!"

It was his final burst of madness, an unyielding spark at the end of his life.

"One!"

Dalton's body finally collapsed, lifeless, onto the cold snow, as the Frostjaw Wolves ignored him and charged past his lifeless form, continuing their attack on the remaining scouts.

His vision blurred as he felt the last bit of life slipping away.

His eyes turned toward the pale sky, growing dimmer by the second.

"I'm Alice. What's your name?"

The little girl extended her right hand, introducing herself to the shy boy in front of her.

Her brown pigtails glistened under the sunlight, and her green eyes sparkled like clear lakes.

"My name is Dalton," the boy whispered, his face flushed with embarrassment, barely audible.

Dalton felt the urge to run, but the girl grabbed his arm.

"Why are you running? Do I look scary?"

She tilted her head, her brown pigtails swaying gently.

The boy's face turned red as he fidgeted nervously, unable to respond.

He snuck a glance at the girl, then quickly looked down again, his palms sweaty.

"I... I... I..."

His heart pounded, his voice barely a whisper.

"My mom says we're going to get married someday."

The girl's words hit Dalton like a bolt of lightning, leaving him frozen in place.

Her smile, as radiant as the sun, was the most beautiful thing in the world.

Standing in the sunlight, her clear green eyes were full of hope.

As Dalton's consciousness faded, the corners of his mouth curved upward slightly, as if he had returned to that day.

"Alice..."

The ice pillars suddenly vanished, turning into a flurry of snowflakes.

Before the scouts could react, the battlefield had changed dramatically.

Khazik quickly locked onto the position of the Frostjaw Alpha, ready to launch a final attack and end the brutal battle.

But just then, the Alpha began trembling uncontrollably, letting out a terrified howl before swiftly retreating.

Following their leader, the once-ferocious Frostjaw Wolves also trembled in fear and retreated alongside the Alpha.

The blizzard, which had raged on, disappeared along with them.

The remaining scouts, still panting and gripping their weapons tightly, were left bewildered.

Why had the wolves suddenly retreated?

Borne, gasping for breath, struggled to stand, his eyes scanning the surroundings, everything now eerily quiet.

Khazik furrowed his brow, his vast experience failing to explain the sudden turn of events.

Clutching his sword tightly, he focused on the direction the Alpha had fled, feeling an inexplicable sense of dread creeping into his heart.

A rare expression of fear appeared on Khazik's face—something none of the scouts had ever seen from their fearless captain.

He swiftly raised his sword, pointing in the direction of the retreating wolves, his voice low and urgent.

"Run! Run now!"

The scouts instinctively obeyed the command, turning to flee immediately.

But in that instant, a piercing scream echoed from behind.

It was Albert's voice!

A group of scouts instinctively halted, turning back to look.

Khazik's expression shifted drastically, about to shout for them to stop, but it was already too late.

Everyone had turned back.

They saw a tiger, its body crackling with electricity.

Borne and Dillon froze in place, their hearts seemingly stopping.

Their pupils shrank in disbelief.

They would never forget that night—the Thunder Tiger.

The magic beast that had once brought them unparalleled fear now stood before them once more.

The Thunder Tiger clamped Albert's head in its jaws, blood dripping from its fangs, its paw crushing his lifeless body beneath it.

Lightning flickered around the beast.

Borne and Dillon's breaths caught in their throats, their bodies going rigid with fear.

"It's... the Thunder Tiger..."

Dillon whispered, his voice trembling with terror.

Borne, feeling the cold seep into his very bones, was overwhelmed with a sense of helplessness.

"Don't just stand there! Run! I'll cover you!"

Khazik's roar was like a thunderclap, snapping the scouts out of their fear-induced stupor.

They instinctively wanted to rush forward to help, but seeing Khazik's grim, almost despairing expression stopped them in their tracks.

They understood—the captain wasn't joking.

This Thunder Tiger wasn't something they could hope to defeat.

"Run!"

Khazik roared once more, his voice filled with the absolute authority of command.

At that moment, there was only one option—escape.

The scouts turned and fled, the snow crunching beneath their frantic steps, the sound urgent and panicked.

But two of them didn't move.

Khazik frowned, turning to see that it was Harley and Lucius.

The two were covered in blood, their faces calm, with a serenity that only comes when one has accepted death.

"You—"

Khazik was about to speak, but their expressions stopped him.

The resolute, peaceful looks on their faces signaled they had made their decision.

Harley wiped the blood from his face, speaking calmly.

"We heard Dalton's laughter, Captain. We know our time is almost up."

Lucius clutched the wound on his abdomen, blood flowing through his fingers. He gritted his teeth.

"We're too badly injured. We won't make it."

Khazik looked at the two of them, feeling a complex mix of emotions. He knew he couldn't stop them.

He took a deep breath, feeling a surge of emotion that even the biting wind couldn't suppress.

Suddenly, Khazik smiled—a wild, proud smile, one that reminded him of the countless life-or-death moments he had faced.

"Good! Good! Good!"

He shouted three times, his voice booming like thunder.

"Now that is the kind of soldiers I trained!"

Khazik laughed heartily, his voice full of joy.