Chapter 71: Rescue
Saelen and Tormund led the remaining forces away from Craster's Keep, with the White Walkers and their wight army relentlessly pursuing from behind. After running for some distance, the group was forced to stop.
Hidden beneath the cover of sentinel trees, Saelen and Tormund cautiously observed the battlefield ahead. Two White Walkers were commanding several thousand wights, surrounding a force of two to three hundred people and attacking them in a frenzy. The ground was littered with the corpses of free folk—it was clear these people hadn't managed to escape.
"That's the Thenn Magnar," Tormund said from the side.
"So? Do we save them or not?"
Saelen thought for a moment. They still had five to six hundred men, along with five giants. If they charged in and quickly eliminated the two White Walkers, their chances of victory were high.
"Then we do it."
Without hesitation, Saelen led the charge. The five giants surged forward as the vanguard, roaring as they crashed into the wight horde. Their massive clubs rose and fell, sending wights flying in waves. In no time, they punched through the encirclement and linked up with the trapped Thenn warriors. Fighting together, they quickly split the wight formation into two halves.
Saelen followed closely behind, sweeping his Ice in wide arcs. Wherever the blade passed, wights crumbled into scattered bones. Once the Thenns were freed, Saelen scanned the battlefield, locating the two White Walker leaders. He tapped Mag's leg and pointed toward them. The giant understood immediately, nodding before charging ahead to clear a path, with Saelen right behind him.
Mag rampaged across the battlefield, unstoppable. His kicks and stomps sent wights flying or crushed them into the ground, while his club never paused, each swing knocking away multiple enemies. With Mag leading the way, Saelen reached the first White Walker with little effort.
The Walker noticed him at once, splitting a free folk warrior in half with a single strike before turning to engage.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Man and Walker exchanged over a dozen blows in an instant. Saelen pressed aggressively, his Ice raining down in a relentless assault. The White Walker was forced onto the defensive and soon began to falter.
Saelen knew he held the advantage, but ending the fight quickly wouldn't be easy. Gritting his teeth, he deliberately exposed an opening—his footing faltered, and his attacking stance broke.
The White Walker's icy blue eyes gleamed. Seizing the opportunity, it swung its blade toward Saelen's head.
Saelen stabilized himself at the last moment, shifting his body to avoid a fatal strike and taking the blow on his left shoulder instead.
Slash!
The armor plate on his shoulder shattered under the impact, fragments scattering. The icy blade cut deep, leaving a long wound that instantly froze over, sealing the blood. Enduring the searing pain, Saelen seized the moment and slashed diagonally at the Walker's neck.
The White Walker realized too late—it tried to withdraw its sword to defend, but it was already too slow.
Bang!
Without even a scream, its body shattered into fragments of ice.
Across the battlefield, cracking sounds echoed as wights collapsed in large numbers. Nearly half of the undead army fell at once. The battered defenders, who had been holding on desperately, were suddenly reinvigorated and launched a counterattack against the remaining wights.
Saelen took a few heavy breaths but didn't pause. He turned and charged toward the last White Walker.
"RAAAH—!"
The Walker roared in fury, as if its pride had been challenged, and strode forward to meet him.
Clang!
The Ice collided with the ice sword in a violent clash. Both were forced back more than ten steps. Saelen felt the terrifying force reverberate through his blade, his wrist going numb.
The White Walker, though also pushed back, showed no sign of strain. It advanced again without hesitation.
Suppressing the discomfort, Saelen drew his dragonglass dagger and hurled it.
The Walker reacted instantly, knocking it aside with its sword, then continued its charge unabated. Saelen could only raise his blade and meet it head-on.
Clang! Clang!
The sound of steel and ice colliding rang out repeatedly, mixed with harsh, grating screeches.
Then—
Bang!
Saelen failed to recover his breath in time. Unable to dodge a sudden kick, he was sent flying backward, crashing to the ground. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
He forced himself up, barely steadying his stance, his strength already beginning to falter.
At that moment, Magnar Styr charged in, intercepting the White Walker's deadly strike. The massive axe blade collided with the crystalline sword with a sharp clang.
Styr staggered back several steps, his arms trembling from the impact. A large chip had appeared on the edge of his axe.
"Ah—!"
Despite the disadvantage, he showed no fear. Gripping the axe with both hands, he roared and surged forward again.
Clang! Clang! Bang—!
After only three or four exchanges, the axe finally gave way with a loud crack, shattering into fragments.
Styr froze for a split second, staring at the broken haft in his hands. The White Walker did not hesitate. Its icy blade swept toward his face in a killing strike.
Clang!
Saelen arrived just in time, raising the Ice to block. Steel and ice met in a violent clash, neither side yielding. The two locked together, pushing against each other in a contest of raw strength, the grinding of blade against blade producing sharp, piercing screeches.
Then—
Shhk!
A massive arrow suddenly tore through the White Walker's head, piercing from one temple straight through to the other. The sheer force carried its body sideways, its icy blue eyes flickering with confusion.
Saelen gave it no time to react. His Ice flashed—
With a single stroke, the Walker's head was severed.
Bang!
Its body shattered instantly into fragments of ice, scattering across the ground. At the same time, the remaining wights collapsed en masse.
"Saelen!"
In the distance, Mag lowered his great bow and shouted, thumping his chest with his left hand.
Saelen nodded in acknowledgment, then swept his gaze across the battlefield. Fewer than six hundred remained standing. Three to four hundred had fallen here, never to rise again.
"Saelen, the Thenn will never forget your help," Magnar Styr said solemnly, extending his right hand.
Saelen clasped it firmly and nodded. "For the living."
"For the living," Styr echoed.
"Raaah—!"
From the darkness behind them came a furious, piercing shriek. An overwhelming cold spread rapidly through the air.
Shhk—
A faint sound cut through the night. A white blur streaked past their vision at terrifying speed, slicing through the air with a sharp sonic crack.
Thud.
A crystalline sword had pierced through a giant's right eye, the blade emerging from the back of his skull.
"ROOOAAAR—!"
The giant let out a howl of agony, his massive body slowly collapsing to his knees. His remaining eye was filled with confusion as life faded away.