I Became the Progenitor Vampire

September 9th, dry and gloomy.

Underworld, Half-body Main City — Liusi City.

Woo~ Woo~

The war horn's desolate and deep sound echoed like the roar of a primordial beast, carrying a chilling intent of battle across the field.

When the Dawn Corps set out, the total force numbered 580,000, but after advancing beneath Liusi City, the army's numbers had not decreased but swelled to 1 million.

Incredible.

The dense army, seen from above, resembled marching ants, covering the entire land.

Everyone's gaze fixed on the city ahead, lying like a giant beast, their eyes cold and murderous.

Liusi City, built among the mountains, had towering peaks for walls and solid rock faces as shields. Even the highest parts of the outer walls soared over 200 blades high. To attack this city from the front, ground tribes couldn't even scale the walls.

With shooting holes scattered through the walls and mountain crevices, the Half-body's forte bows and arrows exposed their cold tips like porcupines. Calling the city a sky chasm would not be an overstatement.

Liusi City had only one wall at the front, with the other three sides enclosed by sky-high peaks, some 700 to 800 blades in height, plus the defending troops, only flying troops could cross.

So, to conquer this city, one had only the frontal approach.

But below the frontal wall was just a road, about a hundred blades wide, leading into the city.

Yet, this path was blocked by a 50-blade-high wall, although this paled in comparison to the surrounding rock walls a hundred blades tall.

Its defense was the most tightly guarded.

"Your Highness, all troops are ready to move. Do we launch the attack?" Kapp stood behind Lide, reporting respectfully, while the other high-ranking officers of the Dawn Army looked at Lide eagerly, awaiting his command.

Only Withered Bone, the Undead Blood Dragon, with his subordinate, the Frost Giant Dragon Altan, soared in midair. This guy's command authority had been revoked by Lide after the troops assembled.

Indeed, this chatterbox's performance in command was so terrible that Lide lost the drive to support him. Better to let this guy be a meat shield... talkative types do have their uses.

Lide stood on a raised hillock, his eyes sharply fixed on the distant Half-body Main City, his presence filled with a ruthless intent to kill.

Hearing Kapp's report, he didn't hesitate much before issuing the order.

"Follow the plan, attack!"

His tone was even, but laced with immense murderous intent.

This battle represented the final claim over the Underworld. Whoever won would rule this vast stretch of land.

The Half-bodies had absolute confidence, and so did he. He couldn't believe that any force of equal level could block Dawn's blade.

Quietly tending the fields and developing for years, he had poured countless efforts. The battle blade he had forged, how could it be easily covered in a single sentence?

The Dawn City of now was no longer the Kachar Castle of merely 200 Bloodline. Its edge was now revealed, formidable enough to make any force of the Main Plane take notice.

At the command, Legendary Beastman King Kapp, Level 25, immediately nodded, a ferocious gleam in his eyes. With a fierce wave of his hand, the signal officers below immediately sounded the horn.

Woo woo woo~

The war horn resounded again, unlike before, this time long and sustained, filled with an air of solemn killing intent.

The commanding officers at the front heard the horn and their faces changed, immediately starting to issue orders.

"The goblin bomb trucks, prepare!"

Click, clack~ Long chains turned, with the sound of links winding up on the winch filling the air.

One after another, goblin bomb trucks, each inscribed with magical symbols, began to emit faint magical fluctuations under the control of the warriors beside them.

The power of the goblin bomb trucks had been amply demonstrated during the last attack on Naga City, and as such, these goblin creations had become a key research project for Dawn City, with the magic symbols painted on them being the most significant improvement.

With the augmentation of magic, not only had their range been significantly boosted, but the weight of the alchemy bombs they could hurl had also greatly increased.

At this moment, it might be more appropriate to call them magic bomb trucks; nonetheless, considering the goblins' increasingly important status in Dawn City, the name 'goblin bomb truck' was retained.

The warriors immediately placed the alchemy bombs in a recessed loading area, managing to load five at a time.

The latest-developed bomb truck improved both the bombing distance and shooting accuracy while also increasing the number of alchemy bombs that could be loaded at once.

This setup was perfect for the first wave of bombardment to wash the ground before the enemy could react.

The sharp-eyed half-elves on the walls of Liusi City could clearly see what the Dawn Army was up to.

Although outwardly vigilant of the Dawn Army's actions, they were somewhat dismissive inside.

With such towering walls as those belonging to Liusi City, there was no way the alchemy bombs, no matter how powerful, could destroy them.

Moreover, the distance between the two sides was seven to eight hundred blades away, and the thought of attacking the city walls, averaging 150 blades in height and reaching up to 200 blades from flat ground, seven to eight hundred blades away, was laughable.

"Those foolish heretics, shielded by the high walls of Liusi City, wouldn't be able to harm us even with ten million men!"

"Ha ha ha, this is killing me, do these idiots think they can bring down our walls with catapults and those alchemy bombs that are barely larger than my toes?"

"May the great Kaplotz from above, in Your enveloping Glory, those damned cultists have already lost their minds!"

"Come on, damn God of Twilight, I'm standing here on the wall, hurl your alchemy bombs at me!"

"..."

The Dawn Army had used quite a few alchemy bombs while advancing, and the half-elves, not being fools, naturally had obtained this intelligence.

However, most of the Dawn Army's previous attacks involved air-dropped alchemy bombs, something the half-elves had long been prepared for.

Over 50,000 Black Beak Giant Eagles had already gathered in the sky, and on the ground, the crossbow arrays had been ready for some time, giving no chance for the Magic Language Bats to fly into Liusi City.

Ground-based catapults couldn't possibly hurl that far, and the sky was absolutely secure. Therefore, at this moment, the half-elves didn't feel the slightest bit threatened.

As for those who couldn't reach the wall to bombard it with alchemy bombs... if the Dawn Army really thought that, the half-elves were all the more ready to laugh at the folly.

Using a mountain as their wall, with the thickest width reaching 200 blades, meant that not alchemy bombs, and perhaps not even forbidden curses, could collapse such an exaggerated rock face.

"Fire!"

Accompanying a roar, the warriors who had cranked the winch to its limit suddenly released their hands, and in that moment, magic energy was channeled into the catapult.

Boom~ The tremendous force rebounded, flinging the five alchemy bombs from the thrower with a vengeance.

The alchemy bombs soared high in an arc, then to the half-elves' astonishment, flew right over the city walls and crashed inside Liusi City.

Those Half-Beasts' minds went blank at this sight, what in the hell was this thing???

How could it be possible to bomb the backside of walls taller than a hundred blades from a distance of seven to eight hundred blades away, from flat ground?

But no one would be around to answer their doubts.

As the first alchemy bomb fell on a house, the bomb's firing pin was triggered, and bam~ a deafening noise erupted.

Flames filled the sky like dragon breath, instantly engulfing everything within a radius of more than twenty meters.

Houses were directly ignited by the exaggerated high temperatures, and the half-elves around couldn't dodge in time and were burned to a crisp.

And this was just the first alchemy bomb.

Boom, boom, boom~ After more than 2000 goblin bomb trucks launched tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition, all the half-elves were forced to recognize a term anew—devastating blow.

Rumble, rumble, rumble~

The explosion of the alchemy bombs was like the divine punishment of world destruction, even the ground trembled.

The half-elves on the city walls swallowed hard, their bows and arrows now pale and feeble against the backdrop of the all-encompassing flames.

This was a degenerate attack, the cruelest form of warfare; the side at the lower dimension had no power to resist whatsoever.

The city walls, the military areas behind them—everything was now covered in fire.

Nightmare descended.

Boom~ Boom~ Boom~

Under such terrifying bombardment, the half-elves couldn't resist at all; even Level 15 top combatants were instantly swallowed by the artillery fire.

The guard army on the walls, who had just been smirking, now looked as though they'd lost their parents, and many wished they could slap themselves hard for their loose tongues...

But they soon lost that desire as the second wave of alchemy bombs was launched directly over the city walls.

Boom~ Boom~ Boom~

Tall city walls, mighty guard armies, sharp crossbows, solid walls—all of these were their pride.

But under the outrageous cleansing by the alchemy bombs, all were destroyed as easily as paper, and the half-elves, utterly unprepared for the alchemy bombs, had become live targets.

Incendiary bombs, shrapnel, and even poison fog bombs, blinding bombs, and various other alchemy bombs with special capabilities were launched, inflicting even more exaggerated damage to the half-elves' army with compound damage.

This was a crushing blow of technological superiority; the two sides were not even on the same level.

The tactics used against Naga City were now replicated in Liusi City.

And the most formidable aspect of technology was, even if you knew the strength of your opponent, if you lacked the means to counter, it was in vain; you could only take the hits.

Exaggerated range, terrifying power; the half-elves experienced for the first time just how sharp the blade of Dawn City was.

"Quick, go and find His Majesty!"

"What's happening? Why is there such chaos at the front line?"

"What's that noise?"

The supervising half-elf officers in the rear, who had been confident watching whole regions of the wall engulfed in flames, suddenly had very ugly expressions on their faces.

Those damned heretics, why do they possess such powerful weapons??

Wasn't intelligence saying that these alchemy bombs were scarce and could only be dropped by bats?!

Those damned intelligence officers should be hanged!

"Black Beak Giant Eagles, organize an attack immediately, and destroy those cursed catapults!"

"Mage Group, cast spells!"

"Quick, go ask His Majesty for support..."

The officer corps became a chaotic mess, and after intense clamoring, whoosh—a transparent Magic Shield suddenly rose above the walls of Liusi City, enveloping the whole city within it.

The Half-Elven Spellcasters had begun to act.

Whoosh—

When the Alchemy Bombs below were hurled again, they bounced off like they had hit putty and were flung away. The Alchemy Bombs, which needed a severe impact to detonate, couldn't be triggered against the Magic Shield.

Then, those Alchemy Bombs failed to achieve their previous effectiveness, falling beneath the city walls and exploding harmlessly. How many Alchemy Bombs would it take to bring down the walls that were several hundreds of blades thick??

Lide observed this scene from the rear with a calm expression, his eyes showing no significant shift.

In the end, this was a world of magic; it wasn't too surprising that the enemy could resist the attack of Alchemy Bombs if they were prepared.

However... could a single small Magic Shield stop the power amassed by Dawn after so long?

Upon seeing two attacks without effect, the Bombarding Corps' Commander immediately changed the order.

"Switch to Magic Bombs!"

Whoosh—orders were absolute.

Soldiers immediately took out specially marked boxes next to the ammunition depot, then carried out bright white Magic Bombs from within to replace the already loaded regular Alchemy Bombs.

After thousands upon thousands of training sessions, the soldiers could operate the bomb trucks with their eyes closed. Once the replacement was completed, the Commander, without hesitation, bellowed furiously,

"Fire!"

As the roar echoed, click, click—the magically powered bomb trucks shone brilliantly, then burst forth with immense energy. The launchers, already loaded with significant tension, were once more infused with power.

Boom—the launchers snapped, and the Magic Bombs, making a whooshing sound as they cut through the air, swarmed toward Liusi City like locusts.

The Half-Elven soldiers who'd narrowly survived the artillery barrage had just caught their breath when they witnessed the epic spectacle above their heads.

The dense swarm of Alchemy Bombs should have been repelled by the Magic Shield, but those white Magic Bombs didn't bounce away upon impact.

Instead, the energy from the Magic Shield activated the Magic Arrays inside the Magic Bombs, then—boom, boom, boom—

The heavens and earth seemed to collapse.

The tens of thousands of Magic Bombs erupted directly on the Magic Shield.

The terrifying shockwaves were like a Category 12 hurricane, sweeping down from the sky.

The skies were filled with flames like oversized fireworks, gorgeous yet bearing a lethal essence—beacons of death.

The originally thick Magic Shield, under such a horrific impact, dwindled quickly like melting snow, its Magic Energy consumed at an extremely exaggerated rate.

Magic Arrays were strong, but they had one fatal—or rather, insurmountable—flaw: to resist external attacks, they could only consume their own Magic Energy.

The impact from the tens of thousands of exploding Magic Bombs directly brought the Magic Array, which once stored terrifying energy, to the brink of collapse.

To offset an equal impact, how much Magic Energy would be needed? It was not just exaggerated.

It was simply indescribable.

In several Mage Towers inside Liusi City, the Magic Arrays providing energy for the Magic Shield, under the watch of the Half-Elven Spellcasters, crackled like short-circuiting wires, bursting with countless sparks.

Then, due to the immense overload, the Magic Circuits overloaded, and boom—the Magic Arrays burst simultaneously like balloons.

Fortunately, because most of the magic energy had been consumed, there was no large explosion; otherwise, the burst of the Magic Array would have certainly devoured everything within a hundred blades' range.

When the Half-body Mage realized what was happening, it was already too late to do anything; he could only roll and crawl in panic to report to his superiors—heavy with the knowledge that their Magic Array had lasted a mere minute...

Watching the Magic Shield being shattered, Lide's expression remained calm.

Ever since Dawn City had developed, more resources were available to support the Dawn Mage Tower, weapons factories, and Alchemy Factories, which were scientific research units.

The goblins may have had many shortcomings, but their talent in making Alchemy Bombs was truly exceptional. Lide had previously given them some tips to research different kinds of Alchemy Bombs to deal with various situations, thus strengthening their foundation.

Unexpectedly, the goblins were indeed capable, having developed all kinds of strange Alchemy Bombs.

The Magic Bomb designed to target Magic Shields was one among them. It contained a corresponding Magic Array, which, upon contact with a strong magical force, would activate and set off the explosion.

To prevent accidental detonation of the Magic Bombs, their white shells were made of a material that insulated against magic energy, only connecting the Magic Circuit when the pin was pulled.

These settings made the Magic Bomb a powerful weapon against magical defense measures such as Magic Shields.

Similarly, Dawn City, in its flourishing state, had many more weapons like this. In a safe, affluent environment with abundant resources, the scientific researchers carried many of Lide's expectations, and their output was indeed satisfying.

"Advance 200 blades forward and continue the bombardment!"

After the Magic Shield was breached, the forward Commander immediately gave the order.

The walls and area behind them had already been bombarded once; continuing the bombardment would have been less effective.

Upon receiving the orders, the Bombarding Corps expertly carried the bomb trucks forward, the posture of their movement showing they were well-trained.

The surrounding army also advanced to cover them, preventing any enemy sneak attacks.

Soon enough, the advancing goblin bomb trucks were launching a new round of bombardment.

It took a moment for the Half-Elves to recover from their daze, and before the high-ranking officers could come up with a counter-plan, an even more ferocious artillery strike descended.

Looking at the flames inside the city, the Half-Elf leaders' complexions turned as unsightly as if they had swallowed dead rats.

What the hell is going on?? Where's the Magic Shield? Wasn't it just activated?

When they looked up, there was no trace of any Magic Shield in the sky, just bare white.

Boom~ Boom~ Boom~

The area behind the walls of Liusi City was a military zone, and advancing 200 blades meant they were now less than 500 blades away from the wall.

The goblin bomb trucks, now fitted with magic devices, had a launch range that had surpassed 1500 blades, meaning everything within 1000 blades behind the walls was within striking distance.

The Half-Elves, just recently overflowing with confidence, for the first time experienced what it meant to feel despair against Dawn City's army.

The howling black Alchemy Bombs were like the scythe of the Death God; each one hitting the ground caused the earth to tremble.

The sweeping shockwaves and flames became immense, lethal mouths of a demon.

Lide shook his head as he watched the army's advance.

He found warfare quite dull when technology outclassed the adversary by a level.

It was like an adult fighting a child.

Moreover, the enemy's aerial forces were tied down by the Magic Language Bats; with air superiority thanks to their airborne crossbows, the Magic Language Bats had a significant advantage over the Black Beak Giant Eagles, deterring the enemy from risking an attack on the bombarding troops below.

"How lonely it is, like the falling snow... Without the presence of top-tier combat power, Dawn City's army, armed with these Alchemy Bombs, could sweep across half of Glory..."

"Truth only exists within the range of artillery, and this saying, it turns out, is true."

The range of the goblin bomb trucks, after magical modification, was nearly double that of the standard catapults.

What could the Half-Elves use to fight against Dawn City?

The most powerful crossbows of the Half-Elves had a shooting distance of only four to five hundred blades, and their heavy weaponry such as siege engines not more than six to seven hundred blades. Under the exaggerated range of the goblin bomb trucks, such short distances were all easy targets.

Even if there were a few weapons that could reach the bomb trucks, the number of bomb trucks totaled up to 2000—destroying a few dozen, or even a hundred, did nothing significant.

Tucked away underneath mountain fortifications and relying on firing holes for attacks, the Half-Elves did survive in numbers.

But against the forces of Dawn City, their efforts were a drop in the bucket, especially when the Blood Clan Spellcaster team stepped forward to cast spells and shielded the goblin bomb trucks with Magic Shields; the situation became even more embarrassing.

In the end, even Lide couldn't help but reflect.

"No wonder in those myths and legends left behind, goblins once ruled this world—the lost era was also known as the Alchemy Era.

Although alchemy and Earth's technology are fundamentally different, the underlying logic still resembles each other."

The Unfallen City, considered by the Half-Elves to be impregnable, lost most of its ability to resist before it even collided with the army of Dawn City.

Technology changes war...

But Lide didn't take the situation lightly because the better the situation, the more intense the war would become, as the opponents' ultimate trump card was not some unscalable walls but the ultimate existence in this world—Divine beings.

Even if the Half-Body God had lost much of his power after the fall, such an entity, regardless of his current strength, always warranted caution.

Who knew what kind of trick a god might have up his sleeve? If he could possess so many trump cards, wouldn't his opponent as well?

The war continued, but the current situation could hardly be called a war anymore; it was a one-sided crushing,

The goblin trebuchets had advanced within three hundred blades of the city walls after several rounds of bombing, and the surrounding army had also closed in.

The Half-Elves probably couldn't imagine that Dawn City had only shown a portion of their weapons, and their main city, containing all their power, was nearly defenseless.

No one knew how many Half-Elves had died under the bombardment of alchemy bombs, not even the Half-Elves themselves could tally.

They only knew that the prepared defense areas for resisting the enemy were now, aside from a few who escaped, mostly buried in a sea of fire.

A sense of despair began to spread within Liusi City, and those believers who were full of confidence that they could annihilate the intruding enemy were now clueless.

Why, under the protection of a god, were they still beaten so badly?

At this moment, the atmosphere inside the Half-Elf temple was also extremely heavy.

All the Half-Elf high-ranking officials watched the battlefield reflected in the Magic Mirror half-suspended in the air, their expressions stiff, eyes filled with anger and indescribable fear.

That damn God of Twilight, why does he possess such terrifying firepower?

They had thought that the walls of Liusi City would hold for at least a few days, but to their surprise, not even a Sunshine Hour—no, ten minutes—had passed before they were bombarded to the ground...

At this rate, their army might not even come into contact with the enemy before the city fell.

With that thought, the gaze of the Half-Elf high-ranking officials involuntarily turned towards the Half-Elf God seated on the divine altar.

"Your Majesty..."

Seeing this, the Half-Elf God took a deep breath, his face also looking a bit unsightly.

He had calculated everything, yet he had not foreseen how fierce the army of Dawn City would be. He had hoped to ambush them when they could not take down the city walls.

Now the ambush was pointless; if he waited any longer, the whole city would be gone.

He turned his head to look down at the high-ranking Half-Elves eagerly watching him, his tone grim.

"I will lure the God of Twilight into my Divine Country, and when the time comes, you must immediately lead the army to crush his followers!"

"The Underworld can only belong to the Half-Elves!"

Upon hearing the words of the Half-Elf God, morale that had plummeted to rock bottom surged violently as everyone shouted loudly in anger.

"Yes, as long as that damned heretic god is dead, victory in this war will still be ours!"

"Your Majesty, rest assured, the Half-Elf army will surely trample over those damned cultists!"

"Your Glory will guide us to victory..."

Looking at the frenzied crowd below, the Half-Elf God took a deep breath and decided to make his move.

If he waited any longer, the city would be gone.

"Go down and command the troops; the Divine War is about to begin!"

No sooner had the sound of his voice lingered than his figure vanished within the temple.

The leading legendary Half-Elf noticed the disappearance of the Half-Elf God's presence, and with an excited expression turned his head and glanced at the surrounding Half-Elves, his tone fervent.

"The Divine War led by His Majesty will surely be victorious, that damned God of Twilight won't possibly escape the siege of the three Divine beings!

Return to the army at once, we will capture the entire legion of the God of Twilight, and they will all become new believers of His Majesty!"

This statement immediately made the already high morale swell even more.

Victory was surely theirs, and everyone held the firmest belief in this.

The God of Twilight? Ha, let's see if he even survives...

Outside of Liusi City, the advancing Dawn Army suddenly halted its steps.

This was because an extremely terrifying presence was spreading out from the sky at this moment.

It was as if a primordial giant beast that had existed since ancient times had crawled out from the depths of the ocean, its brutal eyes coldly surveying the earth.

Majestic and overwhelming.

The terrifying spiritual pressure spread across the entire sky, making it seem as though the heavens and earth were being trampled underfoot at that moment.

It was the divine pressure of a god, the most primordial breath, and all the armies felt a deadly danger as if their souls would shatter and explode if they took one more step forward.

Lide's eyes narrowed slightly.

The ultimate boss had finally made an appearance.

"God of Twilight... after a million years, why do you attack my main city, kill my followers?"

The voice, tinged with anger, boomed through the sky like rolling thunder and struck down, causing the lower-level warriors in the army below to go weak at the knees, almost kneeling.

The pressure from a divine being was unavoidable; it penetrated the soul.

Lide's eyes narrowed.

What act are you trying to pull in front of me?

With a single step, his body materialized in midair.

He looked coldly at the amber-glowing sphere in the sky, his tone flat.

"Attack your main city? Kill your followers?..."

"And what if I did?"

The Half-Elf God was startled by his words, and instantly, his blood boiled, his face turning crimson with rage.

"God of Twilight, you are provoking me. Do you want to start a Divine War?!"

"Divine War?" Lide chuckled.

"Do you even qualify?"

I!!!

The Half-Elf God, who had just planned to put on airs and later kill Lide to reap faith, was enraged at this moment.

This damned bastard!!

How dare he! How dare he provoke him so?!

As a divine being, how many years had it been since anyone had dared to treat him this way?!

"You're seeking your own death!!"

The Half-Elf God roared in rage and then, under the eyes of a million-strong army below, charged directly at Lide.

It seemed that Lide's provocation had enraged him, as he sought to collide head-on.

Lide's expression was quite wry. Who knew that there were still those keen on court death these days?

Although the Half-Elf God emitted a powerful aura, Lide had already sensed that while the man appeared strong, he was actually full of bluster and his acting skills weren't even half as good as Lide's own.

As an expert in this regard, Lide saw right through the Half-Elf God; his power was, at most, legendary, not even close to a demigod.

No, the rage... it was feigned.

Lide's eyes sharpened, his thoughts whirling. The Half-Elf God was not a combat deity, so there must be a reason he dared to do this. Should he dodge?

But after glancing at the scimitar slung around his waist, his expression settled back into calm...

Sorry, no matter what scheme you have, this time I've borrowed a knife you could never imagine...

All this may seem lengthy, but it happened in the blink of an eye. Just as the Half-Elf God came within striking distance of Lide, the raging fury on his face suddenly changed, a glint of pleasure in his eyes.

"Shatter!"

With a shout, the sky exploded in unison, and the radius around Lide was immediately enveloped by a force. Without even time to blink, the whole world vanished.

Everything whirled.

A few breaths later, Lide appeared in a bleak space.

The ground was made of fleeting illusions and the sky was a dim murkiness; it very much resembled a plane that had just been destroyed.

What made Lide's expression incredibly rich, however, were the three figures that appeared before him... He had not expected the Half-Elf God to pull such a move, directly dragging him into a plane, and obviously a well-designed trap, plotting three against one...

The Half-Elf God, looking at Lide's peculiar expression, revealed a cold smile on his face.

"Did you really think I could be provoked by your clumsy taunt?

Ha ha ha, God of Twilight, you've been ambushed by us!!"