A few hours earlier, in the Elro region, a massive convoy of migrating elves was led by Sigrid, the chieftain of the Moonwell tribe. Upon hearing of the appearance of the Elven King and the Tree of Eternity in the Chaos Forest, she immediately mobilized her entire tribe along with several other small and medium-sized elven tribes nearby to form a grand migration caravan bound for the Chaos Forest.
The journey was immensely long, requiring over twelve days of travel even at full speed. It was fraught with danger as they needed to traverse territories controlled by various powers, including the borders of human empires. Such a large troop could not possibly remain concealed. If they encountered conflicts with passing forces or engaged in clashes with human troops, the consequences would be unimaginable.
However, the elves were determined to press on, their sole desire being to reach the Chaos Forest as soon as possible. They believed that following the Elven King and seeking refuge under the Tree of Eternity, regardless of the cost, was worth any sacrifice.
Yet, the elves of the Moonwell tribe had severely underestimated the gravity of the situation. In Chieftain Sigrid's worst-case scenario, they might engage in conflicts with the empire's border guards. However, the elven forces were no pushovers, and despite some potential losses, they could still make their way through.
What she did not realize was that the empire and the Chaos Forest were already sworn enemies. How could the empire simply stand by and watch such a large force of elves defect to their foe? Due to their lack of timely information, the elves made a grave miscalculation. Now, they were about to pay a heavy price for this oversight.
"Chieftain, bad news! We've just received word that the Duke Bachor from the southern border of the human empire is leading the four knight orders of the Bachor Duchy to besiege us!"
Hearing this news, Sigrid was shocked. The Grand Duke himself taking action? Mobilizing the duchy's knight orders?
The Guardian Grand Dukes of the empire's four territories were all Level 6 monarchs, and the knight orders of the Bachor Duchy represented the most elite and central force within the duchy, incomparable to ordinary imperial legions. Not to mention the mobilization of all four knight orders; even the presence of a single order would spell despair for them.
The elves were thrown into panic, knowing they stood no chance against the empire. With such a force besieging them, survival seemed nearly impossible. But what could they do? They had already traveled two-thirds of the way. Retreating or advancing seemed equally futile, and even a temporary withdrawal wouldn't be possible immediately. Were they just to wait for death?
At that moment, an elven knight appeared in the sky. Sigrid, a Level 5 overlord elf, sensed immense power and a regal aura emanating from this golden-haired elf. "The Elven King!"
"It's the Elven King!"
"Are you the Elven King from the Chaos Forest?"
Merilyn, accompanied by several elven elders, appeared before the group. She smiled and responded, "My name is Merilyn, one of the Elven Kings from Giantree City. However, I am not the one you have heard about. Elven King Nancilia is currently coordinating with the federation forces to distract the empire. I am here to guide you to a safe area."
Hearing this, the elves of the Moonwell tribe were bewildered. Sigrid, somewhat incredulous, asked, "Could it be... that within the Giantree City, there's more than one Elven King?"
Merilyn smiled and said, "Yes, of course, there's more than one, and in the future, there might be even more. You might also become an Elven King in the future."
"How is that possible?" Sigrid and the other elves found it hard to believe.
Merilyn explained, "Nothing is impossible. A few months ago, the Chaos Forest didn't have any Elven Kings or the Tree of Eternity! The changes we see today are all thanks to the full support of His Majesty the Demon King towards our elven kind. With His Majesty the Demon King's abilities, creating a few more Elven Kings might not be difficult at all."
Before the group could fully digest this information, Merilyn said, "Alright, we're pressed for time, and we need to hurry. Nancilia and the others can't buy us much time."
About a quarter of an hour later, space twisted, and a colossal structure was teleported onto the plain. It was taller than a mountain and about the size of a medium-sized city. Its enclosed structure, made entirely of metal and floating in mid-air, was covered in numerous intricate magical runes and formations.
"What is this!" The elves were shocked once again. They had never seen such a gigantic floating city. The mere appearance of something so massive out of thin air was utterly inconceivable, and the energy required to transport it here must have been immense! This structure was none other than the Citadel of Eternity of the Chaos Federation.
An hour later, 560,000 elves had all entered the Citadel of Eternity. They were astounded by what they saw. Such an ancient magitek fortress from legends, to be preserved so intact and still operational, was truly unbelievable.
Soon after, Nancilia arrived. Merilyn asked, "How's the situation?"
Nancilia replied gravely, "The enemy forces are incredibly strong, with at least a dozen or twenty Level 6 combatants including three monarch-class presence. We are no match for them and could barely hold our own."
"What? That strong?" Merilyn was shocked.
She frowned and said, "This is bad. Are we trapped then?"
Everyone understood the importance of this fortress. After the Darkness Three Dragons conquered twelve provinces in the southern empire and controlled tens of millions of people, the empire hadn't launched a counterattack mainly because this fortress blocked their military outside, buying time to consolidate the territory.
This mobile fortress is crucial for the Chaos Federation. It can effectively expand and reinforce the defensive line to protect the occupied areas. Now, to assist the elves, the Citadel of Eternity activated its void engine, which had just cooled down. While this could bypass the empire's deployment in the Elro territory, it would inevitably lead to significant consumption and a cooldown period of ten to fifteen days. During this time, the fortress wouldn't be able to teleport again.
Being trapped in such a situation would be very dangerous, especially since this is not an occupied area, making resupply and reinforcements challenging. Any mishap with the fortress would be a massive loss for the federation. This responsibility was something the Giantree City could not bear.
Nancilia firmly stated, "For His Majesty and for the federation, we must protect the fortress!"
The fortress commander, Bai Jie, reassured, "Don't worry, the fortress is not so fragile. With nearly full ranks of magitek combat troops, even if the enemy is very strong, they won't be able to breach it quickly."
Although Sigrid, the chieftain of the Moonwell tribe, didn't know much about the Dark Lord, she realized the severity of the situation and immediately offered support, "The elves can also join the battle!"
Bai Jie nodded, "Let all elven civilians move to the safety zone in the hall, and have elven mages take turns channeling magical power into the barrier array to reduce wear and tear. Elven archers and high-level elven mages will assist in combat."
After these arrangements were made, it wasn't long before the fortress alarms sounded. Bachor's troops had arrived. Bachor had a deep impression of this magitek fortress. To assist the elves, the Darkness City had moved the fortress here, undoubtedly making the battle much more challenging. However, this might not necessarily be a bad thing. With the fortress isolated and without support, no matter how strong its defenses or how fierce its firepower, it couldn't possibly stand against Bachor's knight legions. Especially since the forces participating this time included nearly twenty Level 6 lord units and over a hundred Level 5 lord units, a stark contrast to the battle at Kolo.
Bachor sneered coldly, "Good, very good. This mobile fortress has always been a great threat to the empire, and now we've been given a chance to destroy it."
With 200,000 knights from the duchy at his command, Bachor held absolute confidence. However, he didn't immediately initiate the attack. To ensure the success of this battle, Bachor specifically waited for the arrival of the First Legion from the southern border, the most elite and mobile among the ten legions of the south.
The First Legion, comprised of 200,000 elite official soldiers, all equipped with flying mounts, was a formidable aerial force. Although their combat prowess was not on par with the duchy's knights, they were considered exceptional within the ranks of the official imperial forces.
Bachor began to command, first ordering the First Legion to attack. Tens of thousands of flying units approached the Citadel of Eternity from all directions. The fortress immediately retaliated, with tens of thousands of magitek fortress troops firing from the shooting galleries and windows with magitek rifles. The dense beams of light, like a violent storm, filled the entire space, leaving no room to breathe.
The firepower of the fortress was stronger than anticipated, with imperial soldiers being killed every second. However, this was inconsequential to Bachor, as this elite official army was meant to draw fire as cannon fodder, with the true force being the duchy's knights.
"Pass down my command."
"Begin the assault! Destroy the fortress in one fell swoop!"
"Leave no targets behind!"
Under Bachor's orders, several knights with the power of Level 6 overlords, immediately activated various powerful command skills and magical defenses, splitting into four groups to attack the fortress from different directions.
The imperial assault was too fierce! Even the robust shield of the Citadel of Eternity was rapidly weakening. At this rate, it would be breached in just a minute or two, risking significant damage or even complete paralysis. Left with no choice, the Darkness Three Dragons and Nancilia had to re-enter the fray. Bachor, leading his group of Heroes, easily countered their combined attacks, gaining a clear upper hand. The scales of victory seemed to tilt entirely in the empire's favor.
"Demon King! Elven King! Have you run out of tricks?"
"Don't think any of you will be able to escape, along with these hundreds of thousands of elves and this fortress, all will turn to ashes!"
The Citadel of Eternity was in a dire situation, much to Bachor's delight. After suffering so many losses in the southern border at the hands of the Chaos Federation, the empire was finally on the verge of a crushing victory. Not only could this victory destroy one of the Federation's most crucial fortresses, but it also offered the chance to wipe out the Darkness Three Dragons and the Elven King of the Chaos Forest in one fell swoop.
For the Bachor family, this was a monumental victory that could wash away their shame. Bachor taunted while attacking, "You fools really thought you could shake the empire? With the empire's solid foundation, we can afford to lose ten times, a hundred times, but you can't afford to lose even once. That's the absolute gap in strength. Your defeat was inevitable!"
Indeed, the gap in pure military power couldn't be easily bridged. Continuing this way, the destruction of the fortress and the slaughter of the elves were just a matter of time. Elves like Sigrid, who had never witnessed a battle of this scale, felt immense pressure and an uncontrollable fear.
The human army was just too strong! Even with this miraculous fortress, it was only delaying the inevitable. How could they contend against the power of an empire-level force? Now it seemed they were in a dire situation. Seeking refuge with the Elven King not only failed but also put the Elven King in a difficult position!
At this moment, an unexpected event occurred about ten miles from the battlefield. The space in this area twisted, and a crack opened up, forming a gap hundreds of meters high that gradually turned into a giant spatial gate.
The formation of this massive spatial gate was very slow. Initially, only chaotic ripples were visible inside the gate, but after about three minutes, the ripples gradually calmed, and a clear image appeared.
Inside the gate was the Darkness Valley, with tens of thousands of the Chaos Federation's elite forces ready for battle. This included thousands of giants, fifty thousand human units, one hundred thousand draconian units, over a hundred thousand ogres, and hundreds of thousands of minotaurs, tigerfolks, bearfolks, wolffolks, and other elite units from various forest races.
The total number was about six hundred thousand. This was an extremely elite and vast army. The giant chieftain, Jin Kui, roared, "Your time to earn glory is here! Kill!"
Golden giants led the charge, breaking through the spatial gate from the distant Darkness City and stepping directly onto the Elro Plains, ten miles from the battlefield. Such a massive army was enough to completely encircle Bachor's knightly forces."