The Marquisate of Elro, located at the far eastern edge of the Empire's southern lands, was known for its level terrain and fertile soil, making it one of the largest agricultural and pastoral areas in the southern region. However, the tranquility of this place was about to be disrupted.
Duke Bachor had personally led four knight orders from the Bachor family to this area, bringing together a formidable force of 200,000 men, each order not inferior to the renowned Blood Lion Knights in terms of prowess. This represented the core strength of the entire Bachor family, all gathered here for this mission.
Having recovered from the severe injuries he sustained in the battle at Kolo after more than a month of recuperation, Duke Bachor was present on the scene himself. This time, he was fully committed, staking his family's honor and determined not to underestimate the might of the Chaos Federation again.
"A report for the Duke, we have pinpointed the migrating elf troop!" a scout announced. "Their numbers are consistent with our predictions, likely between 500,000 and 600,000. They are expected to cross the border of Elro territory within an hour, and our troops are ready for encirclement and elimination."
Duke Bachor nodded in acknowledgment. For merely five to six hundred thousand ordinary elves, the Bachor Duchy did not need to mobilize such a vast force. Among such a large group of migrating elves, it would be notable to have 100,000 elite elf warriors; one or two of the empire's official army legions would suffice to encircle and exterminate them.
However, Duke Bachor not only mobilized the core strength of his family but also enlisted the power and influence of Heroes. At this moment, standing beside Bachor were at least ten powerful Heroes, each possessing the strength of at least a Level 6 overlord, with the two leading figures being on par with him.
Huan Yue, the Archbishop of the Radiant Church from the Azure Water region, and Xiu Si, one of the renowned Seven Sword Saints from the Sunset Empire, were both Level 6 monarchs in terms of strength, matching Bachor. Xiu Si brought with him several hundred Heroes from the Sunset Empire, as well as over a thousand disciples from the Inner-Eye Sword Sect. As for Huan Yue, she commanded all the Radiant Priests stationed within the empire's territory.
The resulting force was much stronger than any assembled in the past, making the encirclement and extermination of several hundred thousand native elves an overkill, seemingly unnecessary to mobilize such a large force. Bachor's true aim, however, was the Chaos Federation. These five to six hundred thousand elves were all heading to join the Chaos Federation. If they were intercepted, captured, and slaughtered by the empire's troops, the Chaos Federation could not just stand by. Should they attempt a rescue, they would inevitably fall into a disadvantageous position. Even if the Chaos Federation chose not to intervene, the empire could capture hundreds of thousands of elves and execute them publicly. Such actions could severely dampen the morale of the Darkness City and deter other elves from seeking refuge with the Chaos Federation.
However, before the elven migration tribes arrived, Bachor received an urgent military report. "Duke, urgent news! A force has emerged from the direction of the southern forest. It seems to be personally led by the Demon King and the Elven King."
Hearing this, Bachor laughed heartily. His strategy had indeed succeeded. The Demon King and the Elven King had no choice but to intervene for the rescue and protection. Bachor immediately commanded, "Good, very good, everyone prepare!"
The members of Bachor's knight order assumed their positions, with various blessing, healing, and protective buffs swiftly being cast upon them.
In less than half an hour, Xiu Si, the Inner-Eye Sword Saint, spoke softly, "They're here."
Everyone was momentarily stunned, then at the horizon, a considerably large force was seen crossing the mountain range to arrive at their location.
"It's them!"
"The Demon King has come in person!"
"The Elven King seems to be present too!"
This force totaled thirty thousand, all flying units, primarily composed of Draconian Super Soldier Legions, Orcish Winged Beast Rider Mage, Elven Dragonhawk Rider squads, and other aerial units.
Seeing the size of this force, Bachor sneered. Did they really dare to come here with so few numbers? However, this was an area not yet occupied. The forces of Chaos Federation and Darkness City couldn't possibly enter in large numbers, only able to dispatch flying units with sufficient mobility for interception. The disparity in strength between the two sides was too great. This handful of troops was like trying to extinguish a fire with a cup of water.
"Archbishop Huan Yue, Lord Xiu Si, I'll have to trouble you both to join the fray later. If we can capture this Demon King and the Elven King, the Empire will surely reward us handsomely," said Bachor.
The Archbishop spoke indifferently, "Eradicating the Demon King is the divine duty of a Hero and has always been the mission of the Radiant Church. Such a small matter is not worth mentioning."
Xiu Si gripped his staff lightly, and a sharp blade emerged from within. The guide stick was actually a long sword. Xiu Si remained silent, drew the sword, and from thousands of meters away, directed a strike towards the Demon King's army. A sword energy burst forth instantly. Initially inconspicuous, the sword energy surged against the wind during its flight! It grew from a few meters to tens of meters, and finally to a hundred meters, turning into a gigantic sword gleam that carved a massive trench in the earth.
"How formidable!"
"Is this the strength of one of the Seven Sword Saints of the Sunset Empire?"
"Just a casual strike possesses such power!"
Whether it was the empire's experts or Heroes from various factions, all were shocked. Sword Saint Xiu Si had given the Demon King's army a powerful demonstration of his strength.
Nancilia sensed a powerful attack approaching. Her expression changed slightly as she prepared to defend, but Long Yi, shrouded in black mist, rushed forward first, "Let me handle this kind of attack!"
As he spoke, the black mist was released, acting like a barrier that enveloped the sword energy. Once the sword energy entered the black mist, it not only stopped growing but also rapidly disintegrated and dimmed. By the time it reached the Black Dragon King, it no longer posed a threat.
With a powerful sweep of his tail, the sword energy was shattered.
"Heh, quite interesting!" Hero Xiu Si slowly sheathed his sword. "There aren't many who can block my strike. It seems you've broken through to the sixth rank. It wasn't in vain that I made this long journey!"
Hearing this, Bachor and the other imperial elites showed a change in expression. Not long ago, during the battle at Iron City, the Black Dragon King was clearly at the fifth rank. How many days had passed for him to have broken through to Level 6?
"There's nothing surprising!" Archbishop Huan Yue spoke up at this moment. "Demon Kings grow by conquering regions and killing Heroes. He has devoured the population of twelve provinces of the empire, totaling tens of millions, and has killed thousands of Heroes. It's not surprising that he has broken through to Level 6. It would be surprising if he hadn't."
Level 5 Demon Kings were already quite numerous. But who has seen a Level 6 Demon King? It's almost unheard of and unseen. This was also the reason why Huan Yue and Xiu Si came to participate in this operation. They had guessed early on that after the battle of Tien City, having killed several Level 6 Heroes, the Demon King would definitely level up. And for them, nothing was more attractive than a Level 6 Demon King, so this time they came to the right place.
"Damn! The empire is well-prepared!"
Nancilia said, "Their army is not only very strong, but the allies they've recruited are also formidable. Apart from Bachor, I sense at least two high-level monarchs."
She hadn't expected the Empire to mobilize such a strong force. It seemed that with their current troops, they couldn't possibly withstand the empire's army.
"Don't worry!" Li Si spoke up at this time. "Our master has already made arrangements. Our task is merely to buy time."
Zhang San nodded and added, "Yes, our lord is no longer patient with playing games with these people from the empire's southern territories. This is a good opportunity to eliminate not only Bachor's elite forces but perhaps even Bachor himself!"
Hearing this, Nancilia's spirits lifted. Although she didn't know what arrangements His Majesty had made, it seemed like he had anticipated the current situation. With this in mind, Nancilia was no longer afraid. She stepped forward and shouted to the opposite side, "Despicable empire scum, your plans will never succeed. I advise you not to bring destruction upon yourselves."
"Bringing destruction upon ourselves?" Bachor laughed, his battle Qi forming wings as he soared into the sky. "Who exactly is bringing destruction upon themselves in this situation?"
He paused and then continued, "I might as well let you know, I've dispatched several legions to block your escape routes. Reinforcements from the Chaos Forest can't come in now, and it's impossible for you to flee. In other words, you're now isolated and without support."
Long Yi scoffed, "Big talk. You think you can stop us with just that? Ridiculous!" As he spoke, countless lightning bolts were summoned in an instant, like dense raindrops, rapidly pelting towards the empire's army.
Huan Yue raised her staff, instantly summoning a powerful divine shield that blocked most of the attacks, causing Long Yi's expression to change slightly.
"Bachor!" she called out. "Don't waste time! Let's capture their leader first!"
Duke Bachor of the Empire's southern border, Archbishop Huan Yue, and one of the Seven Sword Saints, Xiu Si, three Level 6 monarch-class entities, unleashed their domains simultaneously.
"Shura Domain!"
"Radiance Domain!"
"Inner-Mind Sword Domain!"
With the three domains fully activated, and the combined might of three high-level monarchs, the effect and area covered reached unprecedented levels. Clearly, their intention was straightforward: to trap the forces of the Darkness City, leaving them no escape, and then to eliminate them bit by bit.
However, at that moment, "Divine Tree Domain!"
"Darkness Domain!"
"Earth Domain!"
"Sacrificial Domain!"
The Chaos Federation opened up four domains in response. Long Yi and Nancilia easily neutralized one of the opponent's domains each, while Zhang San and Li Si, although not yet at Level 6 but still in the late stages of Level 5 and with the racial advantages of the dragon-kins, joined forces to exert their domains, managing to neutralize another layer of opponent's domain. In other words, when it came to the clash of domains, the result was a mutual cancellation, with neither side gaining control of the battlefield.
Without control, the difficulty of killing a Level 6 monarch-class entity became too great.
Bachor's face turned ugly and dark, "In just a month's time, the strength of the Darkness Three Dragons have grown to such an extent. Such monstrous beings, if not eliminated immediately, will become a major threat!"
The Demon King was too terrifying! Their growth rate was too astonishing! This opportunity was truly rare and must be seized to resolve this in one fell swoop!
"Kill!"
"For the Empire!"
"For the Duke!"
Since the domains neutralized each other, it was time to directly engage with the troops.
The Empire's faction held an overwhelming advantage in terms of military forces, while the Demon King's faction, though evidently weaker, possessed very strong mobility. With Nancilia, Long Yi, Zhang San, and Li Si holding back the three most formidable monarchs of the empire's faction and retreating while fighting, the empire, despite having the upper hand, did not achieve an overwhelming advantage.
After about an hour, the Demon King's forces finally began to falter, the disparity in troop numbers being just too great.
"It's about time!"
"Retreat! Everyone, retreat!"
The Darkness Three Dragons and the Elven King led the Demon King's forces to retreat towards the northeast. Bachor was overjoyed, and the empire's forces surged with morale. Since engaging with the Chaos Federation, this was the empire's first victorious battle!
Although the Darkness Three Dragons and the Elven King both suffered considerable exhaustion, the empire chose not to pursue them immediately. The Demon King's forces consisted of highly mobile flying units, and Bachor's troops included both land and air forces. If he rashly dispatched his air forces in pursuit, it could lead to a dispersal of his strength and potentially fall into the Demon King's trap. The immediate priority was to proceed with caution.
"Hmph, they won't be able to escape!"
"First, let's annihilate the migrating elves!"
"As long as we attack the migrating elves, they will definitely intervene, and then, due to their concerns for the elves, they will be even less able to utilize their full strength!"
This was what the empire's high command believed, so they spent an hour reorganizing their troops. Only after regaining their readiness did they reach the necessary route for the migrating elves. However, to their astonishment, not a single elf was in sight.
On the vast plains, a fortress had appeared at some unknown time. Upon seeing this fortress, Bachor's expression changed drastically, "Fuck! It's the magitek fortress of the Darkness City, they've taken all the elves into the fortress!"
It turned out that the previous battle was not about defeating or hindering the empire. It was purely about drawing the empire's military attention and buying time. Now, the five to six hundred thousand elves had all been taken into the Citadel of Eternity, turning what should have been a straightforward field encounter into a siege.
Meanwhile, in the Darkness City, a massive army had assembled. At a glance, it was dense and numbered in the hundreds of thousands. They were not positioned just anywhere but were at the Stellar Gateway. This Stellar Gateway was a key and highly valuable structure. Since obtaining it, it had not been used, mainly to avoid revealing it too soon. Now was the time. This rare opportunity also meant it was time for it to play its role!"