With the two fronts being opened up by the newly transformed winter elves and the guards serving under Hawthorne the pressure on the gate and walls was reduced manyfold as the goblins got split up. Liam and Harris were relieved about the change of events and instantly started coordinating with Hawthorne. The guards rushed from the gate and fired arrows from the wall, the arrival of their new allies giving them a much needed second wind. Still the tide of monsters didn’t stop just because of that. Goblin wolf riders streamed from between the trees, followed by hobgoblins equipped with heavy wooden clubs, their bodies covered in animal furs. The shaman radiated red energy for a second time, casting the same spell again to empower his growing army.

  But this time humanity had a decisive advantage, Ethan felt an energy stream into his body. At first it felt like a small trickle but when he concentrated and felt the amount of connections reaching out to him, he could only gasp in surprise. Each single strand of energy connected to him on a level he couldn’t comprehend, the system doing all the heavy lifting for him. A shiver ran down his spine as the energy settled into his body and he exhaled a massive cloud of frozen air that covered the space in front of him. A notification appeared in his vision, big and bright, demanding his attention.

  *Update* The Defender of Winter - Buff applied!

  0,1% increase in mana regeneration per connection

  Current connections 1359 -> Mana regeneration increased by 135,9% for a duration of five(5) minutes!

  [The Defender of Winter]

  [The Defender of Winter is a class that can only be acquired during special circumstances when certain requirements are met. This class can only be acquired by non-combat system users. The holder of this class can utilize up to 50% of their crafting stats for the purpose of defending themselves. This can only happen once per month. Special Circumstances applied here: Home Defense -> Afterwards the holder of this class will enter a state of weakness, for each hour fought a weakness status will be applied for one day. Buffs may be applied to commanders/ authority figures of the winter elf race if they fight in the same combat scenario. This class can’t evolve.]

  Ethan felt the mana brimming in his veins. He sighed, his body radiated such a strong cold energy that it felt like a pale blue sun made of ice was hanging low in the sky, freezing everything it’s frost can reach. “No wonder winter elves were so strong in the past…” he looked down at the battlefield, his soldier was rampaging through the goblins without care, its body already covered in cracks, the halberd lost the spike on top as enraged goblins attacked it without a care for their own life.

  With a casual wave of his hand he casted [Arctic Reinforcement] and [Frozen Vanguard] on the ice soldier. Besides its increased speed and range from frozen vanguard, the cracks vanished instantly with arctic reinforcement healing it in the blink of an eye. Ethan didn’t even feel his mana decline at all and for he realized that for once he would go all out with crippling himself in the process. In his mind he was always experimenting with his magic and now…now he had five minutes to do as much damage as possible.

  With a predatory grin on his face he tried to break a ceiling that had bothered him for quite some time now as he just knew that he could do so much more if he just had the mana to actually do it. Taking a deep breath before he used [Frostforged Legion]. He didn’t know if the skill would work but if it was based on mana regeneration and willpower he might be able to break that ceiling somehow. At first nothing seemed to actually happen but then a sharp pain followed, consuming his mind completely for just a moment but it felt like eternity to him. Only the ice that wrapped his mind in chains reduced the pain somewhat. “Fuck you system! I won’t give up! Never again will I give up!” He dropped to one knee on his ice pillar but still pumped mana into the skill, using every skill his Frostforger class gave him to maximize the effect.

  A [Chilling Nexus] appeared above him, Ethan expected it to be around the size of a basketball like most times but this one was gigantic. It looked like an oversized wrecking ball as it covered a part of the battlefield in shadows. From the nexus humanoid golems appeared definitely weren’t his design. Especially since the Chilling Nexus was just supposed to create structures. They looked pathetic compared to his soldiers but they were hundreds of them tumbling from the nexus. Most of them broke on impact, their bodies not made for such a fall but those that survived threw themselves at the goblins. While they were missing the soldiers' frostbite they still radiated cold as sharp fingers dug into the soft bodies of goblins.

  *Update* Synergy detected - Would you like to evolve the skill [Chilling Nexus]? Y/N

  Ethan didn’t even see the notification as he pushed himself back to his feet. His eyes glowed so bright their pale blue looked almost white as he was using more mana as his whole body burned from the amount he channeled through his mana channels. Still the grin on his face didn't vanish as words came from his mouth that weren’t entirely his own. They felt old and held the same gravitas the system commanded. “I claim my right as the progenitor, I claim the legacy of Winter! Winter is my home…my past, present and future. I swear by my name and that of my people. Winter will return!”

  *Update* Oath taken - Soul Imprint created - The promise of Winter.

  *Update* Forced rarity change - Frostforged Legion(Expert)] -> Frostforged Legion(Master)]

  *Update* Forced evolution - [Chilling Nexus(Special)] -> [Chilling Nexus(Special+)]

  This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  A wordless cry echoed from Ethan as he broke the ceiling of not one but two skills. Slowly he managed to come back to his senses, not fully realizing what he had said, but before he could worry about that his skill finally activated. In addition to the giant soldier, four of the big soldiers he had used against the plague deer before dropped from the sky. The moment they landed their halberds hacked apart goblins with abandon. They tried to connect to the flanks of winter elves that were still pushing against the goblins just as he had pictured in his mind.

  Ethan held himself upright using his staff, he stopped the chilling nexus from spewing out more weak soldiers and cut off the flow of magic, making it slowly dissolve into tiny specks of ice. With a deep breath he straightened his body fully and snapped his fingers. Using his aura of watchful winter to encompass the entire battlefield. With even some parts of the city and forest being included. While it would usually drain him in seconds, which as it was such a massive area, now he could keep it up for the next three minutes, then the buff would expire robbing him of all this leased power.

  The glowing orbs resembling pale blue eyes were as big as his head now, if not larger. Fixing their gazes on the battlefield. They were rapidly changing targets while the net of tiny orbs surrounded everything. Ethan could see goblins freezing in place as they fell under the influence of the eyes, frost started to cover their bodies at a rapid pace. With his aura active he could focus on other parts of the battle, he looked to the back where the shaman seemed to panic for the first time since this fight began as it was slowly surrounded while his soldiers rampaged in the middle of it all.

  While he didn’t think breaking another skill ceiling was possible for a very long time. He now had the mana to experiment while inflicting more damage. Ethan pointed at the ground, using his chains but this time he forced as much mana into it as possible. Like a massive snake, a chain that could have easily held the biggest ships on pre-system earth erupted from the ground, lashing out while the gigantic hook on the end slammed into the battlefield and forest. It was ripping apart goblins and vegetation like they were made of paper. Ethan grinned, the shaman was actually trying to retreat but he wouldn’t let him go anywhere. Tutorial Ethan might have chased him down but now he knew how stupid that would be as he commanded magic just for this purpose. Tapping his staff on the ground hundreds of normal sized chains erupted from the earth, chasing the shaman and his guards down with ease. Capturing him was child's play after the chains overpowered the goblin’s shield. Like Ethan, the shaman had no real physical stats to speak off. With Ethan now stronger due to his influx of mana there was no chance for the goblin to win.

  With one of the main threats secured he focused on the three land dragons. All three were fighting against his soldiers at this point. They were strong, strong enough to lock his forces down in a stalemate. Ethan didn’t intervene but he casted his two buff spells on his new soldiers and ordered them to capture the creatures and not kill them.

  Afterwards he turned his eyes to the other ongoing fights, there were still the guards who had gathered and pushed out of the gate. Liam and Harris managed to establish a beachhead in front of the gate and were marching against the dwindling number of goblins. The winter elves had fought hard and even without the help of his ice soldiers they managed to almost reach the guardsmen at the gate. Ethan could literally feel them moving forward down below, connected to them all.

  He tapped his staff and a ball of frost hovered over his staff, ice spikes as long as his own body pulled itself together from the ice particles before being launched at such an accelerated speed straight into the thin line of goblins still in their way. One spike after another descended from the sky like magical artillery, impaling goblins up and down the line , pinning them to the ground like grotesque statues. With his help one flank was quickly secured, the elves meeting up with the guardsmen to push forward together. Ethan turned to the other side, the fighting there was a lot more heavy with an influx of hobgoblins pushing against the elves.

  He raised his hand, his palm facing the line of goblins and from below ice spikes erupted from the ground, skewering them, the elves killing those that were still alive before pushing further, war cries filling the air as they pushed forward towards their companions.

  When finally one continuous line was established and they didn’t need to worry about their flanks anymore the elves and guardsmen encircled the goblins. Ethan turned his attention back to the horde below him. His ice soldiers had subdued the dragons, with his giant soldier holding the smallest of them and his four soldiers split into pairs as they forced the two big ones down. Ethan wrapped them in a literal cocoon of chains, freeing at least his giant soldier from his duty. Without wasting a second it was jogging to the front, slicing and crushing goblins, causing another big group of them to break and flee. Without the courage given to them through blood lust they were easy to repel.

  Harris stood below, a signal horn in his hand. He blew one long continuous signal and all of them rushed forward, weapons and magic ready as they crushed the remaining goblins. Ethan froze dozens of them with his magic, his aura passively killing even more since he first casted it. With their numbers dwindling even less of them could escape the watchful eyes that froze them in place. He used up as much mana as possible but he knew his time was running out quickly. He jumped from the pillar and made a frost cloud appear under him that gently drifted to the ground right in front of the dragons. The fight was over, the goblins were running deep into the forest. Ethan dismissed his giant soldier and instead created two more of the large ones right before his increased mana regeneration cut off.

  He took a deep breath, the feeling of ecstasy leaving him as his mind and body returned to their former level, albeit with a lot more pain he would have to endure for a while. “Well that was dangerously intoxicating…now what will we do with you three.” He looked at the land dragons, a smile on his lips.

  A horn sounded out again, it seems they won this fight even if it looked like certain doom in the beginning. They had a lot of things to talk about once everybody had a break.