Elven cultivators

Holy Dragon Mountains, Annihilation Fortress.

From a high altitude, the colossal fortress spanning the two banks of the Rift resembles an ancient beast crouching above the abyss. Its gray-black walls rise abruptly from the south bank of the Rift, extending northward before finally disappearing into the rocky cliffs of the north bank.

Between the battlements, the dark red figures of the dragonborn soldiers were as dense as ants.

Below the city wall lies a stretch of scorched earth extending for several kilometers.

The ground was repeatedly scorched by the war, and layers of black soil and dark red bloodstains congealed into a thick, hard shell that crunched underfoot.

The air was thick with the pungent smell of blood and gunpowder, mixed with the stench of burning flesh, making one want to vomit.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A sudden, thunderous sound of war drums erupted, rolling in from behind the Allied positions.

Heavy siege golems marched out of the allied lines in orderly formation.

These giant alchemical golems, crafted by the dwarves, are each about five meters tall. Their left arms are inlaid with a thick tower shield engraved with reinforcing runes, while their right arms are equipped with a short, thick magic crystal cannon. The cannon barrel is still slightly red and exudes a scorching aura, ready to be activated at any moment.

Behind the golem army, hundreds of siege towers were slowly pushed to the front line. The towering towers, hundreds of meters high, looked like mobile fortresses, pressing deep ruts into the scorched earth.

At the top of the siege tower, archers and spellcasters stood ready, waiting for the tower to get close to the city wall before launching their attack.

Further away, the long arm of the catapult rose high, loading boulders and magic projectiles one by one into the hopper. The huge winch creaked as hundreds of soldiers turned it together, slowly pulling the long arm down, the taut rope making a teeth-grinding friction sound.

The Dragonborn are also making intensive preparations for the battle.

The dense runes on the city wall suddenly lit up, and the dazzling red light flowed across the wall. At this moment, the entire fortress seemed to come alive, like a giant beast that had been sleeping for thousands of years opening its scarlet eyes.

The magic projector began charging, and the light condensing at the muzzle changed from dark red to blazing white, scorching and distorting the surrounding air.

On the city walls and in the towers, tens of thousands of dragonborn soldiers took their positions.

Clad in dark red standard scale armor and wielding enchanted spears and heavy crossbows, they drove vassal race soldiers onto the city walls, using them as cannon fodder to deplete the enemy's arrows and magic.

The distance between the two lines is gradually decreasing.

As the siege golem stepped into the range of a volley of projectiles from the city wall, the Dragonborn commander no longer hesitated and swung his arm down sharply.

"put!"

Thousands of ballistae and magic projectiles roared at the same moment.

A dense barrage of crossbow bolts rained down like a torrential downpour, hurtling towards the allied positions with a piercing whistling sound.

Magic bullets trailed colorful flames, drawing countless arcs in the air before crashing down like a meteor shower.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The explosion was deafening, and smoke and dust billowed into the sky.

The dozens of siege golems at the forefront were targeted by concentrated fire. The tower shields cracked and shattered instantly under the continuous heavy blows, and projectiles and crossbow bolts pierced through the steel armor and exploded inside.

Sparks and fragments burst from the gaps in the golem's joints, and its massive body collapsed with a crash, raising clouds of dust.

However, even more golems rose up.

They raised their tower shields, using their iron-gray bodies to create a moving steel barrier for the troops behind them, advancing slowly but steadily forward.

At the same time, he raised the magic crystal cannon in his hand and fired magic energy rays at the city wall to suppress the enemy's firepower.

In the rear, the allied forces' siege equipment also came into play.

Hundreds of boulders and magical projectiles simultaneously soared into the air, tracing dense arcs as they hurtled towards the walls of the Annihilation Fortress.

Boom!

The boulder crashed into the city wall, blasting up a shower of rubble.

The array of runes on the city wall flickered, neutralizing and dispersing most of the impact, but each hit still caused the city wall to tremble slightly, and fine stone chips fell from between the bricks.

At the same time, after closing the distance to a certain point, the archers and spellcasters on top of the siege tower began to retaliate.

Arrows and spells rained down from above, raining down on the dragonborn soldiers on the city walls.

The firepower unleashed by both sides intertwined and collided in the air, arrows and bullets crisscrossed each other, each falling into the other's lines, stirring up a bloody storm.

The war drums beat incessantly, and the bugles sounded one after another.

Charge, retreat, charge again.

After paying a heavy price, the siege tower finally approached the city wall.

The wooden planks at the top of the tower collapsed with a crash, forming a narrow bridge between the battlements.

Allied soldiers poured out of the tower and rushed toward the city wall, stepping on the wooden planks.

"kill!"

The shouts of battle were deafening.

The soldiers brandished their weapons and engaged in close combat with the dragonborn soldiers on the city walls.

Swords clashed, blood splattered, and severed limbs and broken blades fell from the city wall, crashing into the crowd below and creating a cloud of blood mist.

The battle was at a stalemate, and every inch of the city wall had to be bought with blood.

There is no turning back here, no room for luck, only the line between life and death.

……

The rear of the Allied forces.

A majestic city stands on the plain, like a crouching giant beast.

This is a temporary frontline camp that was built at an astonishing speed after the coalition forces arrived here a year ago.

The city contained various functional buildings, including granaries, barracks, weapons workshops, medical clinics, and command posts, and was responsible for supplying the front-line troops with materials, repairing equipment, and treating wounded soldiers.

It is also the location where high-ranking officials of the coalition forces and representatives of various races discuss the war.

At this very moment, at the highest point of the city wall on the north side of the camp, three figures stood side by side, their gazes piercing through the smoke-filled battlefield and looking towards the black fortress that stretched across the entrance to the Rift Abyss in the distance.

Grant braced his hands on the battlements, his hair disheveled by the wind, his robes fluttering in the breeze.

Standing to his right was an extremely tall orc.

He was over 2.5 meters tall, with broad shoulders and back like a mountain, and his whole body was covered with grayish-white hair.

A hideous scar ran from his left forehead to his right cheek, traversing most of his face, but it didn't make him look ugly; instead, it added to his chilling and menacing aura.

Standing to Grant's left was a dwarf with fiery red hair and a beard.

As he chugdled his liquor, he gazed at the distant Annihilation Fortress and grinned, saying, "Although the dragons are a bunch of annoying guys, I have to admit that their alchemy skills are excellent. The Annihilation Fortress's defense system is very comprehensive, and it probably won't be easy to take it down."

Similar bloody battles were being fought almost daily on distant battlefields during this period.

The allied forces were determined to capture Annihilation Fortress, deploying a large number of troops every day, but Annihilation Fortress was too tough to crack.

So far, the allied forces have only managed to scale the fortress walls, and breaching the Annihilation Fortress remains a long way off.

The orc glanced at him sideways and said mockingly, "Igna, didn't you always boast about how amazing the dwarves' alchemy was? How come you're admitting now that you're inferior to the dragons?"

"I have never denied this fact."

Igna wasn't angry; instead, he appeared calm, a temperament that is extremely rare among dwarves.

"No matter how skilled the dwarves are in alchemy and forging, they can't compare to the foundation that the dragons have accumulated over nearly ten thousand years of conquering the continent."

"If we were given the same conditions as the dragons, I guarantee that our alchemy skills would far surpass those of the dragons."

The orc pursed his lips and said nothing more.

Grant laughed and said, "No matter what, we've finally made it this far. Now, as long as we capture the Dark Annihilation Fortress, the road ahead will be smooth sailing. It's only a matter of time before the allied forces annihilate the Dragon Court."

"When we founded the Meteor Dragon Society, we never imagined we would actually get this far."

Upon hearing this, both the orc Rexxar and Igna displayed incredibly complex expressions.

When the Five Star Pillars first established the Fallen Dragon Society, they didn't actually have much hope of destroying the dragon race. They just wanted to do something because of their hatred or other reasons.

Who could have imagined that the organization's mission would actually be realized one day?

"In retrospect, it's all thanks to Anton."

"If it weren't for him, we don't know how much longer we would have been kept in the dark by the dragons."

Grant said with a sigh.

"I never imagined that the Meteor Dragon Society would come to this."

"Just a lucky guy." A hint of disdain flashed in the orc's eyes as he looked at Grant. "Didn't you think highly of him? How come now that the allied forces are at the city gates, we haven't even seen a single person from him or his clan?"

Grant said calmly, "War is not a personal matter. Anton has to consider his clan. It is normal for him not to come to the front line to fight. Besides, they have been supplying the Allied forces with supplies at low prices and have also been contributing."

The orc scoffed: "What truly determines the course of a war is the courage and sacrifice of the soldiers on the front lines, not the merchants who hide in safe places doing business in the rear."

Seeing that the two were not in the right tone, Igner quickly tried to smooth things over, saying, "Speaking of which, I have seen those supplies."

"The quality of those metal ingots is truly exceptional. Even the best blacksmiths in Heart of the Mountains, who repeatedly tempered the metal with the finest magical flames, could only produce metals of this quality."

"And those weapons, I think they're called... rune equipment? I've studied the runes on them for a long time, but I still can't figure them out. They're completely different from the rune system that our dwarven lineage has inherited. They're unique and exquisitely crafted."

"I heard that all of these were created by Anton. It seems that he is not only a master swordsman, but also a master of alchemy and enchanting."

In the end, Igner got carried away and completely forgot his purpose of smoothing things over, and kept praising Anton.

Grant agreed, "Anton is indeed a man of ideas."

The dwarf stroked his beard and sighed, "To come up with something like this, one's mind is certainly not simple. I'm becoming more and more curious about this Anton; I really want to meet him sometime."

Rexxar was fed up with what he heard, but didn't want to offend Grant, so he snorted and jumped off the city wall.

"Those who don't fight aren't worth my time to discuss."

Instead of chatting idly here, why not go and fight your way on the battlefield?

The grayish-white hair exploded in the wind, like a falling meteorite, crashing onto the ground outside the city, sending shards of stone flying.

Rexxar stood up, dusted himself off, and strode toward the battlefield ahead, quickly disappearing into the smoke and chaos of the plain.

Grant and the dwarf exchanged a glance and shook their heads helplessly.

This guy is still the same as ever; he hasn't changed at all over the years.