Planet of Dusk, the ruins of an ancient city in the southern territory.
The allied forces of various tribes gathered here: the Blue Shield Knights of the Veyn Kingdom, the 5,000 barbarian berserkers of the Warhowl Barbarians, the 1,000 alchemical bombardiers of the Geomancer Tribe, the 500 beastmen of the Children of Listening, and a miscellaneous army from the southern city-states and duchies, totaling 15,000 men, stationed on the green fields outside the ruins of the ancient city, their colorful flags fluttering in the cold south wind.
There were no clouds in the sky; the sky here had the color of dusk, which dyed everything a deep, somber hue. The sun, hanging high in the sky, appeared very small and extremely far away from this planet.
In the commanders' council tent, commanders from various armies gathered and engaged in heated discussions. Only one tall man with light blue skin remained silent. He was Rex, the commander of the Blue Shield Knights, a war hero of the Veyn Kingdom. He rose from a commoner to become the commander of the elite army of the largest kingdom on Planet of Dusk, and his deeds were praised by the people of Planet of Dusk.
When everyone had finished speaking, Rex finally spoke in a deep voice. The leaders of the other tribes present respected him greatly and stopped arguing to listen to him.
"Rezar and his followers are currently hiding underground in the ruins, preparing a ritual to Source Water. We have about six hours (approximately two and a half hours) left. Sleeping within the ruins are nearly eight hundred high-level magical golems he spent twenty years creating. He has set up an intricate sealing array; only by destroying all the golems will the passage to the ritual altar open. This means we must break through the golems' blockade within a short time, find their location, and stop the ritual. Otherwise, the Source Water of most of the southern territory will lose its vitality, and hundreds of thousands will perish!"
"Reconnaissance reports that each golem is over seven meters tall, extremely hard, and blessed by prayer. Even a steel sword struck by it will chip, only leaving a white mark... This intelligence cost us six elite soldiers, and Rezar's cult still has a hundred [Corruptors] who can corrode our weapons and bodies. Even the most elite warriors cannot withstand the corrosive spell. The situation is too dire. It will be difficult for our 15,000 men to break through in a short time. Alas, Rezar has been secretly preparing for twenty years. If we had discovered his plot ten days earlier... no, even three days earlier, we wouldn't be in such a passive position. Now we can only urgently assemble this small force," a commander sighed.
Rex said in a deep voice, "This concerns the purity of the Source Water and the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. We cannot fail. The Kingdom Protection Mage Group has contacted the Ascended Ones of the Upper Realm, who have hired warriors from the Upper Realm to help us in this battle..."
Having said that, Rex glanced at the corner of the tent, where a human dressed in a red, technologically advanced combat suit sat, a stark contrast to the group clad in armor. He stood up and said, "I am Linge, the Red Horn Mercenary Group. Your people have paid the reward, and we will do our best to help you."
"Commander Linge, are you confident?" Rex asked.
Linge shook his head and said with a wry smile, "To be honest, the situation here is much worse than what we were told when we accepted the mission. Our capabilities are limited, and we can't handle this level of mission. The specific situation has been reported to the employer, and the second batch of reinforcements is on their way. If they move quickly, they should be able to arrive within two hours."
Rex's face darkened, and he frowned slightly. "Time is of the essence. Are the reinforcements reliable?"
"Don't worry, the second batch of mercenary reinforcements is much more capable than us. As long as they arrive in time, resolving this incident will be a piece of cake. Their base is in this star system, and if it weren't for that, they wouldn't normally bother with such minor incidents."
"I hope so..."
Rex looked worried, Linge seemed very confident.
Planet of Dusk is located in the Garton Star System, within the jurisdiction of Goddora. This planet is far from its star, so even during the day it is like dusk, hence its name. There is no moon at night, only pitch black. There are no seasons here, and every day is cold. Logically, this should be a frozen planet incapable of supporting conventional life. However, life originates from the crisscrossing rivers on the surface and underground. The natural water of Planet of Dusk contains magical energy and possesses warming properties, melting away the planet's cold and nurturing plants and other life forms. This Source Water Source Water " by the races of Planet of Dusk, and it is the most important resource for the entire planet.
The civilization of Planet of Dusk is built upon the Source Water. Historically, national changes and wars have largely revolved around this Source Water. Living beings have long consumed Source Water, resulting in robust physiques. The predominant race consists of the pale blue-skinned Veyn, and the ancient Veyn Kingdom is the most powerful nation on the planet. The existence of the Source Water dictates that Planet of Dusk is a magic-based civilization. Technological development is slow and stable, emphasizing the individual, and its social structure exhibits distinct characteristics of a magical civilization; for example, those who can freely manipulate magic enjoy high social status.
Although this is a surface civilization, it shares a magical orientation with Goddora, sharing a high affinity and some connection with interstellar space. Once a powerful individual reaches a certain level of strength, they can request Goddora's assistance to enter the "upper realm"—that is, interstellar space. Such powerful individuals are called Ascended Ones. Historically, there have been hundreds of Ascended Ones. Some have disappeared without a trace, while others occasionally return, leaving behind communicators. These communicators are the "sacred objects" Kingdom Protection Mage Group, used to contact the Ascended Ones.
Not long ago, the Veyn Kingdom discovered the conspiracy of the infamous "Pollution Mage" Rezar. He wanted to use some kind of large-scale magical ritual to extract the Source Water of most of the southern territory, thereby gaining unparalleled magical power for himself. Normally, the magical power of Source Water is enduring and will recover naturally even if it is depleted. However, this ritual would plunder all the magical power of the Source Water in an area, and the Source Water that has lost all its magical power will take at least hundreds of years to slowly recover. The concentration of Source Water Magic throughout the planet would be diluted as a result, causing the planet's temperature to drop. Even if the Source Water could circulate, it would still take time. Without the blessing, this area would be covered in frost within a month, becoming a dead land, causing hundreds of thousands of people to become homeless or even die. In the "ancient times" a thousand years ago, someone performed the same ritual, which is the cause of the northern wasteland of Planet of Dusk, which has not yet fully thawed. At that time, all the tribes united, killed the culprit in a fierce war, and destroyed the knowledge of this ritual. However, a thousand years later, this ritual has reappeared.
Therefore, the Veyn Kingdom urgently summoned its troops, contacted other kingdoms, formed an alliance, and headed straight for the location of the ceremony in Rezar to prevent the Planet of Dusk from repeating the same mistake. Moreover, the soil in the south is fertile, and if it is also frozen, it will greatly reduce food production, and tens of thousands more people will starve to death.
Linge's Red Horn Mercenary Group accepted the job of the Ascended of Planet of Dusk and came here a few days ago to solve the problem. However, the number of puppets exceeded expectations, so they had to request outside help. To their surprise, an unexpectedly powerful mercenary group was willing to help.
This mercenary group is a well-regarded and powerful force in the industry. People like Redhorn, who are on the fringes of the mercenary world, usually have no chance to interact with such big shots. Now Linge is relieved—with them here, this mission is a sure thing.
Time was of the essence, Rex could not delay any longer. He issued the order for the allied tribal forces to break camp and march out.
Rumble--
Footsteps and the Beast Hoof merged into a rolling torrent, and the dark army moved, quickly approaching the ruins of the ancient city. From a distance, one could see the densely packed, dark blue magical colossi in the ruins. They had four arms, held giant axes, and shimmered with magical luster. Their texture was like rock and metal at the same time, and just one look at them made them seem unshakeable.
"Blue Shield Knights, launch a flanking charge!"
Rex pulled down his armor, squeezed his legs together, and his mount, a creature called the Beast of the Raging Horse with a snake's neck and a horse's body, its four legs bent backwards, roared and charged forward. Three thousand Blue Shield Knights followed closely behind, each knight's eyes filled with fearlessness as they faced the magical colossus that was three times their height.
The golems, under human control, quickly formed a formation and crashed into the charging knights!
Bang bang bang bang!!
Men and beasts fell, sparks flew, and the scene instantly descended into chaos. Other tribes joined the battle, swords and claws clanging against the golems, their roars louder than alchemical bombs!
Berserkers and knights held the line, as warriors were smashed to pieces by the golem's immense power, screaming in agony. Meanwhile, the enemy's [Corruptor] hid behind the golem, casting Corruption spells on the warriors.
Only by destroying all the golems can the sealing magic circle be broken. It takes human lives to fight the golems head-on, and it often costs thirteen to eighteen elite warriors to destroy a single golem. Even with the Red Horn Mercenary Group using firearms and abilities to help, the speed at which they kill the golems is not fast enough.
The number of golems was more than the expected eight hundred; it was practically a wall of despair.
The crimson light gradually spread across the green plains, and the twilight sky bore witness to this bloody battle.
"Keep charging! Don't stop!"
Rex's knightly order had already lost a quarter of its men and killed the most golems. With a resolute expression, he circled around the battlefield and charged back in.
A spear pierced the golem's leg, the tip, imbued with explosive enchantment, exploding and shattering a small piece of the golem's body. A single golem could rout an army of hundreds of ordinary people. The Blue Shield Knights were the elite force of the Veyn Kingdom, each knight a warrior possessing magical power far exceeding that of ordinary humans. Such heavy losses had severely weakened them.
Meanwhile, in a man-made excavation space beneath the ruins of the ancient city, there is a huge altar with a strange shape. Countless believers dressed in black are praying in hushed tones, pouring their magic into the altar's magic circle.
In the center of the altar stood an elderly Veyn dressed in a magnificent crimson robe; this was Rezar. Floating beside him was a mirror with a gold frame, imbued with the [Clairvoyance] spell, its surface displaying the war overhead from a bird's-eye view.
"These fools, they really fell for your scheme. Those golems were specifically designed to wear them down. We've hidden a magic circle underground in the plains, channeling blood here. Only with enough blood as fuel can the ritual be activated. Heh heh, you've bound the sealing magic circle to the golems—a brilliant idea! You've forced them to fight the golems head-on."
A senior cult member spoke obsequiously below the altar.
Rezar nodded and asked calmly, "How much more blood is needed?"
"Fight for another hour, and we'll have enough fuel to activate the altar. You will become the Dominion of magic, the strongest mage in history!" The high cultist exclaimed with fanaticism.
"The strongest, heh..." Rezar glanced at him with a pathetic look, shook his head, and muttered to himself, "Twenty years of preparation, finally about to succeed. I've been stuck at this level for so many years; this is the limit of my talent. As long as I cross this step, I can go to the Upper Realm..."
The ground battle lasted for almost an hour. In order to save time, the army almost abandoned defense. Under their frenzied attack, half of the golems were destroyed and all the enemy corrupted were killed. However, the warriors also suffered heavy casualties, with blood flowing like a river. The remaining people were exhausted, and the casualties soared at an alarming rate.
"Hold on! At this rate, we can stop the ceremony in time!" Rex shouted, Inspiration morale.
At that moment, he felt a chill on his head as a golem approached and brought its giant axe down.
Boom!
Rex rushed out and cleaved the beast in two with an axe. The axe blade embedded itself in the ground, and the beast's blood and entrails spilled all over the ground. Had he not dodged, he would have suffered the same fate.
Before he could even feel the shock, the colossus strode over, axe in hand, its shadow looming over Rex's head as it raised the axe high.
Rex felt a sharp pain in his leg; he had just been swept away. He was covered in sweat and tried his best to stand up.
At the critical moment, he suddenly noticed that the shadow beneath his feet seemed to have expanded, followed by an increasingly loud shriek.
Bang!!
An alloy rail-dropped pod crashed down, landing right next to the golem, the shockwave sending both the golem and Rex flying.
Thump thump thump...
Then came a series of landing sounds, as several identical airdrop pods landed one after another around the area.
laugh--
The hatch opened, and a group of warriors clad in heavy steel armor filed out. Leading them was a human man in a black trench coat, adorned with many spherical ornaments, who looked around curiously.
"Could these people be new reinforcements from the upper realm?" Even with his calm demeanor, Rex's eyes couldn't help but gleam with surprise.
Just then, the golem rushed towards the human man, its axe slamming down. Rex instinctively wanted to shout a warning, but the next scene made him swallow his words.
The man simply raised his hand, his wrist slightly sinking, and easily grasped the axe powerful enough to split a galloping beast in two. He raised an eyebrow.
"Wow, this planet really welcomes its guests... We've arrived just in time, everyone get moving, let's get to work."
Linge, who was working hard, looked over and immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
"They've finally arrived, the Black Star Mercenary Group."