Chapter 531: Planning
Countless Wyverns and Flame Wyverns dove from the heavens, descending with overwhelming majesty upon the Abyssal Drakes. Their thunderous Dragon Roars unleashed an aura of intimidation, shaking the very soul of the Abyssal Drakes—fear stirred deep within their bloodline. Fiery tongues scorched their hides, while sharp lances pierced their bodies without mercy. In an instant, the once-ferocious Abyssal Drakes were swallowed by a crimson torrent. After a single, brutal charge, they plummeted from the sky, and the Empire’s Dragon Horde let out a triumphant, resonant roar.
Boom!
The cannon fire roared like thunder, drowning out the demons’ chaotic shrieks. On the scorched battlefield, tanks clashed with demons in a brutal standstill. After suffering heavy casualties, the demons quickly identified the weakness of the Steam Tanks. Using agile, airborne demons—Kwase Demons, Frothmaws, and Kasmars—they launched relentless sieges, spewing corrosive acid from above, relentlessly targeting the tank turrets.
More Abyssal Drakes descended from the sky, slicing through the cracked armor with their claws, then pouring black fire into the exposed interior.
Hummm—
The sky filled with a crimson haze. Countless grotesque, worm-like creatures, each with tiny red wings, swarmed through the air, emitting a disorienting, piercing hum. Their buzzing induced severe headaches, mental chaos, and left victims trapped in agony and confusion—mere prey for the swarm.
These were the Demon swarms—ferocious, merciless, and endlessly hungry. They consumed every living thing they encountered and desecrated the land they invaded.
Now, the buzzing pierced through the tank’s armor, seeping into the cockpit. The Imperial soldiers inside writhed in pain.
Through the cracks in the armor, the swarm surged forward, eager to devour.
Zzzzz—
The Steam Tank’s emergency magic system activated automatically. A powerful electromagnetic pulse erupted from the control panel, blasting countless demons from the sky.
But the swarm surrounding the tank was only a fraction of the vast tide consuming the battlefield.
The turret rifle spat flames, unleashing devastating fire—but even as the barrel grew red-hot, the demons kept coming.
Soon, a delicate chittering filled the air as the frenzied swarm gnawed through the cracks in the armor, carving a passage into the cockpit.
“They’re inside!”
“No—!”
“Fire! Fire!”
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The soldiers inside panicked, firing wildly—but the bullets were useless against the swarm.
“Damn it! Bullets don’t work!”
“No, don’t come closer—!”
They were quickly overwhelmed, devoured alive in a chilling chorus of gnashing jaws, their bodies reduced to bleached bones.
“Monsters!”
“I’ll fight to the death—for the Empire! For King Kai Xiusu! This is the glory of the Isdalia!”
The human tank commander’s eyes burned crimson. He slammed his fists against his chest, screaming with mad fury.
As the swarm closed in, he snarled, shoved the control stick to the floor, and slammed his hand down on the red button marked Emergency Self-Destruct.
The Steam Tank charged like a rabid bull, ramming straight into the demon horde. Its bloodied metal ram splattered dozens of demons into bloody pulp.
Then, whistles on the tank’s roof erupted with ember sparks and steam. The internal boiler screamed in rage, and finally—BOOM!
The tank exploded in a cataclysmic detonation.
A massive mushroom cloud rose, a spiny fireball erupting from the ground. The explosion swallowed everything within a hundred meters—walls of steam, violent thermal surges, and firestorm swept across the battlefield.
When the white smoke cleared, the earth was charred, smoldering, scattered with twisted wreckage. A crater dozens of meters wide gaped open, oozing molten magma.
Inside, the scorched remains of countless timid demons littered the ground. The entire swarm—millions strong—was annihilated. Even the queen of the demon bees, the monstrous broodmother, was erased in the inferno.
Yet the battle raged on.
The destruction of this swarm was but a small fraction of the endless invasion.
From afar, the hum of another swarm approached. A massive queen, surrounded by her attendants, slowly flew toward the Third Front Command.
Dolo stared at the towering mushroom cloud, frowning.
The Dragonblood Goblin gripped his great axe, his dull eyes narrowing. “Unexpected… the Steam Tank fell so quickly.”
From behind him, a deep, resonant voice spoke: “Dolo, I told you this wasn’t some petty skirmish. Not a game for Battle Merits. This is a test—for the entire Empire of Ashen.”
A towering figure stepped from the shadows, his silhouette nearly swallowing Dolo whole. The scepter at his side, carved with the Ember Emblem, glimmered under the dim flame-light.
—It was the Imperial Prime Minister, the first follower to achieve Legendary status, the Ogre Magus Lanpu.
Lanpu spoke calmly: “Set aside all internal disputes. This Demon Invasion demands unity from every member of the Empire. His Majesty has been preparing for this moment for years.”
Dolo dipped his head slightly. “Of course, my esteemed Lord Lanpu. I understand the stakes.”
He emphasized the last two words with deliberate weight.
His gaze remained fixed on the battlefield, voice low. “But now… the demons are too many. We’re throwing bullets and shells like they’re free. War consumption has already far exceeded our plan.”
He looked up, cold eyes locking onto Lanpu’s grotesque face. “If this stalemate continues, supply shortages will hit within ten days. In less than half a month, they’ll break through your so-called Imperial Wall and reach the heart of the Empire.”
Lanpu turned to observe the battlefield through magical visions.
Timid Demons surged forward, relentless. Hunter Spiders skittered across the ground. Giant Ox Demons stomped forward with heavy steps.
In the sky, Kwase Demons, Frothmaws, and Abyssal Drakes flitted chaotically, while the demon swarms spread like toxic smog.
Compared to just days ago, the Empire’s firepower had weakened significantly. The devastating artillery sweeps were gone. Now, only Steam Tanks and the flesh-and-blood soldiers stood between the demons and victory.
But the Empire of Ashen had grown—now boasting three million players with Infinite Resurrection. Compared to the seemingly endless demon army, they were no longer outmatched.
After a long silence, Lanpu curled the corner of his mouth into a cold, faint smile.
“True. The Ogre Magus raised his staff. A legion of light shimmered around him—images of Crimson Scale Conquerors, Dragon-Bound Holy Knights, and other mighty followers—each representing a vital strength of the Empire.
“Perhaps… it’s time for the true counterattack. I believe His Majesty has been waiting for this moment.”
Boom!
Lonely Like Snow raised his great shield, blocking a descending barrage of Abyssal Fire. He shielded his mage allies behind him.
Ember sparks, black with evil energy, splattered across his face, burning dark, charred patches into his skin—but he had no time to care.
Roar!
Timid Demons and Bab Demons shrieked, rushing at the frontline, leaping onto Lonely Like Snow.
“Damn it, is there no end to this?!”
Bang!
He swung his shield hard, smashing it into the ground, crushing a dozen demons into meat paste.
Behind him, a Bab Demon raised its spear, a thin red face twisted into a feral grin. It lunged for the human.
But the Paladin didn’t even glance. With one swift motion, he lifted the demon like a chicken, slammed it into the ground, and crushed it underfoot.
Yet the low-tier demons kept coming—hundreds, from every direction, closing in.
“I can’t hold on much longer!”
In the chaos of melee combat, Lonely Like Snow growled. “These trash monsters are everywhere—kill them, but they give almost no XP.”
Charlotte hovered mid-air, staff in hand, chanting a spell.
“Lightning Chain!”
In an instant, crackling electric arcs leapt through the demon horde. The lightning struck, turning hundreds of Timid Demons to charcoal.
Demons wailed in pain, black smoke rising from their bodies, collapsing in heaps. The front line was cleared in an instant.
Lonely Like Snow crawled from the pile of corpses, his face charred. He pointed toward a dark shadow.
“Hurry! Take down that Sheep Head monster!”
“It keeps casting spells and summoning more minions—insanely annoying!”
“I’ll handle it!”
The Flying Witch stepped forward, under the watchful eyes of her allies, and unleashed a beautiful rainbow.
Whoosh—
The rainbow arced across the sky—beautiful, but nothing more.
Silence.
The “Sheep Head monster” roared.
Its skin was corpse-white, its hair coarse and black, its hooves a deep, hellish red—this was a Bloodhoof Demon, a creature forged by the Undying King, Ockus.
The Bloodhoof raised its skull-headed scepter. Toxic smoke filled the air. From the ground, dozens of dead demons rose again—reanimated.
“Watch out! Death Cloud Spell!”
Charlotte raised her staff, summoning a hurricane that swept the poison away.
Finally, the Flying Witch avoided another Wild Magic Surge. She fired intense fireballs, blasting the reanimated demons into ash.
Meanwhile, Mingyue, Deputy Leader of the Magic Coin faction, aimed her staff at the distant Bloodhoof.
“Lightning Beam!”
Boom!
A jagged, spiny lightning bolt shot from her staff, piercing the Bloodhoof Demon. The Sheep Head monster writhed, then fell still.
Lonely Like Snow kicked aside a corpse. “Is this ever going to end?”
He’d been fighting demons nonstop for days. Though he earned massive amounts of XP and Contribution Points daily, the endless battle had begun to wear on him.
Suddenly, a massive shadow fell from the sky.
“Get back!”
His teammate shouted.
Lonely Like Snow dodged instinctively—just in time. A massive, claw-like leg slammed into the rock below, embedding deep.
He looked up. Four long legs. Then, a swarm of gleaming, compound eyes.
“Fuck me…”
A gray ray flashed—striking him dead center.
In an instant, he froze—petrified into a stone statue.
Charlotte cried out: “Get down! It’s a Hunter Spider! Don’t let its magic ray hit you!”
After days of battle, players had learned the demons’ threat levels. And the Hunter Spider? Top-tier danger. Without support from Steam Tanks or Dragon Scale Mages, escape was nearly impossible.
The colossal spider advanced, its many legs skittering toward the mages.
Charlotte raised her staff. The crystal at its tip pulsed with a faint red glow.
【Beast Paralyze Spell】
Luck favored her. The monstrous creature froze in place.
“Now! Attack!”
The mages unleashed every damage spell they had—fire, frost, acid, lightning—flooded the spider’s form.
But its thick, magically resistant carapace barely flinched.
“Damn, this meat’s juicy!”
“We need a tank!”
Charlotte dashed to Lonely Like Snow’s petrified form with a Phantom Step. She touched his stone body.
【Stone Removal】
The stone began to fade. First his face, then his limbs—returned to flesh.
He gasped, cursing. “That damn spider… I didn’t even react.”
Charlotte didn’t pause. “I need you, Lonely Like Snow—hold off that spider before it breaks free!”
She waved her staff. The still-stone body shot forward, crashing into the Hunter Spider’s face.
“Motherf—”
Lonely Like Snow stared at the writhing beast, his jaw twitching.
Was this his fate? To be nothing but a tank?
But beyond the spider, he and Charlotte looked ahead.
Abyssal Drakes hovered in the air. Giant Ox Demons marched across the earth. Bazut Demons roared forward.
They’d stumbled into a full-scale demon offensive.
Roar!
A hoarse dragon’s cry echoed from above. The air smelled of sand.
Boom!
A massive thunderbolt split the sky, piercing the Hunter Spider through its core.
“Relief forces!”
“Holy hell, that’s strong!”
Lonely Like Snow looked up.
High above, massive Blue Dragons unfurled their wings, unleashing torrential lightning like waterfalls. Their shadows stretched across the ground.
The Faria Family’s Blue Dragons.
At the front, a slender female dragon—graceful in form—spewed lightning with unmatched power. The bolt that killed the spider had come from her.
This was Christina, Envoy of the Faria Family.
(End of Chapter)
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