Elven cultivators

Autumn of the year 9376 in the Dawn Calendar.

After nine years, the allied forces of all races finally breached the black fortress that stood above the Storm Rift.

The news swept across the entire Dawn Continent like a hurricane, causing a huge uproar.

Countless races were thrilled by this.

Annihilation Fortress.

This colossal fortress, built by the dragon race over nearly ten thousand years using countless rare materials, magical runes, and alchemy techniques, once stood like a giant steel wall, blocking the allied forces' passage into the depths of the Holy Dragon Mountains.

Over nine years, the Allied forces deployed tens of millions of troops to this fortress, expending mountains of supplies and suffering countless casualties.

Countless forces that once held sway over their respective territories suffered heavy losses in this war, some even being completely wiped out and never recovering.

It was a war that was like a meat grinder.

But now, the meat grinder has finally stopped turning.

The allied forces finally breached the dragons' strongest defenses.

The gates to Holy Dragon City have been opened.

Countless people cheered and celebrated, believing that the countdown to the downfall of the Dragon Court had begun.

Those soldiers who lost loved ones in the war, those races that had been oppressed by the dragons for thousands of years, were all looking forward to the final victory at this moment, looking forward to the complete dispelling of the shadow that had been pressing down on them for ten thousand years.

To everyone's surprise, when the allied forces passed through the ruins of Annihilation Fortress and advanced northward along the ridge of the Holy Dragon Mountains, they did not find the smooth road they had imagined.

A dangerous, distorted space lies blocking the only path to Holy Dragon City.

The allied forces were once again stopped halfway.

……

Silvermoon Forest, Eternal Palace.

The clan's high-ranking members gathered together, all listening solemnly to Eleanor's account.

"...According to the message from the Heart of the Mountains, that distorted space was not naturally formed, but rather a subspace formed after the Dragon Clan detonated the essence of the Dragon Clan sealed within the ley lines of the Sacred Dragon Mountains, tearing apart and reshaping the area between the Dragon Court and the Dark Annihilation Fortress."

"It lies between the material plane and the elemental plane, yet it is independent of both. Its internal structure is extremely unstable, thus restricting the entrance to the space. Only a small number of life forms can enter at a time, and the opening time is limited each day."

"The Allied Forces cannot commit large numbers of troops as they did when attacking the Annihilation Fortress. They can only send elite squads in to find and destroy nodes in the warp, thus completely annihilating the entire warp."

"However, the Dragon Court also dispatched dragons into the warp to hinder the allied forces' operations."

At this point, Eleanor paused, her tone becoming somewhat somber.

"To date, in just half a month, the allied forces have lost over a hundred peak Gold-level warriors and three legendary powerhouses."

A brief silence fell over the hall.

The elves' eyes flickered as they silently processed this unexpected news.

Hundreds of golden peaks, three legends.

This figure represents a loss that would be unbearable for any power.

Such casualties in just half a month demonstrate just how dangerous the subspace is.

After a long silence, Cedric spoke first, frowning, "So, the Allied forces spent nine years breaching the Dark Desolation Fortress, only to be blocked by a new barrier?"

"That's one way to put it." Eleanor nodded slightly. "And based on current intelligence, this barrier is even more troublesome than the Annihilation Fortress."

"No matter how strong the Annihilation Fortress is, it is still just a fortress. As long as enough troops and resources are invested, it will eventually be breached. But the subspace is different. Its access restrictions mean that the Allied Forces cannot take advantage of their troop strength and can only rely on a small number of elite troops to attack it."

"This subspace was formed by the explosion of dragon essence, which naturally enhances the power of the dragon race. In small-scale battles, the dragon race already has the advantage, and now with the added advantage of terrain, they are even more difficult to deal with."

The Third Elder sneered, "The Dragon Clan has a clever plan, using such methods to buy time, but in the end, it cannot change their fate; it's just a death throes."

The elves all nodded in agreement.

With the war having progressed to this point, it's clear to anyone with eyes to see the dragon race's decline.

Dragon cities across the land were destroyed one by one, vassal races defected one after another, and the Dragonborn Legion was also wiped out in the siege of the Annihilation Fortress.

Even though the dragons briefly stalled the Allied forces' advance using the warp, they were ultimately just barely clinging to life.

As long as the Allied Forces continue to pour manpower into the Warp despite the casualties, the dragons trapped in the Holy Dragon Mountains will eventually be unable to hold out.

Amid the murmurs, Anton remained quietly seated at the head of the table, his expression calm and his gaze profound.

He didn't participate in the discussion, but listened quietly, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

The time it took the Allied forces to breach the Annihilation Fortress was a full year less than in the original timeline.

The reason behind this time difference is that the Silvermoon Clan provided ample potions and rune equipment, which accelerated the pace of the allied forces' offensive.

Unlikely.

The allied forces did not only purchase supplies from the Silvermoon Clan, but also sourced them from all over the continent.

Although the supplies provided by the Silvermoon Clan were of excellent quality and in considerable quantity, they probably accounted for less than one-tenth of the overall scale of the war.

It will have little impact on the course of the battle.

So, was it because the war broke out prematurely, and the dragons didn't have enough time to prepare?

Anton thought this guess was more reasonable.

In the original history, the war to slay the dragon would not officially begin until more than 600 years later.

The dragons have ample time to prepare.

For example, gradually reclaiming the power of Dragon Cities in various regions, strengthening the defenses of Annihilation Fortress, and stockpiling resources.

But now, the war has broken out nearly six hundred years earlier than expected.

The dragons were caught off guard.

Perhaps it was for this reason that the allied forces breached the fortress a year earlier than originally thought.

As for subspace...

Others may not know, but Anton is very clear about it.

The dragons created the warp not as a last-ditch effort.

Rather, it was to buy time for the Lord of the Dragon Court to make a breakthrough.

The current ruler of the Dragon Court is the strongest saint on the Dawn Continent, without exception.

He is only one step away from becoming a demigod.

If it successfully ascends to demigod status, it will have the opportunity to change the course of the war.

At least it gives the dragons hope of turning the tide.

That's why the Dragon Clan didn't hesitate to detonate the energy accumulated over many years in the Sacred Dragon Mountains to create a subspace to hinder the Allied Forces' advance.

However, in the original history, the dragons ultimately failed to achieve their goal.

Now, the allied forces have breached the Dark Fortress a year ahead of schedule, making the dragons' hopes of achieving their objective increasingly slim.

The final outcome of the war will most likely not differ significantly from the original historical events.

Composing himself, Anton tapped his fingers lightly on the table.

The discussions in the hall stopped abruptly, and all eyes turned to him.

Anton slowly began, "From today onwards, the clans must prepare to participate in the war."

These words immediately caused a stir in the hall.

The Third Elder looked surprised: "Clan Chief, didn't we say before that we wouldn't participate in the war?"

"I meant not participating in the war to attack Annihilation Fortress." Anton shook his head. "The attack and defense of Annihilation Fortress often involves battles of hundreds of thousands or even millions of people, with too many casualties. The clan's population cannot withstand that kind of attrition."

"But the warp is different."

His tone was calm and resolute.

"The structure of the subspace determines that it cannot accommodate large-scale legions. Large-scale battles are simply impossible there. Instead, small-scale, high-frequency, high-intensity battles occur."

"In this combat mode, the role of elite squads is amplified to the extreme."

"I estimate that the coalition will soon recruit elite troops from all over the world to speed up the destruction of the warp, and will certainly pay a considerable price for it."

"I need to take this opportunity to hunt dragons, improve the quality of my weapons, and obtain more rare materials to forge magical artifacts."

Anton truthfully stated his main purpose.

With his current strength and prestige, he no longer needs to hide many things.

You can be completely honest with yourself; there's no need to make so many excuses.

The hall was silent for only a moment before the elves began to express their opinions.

"I'll listen to Anton."

"I have no objection."

"I think the clan chief is right."

There is no doubt that Anton is the core pillar of the Silvermoon Clan.

The more powerful he is, the more stable and prosperous the clan becomes.

On the matter of enhancing Anton's strength, the elves have always been steadfast and united.

Therefore, after Anton brought up this reason, the elves almost instantly reached a consensus.

After that, the group discussed which members should be sent to form an elite squad to represent the Silvermoon Clan in battle.

Anton made the final decision directly.

To join an elite team, an elf must be at least at the Gold Peak level.

After all, the weakest opponent is a pure-blooded dragon descendant at the peak of the Gold rank, or even a legendary adult dragon.

The key is that the opponent also has the power boost from the subspace.

In this situation, warriors and spellcasters below the Gold Peak level entering the Warp are of no use whatsoever except as cannon fodder.

In the Silvermoon Clan today, besides Anton and the First Elder, only the Second Elder, the Third Elder, and Cedric meet this condition.

There are two legends and three golden peaks in total.

Roman and Irene could have barely met the requirements.

Although the two women were only at the upper-gold rank, they possessed magical artifacts crafted by Anton and cultivated the top-tier power cultivation technique, the Eight Desolations Suppressing Prison Scripture. Their true combat strength far exceeded that of ordinary upper-gold ranks.

Even against a top-tier gold-level opponent, they would have a fighting chance.

Roman, in particular, was able to hold his own against the Elder Eye, a Golden Peak expert, in the Underdark.

However, after careful consideration, Anton refused the two women's request to fight.

They are at a crucial moment in awakening the power of the laws.

At this point, the right thing to do is to go to the Enlightenment Platform to study the Enlightenment Stele and awaken the power of the laws as soon as possible, rather than wasting energy on fighting.

Adding those two didn't immediately improve the overall strength of the elite team.

Of course, if they could successfully advance to the peak of the Gold Realm before the team set off for the Holy Dragon Mountains, Anton would naturally not refuse their request to fight again.