Chapter 410: Explosive Rock Bull Demon Lord

The Radiant Archangel tapped the table lightly. Suddenly, the gemstone at the apex of the hall's dome flared, casting a brilliant golden light over everyone present.

A soothing warmth washed over the White Dragon Lord, leaving him indescribably comfortable. But then several screams rang out beside his ears. He turned toward the noise and saw squads of angels dragging several spectators out of the gallery. He instantly realized this was the Divine Alliance's method for rooting out spies.

After a brief commotion, the hall fell quiet once more, and the crowd's attention returned to the three figures in the center of the room.

The blinding light from the gemstone gradually retracted, projecting a three-dimensional map onto the triangular conference table. The White Dragon Lord looked closely. It was a miniature replica of the Blood War Battlefield, clearly marking the territories of the major factions. The Divine Alliance, the Avengers Alliance, and the Devils stood side by side, united against the demons.

In the demon territory, there were five distinctly colored zones representing five demon lords: the Abyss Watcher, the Ruler of the Flame Prison, the Blade Sovereign, the Howling Lord, and the Soul-Capturing Demon.

Among the five demon lords, only the Howling Lord was a newly ascended demon lord from recent years, boasting combat power comparable to a deity of Weak Divine Power. The rest were veterans who rivaled Intermediate Divine Power. The Abyss Watcher, in particular, had been stationed on the Blood War Battlefield for thousands of centuries. Rumor had it that its strength rivaled Greater Divine Power, though this remained unconfirmed since it had never clashed with a deity of that caliber.

Izel Light of Light spoke up. "Everyone! Demons run rampant across the multiverse, slaughtering our families, destroying our homes, and committing countless atrocities. They are our common enemy. Today, we have gathered here to discuss how to defeat them and claim victory in the blood war!"

"I have discussed this at length with many respected majesties, and we have established the ultimate objective for this blood war. The final goal is to conquer the five main demon bases and let the demons' blood drain into this land! To achieve this great goal, we must fight! We must offer our efforts and our sacrifices..."

As the Radiant Archangel spoke, icons materialized on the three-dimensional map. Pure white wings represented the Divine Alliance, sharp swords stood for the Avengers Alliance, and daggers marked the Devils. On the demon side, five distinct icons also appeared to represent the five demon lords.

Right now, the wings, sword, and dagger occupied the same location, while the demon lords remained scattered. The three allied icons began to move with a clear direction. Their target was the scimitar representing the Blade Sovereign. The three icons crashed into the scimitar, shattering it.

"Our first target is the Blade Sovereign—Nayinduo!"

...

Down below, cavalry charged across the abyssal wasteland, kicking up clouds of dust that filled the sky. The White Dragon Lord soared through the air directly above them.

Half a day had passed since the meeting concluded. Rather than a pre-war council, it was more of a battle plan briefing, as the Divine Alliance had already mapped out the entire strategy and assigned tasks to every faction in advance.

Just as the White Dragon Lord had expected, the Devils were going to bleed heavily this time. Their assigned missions were clearly the most dangerous, requiring them to assault high-value fortresses guarded by heavy demon garrisons. By comparison, the Avengers Alliance's tasks were much easier.

Immediately after the council ended, Engru Ghostwolf made his arrangements, ordering the army—which had rested for half a day—to mobilize. They were to raid the demon cities and clear all obstacles along the path to the Blade Sovereign's headquarters, Viper Temple.

This was why the White Dragon Lord was currently rushing toward the demon city known as Molten Fortress. Situated on the very edge of the Blade Sovereign's territory, this demon stronghold needed to be uprooted so its garrison couldn't harass the army's supply lines during the siege on Viper Temple.

Traveling alongside the White Dragon Lord were the orc, Odom Mad Axe; the human, Prange the Berserk Might; and a healer—or rather, a High-Tier Legend priest supplied by the Divine Alliance, the angel Emona Lightfeather.

The Alliance had clearly put deep thought into this arrangement. The White Dragon Lord was a Mage who excelled at wide-area strikes, Mad Axe was a strength-based Warrior, and Berserk Might was an agility-focused Warrior. Together with the angel healer, a high-level adventuring party was formed.

The angel healer, who was the most familiar with the region, introduced Molten Fortress to her three teammates. "The lord of Molten Fortress is Egulaf Molten Power, a High-Tier Legend Explosive Rock Bull Demon Lord. Its core forces are also composed of an explosive rock bull demon army."

The White Dragon Lord recalled information on explosive rock bull demons. They looked similar to Minotaurs, but were significantly more massive, typically standing five meters tall. Their weapon of choice was a Magma Totem Pole. These half-cooled magma pillars were terrifying in the explosive rock bull demons' hands; every swing sent blistering magma splattering outward, deterring anyone from getting close.

"The Mage Corps will have to act as the main force for this battle..."

Finally, Molten Fortress appeared in the White Dragon Lord's sights. In the distance, where the sky met the horizon, a menacing city sat beside a magma lake that distorted the air with its heat. The City Wall had been cast from lava. Squads of demons stood atop the obsidian battlements, watching the distant dust clouds; after all, an army on the march made such a commotion that even a blind man could see it coming.

The White Dragon Lord said, "Form up on me. Actually, never mind, just climb onto my claws."

Mad Axe, Berserk Might, and the healer flew over to the White Dragon Lord's open dragon claw, which he then loosely curled into a cage.

"Hold on tight!"

Invisibility Barrier!

Concealing their tracks with the Invisibility Barrier, the White Dragon Lord beat his wings fiercely, pushing his speed to the physical limit as he rushed toward Molten Fortress with his teammates.

Due to the proximity of the magma lake, the ambient temperature here reached as high as fifty degrees. This made the cold-loving White Dragon Lord rather uncomfortable.

"Everyone! Let's finish this quickly!"

Molten Fortress was also equipped with standard magic arrays. The High-Tier Legend demon garrisoning the stronghold detected the invisible White Dragon Lord and his group. A magma fireball shot out from the fortress, arcing directly toward the White Dragon Lord.

The White Dragon Lord banked sharply, letting the magma fireball graze past his underbelly. Analyzing the projectile, he discovered that it was actually formed by fusing physical lava with magic. A single magma fireball wasn't a major threat to a powerhouse, but it would be incredibly lethal to anyone below the Legendary Rank.

"Fortunately, there aren't many of them."

At that very moment, a massive swarm of magma fireballs flew out from Molten Fortress, bursting toward the White Dragon Lord like fireworks. There was no dodging this rain of attacks. The White Dragon Lord's face darkened.

Ice Barrier!

A translucent, ice-blue barrier appeared over the White Dragon Lord's body, blocking the magma fireballs. He now understood why the Explosive Rock Bull Demon Lord had built its city by the magma lake—it provided an inexhaustible supply of raw materials.

Although these magma fireballs formed from lava and magic were crude, they were surprisingly effective. The White Dragon Lord's mind raced. Since the magma fireballs used lava as their raw material, there had to be pipes inside the city connecting to the magma lake. In that case...

Figuring this out, the White Dragon Lord pulled up, soared over Molten Fortress, and dove toward the magma lake at the rear of the city. At the same time, he opened his claw, releasing his three companions.

"Cover me!"

The angel healer unfurled her wings and crossed her hands over her chest, rapidly chanting a holy hymn of praise to the gods.

Aegis of Justice!

A brilliant golden shield materialized in front of the four of them. The orc swung his massive single-edged battleaxe, smashing the magma fireballs back to their original form as the splattering lava was blocked by the golden shield. Berserk Might shot out trails of aura slashes from his longsword, intercepting and destroying a large swath of magma fireballs in midair.

Under his teammates' cover, the White Dragon Lord gathered his Dragon Breath as he descended toward the magma lake behind the city. Since the demons were extracting their raw materials from the magma lake, freezing the lake would solve the problem.

Ice-blue Dragon Breath spewed out, striking the bubbling magma. The violent clash of the two diametrically opposed forces triggered an intense reaction, sending massive plumes of high-temperature steam rising into the air.

Under the continuous spray of freezing Dragon Breath, the magma rapidly cooled and hardened into massive chunks of solid obsidian covered in frost. Of course, the White Dragon Lord didn't need to freeze the entire magma lake; sealing off a large section of magma directly behind Molten Fortress was enough to achieve his goal.

Sure enough, once the magma solidified, the demon city immediately fell silent.

The hot-tempered orc immediately charged the demon city. Wielding his axe, which was wrapped in blood-red energy, he delivered a savage cleave to the barrier above the city, making the entire shield tremble violently.

Berserk Might was about to follow the orc into the charge, but the White Dragon Lord stopped him.

"The main army needs a powerhouse to hold the line. The three of us are enough for this side; we'll catch them in a pincer maneuver."

Realization dawned on the confused Berserk Might. The classic iron triangle of Warrior, Mage, and Priest couldn't be broken, which meant the person anchoring the army had to be chosen from between the two Warriors. Berserk Might took one look at the orc, who was hacking at the barrier like a lunatic, and without a word, he bypassed Molten Fortress and hurried toward the main army, which was still charging on its way.

Because speed is of the essence in warfare, the White Dragon Lord and his team had only brought the fastest cavalry regiments and the irreplaceable Mage Corps. Berserk Might quickly regrouped with the main force and launched a frontal assault on the demon city.

Meanwhile, the Warrior, Mage, and Priest trio was attacking the rear of the demon city. Stretched thin, the Explosive Rock Bull Demon Lord inside the city had to send its subordinates to block the main army attacking from the front, leaving itself to personally deal with the trio attacking from the rear.

The angel healer focused most of her energy on the crazed orc, buffing him with augmentation and defensive magic, while the White Dragon Lord cast spells from a distance to bombard the barrier. Recognizing that the White Dragon Lord posed the greatest threat, the Explosive Rock Bull Demon Lord locked onto him as its primary target.

Legendary magic—Fall of the Ice Emperor!

A massive crown of ice materialized in midair, radiating bone-chilling cold as it crashed down toward the demon city below.

A giant orange fireball rose from within the demon city, easily half the size of the city itself. The giant fireball collided with the energy of the Fall of the Ice Emperor and detonated. The immense explosive force shattered the ice crown, sending massive plumes of high-temperature steam rising where the two legendary magics clashed. Flames mixed with ice shrapnel shot out in all directions, battering both the city's barrier and the magic shields of the White Dragon Lord's party.

The White Dragon Lord's ice magic was devastatingly powerful, but the Explosive Rock Bull Demon Lord had the backing of the magic array. In a strict one-on-one duel, the outcome would have been unpredictable, but the White Dragon Lord had the help of his companions, and the situation began to tip in the attackers' favor.

Finally, half an hour later, the White Dragon Lord heard a beautiful cracking sound, like heavenly music. Fissures had appeared in the demon barrier.

The orc's eyes were blood-red, and he snorted heavily like an angry bull. Gripping his single-edged battleaxe with both hands, he hoisted it high above his head. A layer of tangible energy coalesced on the giant axe as he aimed at the fissure in the barrier and brought the weapon crashing down.

Crack!

The barrier above the demon city shattered into pieces, dissolving into pure energy that scattered into the air. The orc's momentum carried through the strike, his axe slamming right into the obsidian City Wall. The obsidian wall instantly split open, and the fissure extended all the way into the interior of the demon city, cleaving an entire row of buildings in half.

Molten Fortress was breached!

The main army attacking from the front also noticed this and excitedly launched an all-out assault.

Meanwhile, the red-eyed orc hefted his axe and charged wildly toward the keep at the center of the city. The White Dragon Lord shifted into his dragonkin form and followed behind the orc alongside the angel.

As the orc charged, the doors of the central keep in Molten Fortress opened. A two-story-tall explosive rock bull demon stepped out from the doorway, carrying a Magma Totem Pole over its shoulder. A group of slightly smaller explosive rock bull demons instantly swarmed out to protect their lord. Just like their leader, their weapons were Magma Totem Poles forged through secret magic. These totem poles were in a semi-cooled state; the exterior was hardened obsidian, but the interior held blistering magma. There were irregular cracks across the surface of the totem poles, and the magma inside flowed through those fissures.

The red-eyed orc swung his axe and charged, cleaving an intercepting explosive rock bull demon and its totem pole clean in half. Suddenly, the orc began to spin rapidly in place, transforming into a small tornado with phantom and solid blades jutting out from within.

Warrior secret skill—Whirlwind Slash!

The explosive rock bull demons along the path were shredded to pieces by the Whirlwind Slash. Panting heavily, the Explosive Rock Bull Demon Lord shoved aside its subordinates and stepped into the path of the Whirlwind Slash, gripping its thick totem pole with both hands for a horizontal sweep.

Secret skill—Heavy Strike!

The energy-wrapped totem pole collided with the Whirlwind Slash. Magma exploded outward, and the sharp axe blade threw up blinding sparks as it ground against the surface of the totem pole. The Explosive Rock Bull Demon Lord staggered back several steps, knocking over a number of its personal guards. The orc's spinning momentum came to a sudden halt, and he was thrown backward, his feet carving two trenches into the ground.

The White Dragon Lord noticed that the hand the orc used to grip the axe was trembling slightly. He had clearly come out on the losing end of the clash of strength, though it had nothing to do with his actual skill. The Explosive Rock Bull Demon Lord stood two stories tall and wielded a heavy totem pole, whereas the orc, despite being heavily muscled, was only two meters tall. He was also at a disadvantage in terms of weaponry. If the angel healer hadn't cast a shield to block the splattering magma from the totem pole, the orc probably would have suffered a huge loss.

Soon, the orc brought his trembling hands under control, but his whole body continued to tremble—a violent tremor born of excitement at seeing his prey. Meanwhile, the Explosive Rock Bull Demon Lord's gaze fell on the White Dragon Lord in the back.

This white dragon was actually able to single-handedly resist its attacks even when it had the backing of the magic array. The dragon's magical strength was utterly unfathomable. The Explosive Rock Bull Demon Lord hoisted its totem pole high into the air.