Extraordinary Rise: Starting Contract with the Silver Dragon Countess

Cohen's analysis is reasonable, attributing the vampires' surrender to the success of the Magnum Empire's own military operations and the structural contradictions within the vampires themselves.

Sal nodded slowly, seemingly acknowledging the analysis.

He said in a deep voice, "Maine's analysis is correct. We hit their sore spot and shattered their last bit of hope."

To preserve his people and quell the anger of the heavily damaged nobles, Lucius was forced to resort to a desperate measure: seeking the drastic remedy of the Supreme Council…

Even if this medication might cause him a slow death.

Cohen stood up at this moment and took the initiative to say:

"It was my oversight; I never expected the intelligence I provided would lead to such a result."

Before Sal could reply, Balzac, who had led his army in a surprise attack on the vampire stronghold and amassed a fortune, laughed and said:

"The Chief of Staff is too modest. If that's really the case, then our Demon Gold Empire shouldn't have taken action against the vampires!"

Sal then spoke up:
"That's right, this matter has nothing to do with the Chief of Staff."

It doesn't matter, the vampires have surrendered.

Twilight Continent, riddled with internal conflicts, recently suffered a major blow, and still dependent on others, is nothing more than a change of master; its essence remains weak and vulnerable!
Our goal has never been just Twilight Continent!

The Supreme Council… Cohen Corleone… Hmph!

Sooner or later, we will crush them, along with those hypocritical elves and humans!
Since they've stepped forward to take on this mess, let's clean it up along with them!

He suddenly waved his hand and gave the order:

"Send orders to the front lines! Maintain the offensive and intensify the pressure!"
Before the Supreme Council's allied forces were still assembling and mobilizing, and before they could intervene on a large scale in the Twilight battlefield.

Give me the fastest speed to crush the vampires and any limited reinforcements they may receive, and take over the entire Twilight Continent!
We must secure victory before Cohen's reinforcements arrive!

Sal's idea was straightforward: strike while the iron is hot.

After all, the two sides had just signed the contract. Before the main force of the Supreme Council could complete its deployment and form a united force, he wanted to take advantage of the Demon Gold Empire's current superior military strength on the eastern front to eliminate the remaining forces of the vampires in one fell swoop.

At that time, even if the Supreme Council's reinforcements arrive, they will face a Twilight Continent that has essentially fallen into the hands of the Magma Empire, and the strategic situation will be completely different.

However, fate taught Sal a cruel lesson: never underestimate your opponent, especially when your opponent is Cohen Corleone!

……

Just three days after the Supreme Council's announcement, an urgent military intelligence report, as sharp as a bolt from the blue, reached Sal in the most urgent manner:
"Report! Your Majesty! Urgent military intelligence!"
Large-scale, organized armies suddenly appeared on the southwestern border of the Chaotic Demon Continent, in the Silver Glow Mountains and the Shattered Star Wasteland!

The number is extremely large, estimated to be at least more than three full legions!
The flag they were flying was... was...

The intelligence officer delivering the order sounded terrified.

A sense of foreboding rose in Sal's heart, and he demanded sharply:

"What?!"

"It's...it's the emblem of the Supreme Council!"
And... the eagle banner of Efein, the star-bow emblem of the Elves, the lion banner of Ceylon, and... other joint symbols never seen before!

The officer practically roared as he finished his report.

"What?! The southwestern border?! The Supreme Council?!"

An uproar erupted within the command center!
Thrall was struck dumb, abruptly rising from his throne. His heavy footsteps caused the ground to tremble slightly, and an uncontrollable look of horror flashed in his eyes.

"Southwest border... Silver Glow Mountains... Shattered Star Wasteland"

He repeated the two place names in a low voice; they were the relatively weak flanks and rear of the Chaotic Demon Continent!
How did they end up there?

There is absolutely no way that such a large-scale and rapid appearance could occur in the southwestern heart of the Chaotic Demon Continent, either from the front lines of Twilight Continent or from the direction of Endless City!

unless……

Sal instantly recalled a terrifying rumor!

Long-distance spatial teleportation array!

Effie... Cohen Corleone...

Sure enough, the rumors are true!

They have mastered a stable and efficient ultra-large-scale space teleportation technology capable of deploying corps-level forces across continents!
Previously, rumors circulated among the high-level intelligence circles of the Lost Lands that Effie possessed some kind of advanced teleportation technology, but most of them were considered to be exaggerations.

Or it could be a technology limited to use by small elite units.

The ability to send several complete legions into enemy territory without anyone noticing is a strategically disruptive force!
Sal instantly understood everything, a chill ran down his spine to the top of his head, and he cursed angrily:
"Damn it, they planned all of this all along!"
They're just waiting for the vampires to officially side with them, giving them a legitimate reason to intervene in the eastern war and a forward base!
Then, while our attention was drawn to the Twilight Front, they set fire to our own backyard in a way we never expected!

Sal's voice was filled with anger at being fooled and a hint of belated horror.

He originally thought he was the hunter, preparing to launch a fierce attack on the weakened vampires while the Supreme Council was caught off guard.

Little did he know that he had already become part of the prey in the eyes of others!

The Supreme Council not only anticipated his attack, but also turned the tables on him, using the vampires' crisis and surrender as a pretext to carry out their plan to deliver a fatal blow!

Thrall, after all, was a seasoned and ruthless warrior. After the initial shock and anger, he immediately displayed astonishing decisiveness:
"Order!
The offensive against Twilight Continent was temporarily halted, and the Forge Legion and the Bone-Eating Demon Legion were immediately redeployed to defend Chaotic Demon Continent.

We must not allow the Supreme Council's army to gain a foothold in the heartland!

Also, activate all preparatory defense protocols and activate all border fortresses and magical barriers!

Investigate! Investigate thoroughly! How did the Supreme Council's troops manage to sneak onto the southwestern border without our knowledge?

Where are their teleportation nodes? How are their supply lines maintained? And... do we have 'eyes' and 'ears' that we shouldn't have inside?!

Sal's last words were filled with undisguised murderous intent.

The Supreme Council's precise and fatal strike made him wonder if it was all simply due to the opponent's superior skills.
Could there be a traitor within the empire?

However, he couldn't have imagined that the biggest mole was standing right next to him, enthusiastically offering him advice!

Here, the order for Thrall to return to defense has just been issued and has not yet been fully relayed to the various legions on the front lines.

More detailed and more deadly battle reports arrived at the central command tent one after another like an avalanche.

Each battle report carried the terror and despair of the frontline commanders, who were practically bursting through the communication runes.

"Your Majesty! The enemy vanguard is not a probing force, but a mixed legion composed entirely of heavily armored magic knights, elven guards, and elite orc troops!"
A massive amount of holy light energy fluctuations were also detected in the center and rear of the array!

At least five fully-fledged Orders of Light Priests accompanied the army, their divine shields and healing prayers covering a wide area.

It inflicted devastating damage on our low-tier demons and undead units!

"The flank! A large number of holy knights have appeared on the flank! They are the 'Silver Oath' and 'Sword of Dawn' knight orders directly under the Holy See!"

Their holy charge and demon-slaying strikes were too destructive to the structure of our demon army; multiple demon phalanxes crumbled upon contact!

"Not just one route! The enemy is launching a multi-pronged attack across the entire front! Large-scale enemy assault groups have been discovered in the Silver Glow Mountains, the Shattered Star Wasteland, and even on the edge of the Rotten Leaf Swamp further east."

They were well-coordinated, well-equipped, and had the constant suppression of our forces by the power of light. Our army suffered heavy losses!

"Urgent report! Passes No. 17 and No. 21 in the southwest have fallen!"
The defending forces...were almost completely wiped out! The enemy is advancing rapidly towards the 'Motie City-State'!

The entire command center was plunged into a state of utter shock.

The emergence of the main force of the Holy Light Church's priests and the Holy Knights is an extremely dangerous sign!

This means that the Supreme Council's raid was not a small-scale operation, but rather received the full support of the Church of Light, the most powerful and long-established force on the continent of Demon Tide, which has the greatest ability to restrain the power of the abyss!

The priests' holy spells and the knights' exorcising weapons were like natural enemies to the demon soldiers, dealing several times the damage of regular enemies.

What made Sal's pupils shrink even more was that the enemy was launching a full-scale attack, showing a posture of sparing no expense to tear apart the southwestern defense line of the Chaotic Demon Continent and penetrate straight into its heartland in the shortest possible time.

"Damn it! Cohen Corleone! What is he trying to do?! Does he want to pierce through my southwest in one fell swoop and strike at the heart of the enemy?!"

Sal growled, but his deeper fear stemmed not merely from military defeat.

Behind the Iron City-State lies the Wailing Temple, where the 'Abyssal Resonance Pillar' is directly connected to the Daedric Lord Valak!
The Abyss Resonance Pillar is a key magical structure that enables the Demon Gold Empire to reliably summon, maintain, and control the army of abyssal demons. It is also an important hub for abyssal power in the material world.

The one that is directly connected to the demon god Valak is one of the core sources of Thrall's power and a symbol of the contract that allows him to receive Valak's continued support!

Once these resonating pillars, especially the one connected to Valak, are found by the Church of Light and destroyed or purified with powerful divine force...

"No! Absolutely not!" Thrall slammed his fist on the armrest of the throne. It was the very foundation of the empire, the source of its power. If it were destroyed, the stable passage between the empire and the abyss would be greatly weakened.

Thrall will no longer be able to easily receive blessings from the demon gods, and may even incur the backlash of the will of the abyss.

This is a crisis that will shake the very foundation of the entire Demon Gold Empire!
He could almost foresee that once the Resonance Pillar was destroyed, the combat power of the demon legions on the front lines, which relied on the abyssal demonic energy to maintain their existence and power, would drop sharply, and they might even collapse on their own or defect back to the abyss.

Tasar will lose his greatest reliance!

However, as if fate felt that the blow to Sal was not heavy enough, just when he was in a state of utter distress, another battle report arrived that instantly silenced the entire command center.

The dreadlord who delivered the order practically tumbled in, his voice distorted and warped by extreme terror:
"Your Majesty! The Magic Eye observation station at the front line has detected the enemy commander!"

"Speak! Who is it?!"

Sal's ominous premonition had reached its peak.

"It is...it is King Alfion, Cohen Corleone himself!"
He was personally commanding the troops right in the enemy lines!

"boom--!"

The entire command center was shaken, as if the name itself carried an invisible deterrent.

Cohen Corleone!
In the current material plane, this name has long transcended the realm of mortal kings.

He is the Son of Prophecy, who single-handedly challenged the order of the five great empires and ushered in a new era; he is the King of War, who forged an invincible legend with countless astonishing, underdog-victorious, and illogical battles; he is the Lord of Shadows, who wields power and secrets that are difficult for mortals to comprehend.

Every time he appears, it signifies the eye of a storm, foreshadowing a major event that could reshape the continent's landscape.

"He actually led his troops deep behind enemy lines?!"

For the first time, Sal's voice showed a noticeable wavering.

If the intervention of the Supreme Council and the appearance of the Holy See had shocked and angered him, then the personal appearance of Cohen Corleone brought almost suffocating pressure.

This "King of War" was always unpredictable in his military tactics, adept at winning with fewer troops and seizing fleeting opportunities. His strategic vision and tactical execution were terrifying.

Wherever he appears, that place is destined to become the stage for a decisive battle, and his enemies often fall in unbelievable defeats.

Sal stood up abruptly, a resolute glint in his eyes:
"There can be no more wishful thinking. The war on the southwestern border is no longer something that ordinary generals can handle!"
That's Cohen Corleone! The Lord of War! I must go myself! The Resonance Pillar must be defended!

He finally made up his mind to return to the Chaotic Demon Continent in person to face the legendary man and protect the foundation of his power.

Although this means that the Eastern offensive against Twilight Continent will have to be significantly slowed down, or even turned into a complete defensive posture, the gains and losses on the front lines can be put aside for the time being compared to the destruction of the foundation.

However, whether it was the shocked Thrall, the panicked soldiers of the Morgen Empire, or the Supreme Council coalition and vampires whose morale soared upon learning the news, they were all shocked.

No one would have guessed that the War King Cohen Corleone, who swept across the demon defenses with invincible might on the southwestern border of the Chaotic Demon Continent, raising the banner of the Lion of Efein and forcing Thrall to personally return to defend the front lines, was a fake.

Indeed, the Cohen who appeared in public was none other than Melantha, who had just returned to the Lost Lands and was now in disguise again.

For Melantha, who had successfully impersonated Cohen in the Northwest Continent, manipulating Greg, Prince Shazo, and others, and even influencing the course of the Ceylon War, imitating Cohen was already second nature.

Melanie could perfectly imitate everything from appearance, physique, voice, posture, and eyes, to that unique aura of looking down on the world and controlling everything, and even some of Cohen's subtle habits and small gestures.

In addition, the partial power imprint and replicas of the exclusive equipment given by Cohen beforehand were enough to fool most people, and even some detection magic.

The "King of War" personally leads the expedition!
This news itself is a strategic bombshell, and its psychological impact and deterrent effect are unparalleled.

It was only after learning that Cohen had personally gone to the front lines that Sal had no choice but to lead his troops back to defend the area.

Faced with that legendary man, he dared not entrust the safety of his rear base to anyone else.

Upon learning this news, the soldiers on the front lines of the Demon Gold Empire were deeply shaken and their morale plummeted.

Cohen Corleone's terror has long been deeply imprinted in the minds of many soldiers and officers through various channels and circulated stories.

They may not have witnessed Cohen's incredible and glorious deeds firsthand.

But that doesn’t stop them from understanding that this is a legendary figure destined to achieve great things and leave a lasting mark on the annals of history.

Being an enemy of such a being inevitably instills a fear of "whether we will become stepping stones on his path to legend."

This psychological deterrence from top commanders can sometimes be more deadly than actual swords on the battlefield.

Thus, thanks to Melantha's masterful disguise, the grand drama of "King of War Cohen personally leading the chaotic Demon Continent" successfully achieved its strategic objective.

This forced Thrall's main force to return to reinforce, disrupting his eastern deployment and buying crucial breathing room and counterattack time for the vampires and the Supreme Council of the Twilight Continent. At the same time, it greatly damaged the morale of the Morgen Empire's army.

However, Sal decided to personally return to the Chaotic Demon Continent to deal with the deadly threat posed by "Cohen's personal expedition".

However, the vampire front cannot be easily abandoned.

The empire has already committed a large force and achieved significant results. If this place were to collapse after he leaves, it would be a fatal blow to the empire's morale.

He needs someone to take over, stabilize the eastern front, consolidate the vampire territories already occupied, and at the same time continue to maintain sufficient pressure on the remaining vampire forces to prevent them from making a comeback, especially in response to the Supreme Council's counterattack.

Sal ultimately turned his gaze to Cohen, the war chief of staff he trusted most and who was most capable:
“Maine, I must immediately return to the Chaotic Demon Continent to deal with the advance of Cohen Corleone.”

What are your thoughts on the Vampire Frontline? How should this be handled?

Cohen stepped forward, bowed slightly, and a thoughtful expression appeared on his face before he calmly said:

"The vampire clan has been crippled by the repeated blows, especially the recent defeat of the Silent Legion and the destruction of the treasure vaults of many core nobles."

Now, having abandoned its age-old pride, it has willingly submitted to the Supreme Council as a vassal, its morale has plummeted, its fighting strength has been greatly diminished, and it is riddled with internal conflicts.

In that case, the empire's most elite main force need not linger here and waste manpower and time.

Our side has occupied nearly half of the Twilight Continent's territory, including a large number of strategic locations and resource-rich areas.

What remains are nothing but ruins and remnants of a defeated army, still reeling from the shock.

My opinion is that our main force should immediately adopt a strategic defensive posture, shrink the overly protruding front lines, and consolidate the existing occupied areas.

Withdraw the main defensive line to several key points that are easy to defend and difficult to attack, and maintain pressure on the vampires with minimal troops.

The main force, especially Your Majesty's elite troops, should immediately return to the chaotic Demon Continent and strike the Supreme Council coalition forces that dare to invade our heartland with overwhelming force.

As for the defense of the eastern front, and the task of continuing to suppress and deplete the remaining vampires, let's leave that to His Excellency Hex, Grand Marshal of the Empire and President of the Senate.

To be frank, since the start of the war, our soldiers of Chaotic Demon Continent have fought bravely and sacrificed their lives to conquer this vast territory.

The Mechanical State, aside from providing some logistical support and puppet assistance, did not actually contribute much.

Now that the situation has changed, it is time for them to share the burden of the empire and demonstrate the value of allies.

"If Lord Hex cannot defeat a vampire whose spine has already been broken and whose courage has been shattered by us, and cannot stabilize the battle lines... then his title as Grand Marshal of the Empire would be somewhat unworthy."

These words truly resonated with Sal.

He was already dissatisfied with Hextech's approach of preserving its strength and waiting to see what would happen during the war, but he hadn't acted on it before because he needed to concentrate his forces on dealing with the vampires, and Hextech's logistical and technological support was indeed indispensable.

Now that the rear is in dire need of attention and the main force needs to return to reinforce, leaving a "soft target" for Hextech to exploit can both stabilize the eastern front and weaken the strength of the Machine State, which is a win-win situation.

A hint of appreciation flashed in Sal's eyes, and he said in a deep voice:

"Okay, let's do it!
Order: All main forces of the Chaotic Demon Continent on the Eastern Front shall immediately cease large-scale offensives, begin constructing solid defensive positions, and simultaneously begin the orderly evacuation of non-essential supplies and some elite troops, preparing to return with me!
Furthermore, in the name of the Imperial Supreme Command, an urgent order is issued to Imperial Grand Marshal Hex to immediately report to the front-line command post and take over the task of completely eliminating the remaining vampire forces and consolidating the defense line in the Eastern Theater!
Tell him that this is a weighty responsibility entrusted to him by the Empire, and it is time for him to prove his loyalty and worth to the Empire!

The order was quickly issued to the Continent of Machines.

Hextech's face showed little emotion in the face of the order personally given by Thrall.

He knew perfectly well that Sal had pushed him to the forefront to take over a situation that, while "in the endgame," was still full of uncertainties.

At the same time, he withdrew his most elite demon legion, leaving him to face the potential counterattack of the vampires and the Supreme Council coalition forces that could intervene at any time, using the native forces of his Mechanical Continent.

However, he had no room to refuse, nor any excuse to refuse.

As Cohen said, if Hextech is still unable to consolidate its position or even expand its gains against a vampire who is "broken in the back," "terrified," and "majorly crippled," then it is impossible for them to succeed.

Then his reputation as the Grand Marshal of the Empire and the second most important figure in the Empire will be completely destroyed.

Within the dog-eat-dog world of the Demon Gold Empire, this was undoubtedly fatal.

Hextech's voice was calm and expressionless, revealing neither joy nor anger.
"As Your Majesty commands, the Mechanical State will exert all its strength to stabilize the eastern front, eradicate the remaining vampires, and live up to the Empire's expectations!" (End of Chapter)