The sky in the wilderness is vast and open, cloudless, like a clear sapphire, covering the scorched land below.
Red Iron Dragon stared up at the sky, his huge body casting a long and narrow shadow in the sunlight.
Deep in those deep black vertical pupils, there were runes like stars that were rapidly flowing, combining, and analyzing. His gaze seemed to have passed through the obstacles of layers of space, crossed the atmosphere, and cast into the high and cold space.
"It won't take long before its position can be completely locked."
He thought silently in his heart.
For more than a year, in order to continue to expand our advantages, Theo Kingdom and Satellite have been used frequently.
Teleportation Raid, Rain of Holy Healing, Orbital Strike... These strategic skills have reversed the situation of local battles time and time again, accumulating considerable victory for the Theo Legion.
Aura Kingdom's Shadowy Forest and Rusted Valley fell one after another.
Iron Dragon Laetitia and Sacred Spirit Deer were seriously injured in the fierce battle. It was difficult to recover in a short time and had to withdraw from the front line.
The Unbreakable Wall defense line built by the Theo Kingdom with the support of Satellite has become impregnable in terms of defense.
It has gained advantages in both offense and defense, and the balance of victory in conventional warfare is rapidly tilting towards the Theo Kingdom.
If Aura wants to win this war, he must find a way to deal with Satellite of the Theo Kingdom.
Its various effects can not only be used on the battlefield under the Legendary Realm; even if Legendary Realm participates in the war, Magic Satellite is still a strategic weapon that cannot be underestimated.
However, Garos did not rush directly into space.
He knew very well that it was not an easy task to win Satellite from Theo.
In the early days when Magic Satellite was created, they were not perfect in all aspects, and there were many examples of them being directly targeted and destroyed by strong enemies. However, with the passage of time and the continuous development of technology, Magic Satellite became more and more difficult to destroy by force.
The first problem is to find it.
Normally, Magic Satellite is located in a secret parallel dimension gap. It is not in the Prime Material Plane space at all and has no trace. The Satellite image that can be observed by the naked eye or ordinary magic in Material Plane is just an illusory projection used for disguise.
Only when Magic Satellite uses strategic skills such as Teleportation Deployment, Energy Support, or Orbital Strike that need to interfere with Material Plane, does it need to briefly appear from the parallel dimension and appear in the Prime Material Plane space.
And even so, it only appears for a few seconds, and then immediately changes its spatial coordinates and escapes into a brand new parallel Dimensional Interstice, giving the enemy no chance to lock onto it.
However, Magic Satellite is not a perfect creation.
Every time it is used, it will leave subtle traces in the main material space.
The slight wrinkles in the spatial structure, the specific spectrum left by Magic Energy, the aftermath caused by the dimensional jump... As it appears again and again, the number of these traces will gradually increase, just like continuously throwing stones on a calm lake, the ripples will interweave with each other.
On the one hand, Garos has space data provided by allies.
On the other hand, his Eye of True Sight can also directly see those spatial traces that ordinary people cannot detect.
Garos stared at the sky.
In the field of vision of ordinary creatures, the open and clear sky appears complex and brilliant in his field of vision.
Countless tiny points of light flickered like dust.
Many lighter, ripple-like ripples spread slightly in space and slowly bridged.
Theo Kingdom and Satellite are like a cunning fish swimming in the deep sea.
Sometimes it dives down to hide in the dimension, and sometimes it jumps out of the water to absorb air. At the same time, every movement it makes when it jumps forms tiny ripples, leaving notches in the structure of space, gradually intertwining into a network.
Unless it completely stops participating in the war now, and huddles in silence in a certain parallel dimension, waiting for the traces of space to completely dissipate over time.
Otherwise, it will be soon.
When the traces accumulate to a certain extent and its action pattern is completely outlined, it will be fully exposed to Garos's vision.
However, there is still a problem now.
"After achieving effective results, Theo used Satellite less frequently this month. He only used the most basic and harmless investigation skills to expand his advantage in an orderly manner."
Garos narrowed his eyes slightly and weighed in his mind.
Obviously, the commander of Theo's side also considered Satellite's weaknesses.
Even though Satellite itself has extremely strong defense, the opponent still chose to be cautious and was unwilling to rely too much on Satellite's strategic array to avoid exposing its trajectory.
However, if you don't rely on Satellite, how can you maintain your advantage? And how can you resist my Aura counterattack?
Red Iron Dragon smiled silently, with a cold edge in his smile.
"Sorog, my dear brother, carry out your plan and force Theo to use Satellite. Since this weapon has been activated, how can you stop it at will?"
Through spiritual connection, he communicated to his brothers who were far away on the war front.
"Okay, I've been preparing for a long time."
Iron Dragon Sorog's calm and firm response came from the other side.
New Calendar 343, midsummer, Ashen Plains.
The war that lasted for two years has carved indelible scars on this land.
The wind picked up the ashes and then fell down, forming slowly rotating black smoke columns, like the sigh of the earth.
The plains that once had some greenery now only remain with charred soil, trenches crisscrossed like scars, and the remains of the Shatter flag and weapons half-buried in the dust.
The air is filled with the smell of sulfur, rust and faint humus all year round.
Thirty miles behind Unbreakable Wall, Iron-Chiseling Position.
As time goes by, this forward command post, originally established to deal with Iron Wall Fortress, has gradually expanded into a fully functional war city.
The towering Alchemy Furnace works day and night, spewing thick smoke mixed with sparks, transporting repair weapons and Golem parts to the front line; the three gray-white mage towers are distributed in a triangle, and the detection Magic Array at the top of the tower continues to scan the sky like a searchlight. With the ground, the beam of light was clearly visible in the dusky air; outside the camp was a three-layer staggered defensive wall, which was made of enchanted concrete and metal frames. The heavy alchemy turret of the Black Hole was fixed on the wall stacks, and the muzzle pointed at the area still controlled by Aura in the distance.
In the center is a headquarters made of dark gray metal.
It has a square shape with cold and hard lines, and there are many observation posts and communication antennas on the roof.
It doesn't have too many decorations, its lines are cold and hard, and it's full of pragmatism.
Rodrigo Crown stood in the strategy room on the third floor of the headquarters, with his hands on the edge of the huge sand table, staring at the intricate situation markers.
on the map.
The Blue Dragon mark representing Theo Legion has penetrated into the red area representing the Aura control area in many places, forming several protruding wedge shapes.
Shadowy Forest and Rusted Valley.
These two former important border areas of Aura have now been planted with the flag of Theo.
Although Iron Wall Fortress is still embedded in the country of Theo like a poisonous thorn, the balance of victory and defeat is indeed tilting firmly.
Our side has accumulated many advantages in conventional wars, with abundant troops, more stable supply lines, and high morale due to consecutive victories.
"How much has the frequency of our use of Satellite decreased this month?"
Rodrigo did not turn his head and asked in a deep voice to his trusted adjutant Torres behind him.
"Teleportation Raid for major points was reduced from three times a week to once a week. Rain of Holy Healing was only used once during the Palmer Heights counterattack. Orbital Strike..." Major Torres turned over the record board in his hand, paused, and continued, "After the critical attack on Rusted Valley two months ago, it was never used again."
Hearing this, Rodrigo nodded.
He turned around, walked to the heavy oak desk beside him, and looked at another report written on the table using special magic paper.
That was a message sent directly from Elwin. The content above is simple but cannot be ignored.
--The spatial traces of Heavenly Eye's activities in Material Plane are accumulating, and traceability is slowly increasing.
This means that although Satellite jumps to new dimensional coordinates each time it appears, the predictability of its trajectory is slowly increasing.
Like a hunter who walks repeatedly in the forest, the tracks will always become clearer and clearer.
Rodrigo knows that Satellite itself has powerful space defense.
Even if its coordinates are exposed, those layers of space barrier barriers are still indestructible, and even the strongest Legendary Realm cannot break them.
However, he must also consider the worst-case scenario.
Red Iron Dragon Emperor Garos, the founder of the Aura Kingdom, may have the means to destroy or bypass Satellite's defenses.
Even though the probability is slim, war does not allow for luck.
"We have accumulated enough advantages."
"The next battle should be like chipping away at a stone, hammer after hammer, fighting steadily, using blades and steel to crush the enemy, rather than relying too much on one weapon."
"Satellite... only used as eyes and occasionally for emergency teleportation."
"As for Orbital Strike and Rain of Holy Healing, they are not decisive and key battles and will no longer be used."
Rodrigo said.
Adjutant Torres moved his lips but stopped talking.
He wanted to say that the frontline generals had become accustomed to the low battle losses brought by Rain of Holy Healing, that the support of Satellite had greatly boosted morale, that the casualties among soldiers would definitely increase greatly, and that the pressure on logistics and medical care would increase sharply... But looking at the commander's sunken, bloodshot eyes, he finally said nothing and chose silence.
Since the commander said this, he must have considered it.
As an adjutant who has followed Rodrigo for many years, Torres knows very well that the commander-in-chief never sets his sights without aim.
However, Torres has another question in his mind.
He hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Commander, since the situation is favorable to our side, can our Legendary Realm take the initiative to take action? Based on the Aura Kingdom's current apparent situation, once the Legendary Realm adults take action, they may be able to quickly overturn all resistance and end this war of attrition."
Rodrigo shook his head, walked to the window, and looked out at the busy and orderly camp.
"It's not that simple."
He said calmly.
Aura Kingdom has only two characters Legendary Realm, Red Iron Dragon Emperor and White Dragon Beskar.
However, the Legendary Realm dragons cannot be treated as ordinary Legendary Realm, especially their emperor... is unfathomable.
Theo Kingdom knows very little about him and lacks sufficient intelligence.
How strong is he? What kind of talents does he have?
These are all still foggy.
If you blindly invest in the Legendary Realm, if you fall into a disadvantage, or if you are seized of the opportunity to reduce your own Legendary Realm's numbers, the situation will be reversed in an instant.
What Rodrigo wants is to try to force Aura Emperor to take action first, at the expense of ordinary soldiers' lives and battle lines, to collect information, test their abilities and reactions, and then let Legendary Realm of our own side carry out sniper attacks from behind.
Then at all costs, strive to establish victory through a decisive Legendary Realm duel.
This was a cold but necessary calculation in his opinion.
Immediately, Rodrigo looked past the busy soldiers and machinery and towards the gray-white stone monument standing in the central square of the camp.
The stone tablet is tall and solemn, and it is densely engraved with the names of the fallen.
Since the war broke out in the autumn of New Calendar 341, names have been engraved on all four sides, and the stonemason is polishing the smooth stone wall on the fifth side.
New names are added every day.
"May the spirits of the soldiers rest in peace," Rodrigo whispered, making a simple prayer gesture with his right hand on his chest, "Their sacrifices and Heroic Spirit will protect Theo's final victory."
As commander-in-chief, the number of casualties is a bargaining chip that must be weighed calmly.
But although Rodrigo has Ironblood's methods, he is not a cold-blooded person.
He didn't want to see too many familiar lives disappear forever in this Ashen Plains.
However, he also knew it very well.
If something goes wrong with Satellite and is destroyed or interfered with by Aura; or if the expected battle of the Legendary Realm cannot end as quickly and neatly as planned and falls into a stalemate or a tragic victory... then, even if the stone masons grind out ten or twenty new stone walls on the square, it may not be enough to carve the names of all the fallen.
War always comes with sacrifice.
Some costs cannot be avoided no matter how well you plan.
In the next two weeks, the war developed as Rodrigo expected.
Theo Legion launched a series of small-scale but extremely fierce offensives on multiple fronts.
Without the immediate support of Rain of Holy Healing, the number of casualties among the soldiers during the attack and defense has indeed increased. It is difficult for medical warlocks alone to support it, and the load on the field hospital has increased significantly. However, relying on the advantages accumulated in the early stage, sophisticated equipment and a relatively complete tactical system, the Theo army is still advancing steadily.
Based on repeated calculations and deductions by the staff department.
With the current strength and reaction speed of the Aura defense line, through this steady and steady war of attrition, the Theo side is very confident that it can capture one or two more important border areas of Aura before the end of the year, thus completely isolating the tenacious Iron Wall Fortress.
By then, no matter how tight Iron Wall Fortress's defenses are, without support, it will only fall in a matter of time.
It's mid-July.
At noon, the sky in Ashen Plains was as blue as a wash, and the scorching sun scorched the scorched earth without any obstruction, creating a rolling heat wave.
Inside Iron-Chiseling Position, the sentries on duty scanned the surrounding wilderness mechanically.
Although their attitude remains vigilant, their nerves are inevitably a little lax.
This place is located behind the Unbreakable Wall defense line, and there are several forward buffers in front. It is theoretically very safe. Since the two years of war, this place has never been attacked.
The sound of artillery in the distance was faint, it was the tug-of-war that was still going on on the front line, and it didn't sound unusual.
Within the general headquarters, Rodrigo is having a routine magic communication meeting with several frontline commanders.
The suspended crystal ball projects a slightly flickering light and shadow, and the generals are reporting on the progress and needs of each front in turn.
Just three days before the meeting, Aura Legion launched ferocious counterattacks in multiple directions at the same time. The intensity of the offensive was beyond the expectations of some Theo generals.
But at the meeting, the tone of several commanders was generally excited.
They feel that this is Aura's desperate struggle after losing important territory.
Just like a fish that jumps violently due to suffocation, although it is intense, it is destined not to last long, and will consume the little vitality.
"Satellite has not detected large-scale military changes on the other side, but don't take it lightly."
Rodrigo interrupted a certain general's overly optimistic assessment.
"Prince Iron Dragon of the Aura Kingdom, Sorog, is known for his cold-bloodedness and calmness. He will not launch such a seemingly reckless counterattack without a backup plan."
"All lines of defense must strengthen reconnaissance, especially monitoring of the ground and sky, and beware..."
suddenly.
He frowned slightly and his voice stopped abruptly.
There was an extremely slight vibration under my feet, as if a heavy drumstick had struck the earth.
Rodrigo looked down at his feet. The stone floor was motionless, but the vibration... was not an illusion.
It was not the periodic roar of Alchemy Furnace in the camp, nor the aftermath of our own artillery fire in the distance, but a deeper and thicker tremor, as if it came from the depths of the earth and was approaching quickly.
Other officers in the command post also felt it, and stopped what they were doing and looked at the ground.
Immediately afterwards, the subtle tremor turned into a clear shaking.
The water glass on the table rippled, the map on the wall trembled slightly, and the strong building structure of the headquarters made an unsettling friction sound.
"Earthquake?"
Torres The adjutant said in surprise.
Rodrigo's face suddenly changed, and his years of battlefield intuition made the hairs all over his body stand up instantly.
"No! It's underground! Enemy attack--"
Before his warning was fully spoken, the earth groaned in pain.
Rumble!!!
The solid ground arched upward like a fragile eggshell, cracked, and then suddenly exploded!
Mud, gravel, and broken floor building materials shot upward like a fountain, and the dust instantly filled the entire bottom floor of the headquarters!
Amid the tremors and diffuse dust, a gigantic creature emerged from the ground.
The creature was shaped like a worm enlarged ten thousand times, with a diameter of more than five meters, and the length of the exposed body segments was inestimable. The body was covered with a chitinous carapace as smooth and hard as obsidian, reflecting a dark luster in the sunlight that penetrated from the ground.
Its head has no eyes, only a circle of huge jaw teeth arranged in a spiral shape. It is spinning crazily at an alarming speed, grinding all the masonry, wood, and metal components along the way into powder.
At the same time, its smooth carapace is engraved with dense and secret magical runes.
These runes absorb sound, vibrations and energy fluctuations so efficiently that when such a giant beast breaks out of the ground, there is strangely little sound from the surroundings, and no strong breath flows out.
If you don't see it with your own eyes, you can hardly detect the existence of such a terrifying giant beast in front of you based on your perception alone.
"Burrowing Worm! It's Burrowing Worm!"
A veteran recognized this terrifying beast, his voice filled with horror.
They are a race that migrated from deep underground and swore allegiance when Aura was founded. Although no individual Lord Level was born among them, their group strength is amazing, and they are especially good at large-scale underground excavations and raids.
When Satellite flies across the sky and can closely detect the sky and the earth.
Burrowing Worm, a unit that can launch attacks from underground, has unexpected strategic value.
Therefore, under the instruction of Iron Dragon Sorog, their existence has been strictly kept secret and has never been revealed in foreign wars.
The existence of Burrowing Worm outside of this information is beyond Theo's expectation and monitoring range.
But this is just the beginning.
Immediately afterwards, the second, third, fourth... more than thirty giant Burrowing Worms burst out of the ground in different areas of Iron-Chiseling Position! In an instant, the entire Iron-Chiseling Position was divided and disrupted.
Before the dust settled, the spiral teeth on the heads of the first batch of Burrowing Worm suddenly cracked to both sides.
The bottomless throat passage is exposed.
Boom!
Strong figures jumped out from behind.
They are heavy units such as Ogre and Troll!
These giant monsters, with an average height of more than four meters, wore heavy and sophisticated battle armor and wielded heavy rune weapons comparable to battering rams. After landing, they let out deafening and violent war roars, wildly destroying everything around them regardless of their targets.
Another group of Dragonforged Warrior jumped out of the "wormhole".
They are elite units bred by the Aura Kingdom and Dragonforged Transformation Ritual. They have different races, but their skin is covered with fine dragon scales of different colors, and their eyes have vertical pupils like reptiles.
They are well-equipped, well-disciplined, and have powerful auras. As soon as they appear, they form a combat team and rush towards various key nodes unstoppably.
The last one, Burrowing Worm, which was also the largest, broke out of the ground amidst the tremors of the earth.
Its huge mouth, nearly eight meters in diameter, suddenly opened, shooting out a huge dark red "cannonball" that curled up like a ball!
This "cannonball" made a harsh whistling sound and collapsed a building.
The masonry collapsed and smoke filled the air.
But that's not a cannonball!
In the smoke and dust, a huge figure stretched its body and stood up proudly.