Chapter 247: Total Annihilation on Day One
Bang, bang, bang!
The heavy, thunderous sounds of impact echoed through the sky, occasionally interspersed with the crisp shattering of White Bone!
Beneath the relentless barrage of dark tentacles, Milton's bone armor rapidly cracked and splintered, exploding into a shower of bone fragments.
The regeneration speed of the bone armor simply couldn't keep pace with the rate at which it was being destroyed!
In just three or four breaths, the once-thick armor had become riddled with cracks, so severely damaged that Milton's form was visible through the dense network of fissures.
"Damn it!"
Milton, filled with shock and rage, let out a fierce roar. The remainder of the bone armor suddenly exploded, scattering countless fragments in all directions.
These fragments seemed to harbor a kind of corrosive energy. As they struck the tough metal tentacles, they created small pits in their surfaces.
With the accumulation of this damage, the surrounding dark tentacles became quickly riddled with holes, and many even snapped completely.
The tentacles swiftly retracted.
Finally, Milton managed to catch its breath, and only then did it clearly see the form of its attacker.
It was four enormous Squid Puppets, their dark metal bodies gleaming with an eerie light under the sun.
"Tentacle Puppet! How could the signature puppet of the Starfall Society be here?"
Upon recognizing the origins of the puppets, Milton was taken aback.
The Starfall Society was supposed to have been destroyed by internal strife two thousand years ago, and all their knowledge and traditions were thought to have vanished with Falling Star City. How could Tentacle Puppets still exist?
However, reality offered no time for contemplation. The Secret Puppet Girl soon launched another attack.
The four Tentacle Puppets crawled out of the building, their tentacles having regrown, their surfaces shimmering with a multi-colored spell radiance.
Seeing this, Milton's heart sank to the depths of despair.
Five Wizard-Level Puppets? Even two of him wouldn't stand a chance!
Wizard Tower, Elemental Pool side.
Su Nan sat cross-legged on the ground, holding the Elemental Crystal Core, absorbing and assimilating the divine energy within.
After an unknown amount of time, he slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a long breath, his expression filled with joy.
"Finally broke through."
After nearly three hundred years, he had finally reached the Crystallization Stage.
At that moment, deep within his Sea of Consciousness, the Spiritual Power surrounding the second Talent Crystal had already condensed into crystalline particles, resembling a star belt orbiting the Talent Crystal—flowing slowly and beautifully beyond compare.
"My Spiritual Power has increased significantly."
A satisfied smile appeared on Su Nan's face.
With this increase, he could further synthesize and strengthen the Inscribed Gem and Wizard Tool.
The processes for【Talent Specialization】and【Spirit Storage】could also continue to be enhanced, or he could engrave a third Mental Rune Seal.
However, these were secondary; the most important aspect of progressing to the Second Level of Crystallization was clear.
"Next, I can construct the third Talent Crystal Model!"
A glint flashed in Su Nan's eyes.
He had long prepared for this third Innate Ability, planning to design one of ultimate attack power.
For years, he had been researching the corresponding Talent Crystal Model.
After over five hundred years, the new Talent Crystal Model had long since been completed.
It was derived from the Starfall Society's Superior Talent Crystal Model, 'Falling Star'. Using 'Falling Star' as the base, he infused inspiration from other Talent Crystal Models and Magic Items, dedicating over five hundred years to its design.
Although the exact effects would only be revealed after the construction was successful, Su Nan was confident that this Innate Ability would not disappoint him.
He named it 'Falling Star Rain'.
As a Super Talent Crystal Model, the complexity of the 'Falling Star Rain' model was comparable to that of 'Liquid Metal' and 'Absolute Forbidden Zone'.
However, with ample Construct Potion at his disposal, Su Nan estimated he could construct the Talent Crystal Model in no more than two years.
The key challenge lay in the final step of infusing it with Spiritual Power.
The amount of Spiritual Power required to fill the third Talent Crystal would undoubtedly far exceed that of the first two.
Even though the concentration of Energy Particles in Starlight Continent had returned to normal, and the Large Elemental Pool provided additional support, Su Nan estimated it would still take at least four to five hundred years, or even longer.
Su Nan's mood brightened slightly.
Calming the joy brought on by his breakthrough, he took a deep breath, preparing to construct the Talent Crystal Model.
At that moment, however, his expression changed, and he vanished from his location.
When he reappeared, he found himself in his study, his gaze landing on Lize, who was seated behind the desk.
"What is it? Why are you looking for me so urgently?"
Lize did not respond right away; instead, she carefully studied Su Nan, a faint smile appearing on her face.
"You've broken through?"
"That's right," Su Nan confirmed with a nod. "I just made the breakthrough when I received your message."
"Congratulations."
Lize's reaction was surprisingly calm.
Her understanding of Su Nan's cultivation journey had been reshaped numerous times, so his breakthrough felt almost like a foregone conclusion.
Composing herself, Lize shifted to more serious matters.
"The Gloomy Throne's wizards have arrived."
Su Nan's eyes narrowed. "How many came?"
"According to Star Eye's monitoring, there are a total of fourteen groups of Energy Particle Fluctuations detected. The Witch Hunter Legion has already been dispatched to capture them, so we should have news soon."
Just as she finished speaking, Artier walked in from outside.
"Teacher, Starfall Lord," Artier greeted with a bow to both of them.
Lize asked, "Do we have solid information yet?"
"Yes, we do." Artier's expression was one of excitement. "According to reports from the Witch Hunter Legion, eleven of the fourteen groups of Energy Particle Fluctuations belong to the Gloomy Throne's wizards, while the remaining three are unregistered Level Three wizard apprentices."
"Including the one we captured before, that makes a total of twelve wizards," Su Nan noted, his eyes gleaming. "What are their strength levels?"
"They are all Level One wizards, with the strongest being a First Grade Crystallization Wizard."
Su Nan's heart settled. The number and strength matched what he had remembered, with no discrepancies.
Lize smiled with ease. "Gloomy Throne probably didn't expect that the Starlight Continent would produce a talent like you, building a wizard faction from the ground up. They underestimated the challenges of conquering this continent, which is why they sent so few."
Su Nan smiled but remained silent.
In truth, a lineup of twelve Level One Wizards was more than enough to conquer some weaker planes. The Starlight Continent, which had just recovered from the Elemental Desert, was considered a weak plane in the eyes of the Gloomy Throne, so their arrangement was not misguided.
Moreover, the Gloomy Throne had not sent only this many people.
“Don’t let your guard down; this is just the first wave. The truly powerful ones are still behind,” Lize said, frowning. “Could it be the Second Level Wizards?”
“More than that,” Su Nan chuckled, not elaborating further. He turned to Artier and asked, “What about those people?”
“They’ve all been captured by the Witch Hunter Legion and are currently imprisoned in the Confinement Area.”
“Let’s go take a look.”
Confinement Area.
In the quiet, cold, and gloomy confinement cell, Andrew sat on the ground, his spirit dejected and his face pale.
This cell was specifically designed to imprison Wizards, with the floors, walls, and ceilings engraved with Magic Arrays that sealed Spiritual Power and weakened Physique. In addition, he was shackled with Magic Nullification chains.
The Spiritual Power deep within his Sea of Consciousness had completely subsided and could not be roused at all.
At best, he was only slightly stronger than an ordinary Knight. Forget fighting the guards outside; he couldn’t even break through the specially designed cell door.
Andrew still couldn’t believe it.
He had thought that the invasion of the Starlight Continent would be an easy feat. Who would have thought that the Starlight Continent actually had Wizards—and not just one? He had been caught completely off guard.
"Those two must be high-ranking members of the Star Alliance!" Andrew recalled the two Wizards who had defeated him.
Both the Intermediate Talent Crystal and the Wizard Tool were rare items, even in the Wizarding World. In a second-rate Wizard Faction, only core high-ranking members would typically possess them.
Since those two had both the Intermediate Talent Crystal and the Wizard Tool, their positions in the Star Alliance were certainly significant.
Thinking this, Andrew was filled with regret and frustration. If he had known that the Star Alliance had such powerful Wizards, he shouldn’t have separated from his companions at that time.
Fortunately, twelve of them had come this time, and among them was Evan, a First Grade Crystallization Wizard. Their lineup was indeed strong.
"They should realize I'm missing soon and come to rescue me. I refuse to believe that the Star Alliance could possibly withstand the combined attack of eleven Wizards!"
Just as he thought this, heavy footsteps suddenly echoed from the hallway outside. Andrew frowned, suspecting that the Star Alliance's people had come to interrogate him. He sneered inwardly and looked up.
But the sight before him made his eyes widen in shock.
Steel Golems were walking toward the door of the prison cell, each carrying a person who looked pale, weak, and clearly heavily injured.
Andrew recognized them immediately.
Milton, Wilson, Hargreaves, Casper, and even Evan, on whom he had placed so much hope!
All eleven Wizards who had entered the Starlight Continent with him—except for him—were here!
Andrew's face drained of color, his chest filled with intense shock and disbelief.
He had never imagined that their triumphant return to the Starlight Continent would lead to their complete annihilation on the first day, with all of them falling directly into the hands of the enemy!
What on earth was happening?
For a moment, Andrew felt as though he were trapped in some absurd dream.
Clang!
The iron gate swung open, and the Steel Golems unceremoniously tossed the Gloomy Throne Wizards into the prison cell before closing the gate and slowly retreating. The eleven Wizards were heavily injured and weakened by the suppression of the Magic Array and the Magic Nullification shackles. Their bodies were at their lowest point, and the fall left them dazed, barely able to catch their breath.
After lying on the ground for what felt like an eternity, they gradually began to recover and struggled to their feet.
The twelve of them exchanged bewildered glances, unsure of what to say.
After a long silence, Evan finally broke the quiet, his voice hoarse.
"How did you all get captured?"
Milton forced a wry smile. "I was stopped by a group of Steel Golems and Mithril Golems as soon as I entered the city, and then five Wizard-Level Puppets appeared shortly after. I was no match for them, and they captured me."
Andrew beside him was immediately shocked.
Five Puppet Masters at the Wizard Level?!
What was going on?
But what horrified him even more was the next revelation as the others began to share their experiences.
“Me too! I was besieged by five Puppet Masters shortly after entering the city!”
“I didn’t even make it into town; I was ambushed by five Puppet Masters on the Wilderness road!”
“I had it worse—seven Puppet Masters attacked me!”
After a brief exchange, the prison cell fell into a deathly silence once more.
The stagnant atmosphere filled every inch of the space.
Everyone's faces were extremely grim.
Clearly, the times they were attacked were not far apart. This also meant that the enemy had enough manpower to launch a simultaneous capture operation against everyone.
Upon rough calculation, it became evident that the enemy had deployed nearly sixty Puppet Masters in this operation!
This was definitely an astonishing number!
It also suggested that a skilled Puppet Master faction had likely emerged on the Starlight Continent.
Only a capable Puppet Master faction would possess the ability to refine so many Wizard-level puppets.
What they couldn’t understand was how a Puppet Master faction could appear in a land like the Starlight Continent, which had been in a state of decline—the Elemental Desert—for the past thousand years, making it difficult to even produce a genius formal wizard.
No matter how they considered it, it was simply unbelievable!
Among them, Andrew was the most shocked.
He had originally thought that the puppet forces of the Star Alliance would have at most a few members at the Wizard level, but he hadn’t expected there to be so many Wizard-level puppets!
Most importantly, the fact that they could refine such a large number of Wizard-level puppets indicated that the puppet forces of the Star Alliance likely had a powerful foundation with Second Level Wizards!
Clearly, his previous assumptions had been wildly off. The two members who had defeated him were not high-level enforcers of the Star Alliance at all, but merely two among the many members within the organization.
The strength of the puppet forces within the Star Alliance was far greater than he had ever imagined!
Noticing Andrew's silence, Evan turned his gaze to him and asked, “Andrew, how were you captured?”
Andrew snapped back to reality, his voice hoarse as he said, "I was captured after being ambushed by two Wizards."
Speaking of which, he suddenly recalled the information he had gleaned from interrogating Viscount Cullen and quickly recounted it.
Upon hearing this, the expressions of everyone present changed in unison.
Unlike Andrew, they hadn’t had the chance to gather intelligence before being captured. Their understanding of the enemy was limited to guesswork, and only now did they truly learn of the Star Alliance's existence.
"Tens of thousands of Wizard Apprentices, and even a Wizard Academy. Where did this Wizard faction called the Star Alliance acquire so many resources?"
"I bet that the Tower of Stars was mostly destroyed by the Star Alliance!"
"What exactly has happened to the Starlight Continent in the past thousand years?"
Doubt and confusion filled everyone's hearts.
Just then, a series of footsteps echoed in the hallway outside.
The sound was light, clearly not the heavy thud of a Golem's gait.
Everyone’s expressions shifted, and they looked up to see a man and a woman leisurely approaching the entrance to the prison cell.
“Greetings, everyone from the Gloomy Throne,” said the man among the pair, a playful smile on his face as his eyes scrutinized them with amusement.
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