"The territories of the Deer King and the Beholder are neither too far nor too close."
"Not long ago, scouts discovered small-scale skirmishes breaking out between the two. Now, the Deer King has directly led her legion to launch an all-out offensive against the Lightless Jungle. Both sides are locked in a fierce, inseparable struggle."
The Red-Iron Dragon listened quietly to the information sent by Solrog.
After weighing the options in silence for a few seconds, his massive head gave a slight nod, reaching a decision.
"Assemble the legion. Prepare for battle."
"However, this time the operation prioritizes quality over quantity. We need speed. There is no need for a massive mobilization or a grand spectacle."
His will transmitted through the mental link: "Select a team of true elites to be led by the Dragon Flight personally. The target is the Lightless Jungle. March at full speed."
"Strive for a quick resolution. We will secure our victory while they are both exhausted and wounded!"
Pausing slightly, he added, "At the same time, send word to Ennus."
"Have him lead a team personally. Select a group of the fiercest and most agile lion-beast elites from the Lionheart Plains to move in sync and coordinate with the Molten Iron Legion. Let him prove his worth through actual combat."
The Serel Wilderness was vast and boundless.
According to the strategy Garros had originally formulated, playing it safe and gradually encroaching and expanding the tribe's territory while flattening other map kings one by one would be steady and reliable, but it would inevitably consume a long time and many resources.
But now, his luck was good; a fine opportunity had appeared.
Two map kings of considerable strength had begun a death match ahead of time, and from the intelligence, it seemed neither could overcome the other in the short term.
This was the perfect time for the fisherman to benefit while the snipe and the clam fought.
Although Garros's nature leaned towards a steady and cautious development style, when an excellent opportunity to exchange a minimal cost for a massive result was right before him, he would never hesitate. He would seize it firmly with thunderous methods.
If he could take this chance to eliminate two map kings at once and annex their territories and remnants...
The expansion speed of the Molten Iron Tribe would experience a qualitative leap. There would be no need for other wars in the short term, allowing them to focus on gathering the resources of the wilderness.
"Understood!"
Iron Dragon Sorog's voice responded quickly, filled with unconcealed excitement and Battle Intent.
Meanwhile, Garros halted his daily training.
He stretched his massive body. With a gentle flap of his wings, he generated a powerful current of air, soaring into the sky and ascending beneath the rain clouds to begin preparations for the upcoming surprise attack.
The thick, heavy dark clouds were like solidified blocks of lead, pressing low over the boundless wilderness.
Time passed unhurriedly amidst the whistling of wind and rain.
Some time later.
The Lightless Jungle.
The sky here had become even gloomier than elsewhere in the wilderness, as if even the light was being swallowed by this greedy land.
Thick whips of rain violently lashed every charred and twisted leaf in the jungle, and every inch of muddy, blood-soaked ground.
However.
What should have been the crisp sound of rain hitting leaves was now completely drowned out by a far more cruel symphony of death.
The shrill wails of Vicious Beasts before death continuously tore through the heavy curtain of rain. The explosions and roars triggered by the violent collision of various elemental energies made the towering giant trees tremble.
The dull sounds of heavy claws and teeth tearing flesh and crushing bone were enough to make one's teeth ache with fear.
A fierce battle was unfolding within this jungle.
The Nature Legion under the Deer King's command roared.
Owlbears rose on their hind legs, carrying heavy power. With swings of their sharp claws, they easily tore several Gnoll warriors, who were mentally enslaved by the Beholder, into pieces. Herds of Dire Bulls, like runaway mobile battering rams, left mud and shattered flesh and organs splashing wherever their heavy Iron Hooves trampled. The vicious wolf packs, like silver-gray whirlwinds of death, cruised and cut through the edges of the battlefield at high speed; every lightning-fast pounce could snap the throat of an isolated prey.
However, their enemies were equally powerful.
On the other end of the battlefield.
A loathsome spherical creature floated low above the jungle, looking like a piece of rotten fruit.
Its massive spherical body was covered in deep folds, constantly oozing a slippery, viscous, unknown mucus.
Centered around a giant main eye that occupied nearly half its body, over a dozen thick Eyestalks with single eyes at their ends writhed and scanned wildly in the storm, like evil tentacles with independent consciousness.
Its massive central eye was like a vortex; just looking at it would cause any creature with a weak will to instantly lose their composure and suffer mental dissolution.
Its legion's composition was bizarre, not just a uniform group of wilderness Vicious Beasts or monsters. It was heavily mixed with warriors of various intelligent races enslaved by its powerful psionic energy.
Human mercenaries left with nothing but the desire to kill; dwarf warriors with blood-red eyes wildly swinging battle-axes; and Ogres roaring and charging forward with a complete loss of reason.
They had all once been free beings, but now they were the Beholder's most loyal and pathetic cannon fodder.
Further out, there was a group of even more twisted monsters.
They were minions summoned from other lower planes by the Beholder using its own evil knowledge—monsters that were chaotic by nature and worshipped destruction and ruin.
"Demon from another dimension! How dare you bewitch and enslave the children of nature, desecrating the will of life!"
"You will surely die today!"
A clear and majestic voice rang out from the center of the battlefield, piercing through the clamor.
The owner of the voice—the Deer King—lifted her long, graceful neck and raised her head.
Though she was female, she had a pair of large, exquisitely shaped antlers that wound upward like the branches of an ancient tree. The antlers themselves shone with a warm and holy white light, more intense and eye-catching than the soft halo flowing around her body.
With her as the center, the holy light spread out like a physical substance.
The wounds of the Vicious Beasts and monsters bathed in her radiance were healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
This was a Holy Spirit Deer.
It was a naturally holy creature, possessing intelligence no less than that of a human, and was born with the ability to control and utilize pure holy energy.
The upper limit of a Holy Spirit Deer's life essence was not as high as that of a true Dragonkin; they could not naturally become Legendary creatures simply by growing older.
However, they were not weak either.
For any Holy Spirit Deer that grew up successfully, reaching a Life Level of Level 16 or above was very easy, and the best among them could steadily step across the threshold of Level 20.
Exceptionally outstanding individuals also had the possibility of becoming Legendary.
This kind of creature was almost the top-tier monster below the Dragonkin.
The Deer King knew well that most of the legions under the Beholder were psionically enslaved and did not follow it out of true loyalty.
As long as she could decapitate and kill the Beholder, who served as the control core, it would be the fastest way to end the war and liberate those poor creatures.
Buzz—!
Holy energy, concentrated to the extreme, rapidly gathered and shone between the Deer King's massive antlers, finally transforming into a bolt of pure white lightning that tore through the gloom. In the blink of an eye, it pierced the thick curtain of rain and, with an Aura that purified all evil, swept toward the Beholder on the other side.
"Foolish creature of the Material Plane! Submitting to my mental will is your only destiny!"
The Beholder's massive body suddenly became illusory in a strange distortion.
It appeared in another position dozens of meters away as if teleporting, avoiding the holy lightning. Simultaneously, its voice, like cold needles, poured directly into the Deer King's mind, confusing her thoughts.
The Deer King's movements stiffened, and her gaze instantly became somewhat dull and vacant.
Seizing this opportunity, the Beholder's giant main eye suddenly lit up with an eerie light.
A grayish-white Disintegration Ray shot out from it, heading straight for the sluggish Deer King.
Before being hit, the Deer King broke free from the mental interference with her powerful will.
Pure white flames of light suddenly ignited on her four hooves. Her movements became incredibly agile and graceful, as if unaffected by gravity, she galloped through the air, narrowly dodging the edge of the Disintegration Ray.
The attack missed, and the Beholder's main eye blinked once.
The Disintegration Ray abruptly vanished.
Its eyeball rolled, locking its gaze onto a large griffon above the battlefield.
The griffon's body suddenly stiffened. A hint of struggle flashed in its eyes, but it was immediately replaced by complete madness.
It let out a sharp cry and suddenly abandoned the enemy in front of it. Waving its massive eagle wings, it launched a suicidal charge at the high-speed moving Deer King from the side.
The Deer King's body leaped lightly into the air, her right front hoof stomping on the griffon's head.
Bang!
As if hit by a catapult, the griffon wailed. Its massive body plummeted towards the ground like a cannonball, splashing a wave of mud.
At the same time, the Deer King turned her head, the light on her antlers flashing.
Countless dense blades of light were generated out of thin air at a speed difficult for the naked eye to capture, once again enveloping the Beholder like a rainstorm.
The Beholder repeated its old trick, once again using [Psionic Blink] to evade, but because the Deer King's attack was faster and more violent this time, it was ultimately half a beat too slow.
The edges of its spherical body were grazed by several light blades, leaving behind several charred scratches that emitted wisps of white smoke.
Viscous bodily fluids slowly seeped out.
The Beholder did not grow angry over this flesh wound; instead, it opened its main eye with unusual calmness, countless dense and eerie runes surfacing within its deep pupil as it stared fixedly at the Deer King.
"Weakness Curse!"
While casting the Spell, its free Eyestalks simultaneously rotated, aiming at the Deer King's potential evasion trajectory.
[Frost Ray], [Scorching Ray], [Petrification Ray]... Magical rays of numerous types and varying properties acted like a deadly laser net, frantically strafing the airspace where the Deer King was located. Not only did they plow deep trenches into the ground, but several also successfully struck the rapidly moving Deer King, leaving behind charred marks, frost, and petrified spots on her snow-white fur.
However, despite the exceptionally intense battle and the flickering light of colliding energies, neither could do anything to the other for the time being.
Under normal circumstances, close-quarters combat often decides the victor more quickly.
But both the Holy Spirit Deer and the Beholder were types extremely proficient in mid-to-long-range attacks and crowd control.
One wielded holy energy and, while she was agile, she was not specialized in melee combat; the other focused on psionic power and evil Spells, with close-quarters combat being an absolute weakness.
Although the Deer King had an urgent desire to decapitate and kill the Beholder, she lacked the means for a decisive, instantaneous burst of power.
The Beholder had also been searching for an opportunity to attempt total control or an instant kill on the Deer King, but her powerful willpower and holy resistance made it difficult to succeed.
Their strength levels were evenly matched, making it impossible to resolve the battle quickly.
In that case, it would ultimately come down to who had the deeper foundation and who could persist longer.
The legions under their command were also trapped in a cruel war of attrition; blood stained the soil red, pooling into shocking puddles on the ground, only to be mercilessly washed away by the torrential rain, turning into countless pale red streams that seeped into the earth.
As time passed mercilessly, this cruel tug-of-war continued, and both sides were gritting their teeth to hold on.
After some more time, the Beholder's condition had clearly worsened.
Its spherical body was covered in dense charred scratches and corrosive pits, and three or four of its dozen-plus Eyestalks were severed, hanging powerlessly; even its massive main eye was constantly weeping turbid blood, with injuries accumulating and worsening as the battle continued.
On the other side, the Holy Spirit Deer's condition looked much better on the surface.
Her fur remained a holy snow-white, with only a very small number of minor wounds on her body, and holy radiance still enveloped her.
"Sizzle!"
Another Scorching Ray narrowly grazed the right side of the Holy Spirit Deer's body, leaving a charred mark.
But in the blink of an eye, this wound healed and vanished at a rate visible to the naked eye under the holy energy circulating around the Deer King, as if it had never appeared.
She had actually sustained quite a few attacks and injuries, but she possessed an extremely powerful innate healing ability.
This was also why the Holy Spirit Deer's horns, blood, heart, and other body parts were indispensable, precious Materials for the continent's top-tier healing potions.
Although she maintained a good surface condition, she knew very well that the continuous high-intensity battle, especially the constant resistance against the Beholder's mental assaults, was making her mind gradually become exhausted.
Faced with the Beholder's various, unpredictable psychic skills, the worse her mental state became, the more difficult it was to resist.
She might be able to rely on her powerful healing ability to eventually wear the already battered Beholder to death.
But it was also possible that her mind would reach a critical point of weakness first, allowing the Beholder to seize the opportunity to complete mental domination and turn her into a pathetic slave.
Should she quit while ahead and retreat decisively?
Or should she bet everything and continue fighting until one side completely collapsed?
Based on similar weighings of pros and cons, the Deer King and the Beholder felt their resolve waver at almost the same moment, and they began to ponder the same question.
However, before they could weigh a final result, a sudden change occurred.
The sharp, rapid chirping and screaming of various eagles, falcons, and owls rang out from the distant horizon, and quickly moved from far to near, becoming incomparably noisy.
A dense flock of birds, like a bursting flood, flew rapidly from the left side of the sky.
Its scale was so massive that it seemed like a thicker, more active dark cloud, even briefly obscuring the wind and rain.
And amidst the throngs of countless eagles and birds, the most eye-catching was a massive firebird with a wingspan of dozens of meters, its entire body composed of pure, scorching elemental flames.
It had a magnificent appearance, with long, gorgeous tail feathers; every single feather seemed to be made of dancing flames, giving an overall visual impact of being both incomparably powerful and dazzlingly beautiful.
"Phoenix?!"
The movements of the Holy Spirit Deer and the Beholder paused simultaneously, their hearts shaken.
Neither of them was an ordinary monster or fiend; both were powerful, intelligent creatures with extensive knowledge, and they recognized the Legendary race of this firebird leader almost immediately.
An extremely rare creature in the Material Plane, almost Legendary—the Phoenix!
"Holy Spirit Deer... your appearance is passable, not bad, not bad."
The Phoenix lowered its burning head, looking down at the Deer King from above.
"I can make an exception and allow you to follow behind me, praising my beauty and strength day and night."
"This is your supreme honor."
Its voice was loud, crisp, and melodious, yet carried an innate, undisguised sense of pride.
Of course, as a Phoenix, which was as famous as the Dragon and as rare as certain Planar Dragon species, it certainly possessed the capital for pride, or even arrogance.
The Phoenix's burning gaze then turned to the Beholder below.
After just a glance, its beautiful head immediately turned away in disgust, as if it had seen something extremely filthy.
"Ugh... as for you, Beholder, you look like a rotten burr fruit that someone stepped on and then left to ferment in the mud."
Its voice was filled with undisguised disgust and contempt.
"Such an ugly thing is not fit to live in this world and pollute my sight. End yourself; I don't want to lift a claw, lest your dirty blood soil my beautiful feathers and claws."
The Beholder's round body visibly stiffened.
Ugly? Where was it ugly?
Its main eye was large and bright, full of spirit; the folds on its body were numerous and deep, full of the vicissitudes of time and wisdom; the viscous mucus secreted by its skin was thick and slick, a symbol of health; its Eyestalks were numerous, thick, and powerful.
Among the Beholder race, these were all traits highly favored by the opposite sex, representing handsomeness and strength!
"Stupid, ignorant Phoenix! What do you know about aesthetics?!"
The Beholder retorted directly, "I have always been very popular among the Beholder race; my suitors could line up from my main eye to the tips of my Eyestalks."
"A strange bird like you, covered in flames and lacking real fur and a real body, is the one that is incomparably ugly."
"You make me sick!"
At the same time, its intact Eyestalks scanned the surrounding environment without a trace, psionic energy fluctuating secretly as it calculated the best escape route and method.
Faced with an overbearing Phoenix, plus the troublesome Holy Spirit Deer nearby, the situation had become extremely unfavorable.
The two might unite.
In the sky.
Having been subjected to such direct and vicious mental insults from the Beholder, the Phoenix was clearly thoroughly enraged.
The flames burning around its body suddenly surged several meters higher, and it let out a sharp, ear-piercing cry, preparing to swoop down and burn this ugly Beholder to ashes with the purest flames.
But, at this very moment.
Whoosh—Boom!
On the other side of the sky.
A violent gust of wind suddenly descended, roughly tearing open the rain-filled sky and pushing it to both sides.
Almost at the same time, a dull and rhythmic rumbling sound began to come from the ground; it was the vibration produced by a large number of heavy units and swarms of creatures galloping.
From far to near, it was as if some massive war machine was approaching at full speed.
Several map kings who were originally confronting or calculating each other now felt a sense of intuition almost simultaneously and suddenly cast their gazes in the direction from which the vibration came.
Under the gloomy sky on the other side.
The figures of a group of ferocious and majestic Dragons became exceptionally clear, and the leading Crimson Iron Giant Dragon was like a mountain moving across the sky.
And on the ground, dust and smoke mixed with rain and mist rose into the sky.
A group of powerful creatures was rapidly closing in on the No-Light Jungle battlefield.
It was the Ignas Dragon Flight, along with the sharpest claws and teeth under its command, that had arrived here at this delicate moment.