Chapter 360: Emissaries from the Divine Factions

As he watched the silver ring glow faintly on the White Dragon Lord's horn, a strong sense of unease gripped the fire demon, Rabmodo.

"Retreat!"

Ordering the Demon Army to fall back, Rabmodo hurled three massive fireballs toward the White Dragon Lord.

Ice Substance Activation - Legendary Rank!

Without warning or abnormal magical fluctuations, a massive hand of ice thrust out of the frozen ground and crushed the three airborne fireballs.

Blinding flames burst through the gaps between the icy fingers. The intense heat melted the hand's surface, sending warm water dripping down its arm as if it were washing itself.

Rabmodo stared in disbelief. He knew the power of his own fire magic better than anyone; the explosion of three fireballs within the icy grasp should have instantly vaporized the entire hand.

But he quickly lost the luxury of thought. A dense swarm of ice-blue arms shot up from the frozen ground beneath his feet, clawing at his ankles.

"Hmph!"

Channeling energy through his body, Rabmodo blasted fierce flames from his feet like thrusters. The heat, intense enough to melt steel, reduced the grasping hands to water, and he seized the chance to launch himself into the sky.

Hovering a hundred meters in the air, Rabmodo gazed down gravely. A dense forest of icy hands had erupted from the ice beneath the Demon Army, grabbing their ankles and dragging them downward.

The demons slammed their fists and weapons into the ground, only to find the ice rippling away like a viscous gel.

Solid ice had turned into a fluid?

Watching those hands grip his soldiers' ankles, Rabmodo quickly discarded the fluid theory. It looked more like the ice had come alive!

Ice Substance Activation - Legendary Rank was one of the spells enchanted onto Amos's Horn Ring (Silver). This legendary magic breathed life into all ice within a thousand-meter radius of the White Dragon Lord, turning it into a weapon against his enemies. Here in the Frozen Land, an environment made entirely of ice, the spell's power vastly exceeded that of ordinary legendary magic.

The icy hands dragged the terrified demons down by their ankles. Thrashing like drowning wretches, they were swallowed by the frozen earth. Aside from a few quick-reacting legendary demons, only a handful of ruthless demons managed to escape by decisively severing their own legs and taking to the air on their wings.

Once pulled into the depths, the demons faced crushing pressure from all sides. Most simply popped, their bones shattering as demonic blood sprayed out and mingled with the ice.

A small minority relied on tough physiques or hard carapaces to resist the crushing weight, but they only bought themselves a few more moments. The fluid ice was pervasive, forcing its way through their mouths, ears, and other orifices into their bodies. With their internal organs destroyed, they perished soon after.

However, a few powerful demons proved to be the exception. A slow-to-react legendary demon and a high-tier legendary Frost Pangolin both managed to withstand the pressure through sheer strength.

Beneath the fluid surface, the White Dragon Lord approached the Frost Pangolin.

The high-tier legendary Frost Pangolin had received the White Dragon Lord's special attention. Not only had the surrounding ice turned into a swamp-like fluid, but massive icy hands had completely engulfed the beast, dragging it under before it could even react.

Submerged, the Frost Pangolin curled into a massive ball, using its hardened scales to fend off the overwhelming pressure. The crushing force of the animated ice could do nothing to it.

But the White Dragon Lord had ways. He was just about to unleash his Soul Magic when he suddenly detected a massive heat source from above. Even from a distance, he could feel its violently surging energy.

"Maniac!"

He hastily activated the second spell within the silver horn ring.

Elemental Body: Ice!

Elemental Body: Ice transformed his physical form into pure elemental matter. In this state, he lost all physical attack capabilities, but the power of his ice magic increased dramatically.

This elemental form came with another advantage: his body could now phase freely through the ice, just like a Snow Demon.

These two spells—Ice Substance Activation - Legendary Rank and Elemental Body: Ice—were the very reasons the White Dragon Lord had created the Frozen Land. Armed with this magic in a naturally frozen environment, he was able to stand in an invincible position the moment the battle began.

He rapidly fled the area of animated ice. The moment he darted away—

Boom!

A deafening explosion thundered through the air. A massive red-and-black mushroom cloud rose from the ground as a violent shockwave hurled high-temperature steam in all directions.

Legendary magic—Empowered Meteor Burst!

As the fog-like steam slowly dissipated, the airborne demons surveyed the devastation below. They swallowed hard, their bodies instinctively inching away from the indifferent fire demon.

A massive crater, a thousand meters in diameter, now scarred the Frozen Land. The ice had been melted completely through, exposing the long-frozen earth beneath. Only the demon base, protected by a barrier, remained intact, leaving the crater looking like a mooncake with a large bite taken out of it.

A small puddle of boiling water pooled at the center of the crater. The high-tier legendary Frost Pangolin's scales had been scorched a striking crimson; it bobbed up and down in the boiling water like a giant meatball. The other legendary demon the White Dragon Lord had dragged under was now a chunk of charred carbon. As for the rest of the demons, not even ash remained.

The Frost Pangolin, Kibra, uncurled in the boiling water. Despite its searing-red face, its expression radiated a bone-chilling cold.

"Rabmodo! Were you trying to kill me too?!"

White smoke billowed from its mouth like steam as it spoke, proving that even it had sustained injuries under the terrifying heat of the Empowered Meteor Burst.

Rabmodo ignored the furious beast, his solemn gaze sweeping over the rest of the crater.

"As expected, he escaped."

Finding no trace of the White Dragon Lord, Rabmodo let a smile tug at the corner of his mouth.

'Things are getting more and more interesting.'

"Rabmodo! I'm talking to you!"

The enraged Frost Pangolin dug its sharp claws into the nearby ice, ripped out a massive boulder of frost, and hurled it at the fire demon in the sky.

Rabmodo shot a stream of hellfire from his hand, melting the incoming ice into boiling water that rained down upon the earth.

"Give it a rest, Kibra. You should be thanking me for saving your life."

The fire demon turned and flew off toward Incineration City. There had never been much trust between demon lords to begin with, and now that he had offended Kibra, there was no benefit in sticking around.

Far away in the empty Glacier, the White Dragon Lord's slightly translucent body emerged from the ice.

"Phew! That was close! Demons really are maniacs!"

Having confirmed the surroundings were safe before emerging, he dropped his Elemental Body state and flew toward Blackrock Fortress.

Although this expedition had been perilous, he hadn't suffered any substantial losses. Instead, he had killed a great number of demons and confirmed the location of the Frost Demons' base.

However, two of his silver horn ring's abilities had been exposed. The next time he clashed with a demon lord, they would undoubtedly be prepared. He would never be able to achieve the same element of surprise again.

Soaring through the sky, he pondered why the fire demon had been at the Frost Demons' base.

After all, unless it was an all-out war or a matter of extreme urgency, high-tier legendary demon lords rarely left the cities they ruled. Furthermore, a fire-attribute creature like Rabmodo and the Frost Demons were natural enemies; he definitely wouldn't have visited their base without a good reason.

Given this, it seemed far more likely that the fire demon had known of his arrival in advance and had laid an ambush.

Was there a spy in Blackrock Fortress?!

The White Dragon Lord trusted the White Castle Army completely. The only people who could have leaked his whereabouts were the adventurers in the city.

He recalled his departure. He hadn't turned invisible until after he left the gates, meaning the adventurers inside could easily have seen him fly out.

Acting on caution, he summoned Gurgalu the moment he returned to Blackrock Fortress.

"Gurgalu! Gather all the adventurers who took the reconnaissance mission for the rear of Demon Camp No. 2! I suspect one of them is being controlled by demons."

"Yes!"

Gurgalu's efficiency was remarkably high. By the time the White Dragon Lord finished reporting the latest intelligence to the Alliance, all the adventurers involved in the mission had already been herded into the hall of the Central Castle.

"I didn't expect a bonus after the mission was done. This dragon lord sure is generous."

"Hehehe, I always dreamed of getting treasure from the Dragon Race. I never thought my dream would come true today."

"..."

Hearing the lively chatter inside the hall, the White Dragon Lord instantly understood what method Gurgalu had used to gather them all so quickly.

"Ahem!"

At the sound of a heavy cough from the corridor, the adventurers in the hall fell silent.

The White Dragon Lord strode out from the passageway and took his seat on the lord's throne.

"Everyone, you are all heroes of Blackrock Fortress, brave warriors who fight against demons. But I've recently discovered a serious issue. Demons have taken control of some among you to sabotage this fortress. Gurgalu gathered you here today to eliminate this hidden threat."

"What?!"

"There's no bonus? You tricked us?!"

"Someone is controlled by demons?! Lord Castellan! You can't joke about this!"

"..."

The news threw the adventurers into an uproar. Some were furious at the deception, while others understood Gurgalu's motives and were willing to cooperate with an inspection. However, two people in the crowd revealed stark panic, their eyes darting frantically toward the doors and windows.

The White Dragon Lord took it all in.

"Silence! For everyone's safety, it's best if you cooperate with the inspection! Nobody wants their intelligence sold to the demons by a spy, right?!"

Following his orders, heavily armed ogre guards blocked the doors and all exits. The chattering crowd gradually quieted down, and the two guilty adventurers completely panicked.

"Everyone, don't be fooled by him—"

Seeing the man attempt to incite rebellion, the White Dragon Lord was absolutely certain of their guilt. Sparing no words, he pointed straight at them.

"Start the inspection with those two, Jer Graymane."

A gnoll garbed in white clerical robes stepped up to the front of the hall. He was a follower of the God of Justice.

The Afiaiv Kingdom championed freedom of religion, and the Holy Sanctuary naturally wouldn't miss a chance to spread its faith. Although their progress had been slow, they had still cultivated a batch of believers. The gnoll, Jer Graymane, was the cream of the crop—not only a devout follower of the God of Justice but also a master-tier cleric.

Standing at the front, Jer Graymane instantly cast a Holy Infusion spell toward the two men the White Dragon Lord had singled out. The moment the holy energy washed over them, black smoke poured from their bodies, and their faces contorted in agony.

Seeing this, the surrounding adventurers scattered like they were fleeing a plague, drawing weapons from their waists.

Holy Infusion was a mid-tier auxiliary divine spell. Ordinary people would only benefit from its blessing, but fallen ones tainted by demonic energy would be severely burned by the holy power.

"I hate traitors more than anything! Die!"

A hot-tempered adventurer with a thick beard swung his blade straight at the two men.

"Hold it!"

The White Dragon Lord instantly cast an Ice Shield to block the blade.

"I still have questions for them."

The burly bearded man awkwardly sheathed his weapon and stepped aside.

"Speak! What is this all about? This is your last chance!"

The two fallen ones confessed everything. During their scouting mission, they had run into the fire demon. To save their own lives, they signed a contract to serve as his informants inside Blackrock Fortress, and they had tipped him off the moment the White Dragon Lord flew out of the city.

"Take them away and lock them in the dungeon."

The ogres dragged the ashen-faced adventurers away. The White Dragon Lord swept his gaze over the rest of the hall.

"Everyone, just in case, you all need to be inspected as well."

The two traitors had proven the necessity of the procedure, so the adventurers no longer resisted and obediently underwent the inspection.

After clearing the adventurers, the White Dragon Lord ordered a city-wide sweep, inspecting everyone, including the White Castle Army.

In truth, to prevent spies from infiltrating the cities on the Blood War Battlefield, massive inspections were already conducted periodically. The White Dragon Lord had simply moved the schedule forward, allowing the sweep to be completed smoothly.

That night, while studying magic in the White Tower, the White Dragon Lord suddenly received a summons and went to the secret room on the second floor of the Central Castle.

When he arrived, the Gold Dragon was already there.

"What's going on?"

"I don't know. The higher-ups suddenly called for a remote meeting."

The White Dragon Lord nodded. Together with the Gold Dragon, he placed his hand on a magic core. Magical energy swirled within it, pulling his spiritual body into a virtual space.

Quite a few people had already arrived in the virtual space. They were the lords of the major cities, along with some individuals the White Dragon Lord didn't recognize—including an angel with pure white wings.

Emissaries from the Divine Factions?!

Before the White Dragon Lord could interact with anyone, the current leader of the Alliance, Engru Ghostwolf, appeared on the platform.

"Everyone is here. The meeting begins now."