Chapter 1028: Battle of the East Coast

Ten months passed in the blink of an eye, and it was August of the year 2544 in the New Era Calendar.

Lei En once again arrived at the High Tower of Giant Cedar Ridge; the teleportation array that had originally been built outside had been reconfigured inside the tower, allowing direct teleportation from Sword Bay Town, as well as connections to King's Fortress, Luoshengdu, and several cities on the East Coast.

Stepping out of the teleportation array, Lei En did not head to the already burgeoning Luoshengdu; instead, he commanded Bo Erqi, who was following behind, to reveal his true form as a great dragon.

Lei En rode his spirit, leapt onto the dragon's back, and ordered, "Go to the Nelson Camp."

"Yes, boss!"

The golden three‑headed dragon spread its massive wings and flew north; it moved swiftly, and half a minute later a camp built among the mountains came into view.

This was one of the two camps Lei En had newly constructed on the New Continent.

One is the "Arlington Camp," located west of Aisinger; the other is the "Nelson Camp" before us, built on Giant Cedar Ridge, only a dozen or so li from the tower. Both camps serve as military bases for training the Duke Guard. Together with Gotham City, the Augustus Principality, and Kalanos, the Duke Guard now has a total of five camps.

Initially, Lei En's plan was to establish a Duke Guard of one hundred thousand troops before the year 2545; progress had been somewhat slow, so last year he accelerated the army‑building pace.

Each of the two newly built camps recruited twenty thousand people.

Using a veteran‑to‑newcomer model, Lei En broke up the four fully formed divisions, expanded them into six divisions, and trained them for nearly a year.

The Seventh and Eighth Divisions are still in training.

Personnel for the Ninth and Tenth Divisions have just been recruited; they will need three years before they can see combat, so they certainly won't make it in time for next year's major events.

From the dragon's back, Lei En could see the camp's training ground far below, where the entire Sixth Division of the Duke Guard stood in neat formation. Everyone was excited; senior officers had already told them that a real battle would take place today.

"Roar…"

A roar imbued with overwhelming draconic might resonated.

Under the soldiers' gaze, the golden three‑headed dragon's silhouette flew in from the horizon, like a massive golden streak of light, circling half a turn above the camp before descending.

With a bang.

The giant dragon landed, kicking up dust.

The massive size of the golden three‑headed dragon made one feel tiny, and its draconic aura was suffocating; atop its back stood a tall, imposing figure, a young, handsome face radiating authority, surveying the army with a scrutinizing gaze.

"Consul!"

"Lord Duke!"

Everyone lifted their heads and straightened their chests, looking at Lei En with excitement and confidence—the greatest hero of the age, the founder of the Duke Guard, the man who bestowed extraordinary power upon them—hoping his gaze would linger on them a moment longer.

Lei En said nothing, observing the soldiers expressionlessly.

Although every member of the Duke Guard wore Storm Armor, their bodies encased in silvery plates and helmets covering their faces, he could see through them, perceiving each person's soul state; the Thundercast Celestial Soldier serving as officer knew the troops even better.

After the reorganization, the six divisions had very balanced combat power, each mixing veterans with recruits at roughly a two‑to‑one ratio.

The most senior first batch of veterans numbered over ten thousand.

They have been in the Duke Guard for five years, never ceasing the Black Soul elixir, which provided the optimal magical souls, superior cultivation conditions, and guidance from Thundercast Celestial Soldier officers; they were originally filtered layer by layer, possessing above‑average talent, and already more than two thousand have been promoted to Mid‑stage.

These Mid‑stage superiors are mostly at level seven, with a few reaching levels eight and nine.

Only a dozen or so have ascended to Legend.

From the First to the Sixth Division, the majority are still low‑level superiors of second or third rank; mid‑stage superiors of fourth to sixth rank make up about twenty percent, roughly twelve thousand people.

Among the over two thousand Mid‑stage superiors, anyone who performs slightly better is essentially promoted to officer.

However, even the Legends have only reached the rank of Deputy Regimental Commander at most.

Lei En does not want them to enter the senior ranks of the Duke Guard too early; they need more training, and the Duke Guard is not yet fully mature, so command must remain entirely in his hands. Therefore, the regimental commanders and division commanders are still all held by Thundercast Celestial Soldiers.

"My guards…"

Lei En affectionately calls the members of the Duke Guard "guards," and loudly says, "I have seen the results of your diligent training; you have not let down my expectations, and everything I have invested in you is worthwhile, which makes me very pleased."

"Train soldiers for a thousand days, use them for a moment."

"Today is the time to test your strength, and also your chance to achieve glory," Lei En paused, then said with anticipation, "Do not disappoint me."

"Willing to die for Lord Duke!"

The ten thousand members of the Sixth Division shouted in unison, "For glory, for the Empire, for the Consul! Long live Augustus!"

"Good! Very spirited!"

A satisfied smile finally appeared on Lei En's face, and he ordered, "Board the ship!"

A rumble sounded over the camp, an invisible gravity pressing down like an unseen mountain crushing overhead; as the Invisibility Field lifted, the massive hull of the Star Destroyer blocked the sky, its shadow covering most of the camp, as if the heavens had turned black.

Even though the Duke Guard has seen it many times before, each sighting of the Star Destroyer still leaves them awe‑struck.

The gates of the four hangars opened.

Armored warcraft flew out one by one, heading to their designated divisions by number, hovering half a meter above the ground; once the soldiers entered, they quickly took off and returned to the hangar.

In just a few minutes, the entire division of ten thousand troops boarded the Star Destroyer.

Inside the hangar, two companies of Extreme Warriors and two battalions of Holy Lance Knights were already in position, standing orderly in their respective areas.

Lei En and Bo Erqi teleported onto the bridge.

The Star Destroyer lifted off immediately, soaring out of the camp and expanding the Invisibility Field; it accelerated at high altitude for thirty seconds, and with a roar, its massive hull leapt into the void, reappearing after having crossed the entire New Continent to reach the East Coast.

Lei En gazed at the overcast sky above, beneath which stretched an endless expanse of Evil Energy Wasteland, and dozens of li ahead rose a mountain range extending from the north.

This is the southern part of the East Coast, land occupied by demons.

"Lord Duke, Igo City is almost here."

A magnetic voice sounded behind him; Lei En turned, gave a slight nod to indicate he understood.

The speaker was seated in the captain's chair.

He appeared just over thirty, with a long cheek, high nose and deep‑set eyes; his thick hair was neatly combed, with a few deliberately styled curls on the right forehead; at first glance his looks weren't strikingly handsome, yet his demeanor was gentle and refined, his gaze profound, a carefully trimmed circle of short black beard framing his mouth, and two strands of white hair at his temples added a mature charm rather than aging him.

He wore a dark‑blue magical coat, with a thick red cloak draped over his back; the cloak's collar was very high, able to cover his neck when raised.

Seated in the captain's chair, he crossed his legs, his posture giving off a slightly cynical air.

He seemed to regard Lei En with less deference than most people would.

Bo Erqi, Lei En's chief lackey, would have scolded anyone else for such an attitude long ago, but in front of him he dared not utter a word, his heart full of awe.

This is Grand Mage Strange, whose power is unfathomable, and he serves as captain of the Star Destroyer "Luoshengdu"!

Boorqi has stayed almost constantly by Lei En's side in recent years, learning many secrets.

The boss possesses six Star Destroyers!

Each Star Destroyer's captain is a Grand Mage, not a Holy Soul Wizard; apart from the boss, no one knows their origins, their names have never been heard before, and their relationship with the boss is also mysterious— the boss trusts them more than himself.

The bridge fell silent again.

Lei En does not know what Boorqi is thinking; his mind is occupied with the upcoming battle.

Today, he will attack the last territory on the East Coast.

For this, ten months of preparation have been made; the newly completed No. 5 ship "Luoshengdu" and No. 6 ship "Igo" were dispatched immediately, targeting the city of Igo on the southeastern New Continent—the very city after which the No. 6 ship is named, the lair where the Fear Demon King dwells.

The Fear Demon King's name is "Luosadi'aosi".

He is the most powerful demon lord on the New Continent, his domain second only to the Eternal Chosen, covering the "Sunlight State" and a third of the southern East Coast, stretching from the coastline westward to the Baleqiya Mountains, an area equivalent to three to four provinces of the Empire!

This land is heavily tainted by evil energy, almost indistinguishable from the Abyssal Plane, and contains two Abyssal Gates.

One lies in Igo City's old lair, the only super‑large Abyssal Gate on the New Continent.

The other is a large Abyssal Gate in Sunlight State's Molangdu, the city Lei En promised to Weizelan's Floating City for reconstruction.

The demon army ruled by the Fear Demon King numbers in the tens of millions, half of which are Shadow Demons, with Destruction Demons and Burning Demons each making up a quarter.

An equal number of various demonic creatures also exist, with more than twenty‑thousand demon nests of all sizes!

Besides Luosadi'aosi, he commands three other demon lords: a mid‑rank Void Terror Demon Lord, a Fire Beast Lord, and a Six‑armed Snake Demon. The Void Terror Demon and the Fire Beast Lord guard Molangdu's Abyssal Gate, while the Six‑armed Snake Demon stays beside Luosadi'aosi in Igo City.

Moreover, north of Luosadi'aosi's territory, the lands occupied by Evil Beastmen appear on maps as a buffer zone between Roli City, but they are actually vassals of the demons.

The Evil Beast King "Quint" has long sworn allegiance to him.

Demons, demonic creatures, and Evil Beastmen together total at least twenty million!

Even the Eternal Chosen tread carefully; Aiken has restrained Netifu Demons from clashing with demons, clearly delineating each side's borders.

But Lei En is not afraid.

This super‑hard bone, he insists on gnawing it down!

He aims not only to reclaim this vast territory and eliminate the Fear Demon King and his subordinate demon lords, but also to harvest the souls of those over twenty‑million demonic creatures.

Lei En formulated a battle plan.

This time four Star Destroyers are deployed: Saluman pilots the Aixingge to strike the northern "Quint", exterminating the Evil Beast King and its settlement; Mavoro pilots the Karanos to assault southern Molangdu, destroying the Abyssal Gate and the two demon lords.

The newly built Luoshengdu and Igo together attack the Fear Demon King's lair, Igo City.

The captains of these two Star Destroyers are his own avatars; they were recently promoted to Grand Mage, then instantly advanced to level twenty‑four.

"Strange" specializes in Arcane and Flame spell lines, especially adept at Space, Control, and Teleportation;

"Riz" specializes in Arcane and Lightning, leaning toward the Mo Du school's casting philosophy, focusing on spells that deal massive damage; he is currently aboard the Igo, having just been teleported from Duke Augulevi to the New Continent, now flying toward Igo City from another direction.

To ensure flawless execution, Lei En also assigned an extra thousand Thundercast Celestial Soldiers to each warship, hidden in the upper decks of the Star Destroyers, unknown to the other legions.

Even though they are not fully formed, the legendary Mid-stage Thundercast Celestial Soldiers are stronger than ordinary legendary High‑rank ones.

Four thousand Thundercast Celestial Soldiers in battle, disregarding the demon lords' threat, could wipe out twenty million demonic creatures in a month, leaving no armor behind.

Of course, the Thundercast Celestial Soldiers are only a reserve force.

Across the New Continent, Augulevi Master's eyes and ears are everywhere; the Thundercast Celestial Soldiers cannot be exposed much for now, and will only appear in dire circumstances.

A moment later.

A massive camp stretching dozens of miles appeared on the horizon; at its center stood an Abyssal Gate nearly two hundred meters tall. Endless evil energy spewed from it, dense enough to seem solid, soaring ten thousand meters into the sky to form a hundred‑mile‑diameter vortex of corrupt energy; a ghostly green cloud covered the sky year‑round, obscuring the sun completely.

Lei En's pupils narrowed; even after sending avatars to infiltrate many times, seeing this super‑large Abyssal Gate with his own eyes still left him stunned.

Boorqi's eyes showed a hint of fear.

"Is this Igo?" he murmured softly, "the former 'Eagle City', now completely reduced to a demon's nest!"

Igo City was built by elves as a ground‑transport hub in the southeastern New Continent, known as the "Southern Gate". The Baleqiya Mountains end here; the city sits on the high ground extending from the range, with distinct four‑season climate suitable for many eagles and hawks, so it earned the nickname "Eagle City".

In the Elven tongue, "Igo" means "Eagle".

Yet the Eagle City can no longer be found; looking around, demons cover the area around the Abyssal Gate, at least a million!

Countless flying demons fill the sky as well.

Screech Demons, Gargoyles, Fro Bird Demons, Purgatory Horn Demons, Soul Screamers, Soul‑capturing Demons, Grudge Spirits, Rotting Bee Swarms, Shade Demons, and Ghostly Bats gather in massive clouds, swirling around the Abyssal Gate.

The demons on the ground are even more innumerable, dense, spreading to the edge of sight.

This is a terrifying scene that only appears in nightmares!

The city was previously called "Igou", which sounded unpleasant, and has been fully changed to "Igo".

(End of Chapter)