Lord of Winter: Beginning with Daily Intelligence Chapter 867 - 466: Shocking News (Part 3)

At that moment, the tent flap was suddenly lifted.

Cold wind rushed in, making the flames in the brazier flicker violently.

A knight of the Empire’s highest rank rushed in.

He didn’t even bow, staggering forward as if chased by something, collapsing to his knees after two steps.

"What’s wrong?" Kaelin raised his head, frowning slightly, "Did the Federation send some new monster? Even if there are two alchemical dragons, I can kill them."

The knight’s throat moved, as if forcing himself to speak.

He prostrated on the ground, voice hoarse: "Your Highness... it’s not the Federation."

The tent went silent instantly.

"It’s from the Southeast." The knight raised his head, his eyes filled with pure terror.

"It’s Louis Calvin."

The moment this name fell, it was as if something silently shattered within the military tent.

"Latest urgent report." His voice began to tremble, yet he gritted his teeth and finished speaking.

"Louis has simultaneously conquered the Avalonia Islands and the homeland of the Holy Eastern Empire, the Golden Feather Flower Church Court... completely annihilated, the Eastern Empire’s royal system has been completely taken over."

Everyone instinctively inhaled sharply.

The knight’s voice lowered, as if stating a fact that shouldn’t exist in reality.

"He killed that so-called god... and burned the entire island to ashes, it’s now a desolate land."

This shocking news caused a brief void, leaving everyone at a loss for words.

Clang.

Kaelin’s proud sword slipped from his fingers, hitting the ground with a jarring sound that echoed within the tent.

He had just been standing atop the corpse of an alchemical pseudo-dragon, listening to the cheers of the soldiers, believing he stood at the pinnacle of his era.

And now, someone had told him...

Louis had slaughtered the Church’s "god" in short order.

And casually annihilated two countries.

This chasm-like disparity in combat power made Kaelin realize something brutally harsh in that instant.

He was like a child waving a wooden sword before adults.

He spoke quietly, as if asking others, or perhaps himself: "Is he... really human?"

No one answered, because no one knew the answer.

On the other side of the tent, Duke Remont reacted faster than anyone else.

The wine glass in his hand lost its strength the moment "Church Court annihilated" was uttered, spilling wine, the cup slipping and shattering on the ground.

The clear sound drew numerous glances.

But Remont didn’t look back, his mind was already in frantic operation.

If Louis was powerful enough to achieve this...

Then regardless of whether the war was won by the Empire or the Jade Federation, the ending would be the same.

Everyone standing on the chessboard would be cleared away.

For the first time, Remont felt fear.

Not the fear of defeat, but the fear of being erased from history.

His original plan was to place wagers between the Empire and the Federation, using logistics, gold coins, and connections to secure a safe distance for survival regardless of the victor.

But now, an entity not following the rules had appeared outside the chessboard.

An entity currently digesting the Southeast Province in the East.

Time, suddenly, was not enough.

Kaelin bent down to pick up his sword, the cold blade stabilizing his hand once more.

Fear didn’t crush him, rather, it forced him to make a clearer judgment.

"Continue the advance." He lifted his head, his gaze sweeping across all the commanders, tone colder and firmer than ever before, "The Jade Federation must end swiftly.

I want their money, mines, ports, alchemists, and any usable people."

If Louis had already reached that stage...

His only choice was to swallow the Jade Federation whole before the opponent turned fully.

Not for glory, but to survive, to secure even a single chance for negotiation in the future.

Meanwhile, Remont’s gaze also fell on the front line extending deep into the Federation’s heartland on the map.

His expression gradually returned to calm, even a hint of almost indifferent composure surfaced, but it was merely a facade forced over his emotions.

Beneath this brief calmness, hatred had long been fermenting.

He remembered well when Louis marched south to Gray Rock, leaving no escape route for the Remont Clan.

Manor seized, lands confiscated, family crests burned.

Those once dependent on him, living off him, including distant branches and in-laws, were thoroughly purged.

That wasn’t a political failure; it was being uprooted.

And Kaelin?

This prince whom he had raised to the battlefield, nourished with gold and logistics, was now circumventing him to issue orders, to command troops, even to distribute spoils amid victory cheers.

The wolf pup had learned to bite.

And the first thing it aimed to bite was the hand holding the leash.

Remont understood clearly that once Kaelin truly devoured the Jade Federation, mastering the Federation’s wealth, mineral veins, and alchemical system, the next one to be reckoned with would definitely be him, the kingmaker.

Thus, he had only one choice left...

Remont lifted another glass of wine, the map’s blood-red offensive line reflected in the glass.