"Get ready!"
"The Darkness Valley is just ahead!"
"Take advantage of the night and launch a surprise assault!"
This joint army of the empire's forces was now only a few dozen miles away from the Darkness Valley, and would soon arrive as per their speed.
The composition of this joint army was very mixed and diverse.
Among them were combat units summoned by the Demon Kings, such as vampire warriors and harpies, as well as the native tribal warriors.
The vast and dense mass of armies.
Shrouding and spreading across the night sky.
As if a thick cloud of darkness.
As if a massive swarm of locusts.
This army was not led by the Demon Kings themselves, but by dozens of elite Heroes from the Divine Sword Heroes Guild.
The two individuals at the head of command.
Their strengths were the most prominent.
One of them was a winged-kin Hero with dual wielding swords and wreathed in lightning, which seemed to have high combat prowess.
The other was a human Hero riding atop a griffin. She appeared to be a middle-aged woman in white robe, equipped with a crystal wand.
The winged-kin Hero was named Cao Zuo.
He was once a top lone wolf Hero in the Chaos Forest and had killed over a dozen Demon Kings by himself. He was unfathomably powerful and was later recruited by the Divine Sword guild.
The human Hero was called Zhu Yan.
He Tianzong had brought this Hero from Count Kolo's territory and she was originally the vice president of the territory's magic union. Zhu Yan was a powerful mage with the strength of a Level 4 lord.
The two Heroes, whether it was the winged-kin Cao Zuo or the human Zhu Yan, they both represent the pinnacle of combat power amongst the current Heroes.
The strengths of these two.
Was even comparable to the Deputy Head, He Tianzong.
He Tianzong, as the paramount leader of the Divine Sword Heroes Guild in the Chaos Forest could not just simply lead the charge personally, which was why he sent these two Heroes.
This opportunity.
It was a pleasant surprise to Cao Zuo and Zhu Yan.
Among the known Demon King powerhouses in the Chaos Forest, the Dragon Demon King of the Darkness Valley was currently the most formidable, both in terms of individual strength as well as the size and scale of his territory and army.
The deputy head had given the two the opportunity to kill such a Demon King.
This was definitely a generous favor.
"Let me handle this Demon King! Dragons have exceedingly high magic resistance, it's too dangerous for you!" said Cao Zuo to Zhu Yan beside him.
"Who said mages can't kill dragons?" Zhu Yan sneered, "You're just saying that so you can claim the kill and take the credit!"
Cao Zuo retorted, "I'm just being kind. If you don't listen, don't blame others when you fail."
"Worry about yourself!", exclaimed Zhu Yan.
"The Demon King is mine!"
Zhu Yan wore a stiff expression without a sign of deference or giving in.
Cao Zuo revealed a disdained expression, "Very well! We'll see who's better!"
The two Level 4 Heroes had already begun to compete in secret, afterall, the stakes and benefits from killing this Dragon Demon King was just too great.
Not only could they yield a large number of training points.
Which would allow them to break through to Level 5 in the shortest time frame.
They could also, if luck were on their side, obtain one or even a few dragon talents that would benefit them for life. Who could resist such temptations?
As for the danger of the mission?
The Heroes never had any concerns about the danger.
The entire operation, from the planning, to the secret meeting, and finally the thousand mile expedition overnight, only took two days.
The Dragon Demon King could not have been on guard.
Without any preparations, it was inevitable that the Darkness Valley would be reduced to ruins when assaulted by an overwhelming attack.
There was only one uncertainty.
It was whether they could successfully kill the Dragon Demon King.
The Demon King had even taken out the old city lord of Berserk Beast City, a Level 3 overlord existence. He was very likely an immensely powerful Level 4 Demon King.
However.
For the Divine Swords guild.
For He Tianzong.
Whether the Demon King could be killed or not was not of the utmost importance. As long as the Dragon Demon King's base and his Demon King Altar were completely destroyed, even if he survived, it would be irrelevant as he could no longer pose a threat to the empire's plan.
"We have arrived above the Darkness Valley!"
The human Hero, Zu Yan called out to the army with a magical voice transmission, "I will proceed to use a dispeling spell to lift the masking of magical fog in the valley, but the dispeling effect will only last for twenty minutes."
"As soon as the fog dissipates, attack immediately! Do not hesitate!"
"Keep in mind to prioritize demolishing the structures in the Demon King's territory, especially his castle and altar!"
"The first one to break into the castle will be rewarded with three C rank skill stones, and whoever can destroy the Demon King altar will be promptly rewarded with three B rank skill stones!"
Upon hearing the bounty reward.
The dozen of Heroes' eyes turned bloodshot.
Indeed, they did not possess the strength to confront this tremendously mighty Demon King alone.
However, as the elite members of the Divine Sword Heroes Guild.
Each of them still had the strength of a Level 3 lord on average.
If they joined hands, they could definitely deal with several Level 3 overlords, or several Level 4 lords, which was undoubtedly a high-end combat power that should not be trifled with.
Generous rewards would always rouse one to heroism.
With such a high reward on offer.
The dozen of Heroes would certainly rush to storm the castle, and frantically assault the altar like madmen.
Even if the Demon King was powerful.
He would not be able to defend against so many Heroes.
Heroes were different from the native warriors, their combat style, skills and talents were all varied and diverse. There would always be unforeseeable skills and techniques beyond expectations
"Disperse!"
Zhu Yan let out a loud shout.
A B rank dispeling spell was unleashed upon the valley.
A dispel type spell could eliminate any magical energy or effect in a targeted area.
The Tower of Fog of the Darkness City was only a Level 1 building, and the magical fog it created posed no threat against a Level 4 mage who mastered a large-scale dispeling spell.
Almost instantly.
The fog-shrouded valley became visible under the moonlight.
The Heroes and warriors immediately fixated on the Darkness City.
The masses drew a sharp intake of cold air at the sight of the city. Who would have thought that the Demon King had built such a massive city in their forest.
"The territory was more developed than we thought!"
"It's fortunate that we acted in time!"
"Otherwise, once the Demon King becomes even more powerful, it's all over!"
"Kill! Slaughter! Destroy! Massacre them all! Focus on the castle! I want all the buildings to be leveled and razed to the ground!"
Within an instant.
Tens of thousands of silhouettes.
From the dark clouds, they dived straight into the valley.
This sort of astounding spectacle was unimaginable in a standard ground battle.
As a winged-kin, Cao Zuo possessed phenomenal speed. He led the charge and was the first to arrive above the Demon King Castle. Immense Qi condensed on Cao Zuo's dual swords as he stabbed against the castle walls.
And yet.
With a loud bang.
His blow was repelled.
Cao Zuo's expression darkened dramatically, "A barrier? Damn! This castle had been upgraded. It's an advanced Demon King Castle!"
Ordinary Demon King Castles did not have barriers.
Only advanced Demon King Castles were protected by barriers.
Although this barrier could be breached and shattered, it would take a lot of effort...Fortunately, there was enough manpower this time. This barrier alone would not be able to stop the alliance force.
Countless alliance warriors.
Descended like a torrent of rain.
In this instance, they had all come down right above the Darkness City.
There were no formations or tactics among them, all units were free to launch their attacks, which maximizes the combat power and efficiency of flying units.
"The Demon King was really unprepared!"
As Zhu Yan saw the army had successfully entered the airspace of the Darkness City, and yet the defense and counterattack from the Demon King's side was sluggish, she revealed a triumphant smile, "Now he's finished!"
At this pace.
Before the Demon King could react.
The Darkness City would have long since been reduced to ruins.
The castle would have also long since been turned into rubble when the Demon King finally began to organize a resistance effort.
As the thought emerged in Zhu Yan's mind, something unexpected happened. Almost simultaneously, the Darkness City shrouded in darkness and silence was suddenly lit up with tens of thousands bright flashes.
"What...is that?"
The mass of warriors did not have the chance to contemplate.
At the very next instance.
Tens of thousands of light beams fired in unison.
The entire night sky was illuminated.
The Darkness City became bright as day.
The beam attacks had blistering speed, backed by even ludicrous offensive power. Within a split moment, thousands of alliance troops got struck and penetrated by the beams, screaming and crying as they fell from the sky.
"How could this happen!"
"What the hell is this?"
The shocking sight left the alliance army startled and horrified.
Because almost in an instant, a considerable amount of their previously arrogant and ego-inflated fellow troops were cut down as if merely reaping some wheat.
These beams had far reach, high power, and unparalleled precision.
Some even penetrated and went through multiple targets.
And yet, almost none missed.
With just a single wave of attack, the army suffered heavy casualties and their once strong morale was deflated like a popped balloon.
"Run!"
"Hurry!"
"A second wave is coming!"
A Hero riding on top of a giant eagle realized in terror.
Just three seconds after the first wave of attack, Darkness City lit up again in countless flashes of light. The second wave of attack was charged up, and the second wave of attack was about to arrive.
He hastily urged on his giant eagle in an attempt to escape this hellish nightmare.
Too late.
Countless beams of light illuminated the night sky once again.
At least three of the beams landed on the giant eagle in which the Hero was riding upon, two of them went straight through the eagle and struck the Hero behind.
"AHHH!!"
There was a miserable cry.
The Hero lost his balance.
And he fell from a height of several hundred meters.
In the blink of an eye.
A heavy rain fell upon Darkness City.
It was a rain composed of blood, numerous body parts and corpses that were penetrated and torn apart by the light beams. A thick stench of blood and gore permeated throughout every corner of the city.
Two waves of attacks.
Merely two waves of attacks.
And the entire alliance forces had completely lost their spirit and resolve. At least tens of thousands of combat units were slaughtered, including seven to eight Heroes.
Cao Zuo and Zhu Yan were stupified.
This outcome was completely different from what was imagined!
What exactly had the Demon King installed in the city?
Why was there such a dense and frightening rain of light beams?
Before the Heroes could catch their breath from the second wave of attack, a third wave began to brew, and then it erupted. A series of dense and deadly beams blotted out the sky like a blanket of light and weaved themselves among the alliance troops.
"Fucking shit!"
"It's a trap!"
"Retreat! Retreat! All of you retreat!"
Cao Zuo was being locked on by six light beams, he unleashed a wave of Qi, dispersing the attacks and decisively fled the castle.
This battle could no longer go on!
The Demon King was obviously prepared for them.
Furthermore, these monsters that shot those beams of lights were incredibly deadly against their air raid units!
The mission had failed miserably.
The Divine Sword had underestimated the Demon King!
Not only did they underestimate the intelligence capabilities of the Demon King, they also misjudged the army and forces at his disposal. This was a hopeless operation that was doomed to fail!
This was way too foolish!
They were like moths to a flame!
Cao Zuo intended to slip away alone.
As for how many of these fodders could escape and survive? That was no longer a concern of his. He had even lost faith and confidence towards the Divine Sword Heroes Guild.
However.
Just then.
Cao Zuo had a sensation.
His brain was in trance and he had lost control of his own body.
[You're under the effect of "Evil God's Gaze", HP -100, stunned for 5 seconds!]
[You're under the effect of "Evil God's Gaze", HP -100, stunned for 5 seconds!]
"A psychic attack?"
Cao Zuo was bewildered.
At the present, he had already soared up to several hundred meters high in the air.
What kind of psychic attack was this to still be able to pinpoint him!
[You're under the effect of "Evil God's Gaze", HP -100, stunned for 5 seconds!]
Cao Zuo was rendered completely incapacitated, and quickly fell out of the sky. With a loud crash, he landed on the plaza of Darkness City.
There were beholders everywhere.
They were constantly firing beams of light towards the night sky.
Cao Zuo was struggling to pick himself up.
He recalled that he still had a teleportation scroll.
As things stood, there was no other choice but to use it to save himself.
But then.
[You're under the effect of "Evil God's Gaze", HP -100, stunned for 5 seconds!]
"Shit!"
"Enough! Is there any end to this?!"
Cao Zuo was on the verge of a meltdown.
He did not even have any clue of where this continuous psychic attack was coming from.
It was then that a towering and burly figure strode up to him.
The Draconian Marshal, Zhang San looked down at the half dead high-ranking Hero that was lying on the ground. He grinned, revealing his mouthful of white teeth and scoffed, "How dare small fries like you even attempt to wreak havoc upon Master's territory?!"
Cao Zuo cried in fear, "Demon King? Wait, don't kill me! We can still talk!"
The draconian marshal raised his giant blade.
And cleaved downwards.
A big severed head rolled onto the square.
Zhang San lugged the blood stained blade on his shoulder.
He gave the decapitated corpse that was still gushing blood a firm kick and knocked the body over.
Finally, he remarked contemptuously, "Wanting to meet Master? Did you really think you're worthy enough?"