Chapter 349: Summoning the White Tower

By the time the White Dragon Lord and Master Owen returned to Ten Thousand Blades Fortress, the stronghold was already operating at maximum capacity. Legendary Demons oversaw every critical juncture within the fortress. The Spell-Eater Demon, Oduhal, sat at the heart of the stronghold with its Mage Corps, relying on a fully activated large magical array to match the Gold Dragon blow for blow.

Empowered by the array, the demons cast aside all concern for mana consumption. Transforming into living turrets, they poured their absolute limits into every strike, hurling spells and energy waves at the army with suicidal abandon.

Oduhal was cunning. Knowing the Gold Dragon could likely dodge its attacks, the demon aimed squarely at the Blackrock Fortress army instead.

The Blackrock Fortress army held a disciplined formation. Melee professionals stood on the outer perimeter, pooling their strength to unleash waves of energy slashes. Supported by their own Mage Corps, they weathered the demonic onslaught. However, with the demons backed by the array, the sheer pressure of the barrage pinned the Blackrock troops down, forcing them to retreat again and again under the Gold Dragon's cover.

The arrival of two High-Tier Legends instantly alleviated the pressure on the army, finally giving the Gold Dragon a moment to catch his breath.

"These demons suddenly went berserk," Leopold said. "Amos, did you succeed?"

The White Dragon Lord fired off an instant High-Tier Level interference ray, prematurely detonating an incoming Master Tier spherical energy blast, and turned his head to answer.

"Regrettably, Leopold, she got away. But Durio must have been wounded, which is what provoked the demons."

"You two, let's pull the army out before we chat," Master Owen interrupted. "The sun is setting, and we must do everything we can to avoid fighting under the blood moon."

The explosive gales from the colliding spells whipped at the High-Tier Legendary Mage's robes and hair.

"Damn it! Aren't these demons afraid of backlash?! I can't believe they're using magic this frantically!"

In the eyes of the Blackrock Fortress army, meteor-like energy blasts tore across the sky, raining down only to be intercepted by their three guardian deities.

The devastating magic was intercepted by the three High-Tier Legends, leaving the army to handle the Low Tier spells, like basic fireballs, on their own.

On their officers' commands, the melee professionals in the formation unleashed energy waves in unison. Countless strikes merged into a tsunami-like wall of energy that crashed headlong into the incoming magical bombardment.

Explosions rang out endlessly. Sparks scattered across the sky amid blinding flashes of lightning, sending waves of freezing or blistering winds surging outward one after another.

The moment a spell breached the defensive wall, the Mage Corps stationed at the heart of the army struck immediately to protect their soldiers.

Working together under the protection of the three High-Tier Legends, the Blackrock Fortress army safely withdrew to the outskirts of Blade Fort. Once out of magical range, they began to set up camp.

While the soldiers pitched tents and set up cooking fires, Master Owen and the two dragons gathered all the legendary practitioners in the army for a discussion in an open clearing.

"Everyone, although the decapitation strike failed, we didn't return empty-handed," Master Owen announced. "Durio is injured. She won't be jumping out to cause trouble for us anytime soon. We must seize this opportunity to cull the demonic forces inside Ten Thousand Blades Fortress with everything we have. Ideally, we can make the fortress history."

"But my lord, what if Oduhal goes berserk again like today?" someone asked. "With such high-density magical attacks, our troops will struggle just to get near Ten Thousand Blades Fortress."

"Oduhal is casting with absolute madness. Even supported by the array and freed from mana constraints, its mental strength will eventually collapse if this drags on."

"But how many soldiers' lives must we sacrifice before it collapses?! And don't forget, there is a large Mage Corps and numerous Legendary Demons inside Ten Thousand Blades Fortress. Any of them could step in to replace Oduhal."

"..."

Everyone held to their own opinions, debating fiercely. The core of the argument was whether conquering Ten Thousand Blades Fortress was worth the price they would have to pay.

The White Dragon Lord and the Gold Dragon remained silent. These soldiers belonged to Master Owen, as did these legendary powerhouses. Neither dragon had the right to order another commander's subordinates to risk their lives.

Gradually, the round blood moon rose above the distant horizon. A piercing, gloomy chill washed over the group, biting into their bodies and minds. Many of the gathered powerhouses couldn't suppress a shiver.

All eyes turned to Master Owen. The argument had dragged on without a conclusion, but it was time to put the matter to rest. Everyone waited for his decision.

Ultimately, this battle had been initiated by Master Owen to rake in a final sum of military merit before his departure. Now forced to weigh those merits against the lives of his soldiers, he found himself in a deep dilemma.

The intense discussion had exposed numerous hurdles. Master Owen realized the cost of taking Ten Thousand Blades Fortress was one he was unwilling to bear.

"Sigh... You're all dismissed."

The crowd stood up to leave, and the White Dragon Lord and the Gold Dragon rose as well.

"Amos, Leopold, I have something to say to you both."

Master Owen's voice carried an unexpected trace of melancholy. The two dragons exchanged a surprised glance before sitting back down.

Master Owen gazed out at the abyssal wasteland beneath the blood moon, lost in his memories.

"I come from an ancient lineage of mages in the Otag World—the Morig Family."

It was the first time the White Dragon Lord had heard Master Owen mention his family name. Unsure of the mage's intent, he listened in silence. Sounding almost as if he were talking to himself, Master Owen continued his story.

"Our family has fought demons for generations. Because our ancestors deeply understood the threat they posed, a forebear left behind a final warning: if left unchecked, the entire multiverse would eventually be devoured by the Abyss."

The White Dragon Lord nodded in agreement. The way the Abyss invaded and consumed other material planes, converting them into fuel for its own growth, was truly terrifying.

"Because of those parting words, the Morig Family has warred with demons for fifty thousand years. Thousands of generations of my kin have marched onto the battlefield, slaughtering demons in the Abyss. Generation after generation fell on the front lines, yet to this day, the demons haven't dwindled. Instead, they just keep multiplying."

Master Owen let out a heavy, mournful sigh.

"When I received the notice from the Arcane Council that I would be joining the blood war rotation, my normally calm heart was thrilled. I thought I could accomplish something monumental, but in the end..."

Master Owen chuckled in self-deprecation.

"Blackrock Fortress was constantly suppressed by Ten Thousand Blades Fortress. It was only recently that we finally had a chance to vent our frustrations. Yet at the most critical juncture, I'm forced to abandon the assault for these reasons."

"..."

"Amos, Leopold, you were born in Nordhill. Compared to planes that have never suffered a demonic invasion, you understand their threat far better. I believe we are of the same kind."

The White Dragon Lord and the Gold Dragon signaled their agreement.

"That is exactly what the Avengers Alliance exists for, isn't it!"

Master Owen let out a long breath.

"Thank you for quietly sitting through my endless rambling. As compensation, I'll share some of the research I've conducted in the Abyss. First, the physiological structure of snake demons..."

Master Owen talked at length. The vast majority pertained to the findings on demonic anatomy he had gathered during his two hundred years in the Abyss.

As the blood moon slowly descended, Master Owen finally finished speaking.

"Alright, I'll leave you with one final piece of advice: beware the eyes above you!"

The White Dragon Lord peered up at the sky. He couldn't spot any anomalies up there, leaving him utterly baffled.

"Lord Owen, what does that mean? Could it be..."

"Cough, cough."

Owen covered his mouth, coughing awkwardly.

"That phrase was left behind by the ancestors of the Morig Family. I don't know what it means either. Hopefully, you'll figure it out during your time in the Abyss."

"Oh, right, if you do figure it out, don't forget to let me know."

Leaving them with that half-joking remark, Master Owen departed.

The White Dragon Lord pondered Master Owen's words. The half-spoken warning left him feeling a bit frustrated.

After turning it over in his mind for a while, he still had no clues. Flapping his wings, he soared into the sky. Bathed in the glow of the blood moon, the White Dragon Lord's white scales looked as though they were coated in a layer of blood.

Up in the sky, he felt the freezing winds. The temperature was roughly twenty degrees below zero. A human exposed to such cold without warm clothing would swiftly freeze to death, but for a white dragon, it felt no different than a balmy spring day in March.

Were it not for the sinister gloom brought on by the blood moon, the White Dragon Lord might have actually enjoyed the weather.

In the distance, Ten Thousand Blades Fortress towered over the land like a slumbering behemoth. The demons inside were heavily guarded. Aside from the fixed sentries, every hundred meters of the City Wall was patrolled by a High-Tier Demon captain leading several Mid-Tier Demons.

This significantly spiked the difficulty of launching a sneak attack with Blackrock Fortress's forces, though the Blackrock side never intended to launch one to begin with.

To the people gathered from various planes, the gloomy, freezing energy of the blood moon was bone-chilling and sapped their combat prowess. For the demons, however, the blood moon marked the moment their internal energies were most active, granting them a solid boost in strength.

Staring intently at the Low Tier demons atop the City Wall, an idea formed in the White Dragon Lord's mind.

The next day, just as the three suns crested the horizon, the White Dragon Lord sought out Master Owen and the Gold Dragon.

"Lord Owen, I have a plan, but it requires cooperation from you and the Mage Corps."

"Oh? What sort of plan?"

Master Owen looked highly intrigued, ready to listen closely.

The White Dragon Lord didn't keep them in suspense.

"I can cast a super Forbidden Spell. It will permanently alter the environment within a radius of a hundred li, rendering this place uninhabitable for demons."

Remembering that some demons in the Abyss favored freezing climates, the White Dragon Lord amended his statement.

"At least, uninhabitable for the demons inside Ten Thousand Blades Fortress. I've been observing them. The vast majority of the garrison are ordinary demons. They can thrive in high heat, but they are entirely unsuited for extreme cold."

"However, I can't complete this Forbidden Spell alone. I need the aid of a magical altar, and the incantation will take eight long hours. During that time, I cannot be disturbed under any circumstances..."

Master Owen considered the proposal with a solemn expression.

"Since Lord Amos is willing to take such a risk, I have no reason not to support it."

The White Dragon Lord nodded.

"Very well. Lord Owen, you find a suitable location to construct the Winter Altar while I summon the Floating Tower. Leopold, I'll leave the defensive duties to you in the meantime."

"Don't worry," the Gold Dragon replied. "As long as those demons dare to poke their heads out of their turtle shell, I promise to send them straight to the reaper!"

The two dragons and the mage split up. Master Owen led his men to build the Winter Altar, while the White Dragon Lord flew off alone into the distance to summon the White Tower all the way from Nordhill.

The White Tower was controlled by the Gold Finger. Since the Gold Finger and the White Dragon Lord were one and the same entity, this step was far simpler than Master Owen imagined. The White Dragon Lord flying off to a secluded spot under the pretext of preventing demonic interference was nothing more than a smokescreen to hide his true methods.

After stalling for a suitable amount of time, the White Dragon Lord felt he had waited long enough. He used the Gold Finger to remotely operate the White Tower.

Meanwhile, over in the Overseas Archipelago, the White Tower's steward—Heloise—was enjoying a moment of leisure. Having just finished directing the magical servants in their cleaning duties, she sat back to read a book from the White Dragon Lord's private collection.

"Warning! The White Tower has received a remote summons! All unrelated personnel must evacuate immediately! Evacuate immediately! Evacuate immediately!"

The Tower Spirit's abrupt blaring startled the Moon Elf ghost steward so badly she jolted straight out of her seat.

Unrelated personnel! That shouldn't include me, right?!

Very naturally omitting herself from the category of unrelated personnel, Heloise stayed where she was and waited.

"10!"

"9!"

"..."

"0!"

"Commencing teleportation sequence!"

Through the Gold Finger, the White Dragon Lord commanded the White Tower to execute its teleportation magic.

The residents of Oqi City suddenly noticed the colossal spire in the royal palace—a tower that looked like a pillar propping up the heavens—lifting into the sky. Simultaneously, glowing white arrays of profound complexity ringed the White Tower, wrapping around the structure like hula hoops.

With a blinding flash of white light, the massive White Tower vanished from the air.

Back in the Abyss, a gigantic black hole materialized directly above the White Dragon Lord. The base of the White Tower steadily emerged from the void, followed quickly by its main body. Within seconds, the entire White Tower had arrived in the Abyss.

Flapping his wings in excitement, the White Dragon Lord flew into the White Tower, where he was greeted by Heloise dressed in her maid outfit.

"Welcome home!"

"Heloise! Bring out all the Ice Crystal Stones from the warehouse, and the Cold-Spitting Demon Toad's..."

The White Dragon Lord listed off a whole slew of magical materials. Phasing through layer upon layer of walls, the spectral Heloise hurried to the warehouse next to the laboratory to retrieve them. Meanwhile, the White Dragon Lord piloted the White Tower, flying back toward the encampment of the Blackrock Fortress army.

A massive shadow blotted out the sun. Staring up at the colossal monolith descending from the heavens, the soldiers of the Blackrock Fortress army stood with their jaws hanging wide open in sheer astonishment.

Boom!

The mountain-like White Tower touched down against the earth, kicking up a massive ring of dust.

Box after box of magical materials were hauled out of the White Tower by golems. They were handed over to the Blackrock Fortress soldiers, who then transported them to the site Master Owen had scouted in advance.

In the main hall of the White Tower, the White Dragon Lord, the Gold Dragon, and Master Owen took their respective seats as host and guests.

The Gold Dragon snatched a sea fish off the table and tossed it into his mouth.

"Phew! Nordhill's food really suits my tastes the best."

The two dragons and the man enjoyed the feast while discussing their next course of action.

"Lord Owen, the White Tower made quite the commotion," the White Dragon Lord noted. "As long as Durio isn't an idiot, she won't just sit by and do nothing. Why don't we..."