The Duke of the Spider Demons, growing impatient, interrupted the old marquis, saying, “Regardless of your difficulties, I only want to know one thing: how much longer will it take?”
“At least another day.”
“A day!?” Aldark’s roar was like thunder, covering dozens of kilometers. Several of the weakest vampires couldn’t withstand the pressure of the Duke’s anger and fainted, falling straight from the sky.
Aldark didn’t even glance at the fallen vampires as he continued to roar, “In a day, those human vermin will have escaped to their next battle zone! You have only one hour! Within an hour, a path must be cleared!”
“But we need a complete city…”
“A complete city? Whose foolish order is this?”
The old marquis replied, “It is the wish of Her Majesty.”
Aldark suddenly fell silent. In the language of the vampires, the unadorned “Her Majesty” referred to only one person: the Queen of Night, Lilith.
After a moment, Aldark coldly said, “I’ve heard that your Queen has had some mishaps and has just returned from the depths of the void, only to fall into another deep sleep soon. Do you think her orders still hold any sway over me at this time?”
However, on this matter, the old marquis was extremely firm, saying, “Her Majesty has not yet gone into deep sleep. Moreover, regardless of her state, you have no right to comment on her.”
The Duke of the Spider Demons snorted, ceasing his outburst. Perhaps when he ascended to the throne, he might gain the slight privilege to criticize the Queen of Night, but that was all. The Spider Demons, after all, were not the Demon Spawn, and even the one on the Holy Mountain of the Eternal Night Council would not lightly challenge the Queen of Night.
Seeing this, Aldark realized it would be difficult to command the army of ten thousand dark forces led by the vampires. If he went back to the base to request a change in command, it would take at least half a day, by which time the enemy would be long gone.
“Who are the ones on the imperial side?” Aldark suddenly asked.
The old marquis did not hide anything, replying, “Commander is General Zhang Junshu, and the commander of the defense is probably the Marquis Wei.”
Aldark’s voice wavered, “Marquis Wei? He is there?”
The old marquis affirmed, “Yes, during our last offensive, Marquis Wei personally intervened, preventing us and allowing the Empire to successfully ignite the burning city. I have fought him before, and I am certain of my recognition.”
Aldark fell silent for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter, causing several more vampires to fall from the sky: “Good, very good! Let me see how much that young man has grown in these years!”
Amidst the laughter, a figure suddenly appeared before the old vampire marquis, clad in an iron-gray robe, towering nearly three meters tall, like a giant looming over the other vampires.
On his left hand, he wore several rings with gemstones the size of pigeon eggs, shimmering brightly. The eyes of several vampires involuntarily fixated on the rings, becoming entranced, as if their souls were being drawn in.
The old marquis’ blood energy suddenly expanded, enveloping his dazed subordinates, and shouted, “Do not look at the Duke’s hand!”
Aldark finally looked at the old marquis directly and said, “You may be old, but you are still useful.”
The wrinkles on the old marquis’ face deepened, and he smiled bitterly, “Thank you for your praise, Your Grace.”
Aldark gazed in the direction the Imperial Army had retreated and suddenly let out a long, earth-shattering howl, the sound of thunder rolling and spreading rapidly into the distance.
Aldark’s body suddenly swelled, transforming in an instant into a giant spider over ten meters tall, its body gleaming with a metallic luster!
Eight segmented legs shot out countless threads, weaving a silken path in the air, instantly spanning the burning twilight city, leading straight ahead. Aldark’s massive arachnid form flickered, each flicker appearing a kilometer away, until he vanished from sight.
Only then did the aerial silk road begin to slowly dissipate.
A sharp, high-pitched voice suddenly echoed inside the warship, “Your Grace, the warship!”
Aldark’s voice came from the sky, “You are too slow; follow on your own!”
The massive warship slowly climbed, merging into the clouds, passing over the blazing twilight city, pursuing the direction Aldark had disappeared.
As the warship of the Duke of the Spider Demons vanished, a count said darkly, “Just one warship chasing after? It seems the humans were well-prepared, and their floating fleet is not to be underestimated.”
The old marquis’ expression remained unchanged, saying coolly, “His Grace Aldark has accumulated great strength, far beyond our reach. Losing one warship can be rebuilt. Our fleet losses, however, would take decades to recover.”
The count offered a sinister smile. The warship of the Duke of the Spider Demons was not comparable to ordinary vampire warships, especially since it was larger than a standard battleship, with a single ship costing as much as half a standard vampire fleet.
In the center of the Zhang clan’s central fleet, Marquis Wei finally made a move, concluding the unfinished game, and calmly said, “An old friend is coming. I will go meet him.”
Zhang Junshu looked toward the distant sky, though he could see nothing, he could sense a monstrous, incomparably vast aura rising where the horizon met the heavens, like the prelude to a storm.
“Marquis, your noble status requires great caution. It would be better to stay within the army,” Zhang Junshu expressed his concern openly. He was only a step away from being a divine general and could discern the terrifying aura rapidly approaching, which was even greater than that of Marquis Wei.
Marquis Wei stroked his beard and smiled, saying, “Junshu, remember, we marquises are not hereditary; battlefield execution is our duty.”
“Marquis…” Zhang Junshu tried to persuade further.
Marquis Wei waved his hand, “No need to say more. Besides, I may not necessarily die. Do not let the morale of our empire’s soldiers falter on the battlefield.”
With that, Marquis Wei swept his robes and rose into the air, appearing in the void outside the ship’s cabin. His figure moved gracefully, as if walking on level ground, and in an instant, he vanished into the horizon.
The clouds in the sky grew thicker and lower, almost pressing against the tops of the low-flying aerial warships. Zhang Junshu stood motionless, as if waiting for something.
Shortly after, a thunderclap echoed from the horizon, and the distant, rumbling sound reached them in an instant, filling the entire area with the sound of thunder, leaving no room for any other noise! Many soldiers, overwhelmed by the sheer force, felt dizzy and lost control of their limbs, tumbling off transport trucks.
Fortunately, each truck had veteran soldiers with extensive combat experience, who, despite the suddenness of the thunder, managed to maintain enough control to grab and pull the teetering soldiers back into the trucks.
However, after the thunder, the ground began to shake, and the wind in the air grew many times stronger, with sand and gravel flying and striking the trucks and people. Small pebbles hitting exposed skin immediately left red marks.
The aerial fleet swayed violently in the strong winds, with smaller ships heaving up and down like small boats in a tempest, threatening to capsize at any moment. Even the largest cargo ships struggled to maintain formation, swaying incessantly.
Fortunately, the Zhang clan had sent out their best pilots, and even in such a disastrous environment, they remained calm and did their best to control the balance of the ships.
Seeing the situation, Zhang Junshu immediately ordered all small ships to disengage from the formation and ascend to higher altitudes to gain more maneuvering space.
The fierce winds continued, and the ground rumbled in waves, lifting many cargo trucks into the air!
At this moment, even veterans of ranks three and four could only grip the truck beds tightly, hoping not to be swept away. Once they let go, they would be blown away by the tornado-like currents, carried to unknown places.
The central flagship glowed with a faint yellow light, and several rune-constructed bands formed a protective shield around the entire ship, blocking the raging winds.
Zhang Junshu, looking at the dark, inky sky, his face as black as the sky.
Inside the command cabin, the seasoned generals, despite their experience, were also taken aback by the sudden changes. A brigadier general, startled, asked, “General, is this…?”
Zhang Junshu exhaled heavily, saying, “Yes, it seems Marquis Wei has already engaged the enemy.”
The faces of the generals turned pale.
Those standing beside Zhang Junshu were the elite generals of the Zhang clan and the Empire, each having participated in national wars. Most of them had seen battles at the divine general level, and Marquis Wei, who had been in command for a long time, had shown his prowess several times before. Thus, they found the situation even more terrifying. Even at full strength, Marquis Wei would not cause such a disturbance.
If the disturbance was not caused by Marquis Wei, it must be the enemy. From this, it was clear that Marquis Wei was not only at a disadvantage but in grave danger.
Zhang Junshu clenched and released his fists, the joints cracking slightly.
In a battle at the divine general level, ordinary armies were useless. The shockwaves from the clash of primordial forces could annihilate a battalion. Not to mention, once the strong unleashed their domains, no one below the rank of a general could approach.
Even if all the strong warriors in the army were mobilized to assist, the best outcome would be a hard-won victory. Even if Marquis Wei managed to escape, the Zhang clan’s private army would be decimated, rendering it ineffective. This battle had involved 100,000 elite private soldiers, half of whom were under Zhang Junshu. Now, fewer than 20,000 remained on the return journey.
These 20,000 were the last of the Zhang clan’s fighting force. If they could be brought back, new recruits could be added, and within half a year, a new elite army could be formed. But if they were wiped out in this battle, there would be nothing left.
Marquis Wei chose to face Aldark alone rather than let Zhang Junshu assist, knowing that this army and its strong warriors were the foundation of the Zhang clan. Any damage to them would be fundamental. If Marquis Wei perished in this battle, the Qingyang Zhang family and even the King of Qingyang, Zhang Boqian, would protect Marquis Wei’s descendants in gratitude for preserving the Zhang clan’s forces.
It was a difficult choice, but it was Marquis Wei’s choice.
With a thud, Zhang Junshu slammed his fist on the command table and roared, “Go help the brothers below, and hurry! The faster we go, the sooner Marquis Wei can disengage from the battlefield!”
The generals rushed out, but the heavy, ominous presence in the distance weighed on everyone’s hearts. In the face of such overwhelming power, and with Marquis Wei having taken the initiative, the hope of disengagement seemed dim.
At that moment, a colonel rushed into the command cabin, shouting, “Outer aerial ships have detected an unknown aerial ship approaching, possibly the warship of Duke Aldark!”
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