Chapter 174: As Night Descends Upon the Realm

Within the Eternal Night Fortress, several colossal transport ships were descending, delivering warriors for the rotation duty and essential military supplies.

Duke Dominic stood on the landing field, personally inspecting the cargo. When he saw a few specially marked cold boxes, he finally nodded in satisfaction. These boxes contained premium ingredients and fine wines prepared for the noble elites of the fortress.

Now, only good food and fine wine could make Dominic feel that life in this fortress had some meaning. He silently counted the days, muttering to himself, “Seven days, just seven more days…”

He checked the time; there was only a quarter of an hour until dinner, which improved his mood. He began to wonder what culinary delights the chef would bring him tonight.

Filled with anticipation, he looked toward the main building of the fortress.

He was merely the overseer of this fortress, while Yan Tong held the highest authority in the new world as designated by the council. After reducing Loranis to the rank of Glory Marquess, no one, not even a duke, dared to challenge her authority.

After all, following that incident, the Everburning Flame showed no reaction, and the Demon Emperor pretended not to know. Perhaps in the future, the demon race would seek revenge, but for now, they had swallowed their pride.

In Dominic’s eyes, Yan Tong lived like an ascetic. She ate very simple food, never touched alcohol, and drank only water.

Sometimes, Dominic really couldn’t understand why she needed such immense power and authority. Wasn’t a long life supposed to be filled with indulgence and enjoyment?

Lost in thought for a moment, Dominic headed to his private dining room. The long table there must already be laden with exquisitely prepared dishes.

Just as he stepped out of the landing field, a viscount rushed up, shouting, “My lord, something terrible has happened!”

Dominic’s face darkened, “What is so urgent that you must disturb me like this!”

The viscount replied, “You’ll see if you come and look.”

Annoyed at having his dinner interrupted, Dominic’s expression turned grim as he followed the viscount. If he didn’t see a good reason, he would surely punish this insolent fellow severely.

Ascending the watchtower, the viscount handed him a high-powered telescope and pointed to the distance. Dominic snorted, slapped the telescope away, and focused his vision on the far horizon.

At the edge of his sight, a lone peak appeared. However, something unusual was visible on the usually familiar peak.

Dominic’s expression changed slightly as he suddenly leaped into the air, flying towards the lone peak. He needed to confirm with his own eyes whether what he saw was real.

In a blink, he returned even faster than he left, screaming before he even landed, “Assemble! Assemble everyone! Call out all the troops! Attack! Everyone attack! We must take that place by midnight today!”

Moments later, the piercing sound of steam whistles filled the base. Squads of warriors rushed out from their barracks, many still clutching their armor, not having time to put it on. Marquesses and counts frantically searched for their troops, their voices hoarse from shouting in the chaos of the parade ground.

The doors of the supply warehouse slowly opened, and stacks of heavy shields and war axes were brought out, distributed to the werewolves and spider demons.

Amid the chaos, the quartermaster waved his registration forms, futilely shouting. The irritable werewolves and heavily armored spider demons, who had no patience for registration, roughly pushed the quartermaster aside, grabbed the equipment they liked, and headed to their assembly points.

Steam billowed from the fortress towers, and the massive gates, weighing a hundred tons, slowly slid open, driven by gears. Rows of fully armed heavy warriors marched out of the fortress, heading towards the distant peak.

Several units on standby also left the fortress, clearing space in the parade ground. More rapid-response units quickly assembled, equipped, and departed.

When Dominic saw even the resting heavy units begin to assemble, he suddenly remembered something and instructed, “Let the remaining forces stand by. Send… thirty thousand warriors for now. Inform Duke Donny of the demon race and Duke Ben of the spider demons. They must arrive by midnight.”

“Yes, my lord,” the adjutant relayed the orders, feeling perplexed. He didn’t understand the contradictory commands.

If the situation was serious, why send only thirty thousand when there were over two hundred thousand warriors stationed in the fortress? But if it wasn’t serious, why recall the two dukes from their outposts with such urgency? And why not inform Yan Tong of this critical situation?

While the adjutant puzzled, the front-line marquesses finally learned the answer.

They saw the large flag fluttering on the lone peak and spotted the enemy.

It was just one person.

The marquesses halted in shock, gazing at the figure under the flag. They knew Qian Ye and his terrifying power. But what was this scene? Was this man challenging the entire Eternal Night world? Alone?

Was Qian Ye mad, or was the world mad?

The marquesses stood for a long time, confirming they were not mistaken. By then, the forces had already spread out behind them, surrounding the peak, waiting for the order to attack. Yet, the order never came.

Everyone saw the large flag on the peak, the character “Night” inscribed with each stroke like a lethal sword, causing their eyes to ache.

Gradually, the troops began to stir. A few impulsive warriors, feeling insulted, wanted to enter a berserk state and charge forward. Some thought it, and some did it.

A spider demon viscount roared, transforming into his spider form, holding a heavy shield and war axe, almost scaling the sheer cliff to reach the peak, charging at Qian Ye. Encouraged by his roar, many spider demon warriors went berserk, roaring and charging towards the lone peak.

Next, the wolf warrior squad beside the spider demons was roused, equally berserk, advancing. To them, the sheer cliff and flat ground were much the same.

However, the bloodkin remained motionless. The demon race, being fewer in number and mostly ranged, positioned themselves further back.

The spider demon viscount charged at Qian Ye, raising his forelimbs, the war axe slashing down with the force of thunder.

Qian Ye finally moved.

He rose, drew Dong Yue from the ground, stepped forward, and swung the sword with both hands. With a sweeping motion, he returned to his original spot, planting Dong Yue back into the ground.

The upper half of the spider demon viscount’s body flew past Qian Ye’s head, still tightly gripping the war axe. Driven by the force of the heavy axe, the upper half of his body flew over the peak, falling from the other side.

The lower half of his body, however, crashed through where Qian Ye stood, stopping only when it collided with several stone pillars. His limbs continued to move unconsciously, the blade-like tips sparking on the ground without leaving much of a mark.

The death of the spider demon viscount did not deter the already berserk dark warriors. They swarmed towards Qian Ye, and he finally raised his gaze, pulling out Dong Yue, and charged into the midst of the army.

To the marquesses watching from afar, every swing of Qian Ye’s sword was clear, rhythmic, and precise, without a single unnecessary movement. It was as if they were back in their childhood, watching their sword instructors demonstrate the pinnacle of swordsmanship.

As the marquesses watched, entranced, a sigh echoed overhead, “Such… focus!”

Looking up, they found Dominic standing in the air, staring intently at Qian Ye on the lone peak.

With Dominic’s superior vision, the marquesses, guided by his observation, saw the difference.

Qian Ye was calm and focused, every strike made with utmost seriousness. Even facing the most ordinary soldier, he treated them as formidable foes, making no mistakes and leaving no openings. He continued to strike down his enemies, as if he could cut through a million-strong army, one by one.

Qian Ye was like the most precise and reliable machine, designed from the beginning to reap lives.

Slowly, an indescribable chill rose in the hearts of the marquesses. They suddenly felt no will to fight. They had a hunch that even if they attacked, Qian Ye would strike them down with a single, indifferent blow, just like any other common soldier.

Qian Ye, devoid of joy or sorrow, was the most terrifying.

At this moment, he was the god of war.

The marquesses, in unison, looked at Dominic. Only a duke might be able to withstand one of Qian Ye’s strikes. But they saw that Dominic’s hand was trembling, though he seemed unaware.

Suddenly, Dominic screamed, “Attack! Everyone, attack! Whoever kills him will be granted a drop of source blood!”

The marquesses were stunned, the unease in their hearts growing. They glanced at each other, issuing the order to attack, but all remained in place.

The ordinary dark warriors couldn’t see the deeper implications. They only saw Qian Ye surrounded and struggling. Inspired by the promise of the duke’s source blood, they forgot fear and death, charging towards the peak.

Dominic glared at the marquesses who remained behind, his gaze severe. The marquesses, pretending not to notice, stood like statues, unmoving.

Dominic snorted, his figure flashing as he returned to the fortress.

Upon returning, he shouted, “Mobilize the reserve forces! Send out three divisions every hour, according to the rotation schedule. Also, send word to the two dukes again, insisting they arrive early. Say… say it’s the Emperor’s command!”

The adjutant was startled, “Shall we… inform the Emperor first?”

Dominic fixed him with a cold stare, “I think it’s time for a new adjutant.”

The adjutant’s soul nearly left his body, hastily responding, “My lord, please calm down. I’ll do it, I’ll do it!”

But it was too late. Dominic pierced the adjutant’s blood core with a single thrust. Kicking the corpse aside, he grabbed a nearby viscount, saying coldly, “From now on, you are my adjutant. Execute the orders. Understand?”

The new adjutant nodded frantically, dashing off.

Dominic’s expression softened, but as he gazed at the distant flag, his face darkened once more. He wondered how many of the two hundred thousand dark warriors in the fortress Qian Ye could kill.