Frostpunk Divine Throne-Chapter 23: Ice Man

Seeing the walking mech's killing spree, the soldiers on the wall all puffed out their chests. The envy they felt just moments ago seeing the knights' excellent equipment disappeared, replaced by a collective sense of honor welling up.
The five soldiers below and one walking mech finished clearing the remaining demonized animals and were preparing to return triumphantly to the city when suddenly, someone shouted, "Look! Is that a person over there?"
Several soldiers looked in the direction he pointed. In the vast white wind and snow, a black figure clearly appeared, seemingly slowly approaching.
"Is it a villager?" someone asked.
"Don't know, doesn't seem like it..." Another soldier bit his lip. An uneasy feeling welled up in his heart.
That dark shadow stood too straight, tall and thin, yet standing and walking straight in such wind and snow. Moreover, with his appearance, white snowflakes instantly began dancing wildly. The entire sky became a white curtain, wantonly blown by violent wind into people's mouths and noses.
"Who's up ahead! I'll count to three! If you don't respond I'll shoot!" The soldier shouted.
Atop the wall, wind and snow drowned out the sounds below.
Rain frowned. That squad of soldiers should have returned, but they seemed to still be outside the gate, not knowing what they were doing. This wind and snow strangely increased, making his heart skip.
"Three!" The soldier raised his gun. The chamber was already in locked position.
"Two!" The walking mech raised the crank revolver machine gun on its left hand. The soldier operating inside also sensed something wrong.
"One!" The soldier roared. Flames erupted from the gun barrel.
Before the third count was finished, some inexplicable pressure forced him to act, so he pressed the trigger with trembling hands.
The walking mech's crank revolver machine gun began spewing flames. A connecting rod continuously rocked its crank. Six gun barrels continuously rotated. The flames from the barrels almost merged into one mass!
Countless metal pieces sprayed at extremely high speed toward that figure in the wind and snow. Theoretically any flesh and blood body would be torn apart, but it only paused briefly, then continued advancing.
Fear overwhelmed reason. The soldiers roared and opened fire. Although the people on the wall couldn't see the figure due to the wind and snow, they heard the gunshots.
"Observer, the situation!" Rain grabbed a copper speaking tube beside him. The metal pipe behind that speaking tube connected all the way to the top of the watchtower.
"Yes, Governor! I was just about to ! The magic crystal shows high magic power reactions everywhere in that area! The entire wind and snow! Completely unobservable! Both evil spirit crystal and anomaly crystal show no reaction. complete!"
Rain's face darkened. He shouted loudly, "Fire coverage!"
Soldiers pulled out their guns. Some gripped cannons on the firing ports. Two rows of dark cannon and machine gun muzzles extended from the top of the wall.
The next moment, countless metal tubes spewed deadly flames! Amid deafening cannon fire and gunshots, powder's white fog violently entangled with wind and snow. Fierce fire bloomed in the freezing cold. Human craftsmanship and wisdom transformed into the most merciless weapons. Every second, several kilograms of metal were violently shot toward that area.
But the soldiers below watched in terror as a solid iron cannonball clearly directly hit that figure, yet he only swayed, stopped for a few seconds, then began walking again!
What the hell was that thing! That was 32-pound heavy fortress cannon ammunition!
The soldiers below the wall retreated in panic, trying to retreat into the gate, but the city gate stood silently there, not opening.
"Prohibit opening the city gate. Continue firing!" Rain coldly ordered.
Cyren looked at the vast whiteness below and said to the knights behind him, "Fire."
So seven knights shouldered the rifles on their backs and began shooting below, joining the fire coverage.
Among Spessay's artillery, smoothbore cannons firing solid shot were the minority, only for dealing with some special situations. Most were the most advanced breech-loading rifled cannons, equipped with cylindrical cone-headed explosive shells. After the charge exploded, the outer metal would transform into countless sharp high-speed blades spreading out, like death's domain.
The artillery fire below was continuous. Even if a brigade charged, they should all be dead by now, but no one dared relax.
Suddenly, a blue tower inside the city flashed with magical brilliance. The wind and snow in an instant seemed blown by some huge blower, suddenly expelled outward in large white snow rings, while snowflakes within Spessay's borders were completely cleared.
That was a mage!
Cyren whirled around. On that blue tower, a huge crystal glowed faintly with magic. It had dispelled the wind and snow!
But with the wind and snow's dispersal, that humanoid form finally revealed itself—
It was a humanoid form purely composed of ice. Deep blue cold ice grew like crystals, but the surface was smooth. Only some ice crystals pierced the surface. The face had simple ice-formed features, but very simple, as if pinched from clay by a child.
And within his body, countless bullets, shrapnel, and cannonballs were suspended within. Ice crystals wrapped around that metal, continuing to grow upon it, causing certain parts to not quite resemble a humanoid form.
Artillery fire still roared. Soldiers watched with their own eyes as a 60-pound cone-headed shell shot into that ice man's body, but only made him stumble, then the cannonball instantly lost momentum within.
Ice crystals rapidly wrapped around the cannonball, continuing to grow based on it.
That eerie scene made everyone present have their hair stand on end. Rain darkly ordered "cease fire."
He looked below, didn't even look at Cyren's face, yet said, "Bishop, do you think this is a demon?"
"It doesn't have horns and hooves, does it?" Cyren shrugged.
Rain turned his head with undisguised hostility, "Then what do you think counts as a demon?"
"That which endangers people's safety." Cyren answered.
"Then what do you think this fellow will do next?" Rain sneered and asked, "Charge through the gate and wring your neck, or under your guidance weep bitterly and kiss your ring?"
Several knights nearby heard this and shrank their necks.
Cyren narrowed his eyes, "I don't know, but I see the Governor has ideas."
"That's right." Rain threw off that black general's coat. It danced in the air like a black falcon, revealing underneath muscles cast like steel. Underneath he only wore a black tight tank top, yet his muscles all emitted white mist in the cold wind!
"I'll meet it. Bishop, while you cower on the wall, soldiers of the Empire will take up arms." Rain strode to the edge of the firing port. His military boots stomped forcefully on the outer wall, then his entire body shot toward the ice man like a bullet!