Chapter 996: The War Begins
Boom! Boom!
The united Profession armies from all kingdoms struck their sacred war drums right on schedule.
The thunderous, rousing drumbeats spread out across the battlefield, providing an immensely powerful BUFF effect to all Professionals.
"All troops, form up!"
"Take your positions!"
The allied armies had already spread out into battle formation.
Solid, well-structured battle arrays now covered the field approximately one hundred kilometers from the Ten Thousand Demons Fortress.
A hundred kilometers—if they began a forced march, they could cover the distance in under ten minutes.
Don't forget—these troops were all highly trained Professionals.
For combatants of their level, a hundred kilometers could indeed be crossed in ten minutes.
At this moment—
The entire army knew that Ling Zhan, the newly promoted General of the Dragon Kingdom, would lead the Demon-Slaying Legion in an airborne assault on the fortress.
The moment this young powerhouse breached the fortress walls, the army formations would charge en masse.
They would storm the Ten Thousand Demons Fortress and slaughter every single demon within—leaving none alive.
Naturally, the Ten Thousand Demons had their elders and children.
But this would not spare them from the allied forces' wrath.
Once upon a time—
The demon armies had shown no mercy to the elders and children of the kingdoms they trampled and massacred.
So, putting themselves in that position, the allied armies felt no need to spare even a single life.
Now—
The full-scale assault was primed and ready.
The mood among the troops was one of excitement and anticipation.
Whether or not they could earn great merit would depend on how this battle played out.
...…
...…
Meanwhile—
Inside the Ten Thousand Demons Fortress—
Compared to the allied army, the atmosphere here was heavy and oppressive.
Within the throne hall of the fortress—
More than twenty Demon Sovereigns stood in attendance, and atop the throne sat a level 200 being.
This individual was the current proxy ruler of the Ten Thousand Demons Cavern.
Known as the "Lord of Ten Thousand Demons," his true name was "Xuanming Demon Sovereign."
Xuanming was the most senior among all the Demon Sovereigns.
All of his peers from back in the day were now dead.
He also understood the truth about the forbidden land that was the Ten Thousand Demons Cavern.
Originally, the Ten Thousand Demons weren't called that—they were the Lingguang Clan.
They had lived in a very unique dimension.
But then the true Lord of Ten Thousand Demons descended upon that realm and forcibly brought them to this plane.
Due to the rejection of this realm's laws, they were rapidly corrupted into monstrous forms upon arrival.
Worse still…
They had to devour the flesh and blood of this realm's lifeforms to better assimilate.
And even more critical…
The more they devoured, the deeper their corruption became—many turned into uncontrollable monsters.
Eventually, the Lingguang Clan accepted their fate.
They resolved to seize this realm, so they could develop in peace and perhaps one day return to their former selves.
In a sense—
The invasion wasn't ordered by the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons.
It was the Lingguang Clan's own attempt to solve their existential crisis.
Of course, if you trace it back, the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons was still to blame—he had forcibly relocated them.
And then abandoned them.
He simply ascended to the upper realm and left them behind.
With no other options, the Lingguang Clan decided to invade the nations of this realm to survive.
In the beginning, they weren't even called the Ten Thousand Demons.
But after massacring city after city, devouring flesh by the tons, they truly became monsters.
They had tasted victory, and at the time, the Profession system of this world had only just begun.
They assumed the creatures of this realm were weak and easy to conquer.
But they later realized it was only because the local Professionals hadn't yet awakened en masse.
Then, powerhouses began emerging like mushrooms after the rain.
And the Lingguang invasion was finally halted.
By then, they had fully transformed into demons.
The name "Ten Thousand Demons" was coined by the nations.
And after years of being called that, the Lingguang beings accepted it.
Even they felt their appearances and behaviors were truly demonic now.
And so…
It seemed like the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons was responsible for everything.
If he hadn't brought the Lingguang Clan here, none of this would have happened.
It made the demons look innocent.
But on the flip side—
The world's Professionals were even more innocent.
They had done nothing and yet were hunted and devoured by the Lingguang Clan.
Their cities and lands had been stolen.
Most importantly—
Even if the Lingguang Clan had been persecuted by the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons, they could've sought help from the nations.
If the nations refused, then maybe war would be understandable.
Anyone would empathize with those driven to desperation.
But what no one expected was—
These Lingguang creatures, high-level and numerous, saw their chance and decided to dominate the world before the locals could rise.
They tried to conquer all the nations.
From that perspective, the Lingguang Clan was clearly the villain.
Simply put—
It was greed.
They wanted to dominate while the world was still weak—only to be met by unexpected resistance.
And then began the long retreat of the Ten Thousand Demons.
Now—
The Ten Thousand Demons planned to absorb the earth's core energy and launch one final counterattack, but their plans were discovered prematurely.
What frustrated them the most—
Was the enemy's terrifying siege speed!
City after city fell—
Even the Heavenly Demon Capital, which they thought could hold for six months, was taken in just two days.
That was despair-inducing.
At this moment—
The level 200 Xuanming Demon Sovereign gazed down at the Demon Sovereigns and generals below, closed his eyes slightly, and sighed, "The allied Professional armies of the nations are at our gates. The siege will begin shortly. Do any of you have a strategy?"
As soon as he spoke—
All the Demon Sovereigns lowered their heads in silence.
Their expressions were grave.
What plan could they possibly have?
In a world-defining battle like this, with both sides bringing out their strongest, the only deciding factor was who had the deeper reserves.