"Vulture Demons. These mid-level demons from the Bottomless Abyss, while not yet ranked among the high-level demons, have completely transcended the category of cannon fodder."
Amidst the howling snowstorm, the Red-Iron Dragon lowered his eyes and gazed intently.
His gaze swept across the corpses that had stained the white snow black, now being disposed of by his subordinates, before turning to look at the Abyssal Rift that existed on the surface, resembling a jagged wound that refused to heal.
It had now calmed down.
Elvie, possessing holy energy, mixed her own blood to form arrows and attacked the rift, forcing the slightly expanded rift back to its original state—its initial length of ten meters.
However, beyond this point, no matter how Elvie attacked, even when her Pegasus blood was nearly exhausted, the rift remained unmoved like a stubborn disease.
It was essentially a spatial channel corroded by Abyssal energy. The parts that had just expanded were formed by the recent erosion of Abyssal aura and were unstable, so they could be eliminated if dealt with in time. However, the established'spatial channel' was very stubborn.
"The demons that appeared from the rift previously were all low-level demons."
"Quasits, Manes, and Dretches."
"The strongest elite among them did not exceed Rank 10."
"Although they were easy to deal with, I still cannot rest easy."
The Red-Iron Dragon pondered, "This Vulture Demon attack caused the rift to expand and brought some casualties to the guarding subordinates, but I can basically determine the limit of this Abyssal Rift now."
Judging by the rift's reaction when the flock of Vulture Demons appeared, it could be determined that the scale of demons this rift could accommodate was roughly at this level.
As long as it did not continue to expand and radiate, any stronger demons that might appear in the future would likely be of this same level. Having determined its limit, its risk level had dropped significantly compared to before.
"Based on the scale of this attack, relying solely on the White Dragon and Elvie to guard here is not safe. If reinforcements do not arrive in time, there is a risk of the rift expanding."
"I should dispatch more subordinates to guard here."
"White Tiger, Ice Deer, Giant Python. Should I transfer the Wild Monster Lords over?"
Garros noticed that while the subordinates were disposing of the demon corpses, one or two would occasionally lose their sanity, suddenly lash out to attack their companions, and then be subdued and taken away by other subordinates who were prepared.
"The Wild Monster Lords won't do."
"Their intelligence is inherently low, making them more susceptible to the erosion of Abyssal energy. By then, instead of killing many demons, they might turn around and backstab their own kind."
After thinking about it, Garros decided to have the Six-Armed Snake Woman Sword Saint come here.
In the current Molten Iron Tribe, although the Six-Armed Snake Woman Sword Saint had already submitted and was compliant, her Life Level was actually the highest. Furthermore, relying on her powerful and fierce swordsmanship, along with her unique racial and class combination, her destructive and killing efficiency was likely second only to Garros.
"A single Snake Woman Sword Saint is not secure enough."
"Gluttony Demon Karu has undergone Bloodline mutation, so the Abyssal aura does not affect him much. He can slaughter and fight at will, and he won't have to worry about going hungry here, as there are demons everywhere for him to eat."
Demon flesh is poisonous, and other monster subordinates cannot eat it. Karu, however, does not care. A Gluttonous Ogre inherently has a stomach like a furnace, and after fusing with the dragon heritage, he can treat demons as snacks. Moreover, demon flesh is also beneficial for his Bloodline growth.
"I will also send some Alchemy Golems made purely of steel and metal to guard here, as they have a natural resistance to Abyssal erosion."
The reason it is called resistance rather than complete immunity is that metal creations can also be corroded and mutated into demon-kin. According to the records in the dragon heritage, similar instances have occurred many times in the Holden Empire, even resulting in the loss of a top-tier golem. After that, the high-level Alchemy Golems used by the Holden Empire to guard super-large Abyssal Rifts would always choose to cooperate with the Church of Dawn to engrave runes with holy attributes.
Regardless, the resistance of Alchemy Golems to Abyssal erosion is higher than that of flesh-and-blood lifeforms.
Having determined the limit of this micro Abyssal Rift and making specific defensive arrangements, even if a large-scale demon invasion occurs in the future, it will not cause too many casualties. The demons will only be dismembered by the Sword Saint, crushed by the Alchemy Golems, and devoured by the Gluttony Demon.
Eventually, it will become a resource point that can benefit the Molten Iron Tribe and consistently produce Abyssal Materials.
As the Molten Iron Tribe grows stronger, it can also be allowed to expand slightly. The Abyssal Materials that high-level demons can produce are truly priceless. However, risk and opportunity coexist, and this point requires careful consideration; one cannot make decisions lightly.
At the very least, he would need more people under his command similar to Elvie, or others capable of countering Abyssal demons, before Garros would consider this point, and even then, he would not necessarily proceed with it.
His thoughts gradually calmed down. The Red-Iron Dragon looked at the half-breed Centaur and found that the energy she emitted was even more holy and pure than before.
"Elvie, your Life Level has increased again." Garros did not hide his appreciation and said, "Rank 13; you can already surpass a normal White Dragon that has just entered its prime."
When he first met Elvie, she was only Rank 9. Over the course of more than ten years, she had increased by 4 Life Levels. This speed did not seem fast, as those truly talented humans might achieve such a span in a year.
But do not forget, she also has half-elven blood, counting as half of a long-lived species. While long-lived Bloodlines bring many benefits, they also face the predicament of slow Life Level advancement. For Elvie to have such an advancement speed is already a sign of extraordinary talent.
If she never dies prematurely, with her Bloodline talent, surpassing the Six-Armed Snake Woman Sword Saint in the future is a certainty. Garros had long believed that she and the Gluttony Demon Karu were the only two non-Dragonkin subordinates under his command with Legendary Aptitude, making them worth cultivating.
"How could I be compared to noble Dragonkin?"
"It is just that the battles with demons can stimulate my Bloodline activity, and I was fortunate to have broken through one rank not long ago." Elvie lowered her head and said softly.
Just as the demon leader wanted her life and Soul, her Pegasus Bloodline could also grow through the confrontation with demons. Guarding the Abyssal Rift was an arduous task, but her Bloodline made her loathe demons immensely, and she was more than happy to engage in the slaughter and clearing of demons, willing to stay here.
"There is no need to be self-deprecating in front of me." Garros said, "Only by performing well can you gain the attention and importance of the tribe."
After speaking, he noticed that the White Dragon Tereshi had remained silent throughout and was staying far away from him, which he found somewhat strange. Perhaps to deepen his impression of her, this White Dragon had previously loved to crowd around him.
Today, however, it was somewhat unusual. Even when he had accidentally let slip words that discriminated against White Dragons just now, it did not cause her to reactively retort. When Garros's gaze shifted toward her, she even turned her head away to avoid direct eye contact, and quietly retreated a distance, wanting to hide herself in the snowstorm, remaining silent.
"Come here!" It was not until the Red-Iron Dragon issued an unquestionable command that the White Dragon hesitantly came before him.
"Your state seems a bit off." Garros scrutinized the White Dragon Tereshi and asked, "Did you injure your brain while fighting the demons?"
It was coming, it was coming—the insult from a superior to a subordinate. Even if it was unconscious, it was still an insult. The White Dragon Tereshi did not want to stay near Garros precisely to avoid lowering her own niche, becoming the insulted position. And look, she had only just approached and was already insulted verbally.
However, the White Dragon's mindset was different now. She did not bare her teeth or hiss; she merely calmly shook the ice and snow off her scales: "I just want to stay further away from you to avoid lowering my niche."
After a two-second silence, having found no suitable explanation for this statement from the inheritance, Garros looked at her with a strange expression and asked, "Tereshi, what on earth are you talking about?"
Regarding the Red-Iron Dragon's inquiry, the White Dragon Tereshi had no intention of hiding anything. Thus, she carefully weighed her words and recounted the dynamic Niche Theory she had summarized.
After listening to her, Garros fell silent again. The way he looked at the White Dragon Tereshi changed, as if he were seeing her in a new light.
"The saying that snowy weather increases the intelligence of White Dragons seems to be true." He thought, "To be able to clearly realize such a theory is certainly related to her experiences, but it also requires talent and Comprehension Ability. I underestimated Tereshi. She is no ordinary White Dragon."
At first glance, the White Dragon Tereshi's theory sounded like a form of mental victory born from being humiliated. But upon careful reflection, it had a great deal of merit, especially for long-lived species like Dragons that peak in the Late Stage. If a White Dragon could regulate its own mindset according to its dynamic Niche Theory, the probability of surviving the long growth period and enduring humiliation to live until the Late Stage would be greatly increased. As long as they lived long enough, White Dragons would not be much weaker than other dragons.
Ps: My bad guys. I just feel asleep yesterday. Take these extra chapters for my delay.