Ser Wilderness, Northeast.
Late at night, the vast and boundless night covered the sky, the stars and moon were dim, and only the outline of the mountain ridge was faintly discernible in the distance.
Waves of chilly evening wind swept over the mountains, blowing past the countless mines and smelters rooted in the mountains, carrying the day and night sounds of hammering, roaring engines, and roaring fires into the distance.
Since the founding of the Aura Kingdom, the development of the Northeast region has always been regarded as the focus of national policy.
The terrain of this land is steep, and the mountains are undulating like giant beasts dormant. However, under the mountains and the surface, there are almost infinite mineral resources.
Iron, lead, Mithril, Orichalcum. Even rare magic crystal veins can be found occasionally.
After years of operation, this area has been built into the largest and most productive mining area in the Kingdom.
Day and night, various types of ores are mined from the rock formations. After sorting and evaluation, according to their value, characteristics and smelting difficulty, they are either transported south to various countries to exchange for wealth, or transported to the kingdom's industrial areas, where they are transformed into fine materials and complex structures in the high temperature and tempering of Alchemy.
At this moment, the mountains and mountains are crawling silently in the darkness, like ancient sleeping beasts.
A group of figures was traveling quickly between the ridges and canyons.
They move quickly and silently, making no sound when they step on gravel and dead branches. They don't have any emblems on their bodies to identify the organization or kingdom they belong to, and their identity is a mystery.
From a high altitude view, it can be clearly seen that their route deliberately bypassed all strongholds and patrol routes established by the Aura Kingdom.
They seemed to know the defenses here well.
Suddenly, one person in the team paused slightly.
This is a man of medium build, with a pair of unusually bright eyes exposed under his hood.
He raised his hand to make a stop gesture, and a string of faint Blue Dragon prophecy spell runes flashed across his eyes.
Those symbols flowed on the surface of the pupils like living things, and then dissipated.
"The destination is ahead." He lowered his voice and said solemnly, "With the target as the center, in addition to the guard points we already know, there are also many hidden sentries. The number... is at least 30% more than what was reported in the intelligence."
On the right, a strong man with a long bow on his back tilts his head slightly.
This is a man dressed as Ranger. Even in the dark, his eyes adapt to the light like a feline.
"Those hidden sentries are monsters with very keen senses and cannot be approached. Once we enter their warning range, we will be discovered immediately."
"We need to find a way between their guards and the hidden sentry."
The prophet added.
Ranger nodded. "My Wild Sense is also warning me that there are too many lines of sight in the area ahead, and the regular sneak paths are covered."
Another tall figure said, "Look from those dangerous places to see if there are other roads."
The prophet nodded and said nothing.
He clasped his hands in front of his chest and chanted a low mantra.
The magic light flowed between his fingers, gradually condensing into a simple map composed of light patterns.
Dense spots of light appeared on the map.
Red represents fixed sentries, while white represents those wandering hidden sentries.
They are intertwined with each other to form a warning network that covers almost all conventional infiltration angles.
"Wait a moment and let me deduce the most appropriate path."
The prophet tapped the center of his eyebrow with his left index finger, and the runes on the map with the palm of his right hand facing upward began to flow rapidly.
Centered on each red and white light spot, circles of phantom ripples representing the warning range spread out, overlapping each other, blocking almost all possible routes.
The other members of the team waited quietly, everyone maintaining the best concealment posture and breathing quietly.
They are all experienced actors and know that at times like this, patience and quietness are more important than anything else.
As the spell deduction progresses, a terrain detail that was originally ignored gradually becomes clear at the edge of the map.
That is not a real road, but a natural rock gap on the back of the mountains to the north of the target.
It starts from a steep slope filled with gravel, winds downwards, and clings to the nearly vertical rock wall. Only one person can squeeze through the narrow place sideways, and some sections are half-covered by dead vines and weathered debris accumulated over the years. It is difficult to call it a path from any angle.
Without the deduction of prophetic spells, this path would be almost impossible to discover.
But the most important thing is that this precipitous fissure avoids the perception coverage of the hidden sentries and guard points at an extremely tricky angle, forming a tiny blind spot.
It is an omission in this huge, tightly guarded network that has been overlooked due to the extremely harsh terrain.
"Found it... go from here."
The prophet withdrew the spell, and the light and shadow map disappeared.
"But the process will be very dangerous. Once we make a mistake or cause a rockfall, we will be exposed."
The leader of the team is a tall man with a warrior-like build, but moves as light as a shadow.
After listening carefully to the prophet's explanation, the team leader pondered for a few seconds and then decided, "There is no better choice."
"The assassin will explore the path first. Ranger Pay attention to the movement above and behind. The prophet will continue to scan for abnormalities."
"Everyone remains on the highest alert and will act according to the third plan immediately if the situation changes."
Time is tight, and every time you stay, the risk of exposure increases.
They no longer hesitated and quietly changed direction, heading around to the north side of the dark mountains.
The skill and discipline of these people were fully demonstrated during the climb that followed.
On the steep, slippery, nearly vertical rock wall, this group of people moved along the wall like geckos, using their hands and feet together but making almost no sound.
As the vanguard, the assassin used special gloves with hooks and suction cups to help fix simple knots at the most dangerous places to provide leverage points for subsequent team members.
Ranger is always in the middle of the team, with eyes like an eagle, constantly patrolling the cliff above the head and the deep valley behind him, with the short bow in his hand half-open at all times.
The prophet was protected in the middle. Although his physical strength was slightly weaker, he stabilized his figure with the help of his companions.
The process has not been smooth sailing.
Midway, a rock mass suddenly loosened due to severe weathering. The prophet slipped and almost fell into the deep valley. The assassin in front grabbed his wrist with his backhand and pulled him back into the rock gap.
After nearly an hour of hard walking, the team finally passed the last section of narrow rock crevice.
What suddenly opens up ahead is a natural rock platform located on the north side of the mountain.
The assassin reached the edge of the platform first, lowered his body, and looked through the night with sharp eyes at the bottom of the valley below.
There, a dark rift seemed to tear reality apart quietly.
It is about forty meters long and about three meters wide at its widest point. The edge is glowing with an ominous black-purple light, and the aura emanating from it is unsettling, as if it is a wound leading to another world.
The assassin was not afraid, but was shocked.
Abyssal Rift!
"Target confirmed."
The assassin returned to the team and said in a very low voice, "Abyssal Rift, consistent with the intelligence description, there are a large number of guards around, but they are mainly distributed at the entrance and the front of the crack. In the direction we are in, the guards are relatively sparse."
Lurk to the location of Abyssal Rift and throw special alchemy items into it to expand the crack.
This is their mission on this trip.
The leader nodded and looked at Alchemist in the team.
The latter understood, and took out a long metal prop about one foot long with space runes engraved on its surface from the sealed container on his waist, and twisted it with both hands.
Accompanied by a subtle buzzing, light silver ripples spread out with the prop as the center, enveloping the group of people.
Their figures began to fade and become transparent, eventually disappearing into Material Plane and entering the parallel Dimensional Interstice.
In this state, they are able to bypass most physical and magical detections and drift towards the location of Abyssal Rift like ghosts.
They began to move, going down the mountain wall and approaching the location of Abyssal Rift.
It is not easy to move in Phase Space. You need to concentrate on maintaining the anchor point between yourself and Material Plane, otherwise you may get lost in Dimensional Interstice.
But everyone in the team is well-trained and moves in an orderly manner.
However, just when they reached the mountainside, they were still some distance away from the crack.
The moment when an invisible boundary is crossed.
Buzz!
The calm space seemed to be thrown into a lake of boulders, and violent ripples suddenly appeared!
A powerful and stubborn repulsion Force Field forcibly acted on them, squeezing the group out of the dimensional walking state and exposing them to the cold night sky again.
"Oops, it's Space Lock!"
"They were prepared!"
The team members' hearts sank at the same time.
Almost at the same moment they appeared.
Ouch--!!
The shrill, wild wolf howls sounded from all directions!
Not one sound, but dozens or hundreds of overlapping sounds, instantly tearing apart the dead silence of the night.
In the darkness, countless green and scarlet eyes suddenly lit up, swarming out of the camouflaged caves, tunnels covered with mimic plants, and suspensions clinging to the cliff walls.
Those are burly and muscular Werewolf Warrior.
Their muscles were tense and their claws and claws were gleaming with cold light. They walked on the rugged mountain wall as if they were on the ground, and in the blink of an eye they surrounded the group of people.
Among the wolves, a slim and slender figure slowly stepped forward.
This is a female Werewolf. Her thick blue-gray mane is interspersed with pieces of dull metal-like dragon scales. The structure of the claws and toes on her hands is also closer to Dragonkin. The knuckles are thick and the claw tips are curved like hooks. She exudes a distinct aura of Dragonkin.
It is the daughter of the Shadow Commander Russell, the warlock Werewolf--Frost Fang.
She is not young anymore, but because she has received Dragonforged Transformation Ritual more than once, she still looks young.
"Welcome, little mice."
Frost Fang grinned, revealing his white fangs, "Do you like the burial place I carefully selected for you lurkers? It's remote, quiet, and very suitable for garbage disposal."
The Kingdom's defense against Abyssal Rift has never slackened.
Those seemingly omitted paths are often deliberately set as traps.
Before he finished speaking, all around Werewolf Warrior roared at the same time, stamped their claws on the ground, and suddenly pounced.
"Fell into a trap! For--"
The leader of the team only shouted half a sentence before his voice suddenly stopped.
The next moment, terrifying energy fluctuations erupted from the bodies of the besieged people.
It was not a spell that attacked outwards, but an extremely unstable, destructive energy that collapsed inward.
They are going to blow themselves up!
"Back off! Spread out!"
Frost Fang's pupils shrank, and he waved the staff in his hand while giving a stern order.
Intense pale light spurted out from the head of the staff, shaping into a huge Giant Wolf spirit with dragon wings on its back, opening its mouth to devour the assassins.
Boom boom boom boom--!!!
Several balls of dazzling blazing light exploded almost simultaneously, but were swallowed up by Dragon Wolf Spirit.
The spirit screamed in pain, and under the control of Frost Fang, its wings flapped sharply, dragging the destructive energy that was about to burst into the body straight into the sky.
After half a breath.
Dragon Wolf Spirit's body suddenly exploded in the sky and was torn apart by the terrifying energy inside.
The violent shock wave spread in all directions, rolling up countless gravel and dust, and the moss and dead vines on the mountain wall were blown away instantly.
Even though they were quite far away from the center of the explosion, the Werewolfs below could still feel the heat wave and impact.
After a long time, the light and shock wave gradually dissipated.
Frost Fang stood up from behind the bunker and shook off the dust from his body.
She looked up at the sky and then looked around where the people were.
There was nothing there. No bodies, no scraps of clothing, no remains of weapons.
Everything that could indicate one's identity was transformed into the tiniest dust in the decisive self-destruction, which merged with the cold wind in the mountains and disappeared.
"So decisive... so thorough..."
Frost Fang whispered to himself, a trace of solemnity flashed in his pupils, "These people are not ordinary spies or saboteurs. They are dead soldiers. They came prepared and did not even leave a chance to be captured."
She looked at an adjutant.
"Report to the Royal City."
"No. 2 Abyssal Rift encountered an infiltration attempt. The lurkers were unknown and well-trained. They self-destructed immediately after being exposed, leaving no clues to their identity."
"I suspect this is an organized operation, possibly with the goal of expanding the rift."
"Request to the Royal City to strengthen the defense level of all Abyssal Rift and investigate recent abnormal border activities."
Frost Fang said seriously.
"Yes!"
The adjutant responded solemnly.
Frost Fang's eyes scanned the surrounding dark mountain walls, as if trying to pull out more hidden clues from the air.
"The storm is coming."
she whispered.
Crimson Flame Royal City, back mountain.
The rising morning light finally pierced the clouds, spreading golden-red light to the earth, and also fell on Red Iron Dragon's thick armor-like scales, each one reflecting a calm and majestic luster.
Phew...
Garos slowly exhaled a hot breath, and the white mist rose and dissipated in the morning light.
He raised his head and looked at the increasingly brightening sky. There was a faint light flowing deep in the dragon's eyes.
"I broke through the Legendary Realm in 322, and now it is 341, nineteen years have passed."
He calculated silently in his mind.
In nineteen years, he was promoted from level 21 to level 22. Such speed is rare for the Legendary Realm, but Garos has never felt satisfied.
He desires to be faster, to reach a higher level, and to let the dragon wings of the Aura Kingdom cover a broader sky.
At the same time, his body was growing steadily.
Now it is thirty-eight meters long from head to toe. When standing up, it stands like a mountain, and when lying down, it looks like a fortress.
The more obvious changes are still in the eyes.
Although they have not completely completed evolution, they have shown extraordinary characteristics, such as solidifying certain insight and perception spells.
Even without actively activating Eye of True Sight, he can still vaguely see the elements and energy flowing between heaven and earth; with a little focus, his eyes can penetrate thick rock walls or walls and gain insight into their internal structures and hidden gaps.
Natural eyes are ultimately more suitable for you than any external props.
Garos is patiently waiting for the day when his eyes will completely transform.
After a moment's thought, he raised his right front paw and took out a pair of black gloves from the space container he carried with him.
It is made of strange material, neither cloth nor leather, and feels as cold and pliable as the solid night wind. There is a delicate six-pointed star symbol embroidered with silver thread on the back of the hand, which glows with a faint metallic luster under the morning light.
"Spellbreaker Gloves..."
Garos whispers.
He got this in exchange for two pieces of Legendary Artifact.
Trading two for one seems like a bit of a loss, but Garos thinks it's worth it.
Buzz--
As if sensing his will, the gloves suddenly liquefied and turned into two pools of black liquid, spreading along the claws and toes, quickly covering both claws, and fitting perfectly into the gaps of each scale.
Finally, the six-pointed star symbol on the back of his hand lit up on his dark red scales, as if embedded with glowing silver patterns.
Garos concentrated calmly, his eyes fixed on the empty mountain wall in front of him.
He slowly stretched out his right paw, stretched the toes, and then suddenly closed them.
There was a solid touch in the center of the claw, as if it had grasped something tough and intangible.
Garos's arm muscles bulged, and the scales rubbed together, making a low creaking sound.
He gave a low drink.
"Broken!"
Click--!
The clear cracking sound sounded, not from the rocks, but from the space itself!
With the center of his claw as the center, a spiderweb-like dark crack burst out of thin air and spread crazily. Finally, with his fierce tug, an irregular space fragment with shimmering edges was torn off!
It is not an entity and cannot be directly observed with ordinary vision.
Its existence can only be confirmed through the edges of the cracks around it that are constantly twisting and refracting light.
Garos held the torn space in his claws and felt the extremely unstable tremor and splitting sensation coming from it.
He stretched out his other claw, clasped both claws together, and slowly exerted force.
Click, click...
A fine grinding sound sounded, and the space fragment gradually collapsed under his Colossal Strength squeeze, completely dissipating in the air, and the originally torn space had long been closed and restored to its original state.
"Not bad."
Garos's eyes showed satisfaction, "Although it consumes a lot of physical energy, it is enough to turn the tide of the battle at the critical moment."
The effect of Spellbreaker Gloves is extremely special.
It can use the wearer's grasping will to act on three types of things that cannot be physically touched.
Energy, magic, space.
It can capture pure energy flow, such as erupting flames, falling lightning, or even formed protection Force Field, and pinch or deflect it;
Can catch the magic effect acting on the body and peel it off or directly destroy it;
It can grasp the space structure, tear apart the solid space barrier with bare hands, or smooth out the delicate Space Rift.
Of course, the cost of using it is also very high. It mainly consumes physical and mental energy. Each time it is used, it will cause a considerable burden on the user, and overuse may even lead to its own collapse.
Just like grasping space.
If it were the human Legendary Warrior, even if it was a higher level than Garos, it would not be easy to tear a piece of space apart with bare hands, let alone someone like Garos who could lift it with ease and even crush it with ease in the end.
But even so, this pair of gloves is still a treasured and powerful Legendary Realm-level item.
In order to get it, Garos paid a lot of price.
He exchanged two for one, using Spellthief’s End and Guardian Wings in exchange for two pieces of Legendary Equipment.
Today, Shadow Boots and Immovable Armor are still in his hands, and he has not yet found a suitable exchange partner.
"I hope it can guide my body to evolve a pair of sharp claws capable of grabbing and tearing apart everything."
Garos whispered to himself, a trace of expectation flashed in his eyes.
The binocular evolution that has lasted for several years and the dragon claws that have just begun are the two evolutionary paths that he attaches most importance to at the moment.
At this moment, the voice of Iron Dragon Sorog came from the spiritual connection.
"We are at Abyssal Rift in the northeastern part of the wilderness, and someone is lurking close to us."
He briefly described the incident and then said, "The other party was extremely decisive. As soon as they found out they were surrounded, they immediately chose to self-destruct, erasing all clues."
"They have no intention of even trying to break out."
Garos slowly raised his head and narrowed his eyes slightly.
Half a second later, he asked, "Based on your judgment, where might these people come from?"
Sorog responded in a deep voice, "There is a high probability that he is a dead soldier trained by the Theo Kingdom."
"Currently, the war between the Lain Kingdom and Sack Kingdom is in full swing, and the relationship between the entire Romanian States is becoming increasingly tense. Theo Kingdom has always regarded us as a serious concern. It is in their interest to disrupt the rear at this time."
Lothern Federation also had an old name based on geography in the past.
--Romania Federation.
The name comes from the Romanian Plains where it is located. This vast land is located in the north of the Atlant Continent.
After the disintegration of Federation, all countries stood side by side.
Romanian States became a more popular title.
In the past, Garos used to use Southern Kingdoms as a reference to refer to its own position to collectively refer to these regimes.
However, if the field of view is expanded to the entire Atlant Continent, Romanian Plains is actually located in the north.
In the eyes of the Holden Empire and other kingdoms, these countries, including Aura Kingdom, all belong to Northern Kingdoms.
Now that Aura Kingdom has officially established the country, it is no longer appropriate to refer to it as Southern Kingdoms.
Romanian States is the official and accurate statement, and Aura is also among them.
"There are many enemies we need to be wary of, but regardless of whether Theo Kingdom did it or not, from now on, it is the culprit."
Garos said calmly.
"Immediately issue a notice in the name of the kingdom, publicly condemning Theo Kingdom for his own personal grudges, disregarding the agreements of all countries and the safety of all living things, and attacking Abyssal Rift that we are guarding."
"This is the most naked provocation to the bottom line of the entire order, and it is an evil act that must be severely punished."
Iron Dragon Sorog Hearing this, doubt flashed in his eyes for a moment.
"Such a notice of condemnation may have limited practical significance."
He said cautiously.
In Iron Dragon's perception, Garos is an extremely pragmatic ruler who rarely puts his energy into meaningless actions.
According to common sense, in peacetime, all countries may still exert pressure together because Abyssal Rift is of great concern, but now that war has begun, it is difficult for a piece of condemnation to bring about substantive pressure or change.
"Sorog, you need to take a longer view."
Garos stretched his body and leaned back slightly.
"We are indeed about to be involved in the war of Romanian Plains, but that doesn't mean we can only stay here and respond passively." He paused and continued, "Don't forget, we always have a background card in our hands."
This statement of condemnation that puts Theo Kingdom on the evil list is essentially an admission ticket handed to the Metal Dragon Clan.
Metal Dragon Clan has always been aloof and unwilling to get involved in wars waged purely for profit.
However, if they were to crusade against an evil kingdom that "destroyed order and endangered the world", it would be completely in line with their status as guardians.
Garos wants to use the attack on Abyssal Rift to put a cloak of justice on the possible battle.
When it comes to the safety of Abyssal Rift, even if Legendary Realm Metal Dragon takes action, it is completely reasonable.
Of course, Garos has never placed its hopes on others.
He trusts himself more.
This is just a casual move outside the chessboard, an insurance that may not be used, but since there is a chance of falling, you might as well lay out this move first.