While there were many demons in the sky, their numbers were far fewer compared to those without wings. The land-bound demons were the mainstream of the demon army, outnumbering the aerial demons tenfold, even a hundredfold.
Various types of demons roared and shrieked across the land, their cruel and violent eyes fixed on the floating islands in the sky. Even as demons fell like rain from above, it did not deter these demons, influenced by the chaotic will of chaos.
These demons occupied all the land and mountains, surrounding the planar passages hidden deep within cliffside caves, making them impenetrable.
For well-trained armed legions and knights, a single demon like this posed no threat.
However, when they possessed an absolute numerical advantage, gathering like a tide, their destructive power was far greater than that of a well-trained legion, for their minds held only chaotic destruction, not the fear of death.
Even as Dragons soared beneath the sky, sowing destruction, the True Dragon's Golden Lion Legion carried out slaughter, and the Mage Legion conducted clean-up operations, it only made these demons angrier.
Powerful demons, relying on their bloodline and spell-like abilities, leaped into the air, aiming to bring down the True Dragon and airships in the sky.
Archmage Lapers and the Ancestral Red Dragon stood at the front of the floating island, watching as the boundless tide of demons suddenly parted, and a colossal shadow, a terrifying presence, abruptly crashed into his vision.
A roaring demon stepped over the heads and shoulders of its kin, directly trampling weaker demons to death, and then bounded and leaped towards the mountaintop.
This demon was ten meters tall, covered in natural, thick metal armor, and its double-jointed ox hooves stomped and leaped like a giant.
Its goat-like face was covered in small, tentacle-like spikes, and two thick, long, sharp horns on its head were a gleaming, dark black. These were iron horns forged from dead iron in the Abyss, embedded onto the demon's original horns.
Each leap covered hundreds of meters. The bulging muscles on its thick thighs were exaggeratedly swollen, and massive amounts of white mist and gas, mixed with abyssal aura, spewed from the demon's mouth with a puffing sound.
In its equally sharp claws, it wielded a long-handled warhammer also forged from dead iron, permeated with death energy from the Abyssal Plane. Each strike against the mountain cliff, which had become incredibly sturdy after millions of years of wind and rain erosion, would leave an indentation.
Finally, this goat demon leaped to the summit of the mountain. Its massive, double-jointed ox hooves powerfully scraped the ground, its thick muscles bulging with each strip, and it leaped into the air.
As if instantly shaking the mountaintop, all the dust and rubble were thrown into the sky. Surging airwaves swept outwards like shockwaves, carrying unparalleled might, and slammed into the starship that was firing indiscriminately in the sky.
Boom!
A brilliant burst of flame erupted in the sky. The entire small alloy-built airship was directly pierced through the middle by the goat demon's sharp horn, and then shattered by the goat demon's warhammer.
Thousands of alloy airship fragments shot out in all directions, like a metallic storm, piercing into the dense demon horde.
But the goat demon had already used the destroyed airship as a stepping stone, swinging its warhammer down against the dense beams of energy cannons, leaping towards another starship.
"Roar!"
A roaring sound, incredibly loud even amidst the clamor of the demon battlefield, was the roar of a True Dragon, filled with anger and frenzy.
Klenaya fangs spread wide, and an incredibly surging Dragonfire spewed from the True Dragon's mouth. The fiercely hot, almost white, violent red flames instantly ignited countless ugly and bizarre owl demons and bat demons, turning them into charred powder and ashes as they fell, which were then scattered by the strong wind.
And Klenaya roared, flapping her wings, and burst out from the cloud-obscuring encirclement. Her massive steel True Dragon claws slammed towards the goat demon, who had once again leaped into the air by stepping on an airship.
Clang!
The True Dragon's claw and the goat demon's warhammer clashed in the air, and the sound of steel and iron colliding echoed. The True Dragon, the king of the sky, could exert her full power in the air.
However, this goat demon did not possess such ability. Although the goat demon's strength was equally formidable, it was still struck by the enraged Red Dragon, its warhammer sent flying, and it was knocked down from the sky into the dust.
But there were many more powerful demons like the goat demon. At least in Lapers's eyes, he had already spotted over ten equally powerful demons, who, like the goat demon, were actively launching attacks on the True Dragons and legion warriors in the sky.
Although Dragon Lords could quickly strike down these powerful demons, countless eager and powerful demons still interfered with the aerial legion's combat.
Because the number of demons was simply too vast, endless. Under the suppression of the legion mages, as one batch was reduced, another would replenish from all sides. As far as the eye could see, there were only demon figures.
The white-haired Old Magician Lapers felt that perhaps the number of demons here had already surpassed the number of lives in the native world.
This interfered with the Imperial Legion's original plan to first clear the demons in the sky, and then, relying on the aerial floating islands and the Mage Regiment's suppressive power, proceed to suppress and clear the ground demon army.
True Dragons possessed a suppressive advantage over other species, which was the innate True Dragon Majesty within their Dragon bloodline; every drop of their fresh dragon blood flowed with the fierce aura of a True Dragon.
However, some powerful creatures could gradually adapt to this mental oppression of True Dragons Majesty. Even ferocious species, if their will was firm enough, could break free from the True Dragon's fear deterrence.
But these demons, with their chaotic minds influenced by the chaotic will, had no fear of the True Dragon's innate majesty, and they charged at the Dragon Lords wave after wave.
The Two Blue Dragons, with scales the color of the sky above, unleashed their True Dragon Might in the sky, which only provoked an even fiercer counterattack from the demons.
"You scum, dare to contend with True Dragon for dominance of the world? You all deserve to die!"
"Despicable aberrations, dying under my lightning is the honor I bestow upon you!"
Akziand Dos, two powerful Blue Dragon, roared in the sky. The demons' counterattack infuriated the two Blue Dragon beyond measure.
They began to summon undying berserk lightning to strike into the demon hordes. Layers of dark clouds began to cover the sky, from which the majesty of lightning descended. They spewed piercing lightning that struck down the black tide, turning the demons into charcoal with lightning.
In the harnessed strong winds, their claws struck, their massive wings swept. The battle-frenzy factor within the Blue Dragon bloodline swelled and surged wildly, making them fight with increasing vigor.
No demon could withstand the Blue Dragon's attacks; even intermediate demons would be directly struck dead by the enraged Blue Dragon.
"Demons hunt worlds, but True Dragons are the apex predators! You are all my nourishment!"
Antagena shrieked, radiating the Green Dragon's might.
As this Green Dragon spread her wings, instantly dozens to hundreds of ancient, gnarled vines, like the Ancestral Red Dragon's Dragonfire chains, extended from the Green Dragon's body as the central point, piercing through the surrounding demons.
Hundreds of ancient, gnarled vine tips pierced into the demons' hearts and eye sockets, making dreadful gurgling sounds, as if sucking marrow and blood, devouring flesh and sinew.
Even the evil flames burning on many demons could not ignite these gnarled ancient vines, which were covered in a luminous green sheen. The demons wailed, impaled on the increasingly thick and long ancient vines, biting at them powerlessly.
Countless demons shot forth surging, sea-like dark energy beams towards the True Dragon and Golden Lion Legion in the sky. These were energies from the Abyssal Plane that birthed demons, carrying powers of corruption and destruction, rising into the sky.
"Roar!"
Camid roared with both heads, and massive amounts of ice breath and cold breath, as his heads turned, impacted the ground in a fan shape. The biting cold, under the freezing of ice particles, even froze those abyssal energy beams.
They froze in mid-air into purple-black ice shards and icicles that clattered to the ground. The surrounding demons also had the evil flames on their bodies extinguished by this biting cold breath, freezing the abyssal energy within their bodies, and then were shattered by the roaring twin-headed White True Dragon's tail, and sliced by his wings, making the sky fall like icy rain.
"Ha! This is Kogmora's destined territory! How dare you trespass upon the True Dragon's domain?" Germott roared, soaring through the sky, knocking down dozens to hundreds of demons, and striking down an Abyssal Fiend that had leaped into the air.
Vast magical power was stirred by Germott. Layers of cold aura, like solid substance, emerged from the gaps in the ice-crystal-carved scales of this White True Dragon, whose bloodline had ascended. The wind in the sky also gathered and howled between this White Dragon's icy claws.
Ancient and pure Dragon Language rumbled from White Dragon Germott's throat. The frosty aura in the wind gradually transformed into blades of wind and snow.
Condensed particles of frost and snow froze the tiny water molecules in the air, then transformed into pulsating ice blades that circled around this White True Dragon's body.
Every time Germott swung his claws, countless ice-forged weapon storms would splatter from beneath his claws, piercing, freezing, and shattering demons.
As Germott's cold dragon blood gradually surged, layer upon layer of ice and snow blades began to rotate around Germott as a central point, forming a storm tide of frost blades.
The rotation speed of the frost blade storm became faster and faster, like a turbine after it starts, accelerating.
Unrivaled sharpness shredded all demons daring to approach, like a shredder pulverizing wood. These demons were churned into fine pieces of corpses by the storm of frost and snow blades, and then quickly frozen.
Even the demons' spell-like powers and abyssal energy beams were completely blocked by Germott's frost blade storm, unable to strike this White True Dragon's body.
The Golden Lion Legion warriors in the sky piloted their warships, ascending and gaining altitude to avoid the rain of magical attacks, then retaliated by spewing laser and energy cannons from their gun barrels.
The war spread, with only the Ancestral Red Dragon and Archmage Lapers standing calmly, overlooking the unfolding battle.
Countless streams of information and energy converged in Kalon's two brains. Some signs and traces representing the underlying laws of this world began to reveal their mysterious veil to him.
As creatures capable of quickly adapting to any Material Plane and higher planes, True Dragon did not experience severe suppression in this world.
Instead, Kalon felt that the laws underpinning this world were far less precise and rigorous than those of a large Material Plane like Ekania World. Although Ekania World was more peculiar, the laws interwoven into its world were indeed much tighter.
Perhaps this was also the reason why the Evil True Dragons created and born in this world were so massive. Under relatively loose laws, these Evil True Dragons gained a certain characteristic of rules, allowing their bodies to grow without limit until the moment before death.
The superficial rules of magic energy operation in the Ice and Fire World peeled away layer by layer in the Ancestral Red Dragon's eyes. The trajectory of the Evil Dragon Blood flowing within each Dragon Lord in the sky was clearly seen by the Ancestral Red Dragon.
Every magical burst, and the subtle changes caused by the world's influence, were all collected by Kalon. A core of magical power, a furnace of elements and magic, began to emerge from the Ancestral Red Dragon's body amidst the interwoven magical runes.
These spellcasters need to hone their minds through meditation, create their own source of magic within their bodies, accumulate magic, and then advance, or use the magic output from their source of magic for combat.
An ordinary mage can mobilize three times the external elements and magic with one part of their own power, making the magical effect more powerful and doubling its might.
Among the outstanding mages, the power from their internal source of magic can draw upon more than five times the external power to achieve stronger magical effects.
If there are magical treasures and spellcasting materials to amplify and bless, the power that can be mobilized will be even stronger.
Kalon, through the battles of the Dragon Lord and the spells cast by the Mage Legion, collected the rules of magic operation in this world through the effects of magic expansion and the results of the spells, thereby adjusting his power output model and method.
This allowed the Ancestral Red Dragon to better fit the underlying rules of this world, as if he were a True Dragon originally born in this world. And the Ancestral Red Dragon's original bloodline was the most powerful magic core; in areas rich in magic, Kalon never worried about his magic running out.
But he was about to venture into a magic desert, and the temporarily formed magic source and elemental furnace were prepared for this.
Although the Ancestral Red Dragon was a True Dragon, he had already embarked on another path of a mage, the path that those Legendary Mages had once walked.
However, unlike Legendary Mages who would analyze the laws and world rules of each Material Plane they arrived at, and then overlay the analyzed rules onto their own understood powers to reduce interference and repulsion from other planes, Kalon used absolutely powerful computing power to re-edit from the ground up, creating a power output model adapted to the local world, allowing the Ancestral Red Dragon to exert his power without hindrance, just as he would in the Ekania World.
This was also why Kalon did not directly arrive at the Valyria Peninsula using the plane teleportation spell he mastered when he first arrived.
With the plane teleportation spell the Ancestral Red Dragon currently mastered, he only needed to mentally outline and describe any place existing in this world's plane to instantly teleport there.
But facing that powerful Legendary Great Demon Lord, he had to be prepared to ensure the Ancestral Red Dragon had a greater chance of winning.
The white-haired Old Magician Lapers did not know the Ancestral Red Dragon's plan, but the demons in the sky had already been swept away, clearing an empty area under the repeated strikes of the Dragon Lords and the Golden Lion Legion, cooperating with the spellcaster legions.
Those lower-level demons that could still fly were no longer as fierce as before. Under the slaughter by the True Dragon and the Legion, the number of winged, flying demons was drastically decreasing and could no longer affect the plane passage defenses below the floating island.
Then, on the white-haired Old Magician's ring-laden finger, an old prophecy card appeared. The image on it was of a golden-scaled True Dragon soaring. If other Dragon Lords could see it, they would surely exclaim the name of the Ancestral Gold Dragon Obirash.
The Old Magician Lapers infused magic into the prophecy card, and an eighteen-meter-long Ancestral Gold Dragon suddenly appeared on the floating island.
With scales cast from gold dust, bones structured from fine steel, and claws forged from alloy, this model of the Ancestral Gold Dragon was lifelike, and two transparently colored gems shone like the eyes of a True Dragon, sparkling brightly.
"Awaken, Image of Obirash!"
The white-haired Old Magician touched his ancient staff to the head of this massive model, using the highest magic of mages—the Wish Secret Art—to simulate another high-level, powerful magic, the Simulacrum spell.
Under the powerful Wish Secret Art, this Saint Realm Great Mage did not need to chant incantations or re-outline the model of the Simulacrum spell. He only needed to output his own magic, instantly activating the true illusionary clone of this Ancestral Gold Dragon.
"Roar!"
The Ancestral Gold Dragon instantly came to life, transforming from a model into a true and real Ancestral Dragon, roaring proudly and eager for battle.
The white-haired Old Magician Lapers had studied magic for over a hundred years, but throughout his life, he had only focused on mastering this most powerful high-level spell among mages—the Wish Secret Art.
It was through the Old Magician Lapers's teaching that the Ancestral Red Dragon learned the true orthodox usage of this supreme spell.
That is, it could, without any cost, simulate and control any spell from the eighth ring and below on the ancient spell lists inherited by the Magic Empire, as long as there was sufficient output of magic and mental power to support it.
However, learning a spell is either you know it or you don't. This Wish Secret Art, even the current Ancestral Red Dragon, has not learned it. It's as if the door to this spell has refused the Ancestral Red Dragon's entry.
Just like the Simulacrum spell, it requires more knowledge of monster bestiaries. The more monsters understood, the stronger the Simulacrum spell's power can be. As long as you understand the physical structure and ability characteristics of monsters in the world, you can create simulacrum clones of any race of monster.
And the clones that the Simulacrum spell can create are theoretically permanent in their magical effect, unless you create a new simulacrum clone or actively dispel the spell.
The Wish Secret Art is equally powerful; the more magical knowledge one masters, the more magical effects one can simulate.
The more one understands, the more knowledge one masters, the stronger the mage becomes, as already demonstrated by the white-haired Old Magician Lapers.
"Your warriors are already restless. It seems I need to make a move and clear a battlefield for the arrival," Lapers said with a chuckle, eyes narrowed.
The Ancestral Gold Dragon guarded the white-haired Old Magician's side, like a loyal hound. With the Ancestral Gold Dragon clone guarding him, the Saint Realm Great Mage could now fully display the formidable power of a magic cannon tower.
As the last magic rune intertwined, the magic furnace within the Ancestral Red Dragon's body had already formed, spontaneously absorbing the gurgling elements and magic from this world to replenish this newly born furnace.
Magic wind began to swirl around the Ancestral Red Dragon, gradually becoming dense enough for the traces of the magic wind's movement to be visible to the naked eye.
So Kalon shook his head, baring his fangs, and said with a faint smile, "No need to rush. Afterward, you will still need to preside over temporarily sealing those demon's plane passages."
"That Legendary Great Demon, we can sense his presence, and he can sense ours. He is currently racing against us, to see if he can destroy the City of Valyria first, then gather all the demons and bury the empire."
"Or if the empire's legions can seal the plane passages first, then gather strength to contend with him."
"But I will not follow his plan. You are responsible for sealing the plane passages, blocking all demon reinforcements, and I will challenge him. Those demons besieging Valyria will not survive the battlefield between me and the Legendary Great Demon."
The Ancestral Red Dragon's massive wings suddenly spread, and vast magic began to converge towards him, like surging waves, causing the magic barrier of the entire floating island to begin to ripple continuously.
That was a massive amount of elemental magic being absorbed, and a vortex of elemental storm formed with the Ancestral Red Dragon's body as the origin, gradually emitting a whistling sound like the wind of nature.
Not only did the white-haired Old Magician's expression become serious, but this terrifying might caused the demons on the entire battlefield to involuntarily stop their attacks and look up at the Ancestral Red Dragon standing in the sky.
A deep, resonant Dragon Language rolled from the Ancestral Red Dragon's throat, echoing through the sky.
"Whether beast or any civilized race, they will anchor their position in the food chain by hunting powerful opponents. That Great Demon is my prey!"
"Before that, you will be my test subjects! Meteor Shower!"
The Ancestral Red Dragon's majesty suddenly bloomed, his surging, violent, and tyrannical power overflowing into everyone's hearts, spreading throughout the entire world.
All the demons and True Dragon experienced an illusion, feeling their vision darken, as if the world was covered by a layer of dark clouds.
No, that was not an illusion, because the sky of this plane world was shaking. Giant meteors, like shooting stars, streaked across the sky, falling into this world from beneath the sun, briefly obscuring the sun's light.
The mighty power of Meteor Shower, a ninth-ring high-level spell learned by the Ancestral Red Dragon, shook space, causing all the demons to involuntarily look up at the sky.
The Dragons in the sky had their scales bristling on their backs, howling as they rushed back to the floating island. The warriors of the Golden Lion Legion also trembled as they piloted their airships to avoid the mighty power of this natural disaster.
On the quiet battlefield, the awakened demons had not yet managed to squeeze out and escape from the legions covering the mountains and plains when the blazing meteorites, carrying unparalleled oppressive force and explosive air shockwaves, descended from the sky.
Rumble!
The entire ground shook. The first meteorite struck the peak of a high mountain, instantly smashing the solid mountain peak into collapse and cracks. Hundreds of densely packed demons were directly crushed into dust by the meteorite, and the violent shockwave swept thousands of demons flying.
The surviving demons had not yet recovered from the shock when the second meteorite and the third meteorite fell consecutively. The ground shook, space boiled, and eight consecutive meteorites descended from the sky, striking four different positions, surrounding all the demons in sight.
The undulations of the air and the swirling dust occupied all vision. In this raging storm, even high-level demons had no chance to resist, being easily crushed to ash like ants.
The battlefield was silent. Everyone and the True Dragon looked at the Ancestral Red Dragon in the sky, speechless.
The white-haired Old Magician Lapers's face turned ashen, and he stammered, "You, you, you used a ninth-ring spell for an experiment?"
Kalon stepped into the air, feeling the consumption and recovery rate of magic within his body, and smiled.
"Go, kill these demons, don't let a single one escape. I also need to find my prey."
Bang!
The two hearts within the Ancestral Red Dragon's body simultaneously pulsed, their beating rhythm like heavy drums, and then the Ancestral Red Dragon turned.
Countless magic runes, like flowing light bands, circled his wings, instantly accelerating this Red Dragon to an incredibly terrifying speed.
Crack!
A violent sonic boom erupted, and the howling wind had long been left far behind by the Ancestral Red Dragon. A deep red flame, plowing through the air beneath the sky, shot towards the far distance.
Above the sky, it seemed even the dark sky was about to ignite. The terrifying fluctuations from the air rolled like tides, and the scorching deep red flame had become the only thing beneath the dome.
Countless demons were swept down by the airwaves vibrated by this deep red flame, falling like rain.
In front of the Ancestral Red Dragon, these demons could not even maintain their flying posture.
Looking at the distant, now vanished Ancestral Red Dragon, countless legion warriors began to descend. The empire's legions had truly arrived.