"At this rate, I need to change my name to Dantalian," I remarked, staring at the chapter title. Silvia burst out laughing at that.
"Big sis, you can play the role of Lapis Lazuli!"
"Stop your nonsense, Silvia!" Sylvie snapped and chased her around. I let them fly and laugh around for a while, which eased the tension that had befallen my army. My summoned spirit beasts began to relax, catching a much-needed break after the brief battle against the Flood Dragons' vanguard.
However, I knew that it wasn't over yet. The main force had finally arrived, their dark silhouettes just visible in the distance. They would be here in ten minutes. Having caught sight of the enemy, my summoned spirit beasts sprang back to position, forming up ranks and waiting nervously. The momentary respite disappeared almost instantly.
"My lord," Long Wang said. I nodded.
"I know. I see them. Continue manning the spirit arrays."
"If you wish me to return to my true form and fight on the frontlines, I can do that too. Lady Sylvie and Lady Silvia can operate the spirit arrays."
"Okay, but wait first. You don't want to give away your trump card so soon. Wait until they invade far enough and we're cornered before you do that. Use it to turn the tables on the enemy when necessary. I'll leave it to your own initiative to decide which moment is best."
"Understood, my lord. I will not let you down."
Despite Long Wang's offer, I was aware that even if he returned to his true form, he would still be capped at intermediate Mystic rank, because that was my current cultivation realm at the moment. The restrictions for contracting a Heaven realm spirit beast were still in place, regardless of what form Long Wang took.
I glanced in the direction of the approaching Flood Dragon army. As expected, it was much larger than the vanguard from earlier. Even though we had wiped out over a hundred of their forces, there was still about a thousand or so remaining. We were outnumbered at least three to one, and they had stronger spirit beasts with higher cultivation realms.
Such as the Flood Dragon King himself.
The Flood Dragon King was being borne aloft on a massive sedan, which was carried by four Flood Dragon Behemoths and surrounded by a hundred or so Flood Dragon soldiers. The sedan seemed to be carved out of a mixture of ivory and rare metals, golden gems gleaming as they were inset into the polished bones taken from dozens of subjugated enemies.
Well, it made sense that the other dungeon masters were spirit beasts. I doubted there would be many humanoids dungeon masters, though I was half-expecting elves and fairies to dwell in the Celestial Labyrinth. Sylvie and Silvia told me that there were no elves here, with most of them living in the Floating Continent, but I suspected there was at least a community of elves here somewhere. It wasn't as if Sylvie and Silvia knew everything.
Even fairies could make mistakes.
"How long until the siege towers can be fired again?" I asked, doing my best to maintain my composure. I knew that if I displayed any sign of panic or fear, it would have a negative impact on morale across my troops. For the sake of my summoned spirit beasts, I had to exude confidence.
Even though I wasn't feeling even a single shred of confidence. The Flood Dragons were imposing, radiating an intimidating air that sent chills down my spine. Just a look at the Flood Dragon King was enough to cause my knees to buckle. He appeared stronger than even that Murderous Crow. She was beginner Earth rank at best, but this guy was at advanced Earth rank, like the Merchant said.
We were outmatched. Fortunately, we had spirit arrays and siege towers that could even the odds somewhat, but they weren't enough to obtain a victory. Nonetheless, even if we lost, we were going to ensure that the enemy pay a high price in blood.
"Just a minute more, boss!" One of the Construction Crabs called out in his chittering manner. "The siege towers are almost fully cooled! Another minute, and we can fire them safely without worrying about them blowing up in our faces!"
"Excellent. We have about ten minutes before they get here. Take your time, and prioritize safety over speed."
Despite the need for urgency, I had to put on the illusion that I was in control. That I wasn't fazed by the enemy's approach, and I was confident that we could destroy them.
"Yes, boss!" If the Construction Crab was skeptical about my projected bravado, he didn't voice it. Instead, he returned to work swiftly, supervising his crews as they worked tirelessly to set up the siege towers again.
The waiting was always the worst. I couldn't help but feel the tension in my chest increased as I watched the Flood Dragons draw closer. The seconds passed by agonizingly, and I almost wanted the action to begin. Perhaps it would be much better if we clashed immediately instead of waiting around like this. It was just too bad the Flood Dragons were out of range, and I didn't want to waste the siege towers' shots yet, since their incredible firepower would determine the outcome of this war.
To my lack of surprise, the Flood Dragons stopped a few hundred meters away, with the Flood Dragon Behemoths setting the sedan down on the rocky ground. The Flood Dragon King continued to recline in his mobile seat, almost as if it was some grotesque yet luxurious throne. I understood the ostentatious nature was meant to intimidate me, a demonstration of his wealth and power. He was openly letting me know how many foes he had vanquished, and how their bones had been set into his seat. Humiliation, even in death.
One of the Flood Dragons sidled forward, dressed in robes instead of armor. An envoy, from his bearing. He unfurled a scroll and read out the words scribbled in blood across the leathery parchment.
"My liege is impressed by your show of strength in crushing our vanguard forces, and in his magnificent magnanimity, he has decided to offer you a proposal. Surrender peacefully, and we shall ensure you a painless death. Otherwise, your corpse will be quartered, cut into pieces and fed to the Flood Dragon hounds. We will not leave you a full corpse if you futilely resist."
"Are you an idiot?" I scoffed, rolling my eyes. "If I'm going to die either way, why the fuck would I surrender?"
"Because you would be granted a whole corpse."
"So what? Am I supposed to be grateful for such a nonsensical deal? Do you think it matters whether my corpse is in one piece or several? I'll be dead, either way! If I'm dead, I certainly wouldn't know or care what happens to my corporeal body!"
I threw my arms up in frustration at how illogical the proposal was. I honestly didn't understand the logic of these one-dimensional, "evil" antagonists and their obsession with butchering their victims' corpses. Did they really think it mattered if our bodies were intact or in pieces if we were dead? If we were only given the option of death – with the difference being how we died – then of course we were going to fight to the bitter end. Nobody wanted to die. All living organisms would do their best to survive, no matter the odds. Expecting us to surrender peacefully and offer our heads was just delusional.
"I see," the envoy said. "So you have chosen…death."
Wow. I didn't know the Flood Dragons possessed knowledge about memes. Not that I could comment on that, because the envoy turned toward the Flood Dragon King, who lazily waved a claw. The envoy nodded and spun around, grinding his talons into the dirt.
"Charge! Leave none alive. This dungeon will be ours!"
"Go," the Flood Dragon King rumbled. A cacophony of growls from his barrel like chest that merged into a frightful thunder. "I want this dungeon razed and our standard planted into its core before sunset. Do NOT let me down."
"Yes, your majesty!" The Flood Dragon soldiers chorused. As one, they charged toward my Deep Sea Palace, flanked by the Flood Dragon Behemoths. The envoy vanished into the press of reptilian bodies, only to be replaced by two Flood Dragon champions, who took over as the commanders of the main force. Their clawed feet slapped against the ground, sending reverberations throughout the subterranean network, and the sheer number of infantry soldiers made it seem like a green-brownish tide was sweeping toward us.
"Steady!" I yelled, and the Colossal Crabs formed a wall of orange and white. The Guardian Golems lumbered forward, a phalanx of magma and lava. Xiao Huo and Xiao Huo Long leaped forward, their tails and mouths glowing with flames. Behind the Colossal Crabs, the aquatic armada began charging up a massive static charge, electricity dancing around them and waiting for the optimal moment to be discharged.
"There's so many of them," Sylvie murmured, but she narrowed her eyes and steeled her resolve as she moved her hands. Threads of qi trailed from her fingers, connecting to the complex sets of spirit arrays that glowed brightly. Silvia smirked, almost a mirror of her twin as she manipulated her own spirit arrays.
"Don't worry, big sis. We won't let any of them get through us!"
Long Wang remained silent, but at a flick of his hand, he conjured a new wave of energy dragons, their golden serpentine forms uncoiling and hovering around him. He glanced at me, and I nodded. His lips curled into a smile.
"Leave the rear to us, my lord. Go forth and wreak havoc to your heart's content."
"Thanks, Long Wang. But first…" I turned to the Construction Crabs crewing the defensive siege towers. "Let's give them a warm welcome, eh, guys?"
"Yes, boss! Now?"
"Now," I confirmed with a grin. "Blow them all to oblivion."
Once again, the defensive siege towers glowed ominously before unleashing their destructive payloads. Meteors struck with almost apocalyptic force, scorching a colossal crater into the no man's land between us and annihilating entire companies of soldiers. In just the opening few seconds, the Flood Dragon's army lost almost twenty percent of their forces.
But that left at least eight hundred of their soldiers still trampling over the molten rock and ashy remains of their comrades, their thick taloned feet resistant to the smoldering heat red-hot lava. They pushed through, uncaring of their losses.
No. As they neared, I could see the tightness in their expressions…the looks of despair and resignation in their eyes. They knew they were dead either way. They feared the Flood Dragon King more than our siege towers or spirit arrays. Despite knowing that they would most likely die, this was their chance – however small – at glory. They were willing to stake their lives for whatever rewards their king had promised them rather than die painfully at his hands for cowardice.
"Brace!" I barked, realizing that we would have to do this the hard way. "Aquatic Armada, you're up next!"
The two hundred Little Anglers and Lantern Fishes got ready, having adopted a mystical formation to combine their qi into devastating attacks. At my order, the Colossal Crabs scuttled away to avoid being hit, and the aquatic armada launched potent arcs of lightning, their merged qi amplifying the magnitude of their individual lightning bolts to a thunderstorm. The elemental tempest tore through the ranks of the advancing Flood Dragons, sending dozens of them convulsing to their deaths as their nerves were shorted out and burned by the lethal lightning. A few of them rose back to their feet, recovering quickly and avoiding getting trampled by their zealous comrades, thanks to their renowned resilience, but I was gratified to see that more remained fallen, their twitching corpses vanishing under the merciless talons of their sprinting brethren.
There was no mourning the dead.
"Brace!" I repeated. "They'll be hitting us any moment now!"
The Colossal Crabs moved up to intercept the spear tip of the Flood Dragons' charge, while the Guardian Golems were already trampling over unfortunate Flood Dragon soldiers to close in and grapple with the Flood Dragon Behemoths. As they did so, one unexpected element reared his head with a vicious hiss.
Surprising everybody, including me, Hei Ba was finally spurred to action. But not the action I thought he would take.
With a snarl, the Abyssal Serpent darted across our ranks and plunged into the approaching Flood Dragons. His great tail swept and whipped about, sending dozens of Flood Dragon soldiers flying. He ignored one of the Flood Dragon Behemoths that had whirled around to snap its immense jaws at him, instead swatting its head aside with a flick of his tail, and then continued crushing stunned Flood Dragon soldiers under his bulk.
As I watched him sow mayhem into the ranks of the central phalanx of the Flood Dragon soldiers, I realized what his goal was.
Hei Ba was charging straight for the Flood Dragon King.