Chapter 570: Ancient Dragons

The National Progressive Association's offensive was resolute, swift, and fierce. Shortly after Saras Onassis issued the order, overwhelming artillery fire rained down on the Widenstein family's positions.

They chose the Holy Stone Fortress, which had relatively weak defenses and lower troop quality, as the main direction of attack. Two combat clusters of 200,000 men each struck toward the Holy Stone Fortress from left and right like iron pincers.

Another elite army of 270,000 men was deployed on the periphery of the battlefield, eyeing the northern part of Atlanta menacingly, making no secret of their intention to besiege the city and ambush reinforcements.

However, the counterattack from the Rising Sun Group was equally fierce. Thousands of fortress guns fired simultaneously, covering every corner of the battlefield. In particular, the 126 'Holy Spirit Annihilators' were especially devastating. Each shell could easily destroy several vehicles and also suppressed the artillery positions of the National Progressive Association. Given the disparities in range, lethality, and defensive capability between the two sides, their self-propelled artillery dared not remain in place for even a minute after firing.

In the sky, countless anti-air missiles were deployed. From the rear positions of the Holy Stone Fortress, fiery spears continuously shot into the air in serpentine trajectories, preventing their air forces from approaching at all. John Adams wondered if the enemy had emptied the missile stockpiles of Light Magic Industries.

Moreover, the enemy's magical mecha and variable fighter units were not to be underestimated.

Although the Rising Sun Group had risen only recently, with Anthony Braden's support, they had acquired no fewer than 250 'Demon Refiner' battle suits of the air combat variant, along with 130 F41 variant fighters. Combined with excellent pilots, they could, with ground support, secure air superiority over the Holy Stone Fortress, preventing the enemy from dropping heavy bombs on the fortress or the several temporary fortresses.

But what truly weighed on John Adams's mind were the two dragons, each 200 meters long, that had abruptly appeared high in the battlefield sky. One was a blue dragon and the other a black dragon—judging by their size, they were at the level of ancient dragons.

'Frost Tyrant' Sebostan? 'Crimson Destroyer' Sarn? The Dragon Oath?

These two colossal figures struck John Adams's heart like a heavy blow, making his face even colder and more somber.

"Damn it! How could the Wiltons have such a high-level Dragon's Oath?"

The Dragon's Oath was a gift and reward from the dragon race to their allies. The Adams family had also obtained one, but at most it was of demigod rank, and only after paying a huge price did they acquire a summoning covenant limited to red dragons.

So John was completely unable to understand—had the Wiltons saved their supreme Dragon God?

That race, known for its stinginess, had actually been generous enough to grant a Dragon's Oath of ancient dragon level?

"This is no time to talk about that."

Salas Onassis, the commander of the entire army, also exuded an unusually gloomy aura. His brows were tightly knit into a '川' shape, and his gaze was sharp and icy.

"We need to change our battle plan right now, John!"

Ever since these two ancient dragons appeared, the situation on the battlefield had become extremely dire.

The 'Cold Tyrant' Sebostan's icy dragon force could completely freeze an entire area, tens of kilometers of land, immobilizing armored vehicles and trapping the soldiers of the National Progress Association in ice. The 'Crimson Destroyer' Sarn was the opposite extreme; wherever its dragon breath pointed, it became a hell where no life could pass. Their skin and scales, covered by source armor, were as sturdy as fortress walls. Even fortress heavy cannons like the 'Holy Annihilator' or even micro-nuclear bombs could only repel and injure them, not inflict severe damage.

This clearly boosted the morale of all troops under the Rising Sun Group, but also forced them to invest a large number of mages to suppress and mitigate the effects of these two ancient dragons on the battlefield.

But in terms of mage power alone, the Wiltenstein family, having secured the allegiance of the Vermorel clan, had undoubtedly surpassed the National Association for Progress. This allowed the blood mages on the opposite side to unleash their magical power to the fullest without any check.

—Although the lethality of those blood mages was far inferior to modern gunpowder weapons, many spells such as Turn Rock to Mud, Grease, and Swamp could play a greater role than gunpowder weapons, complementing the latter.

This caused the army of the National Association for Progress to suffer enormous casualties for every meter they advanced.

Less than seven minutes after the two ancient dragons appeared, several units at the front were forced to halt their advance.

Saras Onassis, with the help of John and several operations staff, had quickly adjusted the attack sequence, committing several reserve units into battle.

But everyone in this armored command vehicle understood that this alone was far from enough to turn the tide. If they could not suppress those two ancient dragons, the troops deployed ahead would exhaust every ounce of their strength.

"It seems we've run into trouble, Saras."

This was not from John beside him, but from a figure manifested beside them via magical projection. This figure was thin, draped in a mage robe, with a head of brilliant golden hair and a swastika tattoo on his forehead.

—That was Yvonne Mattiola, the 'Supreme Edict,' one of the eight titled mages recognized by the New Continent Magic Association in America!

"Do we need to strike early? These two ancient dragons both possess a certain degree of divine power, and Andrei's divine power over life and death is also very troublesome. We'd better deploy equivalent force to deal with them."

"I think it's not necessary for now, Lord Yvonne."

Saras Onassis shook his head slightly: "If we need you supreme beings to intervene at the slightest setback, then what is the purpose of the three supreme families spending over a hundred billion gold shields annually to support tens of thousands of outlaws, so many legends, and so many demigods? What meaning does it have?"

He looked at the battlefield projection before him, his voice firm and cold as steel: "Although the two ancient dragons were indeed not in our plans, their power has not exceeded the margin of our operational plan. I believe we can still handle it, Lord Yvonne!"

"Are you planning to deploy the beast-blood units?"

Yvonne Mattiola thoughtfully rested his chin on his hand: "But in that case, the casualties will be heavy! Heavier than you imagine! The combat power of ancient dragons is something even we mages must be wary of. Not to mention that opposite us, we have an 'Isis' who controls life and death."

"But that is precisely the meaning of their existence, isn't it?"

Saras was completely unconcerned: "As long as we can pin down these two dragons, casualties of ten thousand outlaw level are acceptable."

…

At this moment, Li Mochen, sitting calmly in the command post of Fort Sunrise, felt a slight sense of relief.

He had followed Conshili's advice and spared no expense. Immediately after the war began, he and Hazel had each summoned two ancient dragons through the Dragon Oath, using gold coins and gems worth seventy billion and eighty-two billion gold shields respectively.

Why seventy billion and eighty-two billion? The basic requirement for the Dragon Oath to summon an ancient dragon is indeed fifty billion gold shields. But that is just the starting price; to summon a more powerful ancient dragon, one must increase the commission.

So at the very beginning, Li Mochen still felt quite distressed—although the money to hire these two ancient dragons came mainly from the generous donations of the Wiltenstein family elders, with him contributing less than ten billion himself.

But when the ancient blue dragon named 'Frost Tyrant' Sebastian and another ancient black dragon called 'Flame Destroyer' Sarn began to unleash their power wantonly on the front lines, driven by money, Li Mochen still managed to somewhat ease his feeling of pain.

You get what you pay for; the combat power of these two ancient dragons did not disappoint his expectations. Both Sebastian and Sarn had the strength to decide the outcome of a large-scale battle, even to single-handedly suppress hundreds of thousands of enemy troops.

"Commander, we have detected unusual activity behind enemy lines! About twenty kilometers from the enemy front, we've spotted a large number of containers. I suspect they are their beast-blood troops—"

This was a staff officer sitting before a large screen on the left, who was observing real-time satellite images and magical projection images observed by mages: "Optical Industries' Satellite No. 7 has been jammed; the image is starting to distort."

"Contact Major General Felton, commander of the Second Direct Artillery Group, and have him coordinate concentrated artillery fire. I grant him command of all self-propelled artillery battalions of the First and Second Mechanized Infantry Brigades, as well as the twenty-four 'Soul Annihilators' of the Third Provisional Fortress."

At the center of the command post, Major General Michael Wood calmly issued orders: "Also inform Professor Alex Granshaw, asking him to strengthen observation of the enemy camp!"

Li Mochen did not interfere with his command. He was channeling his mana, covering the entire battlefield with his divine authority over life and death.

Although the wider the range of this divine authority, the weaker its effect, a high-level divine authority could still greatly increase the combat power of the more than one hundred thousand troops on the Sunrise Group's side and greatly weaken the enemy's strength.

Moreover, beyond this, Li Mochen still had some focus.

So 'Flame Destroyer' Sarn, while recklessly spewing dragonfire, laughed heartily: "Heir of Patrick's blood, I'm starting to enjoy fighting under your command. I haven't had this much fun since the Middle Ages. Next time you can summon me directly; I'll give you a special price—just four billion gold shields! Four billion gold shields and I'll be your capable helper! Only half the previous price—"

Chromatic dragons are mostly chaotic and warlike by nature, and the black dragon clan is among the best of them. They are usually battle-crazed dragons, especially bloodthirsty, delighting in destruction and devastation.

At this moment, under the protection of Li Mochen's divine authority over life, this black dragon charged deep into the enemy formation. With its breath and its fire magic amplified by the divine authority of 'Destruction,' it destroyed everything it saw.

With Li Mochen as his backing, 'Flame Destroyer' Sarn had no fear of the enemy's attacks. Even severe injuries to its lungs could be healed in an instant. Moreover, this ancient black dragon was exceptionally agile; those truly lethal spells and artillery fire could hardly hit its body.

'Frost Tyrant' Sebastian was more conservative, but he created a solid ice barrier in the center of the battlefield. Within the enemy's position, rows of ice spikes continuously pierced up from the ground, and countless ice spears fell like a storm from above. Though the spectacle was far less than the black dragon's flames of destruction and falling meteors, its lethality was no less.

This situation continued until some shadowy, beast-like figures appeared ahead of the enemy line.

These figures were fearless under the dense artillery bombardment, possessing powerful vitality. Even if their limbs were torn apart by flying shrapnel, they could recover in less than ten seconds. They were agile, had strong magic resistance, and could easily cross the ice barriers and blazing fire walls created by the two ancient dragons.

Some of them, supported by numerous legendary mages, were already entangled with 'Frost Tyrant' Sebastian and 'Flame Destroyer' Sarn.

The powerful mages hidden behind the battlefield were continuously using their various spells to thaw these 'beast-blood warriors' and extinguish the flames imbued with destructive power.

This allowed them to attack the two ancient dragons wave after wave—even though Sebastian's claws could easily crush these 'beast-blood warriors,' and Sarn's wing flaps could smash them into pulp.

"Commander, their beast-blood troops are being deployed continuously! The number—"

Several staff officers nearby were tallying data gathered from various sources: "Currently between thirteen thousand and nineteen thousand. Our front line is coming under pressure. Ordinary ammunition has limited effect on them; these beast-blood warriors have exceptionally strong vitality."

Clark Banfield's face turned pale. His estimate of the number of 'beast-blood warriors' was clearly wrong, and very badly so.

Michael Wood looked grave: "Tell the blood mage unit of the Rumor clan to prioritize dealing with the 'beast-blood warriors'—"

But before he could finish, Li Mochen interrupted: "No need for them yet, Michael."

Michael looked back in surprise, only to see a sarcastic smile on his employer's lips: "I should be able to handle most of them! Using such immature biological weapons on the battlefield—how much do they underestimate me?"

"You're right, my temporary boss—"

'Flame Destroyer' Sarn's voice came through again, cackling: "I was just about to say that. Little Wiltonstein, your divine authority over life is strong enough to take them down!"

"But this will require you two to endure a little first."

At this moment, a red gleam flickered in Li Mochen's eyes. The 'Burial Spirit' necklace on his chest also glowed with blue fluorescence: "Give me five to seven minutes!"

"Fine! I'm looking forward to it."

This was the voice of 'Frost Tyrant' Sebastian, deeper than Sarn's: "To me, they are like ants. But if ants can't be crushed, it becomes quite annoying!"

Li Mochen continued to manipulate his divine authority over life while diverting a bit of mental energy elsewhere: "What about the Vanderrick and Vanpeter families? Any unusual movements?"

"None!"

Clark Banfield replied hastily. Although the number of beast-blood troops had slapped him in the face, it did not shake his confidence in his own abilities.

"Their troops are only gathering on a small scale for now; most of the outlaws are still in the Dark World. Although more than twenty legends have gathered at the 'Purple Gem' building, judging by the current situation, their purpose is more to guard against accidents and for self-protection."

"And outside the battlefield? Those watching the show?"

"Outside the battlefield, it's relatively calm."

Clark Banfield's eyes flickered with a strange light: "The intelligence and movements of those mages and demigods are mostly provided by Lady Christie Blyde. I don't know if this mage is reliable, but since the two ancient dragons appeared, their sensing and spying on Saint Stone Fortress have begun to subside."

He knew this was precisely why Li Mochen and Conshuri had deployed 'Frost Tyrant' Sebastian and 'Flame Destroyer' Sarn into battle from the start—to deter all potential enemies of the Wiltonstein family, to declare to those harboring covetous thoughts that, at least in terms of top-tier combat power, the Wiltonstein family was in no way inferior to the enemy in this war, and that anyone considering jumping on the bandwagon should think twice about the consequences.

…

"The Dragon Oath!"

Heinz Vanderrick had already dismissed all improper thoughts from his mind. He elegantly sipped the high-end red wine brought by the waiter, but swallowed it with difficulty.

"This is what puzzles and troubles me. In less than a year and a half, the Wiltonstein family's power has inflated like a balloon, expanding so fast that we couldn't react. When we woke up, this family had already become a behemoth we could only look up to."

Beside him, Alec Vanpeter's wine glass remained untouched from start to finish.

"The power of the National Progressive Association is equally unexpected. Their research and investment in Beast Blood Warriors have actually reached this level? If they are allowed to continue perfecting them, it will alter the balance of power in all of America. The National Progressive Association will surpass the Freemasons and the Skull and Bones to become the most powerful force group in this nation!"

"Over twenty thousand outlaws in total, all warriors with exceptionally strong vitality—"

Heinz Van Drick agreed: "Even this current force alone is enough to level Van Drick and Van Peter. So, Alec, do you still place your hopes on the National Progressive Association, hoping they can severely wound the Wiltonshire family?"

"I never said that."

Ever since the two ancient dragons appeared, Alec Van Peter had become more cautious in his words, striving not to express anything directly targeting the Wiltonshire family.

"But as things stand, the power of the two ancient dragons is not enough to change the balance of power between the two sides. It is still very difficult for the Wiltonshire family to withstand the offensive of the National Progressive Association—"

Just then, Alec let out a surprised exclamation and stopped his subsequent words.

Because his magical vision keenly noticed that the 'Beast Blood Warriors' locked in fierce combat with the two ancient dragons were undergoing varying degrees of mutation. Some had muscles swelling and twisting, bulging into huge spheres. Others had bone spurs proliferating, piercing directly through their flesh and blood.

Heinz Van Drick also noticed this change, and then a bitter smile and deep disappointment appeared in his eyes.

"It's Andrei's Divine Right of Life. His achievements in the domain of life have actually reached this level—"