Lord: I have built a witch's sanctuary.

Chapter 39 The Headless Horseman Legion

On the endless snowfield.

The air suddenly distorted above the pine treetops in the distance of White Wolf Territory, which were covered with thick snow.

A pair of feet covered in silver scales landed silently on the branch, the movement so light that the branch and the snow did not sink even a little due to gravity.

A Tier 3 Silverwing Snow Demon, the scout captain under Haji the Winter of Blades.

The snow demon retracted its pair of translucent membrane wings that almost blended into the snowfield, and its narrow, malicious vertical pupils scanned the newly established human settlement below.

"Lord Haji is really getting worse as he gets older."

The snow demon let out a sneer from deep in her throat, casually flicking her sharp nails with her fingers, making a tinkling sound.

"This dilapidated outpost doesn't even have a proper moat, and I have to come and scout it myself?"

In his view, the territory was ridiculously shabby.

Several newly repaired second-tier watchtowers, a city wall made of piled-up garbage, and a group of city guards who looked like they hadn't woken up yet.

It's practically a piece of fatty meat on a plate.

With this level of defense, let alone him personally taking action, even the "Headless Knights" team he brought, all at the peak of the second tier, would be enough to plow this place up.

Unless there is a legendary "witch-exclusive building" here that can provide an amplification to the watchtower.

The snow demon's lips curled into an exaggerated smile, as if she were amused by her own thoughts.

Even in a place like Frostwolf City, there isn't a single complete building specifically for witches.

This godforsaken, rural barony?

How could that be?

"Investigation? It's unnecessary."

The snow demon stretched its neck, a bloodthirsty greed flashing in its eyes.

Attack the city directly.

Taking the head of this minor lord of the baronial territory back with you would be a much greater achievement than bringing back a dry piece of intelligence.

He raised his hand and snapped his fingers lightly towards the dense forest behind him.

Click.

Click.

The heavy scraping sound of metal echoed across the silent snowfield.

Hundreds of headless knights, clad in heavy black armor and wielding giant swords, slowly emerged from the forest.

Their necks were empty, without heads, only a wisp of eerie blue will-o'-the-wisp flickering in and out of their neck cavities.

A second-tier peak monster, the headless knight.

"Go, chop up every living creature in this wretched baronial territory into mincemeat."

The snow demon gave the order softly, and then her figure blurred again and disappeared into the air.

……

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

The urgent alarm bells rang out over White Wolf Territory.

Olivia, who was watering tomatoes in the magic farm, trembled and nearly dropped the watering can on her foot.

She looked up abruptly and saw a vast expanse of black water surging toward her territory at an alarming speed across the white snowfield in the distance.

"Enemy attack! All personnel, prepare for battle!"

Victor's rough roar echoed throughout the camp.

He grabbed the molten longsword leaning against the wall, and his earth-yellow battle aura erupted instantly. He charged towards the makeshift defensive line at the front like a heavy tank.

The two carpenters carrying timber turned pale with fright, but perhaps because of their training in the previous days, they still shakily raised their axes and hammers and hid behind cover.

Lorraine was standing atop the watchtower, his black trench coat fluttering in the strong wind.

He stared expressionlessly at the headless knights surging down like a black tsunami, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

"So this is the vanguard of 'Winter of the Blades'...?"

"Young Master, there are too many!" Anna appeared beside him unnoticed, her face pale. "There are at least three hundred headless horsemen! And... their auras are very strange!"

"Don't panic." Lorraine's voice was as calm as ever, as if the overwhelming killing intent was just a gentle breeze.

"As planned, first salvo, fire!"

At his command, the six thorn towers, reinforced by the Flame Altar, roared simultaneously.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—"

Dozens of thick, thorny vines, wreathed in dark red firelight, pierced the vanguard of knights like javelins.

"Pfft!"

The sharp vines easily pierced through the rotten plate armor, and the powerful impact pinned the dozen or so headless knights in the front row to the snow.

Immediately afterwards, the explosive runes attached to the vines exploded, shattering their chests.

"Well done!" Victor brandished his molten longsword, unleashing a crescent-shaped sword aura that sliced ​​two escaped enemies in half.

However, the next second, something chilling happened that sent shivers down everyone's spines.

Those headless knights, whose chests were blown apart or even cut in two, did not fall!

Their broken bodies writhed eerily on the snow, their shattered armor emitting a sickening scraping sound.

Even those knights whose bodies had been blown off by the explosion, holding their rusty longswords, quickly pieced themselves back together!

"How is this possible?!" Olivia exclaimed in shock. "Are they immortal?"

"It's a crystal core!"

Victor slapped away an enemy who was charging at him with his sword and roared:

"The vital point of these monsters isn't their hearts or heads, but the undead cores hidden within their bodies! Only by shattering these cores can they be completely killed!"

"But where's the crystal core?" Anna shouted as she fired her lava beam. "I can't find it at all!"

Looking at the description of the Headless Horseman in the Witch's Codex, Lorraine calmly explained:

"The location of the crystal nucleus is random."

"It could appear anywhere inside the Headless Horseman's armor!"

After several volleys, aside from accidentally killing a few headless knights, everyone else got almost nothing.

"It's over," Anna said, her face deathly pale. "Have we barely had a few good days before we're going to die?"

"We can't find the Headless Horseman's core at all!"

Despite multiple volleys of fire, the number of headless horsemen remained astonishing.

Even the shattered armor of the headless knight on the ground began to merge and resurrect as another headless knight.

Before long, the army of the headless knights pushed to the foot of the city wall. The rusty greatswords smashed against the wall; they were unassuming in appearance but extremely powerful.

After only a few hits, the city wall was almost breached.

A sense of despair spread through the crowd.

Ordinary physical attacks are ineffective, and magical bombardment can only slow them down, not kill them.

Faced with this seemingly endless undead army, even Victor, who had just advanced to the third tier and was full of vigor, felt a deep sense of powerlessness.

"Is this the power of that bizarre moment during the snowstorm...? They, they are immortal!"

Old John collapsed to the ground in despair, the axe clattering to the ground. "It's over...we're all going to die here..."

Without a miracle, this fragile defense would be torn apart within ten minutes.

Lorraine took a deep breath; there was no fear in her dark eyes, only absolute calm.

Since conventional methods cannot find the core issue.

Then let's turn this whole tin can of food into a bomb.

"Anna! Activate the Flame Altar at full power and enchant all the thorn vines with Burst!"

Lorraine suddenly turned around and grabbed Olivia's shoulder with such force that the bountiful Mother Earth frowned.

"Listen, Olivia."

"Next, I want you to control those vines. Don't try to strangle them, and don't try to penetrate them."

"Let the vines creep in through the gaps in their armor."

Olivia stared wide-eyed at Lorraine as if she were a madwoman.

"Are you crazy? What's the point of going in there? It's hollow! And in just a second or two, those vines will be severed by the longswords inside their bodies!"

"It's simply impossible for it to cause enough damage!"

"A second or two is enough."

Lorraine's voice was beyond question.

"Do as instructed!"

Olivia looked into those eyes, and the words she wanted to say stuck in her throat.

She gritted her teeth and slammed her staff heavily on the ground.

"Don't blame me if you die!"