Chapter 252: Chapter 231: Forming an Elite Squad

Chenxi Calendar, Year 9376. Autumn.

After nine long years, the allied army of the Ten Thousand Races finally breached the black fortress that spanned the Storm Rift Abyss.

The news swept across the entire Dawn Continent like a hurricane, causing a massive uproar.

Countless races erupted in celebration.

Darkness Fortress.

This colossal stronghold, which the Dragon Race had spent nearly ten thousand years forging with countless rare materials, magical Runes, and alchemical techniques, had once stood like a great iron wall, completely blocking the allied army’s path to the depths of the Holy Dragon Mountain Range.

For nine years, the allied army had thrown tens of millions of soldiers against the fortress. The resources they consumed piled up like mountains, and the casualties were innumerable.

Countless factions that had once been all-powerful in their own territories suffered devastating losses in this war. Some were even completely wiped out, never to recover.

It was a war like a meat grinder.

But now, that meat grinder had finally stopped turning.

The allied army had finally torn through the Dragon Race’s most formidable line of defense.

The gates to Holy Dragon City were now open.

Countless people cheered and celebrated, believing the countdown to the fall of the Dragon Court had begun.

The soldiers who had lost loved ones in the war, the races that had been oppressed by the Dragon Race for thousands of years—at this moment, they all dreamed of the final victory, of the shadow that had loomed over them for ten thousand years finally being scattered for good.

But to everyone’s surprise, as the allied army passed through the ruins of Darkness Fortress and advanced north along the spine of the Holy Dragon Mountain Range, they did not find the clear path they had imagined.

A dangerous, distorted space lay across the only path to Holy Dragon City.

The allied army was once again stopped in its tracks.

...

Silver Moon Forest, the Eternal Hall.

The Clan’s upper echelon was gathered, all listening to Eleanor’s report with solemn expressions.

"...According to the news from the Heart of the Mountains, that distorted space was not a natural formation. It’s a Subspace, created when the Dragon Race detonated ten thousand years of draconic essence that had been sealed within the ley lines of the Holy Dragon Mountain Range. The explosion tore apart and reshaped the entire region between the Dragon Court and Darkness Fortress."

"It exists between the material and elemental planes, yet is independent of both. Its internal structure is extremely unstable, which restricts the entrance. Only a small number of beings can enter at a time, and it’s only open for a limited period each day."

"The allied army can’t commit troops on a large scale like they did against Darkness Fortress. They can only send in elite squads to find and destroy the Subspace’s nodes to bring the whole thing down."

"However, the Dragon Court has also sent Giant Dragons into the Subspace to obstruct the allied army’s operations."

At this, Eleanor paused, her voice growing a bit lower.

"As of now, in just half a month, the allied army has already lost over a hundred Golden Peak powerhouses and three Legendary Powerhouses."

A brief silence fell over the hall.

The Elves’ gazes flickered as they silently processed this sudden news.

Over a hundred at Golden Peak, and three Legends.

For any faction, losses of this magnitude would be unbearable.

Such casualties in just half a month spoke volumes about how perilous the Subspace was.

After a long moment, Cedric was the first to speak, frowning. "So, you’re saying the allied army spent nine years breaching Darkness Fortress, only to be blocked by a new barrier?"

"That’s one way to put it." Eleanor nodded slightly. "And based on current intelligence, this barrier is even more troublesome than Darkness Fortress."

"No matter how sturdy Darkness Fortress was, it was ultimately just a fortress. As long as you threw enough troops and resources at it, it was bound to fall eventually. But the Subspace is different. The restrictions on its entrance mean the allied army can’t leverage its numerical superiority. They have to rely on a few elite units to break through."

"And since this Subspace was formed from the detonation of draconic essence, it naturally enhances the power of the Dragon Race. The Dragon Race already has an advantage in small-scale combat, and now with the environmental advantage, they’re even harder to deal with."

The Third Elder snorted coldly. "The Dragon Race has schemed well, using this tactic to buy time. But it won’t change their fate in the end. It’s just a desperate struggle."

The Elves all nodded in agreement.

With the war having progressed this far, anyone could see the Dragon Race was in decline.

Dragon Cities across the land had been taken down one by one, their Vassal Races had turned against them, and the Dragon Descendant Legion had been all but wiped out in the battle for Darkness Fortress.

Even if the Dragon Race had temporarily stalled the allied army’s advance with the Subspace, they were only prolonging the inevitable.

As long as the allied army was willing to bear the casualties and kept pouring personnel into the Subspace, the Dragon Race, trapped in the Holy Dragon Mountain Range, would sooner or later collapse.

Amid the discussion, Anton remained seated quietly in the seat of honor, his expression calm, his gaze profound.

He didn’t join the discussion, only listening quietly, a thoughtful glint in his eyes.

’The time it took the allied army to breach Darkness Fortress was a full year shorter than in the original history. Was the reason for this time difference because the Silver Moon Race provided ample potions and Rune Equipment, speeding up the allied army’s offensive pace?’

’Unlikely. The allied army didn’t just procure supplies from the Silver Moon Race; they purchased them from all over the continent. Although the supplies provided by the Silver Moon Race were high-quality and not insignificant in quantity, they probably accounted for less than ten percent of the total war effort. It wouldn’t have had a major impact on the war.’

’So, was it because the war broke out earlier, and the Dragon Race didn’t have enough time to prepare? This guess seems more reasonable. In the original history, the Dragon Slaying War wasn’t supposed to officially begin for another six hundred years. The Dragon Race had ample time to prepare, for example, by gradually recalling their forces from the various Dragon Cities, reinforcing the defenses of Darkness Fortress, and stockpiling supplies. But now, the war has erupted nearly six hundred years ahead of schedule. The Dragon Race was caught completely off guard. Perhaps that’s why the allied army breached the fortress a year earlier than in the original history.’

’As for the Subspace... Others might not know, but I know exactly what’s going on. The Dragon Race didn’t create the Subspace as a desperate, last-ditch effort. They did it to buy time for the Lord of the Dragon Court to achieve a breakthrough. The current Lord of the Dragon Court is the strongest Saint on the Dawn Continent, bar none. He’s only one step away from the Demigod Realm. If he succeeds in ascending to the Demigod realm, he’ll have a chance to turn the tide of the war. At the very least, it would give the Dragon Race a hope of turning the tables.’

’That’s why the Dragon Race was willing to detonate the energy accumulated in the Holy Dragon Mountain Range over many years to create the Subspace and halt the allied army’s advance. It’s just that in the original history, the Dragon Race’s goal was never achieved. And now, with the allied army breaching Darkness Fortress a year ahead of the original timeline, the Dragon Race’s hope of achieving their goal has grown even slimmer. The final outcome of the war most likely won’t be too different from the original history.’

Reining in his thoughts, Anton tapped his fingers lightly on the table.

The discussions in the hall came to an abrupt halt, and all eyes snapped to him.

Anton spoke slowly, "Starting today, the Clan must prepare to enter the war."

As soon as he said this, a commotion broke out in the hall.

The Third Elder looked surprised. "Clan Leader, didn’t we decide before not to participate in the war?"

"I said we would not participate in the war to attack Darkness Fortress." Anton shook his head. "The battles for Darkness Fortress involved hundreds of thousands, even millions of soldiers. The casualties were too heavy. The Clan’s population is too small to withstand that kind of attrition."

"But the Subspace is different."

His tone was calm and certain.

"The structure of the Subspace makes it impossible to accommodate large-scale armies. Major battles can’t happen there. Instead, it will be defined by small-scale, high-frequency, high-intensity combat."

"In this type of combat, the role of an elite squad is magnified to the extreme."

"I estimate that the allied army will soon begin recruiting elites from all over to speed up the destruction of the Subspace. They will certainly offer considerable benefits to do so."

"I need to use this opportunity to hunt Giant Dragons, improve the quality of my weapons, and obtain more rare materials for refining Magical Treasures."

Anton stated his primary goals honestly.

With his current strength and prestige, there was no longer a need to be secretive about many things.

He could be completely frank without needing to make up excuses.

The hall was quiet for only a moment before the Elves began to voice their support one after another.

"I’ll follow Anton."

"I have no objections."

"I think the Clan Leader is right."

Anton was the core pillar of the Silver Moon Race; there was no doubt about that.

The stronger he became, the more stable and prosperous the Clan would be.

When it came to matters concerning the improvement of Anton’s strength, the Elves had always been firm and united.

Therefore, once Anton put forth this reason, the Elves reached a consensus almost instantly.

After that, the group began discussing who should be sent to form the elite squad to represent the Silver Moon Race in battle.

Anton made the final decision directly.

The Elves joining the elite squad must be at Golden Peak, at a minimum.

After all, their opponents would be, at the weakest, Pure-blooded Dragon Race members at Golden Peak, or even adult Giant Dragons at the Legendary Tier.

The crucial point was that their opponents would also be enhanced by the power of the Subspace.

Under these circumstances, Warriors and Casters below Golden Peak entering the Subspace would be nothing more than cannon fodder.

And in the current Silver Moon Race, besides Anton and the Great Elder, the only ones who met this condition were the Second Elder, the Third Elder, and Cedric.

A total of two Legends and three at Golden Peak.

Originally, Romance and Elena could have barely met the requirements.

Although the two women were only at the Upper Gold tier, their true combat power far exceeded that of an ordinary Upper Gold. This was because they wielded Magical Artifacts refined by Anton and cultivated a top-tier physical Cultivation Technique, the Eight Desolates Prison-Suppression Scripture.

They could even hold their own against a Golden Peak powerhouse.

Romance, in particular, had previously clashed head-on with the Golden Peak-level Elder’s Eye in the Dark Nether Realm without being at a disadvantage.

However, after careful consideration, Anton still rejected the two women’s request to join the battle.

They were at a critical moment in awakening their Power of Law.

What they should be doing right now was going to the Dao Enlightenment Platform to comprehend the Dao Enlightenment Stele and awaken their Power of Law as soon as possible, not wasting their energy on combat.

Adding the two of them wouldn’t bring an immediate, significant boost to the elite squad’s overall strength.

Of course, if they could successfully advance to Golden Peak before the squad departed for the Holy Dragon Mountain Range, Anton would naturally no longer refuse their request to join.

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