Chapter 273: The Opening Skirmishes of the Battle
The vast, boundless wilderness stretched endlessly, with fierce winds howling and raging across the land.
The crimson sky nearly obscured the dying embers of the setting sun.
The ravaged earth was marked by crisscrossing cracks through which a faint, ghastly green liquid flowed, emitting wisps of pale blue smoke.
As far as the eye could see, the desolate plains were dotted with only a few withered trees and countless grotesque creatures, their flesh decaying and their skin a metallic blue, aimlessly wandering.
High above, six majestic Wizard Towers stood suspended in the air.
Su Nan and Lize floated side by side atop one of the towers, gazing down at the hellish landscape below.
"The entire plane has been eroded and infected," Lize marveled at the horror wrought by the gods.
Just one Divine Corpse was enough to reduce an entire plane to this ghastly state; the gods were truly like a virus.
Su Nan released his Spiritual Power, sensing the surrounding environment.
"However, the Energy Particles here have all been tainted with toxins; absorbing them would only harm the body."
"The concentration of toxins in the air is also exceedingly high. Even for a Knight, surviving more than a few days in this environment would be a challenge."
Lize frowned. "That's troubling. The army's ability to sustain combat operations will likely be significantly affected."
Before entering the Earth Crystal Plane, Su Nan and Lize had anticipated this situation, but they had not expected it to be so much worse than they had imagined.
Fortunately, the main force of the army entering the Earth Crystal Plane this time was the Golem Legion. Their immunity to toxins made them more suitable for fighting and surviving in this harsh environment.
As for the Magic Knight Order, they would need to take turns resting and recovering in the Wizard Tower.
"Without the Wizard Tower as logistical support, we simply cannot fight for long in this environment," Lize sighed.
Since the Energy Particles of the plane could not be absorbed, they would have to rely on the Elemental Pool of the Wizard Tower to recover.
Otherwise, after just one or two intense battles, the entire army would be practically immobilized.
"It is urgent; let's begin building the Plane Channel."
Su Nan waved his hand, and the nine thousand nine hundred Golems stored in his Magic Cube materialized in the Wilderness, starting to clear out the surrounding monsters.
At the same time, numerous Wizards and Wizard Apprentices flew out from the Wizard Tower, landing on the ground to construct Plane Channels.
In just two hours, three Large Plane Channels were completed.
Three enormous Doorways suddenly appeared in the empty Wilderness.
Close behind, massive Star Fortresses emerged from the gates, followed by formations of Flying Fleets.
Each Star Fortress and fleet carried thousands of Magic Pattern Knights and Clay Golems.
As the Star Fortresses and Flying Fleets came to a halt, the Magic Pattern Knights and Clay Golems disembarked and began leveling the ground to establish a camp.
Su Nan also moved back and forth through the Plane Channels, using his Magic Cube to transport Puppets.
As time passed, more and more Plane Channels were completed, and the Star Alliance army raced to pass through them.
When the final second of the 24 hours arrived, the Plane Channels suddenly shuddered, twisted violently, and then vanished into thin air.
At that moment, Su Nan keenly sensed an invisible restraint enveloping the entire Plane.
Clearly, the True Spirit Wizard outside had begun to seal off the entire Plane.
This special God Corpse Contention officially began at this moment.
"How many troops were transferred in total?" Su Nan asked.
Lize glanced at the list in his hand and replied, "A total of fifty-three Star Fortresses, thirteen Flying Fleets, and two Golem Army Groups."
Once the Plane blockade was lifted, the Star Alliance began to expand its military strength.
With ample resources, this area of development progressed smoothly.
This was particularly evident in the Golem Legion.
When the Golem Legion was initially formed, Su Nan envisioned a Corps above the Large Golem Legion.
One Corps was composed of eight Large Golem Legions, totaling one million troops.
However, at that time, the Star Alliance's military strength was still weak, and it couldn't form a complete Army Corps, so the plan was temporarily shelved. But now, the Star Alliance possesses the necessary capability.
Currently, the Star Alliance has a total of four Army Corps, along with five Large Golem Legions. Considering that a portion of the army must remain to guard the Starlight Continent, Su Nan only brought two Army Corps this time. Even so, that still amounted to a full two million Puppets. This was more than the total troop strength deployed by the Starlight Continent when it fought against the Wave Plane!
Thanks to the Magic Cube, transporting such an astonishing number of Golems within 24 hours was not a pipe dream as it would have been otherwise.
"The Magic Knight Order has transported about 120,000 personnel in total. Given the harsh environment of the Earth Crystal Plane, we did not send any reserve members," reported Lize.
"The core force’s Wyvern Knights are all deployed. In addition, there are over thirty Dragons, along with 285 Wizards and 1,363 Level Three Wizard Apprentices. The latter mainly serve as logistical support and will not participate in combat."
Su Nan nodded with satisfaction. "That’s enough."
The army that the Star Alliance transported into the Earth Crystal Plane amounts to about half of its total military strength. Even large Wizard Factions like the Deep Blue Alliance and Wisdom Codex wouldn't be able to transport more military strength within 24 hours. The other Wizard Factions have transported even less, likely not even a tenth of their total military strength. This is the norm.
The reason the True Spirit Wizards limited the troop transport time to 24 hours is to keep the war manageable. Without such restrictions, allowing all Wizard Factions to commit their full strength would inevitably escalate into a large-scale war, which clearly does not align with their interests.
What puzzles Su Nan, however, is how this situation ultimately evolved into a Wizard Civil War.
“Never mind, let's cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, let's focus on the matter at hand,” he thought. After pondering for a moment without success, Su Nan shook his head and turned to Lize, saying, "Start searching for the Divine Corpse and deploy the Star Core."
"Understood."
Lize turned and issued the order.
The massive army quickly mobilized.
With the camp as their center, the Magic Knight Order and Golem Legion spread out like a torrent, crushing all infected monsters in their path.
High above, the Star Fortress and Flying Fleet followed the army at a leisurely pace. Whenever they spotted a large group of monsters, they unleashed a barrage of cannon fire, instantly reducing them to dust.
Each time they expanded outward a certain distance, the Wizard would lead the Wizard Apprentice away from the Magic Ship to begin setting up the Star Core.
As time passed, the area occupied by the Star Alliance grew larger, and the Star Eye Network gradually took shape.
But just then, the Star Alliance army encountered true resistance.
"What is that?"
Inside the Star Fortress, Fleming frowned as he watched the creatures rushing toward them like a tide, surprise flashing in his eyes.
They were a group of small humanoid creatures.
Standing about one meter thirty to forty in height, their bodies were exceptionally sturdy, with their width almost equal to their height. Their heads were thick and long, with their chins covered by a dense layer of protruding crystal whiskers. Two small crystal fangs curled upward from their lower lips. In addition to their chins, thick crystals covered their shoulders, joints, and palms.
They wore heavy armor, and the exposed skin was a dark gray, with many areas ulcerated, revealing the rotting flesh beneath.
Their faces bore a poisonous, greenish tint.
"They're Earth Crystal People," Tagana said solemnly. "They've been infected and have turned into monsters."
The Earth Crystal People were the main indigenous race of the Earth Crystal Plane, adept at combat and naturally able to manipulate rock and earth.
A mature Earth Crystal Person possessed the strength of a Knight level.
Some elites could even reach the Great Knight level.
Due to their innate ability to manipulate rock and earth, Earth Crystal People were especially sensitive to Earth Elemental Power, leading to the presence of many legendary experts among them.
A race that was originally very powerful in combat had now been further enhanced by Divine Power infection, and their strength had likely skyrocketed. The extent of their horror was unimaginable.
Looking at the tide of densely packed, poisonous Earth Crystal People charging toward them, the expressions of everyone inside the fortress grew solemn.
"Open fire!" Fleming decisively commanded.
Instantly, a buzzing sound filled the air as dazzling light erupted from the top of the fortress, reminiscent of a rising sun, instantly dispelling the blood-red hue of the sky.
In the next moment, hundreds of Spell Turrets simultaneously unleashed their power. Dense Cursed Rune Rays tore through the void, instantly traversing thousands of meters to strike the Earth Crystal People army.
Amidst piercing shrieks, countless Earth Crystal People warriors didn't even have time to cry out before being reduced to dust!
From above, the tightly packed Earth Crystal People army resembled a field where hundreds of tracks had been plowed out of nowhere.
At the same time, the Golem Legion and the Magic Knight Order on the ground surged forward, crashing into the Earth Crystal People like a torrent, sending flesh and blood flying, with limbs scattered everywhere.
The same scene was unfolding in other Wilderness areas.
The poisonous Earth Crystal People and infected creatures within a thousand miles were gradually drawn to the massive commotion of the Star Alliance, converging on their camp from all directions.
Inside the Starlight Wizard Tower, in the Council Hall, everyone was seated around a long table.
Su Nan sat at the head, with Lize to his right.
Down the sides were Scepter, Rose, Fakado, and Tulio, among other Second Level Wizards.
The second-in-commands of the Star Alliance had gathered here.
Above the long table floated a three-dimensional holographic model, providing a panoramic view of the Earth Crystal Plane.
As the Star Alliance army continued to expand, the area captured by the panoramic view also grew larger.
"The advance is going smoothly," Fakado said with a smile. "Although the Earth Crystal People have become much stronger, they are ultimately no match for the Magic Knight Order and Golem Legion."
Scepter nodded in agreement, chuckling, "After all, the individual strength of these two legions is no less than that of the Earth Crystal People."
Even the most basic soldier, the Golem Legion's Stone Golem, possesses Knight-level combat power, which is not at all inferior to that of a warrior from the Earth Crystal People.
The Magic Knight Order is even more formidable; a simple summon would reveal someone whose power rivals that of legends, effortlessly crushing the Earth Crystal People.
This is not to mention the firepower support from the Star Fortress and the Flying Fleet.
"The Earth Crystal People are easy to deal with, but the real headache is those Divine Beings."
Lize gazed at the detailed map above the long table. Since the establishment of the Star Eye Network, they could observe the number and strength of Energy Particle Fluctuations at various locations.
At that moment, on the northwestern edge, there was a particularly conspicuous bright spot.
[Unknown Name, Divine Being] [Threat Level: 25 (Moderate), Energy Level: Level 1 Gaseous Wizard] [Danger Level: High]
Everyone's attention turned to the bright spot on the light screen.
The Earth Crystal People were merely a type of Divine Power-infected creature, only slightly stronger than other infected beings, and posed no real threat to the powerful forces of the Star Alliance.
But the Divine Beings were different.
These creatures, through a twist of fate, absorbed the divinity contained within the fragments of God Corpses and survived the subsequent mutation. Their strength indeed underwent a qualitative change, and possessing Wizard-level power was to be expected.
Especially considering the influence of the Death and Divine Authority of the Poisonous Undead Monarch. Even if creatures that absorbed divinity could not survive the mutation, they had a significant chance of being resurrected as undead beings.
Therefore, the current number of Divine Beings on the Earth Crystal Plane was undoubtedly alarmingly high!
These Divine Beings posed the real threat that many Wizard Factions had to confront while searching for God Corpse Fragments.
"Who is responsible for that direction?" Su Nan inquired.
Lize responded, "It's Artier. She is piloting a Star Fortress, so dealing with a First Level Vaporization Divine Being should be no problem."
Su Nan contemplated, "The area where the Divine Being appears is highly likely to contain God Corpse Fragments."
Scepter immediately volunteered, "I'll go."
The others were eager to offer their assistance, but Scepter was quicker and felt a pang of regret.
Unexpectedly, Su Nan shook his head.
"I will go myself."
No one present had personally encountered the Divine Corpse, and who could know what side effects the fragmented body of the Poisonous Undead Monarch might have? To be safe, he would go himself.
When dealing with a god, one could never be too careful.
Su Nan didn't want his Wizard suffering unnecessary non-combat losses.
Soon, Su Nan arrived at the location where the Divine Being had appeared.
By now, the battle was already over.
Under the relentless barrage of Star Fortress's artillery, the Divine Being—a massively enlarged frog with a pair of wings and grayish-white skin covered in disgusting tumors—had quickly been reduced to a mangled corpse.
Thick, repulsive venom oozed from its wounds, sizzling and smoking as it corroded the ground, leaving behind a series of alarming craters.
“Teacher.”
Upon seeing Su Nan, Artier immediately flew out of the Star Fortress to greet him.
"Send the corpse to the Starlight Wizard Tower Laboratory. Also, search all areas within a two-hundred-kilometer radius of this location, leaving no spot unchecked. If you detect any signs of God Corpse Fragments, report to me immediately."
"Yes, Teacher."
With Su Nan's orders, a large number of Magic Ships dispersed in all directions, beginning their search for traces of the Divine Being.
Finding the area where the Divine Being had appeared most frequently would likely lead them to the God Corpse Fragments.
"It's a shame we're pressed for time. We didn't have enough opportunity to bring in more Star Cores. Otherwise, we could have blanketed the entire Earth Crystal Plane with the Star Eye Network and located the God Corpse Fragments with ease," Su Nan mused to himself.
But he knew that was just wishful thinking.
Setting aside the immense scale of the project required to deploy the Star Eye Network across the Earth Crystal Plane—making it impossible in such a short timeframe—even if it were feasible, the other Wizard factions would never stand idly by and would certainly try to sabotage them.
Su Nan didn’t believe the Black Wizards would engage in fair and open competition.
In the Earth Crystal Plane, besides the infected creatures and the Divine Being, the various Wizard factions also posed a threat that required caution.
A little over an hour later, the Magic Ships made a discovery.
Comments