Frostpunk Divine Throne-Chapter 24: Thunder and Fire

Cyren gripped the edge of the wall. The fierce wind made his long robe flutter loudly.
He had to admit Rain Hoffman was a man of great spirit. If he were an ordinary soldier, he might also like such a commander. After confirming guns and artillery couldn't cause injury, he suddenly charged at that ice man, like a hunting eagle diving.
His intact left hand held a military saber, like an eagle's talons.
How fast is plummeting from a twenty-meter-high wall?
In just an instant, people saw that black figure fall straight onto the ice man.
A brilliant blue blade light accompanied scattered falling snow. White mist rose like a mushroom, enveloping both of them.
What happened?
The soldiers waited nervously.
Several seconds later, the white mist gradually dispersed. Only half the military saber remained, the half in his hand flickering with blue electric light. Rain stood behind the ice man, and that eerie ice man had been directly cut in half at the waist.
The saber hadn't touched the metal cannonballs inside his body. In that instant of high-speed contact, Rain with an eerie posture instantly made the blade avoid the metal inside, then used twisted wounds to cut it in two.
However, the extreme cold ice within the ice man also made the saber brittle and fractured. Rain's left arm was wrapped in thick frost.
"Ha..." He exhaled deep blue gas, then his body suddenly erupted in fine thunder. All his joints made explosive sounds. Large amounts of cold air were dispersed.
The soldiers on the wall burst into earth-shaking cheers. Especially those few locked outside the gate wished they could directly embrace the Governor to thank him for saving their lives.
He closed the city gate only to ensure Spessay's safety, but he never considered his own safety. He locked his soldiers outside the gate yet charged to the front line with blade in hand.
Cyren smiled, "Interesting fellow."
But at this moment, that ice man's half body suddenly squirmed. Large amounts of snowflakes were absorbed over, as if this place was the funnel of wind and snow. Ice, snow and storms all poured into another world from here!
Rain was caught off guard. Vast white wind and snow obscured everything. The mage tower's halo dimmed. Obviously it could no longer maintain this wind-free and snow-free barrier.
That ice man's two body sections gradually merged in the wind and snow, reconvening together. His facial expression became vivid. A mouth also emerged.
He slightly opened his mouth, speaking in words mortals couldn't understand, "◍ϟ∴∇……ÐƔ∞……ⴲⴻⵙⴼⵔ……"
Those words were like grand bells and drums, and like primitive sacrifices from eternity. As if bronze chime bells sounded, gods and flames rose into the sky together. The world overturned under disaster. Madmen and prophets danced wildly.
"BOOM!!!" That just-condensed body was suddenly shattered. Rain's left hand clenched into a fist. Terrifying thunder directly shattered the ice man's body.
Even the bullets and cannonballs inside flew out. Some of them struck Rain's muscles, yet could only produce "ding-ding-dang-dang" sounds, as if hitting another steel plate.
The ice man shattered into countless ice crystals, but it seemed not yet dead, still condensing in the wind and snow!
At this moment, prayer sounded on the wall. Golden mist unfolded into a painting. On it, the third painting was almost about to condense. Currently one could only vaguely see a bonfire.
"I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled?"
Golden-red holy fire suddenly blazed! Unmoved in wind and snow. Rain's hand about to punch paused for an instant, looking toward Cyren on the wall.
Holy fire disrupted the wind and snow's convergence. Crackling electric light also spread along the wind and snow's convergence point. Under the interweaving of thunder and fire, the wind and snow all around were blasted to pieces!
That giant white funnel collapsed section by section from the bottom. Red fire and blue thunder interleaved and flickered, then it suddenly collapsed, transforming into endless snow fog.
Rain's entire body emitted white steam, like a humanoid steam engine. Snow approaching his scalding body would instantly vaporize.
Finally, that wind and snow no longer condensed. That eerie ice man also seemed to truly die.
Rain looked around. After confirming no problems, he squatted down, exerted force, and leaped onto the twenty-meter-high wall!
The soldiers welcomed their Governor with enthusiastic applause. The knights behind Cyren also applauded, though for him.
Rain pulled a cigar from his pants pocket. Hard to imagine it wasn't damaged after such fierce combat then lit it with a thread of electric light.
"Cleanup squad go down to clean the battlefield. Fourth combat squad also go down. Ensure elimination of all hidden dangers. Recover ammunition metal. Within three days, I want to see s from the mage tower and staff department."
He said thus. A nearby guard came over to drape that black military uniform on him, then he walked down the wall's wooden stairs with cigar in mouth.
He ignored Cyren, as if the one who acted just now was a stranger.
Cyren pursed his lips. Seeing a soldier not far away whose left hand was injured from a barrel burst, he cast [Holy Healing] on him. Filth and bacteria at the wound fell away like brushing off snowflakes. Granulation tissue grew at visible speed. That patch of wound quickly scabbed over.
With the third sacred miracle half-condensed, his [Holy Healing] even had certain decontamination and antibacterial effects.
After treatment, he didn't care whether the soldier responded or was grateful. He brought his knights down the wall.
…
On the road, he kept recalling that eerie ice man. It seemed to have some connection with this wind and snow. When it arrived, wind and snow became more intense. When injured, wind and snow would also repair his body.
Perhaps... related to the moon in the sky.
He raised his head, looking at that ice-blue "moon" that always hung in the same position in the sky regardless of when.
Wind and snow danced wildly again, obscuring the sky. Cyren wrapped his robe around himself, quickly crossed the street, pushed the door and entered the cathedral.
At this time the church was already much more spacious. Only scattered individuals remained here cleaning, sweeping out manure and ashes.
In the morning, when Cyren learned he had ownership of part of the residential area, he had Matilda help settle these civilians. At this time most had left leading their livestock.
Seeing Cyren return, several women remaining here to clean all lowered their heads and made the sign of the cross, showing ashamed expressions, as if their working here without permission was troubling others.
"Why are you cleaning here? Not going home?" Cyren asked.
A woman in a coarse cloth skirt hurriedly explained, "Lord Bishop, we voluntarily stayed here! Lady Matilda arranged homes for us, but the church is so dirty, we're really embarrassed..."
They held rags and brushes. The bucket contained melted snow water mixed with soap, obviously very skilled.
But Cyren felt some reluctance. They were perhaps accustomed to free labor, but he couldn't accept it with a clear conscience.
He pulled over Joseph who had followed at some point, then said to the women, "After cleaning the church, each person will have one penny in wages. Afterward I'll hire female workers responsible for cleaning. If you're willing, I'll give you priority."
They all expressed surprise, "Lord Bishop! We only do these things out of piety and gratitude. We really don't need wages..."
But Cyren slapped the table and said, "Labor should be compensated! Remember! If I were to write a scripture, that would be the first article!"
The women all agreed. But Cyren rubbed the silver penny in his hand. More and more ideas emerged in his mind one by one.