But at that moment, the sound of hoofbeats came from beyond the mountain.
The wind brought a whiff of flame, followed by billowing dust and the solemn blare of horns.
She was stunned.
In the next instant, the flag of the Golden Sun, symbolizing the Red Tide, was hoisted in the fierce wind.
Louis Calvin, leading dozens of Fire Assault Knights and the Tactical Command Corps, appeared directly before her.
"Madam." He dismounted, his tone steady and solemn, "I will send people to clear the remaining insect corpses. Your soldiers should retreat first. Head to Red Tide Territory, I will arrange a unified settlement for you all."
She stared at him, for a moment not even knowing what to say.
Tears suddenly streamed down, and she stared at him intensely, her voice trembling, "...You’ve really come. Even us... you’re saving?"
She covered her mouth, almost breaking into tears.
Yet Louis just nodded slightly, his tone still calm, "Those still alive, go to Red Tide Territory first. Leave the rest to me."
......
With Louis’s continuous rescue efforts, a brief sunlight finally appeared over the skies of Snow Peak County.
But as Louis stood on horseback on a high hill, looking into the distance, his heart felt no relief.
The wind swept across the plains, carrying the scent of scorched earth and blood. They had been fighting continuously for six days, maneuvering, and marching in forced invasions, crossing from Red Cloud Ridge, rescuing one collapsing domain after another.
Yet the road grew colder with each step, and the scenery more desolate.
Several once-renowned noble territories were now reduced to nothing but shattered snow-carved towers and torn family emblems floating in midair, shredded by the insect corpses.
Louis dismounted, stepping into the ruined castle, his torchlight cutting through the shadows.
The floors had collapsed, the walls were charred black, the bodies long desiccated, and the nests of insect corpses sat like swollen mushrooms between the halls.
In that moment, he remained silent, only ordering his men to preserve the family emblems, then lighting the entire ruin on fire.
"Let it become a true tombstone," he said.
In another camp, the Pioneer Nobles from the South were already drowned in tears.
"You saved us..."
"We... thought the entire Northern Territory was finished..."
"From now on, the Red Tide flag is our king’s flag!"
They knelt in the snowy mud, their robes smeared with blood and dirt, yet they cared not, only clutching at Louis’s garments, as if grasping their last straw, endlessly swearing allegiance.
They had once been nobility, with pride, power, and a self-centric vision.
But now, they were merely survivors after the disaster.
And this man—the young lord who emerged from blood and fire—rode across the entire Empire while it lay in silence, coming forth on horseback through the snow one after another.
It was he who led the Flamethrower Squad to pierce the night, he who carried every plea for rescue, he who asked not of origins nor counted the cost, bringing the hope of "survival" to one territory after another.
In the following ten days, Louis’s banner seemed tireless, traversing every snow valley and crevice in Snow Peak County.
He personally charged on horseback, crossing icy cliffs, passing through withered woods where insect nests grew, leading the Red Tide Knights and Fire Assault Squad to tear back one besieged citadel after another from the grasp of spore sludge and corpse tides.
Every time the Golden Sun flag of the Red Tide rose, it was as if a ray of light split the sky.
Sometimes, it was the survivors hiding underground who heard the Red Tide’s horn and crawled out of sealed cellars in tears;
Sometimes, it was the young man fallen in the snow who saw Louis slashing insects with his sword, eyes full of longing.
Sometimes, it was hundreds of soldiers kneeling neatly in front of crumbled walls, raising their swords to swear to him, "From now on, we pledge to serve the Red Tide! We will fight for you—for the Lord!"
Of course, more often, all he could see were empty ruins.