79. Reorganizing the Army

Throughout the Death Empire, from the highest ranks to the common folk, all were filled with unparalleled pride at the empire’s latest campaign. It could be said that without the empire’s expedition—without the soldiers’ fearless struggle—the majority of empires on this continent would have been left vulnerable and precarious. What could inspire greater pride in a nation’s people than this? At that very moment, a fervor for military training swept across Death Empire. Those who had recently joined as border guards, once unable to find a sense of belonging, now felt it deeply within their bones—a sense of allegiance to this new realm, Death Empire.

The black battle standard, its flag lowered halfway, had never appeared so striking to their eyes. Through this conflict, Mo Fei had gained insight. The Death Cavalry required little improvement, but the infantry was another matter. Mere massed charges were no longer suitable, especially against enemy infantry formations of equal strength and greater numbers.

Upon returning to the capital, the dwarf general Hilai accompanied Mo Fei. In the deployment of infantry, no one within Death Empire possessed greater authority than Hilai. After all, he had commanded nearly two hundred thousand coalition troops; his vision far surpassed that of ordinary men. Although the coalition troops seldom obeyed his orders, after Hilai distinguished the fifteen thousand dwarf crossbowmen and their three hundred ballistae, the most vulnerable flanks suffered not a single casualty, retreating safely to the Dragon Empire. The only losses occurred during the siege of Demon Island, with the most devastating casualties inflicted by the spellcasters’ assault—once again demonstrating the formidable power of mages.

The mages’ collective attack was so overwhelming that even the berserkers, clad head to toe in armor, fell beneath its force. Had the heavy-armored Death Cavalry been present, the losses would not have been so dire.

After returning to the empire, Mo Fei sought out Elder Auv. His request was simple: develop lightweight armor capable of resisting most magical attacks, akin to the heavy armor worn by cavalry, and equip the troops immediately. All berserkers, whose strength was unaffected by heavy armor even in their frenzied state, were outfitted entirely in heavy armor following this battle.

The Death Cavalry was strengthened as well; their main force, once less than sixty thousand, was expanded to one hundred twenty thousand through army reorganization. Mo Fei seized all the magical beast mounts from the elven light cavalry. The City of Death, which had only three thousand heavy cavalry before the war, now maintained a permanent force of thirty thousand.

As for the elven archers, lacking new magical beast mounts, they could only march on foot. Fortunately, stationed in the forest, they left twenty thousand lightly armored archers in the City of Death, while the rest returned to Death Forest.

At the repeated request of Goldstone Empire, a permanent force of three thousand heavy Death Cavalry was stationed in their capital, answering only to the Goldstone monarch. With these elite troops present, the capital would not again be incited to unrest as before.

Meanwhile, the major coastal city of ally Doma Empire became the future base for Death Empire’s navy. After the war, Elder Auv increased investment in massive warships, and Goldstone Empire generously provided most of the funding once again.

Goldstone Empire recognized that the continent’s future alliance would be led by Death Empire, and perhaps one day, unification was not beyond possibility.

But Mo Fei never entertained such thoughts. To unify the continent? That was far from easy. He had refused even Doma Empire’s voluntary membership, let alone the smallest of kingdoms. These days, Mo Fei remained within the palace, conferring daily with Elder Auv, Hilai, and others.

The dwarves and berserkers suffered greatly; with three thousand casualties, both races struggled to recover. Hilai advocated for intensifying training among the human warriors, forging them into elite soldiers to support the formations in battle. Their might would rival that of the berserkers.

Mo Fei now understood well the limitations of dwarves and berserkers. Of the more than three hundred thousand berserkers gathered in Death Empire, one hundred thousand had joined the army. The dwarves numbered slightly more—nearly six hundred thousand—while the humans of Death Empire approached eight million.

The Elven Kingdom was now in revival; the elves were a most peculiar people, for every citizen, young or old, was a born archer. To say the entire nation was an army was not far from the truth.

Having finally secured what might be decades for development, Mo Fei was compelled to plan the empire’s future during this precious interval. Soon, he would set sail; he still remembered the words of the Demon Island prince, and wondered whether the prince could successfully claim the island. For the sake of the continent, perhaps Mo Fei himself would have to cross the sea.

———

From the moment he set foot on this beautiful continent, Mo Fei had fallen in love with it. He still could not fathom why such a lovely land bore so incongruous a name—Demon Island.

By the sea, Mo Fei walked hand in hand with Aileen and Vivian along the shore.

“Brother, it’s so beautiful here!” Aileen gazed at the tranquil beach, the fish and shrimp leaping with the waves onto the sand, everything so natural and serene. It was a feeling of true happiness. Mo Fei suddenly wished that this shoreline would never end.

“This place is so lovely; calling it an island seems unfitting. It should be another continent, merely separated from ours by the sea,” Mo Fei said with a smile.

Behind them, a long trail of footprints was gradually washed away by the tide…

The three found a path leading from the beach into the forest. Leaving the shore, they mounted their magical beast steeds. Though the land was beautiful, perhaps even greater wonders lay ahead.

They traveled for a long time, yet still had not exited the shadowy forest. Birds sang overhead, beasts roared in the distance—everything felt like a world of dreams.

Suddenly, their mounts halted, alertly watching the path ahead.

“Be careful, something may lie ahead,” Mo Fei said. The three dismounted. Mo Fei knew their magical beasts had sensed something, but judging by their calm demeanor, it posed no threat.

Aileen drew her miniature divine crossbow from her spatial ring; Vivian unsheathed her sword. They followed behind their mounts, advancing cautiously. Pushing aside the obstructing brush, they saw what was rare on their continent—werewolves.

The werewolves stood in a tense square formation, spears pointed at the ground, faces grim. Mo Fei followed their gaze and saw that they were blocked by a swarm of snakes. If it were only a few serpents, these fierce werewolves would not be fearful, but the snakes must be highly venomous to inspire such anxiety.

At that moment, the werewolves noticed Mo Fei and his companions. Their expressions held no hostility; on the contrary, their leader called out, “Where are you from? While the snakes have not attacked, you should leave quickly.”

Mo Fei’s attire was unfamiliar to them. Though there were humans on this continent, none dressed like Mo Fei, so their confusion was understandable.

“Do you need our help?” Mo Fei recognized their goodwill. With his strength, dispatching the serpents would be a trivial matter.

“These snakes are dangerously poisonous; you cannot handle them. Go, quickly!” the werewolf leader urged.

“It’s all right. These snakes aren’t worth my concern. Leave it to him,” Mo Fei said, waving his hand. The space above rippled, magical elements gathering overhead. The sky seemed torn open, and a massive purple head emerged from the darkness—a fully grown Purple Lightning Thunder Dragon, nearly three meters long, crawled forth from the pet space and hovered above them.

Perhaps it was the innate dominance of dragonkind over serpent beasts. At the sight of the Thunder Dragon, the venomous snakes abandoned the werewolves and scattered in all directions.

The werewolves stared, dumbfounded, at the majestic Purple Lightning Thunder Dragon. The swarm of venomous snakes that had threatened them fled at the mere presence of the flying dragon?