When Marilyn came to Giantree City, the Demon King was not present during her visit.
He arrived right above the Thousand Fangs City.
Observing and overlooking the city from a high altitude, soaring in the sky.
The forest city was situated in a vast and open valley plain.
The relevant information was displayed in a prompt as follows:
[Thousand Fangs City] Level 4 lord area. High exploration value.
Description: This is a forest city dominated by the gnome race with the ogre tribe as its main force. This city is a force to be reckoned with.
After eyeing over the details.
Zhang Nu gained a basic understanding of the Thousand Fangs City.
The city was home to 100,000 ogres and 60,000 gnomes.
The ogres were one of the most terrifying and horrific forest species. They possessed a brutal temperament with low intelligence, skin that was impervious to weapons, as well as remarkably high magic resistance.
Suffice to say.
Every normal adult ogre could generally attain the strength of elites.
As mentioned, the Thousand Fangs City had 100,000 ogres residing within, of which 70,000 to 80,000 were in between young adult and prime age. This was equivalent to 70,000 to 80,000 elite combat power.
This fact signified that in the case of Thousand Fangs City unleashing its full strength.
It would be more powerful than the Giantree Forest, and even more formidable than the Berserk Beast CIty during its prior glorious days.
If Zhang Nu could subjugate this city, his influence in Chaos Forest would surge without a doubt.
At the same time, Zhang Nu had noticed something.
Not only were there 100,000 ogres inhabiting in Thousand Fangs City, but there were also several tens of thousands of gnomes living there. These two races could be said to be two extreme opposites.
Ogres were dull, brutal, and powerful.
Gnomes were weak, yet cunning and conniving.
Thousand Fangs City had the largest gnome caravan in the Chaos Forest, and they frequently shuttled between various tribes, villages, and even forest cities, trading various goods and earning hefty profits.
The gnomes then relied on these profits to buy a large amount of food to feed the ogres, who had enormous appetites, and in return, the powerful combat prowess of the ogres could protect the fragile gnomes
This was quite a peculiar symbiotic relationship.
Furthermore, these gnomes have lived with the ogres for a long time.
And in order to better control them.
The gnomes had specifically developed a suppressive agent to quell the ogre's bloodthirstiness and aggressiveness, hence, compared to the ordinary ogre tribes or the solitary ogres in the wilderness, the ogres in Thousand Fangs City had a milder temperament.
Not bad for a forest city.
If the city could be conquered.
Zhang Nu could recruit a large number of ogre warriors.
As well as gaining a huge gnome caravan.
Presently.
Within Thousand Fangs City.
The gnome city lord, Segon, had been having a tough time recently.
The city was facing its biggest crisis since its establishment thirty years ago.
In the past, the city had a clear division of labor, with gnomes as the leaders and ogres as their enforcers and assistants, this relationship had been stable for decades.
But how could such a large city not have any Heroes?
Ogre Heroes had intelligence comparable to that of humans, thus their intelligence was no longer inferior to that of gnomes. They were several times smarter than ordinary ogres.
Currently, in Thousand Fangs City.
There were at least dozens of ogre Heroes.
The leading ogre Hero was the strongest ogre in the entire tribe, with the strength of a top Level 4 lord.
Under these circumstances.
The balance of power in Thousand Fangs City had been disrupted.
The ogre Heroes had no intention of being gnome vassals.
They were constantly rallying the other ogres to join their cause and launch a revolution to completely annihilate the gnomes, then they themselves would lead and rule over the native ogres of Thousand Fangs.
As the city lord.
Segon was at a loss.
He could not and had no means to simply eliminate these powerful ogre Heroes. All he could do was to watch as their influence and forces continue to grow.
As of now.
The bad blood between the two parties was just waiting to boil over.
Their relationship was in serious tension.
The threat of uprising loomed over the city.
"City lord! We mustn't hesitate any longer. We still have control over the majority of the ogres. We must extinguish this flame of insurrection now, or it will be all too late!"
The gnome, who had been urging the city lord, was the vice city lord of Thousand Fangs whose identity was also a Hero.
Since there were ogre Heroes, why wouldn't there be gnome Heroes?
The ogre Heroes desired to seize control of Thousand Fangs City from the gnomes. The gnome Heroes were naturally reluctant to let them be.
Therefore, they were urging the city lord to quickly suppress the rebellion and wipe out the ogre Heroes.
Both parties were Heroes.
Theoretically, they were of the same kind.
But due to the difference of their interests and benefits.
They had split into two distinct factions.
This was human nature at work.
Even if they inhabited different bodies, these Heroes could not escape from their human needs and greed, which was why a genuine unification was impossible.
"This is not a trivial matter!"
"We've already missed the best timing!"
"If we do as you suggested, the strength and forces of Thousand Fangs will be severely diminished!"
The city lord Segon did not make an immediate decision, "I need to think about it. Maybe we can compromise and come up with a co-governance solution."
Upon hearing these words.
The gnome Hero was undoubtedly displeased.
If the ogres were to take over the management, would he still be able to keep his position? This was unacceptable!
As he was about to dissuade the city lord.
A horrific dragon roar suddenly resounded through the sky over Thousand Fangs City.
"You've received an attack from "Dragon Fear". HP -30. Stunned for 5 seconds!"
The gnome Hero was flummoxed.
The entire city of Thousand Fangs was on alert.
"City lord!"
"Grave news!"
"A dragon is attacking us!"
Segon was dumbfounded.
The internal affairs of Thousand Fangs City were already giving him a headache.
How did they end up attracting a dragon?
Was the city doomed to perish?!
Before he even had the time to issue orders.
The tremendous bolt of scarlet lightning.
Like a stream of raging river, pierced through the city lord's fortress, and the massive glaring light utterly blinded their vision.
What terrifying might!
What kind of existence was capable of this!
The city lord Segon was scared stiff, limping on the ground. His mind was blank, his first reaction was that he was as good as dead. But after a few seconds, his vision gradually returned.
"I...I'm...alive?"
The entire castle of the city lord was blown through.
Lord Segon was horrified to find that there were many charred bodies littered in a disordered heap around him, including the gnome Hero who had been urging him on suppressing the rebellion just a few seconds ago.
He lifted his head.
The ceiling had been toppled over.
The massive opening revealed a sky of dark clouds pressing down, with flashes of bloody lightning incessantly pulsating. A dragon made of elemental lightning, with a body length of nearly two hundred meters, blinking and moving with an extreme speed in the sky above the castle.
An elemental dragon?
Dragonkind was already very rare.
And elemental dragons were a theoretical species that should not appear on this continent even if they did exist.
Segon did not have time to contemplate.
The blood-red lightning interwoven dragon launched another attack.
No one could see its speed clearly, like a huge lightning bolt flashing in an instant, and like a thunderous waterfall, it instantly swept through the ogre residential area of Thousand Fangs City.
It was too fast.
In the blink of an eye, hundreds of ogres were struck by the bloody lightning.
Screaming in agony, they turned into charred remains in the scorching heat and violent electric currents.
It was a nightmare incarnate!
Some ogres attempted to put up resistance.
However, physical attacks were useless against this powerful elemental life form and even magical attacks had very little effect.
This lightning dragon was almost invincible.
The defense of the Thousand Fangs City was virtually useless, and within a minute or two of its rampaging, the torrent of lightning had already stormed dozens of locations with its astonishing speed.
Eventually.
All of the lightning gathered and converged.
Its elemental form was canceled, and in its place was a majestic golden dragon, eight to nine meters long and covered in dark golden scales.
The demon king had lifted his transformation.
He revealed himself before the people of Thousand Fangs City.
The twenty Inferno Warmonger Royal Guards and the ten Inferno Mystic Royal Guards were summoned. A total of thirty Level 4 lord units were standing guard around the dragon, each emitting a powerful and intimidating aura.
"Who...are you?"
Segon's voice trembled uncontrollably.
The dragon itself was horrifyingly powerful enough, and yet each of the thirty guards surrounding it also possessed terrifying strength!
When did such a frightening force appear in Chaos Forest?
Then, the majestic and overbearing voice of the Dragon Demon King echoed, "I am the king of the Darkness City, and the lord of Chaos Forest. Now, you are bestowed a chance to make a choice."
"Either submit to me."
"Or be burned into ashes."
"You have one day to consider!"
After the Demon King declared his intentions, he left with his subordinates.
The king of the Darkness City...
Could he be the Demon King of the Darkness Valley?
Gnome merchants were very informative, and naturally, they had heard of the rumor of the Dragon Demon King's impressive strength. What they did not anticipate was the extent of the Demon King's extreme power.
Segon asked in a heavy voice, "How are the casualties?"
"City lord, our losses don't seem to be as great as we imagined, but..."
"But what? Speak frankly!"
"All of the gnome Heroes' and ogre Heroes' strongholds in the city had been destroyed by the dragon, and almost all of the Heroes of Thousand Fangs were slaughtered!"
"What?!"
Segon was shocked by the report.
He could have never imagined that the most troublesome issues of the Thousand Fangs City would be completely eliminated by the Demon King's rampage.
Zhang Nu had departed from Thousand Fangs City and took a rest nearby.
Maintaining the form of Evil Dragon of Annihilation depleted too much of his stamina and MP. But with his blitz-like raid, his goal was perfectly achieved.
He opened up his player interface.
And scanned through the prompts.
[You've slain a Level 2 Hero. Hero's Soul +1!]
[You've slain a Level 2 Hero. Hero's Soul +1!]
[You've slain a Level 2 Hero. Hero's Soul +1!]
[You've slain a Level 2 Hero. Hero's Soul +1!]
[You've slain a Level 2 Hero. Hero's Soul +1!]
[...]
[You've slain a Level 4 Hero. Hero's Soul +1, Skill stone +1!]
The purpose of Zhang Nu's assault on the city was not only to threaten and intimidate, it was also to clear out the Heroes lurking in the city.
With his cheat ability to acquire and see information.
As well as his lightning fast speed from his Evil Dragon of Annihilation's Thunderstorm form.
Zhang Nu has struck at least dozens or so strongholds of Heroes in under two minutes, decimating around a hundred Heroes.
The quality of the Thousand Fangs Heroes was satisfying.
A single Level 4 Hero, 15 Level 3 Heroes, 43 Level 2 Heroes, and 60 Level 1 Heroes, totaled at 118.
Needless to say.
The result was remarkable.
With the acquisition of this batch of souls.
As well as the gains from the Bloody Fortress siege.
Zhang Nu could almost activate another Level 4 talent soon.
As for the subsequent response of Thousand Fangs City? Zhang Nu was not very worried about it.
If it were the proud elf race or the short-tempered and combative dwarf or orcs, mere intimidation and threats might not work and could even rouse up resistance.
However, the city lord of Thousand Fangs was a gnome.
Gnomes were known for their cunningness, but they were also cowards.
They were natural merchants, with no self-esteem, and only concerned about the profits and losses. Zhang Nu believed that the city lord and the executive gnomes of Thousand Fangs City would weigh out the pros and cons, ultimately making the correct decision.
The very next day.
Zhang Nu returned to the city.
The ogres and gnomes of the city had already laid down their arms.
Segon, the city lord had led dozens of gnome executives to respectfully kneel before the Demon King, "It is an honor for Thousand Fangs City to serve under Your Majesty. We are willing to offer up our city and our sincere loyalty to Your Majesty!"
[179823 citizens of Thousand Fangs City have surrendered to you.]
[You've conquered Thousand Fangs City!]
[You gained "Gorgeous Mithril Chest" x1]
Zhang Nu had received the submission prompt.
He was very satisfied.
The cowardly and profit-oriented gnomes, having witnessed the terror of the Demon King, did not have the courage to resist and even led the entire city to surrender without hesitation.
The whole process only took two days.
The Demon King did not spend a single soldier or gold.
Yet he managed to conquer such a large forest city possessing strength surpassing Giantree City and Berserk Beast City.
Now, with Thousand Fangs City in his hands, and tens of thousands of ogre brutes at his disposal, his influence would expand even further and envelope a large region of the Chaos Forest. The progress of his unification plan was nigh unstoppable.