Chapter 64: Frost Giant Invasion
One early morning in the third month of her pregnancy, the Molten Core Plains were awakened by a piercing cold wind.
Audric stood up from his throne, squinting his eyes as he looked toward the north.
On the horizon, a white tide was surging forward.
Frost Giants.
At least three hundred of them.
The leader stood over thirty meters tall, riding a Giant Mammoth also covered in white frost. He held a spear condensed from ice crystals, its tip glinting with a bone-chilling light in the morning sun.
Audric spat.
"Damn it, again."
He turned to the cook beside him—the Fire Giant apprenticed to him—and ordered, "Go, call that dragon here."
The cook was stunned. "That dragon? Will... will she help?"
Audric glared. "She's carrying my seed in her belly, what do you think?"
The cook scrambled away as fast as he could.
——————
By the time Livia arrived, the battle had already begun.
Three hundred Frost Giants were lined up in three rows, advancing toward the Molten Core Plains with rhythmic steps. Their heights ranged from twenty to thirty meters, their skin was as pale as snow, and their eyes were icy blue. With every step, a thin layer of ice formed on the ground beneath them.
The leader riding the mammoth stood thirty-three meters tall, eight meters taller than Audric. He brandished his Ice Crystal Spear and let out a long howl toward the sky, sounding like a wolf's cry in a blizzard:
"Audric—! Hand over the Molten Core—! And I shall spare your life—!"
Audric stood before his throne, with two hundred Fire Giants behind him. He gripped a massive club condensed from lava in both hands; the club glowed bright red, emitting rolling waves of heat.
"Hand over your mother!"
He charged out.
The moment the two Giant Kings collided, a shockwave rippled outward like ripples in a pond. The ground cracked, lava splashed, and the very air distorted.
The Frost Giant King's spear thrust toward Audric's chest. Audric dodged to the side and swung his club, striking the opponent's shoulder. The lava on the club splashed, scalding the Frost Giant King so badly he cried out in pain and retreated repeatedly.
But the Frost Giants behind him had already charged forward.
Three hundred against two hundred.
The numerical advantage was obvious.
Livia stood atop the throne, overlooking the battlefield.
A system window popped up:
[Large-scale combat detected]
[Host is advised to join the battle]
[Reason: Protect pregnancy safety + Test the combat effectiveness of Fire Giant genes + Harvest a few Frost Giants along the way (their hearts can be used to craft Cold-resistance potions)]
[Note: This system does not support slacking off]
Livia closed the panel.
She spread her wings.
Her thirty-five-meter body dove down from the top of the throne, the heat waves from her wings distorting the surrounding air.
The first Frost Giant had just raised his ice axe when she blasted a breath of Dragon Breath directly into his face.
The three-thousand-degree heat instantly evaporated his ice armor. His skin curled, charred, and peeled off like paper. Screaming, he dropped his axe and clutched his face as he fell backward, knocking over two companions behind him.
Livia landed, her claws tearing open the chest of a second Frost Giant. With a sweep of her tail, she sent a third flying thirty meters away.
Three Frost Giants tried to flank her, their ice axes swinging from three directions simultaneously.
She flapped her wings and took to the air, the ice axes hitting nothing but empty space. Then, turning in mid-air, she released another Dragon Breath. The fan-shaped flames covered a twenty-meter diameter, setting five Frost Giants ablaze at once. They screamed and rolled on the ground, trying to extinguish the fire with snow—but the snow evaporated into steam the moment it touched the flames, proving completely useless.
She landed, crushing the head of a struggling Frost Giant with one claw. A beat of her wings sent heat waves that forced two more charging Frost Giants back three steps.
Thirty seconds.
Seven.
The Frost Giants on the battlefield began to notice this dragon.
Someone cried out, "It's a Red Dragon—!"
Another shouted, "Kill her—!"
Some had already begun to retreat.
Livia did not stop.
She charged into the densest cluster of Frost Giants, tucking her wings and slamming into the crowd like a cannonball. Two Frost Giants were sent flying, three were crushed flat, and four were swept down by her tail. Then she opened her mouth for another Dragon Breath, this time a continuous stream. The flames swept across the battlefield like a whip; wherever they passed, Frost Giants collapsed screaming, their ice armor melting, skin charring, and weapons turning into pools of molten iron.
A Frost Giant tried to sneak up on her from behind, but just as he raised his ice axe, he was crushed flat by Audric, who descended from the sky.
The Giant King was covered in blood—mostly his enemies'—and still gripped that massive lava club, its head stained with ice shards and shredded meat.
He grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth. "With combat power like yours, it's a pity you're having a baby."
Livia glanced at him, her claws tearing open the throat of a nearby Frost Giant trying to get up.
"Having a baby doesn't get in the way of a fight."
Audric was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.
"Fine! Then let's fight together!"
He turned and charged in another direction, his massive club sweeping across. Three Frost Giants were sent flying at once, smashing into rocks and shattering into ice shards.
Livia continued her advance.
Her target was clear—the Frost Giant King riding the mammoth.
He was currently locked in combat with Audric, the two of them fighting fiercely. Every time the Frost Giant King's spear thrust out, it brought a cloud of ice mist; every time Audric's club slammed down, it sent up a shower of sparks. Within a fifty-meter radius of their battle, not a single giant dared to approach.
Livia cut in from the side.
The Frost Giant King sensed her and swept his spear, trying to force her back.
She didn't retreat.
With a flap of her wings, she took to the air, dodging the spear while blasting a Dragon Breath into his face.
The Frost Giant King screamed, clutching his face as he stumbled back. The mammoth, startled, reared up on its hind legs, throwing him to the ground.
Audric seized the opportunity and slammed his club into the king's chest.
*Crack!*
It was the sound of bones shattering.
The Frost Giant King coughed up blood, struggling to get up, but Audric was already pinning him down, his massive club raised high, aimed at the king's head.
"Wait," Livia said.
Audric stopped and looked back at her.
Livia walked over and looked down at the thirty-three-meter-tall giant. He lay on the ground, his chest collapsed, blood bubbling from his mouth, but his icy blue eyes still burned with defiance and hatred.
She extended her claws and pressed them against his chest.
"Your heart—I'll be taking it."
The Frost Giant King was stunned for a second, then he grinned, his mouth full of blood.
"You... you dragon... are more ruthless than any... I've ever seen..."
Livia said nothing.
She tore open his chest with a single claw.
The heart was still beating. It was the size of a fist, entirely icy blue, and emitted a bone-chilling cold. She removed it and placed it into the leather bag she carried.
Audric watched from the side, dumbfounded.
"You... you really want it?"
Livia nodded.
Audric scratched his head and looked at the remaining Frost Giants on the battlefield.
Seeing their king disemboweled and his heart taken, the Frost Giants' morale completely collapsed, and they began to scatter in flight. The Fire Giants pursued them, hacking and slashing all the way, as screams echoed one after another.
The battle was over.
——————
Half an hour later.
Livia lay on the familiar animal hide next to the throne, her body covered in Frost Giant blood and ice shards.
Audric crouched beside her, holding a piece of roasted meat and chewing silently.
The bodies on the battlefield were being cleared. The Fire Giants piled the Frost Giant corpses into a small mountain, preparing to set them on fire. The air was thick with the smell of blood, charred flesh, and the sulfuric scent of lava.
The silence lasted for a long time.
Then Audric spoke, his tone unusually serious. "Those moves of yours just now were really efficient. Much better than my subordinates."
Livia said nothing.
Audric continued, "I was serious when I said it's a pity you're having a baby. With combat power like yours, you should be fighting more, killing more enemies, more—Ow—!"
A blast of fire hit him in the face.
Livia pulled back her mouth, her tone calm. "I can have the baby and fight too. They aren't mutually exclusive."
Audric clutched his face and nodded pitifully.
Livia lay there and closed her eyes.
The giant's voice reached her ears, much quieter this time:
"Then next time there's a fight, should I call you?"
The tip of Livia's tail twitched.
"Fine."
——————
Three days later, Livia returned to the Lava Dragon Court.
As usual, five heads were crowded at the cave entrance, but this time their gazes were all focused on her abdomen—and the leather bag she held in her claws.
The leather bag was emitting a cold mist, and a thin layer of frost had formed around the opening.
Kalendil leaned in and asked cautiously, "Mother, what is that?"
Livia threw the bag onto the ground. The opening loosened, revealing the icy blue heart inside.
Five heads leaned in simultaneously to look.
Mihariel's eyes lit up. "The heart of a Frost Giant King! It can be used in medicine! For alchemy! It can—"
Aetheriel reached out to touch it, but Livia swatted his hand away with a claw.
"Don't touch it."
Aetheriel pulled back his hand and crouched in the corner, looking dejected.
Valerion offered a gemstone, saying as usual, "Mother, for your health."
Livia took it and patted his head.
Valensius transformed back from a stone and quietly moved next to the heart. He looked at it for three seconds before silently moving away again.
Mihariel pulled out her notebook and scribbled quickly:
[Mother went to the Molten Core Plains for a fight, killed the Frost Giant King, and took his heart. Note: Mother's prenatal activities are quite different from those of ordinary dragons.]
She finished writing, looked up, and turned toward Livia.
"Mother, when you were fighting, did the little brothers and sisters in your belly have any reaction?"
Livia's movements paused.
She looked down at her abdomen.
Her slightly bulging belly gave a gentle twitch.
Then another twitch.
It was as if something inside was kicking.
She was silent for three seconds.
Then she spoke, her tone calm: "Yes."
Mihariel's eyes grew even brighter. "What kind of reaction?"
Livia thought for a moment. "They kicked me."
Mihariel was stunned, then lowered her head and began writing furiously.
Beside her, Kalendil leaned in with a worried expression. "Mother, are you all right? Do you need to rest?"
Livia looked at him.
She looked at his eyes filled with worry and his tail, which was held straight due to tension.
She reached out a claw and pressed it onto his head.
"I'm fine."
Kalendil was stunned, then broke into a grin.
Valerion also leaned in, nuzzling his head under her claw.
Aetheriel ran over from the corner, wanting to join in, but he ran too fast and tripped over his own tail. With a flash of electricity and an "Ow!", he tumbled onto the ground.
Mihariel closed her notebook, walked over, and leaned her head in as well.
Valensius transformed back from a stone, hesitated for a moment, then moved over and gently rested his head against Livia's leg.
Five heads crowded together, pressing against her.
Livia looked down at them.
She looked at these furry (no), scaly (yes), warm little heads.
She was silent for a long time.
Then she extended her claw and pressed down on each one, one by one.
After pressing the last one, she withdrew her claw and lay down.
The five heads were still crowded around her, none of them willing to move first.
The light from the Lava Lake flickered, shining upon them.
In the distance, the Fire Hawk King perched on a cliff, tilting its head as it watched the scene.
"Gah."
A soft cry vanished into the night wind.