Extraordinary Rise: Starting Contract with the Silver Dragon Countess

Inside the council hall, Grand Duke Hohenzollern and other dignitaries from various countries naturally received the news.

With mixed feelings, they all waited for this great military strategist of the mainland as if facing a formidable enemy.

Before long, Marshal Arnold arrived outside the council hall. He nimbly dismounted and strode into the hall.

His gaze first met Nephthys's, and he nodded almost imperceptibly.

His gaze then swept over the assembled dignitaries, each with their own distinct expression, before finally settling on Grand Duke Hohenzollern, whose face was contorted with complexity as he tried to appear composed.

After a brief silence, Arnold cut straight to the point, his voice steady and powerful:

"Your Excellency Grand Duke Hohenzollern, and fellow colleagues from the Northwest Continent."

Arnod Constantine, by order of His Majesty King Corleone of Effiin, has led his army here to assist you in resisting the invasion of the Magnum Empire, in accordance with the newly enacted Mutual Defense Treaty.

Time is of the essence; the Demon Gold Empire's offensive will officially begin in five days.

To ensure unified command, rapid response, and maximize the combat effectiveness of the coalition forces.

I now need to assume supreme command of all Northumbria and all allied exiled armed forces.

"Your Excellency, grant me the warrant and seal of full command."

Arnold wasn't even discussing it; he was informing people.

According to the treaty signed by the Grand Duke of Hohenzollern and the dignitaries of the northwestern kingdoms, he has this right.

Grand Duke Hohenzollern's lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he couldn't say anything.

Looking into Arnold's calm and indifferent eyes, then glancing at Nephthys who remained expressionless beside him, and finally sweeping his gaze over the murderous orc elites outside the hall who had already taken control of various key points, a sense of powerlessness rose in his heart.

Resistance is pointless.

The opposing side has a saint in command, a war god leading troops, an elite legion that can arrive instantly, and a newly signed treaty with legal authority.

He smiled bitterly, and without further hesitation, took out the troop deployment order representing the highest military command authority in Northumbria from his pocket.

This is a magical artifact that has been passed down for hundreds of years and has always been carried by successive Grand Dukes of Hohenzollern.

Grand Duke Hohenzollern handed it over with a slight tremor.

At the same time, he said in a hoarse voice to his trusted chief bodyguard:
"Issue the order...that all the armies in the country, including the border guards, city guards, and the private armies of the nobles, shall immediately be under the full command of Marshal Arnold. Anyone who disobeys this order...will be punished as a traitor."

He spoke the last few words with great difficulty.

Marshal Arnold accepted the order and nodded solemnly:

"We will live up to your trust and do our utmost to defend Northumbria."

Having said that, he didn't linger. He turned around, strode out of the council hall, and leaped onto his war beast.

Soon, a series of orders were rapidly disseminated through magical communication and messengers, and the orc legion, which had just completed its assembly, immediately began to operate at high speed like a sophisticated war machine.

The orc legions that arrived first split up and headed towards various parts of Nottingham's walls, defensive points, armories, and magic towers, according to their organization.

Arnold personally led the main force of the legion to the border to hand over defenses with the local Northumbrian garrison.

And they began constructing targeted defensive fortifications...

The entire city of Nottingham, known for its hot springs and fortifications, was transformed into a highly efficient war fortress in less than an hour.

Grand Duke Hohenzollern stood by the window of the council hall, gazing at the orderly foreign army on the streets outside and at the faint, almost imperceptible aura of the Holy One sealing off the sky.

He glanced again at the newly signed copy of the treaty in his hand, the ink of which still seemed to be wet.

He knew that from this moment on, Northumbria was no longer the Northumbria it once was.

Although the war with the Demon Gold Empire has not yet officially begun, a silent conquest has already come to an end.

Five days later, he will be an observer, witnessing a life-or-death struggle dominated by others on his own soil.

……

Five days later, late at night, east of Redstone Canyon, outside the border of Northumbria.

That rugged mountainous region, which originally belonged to the Duchy of Redstone Pass, has now been ravaged and occupied by the Demon Gold Empire.

The mountains here are steep, with jagged rocks and narrow, winding valleys.

The moonlight was fragmented by the thick clouds and mountain shadows, casting only mottled and eerie shadows on the jagged rocks and the dry riverbed.

It is an ideal place for a large army to lie in ambush, and also a natural graveyard for ambushes.

Arnold Constin, the man hailed as the "God of War" on the continent, stood at this moment in a secluded outpost on a cliff with an excellent view, his heavy marshal's cloak blending into the night.

Arnold had no intention of holding Nottingham. Although the city was fortified, passive defense was never his style, nor was it the best strategy to deal with the thunderous offensive of the Magnum Empire.

Upon gaining command, he immediately carried out a textbook-perfect reverse deployment based on the detailed battle plan of the Magic Gold Empire provided by Cohen through Nephthys.

The intelligence provided by Cohen only indicated the marching route of the enemy's main force, the "Blood Moon Vanguard," their troop deployment strategy, and the expected breakthrough point.

It even analyzes the personality traits, tactical preferences, and equipment strengths and weaknesses of the commanders of each unit.

What Arnold had to do was to tailor a deadly trap for this arrogant enemy force.

On the one hand, he ordered the Northumbrian troops to reinforce their existing defenses on a large scale and to frequently relocate them.

They created the illusion of a firm resolve to defend the country's borders and not yield an inch of territory, thus attracting the attention of the Demon Gold Empire's reconnaissance forces.

On the other hand, he personally led the main force of the most elite orc legion and selected Northumbrian mountain scouts and hunters most familiar with the local terrain as guides.

Taking advantage of the complex and rugged terrain and the cover of darkness, they stealthily slipped across the border like ghosts.

The tens of thousands of troops moved with astonishing silence, with only the occasional soft sounds of armor and weapons clashing.

This demonstrates what a well-trained and formidable force this is.

Several days in advance, they entered the pre-planned ambush area and, based on the terrain, laid a trap along several key canyons, passes, and edges of dense forests that the Demon Gold Empire's army would inevitably pass through.

Large-scale binding magic arrays are buried underground in the narrow sections of the road, and generators for gravity disturbance fields and anti-magic force fields are placed behind caves or boulders in the cliff walls on both sides.

The steep cliff top was filled with heavy ballistae and ballistae equipped with various enchanted bolts such as explosive, armor-piercing, and frost-inducing.

The orc soldiers lay in ambush in the bushes, rock crevices, and shallow trenches that had been dug in advance.

The armor was coated with a paint that blended local soil and plants to minimize glare.

The soldier's eyes burned with a warlike glint, yet he was like the most patient hunter, waiting for his prey to step into the trap.

Dawn, the darkest hour.

From the distant entrance to the canyon, came heavy, chaotic, and oppressive sounds.

The earth began to tremble slightly, the sound of countless giant feet treading the ground and heavy machinery crushing rocks.

First came clusters of flickering dark red flames, like countless scarlet eyes opening in hell.

Then, the massive shadow outline gradually became clear.

The vanguard of the Demon Gold Empire has arrived as scheduled.

The vanguard was still the Blood Moon Vanguard Army led by "Blood Axe" Balzac, followed by the heavy siege force commanded by "Lava Tyrant" Gratoni.

The two armies together numbered over 50,000, and their mighty force almost filled the not-so-wide valley.

They were clearly extremely complacent, believing that the human army would only cower behind the walls of Nottingham, trembling in fear, waiting to be crushed.

The scouts merely loitered a few hundred meters ahead of the column, without conducting any thorough reconnaissance of the rugged and complex terrain on both sides.

They never dreamed that they would step into a death trap before they even saw the border of Northumbria.

Arnold didn't give them any chance to set up their formation.

The shrill scream of the magical signal tore through the night sky, and the pre-set large-scale confinement array, gravity disturbance field, and anti-magic force field were activated simultaneously.

A heart-pounding, magical resonance echoed throughout the canyon.

Countless crisscrossing purple rays suddenly lit up the ground, forming several massive and complex binding arrays. The intense energy slowing effect instantly enveloped more than a third of the demon vanguard.

The demons and war machines that were moving forward seemed to be stuck in an invisible quagmire, their speed suddenly dropped and their movements became stiff.

Some soldiers who rushed too fast even fell to the ground due to inertia.

Immediately afterwards, gravity suddenly became disordered.

In some areas, the demons felt their bodies become several times heavier, as if they had been slammed to the ground by an invisible hand, while in other areas, the demons felt light and almost floated up, causing chaos in their formation.

At the same time, an anti-magic field was activated, interfering with and suppressing the fel energy shields and spell-like abilities that demons are born with.

"Enemy attack!!!"

"It's a trap! Hold your formation!"

Balzac and Gratoni roared almost simultaneously, but it was too late.

Following the commander's order from the cliff, heavy ballistae and explosive rune bolts from the cliffs on both sides and hidden caves launched the first round of saturation bombardment.

The thunderous clang of the bowstrings drowned out the demon's screams.

The next instant, countless giant crossbow bolts, gleaming with a deadly cold light, rained down from the tops of the nearly vertical cliffs on both sides, accompanied by a shrill sound.

The explosive arrows, imbued with runes of violent explosion, blast into fireballs several meters in diameter upon landing, tearing demons and machines to shreds.

Armor-piercing arrows, engraved with runes of piercing sharpness, can easily pierce the rocky body of lava giants.

There were also crossbow bolts imbued with frost and lightning magic, creating large areas of frozen or paralyzed conditions, further exacerbating the chaos within the vanguard.

The explosions and magical glow illuminated the canyon as if it were daytime, tearing Balzac's demon army to shreds in their bewilderment. "For Effie, for glory, crush them!"

Just as the demon legion was reeling from this sudden and devastating blow and was in disarray, Arnold's powerful voice resounded across the battlefield through magical amplification.

He himself had mounted that magnificent unicorn warhorse, raised the marshal's scepter that flowed with magical light, and personally led the most elite orc heavy assault force—the "Rockbreaker" legion.

They suddenly burst out from a hidden flank pass and fiercely penetrated the enemy's rear, which was in the most disarray due to the surprise attack.

These orc warriors were all as strong as bears, and their roars were deafening.

Not only are they individually formidable fighters with extensive battlefield experience, but what's even more terrifying is that almost every one of them is radiant with the glow of magical equipment—equipped with at least two or more "divine and demonic weapons."

Moreover, they had clearly received specialized training against demons, and easily dismantled Balzac's defenses.

"Roar, you despicable humans, you insects! I'll crush you into mincemeat!!!"

Balzac's furious roar was like thunder, and a bloodthirsty aura suddenly appeared on his body. He wielded that terrifying blood axe and charged left and right through the chaotic army like a demon god.

Each swing brought a bloody storm, cleaving the orc soldiers blocking his path in two, armor and all.

The enormous body, standing five meters tall, did indeed cause considerable trouble for the attacking orcs.

But Arnold had already set his sights on him. Under the cover of his personal guard, Arnold did not engage Balzac in a direct physical confrontation, but instead relied on his agility and battlefield command.

They continuously deployed their elite squads to harass Balzac, severing his connection with his guards, and weakening his movements with specially crafted anti-magic arrows and gravity runes.

Balzac, despite his terrifying strength, was enraged by this flexible tactic, like a bull stuck in the mud, with no way to use his power.

The wounds on his body continued to increase, and the bloodthirsty aura around him gradually dimmed due to the constant consumption and interference of energy.

Finally, Balzac focused all his attention on a small group of orcs that were luring him into a trap.

On the distant cliff top, a specially modified super-heavy city defense crossbow was already fully charged.

Boom——! ! !
With a deafening roar far more muffled and powerful than that of an ordinary crossbow, an explosion rang out.

A giant crossbow bolt, wreathed in swirling air currents, tore through the air at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye, piercing the chaotic battlefield with unparalleled precision, and slamming into Balzac's chest.

puff!

The specially crafted armor-piercing enchanted crossbow bolts, powerful enough to pierce even the hardest scales of an adult dragon, passed through Balzac's protective magic and resilient body without any hindrance.

A clump of foul blood, mixed with black blood and pieces of internal organs, seeped from his back.

Its momentum undiminished, it plunged deep into the hard rock wall behind it, making a muffled "thud".

This arrogant "Blood Axe" demon general was nailed to the mountain wall like a specimen!

Balzac looked down in disbelief at the huge hole in his chest, let out a painful and desperate roar, and tried to break free with his last bit of strength.

But the powerful binding and demon-repelling runes attached to the crossbow bolt completely extinguished his life force.

The crimson light in his eyes quickly dimmed, and the supposedly inextinguishable bloodthirsty aura flickered a few times before being completely extinguished, like a candle in the wind.

The massive body struggled a few times, then lay still, with only the huge blood axe falling with a clang onto the blood-stained rocks.

"Lord Balzac!"

The nearby soldiers let out terrified and desperate screams, and their morale plummeted instantly.

On the other side, "Lava Tyrant" Gratoni witnessed Balzac's tragic state and was both shocked and furious.

He realized that the army that ambushed them was not only well-prepared, but also powerful and precisely commanded, and was by no means the weak and vulnerable garrison of Northumbria.

We have to fight with all our might!
"Insects! Feel the fury of the earth!"

Gratoni let out a deep, rumbling roar, like rocks grinding together, before crushing a dark red pendant hanging around his neck—the legendary magic accessory, [Heart of Lava].

As a half-legendary fire/earth elementalist, the entire battlefield underwent a dramatic transformation with the blessing of legendary magic accessories.

boom!
Centered on Gratoni, an unparalleled surge of fire and earth elemental energy erupted instantly.

The earth cracked, and scorching, viscous magma, as if alive, gushed out wildly from the fissures, rapidly spreading in all directions.

The temperature in the air rose sharply, and even the rocks began to melt.

This was Gratoni's last desperate attack. The Heart of Lava could forcibly alter the local environment in a short period of time, creating a volcanic lava zone that was suitable for him and his Lava Giant army to exert their maximum combat power.

If successful, his power will multiply within this lava realm, making it extremely difficult for his enemies to advance.

However, Arnold's preparations were more thorough than Grattoni had imagined.

"Frost Mages, Water Elemental Summoners, join forces!"

Arnold's calm command rang out again.

The frost mage squad and water elemental summoners, who had been preparing on the high ground on the flank, began chanting simultaneously.

The large combined spell array that had already been drawn beneath their feet shone with a dazzling blue-white light.

"Frost Storm!"

"Summon: Polar Torrent!"

The mages raised their staffs high, summoning biting winds and blizzards.

Summoners tore through space, unleashing raging rivers of ice and towering waves.

Extreme cold and extreme heat, two completely opposite elemental forces, collided violently in the middle of the canyon.

"laugh--!!!"

The deafening sounds of steam explosions continued, and white mist instantly enveloped a large area.

This greatly slowed the spread of the lava. Frost continuously froze the lava surface, and floods washed away and cooled the magma.

Although it couldn't completely negate the power of the [Heart of Lava], it managed to confine the lava field created by Gratoni to a certain area, and the temperature was dropping rapidly!
Without the support of an ideal environment, Gratoni's strength has been greatly diminished.

He roared angrily, swinging his lava fist, trying to break through the mage's position, but was immediately intercepted by a swarm of assault cavalry.

Ultimately, in the chaotic center of the battlefield where ice and fire intertwined, Gratoni, having lost the advantage of the lava environment, was besieged by several well-equipped orc officers.

Under the relentless, heavy blows of the warhammer and the cunning, ruthless armor-piercing strikes, Gratoni's body, composed of rock and lava, finally reached its limit.

With a roar of resentment, it exploded violently, turning into countless burning fragments and scattered lava, and perished completely.

With the two vanguard commanders killed in succession, the demons and mechanical legions within the ambush zone completely lost effective command, and their morale collapsed entirely.

The battle began to unfold as a one-sided massacre.

The orc legion, like a highly efficient killing machine, divided and surrounded the 50,000-strong army under Arnold's command, gradually annihilating them.

When the first rays of dawn arrived, the main force of the once invincible Demon Gold Empire's "Blood Moon Vanguard" was no more.

Only a few routed soldiers escaped into the deep mountains, and the burning wreckage, cooled lava, and the corpses of demons throughout the valley testified to this brief but extremely brutal annihilation battle.

When the detailed battle report was delivered to the Grand Duke of Hohenzollern and the political figures of various states who had waited anxiously all night, through the communication spells of the accompanying mages, the entire hall fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone, including Grand Duke Hohenzollern himself, stared intently at the concise yet shocking words in the battle report:
"...Before dawn, they ambushed the main force of the 'Blood Moon Vanguard Army' of the Demon Gold Empire in the eastern section of Redstone Canyon, and it is estimated that more than 48,000 were beheaded."

More than 700 pieces of various war machines were destroyed, and enemy leaders 'Blood Axe' Balzac and 'Lava Tyrant' Gratoni were killed in action... Preliminary statistics of our casualties show that more than 1,200 were killed and more than 3,700 were wounded..."

"This...this is impossible..."

Grand Duke Redstone's lips trembled as he repeatedly looked at the line describing the killing of Balzac and Gratoni.

He had personally witnessed the terror of those two demon commanders; they were terrifying beings capable of easily destroying city walls and slaughtering armies.

They both perished overnight?
"Total annihilation..."

The Jade Grand Duke muttered to himself, his eyes filled with disbelief, followed by ecstasy—ecstasy at being able to successfully reclaim his territory.

Grand Duke Hohenzollern slowly put down the battle report, his fingers feeling slightly cold.

While the news of victory is certainly gratifying, it also brings with it even greater pressure.

Arnold proved his ability with a textbook victory, and also demonstrated Effie's unfathomable strength.

But behind this victory lies Effie's precise grasp of intelligence on the Demon Gold Empire, his unpredictable teleportation ability, and his heavily armed orc legion...

What leverage does Northumbria, or rather the remaining forces of the entire Northwest Continent, have in the face of such power?

……

The rear command post of the Demon Gold Empire's expeditionary force.

The news of the complete annihilation of the "Blood Moon Vanguard" and the deaths of "Blood Axe" Balzac and "Lava Tyrant" Gratoni struck like a thunderbolt, sending shockwaves through the entire expeditionary force command.

Thrall's face was filled with shock and anger:
"Useless, a bunch of useless trash!"
"That idiot Balzac, and that pile of junk stones Gratoni!"

Since their expedition from the "Lost Lands," their expansion across the northwestern continent has been unstoppable.

Those weak, small human nations, faced with their absolute power and cruelty, were as fragile as paper, collapsing at the slightest touch.

The series of victories had already made Thrall and his generals arrogant and complacent, believing that the human nations were nothing more than lambs to the slaughter.

This rich continent will become their new hunting grounds, mines, and source of slaves.

But now, this resounding slap has not only shattered their arrogance, but also brought unprecedented heavy losses since the start of the war!

The loss of an entire vanguard force and two generals is not only a loss of troops, but also a heavy blow to morale and a serious provocation to the prestige of the Demon Gold Empire!

This is an unprecedented and devastating loss for the Demon Gold Empire since its invasion of the human continent! (End of Chapter)