Ser Wilderness, between the mountains.
"The fragrance of blood, the cry of death, and the flames burning the earth... what a wonderful picture."
The voice of the red dragon Samantha was full of pleasure, and her huge head shook slightly, but then she let out a sigh of regret.
"It's a pity that they couldn't keep their Legendary Realm."
"Lothern's Legendary Realm seems to be richer than I expected. Legendary Warrior, who looks quite ordinary, actually carries an advanced teleportation scroll with him."
The teleportation scroll itself is not an extremely rare item.
In Romanian States, although there are not many mages who can make ordinary teleportation scrolls, Court Mage Corps from all the major kingdoms have more or less reserves.
However, once Legendary Realm life is involved, the situation is completely different.
The life strength of the Legendary Realm creatures is too high, and the burden on space when teleporting is also greater. A teleportation scroll that can be effective on the Legendary Realm not only requires extremely advanced craftsmanship, but also the materials are rare.
When Aura went to war with Theo, during the entire battle, Theo Legendary Realm was able to take out the teleportation scroll only a handful of times.
"Lothern is rich and wealthy. It is not surprising that his subordinate Legendary Realm holds a teleportation scroll."
The voice of Garos came from the side.
When he was fighting Noldon Pass, Transmuter from Ribos, after realizing that the battle situation could not be reversed, used the teleportation scroll to leave the battlefield directly.
In this regard, the foundation of Lothern will only be deeper.
However, Garos doesn't care about this.
Samantha lacks the means to counter space skills, so it is normal to fail to prevent the opponent from escaping.
But Garos's claws are different. These claws can even grasp the space itself and will never let prey escape easily.
Phew!
Strong wind pressure descended from the sky, kicking up dust and dead grass on the ground.
Iron Dragon Sorog The huge figure circled in the sky for several times, then converged its wings and landed beside the two blood relatives.
"What was Lothern's reaction?"
Noticing Iron Dragon coming, Garos turned his head and asked calmly.
Iron Dragon shook his head and said, "They have officially declared war on us."
"Lothern is currently gathering an army at Kanna Pyongyang. Judging from the location of their army's assembly and their apparent movements, there is a high probability that they intend to cross Lain Plateau, then point their swords at Theo, and then attack us directly."
Lain Plateau, this land was once the old land ruled by Lane and Sack Kingdom.
After the second war, although Lain Kingdom annexed Sak, it itself was torn apart by the intervention of various forces. The name of the kingdom no longer existed, and only the geographical name of Lain Plateau remained, reminding people of where it once belonged.
The area between Aura and Lothern is mainly Lain Plateau and Theo.
Nowadays, Theo belongs to Aura to some extent, so there is essentially only one piece of Lain Plateau between Aura and Lothern.
Once across this plateau, the Lothern army will set foot on the territory of Aura.
Garos pondered for a moment and said, "Lothern's movements are not that important now. In comparison, I care more about the reactions of other countries."
Hearing this, Iron Dragon grinned, revealing sharp white teeth, and raised the arc of a smile.
"No response, they were silent."
Hearing these words, the red dragon Samantha raised his head and let out a hearty laugh, "They are afraid! They are afraid of the dragon and Aura, so they don't dare to be our enemy!"
She spread her wings and the shadow covered a large area of land. "Very good, very good!"
"I'm tired of those so-called alliances, alliances with bug-like creatures? Humph, I've had enough! Now there is only one opponent left, Lothern. When we win this war, other countries will naturally respect us and treat us as kings!"
The specific reasons for the silence of various countries are actually different from what Red Dragon said.
But Garos did not correct her, but nodded slightly, expressing his approval of Samantha's last sentence.
At this moment, Iron Dragon suddenly stopped looking and his vertical pupils shrank slightly, as if he was listening to some invisible voice.
Garos noticed his reaction. "What new news did you receive?"
Iron Dragon Sorog nodded, his expression becoming a little subtle. "Yes... a diplomatic ambassador from Ribos came to Crimson Flame Royal City secretly and is in contact with our people, hoping to see Lord of Aura."
He paused and added, "The name of that human being is Aaron Levi Borg."
It sounds familiar.
Garos searched for a moment in his memory, and then it suddenly dawned on him.
On the eve of the start of Second War of the Nations, the Ribos ambassador came to the door and wanted to win over Aura on the orders of the kingdom.
However, when faced with Advanced Spirit-Matter Crystal requested by Garos, Ribos was worried that Aura was providing it for Saint King, so he finally chose to refuse and gave up trying to win over.
At that time, I am afraid no one could have imagined that Aura could grow to what it is today in such a short period of time.
No one thought that Aura would turn against Lothern so quickly.
"Send someone over now..."
Red Iron Dragon's tail tip swayed slightly and said, "Let him do it."
Soon after, High Mountain Dragon Court.
In the empty and majestic hall, towering columns support the dome, and light slants in through the stained glass windows, casting mottled and changing light and shadow on the ground.
A slightly stooped figure, led by two Dragonkin guards, walked step by step into the depths of the hall.
He was wearing a dark gray robe, and he lowered his hood, revealing a face full of deep wrinkles.
The years have carved ravines on his face, but his eyes are not chaotic and still shine with the light of wisdom.
Rybos Kingdom Diplomatic Ambassador, Aaron Levi Berg.
Aaron stopped, raised his head, and looked in the direction of the throne. To be more precise, it was the black and red dragon that was quietly entrenched on the throne.
Compared with the first meeting many years ago, Red Emperor's body is more majestic and majestic.
Every piece of his scales seemed to have been tempered by fire, exuding a metallic luster. Just lying there quietly, there was an aura of calmness and authority that enveloped the entire hall.
Aaron took a deep breath, bowed his old body, and paid the most solemn salute to Red Emperor.
"The great Ignas, the great Red Emperor."
His voice was slow and hoarse, and he said, "After so many years, it is truly an honor to meet and admire your face again. Your... style and majesty are even better than before."
Red Emperor lowered his huge head and stared at the tiny human being below with his vertical pupils.
He is old and looks like he has half his foot in the coffin.
At this age, he should have enjoyed his old age in Ribos, but now he took the risk to come to Aura. It is most likely that the senior management of Ribos considered that he had seen Red Emperor before, so he recruited him again.
"Aaron·Leviberg... I remember you."
Red Emperor's voice was as low as thunder, making the air buzz. "Last time, you wanted Aura's friendship. My condition was Advanced Spirit-Matter Crystal, but you failed to provide it."
Ribos The diplomat smiled bitterly, wrinkles piled up together.
"Your Majesty, thank you for your mercy and allowing me to return to Ribos alive. At that time, I thought that I would become another withered skeleton in front of the throne like many messengers who offended the dragon."
"Frankly speaking, I feel endless regret for that incident."
He raised his head and said with sincerity in his eyes, "If I could go back in time, I would try to convince my superiors no matter what, so that Your Majesty can get what you want."
In Aaron's resume, "meeting Red Emperor" is his greatest honor.
But in his heart, this was also the deepest thorn in his heart.
If Aura could be persuaded to get close to Ribos, even if he just remained neutral, maybe Ribos would not have suffered a disastrous defeat in the last war, would not have lost so many elites, and would not have put the kingdom in the current predicament.
Red Emperor No more small talk.
He lowered his eyes and stared at the diplomat, and asked bluntly, "This time you came secretly, Ribos... what is your purpose? Don't say that you want to form an alliance with us and fight Lothern together."
"If Ribos had the guts, you should have declared war directly on Lothern."
Aaron lowered his head and clasped his hands in front of him. "Your Majesty has learned from this."
"I am not here to engage in formal diplomatic negotiations or alliances on behalf of the Kingdom."
"Ribos is currently... not ready for a full-scale war with Lothern. Our army needs time to rebuild, the treasury needs time to replenish, and the people need time to recover from the trauma of the last war."
"I just brought some knowledgeable people in the kingdom to express their... goodwill and expectations for Aura."
"Good intentions?" Garos's voice showed no emotion.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The old diplomat took out a fist-sized crystal from his arms.
It is lavender in color, and there seems to be light running inside.
Aaron held it up with both hands respectfully, "There is some information... that may be helpful to you."
He paused and lowered his voice. "In addition... our kingdom's Secret Vault Institute accidentally lost the magic catalog recording the military formation during an internal reorganization not long ago. That military formation was once the pride of our Ribos."
As he said that, Aaron raised his head, with a trace of regret flashing in his eyes.
"We don't know where the lost array map will go. This is purely a regrettable storage error. If Aura learns of its whereabouts, we hope to inform us."
Almost as soon as he finished speaking, Iron Dragon's whisper sounded in Garos's heart.
"The so-called array map is already in our hands. It was abandoned in the Royal City Square this morning and was picked up by a patrolling guard. Because it was too unusual, it was reported to the public and has been sealed up now."
Garos listened quietly, with light shining in his eyes.
The military formation... The military formation obtained from Lothern has the restriction that it cannot be transmitted externally and cannot be used against Lothern, so it cannot be used in the subsequent war.
Now, Aura has a new choice.
Arguments like lost are just a perfunctory excuse that can no longer be perfunctory.
Ribos is obviously providing Aura with the tools of war they desperately need in this way, while maintaining a surface of neutrality and ignorance.
"What does Ribos want?"
Garos asked.
The diplomat shook his head quickly. "No, we have no demands." He paused and added, "Ribos just hopes to get Aura's friendship. This friendship is not cherished by Lothern, but we will treat each other seriously."
There was a brief silence in the hall, except for the long and heavy breathing of the dragon and the faint sound of wind in the distance.
After a long while, Red Emperor slowly spoke, "Human, you know how to deal with dragons better than when we last met."
"Ribos's gift, I accepted it, okay, you can go back."
He didn't make any promises, but he didn't refuse either.
On the opposite side, the diplomat secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that the purpose of this trip had been basically achieved, and accepting the gift was also an expression of attitude.
Aaron bowed deeply again, the hem of his robe touching the ground.
"May... your kingdom be as indestructible as your scales; may your enemies be like the fallen leaves of autumn, reduced to ashes in your wrath."
He said no more, maintained a respectful posture, and slowly backed away, taking every step steadily and steadily, until he exited the palace gate, then turned around and disappeared at the end of the corridor.
"This is a nice gift."
Iron Dragon Sorog walked out of the side hall and came to the center of Royal Court's main hall.
"Well, intelligence and military formations both have some effect."
Garos looked at the direction in which the diplomats were leaving and said slowly, "However, the real victory or defeat must ultimately be won by our own minions."
"The information on Ribos can be used as a reference, but cannot be relied upon."
"Their perspective has its own limitations, and their intelligence may be omitted or misleading."
"These are just the icing on the cake."
He stretched out his dragon claw, and the lavender crystal floated up and floated in front of his eyes.
Red Iron Dragon Closed his eyes slightly, his spiritual power penetrated into the crystal, and he sensed the massive information recorded in it.
Time passed by, and Sorog waited patiently. He knew that his blood relatives were carefully digesting the information.
About a quarter of an hour later, Red Iron Dragon opened his eyelids again, a look of thought flashing in his eyes.
As the saying goes, the people who know you best are often your enemies, not your friends.
Rybos Kingdom had two wars with Lothern. The understanding of Lothern is indeed far better than that of Aura, and the information they provided is also very detailed.
For example, regarding the weaknesses of Holy Spirit.
During the Second World War, the existence of Lothern Saint-Spirit caused Ribos to suffer a lot.
After the war, although Ribos was defeated, he was unwilling to do so.
They collected all the information from the war, studied and analyzed it over and over again, and finally integrated a series of weaknesses of Lothern Saint-Spirit.
In addition, there are detailed records of Lothern Legendary Realm.
Everyone knows Legendary Realm's fighting style, usual skills, possible magic items, personality traits, and responsibilities in the military... The information is so detailed that it seems as if Ribos's intelligence officers have gone deep into the top brass of Lothern.
Among all this, what Garos is most concerned about is the information about Crown-Rank Legendary.
Especially, the human Crown Rank named Soderian·Lothern.
"Time Crownbearer... the power of time..."
Red Iron Dragon whispered to himself, his expression becoming cautious.
Time is a nobler attribute than space.
From its birth to the present, Garos has never truly faced an enemy that possesses the power of time.
In the battle of Noldon Pass, the "Time Stop" of Ribos Transmuter is just in name. It is essentially an extreme acceleration of its own speed and does not involve the real mystery of time.
According to the information provided by Ribos, Soderian's abilities are completely different.
"In an instant, time is the barrier."
"When blocking, it can construct a time barrier that theoretically even Destiny Rank Legendary cannot break through, and reflect all damage. It sounds very strong, but I don't know if my claws can tear through the so-called wall of time."
"In an instant, time is the medium."
"After dodging, you can enter a certain timeout state and counterattack in a nearly static time flow. This is somewhat similar to Transmuter's Time Stop, but it is a real time skill."
"."
Ribos attaches great importance to this Time Crownbearer and provided a lot of information. Among them, the two points above are what Garos cares about the most.
That's not even summed up by the simple word "mechanism".
If there is no upper limit, it is almost a conceptual level skill, using time as a shield and time as a blade.
Moreover, Ribos also seriously mentioned that what Time Crownbearer showed may not be all.
Soderian has lived for more than four hundred years. As the guardian of Lothern, he has experienced many wars, but he rarely shows his full strength on the battlefield. He most likely has some hidden special skills that he will only use in the most critical times.
"Crown-Rank Legendary is already the top existence among the Legendary Realm, and has reached its limit in a certain aspect."
Garos is sorting out the knowledge in Dragon Inheritance in his mind.
"The path of the Legendary Realm is actually different from what most intelligent life forms think. It is not a simple ladder distribution... As long as the condition is good, the lifespan is sufficient, and there is no irreversible damage, in theory, every Crown Rank can become Destiny Rank."
"Similarly, as long as this prerequisite is met, every Destiny Rank can also achieve Immortal Realm."
The Crown Rank of Lothern, judging from his age, is basically hopeless Destiny Rank, and his physical condition may not be able to withstand several fierce battles.
A Crown-Rank Legendary with no future and no long life...
It sounds like a good thing for Aura, because the other party has no future and lacks the capital for long-term gaming.
But in reality, this means that it would be extremely dangerous to confront him head-on.
A Crown Rank who no longer cares about his own lifespan and can burn everything without reservation, how terrifying will his deathbed counterattack be?
What's more, Soderian is guarding Lothern, a kingdom that his family has inherited for thousands of years. The power of a decisive battle supported by this belief is immeasurable.
Moreover, Lothern also has a newly promoted Crown Rank.
Since it was broken through in the post-war development period, Ribos lacks detailed information on its Crown Rank skills, and there are only some records before Crown Rank.
The combination of these factors makes Garos feel a little bit troubled.
Strategically, you can despise the enemy, but tactically, you must pay attention to every detail.
It is extremely stupid to despise a Crown-Rank Legendary, especially a Crown Rank who has mastered such a high-level attribute as time.
But if I say I'm afraid... that's far from the truth.
Crown Rank?
Let's talk about my four major combat states, Eye of True Sight, Spell-Annihilating Claw, Fury Defies Death, Rebirth at Death's Door, Unyielding, Undying Life, Endless Recovery, Rapid Regeneration, Ever-Battling, Ever-Advancing... and these qualities and characteristics.
Knowing that Lothern has Crown Rank in charge, he still wants to ignite the flames of war.
This is a decision made after repeated weighing and careful consideration, rather than a spur of the moment decision.
You must know that on the road to the Legendary Realm, due to the differences in talents of the major races, the level is always only a rough reference.
Before Garos fell asleep, he had already surpassed the vast majority of humans Crown Rank in terms of destructiveness, strength, life intensity, etc.
At that time, he was even just the so-called "Junior Legendary Realm" in the hierarchy.
And now, he is "Advanced Legendary Realm".
"Synchronize the information of Lothern Legendary Realm to all our Legendary Realm and senior leaders."
Garos handed the crystal to Iron Dragon and asked at the same time, "How are the various legions gathering?"
Sorog's eyes were burning and he said, "The soldiers of Aura have been silent for too long and can't wait any longer. Their morale is high and they are eager to win glory on the battlefield and prove their worth with the blood of the enemy."
Garos nodded slowly. "In that case, let me first tell you what you think and how you plan to fight this time."
Hearing this, Iron Dragon fell into deep thought.
He took a few steps and then slowly spoke:
"After the Lain Kingdom was torn apart, there were many lords scattered on the plateau who occupied the area and became kings. Among them were many Legendary Realm strong ones. Their strength was uneven, but they occupied a favorable location and were familiar with the terrain."
"Moreover, that area has a high altitude, violent terrain undulations, canyons and dangerous peaks, making it difficult to march."
"If a large-scale legion wants to pass through, it must choose a limited number of passages, otherwise the troops will be scattered and easily defeated by each one. If Lothern wants to cross Lain Plateau, unless it is willing to take a long detour, it will inevitably have to go through some twists and turns and pay a high price for it."
Garos looked at Iron Dragon: "Do you want to wait for Lothern to cross the plateau and then start a war with them in Theo's territory?"
"Waiting for work is indeed a choice."
Sorog shook his head, "If you are fighting other kingdoms, this would be a good idea. It can consume part of Lothern's strength and weaken its spirit."
"However, Lothern has a war machine named "Earth-Control Device"."
His tone became serious. "Every time they occupy an important place, Lothern can use this machine to transform the terrain of the camp step by step, turning it into a state suitable for our own army's operations. If we let them cross Lain Plateau and enter Theo's territory, it will only give them time and space to arrange the battlefield."
Iron Dragon turned around, faced Garos, and said seriously, "I suggest sending the legion to take the initiative and go directly to Lain Plateau."
"Treat this land of the Old Kingdom as our main battlefield with Lothern, and confront them head-on."
"Our soldiers are all good at frontal combat."
"Charging in positions and fighting head-on, this is the advantage of the Aura army."
In terms of war system, Lothern Kingdom is indeed more complete than Aura.
They have a thousand-year heritage, a profound heritage, possess a large number of war machines, and are proficient in various complex tactics.
When it comes to commanding war, Sorog considers himself to be good enough, but he also knows that the enemy this time cannot be underestimated.
The war with Lothern must not be complicated.
The more complex the battle situation, the more room Lothern's war system and those strange war machines have to play. On the contrary, the more simple and direct the war situation, the harder it is for Lothern's tactical advantages to be realized.
For example, a direct frontal attack.
Force Lothern to give up those exquisite tactical arrangements, compete with Aura on the same plane, and drag them into the fighting style that Aura is good at.
Fight strength with strength, will with will, exchange blood with blood.
"Furthermore, this is probably the way Lothern hopes to fight."
Iron Dragon's eyes flashed with Psionic Energy light, his mind was like lightning, and he spoke faster, "If they want to establish New Federation, they must fully demonstrate their power on the battlefield and let other kingdoms feel their absolute strength."
"One victory in which a powerful enemy is defeated head-on is more convincing than ten battles won by trickery."
"Detours, tricks, attrition... This kind of war is not suitable for them to establish their prestige. What Lothern needs is the image of the "King's Division", an upright formation, which crushes all resistance with strength. This is in line with their expectations. The people of the Millennium Kingdom are eager to see their army prove their invincibility again."
Just like when Aura faced Noldon Pass, there were obviously other options, but in the end they still adopted a frontal attack.
That battle directly defeated Theo's will to resist and brought Aura–Theo War to an end quickly. Sometimes, the most direct method is the most effective.
"Well, you've thought it through very well."
Garos said, "But, there is another possibility."
"There is a way for Lothern to end the war at the minimum cost, even without losing any blood."
Aura Kingdom is a beast built entirely around Red Emperor.
This is the consensus of all Romanian States.
Therefore, as long as Red Emperor can be decapitated, the entire Aura Kingdom will fall apart immediately, destroying itself without attack. There is a high probability that the Legendary Realm units under its command will flee in all directions, unable to unite together, and will no longer be able to pose a threat to Lothern.
If other kingdoms were enemies of Aura, it would be difficult to implement this idea.
Beheading Red Emperor, is this easier said than done?
Some people have tried it, but the result is not very good.
But Lothern is different.
They own Crown-Rank Legendary, have accumulated heritage for thousands of years, and possess all kinds of incredible magical creations.
The beheading tactic is not a fantasy for them.
"I believe that they must have considered beheading me and are ready to put it into practice at any time."
Red Iron Dragon stood up slowly. In his originally calm eyes, the edge burst out like substance, and the air in the hall seemed to solidify. "And I am also ready to welcome them and crush them."
"Oh, let their Crown-Rank Legendary come to me with their pride and heritage."
"I will let them understand why dragons could rule the sky and the earth in ancient times; why even though humans have established kingdoms and built cities, the fear of dragon wings still remains deep in their hearts."
New Calendar 417, June.
The war horn sounded in both countries at the same time.
Lothern and Aura, two huge war machines began to operate at full speed.
The legions poured out of their respective territories like a torrent of steel, rushing towards the area known as Lain Plateau. The dust raised by the cavalry covered the sky, and the Magic Power fluctuations of the mage regiment intertwined into ripples visible to the naked eye in the sky.
Along the way, the various lords entrenched in Lain Plateau made different choices.
Some resisted stubbornly, trying to resist this unstoppable torrent in their own castles, and were eventually reduced to ruins under the bombardment of dragon breath or siege equipment; some retreated wisely, taking their belongings and cronies to more remote areas to wait for the war to end; others tried to maneuver between the two major forces, but in the end they were often regarded as obstacles by both sides and were quickly eliminated.
The armies of the two countries marched in with unstoppable momentum and stationed troops at Lain Plateau.