"You should take it easy, old man. That Topaz Dragon is not easy to deal with. It was able to fight to a draw with a combined Tier Nine Dark Elf and a Tier Nine Basilisk. Its strength is among the top tier even among Ninth-Rank Transcendent."
Logo smiled and reminded him.
Upon hearing this, the old count snorted coldly in dissatisfaction, and with a wave of his hand, a heavy scythe nearly three meters long appeared in his hand. The dark scythe gleamed with a blood-red luster, and the blade was gleaming, radiating streaks of cold light.
This is a Legend Transcendent -star weapon, passed down through generations of the Herbert Family, stained with the blood of countless enemies.
"Boy, don't underestimate me. Back in the day, when I had just broken through to the Tier Nine, I fought two against one, against two Tier Nine Dawn Knights of the Dawn Empire. I killed one and severely injured the other, and my fame shook the borderlands. What's more, now?"
"Once the war breaks out, I'll show you what a true Slaughter Knight is!"
"Then you'd better work hard, lest Melier snatch the lead from you," Logo teased.
"He's just showing off his equipment, what's so great about that?" The old count snorted again, but his gaze involuntarily swept over Melier's luxurious attire.
Looking at myself, I only have a three-star Legend war scythe, which is the common property of the entire family.
It's all so heartbreaking to think about.
"If it weren't for the loss of the clan's heirloom, I wouldn't be in such a shabby state..." The old count gritted his teeth inwardly.
The Red Maple Clan has certainly produced Legendary powerhouses, and more than one at that.
However, during the pursuit by the Dawn Empire, all these treasures were lost by the powerful members of the clan who had stayed behind to cover the retreat, and fell into the hands of the Dawn Empire.
As a result, the dignified Count of Red Maple didn't even have a single four-star piece of equipment.
Of course, the Legend three-star war scythe, in the hands of the old count, is far more powerful than ordinary and fine Legendary equipment.
Ultimately, equipment only assists Transcendent in combat and cannot play a decisive role.
After exchanging a few words with the old count, Logo then struck up a conversation with the other two.
One of them is the strongest member of the Carven Family, Reynard Carven, a fiery and Slaughter Knight with a lion's mane and an unkempt appearance, yet his strength has reached the peak of the Tier Eight, only one step away from the Tier Nine.
The other person was Tai'erman from the Inferno Minotaurs Yigeng Tribe, also a Ninth-Rank Transcendent Lifeform. He was tall, strong, and robust, with two skulls hanging from his thick bull horns. His aura was as fierce as a general who had just returned from the battlefield.
Tai'erman was not an accomplice hired by Logo; he was the head of the East Space Detection Tower.
To prevent enemies from launching surprise attacks using spatial means, the Sunset Lord acquired four Space Detection Tower from the Planet Guta, which are distributed in the four corners of the territory, with each of the four chief stewards in charge of one tower.
Luomu Aegon's Inferno Minotaurs clan, responsible for the Space Detection Tower on the eastern side of the jungle, was in charge of this task.
The moment the Underdark was discovered by the Golden Viper, subtle spatial fluctuations were detected. The Space Detection Tower immediately picked up on these fluctuations, and then Tai'erman and his men arrived, just in time to run into Logo.
According to the rules of Sunset Territory, in other dimensions like the Underdark, whoever discovers it first always holds sovereignty over it.
Furthermore, with the Inferno Minotaurs in a honeymoon period with the three major clans, Tai'erman made no obstacles and expedited the process, quickly establishing the Campbell Family's ownership of this Underdark in both form and procedure.
Logo, of course, reciprocated without hesitation, directly gifting 200 Heavenly Eye Mecha to Tai'erman.
Both sides were delighted, and their relationship became even more harmonious.
Tai'erman's presence here is ostensibly for oversight, but in reality, he's there to keep the Campbell Family in check.
This is clearly a message to any forces that might have designs on the Underdark: sovereignty over this place belongs to the Campbell Family, and we Tauren fully support it. If you want to take action, think twice before you decide whether you're qualified.
Two hours passed in the blink of an eye.
With a rumbling tremor, the armies of the three major families arrived.
Hunting Hawk soared through the sky, followed closely by seven hundred hovercraft of various types, blotting out the sun.
On the ground, a steel torrent of various vehicles moved forward, with thousands of automated weapons being pulled by vehicles, including anti-aircraft guns, howitzers, cannons, multiple-barreled machine guns, and honeycomb rockets.
Advanced equipment such as laser cannons and particle beam weapons are included in the third batch.
At the very back were the knights riding Two-Winged Pegasus, their steps perfectly synchronized and their presence magnificent.
In addition, there were ferocious Blood Hound weaving through the group. These guys seemed to have also sensed the impending war, becoming frenzied and excited.
The private armies of the three families arrived at the mine and stopped. They were divided into three distinct regiments, and the differences between them were immediately apparent.
The Campbell Family's private army surpasses the private armies of the other two families in terms of numbers, individual soldier quality, equipment, and morale.
They clearly had the upper hand in terms of momentum.
Nothing special, it was won by throwing money at it.
For the same soldier, the Campbell Family invested more than three times the amount of Ta Pound compared to the other two families; it would be strange if they weren't stronger.
"It's good to be rich!" Reynard said sourly, staring longingly at the Campbell Family's army.
Logo smiled faintly and said nothing.
Dressed in full military attire, Lavier rode his mount, a Four-Winged Pegasus with pure golden fur. This was a superior breed born after the bloodline concentration of the Two-Winged Pegasus was high enough.
"Reporting to Your Excellency, all troops have assembled and are awaiting your next instructions!"
Since the Campbell Family was the main force behind this expansion into the Underdark, Logo was the de facto supreme leader, and the old Earl was merely there to assist him.
Logo nodded and instructed, "Yes, this time you will be in charge of all three families' armies. Don't show favoritism. Our Campbell Family's soldiers should go first on dangerous missions, understand?"
"Yes, sir!" Lavier saluted.
"Recite your battle plan," Logo gestured.
He had heard Lavier's battle plan many times, but the old count and Reynard were not very familiar with it, so Logo asked Lavier to explain it again in front of the two of them to avoid any problems later.
Lavier cleared his throat, reached out and pressed a button on his temple. Instantly, a Void shot out from a mechanical device on his left forehead.
The projection displayed a map of Underdark.
The old count, along with Reynard Tai'erman, gathered around.
Lavier glanced at them, then pointed to the map and said, "Please take a look, everyone."
"The discovered Underdark is oval-shaped, with an average length-to-width ratio of about 2.7, and its total area is roughly equivalent to three Campbell Family territories."
This long and narrow terrain is ideal for infiltration, employing tactics of encirclement and severing the enemy's connections between different parts, then eliminating them one by one.
"According to intelligence, the Underdark is divided into three factions: the Topaz Dragon, the Dark Elf, and the Basilisk."
"Dark Elf and Basilisk are native species, while Topaz Dragon is an outsider. They each command large numbers of monster clans or their followers."
"Topaz Dragon's retinue includes White-Plumed Griffin, Dragonblood Monitor Lizard, a stone monster, a dog-headed man, a troll, a black-scaled fish-man, and a human-faced giant scorpion, among others."
The Basilisk have no kin, are powerful individuals, and are numerous. They have a group of about two thousand War Lizard People as allies, and the relationship between the two sides is relatively equal.
The Dark Elf have the largest number of minions, including known Dog Demon, trolls, soul-sucking monsters, goblins, Nightmares Beast, Manticore, stone monsters, dire eagles, rotting flies, and cave spiders.
"The strongest members of all three forces are at the Tier Nine, with Topaz Dragon possessing the greatest individual combat strength, capable of taking on two opponents at once."
"However, Topaz Dragon's subordinates were few in number, and although they were of relatively high quality, their overall combat strength was insufficient. After attempting to invade, they were repelled by the Dark Elf and the Basilisk."
They are currently holed up in an area at the very top, firmly protecting the entrance to another Underdark, seemingly awaiting reinforcements.
"The entrance to the Underdark that we occupy is approximately ninety kilometers from Topaz Dragon's location."
"Based on His Excellency the Earl's strategic policy of annihilating the enemy, the primary task of my operational plan is to prevent Topaz Dragon from escaping."
"Therefore, I have decided to have Melier and His Excellency Reynard lead 1,500 Heavenly Eye Special Forces soldiers and two Mage towers to form a vanguard assault team, marching 90 kilometers straight to Topaz Dragon's lair. After blocking this entrance, they will use the two Mage towers to build a defensive line on the spot and hold out for reinforcements."
"I will lead the remaining troops, dividing them into three groups from bottom to top, attacking from both sides with the vanguard assault team. We have an absolute advantage in firepower; we can simply push through..."
"That concludes my battle plan."
After Lavier finished speaking, he stood at attention and saluted.
Logo smiled and turned to the old count and Reynard: "Do you two have any opinions on this battle plan?"
"No." Reynard shook his head.
"Let's proceed with this plan, but if Melier joins the Vanguard Assault Team, what about your safety..." the old count hesitated.
"Don't worry, I've never felt so safe," Logo said meaningfully.
Seeing this, the old count raised an eyebrow. What mischief was this kid up to now?
After pondering for a moment without reaching a conclusion, the old count stopped thinking about it and said, "Since you have a plan, then let's do it this way."
"Alright, then let the war begin!" Logo smiled faintly.
So he turned around and followed the already repaired downhill path to the entrance to the Underdark, with the old count and his companion close behind.
It was a huge, dark void. Looking into it from the outside, it was pitch black, so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. There was no air coming out, making it seem eerie and quiet.
After exchanging a glance, Logo took the lead and stepped inside.
After passing through a long, dark tunnel, light came into view again.
These lights, appearing from nowhere, were a stark white, devoid of any temperature—neither scorching nor freezing—and seemed to serve only one purpose: to illuminate.
Logo looked up at the sky, but above the Underdark was not the earthen dome he had imagined, but a gray, cloud-like, cotton-like thing.
Turning my gaze back to the front, I saw clumps of lush, towering plants growing at an astonishing pace. However, these plants did not bring the usual sense of nature and freshness; instead, they filled the air with a deathly stillness, and the surrounding air seemed to have almost stopped circulating.
"The Underdark..." Logo murmured to himself.
His arms were outstretched, as if embracing something.
As he moved, warriors clad in black mechs surged forth, followed by Hunting Hawk, Blood Hound, aircraft, and fully armed soldiers...
The scene, resembling a scene of war and natural disaster, contrasts with the somber and quiet style of the Underdark, weaving together a contradictory picture that is both tranquil and full of a sense of Destruction.
War broke out!