The three Heroes returned to the main force, clearly not expecting the Chaos Federation to be so formidable. No wonder they had managed to conquer the entire Thunder Empire. Although the resistance was intense and Darkness City had deployed a considerable number of elite forces, it was certain that this was not all of Darkness City's strength.
The full combat power and entire forces of the Chaos Federation couldn't possibly be just this small number. It seemed that this battle would be more challenging than they had imagined.
Lucas wore a grave expression. After some thought, he approached the other two.
"From this confrontation, even though Demon King Zhang Nu did not personally intervene, the Chaos Federation still possesses the power to crush an empire-level force," Lucas said solemnly. "This is too big of a threat. If the Demon King's forces grow out of control, it will be unstoppable. If we can't extinguish Darkness City in time, they will eventually sweep across the entire world!"
He paused, emphasizing each word: "Then, there will be no place for Heroes!"
Wang Badao and Mandell fell silent. Lucas was not exaggerating. Zhang Nu was incredibly dangerous. The best time to eliminate a Demon King was before they grew too powerful. Initially, Heroes held a significant advantage, while the Demon King was at a disadvantage. However, as the Demon King's power grew, the situation would reverse, potentially turning completely upside down. The achievements Zhang Nu had already attained were indicative of this swing.
The problem was that Zhang Nu and his Darkness City were so formidable. Why should Wang Ba Dao and Mandel give their all? Even with the current strength of Darkness City, attacking would come at a significant cost. Their most powerful armies would suffer heavy losses. Was it really worth it?
Lucas had the Heart of Holy Light, a massive force from the Radiant Church that rivaled an empire, and reinforcements from dozens of countries. With this artifact and these reinforcements, the two of them couldn't possibly outdo Lucas. Were they expected to exhaust themselves fighting the Demon King only for Lucas to reap the rewards? If that were the case, neither of them would be willing. After all, they weren't ordinary people.
Lucas understood their concerns. He immediately promised, "You two needn't worry. If I slay the Demon King, we will split the Demon King's reward chest equally. How does that sound?"
Their interest was piqued. Wang Badao asked, "Really?"
Lucas replied, "I can sign a contract with you."
The two Heroes exchanged glances and ultimately agreed to the plan.
There were three main rewards for hunting down a Demon King.
First, killing the Demon King itself granted a direct kill reward. Second, destroying the Demon King's altar yielded an extermination reward for eradicating the Demon King's lair. Third, if the Demon King was listed in the Demon King leaderboard, one would receive a Demon King treasure chest.
These three rewards were all incredibly valuable.
The first reward had the potential to grant the abilities, experience, talents, and bloodline of the Demon King. The second reward was related to the scale of the Demon King's forces and territory. The larger the scale of the exterminated Demon King, the more impressive the extermination chest would be. The third reward was, of course, connected to the ranking of the Demon King. The higher the Demon King ranked, the greater the rewards.
It wasn't difficult to imagine that as the number one Demon King, Zhang Nu's rewards in any of these three categories would be astonishing.
Lucas expressed his willingness to offer the third reward as the spoils to be divided between the two of them, meaning he planned to keep the other two rewards for himself. Although this distribution plan was somewhat unfair, it was still better than getting nothing at all.
It should be noted that as the number one Demon King, the reward chest generated by Zhang Nu would contain an impressive quantity and quality of rewards. Just for this chest alone, Wang Badao and Mandell were willing to take action.
Mandell immediately responded diplomatically, "Lucas, you're too kind. What you said makes perfect sense. If a Demon King like Zhang Nu is not eliminated, he will eventually become a major threat to all of us Heroes. Therefore, it is our duty to contribute to the effort against the Darkness City."
Wang Badao straightforwardly added, "In that case, let's get ready quickly and strive to take down the Darkness City in one go!"
The two of them set aside their thoughts, which pleased Lucas greatly. Although he had paid a price, it was worth it. Lucas had his own schemes, knowing that contracts could have loopholes to exploit. Once a distribution contract was signed, Lucas indeed couldn't avoid distributing the rewards. But what if, before the distribution, one of the distributors met with some unfortunate accident or died in battle against the Demon King?
In short, even though the three of them had their own ulterior motives, they reached a consensus.
After signing the contract with the two Heroes, Lucas immediately issued orders to all the legions and factions. This time, there would be no more probing. Lucas decided that the entire coalition would launch a full-scale attack. The goal was to overthrow the Darkness City in one go.
About half a day later, the Demon Slayer Army officially arrived at the Chaos Forest, entering from the western Thunder Highlands.
The Thunder Highlands was vast and sparsely populated, with scarce vegetation. However, at that moment, every hundred miles or so stood a towering golden tree, which was the Offspring World Tree. The Thunder Highlands was also within the range of the Forest of World Tree.
Despite the unique geology of the Thunder Highlands making it difficult for other trees to grow, it did not hinder the World Tree's growth and creation. With the appearance of the World Tree, the climate of the Thunder Highlands underwent significant changes. More and more spiritual soil emerged, and vegetation quickly began to flourish. It was believed that it wouldn't be long before the barren Thunder Highlands turned into a vast, fertile grassland.
The Darkness City was well-prepared for the church coalition's invasion. Han Kexin utilized the World Tree to transport troops from various places ahead of time, deploying them on the Thunder Highlands.
This time, besides the several hundred thousand elite forest coalition forces and the Darkness City Dragon Legion, there were also the Guardian Knight Order of the Thunder Empire and various human units. In addition, there was the massive Citadel of Eternity. This magitek fortress had been upgraded to a Level 6 Supreme Magitek Fortress, with dozens of magitek cannons already prepared and hundreds of thousands of magitek troops ready.
In terms of numbers, excluding the fortress troops, the Demon King's coalition had about one million soldiers, while the church coalition had about two million. Although the Demon King coalition seemed to be at a numerical disadvantage, given the various barriers, fortresses, and natural geographical advantages, it didn't appear to be at a disadvantage.
However, the actual situation was different. The church coalition, despite only being twice the size of the Demon King coalition, had terrifying combat power. After all, there were three demigod Heroes among them!
The troops under the church coalition's command included many units that were not inferior to the Guardian Knights, with Level 6 monarchs, mythics, and even legendary powerhouses. Among them were no fewer than five Level 6 legendary figures, including super-powerful beings like Delores. The rest were supreme Heroes ranked just below Lucas and Wang Badao, within the top ten. This lineup was absolutely beyond imagination and more than compensated for any geographical disadvantages.
Wang Badao looked at the densely arranged Demon King's army on the Thunder Highlands and sneered, "It seems that the Darkness City side is ready for a desperate fight!"
Mandell, puzzled, asked, "But why would they choose to make their stand on the Thunder Highlands instead of retreating to the Darkness City? Do they really think they can stop us with just this number of troops in such an environment?"
There was no need for the Demon King's army to defend the Thunder Highlands because it was a sparsely populated and relatively barren place. Even if the church coalition army took it, it wouldn't significantly impact the Darkness City. According to Lucas's plan, he intended to capture the Thunder Highlands and use it as a strategic base to launch a full-scale assault on the Chaos Forest. He hadn't expected the Darkness City to be so bold, choosing to confront them head-on.
Lucas pondered and said, "Their willingness to risk everything and deploy the majority of their forces here only shows their confidence in this battle!"
The two Heroes thought about it and realized it made sense. The Darkness City's confidence allowed them to face their opponents directly, preferring to give up the stronghold's advantages rather than let the church take their lands and cities.
Wang Badao said, "The grand barrier of the Chaos Forest is too strong. It looks like we'll have to use the power of the artifact to break it again!"
"Allow me!" Lucas, now fully recovered and back to his peak state, released the Heart of Holy Light into the air.
The Heart of Holy Light immediately expanded from the size of a small fist to the size of a small mountain in the blink of an eye. The massive ball of light emitted an immense brilliance. The light was almost tangible, like water, and poured onto the barrier below. The barrier started to thin and fade rapidly, visibly weakening.
The barrier, which spanned several hundred miles, was being consumed in an incredibly short time. Everyone present was astounded by the power of the artifact! Only Lucas looked pained, knowing that this display of power had cost at least two thousand years' worth of faith energy stored in the Heart of Holy Light. The price was steep, but to eliminate Zhang Nu and destroy the Darkness City, it was necessary.
Lucas shouted, "The grand barrier of the Chaos Forest is now extremely weak. Everyone, follow my orders and attack immediately!"
Wang Badao and Mandell also issued their commands. In an instant, millions of troops launched their assault on the Thunder Highlands from different directions and in various ways, covering an area with a radius of at least two hundred miles.
The battle was imminent, and it promised to be a cataclysmic confrontation. This would be a monumental battle destined to be recorded in history!