Chapter 121 Aiden’s Killing Ground!

The fall of the Nameless Valley in the Howling Wind Mountains struck the Dragon Sovereign Guild like a red-hot iron driven straight into its most sensitive nerve.

When the remnants of the defeated garrison finally staggered back with news of their loss, the entire headquarters descended into an almost deathly silence.

The atmosphere was suffocating.

This silence was heavier than any previous occasion when they had been toyed with, had their records broken, or been caught in a counter-ambush.

Because this time, what they had lost was not face, an intangible record, or even an elite squad.

It was a tangible, high-grade strategic resource point—one capable of influencing the guild’s equipment development for a long time to come.

Worse still, it had been snatched directly from their grasp just as they had publicly declared their sovereignty over the area and begun construction.

And the ones who had stolen it were none other than Abyss, the shadow that seemed impossible to shake, and the Ember Guild, which the Dragon Sovereign Guild had failed to suppress and assimilate not long ago.

It was a profound humiliation.

An unprecedented one.

Inside the strategic conference room, the pressure was so oppressive that it seemed as though it could be wrung from the air like water.

Damien sat at the head of the table, his expression completely devoid of emotion.

Yet deep within his dark, profound eyes, a black storm seemed to be gathering.

He neither roared nor smashed anything.

He simply sat there, listening to the surviving adjutant’s stammering report.

“…The enemy’s assault was too fierce. The shield guard couldn’t hold them back at all. The mage’s area control was incredibly precise, and then there was that ‘Reaper’…”

The adjutant swallowed hard.

“He… He killed our mage in a single strike. Once that happened, our formation completely collapsed…”

“Enough.”

Damien finally spoke.

His voice was low, but the moment it sounded, the temperature in the conference room seemed to drop several degrees.

His gaze shifted toward Garrett, the fiercest and most loyal warrior under his command.

“Garrett. The mining point was lost on the edge of the defense zone under your jurisdiction. What do you have to say?”

Garrett’s face had already turned a deep shade of red. The veins on his forehead bulged as his fists clenched tightly enough to crack his knuckles.

Although the garrison itself was not directly under his command, the troops responsible for defending that area were.

More importantly, this was practically someone stepping on his face and grinding it into the dirt.

“Sir!”

Garrett shot to his feet, his eyes bloodshot.

“Give me men! Give me the First and Second Elite Regiments! I’ll personally lead them there and flatten that damned valley!”

His voice thundered through the conference room.

“I’ll twist the heads off those bastards from Abyss and hang them at the entrance to the valley!”

Selene’s brows furrowed tightly.

“Garrett, calm down.”

She immediately continued before he could respond.

“The enemy has just secured the mining point. Their morale is at its peak, and they’ll undoubtedly be on high alert. More importantly, they deliberately chose to fight in that kind of terrain, which clearly means they’re extremely familiar with the local environment.”

Her expression became solemn.

“If we launch a counterattack in haste, there’s a very high chance we’ll walk straight into another trap.”

“Another trap?!”

Garrett roared like a lion whose tail had been stepped on.

“What trap?!”

He glared at Selene.

“You’ve been scared out of your wits by them! Last time at the mountain pass, it was my carelessness that allowed them to exploit an opening. They used underhanded tricks against me!”

He slammed his fist against his chest.

“But this time is different! This is about taking back our territory fair and square!”

His voice grew louder.

“I don’t believe that with two full-strength elite regiments—more than a hundred elites—we can’t crush those three bastards from Abyss and that rabble from the Ember Guild!”

Garrett suddenly turned toward Damien.

Then, without hesitation, he dropped to one knee.

“Sir!”

His voice was hoarse, but every word carried absolute determination.

“If we can’t take the mining point back this time, you don’t need to say anything. I’ll present my own head!”

He gritted his teeth.

“If I can’t wash away this humiliation, then I have no face to remain in the guild!”

He lowered his head.

“I beg you, Sir. Give me this opportunity.”

Damien fell silent.

He stared at Garrett’s kneeling figure, then at the humiliation and almost crazed fighting spirit burning in the man’s eyes.

He understood Selene’s concerns.

Abyss was cunning like a fox.

They had repeatedly demonstrated an uncanny ability to exploit information, terrain, and timing.

But Garrett’s words had touched something even deeper within Damien.

Prestige.

The Dragon Sovereign Guild’s prestige could not withstand another defeat.

They needed a victory.

Not just any victory, but a crushing, decisive victory—one powerful enough to restore the guild’s morale and remind every faction watching from the sidelines exactly who the Dragon Sovereign Guild was.

And Garrett was the sharpest blade in his hands.

He was also the one most eager to draw blood.

“Granted.”

Damien slowly uttered the word.

His gaze sharpened like that of a hunting eagle.

“Garrett, I’ll give you full command of the First and Second Elite Regiments.”

A faint killing intent emerged in his eyes.

“One hundred and twenty elites.”

He paused before continuing.

“I’ll also assign you five specialists with advanced scouting and stealth-breaking abilities.”

Damien’s voice became colder.

“In this battle, you must win.”

“Failure is not an option.”

“I want to see Abyss destroyed and the Dragon Sovereign flag raised over that mining point once again.”

He stared directly into Garrett’s eyes.

“If you fail again…”

He did not finish the sentence.

He didn’t need to.

The chill in his gaze said everything.

Garrett’s face immediately lit up.

He struck his chest with his fist in salute.

“Rest assured, Sir!”

His voice shook with excitement.

“This battle will end in victory!”

He rose and immediately strode out of the conference room, already eager to mobilize the troops.

Selene opened her mouth.

But in the end, every word of protest died before it could leave her lips.

She simply sighed quietly.

Watching Garrett disappear through the doors like a man possessed, the unease in her heart only grew stronger.

Damien had been pushed toward impulsiveness by a string of humiliating defeats and the mounting damage to his prestige.

Garrett, meanwhile, was practically blinded by rage.

Such a combination…

And they were about to attack a stronghold controlled by an enemy renowned for cunning, tactical preparation, and almost uncanny “pre-knowledge.”

Selene’s expression darkened.

She silently opened the detailed map of the valley along with every piece of known combat data on Abyss.

Then she began running worst-case scenario simulations.

At the same time, she quietly issued several orders to her personal intelligence team.

Meanwhile, inside the Nameless Valley, the atmosphere couldn’t have been more different.

It was bustling with activity.

The core area of the mining point had already been fortified with crude breastworks and watchtowers. Members of the Ember Guild worked tirelessly, using thick logs and stones to establish the first line of defense.

Blazewind personally led several players in setting traps and arranging warning magic arrays throughout the surrounding terrain.

Meanwhile, experienced miners had already begun trial mining in the safer sections of the resource point.

Basket after basket of raw ore, shimmering with a faint silvery-blue luster, was carried toward the temporarily constructed warehouse.

Everything was proceeding in an orderly fashion.

On a high vantage point overlooking the valley, Aiden stood quietly with his hands behind his back.

His personal terminal displayed the urgent intelligence he had just received from [Phantom Eyes] through Marcus’s channel.

He scanned the information once.

Then closed the terminal.

There was no surprise in his eyes.

Only cold calculation.

“They really came.”

Aiden’s lips curved into a faint smile.

“Garrett. The First and Second Elite Regiments. One hundred and twenty people.”

His eyes narrowed slightly.

“Five specialists with advanced scouting and stealth-breaking abilities.”

He paused.

“Damien has gone all out this time.”

A cold glint flashed across his eyes.

“And he’s given Garrett his final chance.”

“Just in time!”

Silas grinned.

He reached down and patted the massive tower shield resting beside him.

Its surface shimmered with a cold, metallic luster beneath the sunlight, while faint dark-red blood patterns seemed to flow across it like living veins.

“My new shield was just missing a heavy enough sacrifice to break it in.”

Luna, however, looked somewhat worried.

“Sir Aiden, they have more than twice our combat-capable forces, and every one of them is an elite.”

Her gaze swept across the valley.

“Even with the Ember Guild’s support, we’re still badly outnumbered.”

Aiden didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, he turned around.

His gaze settled on the narrow, gourd-shaped entrance to the valley.

The cliffs on both sides rose steeply into the sky, their jagged surfaces forming a natural bottleneck.

His eyes gradually became colder.

“Numbers have never been the only factor that determines victory or defeat.”

He raised a hand and pointed toward the valley entrance.

“This…”

His voice was calm.

“…is the burial ground I’ve prepared for them.”

The faint smile on his lips disappeared.

“Last time, they were routed.”

Aiden’s gaze became terrifyingly sharp.

“This time…”

“I want to cripple them.”