Extraordinary Rise: Starting Contract with the Silver Dragon Countess

There was no earth-shattering energy explosion, no extraordinary phenomenon sweeping across the world, only a natural and inevitable sublimation.

Under the impact of a massive amount of experience, Cohen successfully broke through the barrier of the ninth rank.

I felt the power within me was becoming purer, and I resonated more deeply with the elemental magic of heaven and earth.

Their sense of control over themselves is also significantly clearer.

After the advancement was completed, a series of sounds rang in my ears:
"Shadow Master", "Gate of the King", "Transform into a Thousand Soldiers", and "Counterattack Storm" have been upgraded.

"Mastering the Shadows": A rule-based skill, level six, grants free access to the sub-plane "Shadow Plane" and grants control over the "Shadow Plane," with authority equivalent to a "Shadow Lord," and the acquisition of the Shadow Legion.

Shadow Lord: You freely enter and exit the Shadow Plane, the space between life and death, reality and illusion. You are not merely a passerby, but one of its rulers, with authority equivalent to the ancient "Shadow Lords".

Shadow Legion: You can bring up to 10,000 troops under the protection of the shadows for strategic maneuvering or stealth.

It can summon the Bronze-tier Shadow Creature "Shadow Phantom", the Silver-tier Shadow Creature "Shadow Hunter", and the Gold-tier Shadow Creature "Abyss Shadow Beast".

Shadow Phantom: Bronze tier, resembling a fleeting humanoid shadow with no physical form. It can actively merge into the shadows and excels at ambushing from the shadows. Its attack method is relatively simple, typically using shadow tentacles to entangle enemies.

Shadow Hunter: Silver tier, a humanoid shadow creature. Capable of moving swiftly through the shadows, instantly appearing behind enemies. Can drain the life force of its enemies, converting it into its own energy.

Abyssal Shadow Beast: Gold Rank, the size of an ox, exuding a dense aura of shadow. Its skin is incredibly tough, making it difficult for ordinary weapons to harm it. The Abyssal Shadow Beast primarily attacks by charging at enemies with its sharp horns or stomping with its powerful limbs.

It can unleash shadow waves that deal continuous damage to surrounding enemies and weaken them.

"Gate of the King": Rule Skill, upgraded to Level 6.

"Transform into Ten Thousand Soldiers": Professional skill, upgraded to level nine.

The Gate of Babylon and the Body of a Thousand Weapons merge and upgrade into a domain—Unlimited Blade Works!
Cohen's mind was filled with an indescribable sense of enlightenment.

The two core skills, "Golden Gate" and "Transform into a Thousand Soldiers," which were once independent, underwent a fundamental fusion under the baptism of the rules for advancing to the ninth rank.

Together they created a domain that belonged only to him.

A domain power that only legendary-level transcendents can possess!

Cohen fled into the Shadow Dimension.

Then, with a slight thought, no incantation or preparation was needed.

Centered on him, a strange "scene" quietly replaced reality.

The sky was the dark red of an eternal twilight, filled with countless slowly rotating gear-shaped clouds and burning patterns.

The land was a wasteland studded with countless weapons!
Swords, knives, spears, halberds, axes, hammers, bows, staffs... they come in all shapes and sizes, spanning from ancient times to the modern era, and are made of materials ranging from ordinary iron to divine metal.

There are even many magical weapons and blades that only appear in myths and epics, all of which are silently inserted upside down or suspended here.

This is "Unlimited Blade Works," his legendary domain!

Roughly estimated, the initial range of the entire domain has easily covered a large city, comparable to a mid-stage legendary superhuman!
Within this realm, he is the master of all weapons!
Summoning of All Weapons: With a thought, any weapon within the domain can be summoned, projected, and controlled at will, its power enhanced by Cohen's power.

It can even briefly summon the "True Name Projection" of those mythical weapons, unleashing a portion of their original power.

Confiscating All Weapons: When an enemy enters this area, their weapons, magical equipment, and even energy condensations will be strongly interfered with and repelled by the power of the area.

Those with weak will may even be directly stripped of their power by the domain, forcibly confiscated, and turned into part of the weapon wasteland within the domain!

Domain Suppression: Within "Unlimited Blade Works", enemies will be subjected to terrifying killing intent and rule suppression from countless weapons, making it difficult for them to fully exert their strength.

Cohen and his followers will receive comprehensive weapon affinity and attack power enhancements.

Legendary Realm, the Power of Rules!
Cohen's eyes flashed with excitement, his heart surging with emotion.

This is the signature power of a legendary-level expert, a highly condensed power of rules!

Even for ordinary gold-tier individuals, merely touching the surface of the domain is considered genius.

And he, having just entered the ninth rank, already possessed such a mature, powerful, and astonishingly wide offensive domain!
With just this "Infinite Blade Works" domain, he already possesses the ability to confront ordinary legendary-level extraordinary beings head-on!

The notification tone continues, this time regarding the enhancement of professional skills:

"Counterattack Storm" is upgraded to level nine, and the enhanced rune "Zhongya Manifestation" is transformed into the rule skill - Divine Protection!
The "Counterattack Storm" that once helped him block countless fatal attacks, and the "Zhongya Manifestation" rune that provided temporary invincibility at crucial moments, under the baptism of immense experience and rules, underwent a fundamental fusion and transformation.

This gave rise to a simple, direct, yet powerful rule-based skill that could instill despair in any enemy.

Divine Protection: A rule-based skill that grants immunity to all damage for ten seconds.

All harm!
Physics, magic, spirit, soul, rules, causality, concepts... Within ten seconds of "Divine Protection" taking effect, all harmful effects applied to Cohen are nullified!

This is no longer about blocking with skill, nor about relying on resistance reduction, but about absolute immunity at the rule level!

A hint of excitement gleamed in Cohen's eyes. This was the trump card among trump cards. Although it only lasted for ten seconds, those ten minutes were enough for him to escape into the shadow dimension.

Cohen took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement.

Ten seconds may seem short, but in a duel between top experts, it can be enough to turn the tide of life and death and determine the outcome.

More importantly, this ten-second "absolute safety period" is enough for him to do many things—activate "Unlimited Blade Works" to unleash a fatal attack, or escape into the "Shadow Dimension" to calmly break free...

Just as he thought, even if he faced the gods head-on, those ten seconds would be enough for him to escape unscathed.

The breakthrough was complete, and the familiar attribute panel appeared in my consciousness:
Name: Cohen Corleone

[Race: Human]

【Age: 23】

[Attributes: Strength (MAX), Agility (14), Willpower (MAX), Intelligence (18), Charisma (MAX)]

[Talent: Child of the Mist]

[Exceptional Profession: Mystic, Dragon Seal Weapon Master.]

[Profession Rank: 9th Tier (High Gold Level), Experience Points: 0/100000000]

[Rule Skills: Mastery of Shadows (Level 6), Divine Protection]

[Passive Skill: Weapon Mastery]

[Runes: Add Fuel to the Fire, Might, Agility, Multi-Target Sight, Frozen Foundation, Banner of Command, Blade Waltz, War Symphony, Shrink Ray]

[Equipment: Ghostcrab, Power Drink, Guardian Dagger]

Having completed the breakthrough, Cohen slowly opened his eyes.

A new force was quietly surging within him, a personal power capable of influencing a battle or even the situation in a region.

But this is not enough, far from it.

As the Covenant of the Gods is about to be announced and the continent is about to be thrown into turmoil, the Ninth Order... is just the beginning!
A breakthrough in individual ability is certainly gratifying.

But Cohen never forgot that this was an era in which the gods were about to return. The world was about to descend into an era of unprecedented chaos and strife.

No matter how strong an individual is, there are limits in the face of a catastrophe sweeping across the continent and the clash between national destiny and reality.

What truly determines whether a civilization or a power can survive or even rise in the coming storm is its overall national strength, its elite troops, its sound system, and... the will to lead it all.

Thrall and Hextech, especially the evil shadows from the abyss behind them, are the most dangerous obstacle standing in his way to the higher throne.

But now, the time is ripe.

With over 80% of the Lost Lands' territory and resources under its control, and a massive army gathered from vampires, werewolves, the Endless Alliance, the Mysterious State, and even the human continent, its momentum is unstoppable and its military might is at its peak.

He himself has also entered a new realm of personal martial arts prowess.

It's time to put an end to this war that has swept across the lost lands.

……

The Demon Gold Empire, the frontline headquarters.

The atmosphere in the huge council hall was heavy, with the flickering demonic fire illuminating the solemn faces of the crowd.

The core of the empire was almost all gathered here, with Thrall sitting high in the main seat, his body half-hidden in the shadows, his face showing barely concealed shock and anger.

His demon legion, which he had built with his own hands, was once invincible, but now it is repeatedly thwarted by the Supreme Council.

To the left of Thrall is Hex, the Grand Marshal of the Empire and Lord of the Machine State, who has just returned urgently from the front lines.

Cohen, the number two figure in the current chaotic Demon Continent, the top strategist of the Demon Gold Empire, and Sal's most trusted right-hand man, also sat down next to him.

The atmosphere in the council chamber was almost frozen.

After a long silence, Thrall finally broke it, but his voice was full of confusion:
"...Why, can anyone tell me why this is happening?"
Our demon army once almost swept across the entire Lost Lands, so why did it suddenly suffer defeat after defeat, losing cities and territory?

Those vampires, those werewolves, those neutral city-states that waver like fences—don't they pride themselves on being arrogant and claim to be unyielding to the death?
Why is it that when they encounter Cohen Corleone, they all wag their tails and pounce on him like dogs smelling a bone, willingly signing unequal treaties that humiliate and destroy their country!
"That Cohen, what kind of spell did he cast on these useless people? Is that Supreme Council really that popular?"

Sal's roar echoed in the hall, carrying a sense of desperate anger and confusion.

He couldn't understand how absolute power could have led to this predicament.

His prized war machine suddenly lost all its magic in the face of Cohen's Supreme Council.

Hextech paused for a moment before slowly speaking:
"Your Majesty, the Supreme Council does not rely solely on popular support."

Their integration efficiency, resource allocation capabilities, and the strength of their external support all far exceeded our pre-war estimates. Cohen Corleone is extremely adept at using external pressure and internal conflicts to complete the consolidation of power at minimal cost.

Our early expansion strategy objectively cleared many obstacles for him, forcing the originally scattered resistance forces into his camp.

Moreover…most importantly, Cohen's demonstrated military strength is no less than that of the five great human empires!

Soon an important official stood up and said:

"It's too late to discuss these things now. The southwestern defense line is being pushed back step by step by that Cohen, and the eastern front is also under great pressure."

They had just managed to snatch some goods from Nightmoon Continent, but before they could even digest them, they were attacked again.

If this continues, let alone dominating the Lost Lands, even our existing territory will likely be gradually devoured.

We must find a way to turn this situation around!

All eyes turned back to Sal, and also subtly swept over Cohen, who had remained silent.

As the chief of staff for the war effort, some of his recent strategic adjustments did delay the rout to some extent, but they did not turn the tide.

Many people placed their hopes for a reversal on this chief of staff who had repeatedly created miracles in the early stages of the war.

Sal was panting heavily. He felt unprecedented pressure, not just military pressure, but also the suffocating strategic disadvantage that was closing in step by step.

He must make changes, otherwise...

Like everyone else, he looked at Cohen.

Noticing that everyone's eyes were on him, Cohen raised his head, his expression grave, with a resolute air of desperation, and said in a deep voice:
"Since His Majesty and the other officials trust me so much, I will speak frankly."

If we continue to fight the Supreme Council's coalition forces in the lost lands, it may seem like we are fighting for every inch of territory, but in reality, it is playing right into their hands.

They have already consolidated most of the lost territories, and their resources, manpower, and morale are all on the rise, with continuous external support.

As for us, we are fighting on two or even three fronts, our logistics are exhausted, and we also need time to reorganize internally.

If we engage in a war of attrition, we will inevitably fall into a disadvantageous position gradually.

Sal's eyes were gloomy:

"Everyone knows this. The problem is, if we don't fight, are we just going to wait to die?"

Or do you mean we should leave the Lost Lands?

Cohen shook his head slightly:

"No, Your Majesty, we are not limited to retreating. Perhaps we can... use offense as a defense and divert the disaster eastward."

"What do you mean?" Sal narrowed his eyes.

Cohen stood up, walked to the huge map of the continent, moved his finger away from the Lost Lands, and pointed to the area in the east marked with the territories of many human kingdoms.

"Since we are currently in a difficult situation within the Lost Lands, and are even in a passive position, why don't we turn our attention to the outside world?"
The human continent is so wealthy, and there is constant conflict between nations, it is impossible for them to unite in a short period of time.

Most importantly, the official announcement of the Covenant of the Gods is not far off.

At that time, the entire continent will inevitably fall into unprecedented chaos, the old order will be challenged, and ambitious people will spring up like mushrooms after rain.

Our Demon Gold Empire possesses the ferocity of the Demon Legion and the war technology of the Mechanical State. We are the embodiment of chaos and power!

Rather than struggling in the quagmire of the Lost Lands, which are about to be consolidated by the Supreme Council, it would be better to take the initiative and ignite the flames of war first in those relatively weak but resource-rich countries or regions surrounding the human continent!

The moment Cohen said that, the atmosphere in the entire conference room changed, and everyone's eyes seemed to light up.

Sal's expression softened, and he said in a deep voice:
"You mean we should proactively invade the human continent?"

Cohen nodded firmly, pointing to several small human kingdoms and commercial city-state alliances bordering the edge of the Lost Lands on the map:
"Here, here, and here... Their national strength is far inferior to that of large countries like Efein and Ceylon, and their defenses are relatively weak, but their accumulated wealth, resources, and population are quite considerable."

With the might of our empire's army, a surprise attack would surely be enough to defeat them in one fell swoop.

To seize their resources, replenish our own supplies, and thus sustain our war effort through war, thereby strengthening ourselves!

Sal quickly realized the problem and asked in a deep voice:

"Wouldn't this provoke a united resistance from all of humanity?"

Cohen shook his head and said:
"Absolutely not. As everyone knows, the Covenant of the Gods is about to be announced, and the entire continent is actively preparing for the great chaos to come, especially the five great empires."

At such a sensitive time, no one will step forward to oppose our Demon Gold Empire!

A suppressed gasp and whispers rippled through the council chamber.

The idea of ​​launching a preemptive attack on the human continent is incredibly audacious, yet it seems to carry a sense of possibility arising from a desperate situation.

Seeing that Sal was somewhat tempted, Cohen continued to incite him:

"More importantly, Your Majesty, don't forget that Cohen Corleone's old stronghold, Effie, has expanded rapidly in recent years, making countless enemies."

Whether it was the Kingdom of Serene under the leadership of the Black Tomb, the Xia Zuo lineage of the Eastern Empire, or the Noble House lineage of the Central Empire, they all had sharp conflicts with him.

They also harbor deep hatred for the surrounding forces that they suppressed and annexed.

If we are the first to ignite the flames of war on the human continent and break the existing fragile balance, it will be tantamount to sending a signal to all forces that are dissatisfied with Effie and the Supreme Council.

At that time, the mainland will be in complete chaos, with war raging everywhere, and Aifein will inevitably become the target of everyone's ire.

Effie had previously relied on force and Cohen's reputation to seize power and plunder, offending so many forces. Once chaos ensues, this hatred and fear will erupt like a volcano.

Cohen and his Supreme Council will be too busy dealing with open and covert attacks from all sides of the human continent to have any spare capacity to manage our Lost Lands.
At that time, our Demon Gold Empire will not only be able to seize a large amount of resources and strengthen its power on the human continent, but also be able to watch as Effie and the Supreme Council get bogged down in the war on the human continent.

When they are overwhelmed and exhausted, we will launch a counterattack from our lost ground, working together from within and without... no, we will strike while they are weak and kill them.

Recovering lost territory, and even completely eliminating this major threat, wouldn't that be as easy as turning one's hand?

Thrall's expression became increasingly intriguing, and Hextech's face also showed signs of interest.

Cohen pressed his advantage, glancing at the other generals, his tone highly inflammatory:
"Your Majesty, esteemed lords, rather than being trapped in the Lost Lands and gradually devoured by Cohen, why don't we take the initiative and bring even greater chaos to the entire continent?"

Once the mainland is in complete chaos, we'll regain the initiative amidst the confusion!

Sal's eyes flashed with a cold light.

Yes, since the situation in the Lost Lands is becoming increasingly unfavorable to me, why can't I step out and stir up trouble on the human continent, making everyone uneasy?
Isn't chaos and destruction what the demon legion excels at best?
Once the whole world is in chaos, with the strength of the Demon Gold Empire, can't it carve out a new world for itself?

The small countries and city-states on the edge of the human continent are far less militarily powerful than the Demon Gold Empire.

The wealth they have accumulated through long periods of peace is definitely a tempting cake.

More importantly, if handled properly, it could create enough chaos on the human continent, especially drawing fire towards Effie and his allies.

This will inevitably force Cohen Corleone and the Supreme Council to be distracted, and may even force them to recall some of their elite forces to defend their homeland, thereby relieving the pressure on the Magnum Empire in the Lost Lands.

After listening to Cohen's words, Hex also fell into deep thought.

Attacking the human continent is extremely risky and will inevitably provoke a stronger backlash, and may even trigger a full-scale war with more human forces ahead of schedule.

However... from a purely military and resource plundering perspective, this could indeed alleviate the Empire's supply pressure in the short term and divert the Supreme Council's attention from the Lost Lands.

Moreover, if it could truly trigger internal strife on the human continent and restrain Effie, it might not be a bad opportunity for the Machine State to catch its breath or even reorganize its strategy.

The other high-ranking members of the empire were also spurred on by Cohen's vision of "plundering wealthy human kingdoms," "bringing the flames of war to Cohen's homeland," and "growing stronger amidst the chaos," and their eyes gleamed with greed.

Sal abruptly stood up, looked around at everyone, and said in a deep voice:
"What Chief of Staff Mayne said... is not without reason. Rather than waiting to be trapped and killed, it is better to take the initiative."

"The human continent... Hmph, they've been living in comfort for far too long. It's time to make them relive the fear of being dominated by the abyss!"

Pass on the order!

Stop the all-out entanglement with the Supreme Council in the Lost Lands, and shift the defenses to a defensive posture to buy time.

Assemble the main force, target: the nations of the northwestern continent of humanity!

Before the Covenant of the Gods unleashes an even greater storm, we must first tear a breach in the human continent and seize everything we need!

……

The Demon Gold Empire, this massive war machine, demonstrated astonishing execution capabilities after reaching a consensus at its highest level.

The demon legions and mechanical forces, which were originally entangled with the Supreme Council's allied forces on various fronts in the Lost Lands, began to deliberately shrink their defensive lines and switch to strategic defense.

Only the necessary troops were left to delay the enemy, while the empire's true elite forces began to quietly gather and turn around.

Thrall personally took command, mobilizing the main forces of his three demon legions—"Bone Eater," "Skinner," and "Calamity"—who were most adept at plundering and creating chaos.

Hextech deployed a special mechanical army centered around the "Citybreaker" heavy siege unit, supplemented by the "Hunter" mobile force and the "Spellweaver" rune support unit.

Meanwhile, the native superhumans, sorcerers, and enslaved powerful magical beasts of the Lost Lands, who were already deeply bound to the war machine of the Magic Gold Empire, were also forcibly or conscripted to form an expeditionary force with complex composition but formidable combat power.

As the proposer of the plan and Sal's most trusted chief of staff, Cohen naturally took on the heavy responsibility of frontline command and strategic planning without hesitation.

Under his deliberate command, the Demon Gold Empire's military forces bypassed the heavily fortified strongholds and cities of powerful nations on the northwestern continent, heading straight for the less guarded small and medium-sized countries and autonomous territories.

Especially those regions that have a history of conflict with Effie and have betrayed Effie in the past! (End of Chapter)