Louis stood silently on a hidden outcropping, overlooking a wide clearing in the valley below.
Four Frost Giants were hurling massive boulders and then smashing them mid-air with enormous ice-rock clubs, seemingly enjoying themselves.
"Are they playing baseball?" Louis quipped to himself, though his expression remained serious.
These colossal beings averaged 5.2 meters in height, with bodies encased in a natural armor of crystallized ice and stone. Their bulging muscles radiated raw power, each casual swing of their six-meter clubs strong enough to carve trenches into the earth.
Even more dangerous was the pale blue mist swirling around them—an Extreme Cold Domain unique to Frost Giants. Any normal human approaching would risk hypothermia, frozen veins, or becoming a literal ice sculpture.
Thankfully, there were only four. If there had been forty, Louis would have ordered the Red Tide Territory evacuated overnight.
Nervous? Not quite. He had already studied their weaknesses, set up traps in advance, and brought along most of his elite forces.
Fifty-three knights and over a hundred soldiers from Red Tide stood ready. Four Frost Giants? The odds were in his favor.
"Is everyone ready?" Louis asked quietly.
"Yes, my lord. All units are in position," replied the commander.
"Good." Louis nodded. "Execute the plan. Let these oversized ice statues experience the methods of the Red Tide Territory."
He raised his right hand, fingers together: "Action!"
The commander waved a large crimson flag, and the knights—hidden in ambush around the valley—sprang into motion.
"Whoosh!"
A signal arrow shot into the sky, trailing a red blaze as it flew straight toward one of the Frost Giants.
Startled by the sudden attack, the four behemoths halted their game. After a brief pause, they bellowed deafening roars, stomping the ground and turning in the direction of the fiery missile.
"Separate them!" barked Lambert.
The knights divided into four tactical groups, each harassing a different giant from multiple angles, using long spears to poke and provoke. Their strikes hit weak points—knees, faces, finger joints, armpits—the kind of spots where even giants felt pain.
In response, the Frost Giants swung their ice clubs in wild arcs, trying to swat the knights like flies. But the knights were nimble and disciplined, retreating quickly after each strike. They used the terrain and their superior mobility to lead the giants toward the trap zones.
After several tense minutes, the giants had been lured into separate areas.
"Release!"
Hidden trap teams launched weighted rope nets, the thick ropes flinging outward with expert precision to entangle the giants' legs.
The Frost Giants stumbled, struggling to tear free. Seizing the moment, flanking knights charged in, driving their spears and swords into vulnerable joints behind the knees.
Pfft!
Weapons pierced deep into icy flesh where the armor was thinnest. Each stab provoked an earth-shaking howl, and the wounded giants staggered backward.
"Retreat and reposition!"
The Red Tide warriors didn't linger, pulling back immediately to avoid retaliation. Their goal was to wound, not to die in a head-on clash.
As the giants wavered, flames came next. Hidden soldiers hurled torches, and fire began licking the surface of the icy armor. Under the rising heat, the giants' Extreme Cold Domain flickered and dimmed. Cracks formed in their frozen plates.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Archers released flaming arrows that streaked through the air, slamming into the giants' faces. Flames singed flesh and scorched through eye sockets and cheeks.
"ROARR—!!"
A blinded giant clutched its face in agony, staggering in confusion.
"Knights, prepare! Aim for heart and throat!"
"Kill!!"
Dozens of knights activated their battle aura, crimson energy igniting their weapons.
Spurring their mounts into a final charge, they became a storm of red lances and swords—blades of death—aiming at the giants' vital points.
Pfft! Pfft!
Blood erupted. The first Frost Giant released a final, desperate roar before toppling to the ground like a collapsing glacier.
But elsewhere, things weren't going so smoothly.
A monstrous bellow exploded from one of the other trap zones.
ROARR—!!
One particularly enraged giant had torn through its restraints. With one thunderous stomp, it shattered the earth beneath, sending debris in all directions.
"Damn it! The trap failed!" a knight cursed.
Before a re-encirclement could be ordered, the giant had fully entered a berserk state. Its icy aura exploded, summoning a howling frost storm in every direction!
BOOM—!!
The storm, filled with razor-sharp ice blades, engulfed the entire area. The howling winds tore up the earth and swept through the knights.
"AHH!"
Two apprentice knights were instantly encased in ice, their armor frozen solid. A gust tossed them like rag dolls into a rock wall, knocking them out cold.
An Official Knight, caught mid-step, was struck by the giant's club and flung dozens of meters away, landing in a bloody heap.
Chaos erupted.
But before the giant could swing again, a burst of red battle aura sliced through the storm and slashed across its wrist!
Pfft!
Scorching sword energy cut a gaping wound into the giant's Cold Iron muscles. Dark blue blood spilled, freezing instantly upon contact with the snow.
"Go for the leg!" shouted Lambert.
With his greatsword radiating red-hot energy, Lambert charged. Two Elite Knights followed, forming a triangular assault formation.
Hah—!
Lambert's blade came down like a guillotine, striking the joint behind the giant's knee.
Crack!
The sword bit deep, slicing tendons and forcing the giant to one knee.
An Elite Knight vaulted upward, his flaming sword plunging between the giant's ribs. The third knight hacked furiously at its ankle, trying to completely destabilize the massive creature.
Three blades struck as one.
The Frost Giant roared with such force it shook the snow off nearby cliffs. Fueled by rage, it raised its arm to retaliate—but Lambert was faster.
"Finish it!!"
He stomped the ground, launching himself into the air again.
His greatsword swept sideways with deadly accuracy, severing the giant's wrist joint cleanly.
CRACK—!!
The bones shattered audibly. The club dropped from its hand, crashing into the ground like a meteor.
"Now!!" Lambert roared.
Dozens of spears were raised. The remaining knights unleashed a final, united assault.
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
Spear after spear drove into the giant's throat, chest, and eye sockets. Blood exploded outward, staining the snow in grotesque patterns.
The berserk Frost Giant finally collapsed, letting out a fading groan before its body crashed onto the ground—lifeless.
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