Chapter Seventy-Six: Molten Iron Lake!
February 18, 2017
Author: Floating Tower
Demon Lords are forever embroiled in internal strife.
But there is one thing that can temporarily unite them, and that is—the Abyssal bl**d War!
During the era of the Three Great Lords of the Abyss, a strange phenomenon occurred where the Lord of Darkness and Digomorgen were fighting to the d*ath in the lower levels of the Bottomless Abyss, while their bloodshed legions joined forces with the devil legions near the Molten Iron Lake. At that time, the Molten Iron Lake had not been lost; as one of the most important strongholds for demons, it was a critical power against the devils. The productivity of the Bottomless Abyss was extremely low, to the extent that it could barely qualify to serve the devils. When the Molten Iron Lake was still in their possession, they could barely contend with the devils, but after losing the Molten Iron Lake, the metallic production capacity of the abyssal demons could no longer sustain itself.
Currently, the main needs of the Bottomless Abyss are met through smuggling by evil spirits.
However, after Soren took control of the Bottomless Abyss, the situation began to improve, especially after establishing a connection between Modo and the Bottomless Abyss. Modo could absorb and process the minerals from the levels occupied by Soren, and in return provide weapons and armor to the Demon Legion.
At this moment.
The vast demonic army had approached the vicinity of the Molten Iron Lake.
The initial few devil strongholds were swiftly leveled by the demons using a human wave tactic, and Soren’s demon guard did not even have a chance to enter the fray.
However!
The Molten Iron Lake is not an ordinary stronghold; it is defended by a primary legion of devils and houses a massive Iron Fortress.
At the heart of the Molten Iron Lake is Felragg.
A giant Iron Fortress lies near the Molten Iron Lake, originally constructed by demons and later renovated by the devils. The Molten Iron Lake is like a naturally occurring white-hot furnace filled with molten iron; it has always been an important stronghold fought over by demons and devils. Since the d*ath of the first lord, Felragg has hosted countless demon legions interested in harvesting usable iron to build other Iron Fortresses. Due to the demons’ strong emphasis on iron mines, devil forces often attacked the Molten Iron Lake, which was once the command center for the demon legion tasked with protecting the Molten Iron Lake directly under Digomorgen.
However, near the end of the era of the Three Great Lords of the Abyss, the devil legions occupied this place and seized control of the Molten Iron Lake.
Since that time, the demons, having lost this strategic point, have increasingly found themselves at a disadvantage.
Soren’s goal is to take the Molten Iron Lake; as long as he captures this natural furnace, no enemies will be able to stop him in the first layer of the Bottomless Abyss, and other demon legions can quickly gain armed strength.
At this moment.
Over a million demon legions have approached here.
As the supreme commander of the demon coalition, Soren commands all the forces, while the legions sent by other demon lords are mostly cannon fodder; they would be satisfied if one-fifth of them returned. Thus, these demon lords do not care about victories or defeats and are willing to cede command to Soren. Since the outbreak of the Abyssal bl**d War, demons have paid enormous casualties in almost every battle, with casualty ratios often reaching half; the surviving demons have the opportunity to grow rapidly.
Although the number of demons is vast, their main force remains small.
However, this bl**d war is clearly different from the past, as the number of high-level demons has significantly increased, primarily consisting of Soren’s followers.
They also believe that Soren needs a counterattack in this bl**d war to complete his transformation from “Demon Overlord” to “Demon Prince”; only by defeating the devils in battle can he solidify his reputation as stronger than other demon lords.
Other demon lords cannot compete with the devil legions.
But their master has not only defeated the devils but also reclaimed the first layer of the Bottomless Abyss, the “Ten Thousand Abyss Plains.” Who then has the right to oppose him?
The current Iron Fortress is massive.
Although many of the devil’s bl**d war legions have already been dispatched to the Material Plane, three legions still remain here, with about fifty thousand devil troops.
Over a million against fifty thousand.
It looks like a huge advantage, but when the real battle begins, reality cruelly slaps the demons in the face.
The first wave of nearly a hundred thousand demon cannon fodder advances, but under the disciplined concentrated fire of the devils, they cannot even touch the edges of the Iron Fortress. The devils laugh as they harvest tens of thousands of heads and watch the low-level demons scatter in piles.
Devils hold a higher rank, and troop movements are strictly controlled.
They are on an entirely different level from the chaotic crowd of demons; many of the demons who came along begin to feel disheartened at the sight of the battle situation.
“Frenzied Combat Demon squads prepare to deploy.”
Soren observes everything from above; he knows there’s no point in sending low-level demons to their deaths at this time. This is a siege war, not a field battle, and low-level demons have little role in this.
With Soren’s command, some Frenzied Combat Demons equipped with heavy weapons and armor appear.
These demons cause a stir among the devil legions because they have never seen such a fully armed demon army, while behind them, squads of Six-armed Serpent Demons emerge, not only equipped with excellent weapons but also donning full armor. Such forces were only possessed by the core guard of demon overlords in the past, and now they witness an incredibly exaggerated number.
The tide of battle begins to change.
The clamoring Bone Demons are crushed, the Hell Alchemists flying in the sky are shot down by the Balroth Fire Demons, and under the protection of the Frenzied Combat Demons, the Six-armed Serpent Demon troops successfully approach the Iron Fortress, then assault a stronghold.
“Flame Demon troops deploy.”
Soren’s face brightens instantly as he decisively says, “Ygoroth should also join the fray.”
Some evil spirits mercenaries from other planes join the battle, mostly from the Hell of Scorching Flames. Soren has the halo of the Lord of d*ath behind him, and this time the evil spirits stand with the demon front.
The battle enters a slaughter phase.
Even after breaching one corner, the devils still fiercely resist the attacks and attempt several counterattacks.
In just three rounds of confrontation, thousands of mid-level demons fall, while over ten Six-armed Serpent Demons and two Balroth Fire Demons perished, with the casualty rate higher than when attacking other demon lords. However, the massive casualties also yield greater results, with the devil legion’s loss ratio reaching around twenty percent.
A twenty percent casualty rate seems low, but the devil legion consists of only about fifty thousand.
The demon army numbers over a million, instantly boosting the confidence of many demons. The massive Bull Demons voluntarily join the battle, and a troop of over fifty Eye Demons also deploy.
These are reinforcements from the Eye Demon Matron, and due to their small numbers, the entire unit consists of only three hundred.
Eye Demons are perhaps the most deadly among all powerful aberrant species and also the most grotesque in appearance.
They possess terrible lethality, which even devils find challenging to deal with.
A group of Eye Demons can create a dense barrage of light attacks; when they hold the advantage, they are almost equivalent to mobile artillery. The fort at the Molten Iron Lake is gradually nearing collapse. Demons enjoy kicking those who are already down; after the devils have suppressed for so long, seeing their side gaining the upper hand, many demon armies from other layers even began to ignore Soren’s dispatch and actively join the fray to reap heads.
In the Abyssal bl**d War, there have always been demons seeking promotion who actively joined in.
