The Dragon Tribe had always been an important presence on the continent. If the history of the continent was described with a musical score, the appearance of the Dragon Tribe was like the end of a musical note.
Their strength was decisive, and their arrival often meant the end.
But at the same time, it also meant that the number of Dragon Tribe members decreased sharply.
When Evelyn led Augustine to the center of the vast Dragon Territory and flew toward the stone chamber above, Augustine let out a sigh of admiration.
"Countless secrets that could change the structure of the world are lying here quietly. Is this a blessing or a curse?"
He didn't look at the cryptic words around him for too long, but that didn't mean that he didn't understand what they meant. On the contrary, compared to Evelyn, although it was only Augustine's second time seeing these things, he understood the significance of these things better than the Red Dragon chief.
The epic scene flashed past Augustine. His clothes fluttered gently as he flew upward without the support of any elements. This was something that ordinary Mages couldn't do. No one knew what kind of power he had mastered, or … what realm he had reached.
…
"At this time, I don't seem to have much of a choice."
The fact that Evelyn received the undead in the most central stone room of the dragon race was something that many historians could never imagine or verify. Who could imagine that the last force that protected the order of the continent would sit at the same table and talk to the enemy when they were facing a great enemy?
The Abyss and the Undead were the greatest foes that the Roslorian continent was about to face. From any perspective, they should be exterminated as soon as possible, but no one could have imagined that Shavi the High Priestess had already rebelled before the Undead forces could launch their full assault. And the final and most powerful person in the Undead Parliament was smiling peacefully as she discussed the war situation with the red dragon clan leader.
"You don't have to be happy every time I come. I don't want you to age a few hundred years, Evelyn."
"You don't have to call me so intimately. I'm still me. Thousands of years have passed, and I won't change."
Evelyn's long robe fluttered, and an unimaginable scene appeared in front of them. Originally, there was only a neat stone floor, but in the next moment, a huge holographic map of the continent appeared.
Light flickered, but it was emitted from a magical formation on the ground that was difficult to find. This ancient magical formation displayed the entire continent's situation at all times. From here, one could even see the waves crashing along the coast, the city gates of the Empire of Saint Reims that had just reopened, and Oditore's soldiers cleaning up the battlefield … and so on.
It was completely different from the map that Creston had displayed in his territory. The map here was almost completely synchronized with the world.
The scene displayed by this magic array was even comparable to the satellite maps that he had come into contact with before. The world seemed incomparably vast, yet insignificant in the eyes of the top-tier powerhouses.
"The existence of the sacred artefact has caused Leoric to put in a lot of effort. However, it should not have caused you any problems."
"He's always been a problem. Not causing any trouble is already his limit."
Evelyn didn't have a good attitude towards Augustine. This red dragon chieftain didn't seem to be someone worthy of special respect in the eyes of the undead in front of her. Instead, it was more like a meaningful conversation between equals. Evelyn's expression was also cold and not warm at all.
"There aren't that many troubles. Usually, it's self-inflicted."
Augustine stretched out his hand, and the magic array in Evelyn's hand suddenly changed. The scenery was magnified under the delicate control of magic power, and the huge holographic sand table in front of them quickly focused on an inconspicuous location on the map.
This was the location between the northern territory of the Empire of Saint Reims and the territory of Victoria Count. A black army was advancing rapidly from the center towards the forest where the Elven Empire was located, completely ignoring the human armies and castles that were right in front of them.
The scene changed once again, and stopped in front of the teleportation portal at the northernmost part of the continent that was connected to the Abyss Plane. An endless stream of troops continued to pour out of the portal, seemingly endless. The black army had covered almost all of the land nearby, and a large part of the forest had been cut down, exposing the barren land. These huge tree trunks became the raw materials for the army's logistics department and engineers to build siege weapons.
The army of the Eastern Continent's monarch and King of the Black Dragons, Credir, was here. However, it seemed that he had no intention of attacking immediately, and was biding his time.
As they moved towards the south, the army of the Abyss appeared in front of them, constantly attacking the Wall of Solanmea. The combat power of His Majesty Cate's army was extremely weak, or perhaps they did not have the ability to take down the Wall of Solanmea that looked like an endless mountain.
There were countless marks on the city wall, but none of the city walls had collapsed. No matter how the enemy's construction equipment attacked, there would always be a magic shield that would deflect the most powerful stones. The huge city wall had become a place where countless corpses of soldiers were lying on the ground, even piling up into a mountain of corpses.
Flames danced, and black smoke curled up, dyeing the sky black …
"Isn't this troublesome?"
Evelyn raised her head, and her colorful eyes stared at the figure who was staring at the map.
"As long as he doesn't move, it doesn't seem like there's anything worth worrying about."
Augustine pointed at the army of the Abyss that had amassed more than a million soldiers. They were quietly lying in wait in a corner of the map, waiting for an opportunity to spy on the entire continent.
"Don't mention him to me all the time."
Evelyn's gaze moved slightly, and her inadvertent sigh showed her helplessness.
"This is inevitable, just like the fall of Nairíos."
Augustine sniffed lightly, as if he was tasting the smell in the air. "His dragon crystal is showing a sense of weakness here, but I've already met him once. He's doing well now."
"Doing well?"
Evelyn could not figure out what kind of evaluation this was. She could no longer judge how far Nairíos had gone on this path.
"Better than you think, isn't it?"
Augustine smiled faintly. That indescribable temperament of his always gave off a feeling that he was neither human nor human. It was as if his existence always went against common sense. This kind of person had a feeling that was almost "perfect" in every aspect. His words and deeds, his behavior, his appearance, and his strength, although not everyone would necessarily agree with him, they would not immediately feel disgusted by him. This was already an indescribable miracle.
"I hope so, but I'm not optimistic."
"It doesn't matter if you're optimistic or not. After so many years, do you still judge with your emotions?"
Augustine's eyebrows knitted together in a strange manner, and then he continued, "Carolina?"
"Yes?"
Evelyn, who was a little lost in thought, raised her head, and then lowered it again. "Lainey is still the same. I have no choice."
"Praise the great motherly love. That's all I can say."
Augustine made a face and shrugged his shoulders like a good friend who was trying to amuse his friend. "You are the only old guy left in the Dragon Clan. I really admire you for being able to maintain this kind of emotion that only mortals can have after so many years. Otherwise, you would have taken this step a thousand years ago."
"I don't want to."
Evelyn only gave these three words as her figure blurred for a moment in front of the shining map.
* * *
Attila looked up at the crescent moon, and the moonlight was dim.
The soldiers who were marching around them gradually stopped. The order to stop marching had been issued, and at this moment, they had entered a pitch-black forest. The river that they had just crossed was not wide, and the water was clear and quiet. When the soldiers passed by this place, they did not seem to be as noisy as usual, and their movements seemed to be a little gentler.
The border between the Elven Empire and the Empire of Saint Reims was right above this river.
This scene was rather strange to the abyssal soldiers. Just a moment ago, it had been a boundless plain, but after crossing the river, everything became pitch-black. The tall trees and forests blocked out the existence of any moonlight.
Torches were restricted, but the well-trained soldiers under the guidance of sensitive scouts were able to safely walk into the depths of the forest for a distance before stopping.
It had been more than a week since Attila parted ways with the lord in the dwarven territory, and even now, the leader still doubted whether what he did was right.
But having a choice was much better than waiting for his own kind to die. Every night, Attila would look up at the moon on this unfamiliar continent and ponder for a long time. The conflicting thoughts in his mind never stopped. After not sleeping for many days, he had dark circles under his eyes like Emperor Sakamento, and his back view with his hands behind his back had become the scene that the soldiers most often saw. After so many days, even the soldiers in the Guards Camp were secretly worried that Attila would go crazy because of this continuous depression …
"Why am I doing this?"
Attila looked down at the map in his hand. There were only a few areas marked out in the Abyssal language, and most of the areas were blank. There was not even a single person in the team who had a complete map. For the Abyssal Race, these military maps required a certain level of authority, and Attila did not even have the simplest complete map for this trip. He only had a map that his own scouts had scouted out, and it was enough to imagine what kind of path his superior, Cridier, had chosen for him.