Chapter 368: Ambush on the White Tower

The White Dragon Lord, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them. A sharp, concentrated light flared from his vertical, golden diamond-shaped pupils.

Without a word, the White Dragon Lord strode out of the hall, beat his wings, and took to the sky. The gold dragon followed close behind.

The two giant beasts, each twice the size of a heavy truck, flew over the heavily guarded fortress. The blood-red moonlight bathed their bodies, as if foreshadowing the bloody battle to come.

Landing on the City Wall, the White Dragon Lord gripped the battlements with claws harder than steel. He curved his long neck into an "S" shape and raised his head high, gazing out at the distant wilderness.

Under the blood moon, the wilderness seemed draped in an ominous crimson veil. A dense horde of demons trudged slowly toward Blackrock Fortress, their scarlet eyes even more glaring than the bloody moonlight above.

The gold dragon also watched the distant demons.

"Amos, I feel something is wrong, but I can't quite put my finger on it..."

Prompted by the gold dragon's words, the White Dragon Lord also sensed something amiss with the group. He raised a claw.

Arcane Eye!

A surge of ice-blue mana blossomed from the center of his palm. The magic roiled in the air, rapidly forming a crystalline eye that slowly faded into invisibility.

The White Dragon Lord steered the invisible Arcane Eye toward the demons, sending it higher and higher. Everything the eye saw projected directly into his left eye.

Staring down at the earth from a high vantage point, he finally spotted the anomaly. The space behind the front line of demons was completely empty. The entire force of about two hundred demons was concentrated in a single line, slowly advancing on Blackrock Fortress.

"So few demons? What the hell are they playing at?! Are they here to throw their lives away?!"

The White Dragon Lord couldn't fathom how the demon lords' minds worked. Such a paltry number of demons wouldn't even make it close to the City Wall of Blackrock Fortress.

After hearing the White Dragon Lord explain the situation, the gold dragon frowned in thought but couldn't figure out the demon lords' intentions either.

"Forget it. It wouldn't be strange for these chaotic and evil demons to do something bizarre. Since they've delivered this gift right to our doorstep, we might as well accept it."

The gold dragon flapped its wings and flew toward the demon "army." Golden liquid fire Dragon Breath spewed forth, igniting the earth in a blazing golden inferno. The demons either burned to death or scattered in panic.

The White Dragon Lord watched the scene unfold; it felt like a total farce.

"Leopold! Grab a captive!"

Hearing the White Dragon Lord's shout, the gold dragon swooped down. When it climbed back into the sky, it clutched several struggling demons in its claws, carrying them back toward the City Wall of Blackrock Fortress.

Thud!

The panicked demons were tossed directly onto the battlements, hitting the stone so hard they saw stars.

"Look into my eyes!"

Hearing the sudden command spoken in abyssal, the demons instinctively looked up. A flash of crimson darted through the White Dragon Lord's eyes.

Charm Magic!

Struck by the White Dragon Lord's Charm Magic, the demons' frantic struggles abruptly ceased, and their eyes lost focus.

"Whose subordinates are you?"

"I serve Lord Oduna (Padhak) (Rabmodo)."

"What is your mission?"

"To observe Blackrock Fortress."

The White Dragon Lord and the gold dragon shared a look of sheer bewilderment.

"Then why didn't you spy from the shadows instead of marching right out in the open?"

"It was the commander's orders."

"Who is your commander?"

"Carmine Dulete."

"Carmine, come out."

"Ugh..."

Seeing that the charmed demons made no move, the gold dragon spoke up.

"A Legendary Demon fled just now. I imagine that was their commander."

The White Dragon Lord felt a pang of regret. Only Carmine Dulete could answer the questions in his mind right now, but he had already lost the demon's trail.

"Where is your main force?"

"They headed toward Riverrun."

"Just as I thought."

The White Dragon Lord wore a knowing expression as he glanced at the now-useless demons.

"Guards, lock these demons up."

Live demons were far more valuable than corpses. Several Ogres stepped forward with iron chains and dragging equipment, hauling the demons away.

"Amos! Are you setting out immediately?"

The White Dragon Lord lowered his head in thought for a moment.

"Wait a bit. We must be careful not to fall for a demonic diversion. Let's wait until Sular..."

Before he could finish, a peculiar magical fluctuation pulsed from the fortress control room. He hurried back inside.

In less than two seconds, the White Dragon Lord reached the control room and saw it was a communication request from the lord of Riverrun—Sular Grey Dove. He accepted it at once, and a half-body projection of Sular appeared before him.

"Amos, the Demon Army is bearing down on Riverrun. I have already activated the Protective Shield."

Facing four High-Tier Legendary Demons along with an endless sea of ordinary demons, Sular Grey Dove had no absolute certainty he could hold out until dawn, even with the help of the fortress's magical Array.

"Hold on! I'll be there soon!"

They were set to pick the softest persimmon. Mage Alan of Trident Keep possessed formidable combat strength, and Blackrock Fortress boasted two dragons, the White Dragon Lord and the gold dragon. Sular Grey Dove at Riverrun was, comparatively, the weakest link.

Before splitting up, the two dragons and two humans had discussed the strategy and concluded that Riverrun was the most likely target. Thus, they agreed that if demons attacked Riverrun, the gold dragon would stay behind to guard Blackrock Fortress, while the White Dragon Lord piloted the White Tower to provide reinforcement.

The White Dragon Lord ascended to the top floor of the White Tower. Piloting the structure, he flew out of Blackrock Fortress and raced toward Riverrun.

By now, one edge of the blood moon had already dipped below the horizon. Once it vanished completely and plunged the abyssal lands into darkness, the blood moon's energy would slowly begin to decay. However, the decay would be painstakingly slow; only when the sun rose would the lingering energy be completely scattered by the sunlight.

...

Inside Riverrun's core control room, Sular Grey Dove severed the connection with the White Dragon Lord and refocused his attention on the crisis at hand.

In the wilderness outside Riverrun, a densely packed Demon Army was bearing down on the city. The winged demons swarmed so thickly they blocked out the crimson moonlight. This dreadful sight left the soldiers on the City Wall with sweaty palms; only the magic barrier shimmering overhead offered them a shred of comfort.

The demon horde pressed closer and closer until they had Riverrun completely surrounded. Then, they charged. On the ground, the demons flooded toward the city like a tidal wave. In the air, winged demons streaked across the sky, hurling all kinds of spells that exploded against Riverrun's Protective Shield like bursts of fireworks.

Channeling the mana stored within the fortress, Sular Grey Dove continuously pumped energy into the magic barrier while simultaneously firing back with offensive spells. His magic obliterated massive swathes of enemies, but against the endless tide, the losses were merely a drop in the bucket.

After a while, Sular Grey Dove realized something was wrong. More than ten minutes had passed since the siege began, yet he hadn't spotted a single demon lord. Even Legendary Demons were a rare sight on the battlefield.

Cold sweat dripped down his forehead as a profound sense of unease swelled in his chest.

...

Meanwhile, the White Dragon Lord was piloting the invisible White Tower, streaking rapidly across the sky.

Though the White Tower was invisible, the immense wind pressure generated by its colossal size moving at high speeds could not be concealed. If an enemy got close enough, they would easily notice the disturbance—but they had to get close first.

Suddenly, the White Dragon Lord felt the tower crash into some kind of magic barrier. A chilling sense of walking straight into a trap rose in his heart.

Dimensional Anchor!

Just as the White Dragon Lord prepared to trigger a teleportation to escape, a strange magical fluctuation enveloped the space around the White Tower. Four familiar figures rocketed up from the ground toward him. They were the very same four High-Tier Legendary Demons he had fought earlier that night.

In the blink of an eye, the four demons completely surrounded the White Tower, sealing off every route of escape.

"White Dragon! We've been waiting for you! Gahahaha! Your head will be the finest gift we present to the sovereign!"

Seeing the four High-Tier Legendary Demons, the White Dragon Lord's thoughts raced like lightning, and he quickly pieced everything together.

The four demons had leveraged the Council's policy of mutual reinforcement to boldly predict he would rush to aid Riverrun. Thus, they laid an ambush halfway between Blackrock Fortress and Riverrun. After all, sieging a single Floating Tower was far easier than taking a whole city!

A city occupied a massive footprint, providing far more surface area to carve out magical Arrays than a Floating Tower. Furthermore, a fortress housed countless defenders, whereas the White Dragon Lord had only one solitary tower.

Just as the White Dragon Lord, the Cat-Woman, Priest Sinod, and their group of four had successfully besieged the lich of the Luoduoluo Plane, the four High-Tier Legendary Demons were confident they could defeat the White Dragon Lord.

A smirk curled the corner of the White Dragon Lord's mouth. Against an ordinary Floating Tower, the calculations of these four High-Tier Legends would have been spot on.

But was the White Tower just an ordinary Floating Tower?!

"Demons! You will pay the price for this choice!"

The four High-Tier Legendary Demons sneered at his threat. They hadn't come to hunt the white dragon alone. Even more Legendary Demons and winged demons lay in wait tens of thousands of meters away. Two fists cannot fight four hands, let alone an entire army of demon powerhouses.

The White Dragon Lord took a deep breath and activated his Gold Finger. The Tower Spirit's voice echoed out.

"Combat mode activated."

A ferocious Psychic Storm erupted from the White Tower, expanding in all directions. The near-tangible mental energy swept over the demons, making their hearts lurch with a sudden sense of dread.

The Psychic Storm didn't stop until it stretched fifty thousand meters out. Amplified by the White Tower, the White Dragon Lord's mental Scan range expanded multiple times over, and his mental strength received a massive boost.

If, in his normal state, the White Dragon Lord's psychic power was strong enough to lift a bus, then with the tower's amplification, he could not only lift the bus but telekinetically crush it into a crumpled ball of scrap metal.

"This feeling... is truly wonderful."

Every piece of information within a fifty-thousand-meter radius flooded into his mind with crystal clarity. From the army of demon powerhouses rapidly closing in from afar, down to a single dewdrop trembling on a blade of grass below—this sensation of absolute control was intoxicating.

He felt like an omnipotent god!

His mind jolted, snapping him back to reality. The Gold Finger was excellent, but it was still a power of unknown origin. Using it for the occasional emergency was fine, but losing himself to its high would only harm his own growth in the long run.

Seeing that the four High-Tier Legendary Demons made no move to strike, the White Dragon Lord realized they intended to let their army of powerhouses lead the vanguard. Knowing their plan, he naturally wouldn't let them have their way. He launched the attack himself.

The [Amos's Horn Ring (Silver)] atop his head began to glow softly, triggering its final enchantment.

Summon Winter Guard!

"Honoring the ancient pact! The Winter Guard, Hammerlake, answers your call!"

A massive, ice-blue Portal materialized in front of the White Tower. A Winter Guard gripping a longsword and shield stepped out. Upon spotting the demons ahead, he instantly raised his shield to guard the tower behind him.

The constantly rotating crystal at the peak of the White Tower shot down a beam of light, plunging directly into Hammerlake's body. It was the Soul-Linking Chain, allowing the White Dragon Lord to share a telepathic bond with his empowered ally!

Following that, the White Dragon Lord activated the White Tower's innate defensive spell. A thin sheen of moonlight encased the tower like a glowing bubble—the Forbidden Spell-tier defense, Moon's Protection!

"Hammerlake! Attack!"

The White Dragon Lord transmitted the command to the High-Tier Legendary Ice Elemental through the Soul-Linking Chain. With their minds linked, their coordination was flawless.

"Die, filthy demons!"

Keeping his shield raised, Hammerlake swung his massive sword at the fire demon squarely in front of him. Wreathed in flames and completely unarmed, the fire demon was clearly a spellcaster. A magic-type demon poor at close combat naturally made for Hammerlake's primary target.

The High-Tier Legendary Ice Elemental, Hammerlake, stood forty meters tall, making him substantially larger than even the White Dragon Lord. In contrast, the fire demon was merely the size of a normal human. As Hammerlake's colossal blade crashed down, it looked less like a sword strike and more like someone swatting a fly.

The fire demon conjured a giant fireball between his hands and hurled it straight up at the descending blade.

Boom!

The devastating fireball detonated against the icy broadsword. Searing heat melted the ice, leaving a jagged chunk missing from the blade. The sheer concussive force momentarily stalled the sword's descent, allowing the fire demon to dodge out of the way by a hair's breadth.

On the other flanks, the two Eight-Armed Snake Demons and Padhak ignored their embattled comrade and charged the White Tower. The Eight-Armed Snake Demons blurred and vanished without a trace, while Padhak inhaled sharply, inflating his body into a massive sphere before hurtling like a boulder toward the tower.

Moon's Protection was a Forbidden Spell-tier defense, highly resistant to blunt-force trauma. Piercing and slashing attacks actually posed a far greater threat. The White Dragon Lord locked his gaze on the invisible Eight-Armed Snake Demons.

Under the White Tower's Scan, not even the faintest ripple in the air could escape his eyes. The snake demons' invisibility was nothing but self-deception.

Even through the tower walls, the Eight-Armed Snake Demons could feel the intense disdain radiating from the White Dragon Lord. Realizing he could see right through their cloaking, they immediately fell back to bide their time.

Assassins who couldn't hide their tracks lost over half their combat prowess. They lacked exceptional defensive capabilities to begin with; striking a staggeringly durable Floating Tower while completely exposed was pure suicide.

The two Eight-Armed Snake Demons maneuvered closer to Padhak. Now, their only chance to successfully strike the tower was to let the meat-shield demon, Padhak, open up a vulnerability.

Padhak, still inflated into a fleshy sphere, spun faster and faster until he shot toward the White Tower like a cannonball.