Dungeon of Niflheim

Frost could picture a future where in he faced off against one of his stronger siblings in a dungeon war. A war in which he would likely hold not a single advantage. His forces, equally numerable, equally strong and equally experienced in battle. Even his own strength would fail to surpass the imagined sibling.

Defeat or a draw being the only possible outcome....unless he acquired a secret weapon.

Battle formations, the hallmark of a truly united and unparalleled fighting force. Techniques designed for one thing and one thing only….War!

With the number of skilled monsters under his command, gaining mastery of even just a single battle formation like the one being prominently displayed before him could likely change the tide of battle.

"Young Major burn this image into your eyes, this is how the War Ursa Battalion deals with our enemies." Captain Johnson proudly declared before turning his gaze back to the frontlines, daring to not miss even a single second of his company's bravery.

Frost obeyed without hesitation, locking his gaze northward where a massive transparent blue barrier stood stalwart before the War Ursa Battalion's vanguard. Faint depictions of a mighty bear could be vaguely seen moving along the barrier as though it bore a strange essence.

The mighty regiment of hulking monsters charging dead ahead cared not a wink for the suddenly erected barrier. Their minds long devolved into madness as they charged headlong into an unwitting death.

The ground quaked beneath the soldiers but not one balked in the face of such overbearing aggression, instead they smiled, eager to see these mindless beasts crash and implode against their mighty defences.

The moment seemed to drag on for eternity but eventually contact was made.

BOOOOMMMM!!!

With a thundering crack the rampaging monsters crashed head, fang or tusk first into the great barrier. Such was their momentum and power that the ground underneath and the grand mountains lining the sides quaked and fractured. Find exclusive stories on empire

But even with this immense force the hulking monsters made not a single dent upon the Icethorne Bulwark, instead their flesh, carapace and bones shattered. Their bodies exploding into bursts of gore and mangled viscera.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Like unthinking beasts the following lines crashed into the barrier quickly joining the first line's miserable fate.

Across the entire frontline the stench of death and blood was overwhelming, so much so that the shield bearers found their noses reeling from the acidity.

The Icethorne bulwark remained unfazed for a total of 5 calamitous clashes, only after did the light start to dim and the vague figure of the bear recede.

"Spearmen!" General Katrina's voice bellowed once more from atop the great wall.

In an instant the men and women wielding long, sharp spears standing directly behind the shield bearers tightly gripped the shafts of their weapons and burst forth with unbridled strength.

The barrier then diminished at a visible rate and the residual energy flowed into these spear wielding soldiers.

"Strike!" Katrina ordered and the next second these men and women thrust forward with their spears, generating beams of eye catching light that eviscerated all that stood in their path.

This was the final phase of the Ice Bulwark, a mighty impenetrable shield followed by an unstoppable thrust that would clear away all that remained.

And just like that the daunting charge of dozens perhaps even hundreds of massive monsters that each weighed several tons was eliminated, with nary a single casualty on their side.

All that was left was mutilated carcasses and energy seared flesh.

"WAAAAAGGGHHHHH!!!" In response to this carnage the soldiers of the War Ursa Battalion and the Icethorne Duchy erupted with cacophonous roars. Their voices tinged with madness and brutality as they slammed weapons against either their armour or the snow covered ground beneath their feet.

An intimidating sight, a dominating display of power and ferocity. A sight that caused the monster commanders in the distance to wince and bite their tongues.

"Not even a damn scratch ptuu!" Said a large beast covered in scales and dense fur before spitting in disgust. This monster who stood multiple metres tall and twice that long was the current overseer, the general of the Glacial mountains liberation alliance's first advance.

He was an ice drake of an impure bloodline, a vassal of the large horned ice drake tribe. And despite his impurity he still managed to reach the A-rank and thus held a decent amount of sway within the great tribe, he was even granted a marriage to one of the royal princesses, showing how favoured he truly was by them.

The powerful large horned ice drake tribe strongly pushed for him to be granted the role of vanguard General for two reasons. The first was his unwavering loyalty to their tribe and their interests and the second was his vast experience and durability in battle.

Vash Gothack was not an easy monster to kill, with near impenetrable scales and a tough hide, few could pierce his skin but beyond that as a General he was cautious, patient and calm even in the face of great adversity. With him at the helm the attack on Icethorne would never falter. His success did not lie in breaking down the northern wall rather ensuring that the War Ursa Battalion and the men and women of the Icethorne Duchy had no chance to rest.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Sir it seems that they truly have no limitations when it come to their Icethorne Bulwark." An ice drake who was serving as one of Vash's subordinates replied through clenched teeth.

This wasn't the first time the War Ursa Battalion had used their fabled battle formation in this war.

"Hmph, seems that the old bastard's reputation as War God of the Glacial Mountains isn't undeserved." To be able to train soldiers to such a high degree of efficiency and skill wasn't something a standard commander could achieve. Even he, a respected General in service to the large horned ice drake tribe was far from the mark, a fact that irked him greatly.

"There is always a higher mountain." Vash muttered under his breath as a ruthless light flashed through his eyes.

Similar comments were passing through the lips of the other monster commanders. They originally came here thinking that with their numerical advantage Icethorne would be ripe for the picking, oh how wrong they were.

"Most impressive." Frost couldn't help but comment with a voice filled with desire.

"Hehehe oh we're just getting started Major." Captain Johnson chuckled. The War Ursa Battalion had much more that just the Icethorne Bulwark.

"Then I look forward to seeing what else you guys have in store." Frost's smile stretched from ear to ear and the hands that held onto his glaive tightened around it. He barely managed to restrain himself from leaping into fore, to carve up the monsters before him for their mouthwatering DP.

As though expecting failure the lines of the liberation alliance quickly restarted their assault. And once again the frontlines were filled with the din of weapons clashing against weapons, scales, claws and even fangs.

The Captains Emma, Lucinda, Darius and Mokan stayed at the frontlines to help tide against their next aggressors. The Icethorne Bulwark was incredible, but it did have to siphon energy from somewhere. Those involved in its activation would feel weakened and drained for a period, not enough to disable their combat prowess but enough to make fighting harder and more dangerous.

"Major this will be the real test for you. Now that the bulwark has been used the enemy will attack with increased ferocity. We can't let a single one breach our gates, we must be on our game when it comes to reinforcements and intervening on a personal level." Captain Johnson was the second strongest soldier present after Frost and like him he was to remain here until the enemy sent out an appropriate foe.

Being the defensive party and the side with the least amount of soldiers it was rare for them to go on the offensive. Only General Jared and perhaps General Danielle would be able to dive headfirst into the battle, leaving nothing but carnage in their wake without too much consequence.

General Katrina and General Jessica who bore rather aggressive personalities would certainly love to cleave apart the enemy with their personal strength but once you reach their level of status their every move is watched and prepared for. If Katrina, Jesssica or the Duke himself entered the battlefield the atmosphere would ultimately change. Right now was the still the time for testing the waters, not the time to put all their cards on the table.

Over the next 30 minutes or so the western 7th defensive line constantly fended off aggressive attacks from the enemy. Frost and Johnson were forced to frequently swap out weakened soldiers for those yet to be bloodied this day. Even the Captains under him were forced to move forward so as to deal with the approach of C-rank monsters.

"Tsk, Bacchus is on the move Major." Captain Johnson angrily spat. His fists clenched tight and the veins along his jaw bulged as the figure of a large, framed tiger beastkin approached.

"Bacchus."