The first year of the Long Night Era is historically known as "the day the Great Wall collapsed".
This fortress, which stood for millennia and was regarded by the three races as a symbol of glory and hope, was reduced to dust in history amidst the Abyss Queen Lilith's aria "All Things Wither".
This was not merely the collapse of a physical defense line, but the complete collapse of the spiritual pillar in the hearts of all intelligent races of the old era.
The black tide of demons, like an endless famine that had been thirsting for ten thousand years and surged from the depths of hell, crossed the ruins of the Great Wall and officially set foot on this rich land that had been shrouded in holy light for ten thousand years—the Land of Holy Light.
For the first time, the demons' iron hooves, or rather, their claws and corrosive slime, trampled this fertile land without any hindrance.
War? No, this is not war.
This was a bloody, one-sided harvest with no suspense whatsoever.
The Terrorclaw Legion is the vanguard of the demonic tide. Their massive bodies are like moving battering rams, and the wooden walls of any village or the stone walls of any town are as fragile as paper in front of them, collapsing at the slightest touch.
With each heavy step they took, the earth groaned, and countless houses collapsed, crushing the sleeping residents, along with their last refuge, into a bloody mess of dust.
The sky was completely obscured by the rotting bat wings of the gargoyle legion. Their poisoned bone spears rained down like a relentless black storm, mercilessly killing any Allied soldiers who tried to rally in resistance or any civilians who scattered in panic.
The elves' prized archery skills seemed utterly laughable and powerless in the face of such overwhelming attacks; their arrows couldn't even penetrate the gargoyles' hard hides.
After losing the strategic depth of the Great Wall, the human knightly orders became sitting ducks on the plains.
Their proud charge was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot under the mountain-like feet of the abyssal behemoth. Many knights didn't even see the enemy's face before they were melted, man and horse alike, into a nauseating, smoky liquid by the torrent of acid that descended from the sky.
The dwarves chose to retreat to their proud underground fortresses. However, they soon discovered, to their despair, that among the demons was a terrifying creature called the "Burning Worm."
These insects can easily secrete highly corrosive acid, melting the rune steel gates that the dwarves are so proud of into molten iron.
Subsequently, countless twisted, bloodthirsty monsters would pour into the dungeon, which was once considered "absolutely safe," through the opened passage, turning what should have been a tragic and heroic siege into a bloody feast of trapping monsters in a cage.
Half a month.
In just half a month, the northern defense line of the Holy Land had completely collapsed.
Countless villages were razed to the ground, and bustling towns were reduced to burning ruins. The air was thick with the stench of blood, burning flesh, and the desperate cries of shattered souls.
Lilith, the newly crowned First Demon General, is enjoying this feast of revenge.
She was not in a hurry to march into the heart of the continent—towards the capitals of those kingdoms. She was savoring the process, relishing the despair of those races who had once betrayed her.
Her command was transmitted to the minds of every demon commander via the soul link:
“Kill all the males who dare to resist. As for those who give up…” Lilith’s lips curled into a cruel yet alluring smile: “Break their spines and put collars on them. The empire needs a group of unpaid laborers for its construction.”
"As for the females..." Her gaze became intrigued, "regardless of race or age, capture them all intact. Do not harm a single one, do not defile a single one."
"They are the finest spoils of war offered to my supreme and great master."
Lilith's orders were carried out in the most thorough and bloody manner.
The demons' killing spree has become "refined." They no longer simply destroy everything, but have begun to selectively "filter resources."
After breaching a dwarven city, all dwarven men, young and old, who took up arms in resistance were brutally murdered. Their corpses were piled up to become food for the monsters.
Those dwarven men who laid down their weapons and surrendered faced a fate more humiliating than death.
Their legs would be broken by the powerful Deinonychus's huge claws, preventing them from escaping.
Then, the demon slave overseers used chains mixed with abyssal metal to pierce their shoulder blades, linking them together in groups of ten or a hundred.
From then on, they lost their names and had only one unified code name—"slave".
Their once-proud, robust muscles have now become the most perfect "labor force" in the eyes of the demon overseer.
They would be driven to mine the harshest environments. The hands that once crafted exquisite works of art and indestructible weapons would now be used only to excavate heavy ores corrupted by magical energy.
Each day, they had less than three hours of rest, and their food consisted of the rotting remains of corpses left behind by monsters.
Any dwarf who tried to resist, or who simply collapsed from exhaustion, would be whipped to death by the overseer with a whip that burned with abyssal flames.
His body would become "food" for the other slaves the next day.
The same applies to the fate of humankind.
Those nobles who once spoke eloquently at banquets, and those farmers who once enjoyed the joy of a bountiful harvest in the fields, have now been stripped of everything.
They were branded as slaves and driven to build evil altars and twisted fortresses that supplied the demon army.
Elven men, this once elegant and proud race, suffered the heaviest psychological blow.
They were regarded by the demons as the most "interesting" playthings. Their handsome appearances were seen by the demons as works of art worthy of "collection".
A large number of male elves were captured intact.
Their limbs would be broken, and they would be placed in specially made cages and transported to the rear of the demon race like ornamental pets.
There, they would become collectibles in the morbid aesthetics of certain higher demon races. They would be forced to wear ridiculous clothes and perform the poetry and dances they once took pride in in those twisted demon king's palaces, to please the demons who destroyed their homeland.
For men, the entire Land of Holy Light has become a living hell.
Their dignity was utterly shattered. Their future was filled with only endless darkness and humiliation.
The value they generated—the mined ores, the fortresses built—continuously supported the conquest war launched by the Holy Star Empire.
They laid the first cornerstone of the empire's expansion with their blood and tears.
In stark contrast to the tragic fate of the men, all the female captives received "preferential treatment".
Under Lilith's strict orders, no demon is allowed to harm or even touch any female captive.
When a city is breached, all women, whether they are human princesses or the daughters of dwarven blacksmiths, whether they are elderly elven elders or young girls just coming of age, will be "invited" out from the chaos and bloodshed.
They will be gathered together and guarded by the "Shadow Maidens," Lilith's most elite force, composed of female high demons.
They would not be mistreated in any way, and would even receive treatment far better than that of the male slaves. They had clean food and water, and temporary, reasonably tidy tents.
However, this "preferential treatment" did not bring them peace of mind, but rather a deeper, unknown fear.
They witnessed their fathers, husbands, brothers, and sons being brutally slaughtered or dragged away like livestock, chained up.
Yet they were treated so "gently".
This stark contrast sends a chill down the spine of every intelligent woman.
They had no idea what fate awaited them.
The answer was soon revealed.
After the demon army has completely cleared an area, huge, metallic-looking imperial transport ships will appear in the sky.
All female prisoners of war would be "invited" onto these transport ships.
Among them are a noble and elegant elven queen, a stunning and fierce dwarf female warrior, a gentle and graceful human noblewoman, and a healthy and vibrant country girl.
They were like a dazzling racial exposition.
The transport ship's interior was spacious and bright, even excessively comfortable. However, every woman brought aboard wore a face etched with despair and numbness.
They didn't know where they were being taken. But they knew that their homeland had fallen and their loved ones were dead.
Their future no longer belongs to them.
The transport ship slowly rose into the air, heading towards the capital.
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