The Great Counteroffensive
Inside the Istaria Great Altar, the Red Dragon that had been coiled on the throne slowly rose to its feet.
Keosius lowered his head, gazing at the still-intense battle in the Magic Image, and let out a soft chuckle.
"Hehe. After letting the players grind for experience, the Empire's army has been tempered by blood and fire once again."
It's time to end this long war.
The Red Dragon twisted its head, stretched its neck, spread its broad wings, and moved its strong muscles, making its huge body creak and crack.
"Let's launch a counterattack," Keosius said in a low voice.
In an instant, his voice seemed to travel thousands of kilometers, overcoming the obstacles of mountains, and reaching the front-line command post in the southern part of the empire.
With a deafening roar of thunder, the Blue Dragon swept across the land, bringing blinding lightning to the demons.
Intense arcs of electricity flowed among the demons, accompanied by crackling sounds. The demons turned charred black, and thick smoke billowed from their bodies.
However, the demons' offensive did not stop. A dozen Demon Hunter Spider and hundreds of Gorebull Devil gathered together, and an extremely terrifying Slaughter Devil was summoned.
"Boom! Boom!"
A dull thud resounded, and the earth groaned and trembled beneath the feet of these enormous demons.
"Roar--"
From the depths of that surging Magic Tide came a series of chaotic roars, as if they were a mixture of the screams and wails of countless living beings.
On the back of that Abyss Giant Monster, tens of meters tall and stitched together from the corpses of various demons, a crimson-skinned demon brandished Flame Whip.
"Children of the Great Abyss, it's time to end this farce. The Abyss Legion will make these mortals realize—"
My own insignificance and ignorance!
Tear them apart!
"Destroy their country! Kill their people!"
"I want to taste blood!"
Under the suppression of the high-ranking demons, countless Quasit and Primordial Devil instinctively gathered together, crowding the battlefield like black waves.
In the sky, the Abyss Dragon Beast's jet-black wings had already blocked out the sunlight, casting dappled shadows on the ground.
While the Faria Family's Blue Dragon are indeed powerful, they only number a billion or so adult Blue Dragon, which is still somewhat insignificant in the face of this overwhelming and terrifying Magic Tide.
"Damn. What bad luck. I've run into a plot-driven death. Looks like I'm probably going to die this time."
Lonely as Snow looked up at the horde of demons pressing towards him, he couldn't help but sigh.
"Wait, look behind you!"
Behind him came the exclamations of his teammates, and not only that, but also a stirring melody, seemingly the triumphant anthem of the empire.
"Look! It's not just the Blue Dragon, all the troops have been mobilized!"
"Holy crap?"
"It's a major counter-offensive!"
Lonely as Snow turned around and was immediately stunned by what she saw.
"Buzz—"
The roar of steam whistles filled the air, and all the iron gates in the defensive fortresses opened, as steel behemoths sped across the land, carrying billowing steam.
A series of heavily armored Terrain Dragon Beast followed behind, emitting deep roars. They moved slowly like moving hills, each step causing the ground to tremble.
Hobgoblin, Tiefling, and human infantry, armed with rifles, moved among the tanks and dragons.
On the back of the enormous dragon beast, Dolo, wielding a giant axe of blood and fire, pointed it at the distant demon commander and roared, "Fighter of the invincible, glorious and great Your Majesty Keosius, destroy them!"
"The Dragon Lord is above all else!"
Amidst the stirring music, a resounding battle cry rang out.
The Dragonkin Paladin, wielding massive shields engraved with the Embers of the Burned Emblem and clad in heavy armor of Crimson Gold, advanced in tight square formations.
"Exterminate the demons, glory to the Dragon Lord!"
At the forefront, the Judgment Knight, Anthony, shouted loudly, raising his lance, his crimson banner fluttering in the air.
—The banner was embroidered with an exquisite pattern of dragon claws and a giant shield, which was the Dragon Oath Temple Emblem.
A chaotic roar filled the sky as thousands of Wyvern, Chimera, and Flame Wyvern flapped their wings, converging into a crimson torrent that cast dappled shadows and occupied most of the sky.
The most elite Wyvern Knight were positioned in the very center.
Their formation was tight, with hundreds of Wyvern closely intertwined, forming a single, massive Red Dragon.
Alger, who firmly held the "dragon head" position, once again raised his Eternally Burning Greatsword and roared, "For the Empire! For His Your Majesty Keosius! Red Scale Conqueror, prepare to charge!"
"Aww—"
Another oppressive roar came from the crowded horde of dragons.
The Wyvern and Flame Wyvern immediately felt the pressure emanating from their bloodline and obediently made way for them.
Amidst the surging red tide, a gigantic white figure appeared—it was none other than the White Dragon Tinia.
This White Dragon, possessing the Progenitor Dragon Blood, has grown to over twenty meters long, comparable to the Ancient White Dragon. At this moment, she is majestically flapping her wings, her eyes filled with ferocity as she looks at the demon.
Tinia had long been determined to prove herself to her master.
White Dragon will prove with her actions that she is the most powerful familiar under her master's command!
"You bastards of the Abyss, I'll freeze you into blocks of ice! Then I'll tear you apart!"
Meanwhile, on the east and west sides of the battlefield, the Silver Dragon of Mellward and the Blue Dragon of Faria, who had rushed over, also raised their heads and roared.
On the southern continent, these two families are important forces of the Metallic Dragon and the Five-Colored Dragon, respectively. However, with a formidable enemy at hand, they have no choice but to put aside their past conflicts and fight side by side for the time being.
"Tank Legion, Terrestrial Dragon Beast Legion, Imperial Infantry Legion, Embers of the Burned Dragon Legion, Red Scale Conqueror, Dragonkin Paladin, good heavens, we've come out in full force!"
Some players looked at the imposing legion behind them and couldn't help but sigh.
At the very end of the procession, the Empire's Magic Guide Legion hovered in mid-air, their magical auras shimmering and their colorful robes fluttering in the air.
Beside the Magic Guide Legion, several Flame Teleportation Gate opened out of thin air, and a dozen Dragon Pact Sorcerer arrived amidst flowing flames and Mars, their pale golden eyes gleaming.
Misha, the "Dragonfire Daughter," hovered high in the sky, gazing intently into the distance at the hideous figure on the back of the Abyss Giant Monster.
—She felt the entanglement of fate's threads.
Her long, crimson hair danced in the air, and wispy flames surrounded her tall figure.
She suddenly raised her head, and huge Dragon Wing suddenly sprouted from her back.
"I've finally waited for you."
"Leo Bosk".
Misha gritted her teeth, her pale golden eyes blazing with intense fire, and her pupils revealed endless killing intent.
At the very center of the Magic Guide Legion, surrounded by a group of mages, a colossal figure appeared out of thin air.
A cloak made of different robes sewn together wrapped around his slightly bulky body, and a necklace of nine skulls encircled his neck.
A massive dragon-headed scepter appeared in the hand that resembled a dragon's claw, surrounded by extremely strong magical spiritual pressure, and a confident smile appeared on the ugly face.
—That was none other than the Prime Minister of the Empire, and also the most powerful spellcaster within the Empire, the Dragon Vein Ogre Lang Pu.
"It's the Prime Minister!"
"By Keosius, he's actually going to take action himself!"
After Lang Pu appeared, the Imperial soldiers on the ground and the surrounding players gasped in surprise once again.
After all, in recent years this Ogre prime minister has been busy with political affairs and rarely goes out. Apart from important ceremonies, Lang Pu rarely appears in public, let alone personally performs rituals.
Lang Pu slowly opened his mouth, and invisible magical fluctuations spread out, his calm voice instantly resounding throughout the entire battlefield.
"Everyone—"
Before us stand the filthy, vile demons who seek to destroy the empire, while behind us lies our common home, the glorious and great land of civilization, the Embers of the Burned Empire.
We are His Your Majesty Keosius's subjects under his protection, the servants and Fighter of the Great Red Dragon. Just now, His Majesty personally issued the order: the Empire's counterattack begins!
"For the Empire!"
"For His Your Majesty Keosius!"
The soldiers of the empire immediately erupted in frenzied shouts, the Wyvern in the sky stretched their necks and roared, and the Terrestrial Dragon Beast on the ground trampled the rocks.
The Half-goat Human Military Band played music and rhythmically beat their war drums.
"Holy crap? It's getting exciting!"
"What a grand scene!"
"Counterattack!"
"Istaria lies behind us; we have nowhere to retreat. Prepare to offer your heart to the Empire!"
"For the Empire! For His Your Majesty Keosius! Awoooooo!"
Even the players were moved by the enthusiastic atmosphere, and some were even brought to tears.
To the accompaniment of this stirring melody, the millions of players present erupted in cheers, like an endless tide.
The Empire's army was overwhelming, its power no less than that of the Abyss Legion on the other side.
Players frantically rushed to the front lines of the battlefield, ready to truly experience this adrenaline-pumping battle—however, they mostly served as cannon fodder for the opposing Quasit and Lemure.
The noise was deafening, and dust was flying everywhere.
"Fire! Fire!"
"Boom!"
"Boom! Boom!"
With Earth-Shattering roar, dozens of Steam Tank opened fire simultaneously at the commander's desperate command.
Not only the main cannon, which was incredibly powerful, but its secondary cannons and machine guns were also firing at full power, unleashing a barrage of fire and bullets.
The flames and thick smoke engulfed the demons at the forefront, leaving charred craters on the ground. Hundreds of thousands of low-ranking demons perished in an instant before they even had a chance to cry out.
"Abyss Legion! Charge!"
"These mortals' weapons won't last long; once they get close, they'll be easily defeated!"
The high-ranking demons, such as the Kyton and the Marilith, roared and howled as they issued commands.
Despite the horrific casualties, the demons continued to surge forward relentlessly, showing neither fear of death nor weariness.
The enormous Gorebull Devil stood at the forefront, emitting a deep roar, and like a moving fortress, it withstood the fierce firepower.
The Quasit and Lemure seized the opportunity to swarm up the high ground, overwhelming the players at the forefront with their numbers, and even gnawing them down to their bones.
The Steam Tank bombarded the area almost continuously, and many more Gorebull Devil were hit by the extremely brutal Armor Piercing Shells and died on the spot.
However, the rays of the Demon Hunter Spider and the heavy boulders hurled by the Gorebull Devil also struck those "iron lumps," destroying the Steam Tank that had exhausted their magical defenses.
"Aww—"
The Abyss Dragon Beast swooped down from the sky, clinging to the top of a Steam Tank, attempting to pry open its top armor.
However, several Wyvern surrounded it, spewing out scorching flames and constantly biting and scratching with their claws, quickly causing the Abyss Dragon Beast to fall from the sky.
In the most intense aerial battle, mottled black clouds and crimson torrents intertwined and rubbed against each other, with Abyss Dragon Beast, Wyvern, and Flame Wyvern constantly falling from the sky.
"Seize air superiority! With air superiority, we can bombard those demons!"
"Dragon Roar Charge— "
Alger brandished the Eternally Burning Greatsword, leading the Red Scale Conqueror to ascend into the sky and launch an attack.
With a chilling roar, the crimson torrent suddenly poured down, breaking through the Abyss Legion's aerial blockade.
Dozens of Abyss Dragon Beast fell from the sky one after another, crashing to the ground.
However, in the distance, an enormous, deformed monster hovered high in the sky.
The monster extended its slimy, black tentacles, instantly engulfing several Red Scale Conqueror and stuffing them into its mouthparts filled with ringed fangs.
"Crunch, crunch"
A chilling crack echoed high in the sky.
Alger, riding the Dragon Vein Giant Eagle, used his superb riding skills to suddenly stop high in the sky, and then suddenly climbed up, narrowly avoiding the attack of the tentacles.
However, the tentacles continued to lash out, entangling the Red Scale Conqueror beside Alger. The wyverns on them released a paralyzing venom, rendering the Wyvern immobile.
The Steamed Bun, entangled by tentacles, cried out in surprise as it was on its way to the mouthparts, "Holy crap, what is this thing?!"
"Ah--"
With a mournful cry, Steamed Bun and his mount were swallowed by the meat grinder-like maw and turned into nourishment for the monster.
Alger, high in the air, gathered his remaining forces and looked down at the terrifying, deformed monsters. His expression was extremely grave. "Everyone, be careful. These monsters are very powerful. A slight mistake could cost you your life."
"Perhaps we need some support."
"Boom!"
With a deafening roar, a bolt of lightning struck down from the sky, hitting the Abyss monster and charring its twisted body black.
Blue Dragon came rushing from afar, flapping their wings and roaring as they unleashed blinding, lightning-like Lightning Breath.
The deformed monsters tried to extend their tentacles to entwine, but the Blue Dragon roared, scratched and clawed, and even tore the tentacles off with their sharp teeth.
"Boom!"
Another clap of thunder, and a bolt of lightning as thick as a bowl struck, blasting a charred hole directly into the monster's skull.
"Aww—"
The Abyss monster howled as it slowly plummeted from the sky, eventually crushing countless low-level demons to death on the ground.
Seeing tentacles attacking from behind and wrapping around the wings of a Blue Dragon, Alger swooped down on his Dragon Vein Giant Eagle and severed the writhing tentacles with a single sword strike.
He then calmly ordered, "Spread out and support the Blue Dragon!"
"Yes, Commander!"
"Aww—"
Two- Wyvern circled in the sky, looking for an opportunity to pounce on the heads of the Abyss monsters and bring these deformed, stitched-together creatures down.
"Boom!"
A massive explosion occurred high in the sky, crushing a deformed monster to death as it plummeted to the ground.
One after another, blazing fireballs fell from the sky, striking the Abyss monsters high above and crashing into the demon legion on the ground.
The mages of the Imperial Magic Guide Legion raised their staffs in unison, constructing a massive and complex spell model. Above them, magical light flickered continuously.
Meanwhile, the demon Sorcerer unleashed terrifying spells originating from the Abyss, filling the battlefield with poisonous smoke, crimson venom, and maddening orbs of light, causing considerable casualties among the Empire's soldiers.
But with the advance of Steam Tank and Terrestrial Dragon Beast, the Empire's front lines were slowly pushing forward.