Chapter 287: Let Star Alliance Be Arrogant for a While Longer
The atmosphere in the hall was heavy.
All the Wizards were filled with suspicion and uncertainty.
Luke's expression was especially grim, as if a storm were brewing within him.
The Wizard who had fled back from the Earth Crystal Plane after suffering a crushing defeat reported that the army sent by the Star Alliance had been extraordinarily large and likely possessed means for rapid troop transport.
Luke had initially dismissed the report, but he now realized how exaggerated the Star Alliance's alleged quick troop transport methods truly were.
In less than half a day, they had transported at least six or seven hundred thousand Golem Puppets.
Such capabilities, when employed for invasions, were enough to catch any opponent off guard!
Just like they were caught off guard right now.
Once the Star Alliance established a strong foothold and captured enough territory to serve as a forward base, it would be several times—if not tens of times—more difficult for them to drive the Star Alliance back later.
Fortunately, he understood that now was not the time for anger. Taking a deep breath, he calmed himself and issued a command in a deep voice.
"Move out!"
Whoosh!
Amidst the dazzling Spell Radiance, numerous Wizard Towers and Black Sota Dreadnoughts soared like streams of light toward the horizon.
Winterwind City.
After capturing Winterwind City with lightning speed, the Star Alliance made it their central forward base.
Thousands of Flying Magic Ships floated above the town, casting vast shadows that made people's hearts tremble.
The streets were empty; the local residents had retreated to their homes. Only fully armed Magic Pattern Knights and Golem Puppets patrolled the avenues.
Thirteen magnificent Wizard Towers rose tall above the former lord's mansion of Winterwind City.
Inside the central Starlight Wizard Tower, a group of Star Alliance executives gathered, listening with delight to the reports pouring in.
"Guang City has been conquered, Black Suo Tower and a Level One Wizard have been killed, with over three thousand Puppets and forty-three thousand human soldiers eliminated."
"Iron Tower City has fallen. The Black Suo Tower, a Level One Wizard, and three others have been killed, resulting in the annihilation of over two thousand Puppet soldiers and thirty-five thousand human troops."
"Mianyun City has detected a Black Sota Dreadnought nearby. The third Flying Fleet has already destroyed it."
"Excellent. Remember to recover the wreckage!"
Su Nan waved dismissively at the Magic Pattern Knight who had reported, then turned to look at Lize.
"How many towns have we captured so far?"
"Twenty-five!" Lize replied calmly, providing an update on their progress.
"With Winterwind City as the center, all towns within a radius of six hundred kilometers have fallen into our possession."
"The Ulan Plane has not yet fully deployed its main forces. Our troops have a significant advantage over the garrisons of these towns, so our losses have been minimal."
"To date, we have one Golem Army Group, three Large Golem Legions, and three Magic Patterned Cavalry Corps entering the Ulan Plane. By the day after tomorrow, it is expected that the Golem Legion and Magic Knight Order will have completed their troop transport. Two days later, the Black Wolf Pack will also be fully deployed into the Ulan Plane."
"Not bad," Su Nan said, nodding with satisfaction.
The higher-ups of the Star Alliance were equally jubilant. Despite the uncertainties surrounding the invasion, things were progressing smoothly in the early stages.
Now that they had established a firm foothold, the worst-case scenario would be a stalemate with the Ulan Plane. They had already succeeded in achieving their minimum objective of engaging Ulan Plane.
"It is estimated that within half a day, we will conquer all towns within a thousand miles of Winterwind City."
"The Star Eye Network and Transmission Network are already under construction."
"Moreover, our scouts have reported that a large number of Golem Puppets and human cavalry are surrounding us. If nothing unexpected occurs, this should be the Golem Legion and Fire Scale Knight Order stationed in the Ulan Plane. They will engage our forces in battle within five hours at the latest."
"That's quite fast," Su Nan said, raising an eyebrow slightly.
They had mobilized their forces quickly and arrived in less than a day; this speed was impressive.
It seemed that, in addition to the Transmission Network, the Black Suo Tower had likely been preparing for battle, which accounted for their rapid response.
Su Nan pondered, "Since the two main forces have already been dispatched, the Black Suo Tower's Wizard Tower and the Black Sota Dreadnought should also be on their way. We're in for a tough battle!"
The expressions of the gathered crowd grew solemn.
Just as Su Nan had predicted, a little over an hour later, scouts reported that a large contingent from the Wizard Tower and the Black Sota Dreadnought had been detected about fifteen hundred kilometers from Winterwind City.
Su Nan immediately ordered the departure.
Thirteen Wizard Towers and over forty Star Fortresses, protected by a dense formation of Flying Magic Ships, surged forward in a mighty wave.
At this time, the territory occupied by the Star Alliance had expanded to over eight hundred kilometers from Winterwind City.
Having just conquered Yahen City, the Star Alliance army had no time to rest before they spotted a large number of Wizard Towers and Black Sota Dreadnoughts appearing in the distance, quickly approaching the town.
In the blink of an eye, countless Cursed Rune Rays rained down from the sky, decimating many legendary-level puppets and Magic Pattern knights.
Following closely behind, numerous Puppets emerged from the Wizard Tower and Blackrope Colossus, landing in the city and beginning their slaughter of the Star Alliance army.
When the Star Alliance's Wizard Towers reached Yahen City, they were met with the horrifying sight of the demonic army rampaging through the area.
The Black Suo Tower quickly noticed the arrival of the Star Alliance reinforcements. The encounter ignited fierce conflict, with both sides launching attacks on one another.
In an instant, countless beams of cannon fire intersected in the sky, weaving together to form a crisscrossing net of death!
Deafening rumbles accompanied dazzling bursts of spell light, nearly engulfing the entire sky!
The Black Suo Tower fielded a total of sixteen Wizard Towers, including two Large Wizard Towers, five Medium Wizard Towers, and nine Small Wizard Towers.
In contrast, the Star Alliance had thirteen Wizard Towers, comprising two Large Wizard Towers, four Medium Wizard Towers, and seven Small Wizard Towers.
In terms of Wizard Tower numbers, the Star Alliance was undoubtedly inferior to the Black Suo Tower.
However, the number of Star Fortresses on the Star Alliance's side far exceeded that of the Black Suo Tower.
With the Flying Fleet assisting in the battle, the overall combat strength was not inferior to that of Black Suo Tower.
For a time, both sides engaged in a fierce back-and-forth struggle, evenly matched.
"Indeed, it's challenging to gain an advantage using War Creation," Su Nan observed, his eyes flickering slightly as he watched the battle unfold. The long-range fire support from Starlight Wizard Tower had yet to be fully upgraded, and it was insufficient to establish a decisive superiority on the main battlefield. He also intended to keep Starlight Wizard Tower low-key for now, avoiding any actions that might alert the enemy, so the fighting remained fairly conventional.
After half an hour of combat, both sides had incurred losses, and the energy of the Wizard Tower was nearing depletion, prompting both to sound the retreat.
As they watched the Wizard Tower and Black Sota Dreadnought of Black Suo Tower gradually withdraw, Lize glanced at the chaotic scene in Yahen City and said quietly, "We need to be more cautious from now on."
Su Nan nodded slightly. Black Suo Tower had now reacted effectively, making it impossible to secure an advantage with the Star Alliance's War Creation. Relying solely on ground forces would undoubtedly result in a slow advance.
However, that was of little concern. The Pulse Cannon was already in production. In the next year or two, they would be able to synthesize a more powerful version of the Pulse Cannon, which would help them break the current stalemate.
"Next, I need to focus on improving the Pulse Cannon. The battle command will be handed over to you," Su Nan said, transferring control of the Starlight Wizard Tower to Lize.
"Don't rush to expand the occupied area. Focus on maintaining stability," he added.
Lize had long been aware of Su Nan's intentions and nodded solemnly in agreement. "I understand. From now on, I will concentrate on consolidating our gains and will improve the Star Eye Network and Transmission Network in the occupied areas as soon as possible."
---
Dark Dragon Plane.
At the headquarters of Black Suo Tower, tall towers and various buildings rose and fell in a sprawling expanse, stretching for thousands of meters.
From a distance, it resembled a black dragon coiled upon the ground.
Wizards in long robes hurried between the buildings, a sense of impending turmoil hanging in the air. In the center, within a massive black tower towering over a thousand meters high, dozens of wizards gathered in a spacious, brightly lit Council Hall, discussing how to respond to the sudden outbreak of war.
"I said long ago that we shouldn't have stalled with those guys. If we had launched the war earlier, we wouldn't be in such a passive position now!"
"Easy for you to say. Those greedy bastards, Pale Mask and the Flame Pattern Society, demanded the lion's share of the profits. If we didn't fight for it, were we just supposed to hand it all over to them?"
"Alright, arguing about this now won't help. The most urgent thing is figuring out how to confront the enemy!"
"What's the current situation?"
"The Thousand Headed Bird and the Star Alliance are simultaneously attacking twenty-two of the planes we control. The enemy is coming on strong, and they're not easy to deal with."
"What about the three lords?"
"Ryan and the others are being held back at the Realm of Truth by the Wisdom Codex and the True Spirit Wizard of the Thousand Headed Bird. Maisa Edwards is also among their opponents, so it's estimated they won't be able to break free any time soon."
The mention of Maisa Edwards brought a brief silence to the hall, and everyone frowned.
Although she had only just entered the ranks of the True Spirit Wizards, making her somewhat of a rookie, her strength was nonetheless more formidable than that of some veteran True Spirit Wizards who had been promoted for thousands of years.
It was said that she had once been forced to flee the Starlight Continent by a True Spirit Wizard from the Gloomy Throne. After being promoted to True Spirit Wizard, she immediately sought revenge, severely injuring her opponent in a head-on confrontation and nearly killing him.
After that battle, Maisa Edwards's reputation resounded throughout the entire Wizarding World, and her strength gained the recognition of many True Spirit Wizards.
With her involved in the battle, the three lords would likely have a difficult time freeing themselves.
However, it is common knowledge that the priority in a Wizard Faction battle is to restrain the True Spirit Wizards, so no one was particularly surprised. After a brief moment of contemplation, they continued their discussion.
"The most urgent priority now is to concentrate our forces and confront the Thousand Headed Bird. Among the nineteen planes they are attacking, several are our core planes, including the Dark Dragon Plane. We absolutely cannot afford to lose them!"
"In my opinion, it would be better to start with the weaker ones. Once we deal with the Star Alliance, we can then concentrate all our efforts on confronting the Thousand Headed Bird!"
"No, Star Alliance, even if it seems weak, cannot be dealt with swiftly. What if, during this time, the other realms cannot withstand the Thousand Headed Bird's onslaught?"
"Exactly. The garrison forces of Xige, Manro, and Wulan are more than sufficient to fend off the Star Alliance. We can certainly focus our strength on dealing with the Square-Headed Bird first. Compared to the Star Alliance, the Thousand Headed Bird is the enemy that deserves our attention!"
The crowd erupted into a lively discussion, each expressing their own opinions.
It wasn’t until a man seated at the head of the table cleared his throat lightly that the hall fell silent.
Everyone turned in unison to look at the man at the head.
There were not many True Spirit Descendants in the Black Suo Tower; barely over ten, with Elliott and Lucius serving as the prominent figures.
After Elliott fell in battle at the Earth Crystal Plane, the True Spirit Descendants of Black Suo Tower largely aligned themselves with Lucius.
With all three True Spirit Wizards trapped in the Realm of Truth and unable to move, Lucius naturally held the highest position and wielded the most influence within the entire Black Suo Tower.
As he scanned the room, Lucius finally spoke.
"I have just received news that although the Star Alliance is attacking three realms simultaneously, their primary target is the Ulan Plane. They have only dispatched a small number of troops to the other two realms."
As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd exchanged bewildered glances. Some hesitantly remarked, "What is Star Alliance trying to accomplish? Are they planning to conquer Ulan Plane?"
In their expectations, the primary role of the Star Alliance should have been to divert a portion of Black Suo Tower's forces to alleviate the pressure from the Thousand Headed Bird.
To that end, the Star Alliance should have aimed to distribute their invasion forces evenly across the three realms.
Yet, judging by the current situation, it appeared that the Star Alliance was doing the opposite, focusing its main assault on Ulan Plane.
Unless they desired to seize Ulan Plane, there seemed to be no other explanation.
"Star Alliance's ambition is too great. Are they not concerned about overreaching?"
"Where do they draw such confidence?"
"Unbelievably arrogant!"
Lucius raised his hand, bringing the crowd's commotion to a halt, and slowly stated,
Luke reported to me that the Star Alliance possesses a means of rapidly transporting troops, catching him completely off guard in the early stages of the invasion. In just three days, they seized nearly eighty thousand square kilometers of territory.
Everyone was taken aback.
No one had anticipated the Star Alliance's formidable strength!
One individual, Wizard, spoke with a mix of surprise and concern, "What about Ulan Plane..."
Lucius raised his hand, interrupting him, and replied calmly, "There's no need for alarm. The Star Alliance gained an advantage by surprising us. However, now that Luke has reacted, we have mobilized our forces and contained their expansion. While we cannot yet drive them out, we will not allow them to extend their gains any further."
Upon hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as Ulan Plane was not in danger of falling, that was sufficient.
Lucius continued unemotionally, "I must admit, the Star Alliance does possess some strength, but that's all it is—nothing to worry about."
"Our focus must remain on the Thousand Headed Bird!"
"Actually, this situation could work in our favor. We won’t have to confront the Wisdom Codex directly. Dealing with the Thousand Headed Bird won’t be too burdensome."
"If we can annex the Thousand Headed Bird, we will rise to a new level and further narrow the gap between us and the Large Wizard Faction!"
Hearing Lucius's words, the others exchanged glances, and without raising further objections, they nodded in agreement.
"Lucius is right!"
"Let’s concentrate our efforts on the Thousand Headed Bird first!"
"Let the Star Alliance remain arrogant for a while longer."
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