A Journey That Changed The World.

'Yes, master!' the Drakkuri leader replied.

Archer turned back to the battlefield before shouting in a deep voice, ''Lara! Tali! Pull your legions back now!''

Once the words left his lips, the Draconians stopped moving just as they turned around and marched toward the fortress. Their actions confused the Alliance, but he quickly let out an earth-shaking roar.

Following that, a loud, eerie chittering echoed from every direction, reverberating through the air like a sinister chorus. From the shadows emerged the centipede-like monsters, their monstrous forms slithering into the light.

Their elongated bodies glistened with a sickly sheen, while their horrifying maws bristled with rows of razor-sharp teeth. Dozens of serrated legs hit the ground, slicing into the dirt as they advanced.

Archer watched in excitement as the enemy soldiers froze, terror gripping their hearts as they took in the nightmare before them. Cries of horror filled the battlefield, but it was already too late.

'These monsters are truly horrifying,' he thought with a chuckle while glancing at the Draconians who were just as scared as the Alliance. 'Good. Now they'll think twice about retreating in battle.'

The Drakkuri's savage attacks were a blur of fangs and bladed limbs. They descended upon the fleeing soldiers, tearing them apart in a gruesome performance. Flesh and armor were no match for the swarm, and the relentless chittering and carnage drowned the screams of out.

Archer was satisfied with the scene, a scene of pure horror. The shadows came alive with more of the Drakkuri. For those who tried to escape, there was no salvation, only the inevitability of destruction.

An hour later and the outside of the fortress was a sea of corpses that the 1st and 2nd Legions soldiers were looting. Elara and Talila asked for permission to reward the armies for a good fight, which he granted, causing the soldiers to get excited.

The Drakkuri patrolled the battlefield while moving around the Draconians, which scared some of them. Archer found this hilarious as the centipedes were protecting them, while this happened Sera, Teuila and Ashoka appeared on the wall.

''Hello ladies,'' he greeted the trio with a charming smile. ''Ready to move out?''

When they heard that, the beautiful tiger woman's expression turned pensive, her striped tail flicking subtly in thought. He offered a reassuring smile. ''Don't worry this time, Ashoka. My monster army will follow behind to ensure you're not ambushed.''

The brown-skinned beauty's eyes softened, and she gave a small nod, her expression shifting to one of relief. Satisfied, Archer turned his attention to the others. ''Sera, your troops will lead the attack. Ashoka, your forces will lay siege to any town, village, or castle you encounter along the way, while Teuila will provide cover for you both.''

The three commanders exchanged glances before nodding in agreement, determination settling on their faces. Histone grew firm as he concluded, ''Once the 1st and 2nd Legions recover from the battle, we'll follow behind with the 10th to reinforce your efforts.''

When Archer finished speaking, each one gave him a kiss and rushed off to their legions as Sera started shouting at her second in command. This made everyone laugh as Teuila warned her, ''Stop screaming you gremlin! They can hear you already.'' Enjoy new tales from My Virtual Library Empire

Following that, twenty minutes later, the 16th Legion was marching out of the fortress while the redheaded dragon ordered, ''Let's show my husband how we fight! We're going to take the first Alliance castle!''

Ashoka and Teuila followed with their soldiers before the three armies marched west to cause chaos. He watched them while ordering the Broodmaws, Voidworms, and Drakkuri to follow the three women.

As he stood on the fortress ramparts, his gaze swept over the vast expanse before him. The swarm of monsters encircled the column of Draconians was like a living tide. They blended into the rugged landscape and hills, remaining unseen by any enemies.

'Looks like the Broodmaw's can hide in the long grass well,' he mused while watching the monsters vanishing.

Below ground, he could sense the monstrous worms carving tunnels through the earth, their burrowing creating pathways large enough for the swarm to surge through unhindered as even more creatures appeared from the Domain.

He felt no concern for the three women as they had two Oathkeepers protecting each of them, their towering forms and unyielding presence ensuring that nothing would catch them off guard.

Archer was left with four Oathkeepers of his own. For now, he wasn't planning to leave the fortress. He would remain for a couple of days while the remaining armies rested before moving out.

Once they vanished into the distance, he leaped from the wall, landing with a heavy thud before making his way to the villa that had been constructed for him. His steps carried him through the fortress, its walls echoing with Draconians who saluted him at every turn.

As he strolled along the cobbled streets, he soon became a family that resembled his parents. There was a little boy there smiling while his patents doted on him. Archer stopped walking and watched the Fire Elves pass by.

The father nodded at him with a friendly expression, but he ignored the greeting as memories of his grim childhood in the Ashguard household surfaced. The pain of those days lingered like a shadow, and he couldn't help but wonder how his life might have unfolded if Tiamat had given him these powers.

A storm brewed within him, his emotions unraveling as the searing pain of past beatings tore through his mind. The memories clawed at his soul, igniting his mana in an uncontrollable surge.

Without a word, Archer summoned his wings and launched himself into the sky with such force that the air itself shattered in a deafening sonic boom. As he ascended, one memory surfaced with cruel clarity—a night when he was just eleven.

His father, Leonard, had loomed over him, furious and unrelenting, thrashing him for failing to master the sword. The blows had broken more than just his body; they had fractured the fragile hopes of a child yearning for approval.

Even now, years later, the hatred burned hot and unyielding in his chest. He despised the man with every fiber of his being, and as he soared higher into the heavens, Archer swore that one day, Leonard would pay for every scar he had inflicted.

'I'll make him suffer!' he internally raged while landing on a cliff that overlooked the dark sea below.

Archer stood there as the surrounding stillness did nothing to quell the storm raging within. One by one, the memories surfaced, each more vivid than the last. The first blow came when he was six.

His father's hand struck his small body with the force of a battering ram, sending him sprawling across the cold stone floor of the training hall. ''Weak,'' Leonard said in a voice laced with venom.

Tears had blurred Archer's vision, but no amount of crying stopped the strikes. That was the first time he realized tears brought no comfort, only more scorn. At nine, a wooden practice blade slammed into his ribs, leaving him gasping for breath.

''Get up, boy. What kind of son of mine is this weak and pathetic!'' Leonard barked, towering over him like a shadow that blotted out the sun.

Archer's frail hands trembled as he tried to lift the sword again. He wanted to scream, to beg for mercy, but the fear of further punishment kept him silent. By eleven, the beatings had become routine, a cruel ritual that stole pieces of his soul with every strike.

His father's fury was constant. Archer remembered the crack of the whip across his back, the metallic taste of blood on his lips, and the suffocating helplessness that crushed his spirit.

The pain was agonizing, but it was the hopelessness that truly crushed him. No matter how hard he tried, he would never measure up in Leonard's eyes. Never strong enough. Never skilled enough.

Never worthy of being an Ashguard, a name he had once yearned to claim with pride, the only thing he had ever wanted, but now he hated it with a passion and would see it brought down once he invades Pluoria.

His emotions spiraled out of control, his mana flaring chaotically as the weight of his past consumed him. When he sensed someone appear behind him, instinct took over. He spun, his fist hurtling through the air with devastating force.

But as his eyes registered the figure, he froze mid-swing, redirecting his blow at the last moment. His fist struck the side of the mountain instead, the impact sending a shockwave through the air.

The rocky face groaned and crumbled, collapsing in a deafening cascade of stone and dust under the sheer force of his punch. Archer blinked when the young woman gave him a sweet smile.

''Long time no see Arch,'' Aeris said in a cheerful voice. ''Is there something wrong? I can feel that you're troubled.''

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