Chapter 70: The Final Battle
A treasure chest, pitch black with golden patterns covering its surface, appeared in Su Xiao's hand. The chest felt heavy and solid, and just one look at it stirred a deep desire within anyone.
Obtaining an Immortal Chest did not guarantee opening an Immortal-ranked item. In reality, the probability of obtaining a Holy Spirit-ranked item was much higher, a 90% to 10% gap.
Through the prompts, Su Xiao learned the difference between Immortal-ranked and Holy Spirit-ranked equipment: its unique 'Core Enhancement' effect. As for the specifics, Su Xiao was not yet clear; he would have to wait until he obtained an Immortal-ranked item to find out.
He speculated that this 'Core Enhancement' effect should provide an extremely powerful boost to a single aspect. For example, some Holy Spirit-ranked equipment, while having several equipment effects, had little connection between them.
Immortal-ranked equipment would not have this problem. It was important to know that all equipment had a constant enhancement cap. For instance, if the enhancement degree was 100 and there were four enhancement effects, each would share 25 points of enhancement degree. If these four enhancements had little correlation, then this Holy Spirit-ranked equipment would be worth at most 50 to 80 Soul Coins.
Of course, this was just an analogy. In layman's terms, compared to Holy Spirit-ranked equipment, Immortal-ranked equipment was more specialized. Even if it had multiple abilities, they would combine with each other, ultimately enhancing in the same direction.
Unique traits, rarity, core enhancement—these key prompt words represented one thing: Immortal-ranked equipment would be very expensive.
Looking at the [Immortal Chest] in his hand, Su Xiao considered opening it to see if he could get an Immortal-ranked item to boost his combat power.
Considering the issue of fluctuating luck, Su Xiao did not want to waste this Immortal Chest. He was unsure if the Goddess of Fortune was secretly watching nearby. Other deities wouldn't, but that goddess truly had no scruples.
For this reason, Su Xiao rarely opened chests inside mission worlds. These chests were obtained at the risk of his life, and after returning to Reincarnation Paradise, the Goddess of Fortune could no longer influence him at all.
Su Xiao put away the [Immortal Chest]. Several hundred meters away, within a crevice in the alternate space, the Goddess of Fortune, floating there, bit through the chocolate bar in her hand and let out a light scoff.
"Tch~, so cautious."
The Goddess of Fortune muttered, her divine incarnation gradually dispersing into golden mist.
Inside the fortress bedroom, Su Xiao turned his head to the right. That faint feeling of being watched appeared again for an instant. There was absolutely no malice, just a distant gaze. Besides the Goddess of Fortune, he couldn't think of anyone else who would do such a thing.
According to the agreement, the battle should start tomorrow morning. Su Xiao had no intention of keeping the agreement with King Duoyin, because the other side had already mobilized.
470 million Flame Demons, 530,000 Wolf Cavalry, 3,400 Flame Giants, 5,000 Ancient Tree Clan, and 20,000 Demon Ghosts.
Besides these, there were also 30,000 Serpentfolk, of which 10,200 were responsible for controlling the Flame Giants in battle, while the remaining Serpentfolk were in charge of operating the giant ballistae.
These 1,012 giant metal ballistae were captured in the Northern Territory's Fierce Winter City. They were all war weapons, and the large metal crossbow bolts found in the Fierce Winter City supply depot were enough for a decisive battle.
This was all the military force Su Xiao would use to fight Duoyin. As for the situation on Duoyin's side, he had a general understanding, but he believed that King Duoyin had also learned of his own side's situation.
A large tree will inevitably have withered branches. With such a massive army, it was normal to have Duoyin's spies. Conversely, Duoyin's side also had spies from the Chaos Legion.
Rumble~
The two city gates of Black Melt City opened. The Flame Demon army was at the very front, marching out in a mighty torrent.
At the same time, Duoyin, Royal Capital Suburb.
Rows of Imperial soldiers stood in formation. The deputy legion commander of this force received orders to depart this morning, march at full speed, and arrive at the border by noon to launch a surprise attack on the Chaos Legion's defensive line.
Clearly, King Duoyin had no intention of waiting until tomorrow morning to start the war. Some things were understood without being said.
Behind, Duoyin Royal Capital.
King Duoyin sat on his throne, with high-ranking officials seated around the council hall.
King Duoyin was listening to a spy's report. Soon, he smiled and shook his head.
"War, you truly have no intention of keeping your promise."
King Duoyin's expression was calm, feeling no guilt about breaking the agreement first. He looked at a legion commander kneeling on one knee. This legion commander appeared to be over sixty, but he was very strong, with a dignified aura.
"Gate, go avenge your second son, Turt. You and your son are among the few I trust most."
Hearing this, Legion Commander Gate lowered his head slightly, his expression steady.
"My King, I, Gate, will surely answer your trust. This is not revenge. Turt was my pride. He fought the War Demon and lost. This was a difference in belief and stance, not a personal grudge. My son Turt's body was returned, which already shows that the War Demon acknowledged my son's worthiness of respect. For a knight, this is an honorable death."
Legion Commander Gate's voice was booming. To say he was not heartbroken would be a lie. He had six children, and the one he was most proud of was Turt.
In Gate's view, Turt died as a knight, his body returned intact. For a knight who fought on the battlefield, this was a final resting place. Since one participates in killing, one must be prepared to face death. This was the knightly spirit of their 'Graham Family'.
Legion Commander Gate was the overall battlefield commander for Duoyin's side in this decisive battle. Besides him, there were five deputy commanders and numerous subordinate officers.
Border Region.
At 11 AM that day, the originally clear weather suddenly turned overcast. Rolling dark clouds surged from the direction of the Western Territory towards the central region.
Beneath the dark clouds was an endless sea of Flame Demons. What did 470 million mean? Standing on a low hill and looking out, one simply couldn't see the edge.
Within the Flame Demon army, Flame Giants were mixed among the Flame Demons. Their average height was over 12 meters, and every step they took rumbled loudly.
On the back of the neck of these Flame Giants were tied iron baskets. Inside each basket were three Serpentfolk. Their bodies were covered in alchemical array patterns, and their pupils were also shaped like alchemical arrays. They worked in groups of three to cooperatively control the Flame Giants' movements.
Further back, within the Flame Demon army, War Treefolk were mixed in. Their bodies were covered in chains. This was not restraint; they were pulling the 1,012 giant metal ballistae.
Near each giant metal ballista, a dozen or so Serpentfolk followed. The Flame Demons near them carried rectangular iron boxes nearly ten meters long, which contained large metal crossbow bolts.
Looking further back, in the air at a height of about 100 meters, nearly 20,000 Demon Ghosts were floating. Their disheveled hair moved without wind, and their beautiful faces were fierce and brutal.
At the very rear, 530,000 Wolf Cavalry held the line. They were the elite of the elite, having fought their way here, none lacking in combat experience.
Boom!
A flash of lightning streaked across the sky. The march caused the very ground to tremble. This was the spectacle that could be called the Chaos Legion. Wherever the army passed, all living beings retreated.
When the Chaos Legion reached the border between the Western Territory and the Central Region, the army halted. One kilometer away, countless Imperial soldiers had already formed numerous ranks. The number was also difficult to count, with a conservative estimate of over 6 million.
The Chaos Legion and Duoyin's army faced off across a one-kilometer gap. Neither side used war weapons first. The atmosphere of slaughter was suffocating.
Hmm~
A War Treefolk blew a horn several meters long. The Demon Flame Dragon, Barbatos, swooped down from above and landed in front of their own army.
Su Xiao stood on Barbatos's head, looking at the Imperial army ahead. A gust of wind blew past, stirring his black hair. He gripped the hilt of the blade at his waist with one hand, drew the longsword, and pointed it forward.
"Trample them."
"Kill!"
The shouts of killing and roars merged into one. The entire Flame Demon army charged forward, followed by the War Treefolk striding heavily. These big fellows, whose eyesight wasn't too good, were exceptionally fierce at this moment.
On the opposite side, Duoyin's Imperial soldiers also drew their swords. The front-line heavy shield soldiers roared and then met the Flame Demon army head-on.
The two armies closed in rapidly. The Orc hero, Wobol, charged at the very front, his war hammer swinging. Facing him was a soldier wielding a broadsword.
Clang! Sparks flew everywhere. In the next instant, the Imperial soldiers and Flame Demons on both sides of them collided. Blood-like magma splattered everywhere, and broken shield fragments flew wildly.
"Roar!"
Barbatos flew over the enemy army, spewing dragonflame downwards. Amidst this magnificent scene, the decisive battle between Duoyin and the Chaos Legion began.
At the edge of the battlefield, contractors like Mu Xiao, Flame Master, Desolate Sea, and Biting Cat were all present. Of course, they would come to such a decisive battle. In fact, over 80% of the contractors in this world had arrived.
Almost simultaneously, all contractors in this world received several announcements.
[Announcement (Void Tree): The Duoyin Empire and the Chaos Legion have initiated a full-scale decisive battle.]
[Duoyin Empire Supreme Commander: King's Sword · Gate.]
[Chaos Legion Commander: War Demon · Kukulin Bai Ye.]
[Announcement (Void Tree): Due to the commencement of this campaign, all contractors may now re-select their faction by consuming 30% of their current War Merit. If your chosen faction achieves final victory in this campaign, your current War Merit will be increased by 100%.]
[Announcement (Void Tree): Current merit acquisition rate will be increased by 1.2 times.]
[Warning (Void Tree): Do not attempt to attack King's Sword · Gate or War Demon · Kukulin Bai Ye lightly. Both are Leader-class units. Launching a surprise attack on a Leader-class unit will incur the hatred of a massive number of soldier-class units.]
[Announcement (Void Tree): If you insist on attacking a Leader-class unit and successfully kill it, upon success, you will complete the Achievement Quest · ??? and receive an additional exclusive title.]
...
On the dragon's back, Su Xiao also saw these announcements, but he saw one more Void Tree prompt than the others.
[Prompt (Void Tree): Due to the contractor's current special status, you may be attacked by other contractors. If attacked and you successfully kill the enemy, you will obtain Scarlet Merit (Scarlet Merit can be used to exchange for Blood Weapons. Such weapons have no fixed quality, with a rating of 500 to ??? points. Maximum quantity owned is 1).]