Chapter 251 - Full-scale Attack

"You like it, and that’s what matters," Nicole said gleefully, dancing with excitement. "Your appreciation is my greatest honor, hehe... I will definitely design even better works in the future. When you come back, you must attend my fashion show in the Dragon Oak Dream Realm, where I have designed a large collection of the latest clothing styles."For someone like Nicole who loves designing, the Dragon Oak Dream Realm was heaven.

Many of the things she imagined could be materialized with just a thought, and then she could trim and adjust any part she wasn’t satisfied with.

The only limitation there was one’s own impoverished imagination.

If that was limited, then there really was no way to proceed.

"Alright, we’ll definitely attend when the time comes," Gaven promised. Just from the battle flag alone, with its exceptional creativity and painting technique, Nicole’s Dream Realm fashion show was definitely something to look forward to with great anticipation.

As Nicole continued her jubilant dance, the Dragon Oak War Banner slowly floated over, and Gaven solemnly took it into his hands before turning to say, "Thornspike, nod."

The Enlightened Treant, confused, still obeyed the command, sinking his four legs into a sturdy stance as his thick upper body bowed down.

Gaven’s subsequent action made it clear to everyone what he intended to do.

He was planning to use the tall body of the Enlightened Treant as a flagpole and raise the war banner on it.

After securing the Dragon Oak War Banner, Gaven nodded and said, "It’s good now."

As Thornspike straightened up, the first war banner of the Dragon Oak Territory was hoisted high.

Viewed from a distance, the sight conveyed by the Dragon Oak War Banner seemed quite different now.

Nicole had fully considered the inherent properties of Radiance Cloth; when it fluttered, its luminosity made it almost transparent.

The artwork on it was clearly not made of ordinary materials; under the light, the colors appeared more vibrant and the shapes more three-dimensional, as if they had come to life.

"If I hadn’t known in advance, I would have thought someone was standing atop Lord Thornspike!"

"Right, such a beautiful thing to be used as a battle flag, isn’t that a bit of a waste?"

"A thing is best used to its fullest potential. Only this way can it bring out its maximum value, showcasing the extraordinary nature of our territory and our lord."

"Miss Nicole, you truly are a genius in this field."

The people around couldn’t help but admire her once again.

Nicole felt a profound sense of accomplishment.

Gaven observed for a while before offering a new suggestion, "It’s good, but when we go deeper into the Dark Domain, won’t it be a bit too conspicuous?"

The Dragon Oak War Banner clearly served as a source of light, and a strong one at that.

With Thornspike standing there, he had become a large-sized streetlight.

A look of unabashed pride appeared on Nicole’s face as she said, "I considered that a long time ago."

As she spoke, she flew up and rolled up the Dragon Oak War Banner. The dazzling light instantly retracted, leaving only a dark expanse, while she explained, "This war banner was designed with three layers, one painting for each layer, with the two outer layers being Radiance Cloth and the middle layer being Night Silk. So, from either side, it looks different. If it is rolled up, the Night Silk will suppress the properties of the Radiance Cloth, just like the night sky covering the sun’s radiance."

In a dark environment, let alone a normal one, it would be very difficult to notice its presence without a careful look.

Gaven felt that the praise he had given Nicole today was ample yet far from enough. The only thing he could do now was to give her another thumbs up, saying, "Your technique is ingeniously divine, the concept is clever. I can’t think of a better design than this. Today, with your auspicious words, we shall set out with victory on our banner, let’s go."

With a flourish of his cloak, Gaven took the lead toward the Dark Domain, which had been reopened.

Following behind Gaven, in order, were the Twilight Guardians, the Enlightened Treant Thornspike, the Young Red Copper Dragon Aivensa, the juvenile Red Dragon Roderick, Susie, and Zack, forming the main offensive first echelon.

This echelon followed the principle of valuing quality over quantity.

Though they were only seven in number, the completeness of their abilities and the formidable strength of their combat power were beyond what most Transcendent adventurer teams could muster.

Not to mention that the abilities of many members couldn’t be measured by Professional Levels.

Without going into details, even the two seemingly weaker Dragonized Gnolls, in some aspects of their ability and combat power in specific environments, could put even a Transcendent Combat Profession Practitioner at a disadvantage if they weren’t careful.

The Dog Demon Andrew had originally been in the starting lineup.

But considering the relatively weak forces of Lord Virginia, and adding to that its special ability to directly gnaw on souls, it was more effective in the Dragon Oak Dream Realm.

This time it was not a feint attack but a full assault. When the time came, they needed to put enough pressure on the Foul Giants to assist Gaven and the others by holding down the majority of the enemy forces, facilitating their actions. Therefore, it was deployed there as the main force.

The second echelon was led by Anna, Hou, Bark, Xize, Cangya, and the Hobgoblin Wolf Cavalry ancestors commanded by Blood Claw. They were mainly responsible for rescue and defense duties, ensuring the retreat path for Gaven and his team.

After entering the Dark Passageway, the one leading the way was not the trap master Susie but the Twilight Guardian.

He was incredibly familiar with this Dark Passageway because he had entered it no fewer than ten times before.

This Dark Passageway was also under the dominion of the Dragon Oak Mother Tree’s roots, with many roots piercing directly into the passageway.

The Twilight Guardian, able to freely use the Wood Escape Technique, felt as if he were in his own backyard here.

Moreover, he was most dedicated to clearing the corruption from the Dragon Oak Mother Tree.

Without any need for orders from Gaven, he would take the initiative to come and scout the terrain whenever he had the chance, and whether it was natural traps or those laid by Foul Giants, he had thoroughly learned all about them.

The Dark Passageway was very high and wide, allowing for unobstructed passage in most areas for Thornspike, who was nearly twenty meters tall, with only occasional need to bend down.

In Felen, such Dark Passageways were also called the Dark Domain.

Some were excavated by underground races and creatures, others were formed naturally.

Large Dark Passageways like this were usually naturally occurring.

The reasons for their formation, however, were not easy to ascertain.

Some say they were born with the birth of the god of caves.

Others believe they were remnants of cavities left by the pulsations of elemental magic underground in ancient times when magical elements were more abundant.

While it can’t be said that every piece of land on Planet Toril has a Dark Domain beneath it, the number of Dark Domains is far greater than imagined, and they are layered.

The Dark Domain that Gaven and his team were currently in was considered shallow, and with a bit of effort, one could dig directly to the surface.

The middle layer was at least several hundred meters deep, and the deep layer was often kilometers deep.

The group wound their way through the dark passages for nearly three kilometers.

The Twilight Guardian stopped and said, "This is the most suitable place to set an ambush. Less than a kilometer ahead is their Corruption Lair. To avoid alarming them, I rarely approach that area." Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on ɴovᴇl(F)ɪre.ɴet

Gaven carefully observed the surroundings and couldn’t help but nod, "Indeed, it’s very suitable for an ambush. Zack, prepare to plant the bombs. Include this entire fifty-meter passage."

The passage had clearly been collapsed by the roots of the Dragon Oak Mother Tree, with obvious signs of manual clearing—which without question, were the handiwork of the Foul Giants’ Dark Servants.

Even after clearing, it was relatively narrow.

Not to mention the Thornspike, even Foul Giants had to stoop and weave their way through here.

Taking into account their retreat path, Gaven spared no expense, burying a full hundred Strong Tremor Bombs there.

It was their trump card in case of a defeat in battle, hoping that it would not come to that.

After completing this task, the first and second echelons officially went their separate ways.

At the same time, through the roots of the surrounding Dragon Oak Mother Trees, Anna entered the Dragon Oak Dream Realm and said to Lord Virginia, "Mr. Gaven’s side is all smooth sailing. In less than fifteen minutes, they will reach the Foul Giants’ lair. You can launch your attack now."

"This time it’s no longer a drill but a full-scale assault. We will not ceasefire until all Corruption Souls are eradicated. I hope everyone will bravely advance when the battle begins," Lord Virginia’s pre-battle speech was very brief this time, but the toughness and determination in his words were unprecedented.

"We will follow Lord Virginia to the death."

"Kill those ugly monsters and drive them out of our homeland."

"We swear never to retreat!"

When countless members of the Fae Race gathered together, their morale naturally surged.

Lately, due to repeated war mobilizations, many from the Fae Race had come upon hearing the news.

This time, the number of simultaneous logins broke the record high since the creation of the Dragon Oak Dream Realm, exceeding the landmark of forty thousand.

Most of the Fae Race had never seen so many people gathered together in their lives—it was a sea of people.

When they simultaneously poured into the war zone, the tremors here were unprecedented in severity, though there were plenty of Foul Giants and Cyclopes stationed here.

Ao!

Leading the charge at the forefront was the Dog Demon Andrew.

He had long anticipated this battle.

His rapid growth depended on these powerful souls.

The Dog Demon showed its cunning side; though it charged forward, it did not stray far from the main army.

When leveraging the momentum to bite a Cyclops’s ankle, tripping and dragging him down, the Fae army surged forward, swamping the Cyclops.

The individual attacks of the Fae Race weren’t strong against a Cyclops, but the sheer number of attacks was overwhelming, and even a dozen hits were unpleasant.

Not to mention there was a Dog Demon, eyeing its prey hungrily.

As the Cyclops was entangled, the Dog Demon already leapt upon it, employing the classic tactic of mounting its face.

Rapid clawing and gnawing, coupled with numerous coordinated attacks from the Fae Race.

The Cyclops had no chance to stand up and was devoured clean by the Dog Demon.

Ao!

The Dog Demon let out an excited howl, repeating its successful strategy.

In just a few exchanges, it had taken down two more Cyclopes and one Foul Giant.

The Life Dice broke through to fifteen, and the Dog Demon’s body visibly swelled at a noticeable rate, breaking through to enormous size, on par with the Foul Giants.

As its size grew, so did its strength, but its speed increased instead of decreasing—because during the evolution, both its Intelligence and Perception had been greatly enhanced, all entering a Transcendent State.

If its level were categorized by the standards of Devils, it would definitively be a high-ranking Devil now.

Its killing power soared.

Not just the Foul Giants in the war zone were alarmed,

Prince Elton and Felisk were also shocked, both exclaiming, "Everyone, into the Corruption Realm!"

The first Foul Giant ran forward, picking up an oversized pipe and taking a deep inhalation, then passed it to the Foul Giant that followed him.

The color of rocks began to speckle from his chest, and in less than a single round, the Foul Giant turned into a stone statue. He didn’t even need the writhing Corruption tentacles to drag him; his Soul shot out of his body on its own, plunging headlong into the Corruption Realm.

But what made Prince Elton and Felisk’s hair stand on end was that in less than half a minute,

The stone Foul Giant started to crack with a series of ’crack crack’ noises, shattering into seven or eight pieces right on the spot.

There was only one possibility for such an event—that the Soul of this stone Foul Giant had been annihilated.

After two more Foul Giants and two Cyclopes followed suit,

Felisk dashed out and snatched the Breath of the Black Mirror out of the hands of a Foul Giant who was preparing to take a hit.

Not only the Foul Giant looked at him with a confused face,

Prince Elton was equally enraged, exclaiming, "Are you crazy? What are you doing? The Corruption Realm is on the verge of collapse!"