The Stellar Gateway, a Level 5 special building, was able to summon a portal within a specified range. This portal was interconnected with the Stellar Gateway itself. This important structure in Darkness City was used for the rapid transfer or teleportation of large-scale armies across wide areas, holding immense military value.
In fact, the formation of the Stellar Gateway's portal could have been obstructed. The portal took a significant amount of time to gather energy, causing abnormal spatial fluctuations in the area and generating intense energy waves during the process. This made it possible to disrupt or destroy the gate, either while it was forming or even after it had been summoned, through magical attacks. However, it was too late now.
The focus of the empire's elites was entirely on the Citadel of Eternity. Duke Bachor couldn't have imagined that the Darkness City's army could be instantly transferred there, as the Stellar Gateway's capabilities were unprecedented and unheard of.
At that moment, the vast and dense forces of the Chaos Federation surged out of the spatial gate. In just a short time, nearly half of them had emerged. The giants from Thunderclap City, with their tough skin and strong magical defenses, led the charge, followed closely by the ogres from the Chaos Forest and various other forest races. The sky was filled with flying units, including dragonmen troops and members of the winged races.
Before the two sides could engage in close combat, Darkness City initiated a ritual at its three temples. The divine blessings of the Goddess of Nature, the Goddess of War, and the Goddess of the Sea descended upon all the Chaos Federation forces present, significantly enhancing their HP, MP, stats, and recovery abilities, nearly doubling their combat effectiveness.
"Charge!"
"For His Majesty!"
"For the federation!"
Jin Kui led the charge by hurling his golden war spear, which, like a sharp bolt of lightning, instantly wiped out dozens of knights from the Bachor duchy. The other giants also launched their attacks, unleashing hundreds of fierce lightning strikes that thundered across the plains. Despite the strength of the Bachor duchy's knights, the sudden and ferocious assault caught them off guard. Their once coherent formations were quickly disrupted, leaving them somewhat disoriented for a time.
"Damn it!"
"This Elro region! How come there are so many forest tribes?"
"And there are human knight and mage regiments too?"
"Curse it, where did these guys come from?"
Several imperial knights and generals were stunned. Bachor's expression was grim: "It seems the Demon King has kept a significant portion of his forces in reserve. Ever since the invasion of the southern provinces by the Chaos Forest, they have never deployed their full strength!"
It was horrifying! Too terrifying! The strength of Darkness City...How formidable could it possibly be?
The Hero, Sword Saint Xiu Si, said gravely, "Duke, we must not panic now. Although the enemy is numerous, they are not as strong as the duchy's knights in terms of strength."
The Archbishop Huan Yue also stated, "Correct, our priority now is to hold them off and buy time for us. As long as we kill the Demon King, a considerable part of their forces will collapse without a fight!"
Xiu Si ordered, "Xing Rong, you and a few others, quickly go support the rear. We need to buy time to kill the Demon King and the Elven King!"
"Understood!" The Level 6 Hero Xing Rong, along with three other high-ranking Level 6 Heroes, ten Level 5 Heroes, and several top elites from the Bachor family, retreated from the front line to support the rear.
"Let's take down that golden giant first!"
"He must be one of the strongest fighters in this force!"
"Once we take down the golden giant, the morale of the Demon King's minions will definitely plummet, giving the empire a chance to breathe!"
The experienced high-ranking Heroes made a prompt decision. Currently, within this vast army that arrived through the spatial gate, the most eye-catching performance undoubtedly came from the giant Jin Kui, leading the charge. Now, Jin Kui possessed the strength of a top-tier Level 5 overlord. His defense, attack, resistance, and vitality were not just top-notch, coupled with his formidable racial talents and advantages, he could confront a Level 6 being head-on. Being the leader who initiated the attack against the empire, he was definitely the commanding general.
"Together, attack!" Xing Rong activated a transformation skill, instantly turning into a giant tens of meters tall with a body that seemed made of black iron metal.
"Mountain Crumbling Fist!" He threw a punch directly at the giant. With a bang, Jin Kui's massive form was sent flying backward.
Although Jin Kui was incredibly strong, blocking an attack from a Level 6 Hero was not that easy. As Jin Kui tried to regain his balance and counterattack, Xing Rong waved his hand, releasing a black chain that bound Jin Kui, immobilizing him.
"Now! Strike! While we have the chance!"
The other three high-ranking Heroes launched their attacks. Top-tier magical and combat skills hit Jin Kui one after another, causing him immense damage in an instant. Jin Kui's colossal body fell, like a golden mountain crashing down. Xing Rong then summoned a massive black warblade and swung it down, decapitating the golden giant. Golden blood splattered everywhere.
The lord of Thunderclap City. The leader of the giant tribe was slain just like that.
Xing Rong initially thought that the other giants and the forces of Darkness City would panic, be terrified, or even become disorganized due to this event. Logically, that should have been the case, but reality didn't follow expectations.
"Curse them all!"
"Our chieftain is dead!"
"The lord of Thunderclap City is dead!"
"These damned bastards, let's fight them to the end!
"Follow our chieftain, to death do us part! Follow our chieftain, to death do us part!"
All the warriors of the federation on the scene, whether they were giants, orcs, elves, or any of the other dozen races, didn't show a hint of fear. Instead, with crazed expressions, they charged forward as if eager to lay down their lives.
"What's going on?"
"Have these people gone mad?"
Xing Rong and the three high-ranking Heroes were stunned. These individuals were supposed to be just ordinary forest natives, not directly summoned troops of the Demon King, especially given their vast numbers and diverse races. Logically, even the bravest of people carry an innate and indelible fear of death. Yet, these Chaos Federation forces seemed not to fear death at all, even rushing forward to meet it, embracing it as if it were their fate. This was undeniably a very peculiar situation.
In reality, the warriors of the Chaos Federation weren't truly fearless of death. They firmly believed that death wouldn't truly befall them because the Demon King possessed powerful resurrection abilities, capable of reviving fallen warriors. Thus, for the Chaos Federation, dying in battle wasn't as terrifying, but rather considered an honor. This belief drove each of them to fight with near madness.
"Root Bind!"
Hundreds of elves joined forces to unleash a controlling skill. In his transformed state, Xing Rong was quite cumbersome and was quickly bound, almost wrapped up like a giant dumpling by the roots, temporarily losing his mobility and becoming an easy target.
"Attack!"
"Use fire magic!"
The human elemental mage troops of Dark City started chanting.
"No!! Shit! Stop!!"
Xing Rong sensed the terrifying aura. Thousands of Level 3 elemental mages activated their collective chanting ability, condensing thousands of Explosive Flame spells into a single attack, which had the power comparable to a level 6 attack spell. In the next moment, amidst Xing Rong's despairing gaze, this supercharged Explosive Flame spell released by the combined chanting of thousands of elemental mages became a supernova and struck him directly, instantly blasting his body into smithereens. A Level 6 Hero was thus eliminated by a group attack.
At the same time, the Chaos Federation forces from Darkness City had almost completed their entire transfer. The massive army of half a million, sprawling like a tide, soon enveloped the imperial forces within, creating a grave situation for the empire. However, the imperial forces, numbering nearly four hundred thousand, including the formidable ducal knights, couldn't be easily overwhelmed by the Chaos Federation forces. The situation was more of a stalemate, with intense fighting ongoing.
Bachor, facing such circumstances, was furious. These knights were the foundation and lifeblood of the Bachor family. If they were all lost here, even if they won the battle, the family would be severely weakened, taking decades or even centuries to recover.
They couldn't afford to be passive!
"Retreat!"
"Retreat!"
Before the encirclement was fully formed, Bachor attempted to lead his troops to break through, thus issuing the order to retreat. The ducal knights, mostly mounted on flying mounts, had high mobility. Even if they couldn't win, they still had the capability to flee.
However, just at that moment, a barrier descended from all directions. Among the Chaos Federation forces from Gloom City was a group of demon mages, who were particularly adept at barrier magic, capable of temporarily creating barriers to prevent the empire's breakthrough.
"At all costs!" Long Yi declared gravely, "Bachor must die today!"
Zhang San, Li Si, Nancilia, and Marilyn all nodded in agreement. Although due to the planning of their lord, the Chaos Federation was already at an advantage. But the Bachor ducal knights remained a formidable force. Continuing the fight as it was would lead to endless battles and alarming casualties. The best way to minimize losses was to kill Bachor, throwing his knights into disarray. Bachor himself was the greatest threat in the southern Empire, causing significant trouble for the Chaos Federation. An opportunity like today's was too rare to pass up.
The five of them flew out of the fortress, taking a risk to approach Duke Bachor. Bachor, noticing the approach of the Demon King and the Elven King, understood their intent and immediately said solemnly to those around him, "Lord Archbishop, Lord Sword Saint, given the current situation, we have no other choice. Our only hope is to kill the Demon King and the Elven King, but my strength alone is insufficient. I hope you all can lend your full support."
"Rest assured, Grand Duke!"
"We will give it our all," the two supreme Heroes assured, moving to Bachor's side.
At the same time, Bachor's four knight commanders and five Level 6 supreme Heroes also rushed over in haste. At this moment, Bachor had eleven Level 6 powerhouses by his side, including two Level 6 monarch-class supreme powerhouses.
"Good! With this force, the Demon King and the Elven King are nothing to worry about! If we can eliminate them, there's still hope for a turnaround!"
As the two forces collided, their respective domains were activated, constantly neutralizing each other. Bachor had thought the battle would be similar to the previous one, with neither side able to gain control of the battlefield. However, to his surprise, a divine tree suddenly rose from the ground, releasing a multitude of roots to form a domain of less than a kilometer, enveloping everyone within it.
"What's happening?" Duke Bachor, Archbishop Huan Yue, and Sword Saint Xiu Si were shocked. They had clashed once before and thought the forces were evenly matched, so why did the Chaos Federation prevail in the domain clash this time?
"Among them! There's another Elven King!" Xiu Si sensed Marilyn's presence, which explained the situation. Among all the monarchs present, Marilyn was the weakest, but her arrival tipped the balance.
"Hmph! So what if you control the battlefield?" Bachor's expression darkened, "You're just digging your own grave!"
From the comparison of strengths, the empire's advantage was very clear. In addition to the three monarchs, the empire also had several Level 6 Heroes and knight commanders. Nine powerful fighters!
As a Level 5 monarch, Marilyn could at most contend with two Level 6 overlords. In other words, there was a gap of seven overlord-level units in strength, putting the Chaos Federation at a significant disadvantage. Even though Nancilia's domain was successfully deployed with the help of others, how much impact could such a weakened domain have on the top fighters present? The effect was likely negligible, akin to digging their own grave like Bachor stated.
"We won't lose!" Nancilia's expression was very determined. Even if it meant a mutual destruction, she was determined to eliminate Bachor. Without Duke Bachor, the threat from the empire's southern territory would be greatly reduced.
However, before the three Dragon Kings and two Elven Kings could act, a voice appeared in their minds: "Let me handle it this time."
This voice belonged to no other than the Demon King, Zhang Nu himself. The five were taken aback. His Majesty himself was going to intervene?
With Nancilia's domain currently sealing the area and countless roots covering it, making it difficult for outside forces to enter, it was practically a secluded space. The three monarchs led by Bachor were not easy foes, and killing them was easier said than done. Even the Level 6 Heroes each had their own trump cards. A fight could potentially lead to mutual destruction without ensuring the total annihilation of these powerful enemies. For such a crucial battle, the Demon King couldn't just stand by, so he decided to enter the fray to ensure a complete victory.
"Yes! My lord!" Li Si, the draconians' chief priest nodded and activated his Demon King's summoning ability, while Nancilia immediately lifted the spatial restrictions in coordination.
Bachor was puzzled, and Xiu Si immediately drew his sword, sending a powerful sword Qi sweeping towards them. However, just as the sword Qi was about to hit the group, a hand casually grasped, as if catching an annoying fly. The powerful sword Qi unleashed by the blind Sword Saint was directly gripped and quickly dissipated in the opponent's hand, turning into nothing without leaving a trace."