At this moment, Simmons, who was in the hell dimension, felt that one-third of his legion had suddenly vanished. He couldn't communicate with the demons exploring the other world; he could only sense whether they were alive.
This was because he was one of the weakest barons in the hell dimension. The hellhounds active on Green Star were already a crucial part of his combat strength, and he kept a close eye on them at all times.
It was precisely because he was the weakest baron that he was overjoyed upon discovering this new interdimensional entrance. Unfortunately, although this entrance was within his territory, it was also very close to the area managed by a nearby viscount, so he could only secretly send troops to scout.
"Once I absorb the resources from this dimension, advancing to a count will be assured."
At this moment, Simmons was filled with ambition, but he soon remembered the soldiers who had disappeared, causing him great distress.
Thanks to good strategic choices, he hadn't lost much military strength during the entire process of conquering the other dimension; most of the tasks had been carried out by demons infected in that world.
Sending out a thousand hellhounds was meant to eliminate the most significant threats in that dimension, but now he found that his spoils were in jeopardy.
Simmons was already panicking. After investing significant time and effort, he was on the verge of harvesting rich rewards when he was met with unexpected circumstances.
"I can't think about the worst-case scenario. It shouldn't be like this; it's impossible. How could there be an accident?"
"What the hell is going on? Wasn't the exploration going well before? It was only those weak humans and elves, plus maybe those Treefolk, and they couldn't possibly wipe out my thousand hellhounds. That's half of my forces!"
"No, no, I had high-ranking demons commanding that legion. How could they be completely wiped out without even a message getting through? Is there an area in this dimension that I haven't explored?"
"Ah, this is infuriating! Why hasn't any news come out? What on earth did they encounter?"
"I can't take it anymore. Call the Wight King over."
The ghost servant at the door had long since trembled at Simmons's rage. Upon hearing his command, he hurriedly dashed out to summon the Wight King.
"Lord, you summoned me for what purpose?" The Wight King was a hero unit among the Wights, extremely powerful. He was the strongest combat force in Simmons's domain, and his presence made even nearby viscounts wary of being too bold around him.
After all, hero units were quite rare in the hell dimension, and as a level-three hero unit of the Wight race, he was even stronger than standard level-five troops. Heroes were the most powerful beings within a race, possessing incredible talents and the ability to break their own limits. Their potential was vast; previously, Luo Luo had encountered a hero-level Golden Behemoth during his demigod trials.
However, unlike the Golden Behemoth, which enhanced its own strength, the Wight King enhanced the abilities of the whole race.
Race Name: Wight
Level: LV3
Physique: 30
Strength: 30
Agility: 10
Spirit: 10
Talents:
Hellish Race:Surrounded by a hellish aura, continuously affecting surrounding beings.
Developed Muscles:The Wight's talent doubles its physique and strength attributes.
Skills:
Devour Corpse:The Wight can recover from injuries by consuming corpses (passive).
Corpse Explosion:The Wight can cause massive damage to enemies through self-detonation when on the brink of death.
Description: The mainstay of the hellish army.
Name: Wight King (Hero Level)
Level: LV3
Physique: 36
Strength: 34
Agility: 10
Spirit: 18
Talents:
Hellish Race:Surrounded by a hellish aura, continuously affecting surrounding beings.
Developed Muscles:The Wight King's talent doubles its physique and strength attributes.
Skills:
Devour Corpse:The Wight King can recover from injuries by consuming corpses (passive).
Greater Corpse Explosion:The Wight King can cause surrounding corpses to explode upon nearing death, dealing massive damage to enemies within range.
Description: A rare intelligent entity among the Wight race that has learned basic magic.
"My thousand hellhounds sent to the other dimension and the legion led by that useless demon were all instantly annihilated, without any news coming through. Summon your subordinates and investigate this situation in the other dimension for me."
"But my lord, if we go into the other dimension, the resources consumed will be too much; it won't be cost-effective."
"Not cost-effective? Are you telling me it won't be cost-effective? If you go in and fail to secure our victory, then all those resources we invested will be wasted."
"Remember, once you enter, investigate immediately. I want to know every detail of what happened. I want to know who dared to stand against me. I'll ensure they die without a burial."
Clearly, Simmons was somewhat deranged due to Luo Luo's actions.
"The resources previously invested by the lord weren't actually substantial; our losses are manageable. But…"
"What? Wight King, are you contradicting me? Is this territory dictated by you or by me? Am I unable to assert control over my own territory today?"
"Of course, it's your decision; however…" The lord's actions were evidently somewhat reckless. The Wight King wanted to persuade him again. Despite its imposing stature, it was genuinely an intelligent being.
"There's no 'however.' Since I still have the final say, you must follow my orders. If you fail the mission, don't bother coming back."
Seeing this situation, the Wight King realized it couldn't dissuade him. It could only lead its subordinates to investigate the other dimension as the lord commanded.
In fact, after saying these words, Simmons felt a bit regretful. After all, the Wight King was his strongest combat force in the domain and also his face. If this matter caused their relationship to sour, it would be quite detrimental to the domain's development. However, to uphold the dignity of the lord, he had no choice but to act this way. Some things can't be undone once initiated.
Simmons's thoughts were, in fact, understandable. He wasn't overly concerned about the resources he had previously invested; rather, he viewed all the gains from this interdimensional realm as capital to elevate himself to a count. He had been dreaming of this for a long time, and now he had the opportunity to realize it—an opportunity that was within reach. How could he possibly give up because of some minor accident?
Simmons wasn't mad; he was just trapped in his own obsession. He couldn't convince himself to give up all his previous efforts, and he wanted to understand what went wrong, even if it cost him dearly.
In truth, being a hell baron like Simmons was quite tragic. He inherited the viscount title from his father, but life wasn't easy for him. His ancestors had been dukes, but the Simmons family had declined with each generation. By the time it reached his father's generation, they could only be referred to as the Simmons viscount.
If that were all, it wouldn't be too bad. At least he was still a genuine noble. But the issue lay with his father, who was weak and ineffectual. He could only maintain the status quo throughout his life, eventually losing his reputation and being overthrown by a lowly baron who had conspired against him, leading to the destruction of his vast army.
It could be said that this old viscount should never have inherited this territory. In hell, everyone is a master of schemes. If you are not ruthless, then others will be. That's the rule. Old Simmons had always been sheltered by his grandfather, and once the grandfather passed away, problems ensued.
Not only was the family's million-strong army completely annihilated, but their territory was also heavily annexed. This resulted in a lowly baron, who had previously been cautious in flattering them, becoming a viscount. Where did his territory come from? It was all seized from Simmons's father.
This created a bitter enmity between the two families. Since Simmons began fighting until now, a few years ago, Simmons's father also died on the battlefield, forcing him to take on the burden and inherit the territory, which was now only that of a baron.
In the hell dimension, reality is stark: the larger your territory, the greater your power, and the higher your status. Once you lose these, you must obediently hand them over. Simmons can no longer claim to be a viscount; he can only refer to himself as a baron. This is because his territory no longer meets the standard for a viscount, a harsh reality.
What could Simmons do? He could only strive to catch up.
But fate played a cruel joke on him. He thought that after the filthy viscount of his grandfather's generation died, he could reclaim the glory that belonged to his family and avenge his father's murder. However, he never anticipated that the one who succeeded the opposing viscount would have greater talents, stronger abilities, and even better strength than before.
Just as Simmons had set his ambitious goals, he was doused with a bucket of cold water. But so what? If his strength was inferior, he had to act humble. He didn't even dare provoke them until the Wight King was born, which gave him some confidence to thwart the other side's encroaching plans.
The emergence of an interdimensional rift further delighted him. Although the Simmons family had fallen, they were descendants of a duke, and the wealth of knowledge passed down through the generations in the hell dimension was invaluable.
Coincidentally, Simmons was someone who treasured this wealth. He often read, poring over all the books in the family library. His main purpose was not to learn, but to reminisce about the glorious past of his family and their former noble status.
Now, however, the opportunity had come. Even if ordinary hellish lords discovered the interdimensional rift, they wouldn't understand what it was, nor would they grasp the steps and methods for exploring other dimensions.
Simmons was different; he understood these things. This gave him hope for a resurgence. He placed all his hopes on the exploration of this other dimension. Although he had only dispatched a thousand hellhounds, that was a substantial part of his combat strength. If he sent more, the neighbouring enemies might notice something was amiss. It wouldn't be worth it if he returned empty-handed from the interdimensional resources and instead lost his own life.
Sending the Wight King's legion was also a matter of necessity. As previously mentioned, the Wight King was his strongest combat power and assistant. The Wight King's legion, stationed in the center of Simmons's territory, was the main force protecting the safety of Simmons's royal city.
The surrounding border forces couldn't move, so he had no choice but to risk sending the Wight King's legion in to investigate.
Simmons was counting on the high-level Wight King's legion to decide matters swiftly, returning with their spoils before the surrounding enemies could react. This was the outcome he envisioned as the best case.
As for the worst-case scenario, he hadn't thought about it, nor dared to think about it. If he lost the Wight King's legion, he would be on a countdown to death. A territory without combat power would be a lamb to the slaughter, appealing to anyone who saw it.
While he was lost in thought, the Wight King had already gathered all his legion members and was preparing to head into the other dimension. The soldiers guarding the rift had long since prepared the necessary resources, enhancing the rift's capacity significantly upon the legion's arrival.
The Wight King didn't dare to delay; he knew the current state of the territory was severely compromised, vulnerable to any attack.
He immediately commanded his soldiers to advance.