new calendar Year 344, Spring.
March 1st, two days before the Flower Bloom Festival.
In the heart of the Theo Kingdom, far from the flames of war, this ancient festival began its quiet unfolding in the way it had been passed down for many years.
In the early morning, while the mist still clung to the hills and winding riverbanks, the women in the villages and towns had already risen to take down the dried flower petal fragments carefully collected and preserved from the previous autumn from the wooden shelves in the storage rooms.
The orange-yellow of marigolds, the azure of cornflowers, and the tender pink of roses were mixed with the shredded leaves of lavender and rosemary.
In ceramic mortars, the petals were gently pounded into fine, fragrant colored powder with wooden pestles, then carefully packed into small linen bags.
Children rushed outdoors, unable to wait.
They checked the colored cloth banners tied in advance to branches, fences, and eaves; these were important decorations for the festival, rustling in the wind like messengers of spring.
In the Xio capital, Silverglow City, the preparations for the celebration were even more grand.
The streets were swept clean, and seasonal flowers and candies were displayed in shop windows.
People stepped out of their homes, greeting each other with "May the spring favor you," then smilingly patted colored powder onto each other's shoulders, hair, or symbolically smeared a bit on the other's forehead as a blessing.
Central Square.
The Pillar of Spring, decorated with freshly cut peach and plum branches and silk imitation flowers, already stood tall, waiting for the official start of the festival.
A team of ritual officials sent by the court held a brief prayer ceremony, while bards played lighthearted lutes and sang ballads about the rebirth of all things, the budding of love, and ancient legends of heroes.
Amidst the music and the scent of flowers, nobles in well-tailored, elegantly colored spring attire greeted each other; ladies fluttered exquisite feather fans, talking in low voices and admiring the latest embroidery patterns on each other's dresses.
Occasionally, someone would mention the war on the front lines in a low voice.
They were slightly tense at first, but smiles quickly returned to their faces, even becoming a bit more intense.
Because according to the front-page headline of the Kingdom Daily, the Theo Allied Forces had accumulated a massive advantage at the front, with reports of victory coming frequently and triumph within sight.
[The Red Iron Dragon's tyranny is teetering; civilization shall ultimately triumph over barbarism]
The striking headline added a bit of confidence and assurance to the festival.
However, in some border towns not yet directly affected by the flames of war, the festive atmosphere was tinged with a gray tone.
The quality of the colored powder had noticeably declined, mixed with more cheap and pungent mineral pigments, and it was not ground finely enough.
The smiles on people's faces seemed a bit forced, and when exchanging blessings, their words were often punctuated by a faint sigh.
In front of many homes, besides the sparse colored banners, black cloth strips were silently hung, representing someone in the family serving in the military; some strips were old and tattered, fluttering feebly in the wind.
In the taverns, the talk was no longer of poetry and love, but of increasingly strict rationing of supplies, the stalemate on the border, and how much longer this war would last and how many lives it would take.
And above all this, in the war zone that had been repeatedly contested by both sides and was already unrecognizable.
March 1st was just an ordinary date, filled with the scent of blood, mud, and death, just like any other day.
The wind swept across the scorched plains, kicking up not petals, but black ash mixed with the smell of gunpowder and coarse grit, lashing the rough, cracked faces of the soldiers in the trenches.
A festival?
That seemed like something from another world.
In the heart of the Aura Kingdom, on the highest terrace of the grand palace in the Dragon Ridge Mountains.
The Red Iron Dragon Emperor was also aware of this spring festival that had been passed down for a long time among the human race on the Atlantis Continent.
However, for the Dragon with their long lives, these recurring annual celebrations of humans were as fleeting as the lifespans of short-lived species, not worth noting.
Galos looked up, his neck covered in metallic-textured scales turning slowly, making a faint but solid grinding sound.
Stars seemed to swirl in his eyes as he gazed at the firmament.
Against the backdrop of the infinite sky, it was no longer just flickering glimmers and faint ripples.
Countless clearly visible trajectories crisscrossed and layered over each other, forming an extremely complex three-dimensional giant net that was constantly being adjusted and changed; but no matter how it changed, more and more trajectories pointed directly to the center of the giant net.
"It's almost time..."
The Red Iron Dragon Emperor murmured to himself, his voice deep and powerful, like an echo among the layered mountains.
An unknown bright wildflower, accidentally swept onto the terrace by the mountain wind, drifted down and landed on his shoulder scales, where it was instantly scorched into a small pile of ash by the intense heat naturally emitted by the scales, dispersing with the wind.
"Vera."
He called out in a low voice, his tone flat.
"Present!"
A crisp and pleasant voice, carrying a hint of excitement, immediately responded.
The air rippled slightly, and the figure of the Fairy Dragon Vera emerged from the air beside the Red Iron Dragon Emperor, her small and exquisite body standing straight, the transparent wings on her back vibrating rapidly.
She was clearly observing the Emperor in secret again to perfect her Spells.
The Red Iron Dragon's gaze remained on the net in the sky as he said, "I have a task for you."
The Fairy Dragon blinked her eyes, full of curiosity: "What is it?."
The Red Iron Dragon turned his head slightly, his pupils focusing on Vera, the corners of his mouth curling into a slight arc.
"You can think of it as... a large-scale prank, a game that requires superb acting skills."
"As long as you play it well and make no mistakes, when it's over, you can go to my treasury and pick any hundred gemstones as your reward."
"Yay! Vera loves playing games, loves pranks, and loves shiny gemstones the most!"
The Fairy Dragon immediately cheered, excitedly performing several somersaults in the air.
Then, the Red Iron Dragon Emperor spent about three minutes carefully explaining every step Vera needed to perform, the details she needed to pay attention to, and most importantly, the timing.
"Haha, don't worry! Mimicry, illusions, and scaring people at just the right moment—these are my specialties! I guarantee the mission will be completed!"
The Fairy Dragon flapped her little wings, her face full of eager excitement.
With a whoosh, she disappeared into the air as if she had never appeared.
Silence returned to the terrace, with only the mountain wind howling.
"Sorog."
The Red Iron Dragon called his blood brother.
"Present."
The response came immediately.
Brief, steady, and like the clashing of steel, it was indeed the Iron Dragon Sorog.
"Have each front prepare according to the final plan. Wait for my command, and then launch a full-scale counteroffensive."
The Red Iron Dragon Emperor's will was like lava, scalding and firm. "Today, at any cost, let the entire border front burn, let the earth burn. I want the Xio commanders to use the satellites frequently within twenty-four hours after the start of the battle."
"Everything is already prepared."
Iron Sorog's mental ripples came through, his steadiness tinged with a hint of uncontrollable excitement.
"The legions have reached the front lines, only waiting for the flames to ignite!"
The next day or so passed quietly amidst the sweeping spring breeze.
March 2nd, at dusk.
Ashen Plain, the eastern section of the impenetrable wall.
The weather at this time was exceptionally gloomy, as if a violent spring rain was brewing on the horizon.
Heavy, lead-gray clouds pressed down low, almost within reach, causing the evening light to dim prematurely; the air was thick with the smell of damp earth and a cold, moist chill.
Suddenly.
Rip!
The heavy cloud layer was brazenly torn apart by a peerlessly tyrannical force!
A massive figure, pure white as a glacier, burst through the clouds. When its wings fully unfurled, it kicked up not just a gale, but a piercing icy wind strong enough to freeze the sky! Everywhere it passed, the abundant moisture in the air instantly condensed into countless fine, sharp ice crystals, reflecting thousands of cold stars in the twilight.
Legendary Ancient Dragon, White Dragon Beskar!
The huge scorched scar on his left wing membrane had still not fully healed, looking particularly hideous on the pure white dragon wing, but this did not shake his Dragon Aura in the slightest.
"Puny human ants, witness the end of the wind and snow!"
He let out an ear-splitting roar, his Dragon Language carrying freezing air as it rolled over the battlefield.
Without any testing, the Ancient Dragon body suddenly dived, targeting the most solid section of the ramparts on the defensive line.
Just as the Xio soldiers on the line sounded the shrill alarm, Beskar's chest swelled violently like a bellows, a glimmer of icy blue light lit up in his chest and abdomen, and then surged upward like a reversing frozen river, rushing into the depths of his wide-open dragon maw.
"Evade! It's Dragon Breath—scatter, quickly!!!"
On the defensive line, the hoarse warning of an experienced commander was only half-shouted.
Boom————!!!
It wasn't an explosion, but the release and wash of extreme cold!
Overlimit Dragon Breath! Frost Breath!
The Frost Breath, pure white with a destructive blue glow, was like a frozen river swung down by a Heavenly God, washing over the ramparts reinforced with giant stones, steel, and multiple enchantments with an unstoppable force.
Instantly, an unimaginable ultra-low temperature descended.
Countless spiderweb-like cracks burst open on the surface of the steel-cast turrets; the protective runes enchanted upon them flickered, dimmed, and then completely collapsed and failed. The flesh-and-blood Xio soldiers, whether running to their battle stations or staying in place, didn't even have time to feel the cold before they were swallowed by the freezing air, frozen into ice sculptures, and then shattered into dust by the following shockwave.
A wide frost death zone was forcefully torn and plowed out on the defensive line known as the impenetrable wall.
Fortifications, lives, and weapons all fell into silence in the cold.
But this was only the beginning.
Beskar did not stop. His massive body displayed an astonishing agility that belied its size. With a powerful flap of his wings, he drew a sharp arc in the sky, and a second and third Dragon Breath were spat out in succession, targeting the magic towers and heavy alchemy artillery positions behind the defensive line that had just begun to hum and charge in an attempt to counterattack!
Whoosh—bang! Boom boom!
Alchemy shells trailed tails of fire, covering the airspace where he was, but as they approached him, they were affected by an invisible yet incredibly tough Extreme Cold Domain, bursting into flashes of brilliant light and scattered fragments, yet failing to cause any substantial damage.
Alone, he was like an entire legion, besieging cities and breaking formations, invincible!
The might of a Legendary Dragon was enough to make the toughest human warriors feel despair, even if it was just a White Dragon.
"Legendary unit incoming! The eastern defensive line has suffered a devastating blow! Requesting highest-level support! Repeat, White Dragon Beskar is destroying our ramparts, urgently need a friendly Legendary to intercept!"
The command communication channel was filled with the anxious, almost distorted shouts of officers of all levels.
Almost at the same time as Beskar's surprise attack on the eastern defensive line.
In the western section of the Ashen Plain, the earth began to tremble.
It was not the vibration of intensive shelling, nor was it a natural earthquake, but a dull roar that made hearts resonate, caused by tens of thousands of heavy footsteps trampling the earth in unison!
At the end of the horizon, a dark tide surged forward, boundless and infinite, swallowing the last rays of the setting sun.
It was the Aura Mixed Legion pouring out from the Iron Wall Fortress!
Ogre heavy armored warriors formed neat phalanxes, stepping with a pace that made the earth groan, like moving steel walls; Lizardfolk swift units spread out and moved like venomous snakes on both flanks, waiting for an opportunity to pounce; Frost Giants with heavy chains and runes wrapped around their bodies carried heavy siege weapons on their shoulders; in the sky, Wyverns, Griffins, eagles, and other Vicious Beast units were like dark clouds pressing down on the city.
And at the very front of all the attacking forces.
A dark red, burly figure was advancing steadily like a moving volcano.
The war commander of the Aura Legion, the Gluttony Demon, Karu!
His injuries had already healed. His four arms were raised high, and the radiance of the Oath of Ten Thousand Armies Command shimmered on the emblem on his chest, faintly connecting with the Aura of the legion behind him. His Aura had completely reached the Legendary level, even more powerful than before.
"Xio scum! Do you smell the scent of death?"
"This time, Lord Karu is going to smash you and your walls into powder together!"
Karu's roar rolled across the plain like thunder, clearly reaching the ears of the defenders on the line.
He raised one arm high and swung it forward fiercely: "Warriors of Aura! Your Majesty the Emperor is watching us! Crush them! For Aura! For the great Your Majesty Ignas!"
"Roar————!!!"
A battle cry like a landslide or a tsunami erupted from the Aura army formation, and the speed of the charge suddenly increased.
A steel torrent of interwoven black and dark red, carrying the momentum to destroy everything, crashed heavily into the western defensive line.
The Xio defenders were already prepared.
Having experienced more than three years of baptism in the meat-grinder of war, those who remained were all experienced veterans, and the commanders were long accustomed to this crude yet extremely oppressive offensive of the Aura army.
"Golem Legion to the front! Heavy infantry phalanxes, hold your ground! Mage squads, prepare for mass Spell coverage! Alchemy artillery arrays—target the enemy vanguard and dense areas, all arrays, three rounds of rapid fire!"
The commander's orders were quickly transmitted to all parts of the defensive line through Sound Transmission Arrays.
Boom boom boom boom—!!!
Behind the defensive line, more than two hundred heavy alchemy cannons roared simultaneously! The muzzles spat out brilliant flames several meters long.
Specially made shrapnel, incendiary, and concussion shells drew countless deadly parabolas in the air, like a rain of steel and fire, falling into the charging Aura army formation.
Instantly, fireworks mixed with flesh, shattered armor, and soil exploded violently.
The front of the charging tide showed obvious dents and confusion.
But the Aura Legion continued to advance despite the heavy shelling! The Ogres raised heavy tower shields almost as tall as themselves, the surfaces of which lit up with defensive runes, connecting into a single sheet; the Lizardfolk, relying on their low stature and agile movements, Advanced rapidly behind craters and undulating terrain; the flying units in the sky began to perform evasive rolls and dives, disrupting the aim of the anti-aircraft fire.
Karu, charging at the very front, was even more direct.
He didn't perform any evasive maneuvers at all, simply advancing in a straight line with giant strides, letting the alchemy shells explode continuously around him.
Scorching air currents and sharp fragments hit him like rain, sparking a series of eye-catching sparks, but most could only leave some shallow white marks or scorch marks on the surface of his scales; occasionally, a powerful weapon could cause a deeper wound, but it would be of no consequence.
He even laughed wildly and waved his four arms, smashing some shells that flew close enough to reach mid-air.
"Haha! Haven't you eaten, Xio people? Are you just scratching an itch for Lord Karu?!"
Suddenly, an exceptionally violent explosion occurred beneath his feet.
Mixed with strong magical fluctuations, the ground suddenly collapsed, and violent energy erupted from underground.
Even for Karu, his massive body couldn't help but shake violently, and one leg sank into the crater created by the explosion.
"Damn magic mines..."
Karu looked down at the pit, a fierce glint flashing in his giant eyes.
Instead of pulling his leg out, he squatted down abruptly, his four muscular arms thrusting deep into the ground simultaneously. Thick, violent Dragon Qi surged, crashing crazily underground like an earth dragon.
"Rise!!!"
Accompanied by a roar that shook the fields, the ground in front of him was overturned by an incredibly brutal force! Layers of earth several meters thick, magic explosive mines buried deeper down, and even a section of low wall built into the terrain were thrown like a tsunami of earth and stone lifted by an invisible giant hand, smashing heavily toward a section of the western defense line.
"Scatter! Quickly scat—"
The commander's voice cut off abruptly.
The giant wave of earth and stone submerged the front-line positions, burying, crushing, and scattering many soldiers.
"Kill them all! Leave none alive!!!"
Karu laughed wildly as he pulled his leg from the pit. With a swing of his four arms, he swatted away and tore apart several heavy golems that had rushed up to plug the gap as if they were toys.
The entire legion let out bloodthirsty cheers.
Like a bursting flood, they followed their commander, drawing closer and closer to the Theo defense line.
With both the east and west sections of the impenetrable wall under such fierce assault, logically, the Xio side should have immediately dispatched their Legendary combat forces for interception and confrontation.
However... at almost the same moment Beskar tore through the clouds and Karu churned up the earth waves.
At the border fortress under the twilight, the Iron Wall Fortress.
The setting sun dyed the last cloud on the horizon a dark blood-red, merging with the dried, caked dark brown stains at the foot of the fortress walls, emitting a dull scent of rust mixed with death.
Rip!
Tear!
The thick, low-hanging clouds were suddenly torn apart!
A crimson figure nearly forty meters long streaked across the sky like a meteor, circling slightly before landing boldly on the highest tower of the Iron Wall Fortress.
Immediately after, the dragon raised its majestic head, its neck thick and powerful.
Then, he slowly spread his dragon wings, which easily exceeded a wingspan of a hundred meters, to both sides! In the afterglow of the setting sun, the wing membranes looked as if they were soaked in blood or like charcoal about to burn out.
The vast Dragon Might belonging to the Red Iron Dragon Emperor spread out frantically in all directions from him like a physical tsunami.
Inside and outside the fortress, all Aura soldiers looked up simultaneously.
They saw their Emperor, the only sun on the wilderness, standing atop the fortress, spreading his wings and raising his head, gazing southward toward the Theo Kingdom's impenetrable wall.
"Roar——————!!!"
The Red Iron Dragon Emperor let out a roar that shattered the clouds!
The dragon roar, carrying a scorching wave of air, swept through the fortress. Flags fluttered loudly, and the soldiers felt a burning pain on their skin beneath their armor, but it wasn't an attack—just the aftershock of a breath.
"It's His Majesty Ignas!"
"The Great Emperor! The sole ruler of the wilderness and the mountains!"
"Loyalty! Loyalty! Loyalty!!"
After a brief silence, fanatical shouts erupted like wildfire in every corner of the fortress.
Soldiers pounded their breastplates and held their weapons high, their faces flushed with excitement and their eyes burning with intense Battle Intent.
The Emperor himself had come to the front lines, standing atop the fortress—what could be more morale-boosting than this?
The Red Iron Dragon Emperor beat his wings and slowly rose from the ground, circling at a low altitude above the main tower.
His towering form in the twilight was like a burning meteorite, drawing everyone's gaze. His Dragon Might was vast, appearing as if he could pounce on the impenetrable wall at any moment.
"Ugh... this is really exhausting for a dragon."
No one knew that this 'Emperor' was secretly complaining in his heart.
Maintaining this posture was not simple, but on the surface, the 'Emperor' remained cold and majestic, his indifferent gaze fixed on the impenetrable wall.
The flames of war were not confined to the single main battlefield of the Ashen Plain.
Along the long border between the Aura Kingdom and the Theo Kingdom, the ten major strategic locations repeatedly contested by both sides were almost simultaneously engulfed in the most intense fires of war.
Verdant River Valley, an irrigation System and important military farming area that the Theo Kingdom had cultivated for many years.
The Amethyst Dragon Lion Lord personally led his most elite lion-beast units to launch a long-premeditated surprise attack.
The Dragon Lion Lord opened his mouth and spat out a scorching Amethyst Breath, easily melting the boulder-built dam. The muddy river water roared as it washed away farmland and submerged roads, isolating and surrounding the Xio defenders on several isolated highlands, making it difficult for them to support each other.
Norman Pass, with its treacherous terrain, where one man could hold the pass against ten thousand.
At this moment, the thick walls of the pass were vibrating violently under the fearless assault of the serpent-leopard beast swarms.
The Xio defenders relied on the terrain and the clusters of magic towers densely packed on the walls to pour out attacks frantically, holding on stubbornly, but the requests for reinforcements in the communication crystals were becoming increasingly urgent.
Dry Wind Hills, relatively open and conducive to aerial force deployment.
The air forces under the Gold-Feathered Griffin Lord came out in full force, launching a saturated air raid unprecedented since the start of the war.
Large griffins with sharp claws and teeth obscured the newly risen moonlight like clouds of death. Not only did they pounce on enemies with their bodies, but they also dropped swathes of alchemical incendiary bombs and magic explosive mines, turning the Xio army's painstakingly constructed positions on the hills into a continuous sea of fire.
Spine of Steel, with its rugged terrain, easy to defend and hard to attack.
But now, a golden figure shuttled back and forth through it; wherever he went, the Xio defenders fell like wheat stalks.
Gold Dragon Alberto was enveloped in the dual strengthening radiance of the [Oath of Conquest] and the [Oath of the Crown], his strength, speed, defense, and Aura climbing to an unprecedented Peak.
He was not limited to Dragon Breath; his sharp claws, tail, and even body collisions became lethal weapons, forcibly tearing gap after gap in the defense line.
Palmer Highlands, Shadowy Dense Forest, Rust Valley, Dragons Fang Pass... these four strategic locations also reported suffering unprecedented fierce attacks from the Aura army.
The intensity of the offensive, the amount of troops deployed, and the frequency of high-level powerhouses appearing were all firsts.
If one could look down upon the entire border from the high heavens, they would see ten main battle lines like ignited fuses, almost simultaneously erupting with the most dazzling firelight, smoke rising everywhere, and battle cries shaking the sky.
The Aura Kingdom, on this twilight in early March, boldly launched a full-scale counterattack.
Meanwhile, in the Theo Kingdom's command center, a certain secret headquarters.
Despite being severely damaged in the previous surprise attack, Xio's command System was quickly rebuilt under Rodrigo's iron fist. The new underground headquarters was more secret and sturdy, equipped with multiple devices, including underground defenses to prevent the tunneling worms from repeating their old tricks.
At this moment, the headquarters was in a state of turmoil.
Inside the massive main hall, dozens of holographic projection screens composed of magical energy floated in the air, continuously displaying real-time battle footage sent back from the ten major strategic locations.
On every screen were burning positions, crisscrossing magical and alchemical lights, figures locked in intense combat, and constantly updating casualty figures and equipment damage reports.
Emergency communications poured in from every channel, nearly overwhelming the ears of the communication officers.
They had to raise their voices, repeating key information at a rapid pace.
"The eastern defense line is destroyed! White Dragon Beskar is advancing toward the second barrier! Conventional troops cannot stop him! Repeat, urgent need for Legendary unit support!"
"The western defense line has been broken through by Gluttony Demon Karu! The gap is over eighty meters wide and continues to expand! The Third Legion has suffered heavy losses; requesting emergency reinforcements and Legendary interception!"
"The main dam of the Verdant River Valley has been melted! Flooding is spreading toward the southeast! The Fourth Legion is divided across three highlands, and the supply line is cut!"
"Multiple structural cracks have appeared on the eastern wall of Norman Pass! The Eight-Headed Serpent Leopards' attacks are extremely fierce! The magic tower group's energy reserves have dropped to dangerous levels; requesting energy replenishment and engineering support!"
"The edge positions of the Shadowy Dense Forest have been raided by a cluster of Crimson Iron Cavalry! The engagement is intense!"
"Over half of the anti-aircraft positions in the Dry Wind Hills have been destroyed! The Gold-Feathered Griffin swarm has launched a new round of dive bombing!"
"..."
General Rodrigo stood before the central curved command console, his posture still as straight as a pine tree.
His left arm hung somewhat unnaturally by his side.
Although his torn arm had been completely regenerated with the support of the Holy Healing Rain, the new arm still needed time to adapt and be trained for strength and flexibility; he currently could not use it completely freely.
Nevertheless, his gaze remained as sharp as a hawk's, scanning the information on every screen before him quickly and orderly, his brain processing a massive amount of intelligence at high speed.
"Report the full-range detection status of the Heavenly Eye satellite."
His voice was steady, with no discernible emotional fluctuations, which instead brought a sense of calm in such a chaotic situation.
"Yes! The Heavenly Eye's reconnaissance array is fully activated! Maximum level scanning mode!"
"Full-line offensive by Aura detected; all Lord units have been confirmed present!"
The intelligence officer spoke extremely fast, "Above the Iron Wall Fortress... high-energy reactions detected! Spectral analysis, energy signatures, mass projection... match rate 99.7%! It's the Red Iron Dragon Emperor! He's circling above the Iron Wall Fortress, watching us like a hawk!"
The air in the command hall seemed to freeze for a moment.
Almost all the officers subconsciously held their breath or began breathing heavily.
The Red Iron Dragon Emperor!
Was this powerful Dragon Emperor finally... going to personally take the field and participate in this head-on decisive battle?
Rodrigo's gaze was fixed firmly on the surveillance footage of the Iron Wall Fortress.
Although the distance was great, through the high-precision imaging of the magical satellite, he could clearly see the dark red dragon shadow slowly circling above the fortress. Its Dragon Might even interfered with the surrounding air, forming a distorted halo on the screen.
"What does he want to do?"
The newly appointed adjutant standing beside Rodrigo, a young general with a determined expression, couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Directly assault the impenetrable wall?"
"No," Rodrigo shook his head.
"He's waiting—waiting for us to show a weakness, waiting for us to deploy our Legendaries to support various locations, and then... he will personally tear through our defense line and head straight for the command center or an even more important target."
He knew this tactic all too well.
Capture the leader to capture the gang—the highest form of a decapitation strike.
Using a full-line offensive to force the opponent to split their forces, then using an absolute top-tier powerhouse to strike the core.
And dragons, relying on their own strength, often favored this kind of tactic.
"What should we do? Everywhere needs support, especially the eastern and western sections. The Ancient White Dragon and the Gluttony Demon can currently only be resisted by Legendaries; our generals, even with army formation amplification, are still no match for them."
A senior general said urgently.
Rodrigo was silent for two seconds.
Within those two seconds, a large number of urgent reports arrived.
He finally spoke: "Execute according to the third contingency plan. Notify all Legendaries on standby."
"General Balnar is to head to the western section to block the Gluttony Demon; Lady Roxanne, Your Excellency Avim, and Your Excellency Spencer are to head to the eastern section to join forces against the Legendary White Dragon; the remaining four Legendary Excellencies will stay to guard the center, ready to deal with the Red Iron Dragon's surprise attack at any time."
"And the other battle lines... activate Heavenly Eye support."
"For the most critical battle lines, deploy rapid reaction forces and Holy Healing Rain. For secondary battle lines, provide tactical guidance and limited fire support."
"But Commander, the Heavenly Eye's strategic array is being used too frequently..."
"I know the cost," Rodrigo interrupted the adjutant. "But if we don't use it now, the cost when the defense line is completely broken through will be the failure of the entire war. Execute the order!"
"Yes!"
The orders were quickly issued.
The magical satellite suspended high in the sky began to operate. Orbits were adjusted, energy converged, and the rune arrays lit up in sequence.
March 2nd, night, various border regions engulfed in the flames of war.
Ashen Plain, eastern defense line.
White Dragon Beskar had just used his thick, powerful tail to completely level the remaining base of a magic tower, sending ice shards and rubble flying.
Suddenly, he felt three powerful Auras descending from the sky.
He abruptly turned his massive head, his vertical pupils contracting as he looked toward the sky.
In the sky where night and firelight intertwined, three figures emitting strong light or obscure fluctuations landed on a ruin that had not yet completely collapsed, facing him from a distance as the teleportation light dissipated.
On the left was a woman dressed in a deep blue robe inlaid with golden flame patterns.
She appeared to be of Advanced years, but her features remained exquisite. Her red hair fluttered behind her head like burning flames. In her hand, she held an ancient-looking dark red staff. Floating at the tip of the staff was a sphere of flame that continuously rotated and compressed, revealing a brilliant white core. Its mere presence caused the surrounding air temperature to rise sharply.
[Flame Heart] Roxanne, the Theo Kingdom's Legendary fire mage.
On the right was a man over two meters and thirty centimeters tall, like a small giant.
His entire body was covered in thick, off-white plate armor like a city wall, the surface of the armor covered in scratches and dents left by battles. In his left hand, he held a tower shield almost taller than himself, with a holy rune engraved in the center of the shield face, while his right hand gripped a one-handed warhammer.
[Steel Shield] Avim, a Legendary-Rank Watcher Paladin.
Standing slightly ahead between the two was a slender figure who looked as if he could be blown away by the wind.
He was entirely enveloped in a layer of constantly flowing shadow energy, his exact appearance unclear. Only a pair of narrow, sharp eyes emitting cold killing intent occasionally revealed themselves from the shadows. His presence was sometimes clear and sometimes blurred, as if he were shifting between the cracks of the material plane and the shadow plane.
[Shadow Warrior] Spencer, a Legendary shadow assassin, specialized in lethal strikes and interference.
"Evil Dragon, your rampage ends here."
Roxanne spoke, her voice not loud, but carrying the scorching intensity of fire.
At the tip of her staff, the rotation of that sphere of flame quietly accelerated a notch.
The staff itself emitted extraordinary energy fluctuations; it was clearly a precious Legendary-grade piece of equipment.
Beskar's pupils scanned the three of them, his gaze lingering for a moment particularly on Roxanne and the staff in her hand.
He lightly shook his left dragon wing. The scorched wound on the wing membrane, which had not yet fully healed, throbbed with a stinging, burning pain—it was precisely the injury inflicted by this human female mage using a powerful Legendary fire Spell during their last encounter.
The White Dragon bared his maw, revealing forest-white, sharp teeth.
"Humans, the accumulation of numbers cannot change the fact of your fragile nature."
"Just right, you shall repay me for my previous injuries with your lives and wails. Use all your strength to struggle in my frost and snow! Do not dream of begging for mercy, do not emit lowly wails, and then, like true warriors, welcome your end!"
Hearing this, the three human Legends exchanged glances, their wariness deepening.
In their previous encounter, the three of them had cooperated to indeed suppress this Ancient White Dragon, even leaving it with significant injuries.
But at this moment, despite clearly not having recovered from its injuries, the opponent dared to speak such arrogant words and take the initiative to provoke... Did it have some reliance they didn't know about?
Thinking of the Red Iron Dragon Emperor watching greedily above the Iron Wall Fortress, the three of them simultaneously raised their guard to the maximum, preparing for any sudden situation.
Without further nonsense, Beskar suddenly flapped his wings, his massive body whipping up icy winds as he took the initiative to pounce toward the location of the three Legends.
His speed was completely inconsistent with his size.
Almost simultaneously, Avim took a step forward, slamming a massive tower shield into the ground. The holy runes on the shield's surface glowed brightly, and a wall of light carrying a holy Aura instantly unfolded. Spencer's figure silently merged into the shadows of the ruins and vanished. Meanwhile, Roxanne held her staff high, and that sphere of blazing white flame suddenly expanded, turning into a scorching ring of fire that protected her and Avim while surging back toward the pouncing White Dragon.
Ice and fire, a battle of Legends, erupted once again at the eastern section of the defense line.
Ashen Plain, western section of the defense line, at the gap torn open by the Gluttony Demon.
Karu was grabbing a heavy rock golem that had rushed up to try and plug the gap. Exerting force with his four arms, he ripped it in half. Suddenly, he felt a sharp Spear Intent lock onto him.
He turned abruptly, facing the inner side of the gap.
Amidst the ruins and firelight, [Iron Spear] Balnar stepped slowly out of the dissipating pillar of light.
He had changed to a white long spear with frost patterns winding around its surface. The spear tip, forged from Advanced True Ice, emitted a thick chill.
"It's you again."
Karu spat on the ground, boiling Battle Intent and brutality igniting in his giant eyes.
"It seems it was my mistake not to completely snap your neck last time, but no matter, I'll make up for it this time! You will die here completely, and I will step over your corpse to become even stronger!"
Balnar's face was hidden by a semi-enclosed helmet, making his expression unreadable.
He did not respond to the Gluttony Demon's provocation, simply leveling the long spear in his hand. The spear tip dipped slightly, pointing at Karu's chest as he took a starting stance.
"This time, I will end you here."
His voice came through the faceguard.
Without another word, in the next instant, both vanished from their spots simultaneously.
Boom—!!!
Violent power collided with sharp spear light, the shockwave leveling everything around them!
The four-armed Gluttony Demon and the Legendary warrior began their second, even more intense round of dueling.
Meanwhile, on various other fronts of the War of the Two Auras, the Heavenly Eye began to manifest its power.
Verdant River Valley, Shadowy Dense Forest, Rust Valley.
Golden light fell precisely, quickly healing the injuries of the Xio soldiers and boosting their morale, allowing them to immediately organize counterattacks.
Norman Pass, Spine of Steel.
Blue pillars of light descended, directly deploying elite warriors and new models of golems, stabilizing the defense lines that were on the verge of collapse.
Dry Wind Hills, Palmer Highlands, Dragons Fang Pass.
The Heavenly Eye activated its orbital strike array, dealing heavy blows to the groups of griffins, eagles, and Blue Dragons, easing the pressure on their own air defenses.
For a time, on all fronts, the Xio defenders actually held off the Aura Kingdom's long-premeditated and exceptionally fierce all-out offensive, and in some places, they even began to counterattack.
However, these were not without cost.
With every instance of support, the Heavenly Eye had to manifest from the dimensional rift. Each manifestation left new traces in physical space.
And all these traces were being calmly observed by a pair of deep black vertical pupils.
March 2nd, midnight, Dragon Ridge Mountains.
The true Red Iron Dragon Emperor had never left his palace from start to finish.
Galos stood on the highest terrace, looking up at the starry sky.
The night wind was cold, scraping against the iron-hard scales all over his body, making a faint friction sound.
His gaze pierced through the atmosphere, the clouds, and the fake projections, seeing directly that increasingly clear network of trajectories.
Countless arcs of light intertwined in deep space. Every jump of the Heavenly Eye satellite added a new line to the network.
These lines were chaotic at first, but as the frequency increased, they gradually converged and narrowed, pointing toward several possible nodes. Finally, the flickering nodes faded and disappeared one by one, leaving only the most real one.
"Found you."
The Red Iron Dragon's voice was low, almost inaudible on the silent terrace.
He slowly lowered his head, the muscle lines in his neck tightening. The crimson scales all over his body opened slightly, exhaling hot and dry air that condensed into brief wisps of white mist in the cold night sky.
In the next moment, a deep magical glow emanated from within him, enveloping his massive body.
Within the light, his form began to change drastically, shrinking, deforming, his skeleton restructuring, and his muscles reshaping like liquid. From the gaps between his hard scales, dense dark red feathers, nearly black, grew out.
When the light dissipated, the terrifying dragon, dozens of meters long, was no longer on the wide terrace.
Galos, now a Dark Red Falcon, lightly flapped his new wings, adapting to this completely different body.
No Dragon Might leaked, no energy erupted. Then, he kicked off with his talons and leaped silently into the air, riding the natural updrafts of the mountains to climb unhurriedly toward the higher night sky.
Below, toward the distant horizon, the fires of war painted a large portion of the sky an ominous dark red, as if the earth were bleeding.
The faint roar of explosions, the shriek of Spells bursting, and the mixed noise of thousands of creatures fighting and shouting rapidly faded and blurred as the altitude increased, finally turning into a dull background hum.
And he, this bird of prey, for the sake of hunting, was moving away from the noisy slaughterhouse, flying toward the dead silence of deep space.
One thousand meters, five thousand meters, ten thousand meters... The atmosphere thinned rapidly as the altitude climbed, and the temperature dropped sharply. The extreme cold was enough to instantly freeze and crack the blood of ordinary creatures, but for Galos, this body transformed from a dragon's form had an inherent strength that had long since surpassed the limits of mortal beings.
Dragon Qi provided the energy required for movement and even replaced respiration. The microscopic scales still tightly covering the skin beneath the feathers perfectly locked in heat, sufficient to ignore space-level cold.
He maintained a steady climbing posture, his wings occasionally adjusting their angle.
Twenty thousand meters, thirty thousand meters, fifty thousand meters... The land shrank rapidly beneath his feet, turning into a miniature sandbox model. Winding rivers were like glowing threads, and the burning battlefields became scattered, flickering, dim spots of light.
Continuous layers of clouds spread out beneath him, forming an endless, slightly undulating gray-white velvet carpet.
At the same time, the color of the sky gradually transitioned into the nearly ink-black of deep space.
The stars grew brighter and denser, as if a veil had been removed, hanging coldly and clearly all around, within reach.
Here, the magical satellite's conventional detection array was still effective.
However, it was currently focusing over ninety percent of its perception on the ground battlefields, monitoring the fierce battles at the ten major locations and continuously supporting various areas.
A falcon?
Against the background of tens of thousands of meters in the sky, it was like a speck of dust.
The Heavenly Eye's secondary warning System scanned this target and marked it as "Unidentified flying creature, threat level: extremely low." According to preset protocols, such low-threat targets would not be prioritized unless their behavior was abnormal.
Galos did not show any abnormality.
Eighty thousand meters, one hundred thousand meters... Here, even for the massive Bernardo Planet, it was already reaching the edge of space orbit.
Cosmic background radiation shone down without obstruction. The cold and pressure of the vacuum environment constituted an extremely dangerous and lethal Domain for flesh and blood. Only creatures that had stepped into the Legendary Realm had the ability to cross space in their Physical Bodies to a limited extent. Even so, they needed to constantly weigh their own energy consumption and state maintenance.
Galos hovered in this silent void, turning his falcon head.
He calmly calculated the distance in his mind.
According to the performance data of the Heavenly Eye satellite provided by the allied nations, the danger warning range of the Xio magical satellite was approximately fifty kilometers.
Once he entered this range, even if he maintained his transformation and Aura concealment, there was a high probability of being detected by the high-sensitivity magic detection array.
He was in no hurry to approach. Instead, like the most patient hunter, he cruised outside the warning range, his wings occasionally flapping lightly to adjust his position relative to the satellite's potential jump nodes, waiting quietly.
He knew the opportunity would come soon.
The fierce battle on the ground required the Heavenly Eye to commit all its power.
Below, on the Ashen Plain, western section of the defense line.
The battle had reached a fever pitch.
Deafening roars and the explosions of energy collisions were continuous, tearing the earth into scorched gullies.
The Gluttony Demon's massive body was enveloped in churning dark red energy flames. He laughed wildly, his four thick, giant arms smashing down in turn, each attack causing the earth to crack and collapse.
His opponent, the human Legendary warrior Balnar, was currently caught in a hard fight.
The Domain around Balnar was now covered in spiderweb-like cracks.
The frost long spear in his hand, specifically meant for fire-attribute enemies, continuously burst with piercing cold air, condensing large patches of icicles along the Gluttony Demon's attack trajectories to slow his offensive. Meanwhile, the spear tip, like a poisonous dragon, repeatedly drilled into the gaps in the Gluttony Demon's defense.
However, the effect was limited.
The Gluttony Demon before him was not fighting alone.
Behind him was the disciplined, roaring main army of Aura.
The boiling Battle Intent and fanatical beliefs of countless Aura warriors, through the powerful legion magic "Oath of Ten Thousand Armies Command," converged into a surging torrent of energy that was continuously poured into the Gluttony Demon's body, pushing him up to a stable Legendary level and even slowly increasing it.
Balnar was also receiving support from his own army's formation.
However, the various army formation magics studied by the The Nations of Romania, whether their external manifestation was strengthening defense, attack, or speed, shared the same essential core.
The warriors in the formation needed to truly achieve 'unity of will and heart.'
The purer, firmer, and more unified the belief, the stronger the power of the army formation.
In this regard, the warriors of the Aura Kingdom... performed far too exceptionally.
They shouted slogans like "For the Emperor!", "For the glory of Aura!", and "Return to the hall of valor!", lacking the normal fear and hesitation of living beings in the face of death, and charging with a heart-palpitating fanaticism and spirit of sacrifice.
This highly unified and extremely fanatical collective will provided perfect fuel for the army formation magic.
In contrast, on the Xio side, the warriors were certainly brave and determined to protect their country, but their Battle Intent was mixed with the fear of death, concern for their families, and sorrow over the heavy casualties... These complex emotions diluted the pure and powerful collective intent required for the army formation magic to some extent.
Due to this ebb and flow, the amplification ratio provided by the Xio army formation to Balnar was clearly inferior to the support provided by the Aura army formation to the Gluttony Demon.
Balnar knew this well, but there was nothing he could do.
Boom!
Another simple heavy punch, carrying violent dark red Dragon Qi, smashed hard against Balnar's horizontally blocked spear shaft.
The Domain light screen around Balnar finally became overwhelmed and completely collapsed with a crash.
Huge force traveled through the long spear. Balnar groaned, his body flying backward like a broken kite. The blood he spat out turned into a mist in the cold air, even mixed with a few fragments of internal organs.
His face was deathly pale, and his Aura visibly withered.
"Human, I told you, you would die here and become a stepping stone on my path to becoming stronger!"
Karu let out a dull, thunderous low growl, his giant eyes locking onto the disordered Aura of Balnar as he strode forward.
He ignored the wounds on his body that were eroded by the cold and where the flesh was turned out; the desire for battle overrode everything.
Now was the perfect time to completely crush and even kill this Xio Legend!
Almost at the same time, at the command center.
The monitoring screen of the western defense line in front of Rodrigo shook violently, and the alarm for Balnar being in danger sounded piercingly.
The commander's face was as tight as iron, his gaze sharp.
He could not sit by and watch a Legend, especially a pillar of the army like Balnar, fall.
In a flash, he made a decision.
"Eastern section of the Ashen Plain, initiate Legendary-grade orbital strike! Target: Aura Kingdom war commander!"
He issued the order.
The magical satellite hanging high outside the world received the command.
The precision creation hidden in the dimensional rift began to operate. To prepare a Legendary-grade energy strike, it had to completely emerge from the dimensional gap and enter the primary material space to channel the energy.
Thus, at an orbital position about sixty kilometers away from Galos.
Space rippled and distorted like water, then tore open a gap.
The front end of the massive silver-white creation slowly poked out, like a giant whale surfacing. The crystallization of the Theo Kingdom's highest alchemy engineering was fully manifesting from the dimensional gap.
It was about two hundred meters long, generally elegant and prismatic in shape. Its surface was covered with countless precisely etched magic runes, energy conduits, and alchemy matrices, reflecting a pure metallic luster under the light of the distant star.
At this moment, at its bottom, a complex multiple composite magic array was rapidly charging.
Dazzling energy light converged at a single point, aiming far down at the Ashen Plain below, targeting the advancing Gluttony Demon Karu.
Xio's eye had finally opened completely.
And at the very moment it left the dimensional gap and the energy array began to charge.
In the deep black vertical pupils of that tiny falcon that had been wandering in the nearby space, a flicker of a hunter's smile passed.
"Caught you!"
The disguise fell away in an instant!
The dark red feathers turned into blazing flames, and the petite body expanded, stretched, and restructured crazily as if being inflated!
Bones cracked, muscles bulged, and scales regenerated!
This was not just returning to the original form of the Red Iron Dragon, but directly entering the strongest combat posture while doing so!
Ardor! Exploding Blood! Red Lotus! Fury!
Star-Self Head! Star Self Arm! Armor of Star-Self!
The terrifying dragon body, over sixty meters long, fully manifested in the cold vacuum! His entire body was wreathed in Aura, like a miniature sun.
Compared to usual, Galos's size was even more massive now. His muscle lines bulged like twisted steel cables, and his entire body was surrounded by violent Aura interwoven with blood-red and dark gold!
He had already deployed the form of Two Heads and Four Arms.
His already astonishing wings now spanned over three hundred meters, unfurling straight behind him like two burning banners. His entire form in the vacuum created a massive, oppressive blood cross!
Boom—!
No sound traveled, but the spatial ripples caused by the explosion of pure energy were visible to the naked eye.
Solidified blood flames erupted violently from the base of his wings. Then, as if tearing through space itself, the dragon's wings flapped backward with immense force!
The vacuum offered no leverage, but the Legendary Dragon used his own vast Dragon Qi to push against space in reverse. In an instant, he transformed into a crimson comet!
The dragon trailed a blazing tail of fire several kilometers long, his speed surpassing twenty kilometers per second and still climbing frantically!
In the nearly resistance-free environment of space, the Red Iron Dragon's explosive speed reached a level unimaginable on the surface, lunging straight toward the silver-white satellite that had just manifested!
The first second.
The Heavenly Eye AI detected an anomaly.
"High-energy reaction detected approaching rapidly! Energy Level: Legendary! Matching target—the Aura Emperor!"
"Warning: Target is approaching at extreme speed!"
In the ground command room, Rodrigo's pupils constricted sharply upon receiving the message, though his face remained calm.
Have the satellite return to the spatial gap? No! Too slow! It would take time, and the Aura Emperor wouldn't give them any. After a lightning-fast calculation, Rodrigo immediately issued an order.
"Abort the orbital strike! Activate emergency defense protocols! Prepare to teleport our Legendary forces!"
The second second.
The satellite stopped guiding its attack, and the defensive rune arrays on its surface all lit up.
At two and a half seconds,
Over three hundred layers of composite magic shields unfurled one after another.
From the outermost physical deflection field to the energy absorption barrier in the middle, and finally the spatial walls at the innermost layer, it formed a nearly perfect defensive System.
Almost at the same time.
The baleful star, wreathed in flames and golden lightning, arrived a hundred meters before the satellite.
His two heads roared wide, a volcano seemingly brewing within his chest. A blinding light shone from his belly, rapidly passing through his chest and surging into his two necks, into the throats of his two wide-open dragon maws!
Overlimit · Destruction Dragon Breath!
There was no sound, but two massive, intersecting torrents of destructive energy, like two flaming greatswords wielded by a Heavenly God, slashed violently against the layers of shields!
The physical deflection field distorted violently and shattered!
The light of the energy absorption barrier flickered frantically before quickly overloading and being annihilated!
The torrent of Dragon Breath was unstoppable, piercing through multiple defenses in succession until it slammed into the innermost triple spatial walls, where it was finally halted.
Simultaneously, the Red Iron Dragon's massive body followed the path cleared by the Dragon Breath, his physical form pressing against the surface of the spatial walls.
His dragon wings reverse-jetted energy, forcibly stopping his momentum as all four dragon claws were raised! The complex Anti-magic Silver Patterns on the back of his claws flowed as if alive, and the tips of his claw toes flickered with a dark light capable of grasping spatial structures.
Meanwhile, on several preset teleportation points of the satellite's defense platform, dazzling pillars of teleportation light lit up one after another.
Figures within the light rapidly solidified from ethereal to physical.
Four figures in total, each radiating a powerful Legendary Aura.
Four Legendaries, including one powerful individual over Level 25, appeared across the satellite.
At the same time, the Red Iron Dragon Emperor's claws had already reached toward the satellite.
"This strike shall pierce through space and tear the void!"
He roared silently, compressing all his power into this single blow. Using the Anti-mage Gloves as a medium, he slammed his claws onto the surface of the spatial wall!
Crack!!
A right claw strike!
This time, there was sound.
The supposedly indestructible spatial wall was covered in countless pitch-black cracks.
Crack!
A left claw strike!
The cracks instantly extended violently, spreading across the spatial wall like lightning or branches.
"Stop him!"
The gazes of the four Legendaries instantly locked onto the Red Iron Dragon clinging to the spatial wall. Their Domain pressure bore down without reservation, and the light on their Legendary weapons pulsed, ready to launch a thunderous strike.
Hum!
A miniature hall emerged, and two shining figures stepped out from within.
Heroic Spirit Mien, Heroic Spirit Charles.
Both were now Legendaries!
Through the three years of the War of the Two Auras, the Kingdom of Aura had collected more than one high spirit essence crystal, pushing the Level 20 Heroic Spirit Charles into the Legendary Realm.
However, two Legendary Heroic Spirits facing four Legendaries seemed like trying to put out a fire with a cup of water.
Just then, a seemingly unremarkable, ancient ring on the Red Iron Dragon's wrist suddenly glowed with a dark light.
ring of desperation, activated!
Space distorted violently without any warning.
In a flash of light, the four Theo Legendaries who had just appeared, along with the two Heroic Spirits beside the Red Iron Dragon—six figures in total—were instantly sucked inside and disappeared.
This was the power of a noble spatial-type item.
The Red Iron Dragon Emperor didn't even look at his vanished opponents; all his attention was focused on the wall before him.
Taking advantage of the precious gap while the ring of desperation trapped the enemies, his four claws clinging to the spatial wall unleashed a storm of violent afterimages!
Claw strike! Claw strike! And another claw strike!
Time passed amidst the frantic attacks.
A few seconds later, the entire spatial wall enveloping the satellite was covered in deep cracks glowing with an ominous black light, like a glass dome on the verge of shattering completely.
The Red Iron Dragon's right claw was raised high one last time, the cold light at its tips condensed to the extreme, resembling a miniature star.
It fell!
Time seemed to freeze for a single frame the moment the claw touched the wall.
When it resumed flowing, Crash!!!!
The overburdened spatial wall finally collapsed completely! It turned into countless shimmering spatial fragments, shooting out and dissipating in all directions.
Some fragments splashed onto the Red Iron Dragon, tearing through his thick scales and leaving wounds, but he didn't care at all.
He didn't pause, raising his right claw again and slamming it directly onto the satellite's primary armor.
The loud crash of armor twisting, tearing, and exploding was transmitted to Galos's perception through the energy impact.
A hole over ten meters in diameter was blasted into the side of the satellite. Its internal structure was exposed to the vacuum, with electrical sparks and leaking liquid energy erupting like fountains.
The entire satellite shuddered violently, its orbit shifting.
When the Red Iron Dragon retracted his right claw from the ten-meter hole, he was already holding something.
A dull metal cube, about three meters on each side.
Its surface was etched with incredibly complex spatial runes. Many of the runes were now flickering due to core damage, their energy pathways in disarray.
This was precisely the core that allowed the satellite to travel through and hide within the dimensional gap.
The Dimensional Teleportation Rune Array Assembly.
Without it, the satellite could no longer hide itself in the dimensional gap.
At the same time, the light of the hall of valor suddenly dimmed, space distorted again, and four figures emerged from it.
The Legendaries of Xio had just returned to space only to watch as the Red Iron Dragon Emperor tilted his heads back and swallowed the Dimensional Teleportation Rune Array whole, then turned to them with a grin.
Simultaneously, the hall of valor opened once more.
The two Heroic Spirits reappeared. Though their light had dimmed slightly, they appeared completely unharmed.
This was the top-tier coordination between the hall of valor and the ring of desperation.
Using Heroic Spirits who could not truly die to stall and trap targets through the ring of desperation, without the goal of killing the enemy—this was a usage the Good Fortune Bringer had never considered before.
"Ignas, leave the satellite!"
The leading Xio Legendary spoke in a low voice, his words sounding directly in Galos's ears.
Galos turned to look at him.
This man had eyes like torches. He wore light armor, held a blade, and carried a longbow on his back. Though his appearance was ordinary, his entire being exuded an extremely sharp edge.
Percival, a Level 26 Legendary, a Fate Hunter—the Advanced path of a Hunter Ranger.
Based on known intelligence, Galos knew this man possessed a trait called 'Behemoth Slayer,' which slightly countered him.
He felt a slight sense of danger and wasn't confident he could kill him on the spot. Besides, his goal had already been achieved.
"You..."
Percival seemed to want to say something.
But before he could finish, Galos's ring of desperation lit up once more.
This powerful item, which had once belonged to the Theo Kingdom in its early days, was now being used against Xio's own Legendaries.
Hum!
With the distortion of space, the two Heroic Spirits and the four Legendaries vanished again.
Immediately after, the Red Iron Dragon took a deep breath. A giant arm of Dragon Qi formed once more, lifting and seizing the massive satellite. He then flapped his wings and sped back toward the planet's surface.
When the effect of the ring of desperation ended and Percival and the others were released back into space, the only thing left in their vision was the receding back of the Red Iron Dragon, hauling the satellite away at high speed.
They gave chase with all their might.
However, having lost the initiative, they couldn't close the distance in time. They could only watch as the other party carried away their kingdom's vital asset, plunging into the atmosphere and vanishing beyond the horizon.
March 3rd, midnight.
Different places, entirely different scenes.
Silverglow City, the capital of Xio.
The annual Flower Bloom Festival was at its Peak. Magical fireworks bloomed in the night sky in the shapes of a thousand flowers, mirroring the real sea of flowers on the ground.
The streets were packed with people, and the sounds of laughter and joy were loud enough to lift the roofs.
People threw colored powder at each other, offering blessings and enjoying fine wine and food.
With headlines predicting victory and a relatively stable life in the rear, most people temporarily forgot the fires of war at the border, immersing themselves in the joy of the festival and dreams of a bright future.
Victory seemed within reach, as if the kingdom were entering a new era of prosperity.
The Ashen Plain, the front line.
There was no festival here, only death.
The smell of smoke and scorched earth mixed with the scent of blood, forming a lingering miasma of war.
In the eastern section of the defense line, where the White Dragon's breath had plowed through, the ice had yet to melt. In the gaps of the western line, fires still burned, illuminating the faces of soldiers from both sides locked in a life-and-death struggle.
The sounds of slaughter, explosions, and dying groans rose and fell in the cold night wind, never-ending.
Suddenly.
The pitch-black night sky was illuminated without warning by a rapidly expanding light!
The light didn't come from the ground, but from the highest reaches of the heavens.
At first, it was just a rapidly brightening point of light, as if a star were falling.
However, its brightness increased sharply, and its size expanded visibly, turning into a massive fireball of raging flames in the blink of an eye.
It streaked across the sky, trailing a magnificent and deadly tail of fire.
Like a blooming flower of space, it crashed toward the Ashen Plain at an incredible speed.
Boom!!!!
An indescribable roar accompanied a shockwave that made the earth tremble frantically.
The impact point was on the open ground a few kilometers in front of the Iron Wall Fortress.
The shockwave kicked up a massive wave of dust, sweeping in all directions! The walls of the Iron Wall Fortress shook, and the buildings inside groaned under the strain. Several watchtowers near the impact point collapsed directly into ruins.
A giant impact crater appeared on the open ground.
Dust filled the air.
A second later, Whoosh! A gust of wind swept through, clearing the dust.
A rugged and majestic shadow rose slowly from within.
Under the gaze of countless eyes, the Red Iron Dragon Emperor stood upright, his wings spread behind him. He held his right claw high, lifting a massive metal construct several times his own size.
Was that the Theo Kingdom's magical satellite?!
The satellite's metal shell glowed slightly red from the friction with the atmosphere and the dragon's claws. Some damaged areas were still emitting faint electrical sparks and blue smoke. Like the most humble of trophies, it was held in the dragon's claws and displayed before the two armies.
A brief silence followed.
Whether in the Aura positions or the Theo defense lines, whether on the walls or in the trenches, the minds of every living being who witnessed this scene went momentarily blank.
The sight before them defied common sense, striking at every corner of their understanding.
Then... "Your... Your Majesty... Long live Your Majesty!!!"
A cracking shout erupted from the mouth of an Aura Gnoll soldier.
In the next moment, a mountain-shaking, earth-shattering roar erupted from every corner of the Iron Wall Fortress, from the throat of every Aura soldier on the front line!
"Long live Your Majesty!!!!!"
"Long live Aura!!!!!"
"The Great Emperor Ignas!!! He has gouged out Xio's eye!!!"
"A miracle! This is a miracle!!!"
Soldiers waved their weapons and beat their breastplates.
Gnolls howled to the sky, and Ogres pounded the ground with their fists. In the eyes of all creatures, there was nothing but the purest fanaticism and worship.
The Aura Emperor had personally ascended to the heavens to strike down the enemy's most powerful weapon—that high-and-mighty satellite that monitored the battlefield like a god's eye and cast down death and support—and slammed it down to the mortal Realm right before them!
This was not just an advantage, nor was it merely a victory.
This was a miracle!
Their Emperor was also their God!
new calendar Year 344, March 3rd, Flower Bloom Festival.
While the Xio capital dreamed of victory amidst the fireworks and laughter of the festival, the Kingdom of Aura used an all-out offensive as cover. The Red Iron Dragon Emperor, Ignas, personally became the hunter, soaring into the heavens to snatch the prize from the tiger's mouth in orbital space. He seized the Theo Kingdom's strategic-grade magical satellite and returned to the earth, carrying it like a trophy with the momentum of a falling star, shocking both armies.