Chapter 545: The Blood Clan

"Just three days ago, in this study, you personally assured me that you would definitely defeat that grandfather and grandson."

After the meeting concluded, in the mansion's study, Admiral George Mattiola stood before the window, his eyes shadowed as he looked outside: "But today, you disappointed me, Philip! After obtaining the promise of the National Progressives Association, you lacked the courage to fight. You showed me your timidity and guilt."

"But in truth, I am not afraid of this war."

Philip I sat on the sofa, answering with indifference to the host's anger: "But I must ensure that our forces do not suffer too great a loss in this war. I have to be responsible to my allies. Or else—"

He paused, a hint of mockery in his eyes: "Is the aid from the National Progressives Association merely to make me and my descendants both suffer losses?"

Admiral George Mattiola raised an eyebrow: "That's quite ungrateful. Haven't I been diligently mediating for you these past two weeks?"

"But without sincerity. Those terms were more like forcing Consueli and his grandson to firmly decide on war rather than mediation."

After saying this, Philip I did not continue on the topic. He himself was unwilling to make too many concessions; there was no possibility of peaceful coexistence between the two sides.

"Mr. Admiral, I can assure you that within at most a month and a half, I will settle the score with them on the battlefield you designate."

"It has to do with Anthony Braden, doesn't it?"

George Mattiola turned around and asked with a smile: "You plan to start a war with Consueli at this time? It is indeed a good opportunity to weaken the opposing side and also make the Craftsman God owe you a favor."

"So I am extremely grateful for your help with Andre's last request, Mr. Admiral."

Philip I said sincerely: "But it's not just that. There are other factors. The situation with Anthony Braden does not actually help our war with Consueli. We have other plans. After comprehensive consideration, a month and a half later is the most suitable."

At this moment, he thought of the giant serpent he had seen in that magic tower.

"Forget it! No matter what trump cards you have, just go all out and deal with your two descendants."

George Mattiola said as he picked up a glass of red wine from the desk: "I can feel that the lucky Andre has already regarded me as an enemy. For that last sentence, I paid a heavy price, Philip."

"But it was necessary, wasn't it?"

Philip I remained unmoved: "For the Rising Sun Electronics Retail and Rising Sun Media Company you Violet want, as well as the Bloody Land, and for your factional struggle within the Magic Association."

George Mattiola chuckled, then raised his glass toward the sofa: "Wishing you victory, Mr. Philip."

...

Meanwhile, in Consueli's luxury extended car 'Laurel Crest Royal Might', the owner frowned: "You were too rash, Andre. Even if it was to resolve my troubles, you could have tried to negotiate better terms."

"But the initiative was in their hands, wasn't it? With the Admiral's help, we had no choice."

After answering, Li Mochen still spoke with some apology to Roth Linden across from him: "I'm sorry, Mr. Linden, for making the decision on your behalf this time. If you find it inappropriate, you can withdraw from our alliance."

"No, no!"

Roth Linden shook his head: "I promised that the Linden family will stand with you through thick and thin. Besides, given the current situation, if the two Wiltons fall, the prospects for the Linden family in Atlanta would be very bleak. We are already in the same boat. I'm just curious now, Andre, you seem to have extraordinary confidence. Would you mind telling me the situation?"

"Of course, I won't hide too much from our allies. But Mr. Linden, how should I put it?"

Li Mochen hesitated for a moment, then extended his finger and shot two rays of red and blue light toward Roth Linden.

The latter immediately raised his eyebrows and began to resist with full magical power. Within a sixtieth of a second, at least seven different defensive spells were layered on Roth Linden. But moments later, one side of his body was covered in frost, while the clothes on the other side had caught fire.

Roth Linden's pupils contracted to pinpoints.

"This is... intermediate divine authority of ice and fire?"

—And it was activated without any magical artifacts, solely by his own divine power!

"I can assure you that what you see now is just the tip of the iceberg."

Li Mochen waved his hand, dispersing the red and blue rays: "Mr. Linden, I can assure you that Philip I and his allies are no longer my concern. The reason I haven't acted yet is simply to avoid giving certain official forces any pretext."

Roth Linden was momentarily stunned, then laughed: "I envy you more and more, Consueli. You have a child so outstanding that it makes people jealous and crazy. Philip I, an enemy that made both you and me extremely wary and vigilant, is now looked down upon by him?"

Consueli looked thoughtfully at Li Mochen: "Has it been unsealed?"

"Almost, it can be used now."

Li Mochen knew he was referring to the 'Scarlet Dragon Armor', and this mythical artifact was indeed as good as unsealed.

The 'Binary Mystic Transformation Method' that condensed the Taiyin and Sun had already allowed his divine soul power to initially surpass the peak of Wenjian Taoran.

"But I don't think this trump card needs to be used in this war. It can be used in more critical places, like the Teutonic National Museum. I think it's best not to alert the enemy beforehand."

Consueli's expression was dazed. So, the opponent he had always dreamed of defeating had already been trampled underfoot by his Andre without his knowledge?

After a long while, his eyes relaxed: "Since you have confidence, do as you wish. You can freely command all my legends and demigods."

He planned to shift his energy to the Wiltons' business.

After Philip I stepped back from the core of power in the group and Cleo and others were expelled, the Wiltons Group's various businesses had been somewhat affected.

If he didn't pay more attention, this year's financial report for the Wiltons Group would look rather poor.

Roth Linden also smiled: "The Linden family is willing to follow your orders, Andre. I look forward to the arrival of this war, hoping Philip I won't keep us waiting too long."

"It won't be long. I expect the battle to occur forty-five days from now."

As he said this, a hint of sarcastic smile appeared at the corner of Li Mochen's mouth.

In the previous negotiation, although he had ceded the choice of timing, this right was still in his hands. Or rather, it was in the hands of Anthony Braden, determined by his condition.

"But during this period, I hope our troops and legends will maintain at least second-level alert. We cannot rely on our opponents to keep their promises; government guarantees are sometimes unreliable—"

Just then, Li Mochen heard the phone ring.

"This is really bad timing."

Li Mochen apologized to the two and pressed the answer button on his mobile phone. Then he heard Michael Wood's voice: "BOSS, the Bloodwing Grand Duchy has launched a general offensive. Very sudden. They attacked from all directions along the entire front line, with an estimated force of over 5.2 million. They apparently found a way to transport troops beyond our perception. Also, Ms. Robert E. Yvonne is now surrounded by four vampire demigods—"

Li Mochen didn't listen further. He said 'wait for me' and hung up directly.

"Any problems?" Consueli knew Li Mochen had long prepared for the Bloodwing Grand Duchy's attack, but still asked with concern.

Li Mochen smiled: "As you guessed, the reason I passively waited for their attack was only to gain an advantage in the battlefield. In short, wait for good news from me."

He stamped his foot, and then the figure of the Little Fire Dragon swam out from the void, passing through this place. Li Mochen's figure also directly disappeared from the carriage of the 'Laurel Crest Royal Might'.

...

At the same time, at the mouth of Rocher Canyon in the Dark World.

Michael Wood was observing the entire battlefield through the magical images provided by Professor Alex Grans. The angle was from the latter's mage tower, 50,000 meters high, allowing the entire battlefield to be seen.

The legendary mage's 25th-level spell 'Advanced Battlefield Insight' allowed the commanders in this headquarters to magnify these images to meter-level.

Here, countless seas of bones could be seen surging from the depths of the canyon.

They were skeletons, elite skeleton soldiers with combat power equivalent to fifth-level magic professionals. They had intact and sturdy bones, with swords, shields, and weapons in perfect condition, numbering in the tens of thousands.

Mixed among them were large numbers of zombies, all wearing finely crafted armor and holding expertly crafted weapons.

But these undead units controlled by necromancers were not even counted in Michael Wood's assessment of the enemy's forces.

At various points along the 72-mile front at the canyon mouth, light and heavy machine guns, autocannons, and rifle grenades in the hands of soldiers were firing fiercely, tearing apart the white sea surging forward, extinguishing it at 5,000 meters.

At the same time, large numbers of white phosphorus incendiary shells were raining down from the artillery positions in the rear. They easily created massive fires, which, with the help of the accompanying mages' spells, expanded, engulfing hundreds of thousands of skeletons in flames.

With the development of gunpowder weapons, the medieval necromancers' terrifying swarm tactics were increasingly being dismissed by humanity.

The ample financial resources provided by Li Mochen not only allowed the numerous armed forces under the Rising Sun Group to have the best light and heavy equipment of the current era but also ensured maximum firepower projection.

The excellent logistics organized with great effort by Brigadier General Noah Badru made it so they never had to worry about ammunition consumption.

Yet on all fronts, the sea of undead continued to advance, pushing forward.

While the skeletons and zombies were not a concern, the units of level seven and above hidden among them—war zombies, skeleton knights, vampires, wraiths, necromancers, and even earthbone dragons—could not be ignored.

The most troublesome for the soldiers were the latter. The Bloodwing Grand Duchy, with its abundant resources and deep pockets, had deployed a full 23,000 earthbone dragons, providing them with extremely fine equipment to protect them from fire damage.

These creatures, each at least five meters tall, were like tanks without cannons, shielding the combat units following behind as they rolled toward the Rising Sun Group's defenses.

On the human side, only the 75mm dual-purpose guns deployed in front of the positions, anti-tank rocket launchers, anti-tank missiles, and shells from the rear artillery positions could inflict damage on them.

But due to the sheer number of earthbone dragons, the human forces' kills were far from keeping pace with the undead army's advance.

However, at this moment, few in the command center were focused on the frontline situation.

Michael Wood, skilled in offense, had instead built six defensive lines in the month since entering the Rocher Canyon mouth. Two of them were permanent fortifications, with an insane investment in defensive works.

If the first line fell, it would be abandoned; it was meant to deplete the enemy's forces.

The Rising Sun Group had not gone all out on this line. Seven armored regiments, including the Wiltons Foundation 29th Armored Regiment, totaling over 900 heavy tanks, 400 armored vehicles, 220 various magical mechs, and over 600 self-propelled artillery pieces, were still on standby, not yet deployed.

Currently fighting on the front were only three reinforced mechanized brigades, five large mercenary groups, and the Atlanta Second 'Ideal Guard' Brigade provided by the Freemasons, totaling 52,000 troops.

Thus, it was the battles at the rear artillery positions that could truly affect the outcome.

From here, one could see the skies above those positions filled with the fire of hundreds of anti-aircraft guns. Several mage towers floating above were firing at full capacity while continuously spraying 'holy water' downward.

Plastic buckets filled with medium-concentration holy water were constantly uncorked by the accompanying mages on the towers, who then used spells to spread it over the area.

This lavish, cost-no-object investment greatly affected the swirling clouds of bats and the swarms of wraiths.

The seemingly pure water could significantly slow the former, causing their bodies to emit white smoke, and could strip the latter of their ability to become intangible at will.

This allowed the soldiers' automatic rifles and grenade launchers to be effective, especially the latter, as each explosion cleared a large area.

But the truly perilous were the high-level combatants. Among the bats and wraiths, there were no fewer than 9,000 beings above level eleven.

On the Rising Sun Group's side, even with all efforts, they could only muster 720 outlaws. These individuals were almost all fighting one against ten, or even against twenty or more enemies.

If not for the nearby magical arrays, dense firepower, numerous magical mechs, and the advantage of seven mage towers in the sky, the war would have ended in a crushing defeat.

Only the ratio of legendary powerhouses was not too exaggerated, but they were still outnumbered three or four to one.

Legendary speed and strength could ignore most gunpowder weapons and were less affected by magical arrays. Yet the Rising Sun Group had only deployed seventeen legends led by Yule Clementine in this Battle of Rocher Canyon.

Fortunately, their combat abilities were excellent, all carefully selected—either from military backgrounds or intelligence agencies. They had rich combat experience and possessed powerful sacred artifacts. Thus, even under siege, they could hold on.

Especially the fifth-level legendary shadow, Caroline Zhukov, nicknamed the Red Widow. She seemed particularly suited to fighting vampires. Never engaging head-on, she relied on her unpredictable movements on the battlefield and had already caused five vampire legends to fall within ten minutes.

"I think the military owes us an explanation."

On the left side of the command platform, Eliza Targaryen's face was ashen: "9,000 outlaws—is this the result of their full containment?"

"We can't blame them, Miss Targaryen."

Clark Banfield said helplessly: "The Bloodwing Grand Duchy, though a territory built by the Dark Cabal in the Dark World, the Illuminati also participated in this war. What I don't know is the extent of their involvement. BOSS's divine authority over life and death makes all undead lords extremely wary."

At this moment, Clark Banfield's gaze was fixed on one point in the image.

It was the battle centered around the wind giant summoned by Robert E. Yvonne. Four figures were colliding and exchanging blows around the storm giant at speeds invisible to the naked eye.

To everyone's surprise, the Blood-Eyed Maid's usual advantage in speed was completely gone this time, as she was repeatedly suppressed by her opponent. However, the twelve 'Fangs of the Wind God' held by the wind giant posed an equally great threat to the four vampire demigods. These longswords, stained with the blood of a saint and forged from the 'Holy Nails', inherently possessed the attribute of evil-breaking.

Thus, each of their strikes forced the four demigods to respond with full concentration. Roberta maneuvered around her summon to engage them, managing to hold on for the time being. Her body was repeatedly struck by the enemy, yet the poisoned blades did not penetrate her.

The mythical armor 'Twilight Holy Armor' equipped on the Blood-Eyed Maid rendered these saint-level weapons nearly powerless at close range. Roberta could always disperse into a gale at the last moment and then reconstitute her body.

As time passed, the Blood-Eyed Maid's strength and speed continued to rise. This made her increasingly composed when facing the combined encirclement of the four demigods.

"As expected of the Blood-Eyed Angel—"

Banfield praised: "It seems there's no need to worry about this battle for now."

He could see that this fight was less about Roberta Yvonne preventing the vampire demigods from destroying the artillery positions, and more about the four of them struggling to contain the Blood-Eyed Maid.

If any one of the four were missing, Roberta would have the ability to inflict heavy casualties on one of them in a very short time—compared to the loss of a demigod, the Rising Sun Group's train heavy cannons were clearly insignificant.

If one also considered the characteristics of the 'Battle Wind' divine authority, the Bloodwing Grand Duchy might soon need to deploy another demigod to maintain balance.

However, the Rising Sun Group also had reserves at the demigod level.

Hazel Wielenstein, Victor Maxim, Professor Alex Granger, Sir Utreid Demacia, and Douglas Duncan—these five demigod-level combatants were still standing by.

Even at the legendary level, there were four legends here who had yet to enter the battle.

"But our opponents are only testing the waters for now—"

Brigadier General Noah Badru was also watching Roberta Yvonne's battle footage: "I'm wondering if we should help Ms. Yvonne take down one demigod first? This situation makes me a bit uneasy."

However, this would also involve some risk, potentially triggering a full-scale demigod-level war.

Eliza Targaryen clearly expressed her opposition at this point: "I think we should wait a bit longer. The longer Ms. Yvonne stays in combat, the stronger she becomes. Dragging it out a while won't hurt us. Besides, 'Void Night Lord' Delfinia and the Boss are on their way."

"Take down one demigod first? That is indeed tempting."

Banfield fell into thought: "But to be conservative—"

At that moment, Banfield's expression changed drastically. In an instant, he drew two pistols and fired continuously at an empty spot nearby.

Michael Wood and Eliza, also magic hunters, reacted only slightly slower than Banfield, a high-rank legend. The crossfire the three wove was extremely fierce.

Especially Eliza, who was favored by Li Mochen; the weapon in her hands was actually a pair of saint-level-four submachine guns, unleashing no fewer than one hundred and fifty legendary magic armor-piercing high-pressure rounds in less than a second.

However, the three soon discovered with astonishment that when the bullets reached that empty spot, they were frozen in midair, unable to move. At that moment, a tall, thin man in a scarlet coat, with a pale face and an aquiline nose, appeared in their field of vision.

"I'm curious—what gives you the confidence to think you can kill our prince?"

A sneer filled the man's face. With a flick of his finger, Brigadier General Noah Badru, who was casting spells behind, was sent flying, his body crashing heavily into the wall behind him as if hit by a truck.

Fortunately, as the chief of staff of all the Rising Sun Group's private forces, he was the ninth recipient of the biological armor, and his mage profession was close to legendary. Though the impact was severe, under the protection of the armor, he only had blood at the corner of his mouth and was otherwise unharmed.

But then, the many bullets 'frozen' before the red-clad man all turned at once, rushing toward Brigadier General Noah Badru like a waterfall.

At that moment, a tall man intervened, placing a huge shield eight meters high in front of Brigadier General Noah Badru.

"You won't hurt anyone!"

The thick source energy armor in front of the shield blocked all the bullets. It even had the spare power to protect Michael Wood and the other two nearby, the extended pale golden source energy shielding all three.

"Victor Maxim?"

A hint of surprise appeared in the tall, thin man's eyes.

"You've actually become a demigod? And your vitality seems to have recovered considerably? It seems your employer is quite secretive. No wonder your comrades flocked to his banner like moths to a flame."

Victor Maxim, his face dark, stared at the man opposite and uttered the words almost one by one: "Metal Divine Authority! You are the King of Noah, Elrome Gimitri!"

This was one of the count lords of the Bloodwing Grand Duchy, a vampire prince of equal status to the King of Highgarden, the king of Noah County.