Elder Valenz raised his head and looked at the towering snow-capped mountain. His face was expressionless as he poked the ground with his wooden staff, pressing the fallen leaves on the ground into the soil. His broken arm did not seem to stand out, but the old troll looked even more spirited than before. He looked curiously at the forest in the distance. It was quiet and there was nothing there.
"Looks like they're all here."
…
Ever since magic was discovered and used in wars, the knowledge of using magic as a strategic weapon had been studied by countless generations. However, until today, no one could completely pat their chest and say that they had discovered the ultimate meaning of magic.
But in the continuous evolution, there was always a small group of people who stood at the top of the masses. Not only were they famous, but many of them had never gained any reputation on the continent.
Of course, the circle was not big. There were only ten people, not too many or too few. There were no maverick freaks, but strictly speaking, it did not diminish the meaning of the word "freak". This group of people did not fight, or perhaps they had never faced each other in their entire lives. But when this group of people gathered together, it was usually an extraordinary moment.
When they reached the bottom of the mountain, the old troll looked in front of him. His long fangs could not conceal the creepy smile in front of him.
Needless to say, almost all of them were here.
※ ※ ※
Sitting in Oditore's secret room, Dani looked at the sculptures in front of him and the oil paintings on the wall. He felt a little emotional. At least his understanding of Gracier was much better than before. But a lot of strange and bizarre clues could not be pieced together to form a complete picture.
As for Nairíos, Dani understood that he had to rely on himself. That elusive guy left without hesitation. Dani felt that he seemed to have something that he could not talk about in detail. As for whether they would meet again, only God knew.
But now, the power in his body was real. If it were not for Nairíos, he would probably reach the ninth level at most. There would not be any enlightenment or breakthrough after that.
Carolina suddenly disappeared. Dani did not blame the Red Dragon Highness for leaving without saying goodbye. Of course, he did not know that Carolina had a few words with Sylvia and even left something for Flora. She did not meet Dani again and just disappeared into the crowd.
It was September, autumn.
For the first time, the army of the Elven Empire came out of their hidden forest on a large scale. The Elves were mainly archers, so their bodies were naturally weaker. But the Elven infantrymen with light short swords never looked up to human soldiers. For thousands of years, the Elves had always had the impression that human infantrymen were barbaric and messy. They wore inferior armor and wielded dull machetes or funny clubs. When they swarmed into battle, they could at most kill a group of cavalrymen.
But Victoria Count only smiled at the Elven soldiers' comments when they were resting in her territory. She did not say anything. Sibor was rich in iron ore. Of course, it was well-equipped. But compared to Klimt's army, it was like heaven and earth.
This woman, who relied on her father's prestige to control the entire fertile territory, did not have too many thoughts about the lord who had once saved her life. Perhaps she had chased after him before, and her heart had secretly promised him, but as a politician, she naturally understood that there was some gap that she could not make up for. She simply sighed inwardly and continued to live her life as an Earl.
Life was full of ups and downs. There was no need to look for more troubles.
The Elven army was organized and well-trained. It was hard for the humans to catch up to them. They did not even need to enter Sibor. The army set up camp outside the city. However, the Elven scouts discovered traces of another army in Sibor's territory. But the information was secretly suppressed by the commander. Victoria Count was too lazy to point it out. After all, it was Oditore's idea. She might as well close one eye and do what she needed to do.
Of course, the Elven Parliament closed their eyes even more tightly than she did.
The Royal City of Sirius did not have a royal family watching over it. It did not look very lively. The citizens were decent, and no one jumped out to take advantage of Flora's absence to become the king of the mountain. After all, the Teleportation Circle was here. The Empress could come and go as she pleased. The previous purge had already made the entire Noble Parliament nervous. Now, it was almost useless. When the order to assemble the army was issued, the first to respond was not Sirius, but Duke Henry of the Northern Territory. The army that had been prepared for a long time rushed towards Velon Country from the north of the Empire. Of course, the distance was long, and there were many of them. They would not arrive in front of the Abyss army in Velon Country in a short time.
The news that Lembas had reached the Solameian Wall was sent to Flora's desk. The Empress waved her hand, and the lord beside her nodded. Oditore, the huge monster that had been hiding in the east of the Empire, was finally making a move.
A big move.
Unlike previous expeditions, Oditore, who had spent a lot of money, did not have to worry about the consumption of magic crystals for the Teleportation Circle. Madam Vasaki's power was profound. With a wave of her hand, she created a Teleportation Circle. All of Oditore's army was ready to go. On a gloomy afternoon, they entered what was probably their first large-scale battle.
The majestic army was made up of Troll Warriors. They looked terrifying. There were Forest Trolls that were more than two meters tall. There were also more than eighty Caucasian Trolls. There were also more than four hundred Duckers from the Abyss. There were even a few Dark Elves. It was the complete opposite of the shabby army they had when they first came to Oditore. Now, it could be said that no army on the continent was better equipped and stronger than the army under his command.
Just by looking at the awe-inspiring rows of war machines walking towards the Teleportation Circle from afar, they could see the reflection of the armor even without the dazzling sunlight. The soldiers were silent and oppressive. The high-intensity military training had given them strict discipline. These guys were not farmers. Each of them had faced man-eating Ferocious Beasts in the forest and killed many people. In other words, each of them had real combat experience. Even if they did not kill people, they were much more ruthless than the new soldiers who would tremble and cry when they saw blood on the battlefield.
"Brother, are we really going to participate in the battle?"
Salia stood beside Many and watched the army enter the Teleportation Circle. Her face was filled with worry, and her voice was weak.
"If we don't fight, there might not be a tomorrow."
Many looked at the sky in the distance. Raindrops fell, and then it started to pour.
Salia raised the staff in her hand, and the raindrops in the sky were repelled. However, the oppressive atmosphere continued to spread above Oditore. It was not only because of the weather, but also because of the lord's slightly lowered expression.
Salia did not make a sound. She just tightened her grip on Many's little hands.
The little girl was a little nervous. After all, the scale of the battle this time made her feel unprecedentedly nervous. The phrase "coming out in full force" might be a little derogatory, but it was especially suitable for Oditore and even Klimt. It was the same for all the major forces in Roslorian.
"Are we going to die?"
Salia murmured softly. She could not imagine what they were going to face.
"No."
Many answered softly, clenching her fists.
…
Other than the Radiant Scepter of Krillin's Blade, there was also the "Crown of Dictatorship". Its origin was unknown, and its whereabouts were unknown. There were no clues, but to Many, there was no longer much meaning in searching for such a Sacred Artifact.
To him, what he needed to do now was to go to Velun Country and have a good fight with that terrifying ruler. He did not care if he lived or died.
This was fate, a fate that had been decided a long time ago.
Meanwhile, in the Red Dragon Ridge, a group of strange fellows were chattering nonsensically.
Elder Valencia was sitting cross-legged on the ground with that ordinary-looking wooden stick on his knees. In front of him were all kinds of people. There was an old man in a white robe holding a white staff, a blonde woman dressed like a beggar, and an elf in a black robe. There were a total of ten of them, and they were speaking in all kinds of languages: Ancient Elven, Common Language, Troll Language, a code language with a strange accent, and even Dragon Language. However, there was only one topic they were discussing – "war".
Not long after, Evelyn walked out of the Red Dragon Territory and interrupted their argument. It was obvious that the older they got, the more stubborn they were. They didn't seem to be as reserved as they looked. Seeing the dragon chief, the group of old fellows gradually calmed down. The old man in the white robe was the first to speak to her.
"We old fellows have not come out for a long time. I reckon there will be some action this time."
"You don't have to be so vague. You know better than me that this war will come sooner or later."
Evelyn did not have a good expression. It was as if she had to face this group of old fellows. This was enough to prove that the strength of this small group was something that the entire Red Dragon Race was afraid of. However, it was ridiculous that this group of people did not look like a group of top experts from any angle.
They were silent, powerful, and had an awe-inspiring aura. None of them. Instead, they were as inconspicuous as the commoners in the market.
The person in the white robe who spoke was probably the most eye-catching and unique among them. This was due to his identity and the bond of his faith. This old man was called Gregory, the former Pope of the Lambas Church.