Deep in the vast, desolate Serel Wilderness, about thirty kilometers south of the Scale-Earth Rift Road.
It was late at night, and both the real and fake moons were completely swallowed by thick, dark clouds. The dim light could not penetrate the clouds, leaving the vast land below shrouded in an almost tangible, suffocating darkness.
Yet, in the midst of this impenetrable ink-black darkness, a winding, writhing dragon of fire was moving forward in silence.
It was a torrent composed of elite cavalry and warriors clad in fine heavy armor, armed to the teeth, along with Alchemy Golems! The faint magical glow emanating from the gaps in their armor and the halos of the Alchemy Runes converged, forcefully dispelling the darkness over a large area and becoming the only pulsating band of light in the dark.
This troop was the elite private army belonging to the Albert Family, the direct force that Earl Mills had expended countless efforts and resources to cultivate.
In the general perception of the world, although noble private armies were well-equipped and well-treated, they were often inferior to the regular border troops who were always prepared for battle and had campaigned in all directions when it came to true combat capability.
This view was generally correct, but it definitely did not apply to the Albert Family.
The Albert Family rose to power through illustrious military achievements and had inextricable, close ties with the military System of the Duchy of Raymond. The backbone of their private army was directly selected with care from the elite of the army.
While giving them the most abundant resources for cultivation, they also implemented near-cruel militarized training all year round, even frequently dropping them into the edges of war zones where actual conflicts existed, using the most real blood and fire to hone these soldiers into true sharp blades!
When fighting for the Albert Family, they were a private army.
But if they were pulled to any battlefield engulfed in flames, they could instantly transform into a formidable, battle-hardened elite force!
At this moment, at the very front of this silent and dangerous troop, was a burly knight almost entirely wrapped in heavy, hideous, battle-scarred dark armor, revealing only a pair of eyes flashing with cold, sharp light under the shadow of his helmet.
He carried a heavy tower shield on his back and a sheathed, two-handed greatsword with a blade flashing with the faint glow of runes slung across his waist.
Unlike the standard Alchemy weaponry generally equipped by other soldiers.
If someone observed carefully, they would discover that every piece of equipment on him, from his helmet to his battle boots, was engraved with complex and meticulously crafted rune marks, emitting a power fluctuation far more profound and restrained than ordinary Alchemy enhancements.
Anyone with knowledge of the warrior path would have no difficulty instantly recognizing the transcendent profession of this leader.
Rune Knight — a powerful and rare Advanced branch of the warrior path. They did not rely on external objects, but rather by controlling supernatural runes, fusing their power into their Martial Skills and equipment, erupting with destructive power and defensive strength far beyond common sense.
This Rune Knight leader was named Rhode Albert.
He shared the same noble surname as Earl Mills, but he had no noble Bloodline in his body.
He had no father or mother, was an orphan through and through, and no one knew the source of his Bloodline, nor did they know the land of his birth.
Since he could remember, his life had been closely tied to the cold stone walls and bland porridge of the orphanage established by the Albert Family.
The turning point of his fate occurred in his childhood.
During an intense conflict within the orphanage, he displayed a ferocity and tenacity far exceeding his peers, and thus he was selected and taken away from the orphanage.
Afterwards.
He underwent the most cruel training, grew up in the most dangerous jungle of swords and blades, and every bit of his glory was inextricably linked to fighting for the Albert Family.
When he turned thirty and his body was covered with indelible marks of merit, the power-holders of the Albert Family finally cast a look of true recognition upon him.
He was officially admitted into the Family genealogy and bestowed with the surname Albert, which symbolized glory.
He even married a lady from the Family who possessed a true noble Bloodline, formally becoming a member of the Albert Family.
From then on, he lived for the Family, fought for the Family, and was willing to die for the Family.
Because his style of conduct was known for being cold, ruthless, and decisive.
Rhode had another awe-inspiring title in the army — General Evil Wolf, the Evil Wolf of the Albert Family.
At this very moment, the face of this "Evil Wolf of the Albert Family" hidden under his cold helmet tightened slightly, and his brows furrowed imperceptibly.
He abruptly raised his steel-clad arm, making a clean and decisive stop gesture, his voice rolling over the silent wilderness like muffled thunder.
"Halt!"
Once the order was issued, it was obeyed.
Almost the instant the General Evil Wolf spoke in a low voice, the entire troop, which had been advancing with machine-like precision, came to a sudden stop. All the soldiers froze in place, their movements uniform, and a murderous, dead silence permeated the entire team.
Rhode lifted his head slightly, his cold gaze sweeping forward like a hawk, examining the area with gravity.
Standing directly in front of the troop was a hill that appeared particularly rugged and eerie in the thick night, its silhouette resembling an ancient beast crawling on the ground, ready to strike. The surrounding terrain was intricate and complex, simply an excellent place for an ambush.
The combat instinct honed from crawling out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood countless times allowed Rhode to keenly sniff the dangerous Aura permeating the air.
This place was only about thirty kilometers from the stronghold of the Molten Iron Tribe.
Because the Earl intended to crush those monsters with an indisputable, straightforward momentum, they did not cover their tracks too much during this trip, so the possibility of having already been exposed was extremely high.
As long as the commander of the Molten Iron Tribe possessed the most basic strategic vision, they would inevitably choose to set up heavy troops in ambush here, waiting for work with ease.
In any case, if it were him commanding, he would do it one hundred percent.
If it were those arrogant noble commanders, they might take it for granted that the monsters were barbaric and stupid, did not understand military strategy, and did not need to worry too much.
But Rhode Albert never thought that way.
— Never underestimate any of your enemies.
This was the iron rule that General Evil Wolf had exchanged for with the blood of countless comrades and enemies.
The Molten Iron Tribe, which could make Earl Mills spare no expense in using the Family foundation to crusade against, could never be a soft persimmon and must be given the highest degree of attention.
"Sienna."
General Evil Wolf turned his head slightly, his low voice coming through the gap in his visor: "Deploy the Alchemy heavy artillery immediately, target the hill in front, and conduct saturation bombardment!"
The Alchemist Sienna was one of the two Advanced Spellcasters accompanying the army.
The other was the Protector Mage Sanchez, who looked about fifty years old, with a solemn expression, following closely behind Rhode along with the Alchemist.
The Alchemist goes without saying; the Alchemy technology she mastered was a brilliant stroke in the civilization process of Planet Bernardo.
And the Protector Mage referred specifically to those Spellcasters who specialized in protective Spells.
The core of the Spells they mastered lay in obstruction, expulsion, and protection.
Perhaps some opponents believed that the Spells of this path were too passive, only knowing how to avoid and refuse, lacking active offensive skills.
But every true Protector Mage firmly believed that terminating negative effects, protecting against fatal weaknesses, expelling evil influences... all of this was by no means a void matter, but a proud and crucial mission.
"Understood, General."
The Alchemist immediately took the order and issued instructions to the artillerist squad operating the heavy artillery in the rear through the communication tool she carried.
The heavy Alchemy cannon bases were quickly and stably placed on the ground, and one by one, the pitch-black muzzles engraved with energy circuits slowly lifted, coldly adjusting their angles, aiming at the ominous hill.
However, before they could fully prepare for the bombardment.
Roar! Roar! Roar!
Three deafening Dragon roars rang out.
Iron Dragon Sorog, Red Dragon Samantha, and White Dragon Tereshi tore through the thick clouds and circled in the sky. With the roaring sounds, the Dragon Aura poured down like water from a breached dam, like a gale passing through.
Dragon Aura was by no means a simple intangible Aura.
It had a more appropriate name — Fierce Aura!
This was a proper Spell-like ability, and it was one of the core skills, like Dragon Breath, that could continuously become stronger with the growth of the Dragon's age and power.
A clear commotion suddenly appeared in the army formation below.
Even these battle-hardened Ironblood elite soldiers were more or less strongly affected by the Dragon Aura.
In their intimidated perception, the figures of the three Dragons in the sky seemed to be expanding infinitely, turning into terrifying, invincible mountains that stood tall, making people feel despair and unable to muster the courage to resist.
Meanwhile.
Rumble!
The earth began to tremble slightly!
The heavy Iron Hooves of the Centaur Warriors crushed the stones along the way, and the sharp claws of the giant wolves plowed deep marks into the dry, hard ground. They were like a flood from a breached dam, charging down fiercely from the hill in front. Following closely behind were Ogre warriors with knotted muscles like small giants, as well as a more numerous, tide-like swarm of Gnoll, Kobold, Lizardfolk, and other monster minions.
Three huge and burly beast figures were dotted among them, clearly visible.
The monster army, like a black tide of death, rushed towards the human army that had just been intimidated by the Dragon Aura and whose formation was slightly chaotic.
Just at this moment.
Protector Mage Sanchez raised the staff embedded with a huge yellow crystal in his hand, and before anyone knew it, his rapid incantation had already reached its end!
"In the name of order, Protect!"
The moment the last sonorous syllable was uttered, the staff in his hand was swung down fiercely.
Anti-Dragonkin Aura.
An intangible yet majestic light suddenly spread out with the staff as the core, spreading in all directions.
This Spell had a very strong targeted resistance effect against the abilities of Dragonkin, especially against Dragon Aura, and could extremely effectively weaken the Dragon Aura intimidation below the adult Dragon level.
The intangible Aura brushed over the soldiers' bodies, and the soldiers who had originally been gripped by fear and whose hands and feet were cold instantly regained clarity and firmness in their eyes, and the morale that had just wavered was stabilized.
"Fire! Fire immediately! Free fire!"
At this moment, the two sides had not yet truly engaged in close combat; this was the best time for their own Alchemy heavy artillery to exert destructive long-range firepower, and they must not give those charging monsters a chance to adjust their formation.
The muzzles of several Alchemy giant cannons that had already been prepared instantly spewed out white-hot energy beams and heavy shells wrapped in Alchemy explosives, tearing through the night sky with ear-piercing shrieks.
They outlined a deadly parabola in the air, aimed directly at the monster swarm rushing like a tide under the hill, intending to use the rain of steel and fire to completely scatter and crush their charging momentum before contact!
However, what caught the human side off guard was.
Almost at the same time, equally fierce and precise Alchemy artillery fire erupted from between the eerie hills opposite.
The human shells and the shells from the monsters intersected, intercepted, and collided in the air, exploding into clusters of brilliant, deafening giant fireworks, instantly illuminating the entire battlefield like daylight.
Of course, not all shells were intercepted accurately.
There were still human shells that passed through the interwoven fire net and smashed fiercely into the monster wave charging down the mountain, blowing up several clusters of flesh and blood fireworks mixed with severed limbs and arms. Similarly, several shells from the hill also carried shrill shrieks and smashed fiercely into the human army's formation, overturning soldiers who couldn't dodge in time and the base of an Alchemy Golem, causing a brief chaos and painful wails.
The human officers were shocked to realize that the Molten Iron Tribe actually possessed Alchemy weapons of considerable scale and power.
In addition to those heavy cannons that kept spitting tongues of fire, one could also see some steel Golems that were even larger and burly than Ogres, walking with heavy steps, emitting deafening engine roars, like mobile fortresses, following the monster torrent to launch a charge.
This completely unexpected scene made General Evil Wolf Rhode feel extremely shocked, and even a trace of disbelief flashed through his mind.
But this was by no means the time to delve into where these weapons and Golems came from.
Since both sides possessed powerful long-range projection firepower, continuing to stay in place and bombard each other would only increase unnecessary casualties.
When enemies meet on a narrow road, the brave one wins.
Only by charging, only by close-quarters hand-to-hand combat, could the winner be decided! Determine the outcome of this battle.
"For the glory of the Albert Family!"
General Evil Wolf pulled out the greatsword from his back, the blade pointing directly at the surging monster tide in front, and issued a heaven-shaking war roar: "All troops, attack! Crush them! Leave none alive!"
The order to attack was like a spark thrown into hot oil, instantly igniting the entire battlefield.
Woo — hum!!
Upon receiving the command signal, the engines of the Alchemy Golems belonging to the Albert Family instantly emitted deafening roars of full-power operation, and the huge metal bodies erupted with amazing speed, crushing forward like a steel torrent!
The human warriors, clad in armor and holding sharp weapons, had cold eyes like ice, but their steps were as swift as the wind, following the moving steel line of defense and launching a desperate counter-charge towards the oncoming wave of death.
Neither side had any intention of retreating.
Under the illumination of the brilliant light interwoven by the sky-filling artillery fire, the torrent composed of steel and flesh and blood, with heaven-shaking shouts and roars, collided fiercely and unhesitatingly.