Chapter 560.5: The Underground Invasion He Personally Unleashed
Such a "huge" haul shocked and alarmed them.
They were deeply worried.
If they didn't follow in Prince Kreiser's footsteps this time—
Then as his spoils increased and his power expanded, the gap between them would only widen.
Perhaps in the near future...
When they all united and still couldn't match the latter's strength—
That would be the moment of their complete annihilation?!
So, after much deliberation, they decided to step in voluntarily to take a look.
Even if it was a trap, they could prepare in advance.
At worst, they could try to drag down Prince Kreiser a little.
But they quickly realized that Prince Kreiser wasn't bluffing.
When they led their small raider units to the surface world, they saw that Black Crow Fortress had already been turned into a massive military stronghold.
Over 30,000 gray dwarf warriors were busily working inside.
It was clear that Prince Kreiser intended to hold his ground here, unwilling to give up the beauty of the surface world.
Wog took time to speak with them, handing each team a map of nearby Cole Elf cities and saying something quite suggestive:
"Didn't you want benefits? Go seize them yourselves!"
"Bring us back more spoils of war!"
These words were infuriating. The leaders of several gray dwarf raiding units were fuming with rage.
But they didn't dare voice any complaints.
The tens of thousands of fierce warriors behind Wog were enough to crush any such thoughts.
Soon, these gray dwarf raiders unleashed their fury on the surrounding Cole Elf villages and towns.
The unprepared elf settlements were immediately struck with devastating force.
In just a few days—
More than ten villages and towns were destroyed, and even two cities were taken.
A massive haul of slaves, food, and wealth was transported back to the underground world.
Naturally, Prince Kreiser happily took a big share, enjoying the first benefits as the "pioneer."
The entire gray dwarf forces of the underground world began to go a little crazy.
Other things aside, the sheer amount of food made them restless.
In the underground world, food represented the most crucial form of wealth.
Who didn't want to eat their fill every day?
As a result, more and more raider units swarmed out.
Some even began to eye Prince Kreiser himself.
However, when they saw the two increasingly fortified and fearsome castles, they gave up those unrealistic thoughts.
Fighting Prince Kreiser brought no benefit—raiding more Cole Elf cities meant more juicy rewards.
Of course, don't expect these cunning bastards to honor any contracts.
At first, they still paid some "fees" to Prince Kreiser.
But as they invested more military strength on the surface—
And conquered more and more Cole Elf cities—
They had no intention of continuing the cooperation.
If not for fear of Prince Kreiser's powerful army—
They would have already united to swallow him whole and seize control of the underground passage.
Their massacres and territorial conquests quickly drew the attention of the Cole Elf Kingdom.
They mobilized elite troops to conduct a thorough investigation.
Discovering that over 100,000 gray dwarf troops were pouring out from the underground entrance and had already taken five or six Cole Elf cities—
This sudden upheaval greatly shocked the Cole Elf Kingdom.
Many Legendary-level spellcasters and combat legions under their command—
Wanted to retreat quickly from the eastern front to eliminate this plundering tumor.
But they were soon disappointed.
As the gray dwarves reaped more and more from the surface world, the nearby Drow Elves also got wind of the situation.
Overjoyed, the matriarchs immediately gathered large forces and arrogantly crushed one gray dwarf faction.
After seizing some of their territory, they expanded their influence and tendrils.
Clearly, the Drow Elves also wanted to invade the surface world and take revenge on the Cole Elves they hated most.
For this, Prince Kreiser offered rather harsh terms:
"Provide 50,000 gray dwarf slaves and 60% of any captured elf slaves in the future."
These demanding terms were tested briefly by the Drow Elves.
After confirming Prince Kreiser's strength and the castle's defenses, they decisively agreed.
The Drow Elves had already learned the full "situation" from the gray dwarves.
Paying an entry fee—
Was something they could completely ignore once they had enough troops.
For now, paying up to scout the surface world would yield astonishing gains.
They loved bullying the weak!
When the Drow Elves, who hated the Cole Elves even more, joined the invasion—
The resulting cruelty and destruction led to dozens of Cole Elf cities falling within just over ten days.
The Drow Elves' brutal actions immediately enraged the rest of the Cole Elves.
But compared to their sluggish troop movements, the Drow Elves displayed incredible "greed speed."
After teleporting their captives back to the underground, they stirred up a storm among the Drow city-states.
Many of them began to form united invasion forces to explore and plunder the surface world.
The Drow Elves' involvement plunged the Cole Elf Kingdom into greater confusion and speculation.
Was this a massive invasion from the underground world?
The answer was obvious—within just over ten days, over 100,000 Cole Elf slaves had been captured.
The gray dwarves and Drow Elves were already beyond the point of stopping.
They thirsted for more slaughter and more spoils.
The Cole Elf Kingdom hurried to gather troops and pulled some elites from the eastern front.
They planned to surround Black Crow Fortress and the surrounding area from all directions.
But their intel had long since been leaked to the gray dwarves and Drow Elves by Bay Territory.
They already knew about the coming encirclement.
So, under the Drow matriarchs' suggestion—
Most of the raiders quickly broke into smaller groups, launching rapid breakthroughs before the enemy could complete their encirclement.
What had once been a local disturbance quickly spread in all directions.
The flat terrain of the Cole Elf Kingdom was soon overrun by these terrifying, reckless raiders.
The southern provinces of the Cole Elf Kingdom quickly fell into flames of war.
The Cole Elf army that had encircled an empty fortress was left dumbfounded.
The pillaging and destruction by small Drow Elf units became a major headache.
Powerful gray dwarf raider units specifically targeted poorly defended villages and towns, wreaking havoc.
The Cole Elves realized the threat of Prince Kreiser holding Black Crow Fortress—
But they couldn't ignore the pressure of enemy attacks and atrocities in the surrounding areas.
After a brief attempt to assault Black Crow Fortress failed—
They quickly chose to retreat.
Rushing toward the marauding Drow Elves in the area.
Upon receiving accurate intel, Matthew looked at the increasingly chaotic southern Cole Elf Kingdom and said to the long-waiting Wog:
"Initiate Phase Three of the plan. It's time for us to go—leave them here to tear each other apart."