The Grand Counteroffensive

Within the Grand Altar of Isdalia, the red dragon coiled upon his throne slowly rose to his feet. Cassius lowered his head and gazed at the still-deadlocked battle displayed within the magical scrying projection, letting out a soft chuckle. "Heh... "The players have finished grinding their experience, and the Imperial army has weathered the baptism of blood and fire. "It is time... to bring an end to this long war." The red dragon twisted his massive head, flexed his neck, unfurled his vast wings, and stretched his solid, corded muscles, sending crisp pops and creaks echoing through his colossal frame. Cassius murmured in a low voice, "Launch the counteroffensive." In an instant, his voice seemed to traverse thousands of kilometers, bypassing towering mountain ranges to land directly within the frontline command post in the southern Empire. *** Accompanied by rolling thunder, blue dragons swept low across the land, bringing blinding arcs of lightning crashing down upon the demons. Fierce electric arcs leaped through the fiendish throngs with crackling pops. Waves of demons were charred black, thick smoke billowing from their smoldering flesh. Yet the fiendish onslaught showed no sign of stopping. Over a dozen retrievers and more than a hundred goristros gathered together, while terrifying slaughter demons were summoned forth into the fray. *Boom! Boom!* Dull, heavy thuds resounded as the earth groaned and trembled beneath the tread of these titanic fiends. *Roaaar!* From deep within the surging tide of fiends echoed waves of chaotic shrieks and bellows, as though woven from the agonized screams and wails of countless living souls. High atop the back of a tens-of-meters-tall Abyssal colossus—a stitched-together monstrosity of demonic corpses—a red-skinned demon cracked a flaming whip through the air. "Children of the Great Abyss, it is time to end this little game! The Abyssal Legion will make these mortals realize— "Their utter insignificance and ignorance! "Tear them apart! "Destroy their kingdom! Slaughter their people! "I want to taste their blood!" Driven by the coercion of high-ranking fiends, countless dretches and manes clustered together on instinct, crowding the battlefield like a dark, suffocating tide. In the sky above, the pitch-black wings of Abyssal drakes blotted out the daylight, casting mottled shadows across the desolate ground. Formidable though the blue dragons of the Faria clan were, they numbered only a dozen or so adults—a force that seemed dwarfed before this sky-blotting, horrifying fiendish swarm. "Holy crap... "What rotten luck to run smack into a scripted death event. Looks like we're toast this time," Lonely as Snow muttered, gazing up in despair at the fiendish horde bearing down in his direction. "Wait, look behind us!" A startled cry came from one of his teammates. Alongside it rose an impassioned melody, swelling like an imperial anthem of triumph. "Look! It's not just the blue dragons—the whole army is deploying!" "What the hell?!" "It's the grand counteroffensive!" Lonely as Snow whipped his head around and froze, thoroughly stunned by the spectacle. *Hoooonk—* Steam whistles wailed in unison as every iron gate across the defensive bastions swung wide. Iron behemoths hurtled across the ground trailing billowing plumes of steam. Behind them marched heavily armored landwyrms, letting out deep, resonant roars. Moving slowly like mobile hillocks, their every stride sent tremors coursing through the earth. Rifle-bearing hobgoblins, tieflings, and human infantry marched in ordered ranks alongside the tanks and landwyrms. High upon the back of the largest landwyrm stood Duoluo, blood-fire greataxe in hand. Pointing far toward the demonic commander, he bellowed, "Warriors of the invincible, glorious, and magnificent Emperor Cassius—crush them!" "The Dragon Lord Above All!" Amidst the stirring martial music, soaring battle cries shook the skies. Dragon-blessed paladins advanced in tight phalanxes, clad in heavy red-and-gold armor and bearing greatshields engraved with the Cinder emblem. "Exterminate the fiends! Glory to the Dragon Lord!" At the vanguard, Judgement Knight Anthony shouted at the top of his lungs, raising his lance high as a crimson banner snapped fiercely in the wind. Embroidered upon the banner was the exquisite emblem of the Dragon Oath Sanctuary—intertwined dragon talons and a towering greatshield. Frantic screeches filled the heavens as over a thousand wyverns, chimeras, and flame drakes flapped their wings, converging into a crimson torrent that cast shifting shadows across more than half the sky. At the very heart of the aerial formation rode the most elite wyvern knights. Maintaining a tight, disciplined formation, hundreds of wyverns flew so closely linked that they resembled a single colossal red dragon. Holding firmly at the "dragon's head," Alger raised his Everburning Greatsword once more and roared, "For the Empire! For Emperor Cassius! "Redscale Conquerors, prepare to charge!" *Roaaar—* Another roar, thick with oppressive majesty, thundered out from the crowded dragon swarm. Feeling the sheer weight of bloodline suppression, the wyverns and flame drakes obediently parted to make way. From the midst of the surging red tide emerged an immense white silhouette—the white dragon Tinia. Carrying the bloodline of a progenitor dragon, this white dragon had already grown past twenty meters in length, rivaling an ancient white dragon. She beat her wings with magnificent ferocity, her eyes glaring at the demons with primal savagery. Tinia had long resolved to prove herself before her master. She would prove through action that she was the mightiest vassal beneath his banner! "Abyssal mongrels, I'll freeze you into ice cubes! And then tear you to shreds!" To the east and west across the sky, the silver dragons of Melvold and the blue dragons of Faria—both rushing to the field—craned their necks and roared in unison. Across the southern continent, these two clans were prominent powers among metallic and chromatic dragons respectively. Yet facing a common foe, they had no choice but to set aside past rivalries and fight side by side. "Tank legions, landwyrm legions, imperial infantry, Cinder dragon swarms, Redscale Conquerors, dragon-blessed paladins... "Holy crap, we really are throwing everything we've got into this!" a player exclaimed, marveling at the awe-inspiring host arrayed behind them. At the rear of the ranks, the Imperial Magitech Legion hovered in midair, spell auras intertwining in a radiant brilliance as robes of every hue fluttered against the wind. Beside the Magitech Legion, several portals of fire tore open from nothingness. Over a dozen dragon-pact sorcerers strode through drifting flames and sparks, their pale gold eyes gleaming faintly. Floating high above was Misha, the "Daughter of Dragonfire." Her gaze fixed on the distance, staring unblinkingly at the hideous silhouette atop the Abyssal colossus. She felt the entanglement of the threads of fate. Her crimson hair danced in the wind, wisps of fire swirling around her tall, slender frame. She threw back her head, and massive dragon wings burst from her back. "I've finally found you..." "Leo Bosque." Misha gritted her teeth. Intense flames danced within her pale gold eyes, deep murder glittering in her pupils. At the very center of the Magitech Legion, surrounded by countless wizards, an enormous figure materialized. A cloak stitched together from varied arcane robes wrapped around his somewhat portly frame, while a necklace strung with nine skulls encircled his neck. A colossal dragon-headed staff rested in hands resembling dragon claws. Overwhelming arcane pressure surged around him as a confident grin spread across his hideous face. It was none other than the Prime Minister of the Empire and its mightiest spellcaster—Trump, the dragonblood ogre. "It's the Prime Minister!" "Cassius above, he's actually going to fight in person!" With Trump's appearance, the imperial soldiers on the ground and the surrounding players erupted into fresh waves of exclamations. In recent years, the ogre prime minister had been thoroughly consumed with administrative affairs, rarely seen in public. Aside from major ceremonies, Trump seldom appeared before the masses, let alone took the field to cast spells in person. Trump slowly opened his mouth. Unseen ripples of magical energy rolled out as his calm voice instantly resounded across the entire battlefield. "Everyone— "Before us stand the foul, wretched demons seeking to destroy the Empire. Behind us lies our shared homeland, the radiant and glorious seat of civilization: the Cinder Empire. "We are the subjects sheltered beneath Emperor Cassius's wings, the vassals and warriors of the great red dragon... "Just moments ago, His Majesty personally issued the order. The Empire's counteroffensive begins now!" "For the Empire!" "For Emperor Cassius!" The imperial soldiers erupted into fanatical cheers. The wyverns in the sky craned their necks and bellowed, while the landwyrms on the ground trampled over rock and stone. A satyr military brass band struck up their anthems, beating the war drums to a rhythmic cadence. "Holy crap, this is so hype!" "What a spectacle!" "Counterattack!" "Isdalia is right behind us—there's nowhere left to retreat! Get ready to give your hearts for the Empire!" "For the Empire! For Emperor Cassius! Awoooo!" Even the players were swept up in the fervent atmosphere, moved to tears of excitement. Spurred by the stirring melody, the millions of players present roared wave after wave of cheers like an unrelenting tide. The Imperial army stretched as far as the eye could see, exuding a terrifying momentum that rivaled the Abyssal Legion before them. Wildly, players surged toward the front lines, eager to experience firsthand the combat that made their blood run hot—though in truth, their role was mostly that of cannon fodder against the enemy's dretches and lesser fiends. Shouts mingled into a din; clouds of dust rose into the air. "Fire! Open fire—!" *Boom! Boom! Boom!* Amidst world-shaking roars and the hoarse shouts of commanders, dozens of steam tanks fired in unison. Not only did their devastating main cannons unleash hell, but their secondary turrets and machine guns opened up at full throttle, raining a storm of shells and bullets across the field. Flames and thick smoke swallowed the vanguard of fiends. Charred craters pitted the earth as hundreds of thousands of low-tier demons were snuffed out in an instant, without even the time to scream. "Abyssal Legion! Charge!" "These mortal weapons won't hold out long! Once we close the distance, they're nothing!" Nalfeshnees, mariliths, and other high-ranking demons snarled and bellowed their commands. Despite the horrific casualties, the fiends surged forward wave upon wave, knowing neither fear of death nor exhaustion. Colossal goristros pushed at the forefront, emitting deep, thunderous roars. Advancing like walking fortresses, they withstood the fierce bombardment with brute resilience. Taking advantage of the opening, swarms of dretches and lesser fiends swarmed onto the high ground, using sheer numbers to overwhelm the frontline players, stripping some down to bare bone in moments. The steam tanks shelled almost continuously. Many goristros were struck by brutal armor-piercing shells, collapsing dead on the spot. Yet rays from retrievers and heavy boulders hurled by surviving goristros smashed into the iron hulls, tearing apart tanks whose magitech defenses had run dry. *Roaaar!* An Abyssal drake dove from the sky, clawing onto the roof of a steam tank in an attempt to pry open its top armor. Before it could succeed, several wyverns closed in, spewing searing flames and tearing into it with fangs and talons, quickly dragging the Abyssal drake crashing to the ground. In the sky above, where the fighting raged fiercest, dark clouds and crimson torrents clashed and ground against each other. Abyssal drakes, wyverns, and flame drakes plunged from the air in steady succession. "Seize air superiority! Once we own the skies, we can bomb those fiends to dust!" "Dragon Roar Charge—!" Alger swung his Everburning Greatsword, leading the Redscale Conquerors in a steep climb before diving into a charge. Accompanied by a blood-chilling roar, the crimson deluge plunged downward, shattering the Abyssal Legion's aerial blockade in a single blow. Dozens of Abyssal drakes fell one after another, crashing heavily into the ground below. Yet further off, an enormous, misshapen monstrosity floated high in the air. The creature shot forth mucus-slick black tentacles, instantly scooping up several Redscale Conquerors and stuffing them into a maw lined with rings of jagged fangs. *Crunch, crunch...* A bone-chilling crunching sound echoed through the high heavens. Riding his dragonblood giant eagle, Alger relied on masterful aerial horsemanship to halt abruptly in midair and climb sharply, narrowly dodging the encroaching tentacles. Yet the tentacles swept onward, ensnaring the Redscale Conqueror beside him. Sucking pads released a paralyzing venom that left the rider's wyvern frozen and immobile. Bound tight by the tentacles on his way toward the gaping maw, Mantou cried out in terror, "What the hell is this thing?!" "Aaaagh!" With a pitiful wail, Mantou and his mount were drawn into the meat-grinder of a maw, pulverized into nourishment for the beast. Regrouping his remaining forces high above, Alger looked down upon the terrifying, deformed monstrosities, his expression grave. "Stay alert, everyone! These monsters are formidable—one misstep and you're dead. "We might... need some backup." *KRA-BOOM!* With an ear-splitting crack that shook the sky, a bolt of thunder plummeted from above, striking the Abyssal monster square on and scorching its warped flesh black. Blue dragons swept in from the distance, beating their wings and roaring as they unleashed blinding arcs of lightning breath. The deformed monstrosities tried to lash out with their tentacles, but the blue dragons roared, tearing at them with savage claws and ripping the appendages cleanly off with their fangs. *Boom!* Another thunderclap sounded. A bolt of lightning as thick as a tree trunk smashed down, blowing a charred crater directly through the monster's crown. *Skreee!* Wailing in agony, the Abyssal creature tumbled slowly from the sky, crushing countless low-tier demons beneath its bulk upon impact. Seeing tentacles strike from behind to ensnare a blue dragon's wing, Alger dove on his giant eagle and severed the writhing limbs with a single slash of his greatsword. He then barked calmly, "Scatter and support the blue dragons!" "Yes, Commander!" *Roaaar!* Wyverns wheeled across the sky, watching for openings before swooping down onto the heads of the Abyssal monsters to drag the stitched-together abominations from the air. *Boom!* A tremendous explosion erupted high above as one of the deformed monstrosities was blasted to pieces midair, plummeting to the earth. Blazing meteors fell from the heavens, bombarding the Abyssal beasts aloft and crashing into the fiendish legions below. The wizards of the Imperial Magitech Legion raised their staves in unison, weaving vast, intricate spell matrices beneath an ever-flickering canopy of arcane light. Meanwhile, the fiendish warlocks countered with horrific Abyssal spells—noxious vapors, crimson poisons, and madness-inducing spheres of light flooded the battlefield, inflicting heavy casualties on the Imperial troops. Yet beneath the relentless advance of the steam tanks and landwyrms, the Empire's front line pushed forward, step by steady step.