"That Marshal." As I was lost in thought, Silver Frost, held within my embrace, stirred uneasily, a blush creeping onto her features.
It was almost like an electric shock, compelling me to pull my hands back instinctively. The situation was immensely awkward, and Silver Frost turned a deep crimson with embarrassment. Yet, my hands seemed disobedient, clinging tightly to her waist.
Looking around at the others present, every single one wore a knowing, roguish grin, leaving me suspended between standing awkwardly and sitting down, utterly unsure where to place my hands.
My image! If I backed down now, the image of an invincible leader I had painstakingly built would be utterly shattered.
I was in an unprecedented mental struggle!
What should I do—push her away, or keep holding her?
Undoubtedly, I was behaving abnormally today. Could it be because I drank too much wine? My head still felt fuzzy even now.
Right, it must be the alcohol. Yes, I'm drunk now, utterly fooled by those wicked people.
To hell with it! Since I’ve already crossed the line, having taken this liberty, I might as well go all the way. Damn it, I’m just going for it!
With my decision made, I could only steel myself and continue to wrap my arm tightly around Silver Frost’s slender waist. I danced wildly to the cheerful drums and bells resounding around us, showing no intention of letting go.
"Well done, Marshal, ha ha..." The surrounding soldiers couldn't help but erupt in loud cheers.
Apparently unprepared for my brazenness, Silver Frost kept her head down in shame, daring not to look at me.
However, she ceased struggling entirely. Instead, she followed the cheerful rhythm and melody, gracefully moving in sync with my steps and posture.
The simple, primal melody contained a blazing, untamed passion. In that moment, all restraint and shyness vanished. A revelry—this was a true carnival.
In the days that followed, the Black Flag Legion remained in a state of recuperation.
A single war consumed astonishing amounts of manpower and resources. It could be said that the Battle of Mancheng depleted nearly all the provisions accumulated by the Byron Tribe over fifty years.
This included fifty massive Byron War Chariots, as well as stockpiled armor, weapons, and so on. Although the morale of the Black Flag Legion was soaring, this forced them to halt their advance westward.
To resolve this issue, Silver River and others had to organize crews to venture out of the city to chop timber or mine ore from nearby shafts.
The artisans dispatched from the Byron Tribal headquarters also arrived promptly.
Taking Mancheng was only the first step in the overall operation plan. The original strategy was to establish Mancheng as a fixed military fortress, preparing ample grounds for long-term future operations.
Of course, all these matters were managed by specialized internal affairs and logistics personnel, leaving me, the Commander-in-Chief, an almost superfluous idler. Even when attending meetings, I merely sat before the command dais in a daze.
The days seemed to have circled back to the listless period at the beginning of the Black Flag Legion's formation. The only difference was that a certain ambiguous intimacy had blossomed between Silver Frost and me. Others often subtly engineered opportunities for us to be alone.
It was clear Silver Frost was not averse to this, which filled me with a secret joy, yet also a measure of guilt and hesitation. Whenever I was alone with her, I couldn't help but recall Yan Luo.
Truthfully, that feeling was unbearable. Subconsciously, I felt like someone fickle, someone who tires of the old for the new. I, in my previous life, despised exactly those who pretended to be great lovers yet were promiscuous, regardless of gender.
Even now, I clearly remembered the promise I made to Yan Luo before leaving Gate of the Day to head for Azure Moon.
Likewise, I recalled the face of Yan Luo being the last thing on my mind when I nearly perished on Lingfeng Bridge. All this left me utterly adrift.
As a result, the relationship between Silver Frost and me did not advance further. Of course, there was another significant reason: Shenyin and Shen Xu Yunshang were still held captive by the Demon Sealing Empire. I had no intention of distracting myself with other matters until they were rescued.
Perhaps maintaining the status quo was the best course of action for now.
A few days later, the Blood Wolf Knights, who had been trailing Silver Wrath Qu Lei into the Wanluo Mountain Range, returned to Mancheng.
Although the Blood Wolf Knights failed to annihilate the remnants of the Blazing Flame Legion within the Wanluo Mountains, they inflicted devastating losses upon them nonetheless. This gave everyone a renewed appreciation for the terrifying jungle warfare capabilities of the Blood Wolf Tribe.
Afterward, Jian Wu and others also returned to Mancheng, bringing equally cheering news.
And once they were back, the battle reports were tallied.
The Blazing Flame Legion had deployed a total force of two and a half million when they marched out of the city. We annihilated one million eight hundred thousand of them, with only about seven hundred thousand managing to flee back to Wanluo. The only regret was that apart from Demon Luo Yin Feng, who was wounded by me, none of their heavy armored generals suffered any casualties.
It could be said that while the Blazing Flame Legion suffered heavy losses, they were mainly conventional troops, not shaking their foundation. As long as the Blazing Flame Generals remained, they could soon replace the conventional troops lost in this campaign. However, achieving such a victory was already the absolute limit of what the Black Flag Legion could accomplish.
Naturally, there was more good news. The Furious Dragon Corps, responsible for operations along the southern coast, finally captured the Demon Sealing Empire’s island fortresses near the Black Sea, opening the maritime route between the Demon Dragon Empire and the Demon Sealing Continent.
This signaled that the Demon Dragon Continent could finally dispatch reinforcements to land on the Demon Sealing Continent to support us. It was believed that reinforcements departing from the Demon Dragon mainland itself should arrive on the Demon Sealing Continent shortly.
It was worth noting that because Azure Moon Qian Yu’s assassination attempt failed and he was captured by us, the King of Azure Moon was greatly enraged. However, mindful that I held the life of his son, he had to change his previous ambiguous stance.
He switched to fully supporting the Holy Word Alliance, which greatly improved the situation for the alliance!
Due to the change in the Azure Moon Empire’s attitude, the three nations of the Holy Word Church Alliance truly achieved unified command and coordinated action. Major victories were secured across all fronts: the Black Sea, Blue Sea, Red Sea, and Missby.
It could be said that the situation for the Holy Word Alliance was currently excellent.
To alleviate pressure on the various fronts, the Demon Sealing Empire was forced to make significant strategic adjustments, abandoning some strategically unimportant strongholds to contract their defenses, consolidating their forces, and focusing on key defensive points—a turtle strategy.
This contraction tactic proved effective. By utilizing advantageous terrain and concentrating their troops for defense, they successfully curbed the Holy Word Alliance’s continuous string of victories.
This returned the overall war situation on the Mafa Continent to a stalemate.
November, Holy Word Year 3749.
The first Expeditionary Army, hastily assembled by the Demon Dragon Empire, finally arrived on the Demon Sealing Continent under the escort of the Furious Dragon Corps. This army, comprising a mix of elite veteran generals and Rangers from the Ranger World, totaled an astonishing six million troops.
It was arguably the largest conscription effort in the Ranger World’s history. Even more surprising was that this massive force gathered Rangers not only from the Demon Dragon Continent but also from other continents.
This included renowned sects from the Biki Continent such as Dragon Shadow Manor, Scarlet Moon Manor, Flowing Cloud Manor, Sabak, Tiger Roar Gate, Eagle True Gate, Bear Power Gate, Dragon Abyss Gate, and Moon Sect.
The representative from the Azure Moon Continent was the most powerful Vermillion Bird Alliance!
And from the Demon Dragon Continent, the Yun Family joined forces with the remaining Azure Dragon, White Tiger, and Black Tortoise Alliances, along with other major factions’ elites.
Although the Ranger World of the Demon Dragon Continent was nearly shattered and suffered immense losses due to the matter of the Scarlet Blood Demon Sword, after that battle, everyone realized that it had all been a conspiracy by the Demon Sealing Empire.
This led the major factions to abandon their previous enmity and unite to jointly oppose the Demon Sealing Empire.
Of course, the unity among the Rangers from the three continents was largely attributed to Nine Luminaries Divine Truth. Before Nine Luminaries Divine Truth rose to prominence, he was already a prominent figure in the Mafa Continent's Ranger World.
In the Mafa Continent, few were unaware of the name "Blue Lightning Star."
Especially after Star became a Heavenly Demon Warrior, the Rangers paid extremely close attention to his every move.
It could be said that Blue Lightning was the most remarkable legendary figure in the Ranger World for a thousand years, which also gave Blue Lightning astonishing popularity among the Rangers.
Indeed, the Biki Star Moon Alliance goes without saying. The support for Star from Dragon Shadow Manor, Moon Sect, Scarlet Moon Manor, and Flowing Cloud Manor was unquestionable.
And because of Star, the Star Moon Alliance had become the most powerful faction alliance on the Biki Continent. The previously hostile Heroic Association, composed of Sabak, Dragon Abyss Gate, and others, laid down their hostility and joined the fight against the Demon Luo Alliance.
As for the relationship between the Azure Moon Vermillion Bird Alliance and Star, it was a true bond of life and death. On the Azure Moon Continent, the following Star commanded was no less than that on the Biki Continent.
As for the Rangers of the Demon Dragon Continent, there was even less need to mention it.
Just by Star’s other identity—Nine Luminaries Divine Truth, the Crown Prince of the Demon Dragon Royal Family—this shocking fact was enough to make all the Rangers ecstatic.
After all, this signified that Star was unequivocally a native of the Demon Dragon Continent. This alone was enough for all Demon Dragon Continent Rangers to support Star unconditionally.
Furthermore, in the Illusory Realm, Star had brought back the remains of Nalan Canghai and Luo Xiao, returning them to their families.
Perhaps Star himself never expected that this unintentional gesture would win him the recognition of all Rangers on the Demon Dragon Continent. When the Yun Family launched the Ranger recruitment drive, they managed to gather an astonishing figure of over one million six hundred thousand.
And the ability to form such a massive expeditionary force in such a short time made the nations of the Holy Word Alliance ecstatic.
No one expected the Ranger conscription to go so smoothly; it utterly surpassed the imagination of Jian Xing and Nine Luminaries Chong Yang.
Six million—equivalent to the total strength of three regular legions, and all were skilled Rangers. With a little training, they would absolutely become a fierce, formidable army!
When Nine Luminaries Chong Yang and others learned the exact number of the Expeditionary Army, they almost doubted they had heard correctly!
Of course, every advantage has its drawback.
The sheer concentration of such a large Ranger army brought a series of problems.
Foremost among them was how to manage this massive army, which the Demon Dragon Empire urgently needed to resolve.
Fortunately, Nine Luminaries Chong Yang had some methods. He simply organized the commanders from Mu Yao and Shui Yao of the former Iron Wolf Legion, along with officers from every echelon of the Iron Wolf Legion, into a new command structure.
This meant directly applying the military management model to control this astonishingly large Ranger army. Only this way was it possible for this hastily assembled Ranger army to avoid scheduling inefficiency and command chaos due to sheer numbers.
But the problems didn't end there.
The logistical consumption and equipment allocation for six million people also gave Nine Luminaries Chong Yang a massive headache.
It should be known that the Demon Dragon Empire had been weak for years, with limited reserves of military funds and supplies.
The sudden appearance of military expenditure for six million people nearly drained the Demon Dragon Empire's national treasury completely.
Fortunately, the Holy Word Alliance made timely adjustments, and utilizing the powerful sea transport capabilities of the Biki Empire, a massive amount of military supplies was brought in, saving the Demon Dragon Empire from the disaster of bankruptcy.
Both the Holy Word Alliance and the Demon Dragon Empire were somewhat overwhelmed by this sudden turn of good fortune. Fortunately, both Jian Xing and Nine Luminaries Zhu Tian possessed certain skills, allowing them to weather the storm.
Faced with the sudden addition of six million conventional troops, the Holy Word Alliance also made immediate adjustments. They equipped this newly formed expeditionary force with a large number of heavy armored generals.
Perhaps the Demon Sealing Empire never expected that the contraction tactics they adopted when pulling back their defenses, while effectively easing pressure on all fronts, simultaneously freed up the heavy armored generals of the Holy Word Alliance. This allowed the Heavenly Demon Generals stationed at various fronts to leave their respective defense sectors and join this newly formed expeditionary force!
This meant that the newly established expeditionary corps possessed not only over six million conventional troops but also a total of sixteen heavy armored generals.
Just as Nine Luminaries Chong Yang and Jian Xing were marveling at the successful formation of the new army, an unexpected issue almost caused them both a massive headache.
By continental convention, the establishment of a new army required a resounding name.
Naming the new corps itself shouldn't have been difficult; most names were decided through group discussion.
However, this special corps, gathering the elite Rangers from all three continents, stumped Nine Luminaries Chong Yang and Jian Xing.
Six million people meant six million different ideas.
To find a name that satisfied everyone was sheer fantasy.
This nearly caused the preliminary council meeting to devolve into an uncontrollable chaotic riot.
Yet, at the critical moment, this problem was easily solved by a young Lightning Ranger.
This youth was none other than Yun Lei, the boy who delivered messages to Star on the Demon Dragon Continent back then! It was known that this boy was a staunch supporter of Star.
The name of the new corps would be: The Black Flag Legion Ranger Corps!
It was understood that an army exceeding two million personnel was designated a Legion.
But this new expeditionary force, numbering not just over two million but a terrifying six million, being called merely a Corps seemed utterly absurd.
A Corps of six million men—this was likely unprecedented in the history of the entire Mafa Continent.
No one expected that this almost nonsensical suggestion would be accepted by the multitude of Rangers!
The Black Flag Legion Ranger Corps—clearly, this Ranger Corps was designated as the fourth Corps, following the Blood Wolf Corps, Furious Dragon Corps, and Byron Corps of the Black Flag Legion. Although the military headquarters had not explicitly designated which Legion this new army belonged to, or if it stood alone, the confirmation of this name effectively made the newly formed army an attached corps of the Black Flag Legion.
Jian Xing and Nine Luminaries Chong Yang found it too late to change their minds.
As for the legion banner, it would naturally be that plain black flag. After all, it was the symbol of the Black Flag Legion.
Jian Xing and Nine Luminaries Chong Yang could only reluctantly accept it.
However, their thoughts diverged greatly. Jian Xing once again witnessed the terrifying extent of Star’s influence in the Ranger World, filling him with a sense of unease and urgency, as if constantly walking on thorns.
With the addition of the newly formed Black Flag Legion Ranger Corps, the Black Flag Legion's total strength now exceeded eight million, making it the largest legion in history by manpower.
It was almost equal to the total strength of the entire Biki Empire. If he were allowed to continue developing, who knew what would become of the entire Mafa Continent? Perhaps even exceeding ten million one day would not be impossible.
Whenever this thought occurred, Jian Xing felt a terrifying chill run down his spine, an impulse to break out in a cold sweat. This could no longer be described as a miracle!
On the other side, Nine Luminaries Chong Yang thought of the Oracle’s prophecy!
The black flag will fly over every corner!
It turned out the prophecy referred to the current situation!
This made Nine Luminaries Chong Yang even more certain that Nine Luminaries Divine Truth would ultimately achieve victory this time!
And the successful formation of the Expeditionary Corps greatly boosted the morale of the soldiers on all fronts of the Holy Word Alliance. For the Demon Luo Alliance, this was nothing short of a terrible disaster.
The mere thought that the Demon Dragon Continent would soon have six million elite warriors and numerous heavy armored generals—who could remain calm?
This forced the Demon Sealing Continent to strengthen its naval deployments to prevent this Expeditionary Corps from launching cross-sea operations.
However, facing the heavy cannons and warships dispatched by the Biki Empire, coupled with the naval prowess of the Furious Dragon Corps, even deploying the entire naval strength composed of the Merman Tribes proved insufficient to stop the Expeditionary Corps’ overseas advance.
And by today, the Demon Luo Alliance's numerical disadvantage was finally exposed completely. Perhaps no one expected events to spiral into the current predicament.
The Ranger World, previously overlooked by the military and royal powers of every nation, had, once united, generated such astonishing energy. With the landing of the Black Flag Ranger Corps on the Demon Sealing Continent, the war on the Demon Sealing Continent officially entered the second stage: all-out warfare.