Quinn Heights The sky is leaden gray, with gunpowder smoke mixed with low-hanging clouds, making people breathless.
The charred land was covered with holes of varying depths, scattered with Shatter's armor, broken weapons, and bloodstains that had long since dried and turned black and seeped into the soil. The air was filled with the smell of rust, burnt and Bloodshed.
In the distance, there is Ribos First Defense Line built on the rugged ridge.
It is like a man-made natural moat, lying in front of the Lothern Legion.
The towering gray stone fortresses are connected to each other, with dense crenellations, and watchtowers pointing toward the dim sky like spikes.
On top of the fortress, the outlines of heavy crossbows and alchemy cannons appeared and disappeared in the smoke. From time to time they let out dull roars, throwing deadly enchanted crossbow arrows and exploding alchemy projectiles at the attackers; behind the crenellations of the city wall, the figures of archers and mages were busy, flashing away in the intermittent gleam of the magic shield.
Lothern's military formation was like a millstone, hitting that solid defense line again and again.
On the surface, soldiers wearing silver-gray armor held up large shields that were almost as long as their bodies. Under the command of the officers, they condensed Formation Magic, and the light golden light connected into pieces of swaying light curtains.
Led by several of their own Legendary Realm strong men, they pushed forward slowly but firmly despite the constant bombardment.
However, every time it gets closer, it will lead to a more concentrated and violent counterattack.
Bodies continued to pile up and were blown away by subsequent artillery fire.
The war situation fell into a brutal and exhausting stalemate.
Lothern has an advantage in total military strength, and the morale of the soldiers has been kept high due to the king's personal expedition. However, Ribos is like an iron lump that cannot be smashed due to its strategic location and solid fortifications that have been in operation for many years.
Every moment that passes, the blood of Lothern soldiers is shed, but the gap in the defense line still seems to be out of reach.
O'Brien is not personally participating in the battle on the front line at this moment.
He was seriously injured in an assault on the flanking fortress a few days ago. Although he was fine after treatment, it would take time to recover.
At this moment, he was standing on a slightly higher observation platform at the rear.
The silver-gray armor on his body was stained with dust and smoke, his cheeks were thin, his eye sockets were sunken, and his thick stubble made him look more aged than when he was on the phone with Garos.
However, despite the stalemate and unfavorable situation, the king's brows relaxed.
His eyes were calm, looking to the sky from time to time, as if waiting for something.
The sky is a sky obscured by smoke and gray clouds.
And in the high altitude that is difficult for ordinary people to reach, there are two sun-like figures that are constantly entangled and colliding.
Every time they clashed, they emitted a brilliant light that rippled the clouds below, and the thunderous explosions could be vaguely heard even from the ground.
Those are two Legendary Realm, and they are Crown Rank that is superior to the ordinary Legendary Realm.
Crown-Rank Legendary, in Romanian States, is regarded as the "king" and the pinnacle among the strong Legendary Realm.
Currently, the only ones that clearly have Crown Rank on the plains are Ribos and Lothern.
Compared with them, although the battles between other Legendary Realms were equally fierce, the movements were overshadowed.
However, what O'Brien is waiting for is not the victory of his own Crown Rank. He and the enemy's Crown Rank are restricting each other at high altitude, and no one can do anything to the other.
The king is waiting for other variables.
Soon after.
There was a strange movement in the sky northwest of the battlefield.
At first, it was just a low hum, like a giant beast panting deep in the clouds, or like the trembling of the air before a distant storm.
Immediately afterwards, the buzzing turned into a sharp whistling, and a black spot quickly enlarged, tearing apart the heavy lead-gray clouds.
More and more people noticed it, looked up involuntarily, and then their pupils suddenly shrank.
It was a formidable beast.
He has a thick and terrifying frame like Ogre, a ferocious head, and wide-mouthed fangs.
However, the whole body is not covered with fat, but with powerful muscles like steel cables, full of explosive power. On both sides of the forehead, there are a pair of horns that bend backwards and shine with a dark metallic luster. On the broad back, there is a pair of wings that are even larger than its thick body. They are flapping powerfully, whipping up the wind that makes the ground fly sand and rocks.
Not only that.
Key parts of his body, such as his chest, shoulders, elbows, knees, etc., were covered with dark red dragon scales as thick as armor. There was a faint lava-like luster flowing between the gaps between the scales. A muscular dragon tail swung behind him, with sharp cone-shaped bone spurs at the end.
This is exactly War Warlord from the Aura Kingdom.
Dragon-veined Glutton Demon, Kalu.
Anyone who meets him for the first time would never associate him with the common Ogre.
The Kalu at this moment is more like the terrifying Archdemon that emerged from Abyss.
"Insects, tremble under Uncle Kalu!"
Glutton Demon let out a deafening roar, the sound waves rolled down, even temporarily overwhelming the noise of some battlefields.
He did not pounce directly on the defense line, but instead flapped his wings sharply and rose upwards.
Phew!
After reaching a certain height, blazing flames ignited from his body surface without any warning, orange and dark red intertwined, wrapping him into a flying fireball.
He took a deep breath, and his chest swelled.
Immediately, with an extremely arrogant attitude, he was enveloped by the flames, like a real meteor, dragging a long tail of flames, and dived straight towards the middle fort with the strongest defense of Ribos's first line of defense.
On the observation platform, O'Brien witnessed this scene and his eyes moved slightly.
He felt a familiar sense of sight.
This scene was very similar to the scene described in the intelligence he had obtained, in which Red Emperor shattered Noldon Pass with the force of a meteor impact.
"This Glutton Demon wants to imitate their king?"
O'Brien's eyes flashed with astonishment, "Does he have this strength?"
As if in response to the suspicion of the human king, Glutton Demon, which was rapidly descending from the sky, let out another roar.
His abdomen suddenly lit up with a rich and substantial light, which quickly spread to every muscle in his body like a living creature, causing his already burly body to further swell and bulge. His muscles and bones made a tooth-piercing crunching sound, and his breath also rose steadily.
This is Gluttony State based on its Big Eater characteristic, which greatly improves attributes in a short period of time by consuming stored energy.
But, this is not the end.
A deeper breath rose from Kalu's body.
"For the great Ignas, for Aura!"
Glutton Demon roared and roared.
Beneath the Dragon Throne, Bloodburst State!
The other side.
Distant Dragonspine Mountains.
Red Emperor, who was sitting on the top of a high mountain, felt something in his heart and clearly felt the beating of another heart. He even saw Quinn Heights's fighting situation through Kalu's eyes.
"Fight for me and show my strength," he said.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The heartbeat, as dull as a war drum, exploded from Glutton Demon's generous chest. Even amid the roaring at high altitudes and the noise of the battlefield, it was clearly transmitted to the ears of many strong men.
A series of bright bloody textures started from his heart and crazily spread to his limbs and bones like the roots of a plant. The burning flames around him suddenly turned into blood red under the reflection of these bloody textures.
His breath surged again, forming circles of ripples visible to the naked eye.
His goal now is extremely clear.
The tallest and strongest fortress located in the center of the defense line is also the center and support point of the first line of defense.
The Legendary Realms on the Ribos side felt uneasy and threatened.
The aura of the giant monster attacking from the sky rose to a level that made their hearts palpitate, and the sense of oppression it brought was like Calamity descending.
Digital Legendary Realm intends to take off to intercept, but their respective opponents, Legendary Realm of Lothern, will not miss this opportunity?
Almost at the same time that Kalu's aura surged, the Legendary Realms of Lothern's offensive suddenly intensified, and the light of magic and combat skills became even more dazzling, tightly entangling the already disadvantaged Ribos Legendary Realm, not giving them any chance to escape.
"What kind of monster is that?!"
"A dragon? No... a giant with wings?!"
"Aim! Aim at it! Don't let it fall!"
Ribos The defense line instantly became commotion and panic.
The sharp alarm bell was sounded frantically, resounding throughout the entire ridge.
The central fortress and its surrounding defense towers locked by Kalu reacted the fastest. The heavy magic ballistae on the top of the fortress, the alchemy cannon embedded in the wall, and the towering magic tower all adjusted their angles at the same time to lock onto the increasingly larger flaming figure in the sky.
Buzz-boom!
The heavy crossbow cannons and magic towers on the fortress locked their targets immediately, and thick magic rays and armor-piercing shells that were enough to penetrate the city wall were fired into the sky, roaring towards the uninvited guest in the sky.
Facing the fierce concentrated fire attack, Kalu had no intention of evading.
Instead, he folded his wings slightly and curled up his body even more tightly to face the attack with his chest, shoulders and arms covered with dragon scales.
Just when the attack was about to hit, the dark red dragon scales on his body, as well as the tough skin not covered by the scales, suddenly lit up with a dark black light at the same time, as if they could absorb the light, making his outline appear a little blurry.
Energy-Eating Skin.
--When withstanding energy attacks, it can absorb part of the attack energy and convert it into its own available reserves.
Boom boom boom boom...!
Rumble!
The magic ray bombarded his chest, blooming brilliant elemental sparks, and immediately merged with him; the giant cannonball hit his shoulders and arms, making a sound of gold and iron, and exploded Shatter, while the momentum of Kalu's dive only stalled slightly.
Not only that, after enduring this ferocious bombardment, Kalu not only did not show any signs of decline, but instead became energetic.
He opened his huge mouth and let out a loud burp. His whole body Bloodflame grew taller, and his breath actually improved again.
Sated State.
--Obtain sufficient energy through Energy-Eating Skin or swallow it directly. When you are full, you can perform extraordinarily well.
Withstanding the fierce concentrated fire, Glutton Demon gained some scars on its body surface, but at the same time, its stomach quickly swelled and became full of strength as it absorbed a massive amount of attack energy.
Then, carrying the force of thunder, he landed.
The passage of time seemed to be distorted at the point of impact, becoming slow and solemn.
At the last moment, Kalu's bulging stomach quickly shriveled up at a speed visible to the naked eye, as if something inside had been evacuated instantly.
On the contrary, the bloody flames burning around him seemed to have been poured with a huge amount of fuel.
The flames burst out, becoming more turbulent than ever before, soaring straight into the sky, completely turning him into a blazing bloody meteorite.
Death from hunger.
--Actively consume the huge energy accumulated in the stomach, at the cost of enduring intense hunger for a period of time, and perform a limit blow that is far beyond normal.
Boom!
Centered on the impact point of Glutton Demon, the magic shield guarding the fortress dented downward inch by inch, and cracks spread like lightning. Finally, Shatter was smashed, leaving a huge gap.
He curled up his body that was cracked by the shock and continued to smash down.
Boom!
The fortress reinforced by runes shattered layer by layer and then turned into powder.
The entire fortress shook violently, and a large area of the top fortifications, heavy artillery, and soldiers who had no time to escape were instantly cleared amidst the terrifying shock waves and gravel fire.
Smoke and dust mixed with flames, and Bloodshed gas rose into the sky.
"I am the first general of the Aura Kingdom! Be afraid, my poor little snacks!"
The sound rang out from the center of the smoke and ruins, and then, a huge figure stood up.
Kalu shook his dizzy head and shook off the gravel and ashes from his body.
His body is burly, Dragon Qi rises, interweaves into two other thick energy arms, and stretches together with the original arms.
As the four arms waved, Bloodflame rolled and wrapped around the body. The giant eyes burning with violence and appetite lit up in the smoke, as if the terrifying Archdemon from Abyss was reborn here.
This image was deeply imprinted in the eyes of all nearby surviving Ribos soldiers.
They trembled and trembled with fear.
The far side, the top of the Dragonspine Mountains.
Red Iron Dragon Ignas withdrew his distant gaze, nodded slightly, and showed a trace of approval in his eyes.
"Well, not bad, you have a bit of my style."
The outcome of this battle has been determined.
On the other side, Quinn Heights.
"For Lothern!"
O'Brien suddenly pulled out Dawn King Sword and waved forward. "The gap has been opened, the whole army! Attack!"
Woo--woo--!
The trumpet sound of the general attack sounded desolately and passionately, converging with the king's order and spreading throughout the entire Lothern army formation.
At the same time, Kalu in the ruins was not idle either.
He shook his head to clear his senses, which were slightly dizzy from the shock, and then turned around, clenched his four fists, and smashed down on the huge load-bearing stone pillars that were already covered with spiderweb-like cracks.
Boom!!!
This time, the loud noise was followed by a continuous crash.
The huge stone pillar was completely broken, and half of the fortress collapsed with it.
Amidst the smoke and dust, Glutton Demon was like a giant beast that broke through the dam, jumping down from the gap in the collapsed fortress and rushing into the defense line.
He waved his four giant arms, and the dragon's tail and wings also turned into weapons. Wherever he passed, flesh and blood flew everywhere, and the fortifications collapsed.
This line of defense was torn open with a huge gap.
Lothern's torrent of steel followed closely behind, surging in.
The stalemate between Ribos and Lothern at Quinn Heights was broken on this day by the arrival of Dragon-veined Glutton Demon, and the first line of defense collapsed completely.
A few days later, at night.
In a camp behind the original Ribos defense line that had been occupied and cleared by Lothern, a bonfire was burning, dispelling the chill of the autumn night.
Glutton Demon Kalu and Legendary Realm of Lothern, as well as some senior generals, were sitting around, enjoying the rest and food after the victory.
Of course, the so-called sitting around is only for humans.
Kalu was sitting directly next to the largest bonfire. On the grill in front of him, impaled on a thick iron drill, was a whole processed war beast, which was as big as several bulls.
Compared with his size, the surrounding strong humans looked like babies.
O'Brien is also sitting not far away.
He did not participate in the noisy eating. There was only a glass of warm wine and a small amount of dried meat in front of him.
From time to time, his eyes would fall on Glutton Demon, who was concentrating on tearing and chewing a huge amount of meat, and his thoughts were swirling in his heart.
Glutton Demon's performance in this battle was extremely fierce.
In addition to his own high racial value, this is also related to Red Emperor's Dragon Vein Conversion. In particular, Glutton Demon shows a similar power to Red Emperor.
O'Brien couldn't help but extend his thoughts to Red Emperor.
If we comprehensively compare all the strengths, that "Immortal Dragon" is probably still lacking a lot of foundation and comprehensive methods compared to the human Crown-Rank Legendary.
However, there are some extremely outstanding aspects.
For example, the incredible physical strength, defense, and destructiveness. Even compared to human Crown Rank, Red Emperor has even shown signs of surpassing it.
The most important thing is that according to reliable information, Ignas has not even entered the level of the Advanced Legendary Realm yet.
Aura Kingdom, which was built around Red Emperor, seems to be this kind of super-standard monster.
Their Legendary Realms are rare in number, but each one of them is enough to rival or even suppress most ordinary human Legendary Realms. Not to mention, as an immortal species, they have a lifespan far longer than that of human Legendary Realms.
This quality gap cannot be measured by simple quantitative comparison.
"If Ignas succeeds Crown Rank..." O'Brien felt a sense of awe in his heart, "With his strength and the powerful subordinates gathered around him, Romanian Plains as a whole will probably be unstoppable."
"No, maybe you don't need to wait until Crown Rank."
"As long as he becomes Advanced Legendary Realm, the characteristics he displays will be enough to make human Crown Rank feel extremely troublesome and even... dangerous."
Regarding this possible future, O'Brien actually has hidden worries in his heart.
He is worried that after the Aura Kingdom rises strongly under the leadership of Red Emperor, its desire for expansion will eventually overwhelm the former alliance, trigger a third war, and sweep across the entire Romanian Plains.
By then, will Lothern Kingdom still have a place to stay?
But he also clearly realized the reality that he might not live to see that day with his own eyes.
Human lifespan is too short compared to dragons.
However, O'Brien is not unprepared.
He is a mature and far-sighted monarch. As early as the beginning of his alliance with Aura, he ordered people to collect as much information as possible about Red Emperor Ignas.
From his early activities in Scale-Earth Rift Road, to various policies after the establishment of the kingdom, his style of foreign diplomacy, and even some circulated words and deeds.
He asked scholars in the kingdom who were proficient in psychological and behavioral analysis to conduct in-depth research.
Finally, the scholars came to a conclusion.
This Dragon of Red and Iron is closer to neutral and lawful in nature. He values actual interests, but also values commitment and friendship. He is quite protective of recognized allies and people. He is not the greedy, treacherous and purely instinctive Evil Dragon in traditional perception.
His expansion and wars always have a strong sense of purpose and planning, rather than a simple desire for destruction and conquest.
Therefore, O'Brien's previous dialogue with the Dragonspine Mountains and Red Emperor was not completely frivolous or expedient. He really intended to promote and consolidate the covenant relationship between the two countries.
"If Ignas can really abide by order and value the covenant as he shows."
"Then if he continues to grow and leads Aura to rise and expand, it may not be a bad thing for Lothern."
O'Brien thought silently, "Even, with the help of this special alliance, Lothern can also gain benefits from future changes and make up for some of our disadvantages."
"A strong but lawful neighbor is more reliable than a group of weak but evil neighbors."
This is one of the future pictures he hopes to see.
And the future he longs for most in his heart is naturally for the Lothern Kingdom to give birth to a leader as talented and powerful as Saint King, and to regain the glory of the unified plains in the past.
That is also the biggest expectation of all Lothern people.
Of course, as a king, he must consider all possibilities, including the worst.
"If friction does occur in the future, and the contradiction intensifies to the point of irreconcilability, Lothern and Aura will meet each other at war..."
To this end, O'Brien had a serious and secret conversation with his own counterpart Crown Rank.
Once there are clear signs that the relationship between the two countries is completely broken and irreversible, then there should be no hesitation or any luck. Red Emperor must be beheaded at all costs, as quickly as possible, and with all possible power.
If you are an enemy, you must not repeat the mistakes of the Theo Kingdom.
After looking forward and backward, with many worries, Red Emperor was given the opportunity, which ultimately led to the bitter consequences of the country's failure.
"To deal with such an enemy, you either don't do anything, or you have to do it with thunderous force and a fatal blow."
This is an important entrustment left by O'Brien to Crown Rank.
"The future is unpredictable and difficult to grasp."
O'Brien sighed lightly and drank the wine in the glass.
"That's all I can do now, lay some seeds and leave some warnings. I hope these arrangements will eventually bring good results to Lothern, so that I can have a clear conscience when I return to Land of Ancestral Spirits."
As for now.
While the alliance still exists, the cooperation is close, and we are fighting against the enemy together, do we plan a backstab to eliminate potential dangers?
O'Brien Such thoughts flashed across his mind, but he quickly dismissed them.
On the one hand, the covenant concluded in the name of the national fortunes of both parties and the king is not a piece of paper. It contains real binding effects. Those who betray the covenant will surely suffer corresponding backlash and costs, which will have an adverse impact on the fate of the country.
Unless the covenant is officially terminated, this kind of backstabbing will itself cost Lothern a lot of hidden costs.
On the other hand, O'Brien is not a narrow-minded and short-sighted person.
He would not betray the friendly forces he was fighting side by side with just because of a worst-case guess about the future.
The entrustment to our Crown Rank is more like a layer of insurance, an emergency plan in the most extreme circumstances.
He believes that after experiencing the flames of war together, the covenant and friendship between Lothern and Aura should be stronger and strong enough to maintain peace and cooperation for a long time.
"Hey, human king, what are you doing there?"
A raging sound interrupted O'Brien's meditation.
He raised his head and faced Glutton Demon Kalu's huge eyes that were shining brightly in the bonfire.
At some point, Kalu had already dealt with the huge war beast and was picking his teeth with a thick finger, tilting his head to look at O'Brien curiously.
Kalu looked serious and said, "How can we win the war if the food doesn't taste good?"
"Eat quickly, eat quickly. Look at how thin you are. You are in no way comparable to our great Majesty Ignas. Eat stronger so that you can have more strength and live longer."
These arrogant words made other Legendary Realm frown.
However, O'Brien was slightly startled for a moment, then burst into laughter.
From Glutton Demon's words, he didn't hear any offense. The other party was just a little outspoken.
"You are right, Commander Kalu."
O'Brien didn't mind, but nodded. He picked up the sizzling and greasy steak next to him, took a hard bite, chewed it a few times, and said with a smile, "You really should eat more to replenish your strength."
Seeing that the human king accepted his suggestion, Glutton Demon hummed twice with satisfaction.
He said no more and continued to deal with another pile of food.
The night slowly faded away amid fatigue and relaxation, but the sky at Quinn Heights did not become clear and was still shrouded in continuous smoke.
The war is not over yet.
Lothern's offensive accumulated momentum like a snowball, attacking the next two lines of defense with overwhelming momentum.
October 4th.
After several days of hard fighting and heavy losses, the Ribos defenders were forced to abandon the entire Quinn Heights and strategically retreat to the hinterland of the country.
Lothern Kingdom achieved a decisive victory in this key battle and took the initiative in the subsequent battle.
At the same time, War Warlord, who was supported by the Aura Kingdom, performed well in this battle.
The soldiers of Lothern called it "Aura's Fang", while the Ribos people described it as "Gluttonous Archdemon" in battle reports and rumors.
These two titles quickly spread on Romanian Plains following the outcome of the battle between Quinn Heights.
Recommended book: <The Boss Behind the Scenes: Creating the World-Destroying Red Dragon at the Beginning>
Introduction: "I have been called a vessel, a prisoner, a holy corpse. Now, the rise and fall of all things are just embers between the opening and closing of my five fingers."
"Dragonflame When the city is burned, conspiracy has corrupted the throne; when the sea of bones surges, the stars are trembling!"
"Every clone is my conquering blade, and every body is the cornerstone of my evolution!"
"Everything I see can become me; everything I transform into can belong to the Eternal Realm!"
"Those who kneel will become my followers under my dragon wings; those who stand will turn into ashes under my fierce flames!"
"If fate destined me to be the enemy of the world--"
"Let this war become the world's last epic!"
--Excerpt from "Lord of Disaster·Ron's Declaration of War in All Realms"