The Dark Star hovered before the goddess's army, like an abyssal void that devoured all light, its gaping maw waiting to consume the surging tide of mechanical legions.
On the opposite side of the battlefield, above the army of wizards, a massive war fortress floated in midair, resembling a steel-built airborne citadel.
Its outer shell was covered in metal armor engraved with arcane runes, and its complex alchemical machinery operated ceaselessly, like a war-driven heart suspended over the battlefield.
At this moment, atop the fortress's watchtower, two figures clad in wizard robes silently observed the battlefield.
They were Level 3 Great Wizards, the commanders of this engagement.
One of them, with a steady gaze and slightly furrowed brows, was fixated on the ominous Dark Star in the distance.
He spoke in a low voice, his tone carrying a trace of caution:
"According to our records, this should be the Level 8 spell Dark Star."
The other wizard, however, scoffed dismissively, his eyes flashing with a cold glint as he curled his lips into a smirk:
"Hah, as long as a Saint doesn't intervene, those mages won't be able to stop us!"
After countless wars and clashes, the wizards of the City of Machines had long deciphered the power structure of the Gods' Civilization.
If their cultivation system were to be compared with that of the wizards:
Wizard apprentices corresponded to Level 0 and Level 1 mages.
The three stages of Level 1 Wizards corresponded to Level 2, 3, and 4 mages.
The three stages of Level 2 Wizards corresponded to Level 5, 6, and 7 mages.
The three stages of Level 3 Wizards corresponded to Levels 8, 9, and the Saint level.
At this moment, the two wizards standing atop the war fortress were both at the early stage of Level 3 Great Wizards, each equivalent to an eighth-level mage.
If they joined forces, they could even stand against a Level 9 mage!
Thus, as long as the enemy did not have a Saint-level powerhouse one at the peak of the Level 3 Wizard realm the wizards maintained an absolute advantage in high-level combat power!
"I'll handle this."
The composed Level 3 Great Wizard nodded, his figure flickering as he appeared at the pinnacle of the war fortress.
His wizard robe billowed in the fierce wind, his figure standing like a towering mountain at the fortress's peak. Three permanent arcane imprints emerged around him, radiating dazzling magical brilliance.
"Level 3 Spell Mechanical Benediction!"
As the spell was unleashed, a radiant wave of energy burst forth from him, sweeping across the battlefield toward the mechanical legions!
Buzz!
From the heart of the war fortress, a massive sphere of energy erupted, blazing like a rising sun. The immense energy fluctuations stirred violent gusts across the battlefield.
The next moment, the sphere shattered, transforming into golden streams of light that cascaded like divine rain upon the mechanical army.
The instant the golden rain enveloped them, all the mechanical constructs and metal warriors underwent a breathtaking transformation!
Armor thickness surged, exponentially increasing the mechanical constructs' defenses, making their steel bodies nearly indestructible!
Combat response speed skyrocketed, drastically boosting movement and attack frequency, as though they had been infused with boundless vitality!
Complete immunity to curses and debuffs, rendering all mental interference, soul corruption, and weakening magic ineffective under this divine radiance!
Enhanced magic resistance, significantly reducing the damage from all magical attacks!
In this war-torn battlefield, the only way to truly threaten the mechanical army now was close-quarters combat.
Only pure physical force could shatter these steel warriors, now reinforced by the power of Mechanical Benediction.
However, such an approach was nothing short of suicide.
The mechanical tide was a raging tempest, each constructing a crashing wave in an ocean of steel. Any flesh-and-blood warrior who dared to confront them head-on would be pulverized instantly, reduced to dust!
It was akin to standing in front of a speeding motorcycle while it was possible to stop it, the result would be mutual destruction. Trading one life for one machine was an unfavorable exchange!
Boom!
The war-torn sky was split apart by the collision of brilliance and darkness!
On one side, the Dark Star is a manifestation of divine magic and godly power.
On the other, the pinnacle of wizardry and mechanical sorcery is the Mechanical Benediction.
The battlefield's dividing line between darkness and radiance became the most brutal war zone!
The mechanical tide rushed into the Dark Star like a furious storm!
That abyssal void, which sought to consume the world, had finally met the unstoppable force of the mechanical legions.
Boom!!
The moment the mechanical army surged into the Dark Star, it was as if the entire world had been swallowed whole. Black waves engulfed everything in their path.
From the outside, the mechanical tide was instantly obscured by the darkness, as if it had vanished into the void.
However, within the ranks of the goddess's army, the mages did not sit idly by!
Brilliant magical radiance flared as the mages unleashed powerful spells, summoning servants, magical beasts, and elemental creatures.
One after another, they sent their summoned forces into the Dark Star to fight the mechanical army in a desperate struggle.
But the problem was that the Dark Star devoured all light.
All battles took place within its abyssal depths, making it impossible for those outside to see what was happening inside.
High above, within the floating war fortress at the center of the battlefield, the two Level 3 Grand Wizards stared intently at the boundless darkness.
"Yude, something feels off!"
Earl, the composed Grand Wizard, furrowed his brows deeply, his eyes fixed on the Dark Star with a growing sense of unease.
However, beside him, Grand Wizard Yude let out a scoffing laugh, a smirk of disdain curling at the corners of his lips.
"Earl, you're too cautious."
He crossed his arms, his tone filled with absolute confidence.
"With your Mechanical Benediction in effect, our mechanical army's magic resistance has been greatly enhanced. Their spells are useless against us. Even if these mages fight to the death, they won't be able to stop our assault."
"This battle is already decided!"
Yude's gaze was sharp as he sneered coldly.
"Before their spell effect even ends, our army will have broken through their defenses and struck them in their heart!"
Despite Yude's words, Grand Wizard Earl still felt an unshakable sense of foreboding.
Did the enemy's Level 8 Mage only cast a single Dark Star spell?
Shouldn't there be some follow-up offensive measures?
The Mechanical Benediction had already weakened the Dark Star's effect, preventing it from completely consuming the mechanical army yet the enemy had done nothing to counteract that.
Something wasn't right...
"…Could it be that he never intended to use the Dark Star to stop the mechanical army?"
A terrifying thought suddenly erupted in Earl's mind!
"Was his true goal to create a sealed battlefield?"
Inside the Dark Star, they had received no reports from the mechanical army at all…
What exactly was happening in there?!
Just then, Grand Wizard Earl's expression suddenly changed!
Before he could sound the alarm or react in any way, something inside the Dark Star shifted dramatically!
Figures burst forth from the abyss of darkness!
The sight was so unbelievable that both Earl and Yude's eyes widened in shock, momentarily unable to comprehend what they were seeing.
Impossible!
They had seen hundreds of thousands of mechanical constructs charge into the Dark Star like a raging tide.
By their calculations, such a massive mechanical surge should have crushed any flesh-and-blood beings caught in its path.
No mage, no summoned creature should have been able to withstand that kind of destructive impact let alone break free!
And yet…
From the depths of darkness, riders emerged!
Like a warband of awakened battle gods, they galloped forth on their warhorses, clad in heavy armor, weapons in hand, exuding an overwhelming killing intent!
Yude's pupils shrank sharply as he stammered in disbelief,
"T-This… What's going on?!"
"A mere band of knights can withstand a mechanical army?!"
The wizarding world had knights, but the so-called knights they knew were nothing compared to these warriors who had shattered through the mechanical flood!
More and more knights surged forth, forming an unending cavalry force that carved a bloody path through the battlefield where darkness and light collided.
Their figures became increasingly distinct each knight clad in heavy armor, wielding spears, greatswords, battle axes, curved blades, and other weapons, radiating an aura of absolute dominance.
Upon their armor and the barding of their warhorses was engraved a distinctive mark: a blue and white star!
At that moment, both Earl's and Yude's faces changed drastically!
A blue and white star… the Holy Emblem of the Goddess of the Weave!
There was no doubt these knights emerging from the darkness were the divine warriors of the Goddess of the Weave!
Unlike the knights of the wizarding world, the knights of the divine civilizations, blessed by the gods, possessed limitless growth potential.
Their bodies, combat techniques, and even their warhorses had been enhanced by divine power, elevating them to a level comparable to wizards, sorcerers, and clerics.
In some aspects, they even surpassed them in battlefield dominance!
This cavalry force before them was none other than the Goddess of the Weave's personally blessed order the Knights of the Mystic Flame!
At that moment, Earl and Yude's expressions darkened completely!
A crucial intelligence report suddenly surfaced in their minds:
Under the Goddess of the Weave, there was once an invincible order of knights and warriors blessed by the Mystic Flame.
Each knight possessed extraordinary growth potential in battle, with power that could rival high-level mages!
Yet, ever since the war began, the Knights of the Mystic Flame had never appeared on the battlefield, as if they had never existed.
Because of this, the wizards of the City of Machines had assumed that this legendary order had never been deployed to this world.
Thus, even though they knew of these knights, they had never truly considered them a threat.
But now, the Knights of the Mystic Flame had finally arrived on the battlefield!
And their first action had been to annihilate hundreds of thousands of mechanical troops!
While many of those were mechanical constructs and wizard apprentices expendable and easily replenished there had also been a considerable number of official wizards among the casualties.
For the wizards, this was an immense loss.
Wizard apprentices and mechanical constructs could be mass-produced and transported to this world with relative ease.
But official wizards were far harder to replace.
Losing one or two was no big deal.
But losing so many was a devastating blow.
The supply of new official wizards was slow, and transporting replacements from the wizarding world would take an immense amount of time.
As a result, their entire front line's advance would now be significantly slowed!
Grand Wizard Earl let out a deep sigh, his brows tightly knitted, his gaze complicated.
This defeat…
Though he had sensed the impending crisis, his fellow commander, Grand Wizard Yude, had been too arrogant and had ignored his warnings.
And in the end, that arrogance had led to this catastrophic defeat.
But now that the battle was lost, arguing with his comrade was meaningless.
He exhaled heavily and spoke in a calm voice,
"Order the retreat. Fall back. Minimize our losses."
Boom!
The wizarding forces began an organized withdrawal.
Beside him, however, Grand Wizard Yude's face was dark as ink, his expression as stormy as an impending tempest.
Though both he and Earl were commanders and should technically share responsibility…
He knew full well this disaster was entirely his fault.
If not for his arrogance if he had heeded Earl's warnings instead of underestimating the enemy
Even with the Knights of the Mystic Flame as their trump card, the enemy would never have been able to wipe out so many mechanical troops so easily!
It was a strategic blunder that had led to an irreversible catastrophe.
A flash of regret flickered in Yude's eyes but even stronger was his burning thirst for vengeance.
"Order the retreat!"
He took a deep breath, his tone low and resolute.
"Earl, I take full responsibility for this failure. I will personally report everything to our superiors."
"But…"
Yude's voice paused as his gaze locked onto the distant battlefield, eyes brimming with fury.
"This debt… I will settle it with my own hands!"
His killing intent was overwhelmingly intense!
However, this murderous aura was not directed at Earl, but at the Mystic Flame Knights ahead!
As the wizard army retreated, the war fortress trembled and roared, with massive wizard constructs in midair releasing waves of powerful energy to shield the retreating troops.
The battlefield still bore the scars of the wizard army's presence mechanical wreckage was scattered everywhere, and the smoke of war had yet to fully dissipate.
On the other side, within the goddess's faction, the Mystic Flame Knights remained standing tall on the battlefield!
A burly, wild-looking warrior sat astride his warhorse, his sharp gaze like that of a hawk as he scanned the traces left by the retreating wizard army, murderous intent flickering in his eyes.
He gripped his battle axe tightly, his entire body surging with battle aura, clearly unwilling to let the enemy escape so easily!
This man was none other than Cindy, the leader of this squad of Flame Knights!
Just then, the Eight-Circle Mage who had unleashed the Dark Star walked forward, his gaze calm as he spoke slowly:
"Lord Cindy, this battle has already yielded great rewards. Do not let greed lead you into reckless pursuit!"
"According to the guidance of the Seven Stars, do not venture deep into enemy territory on a whim!"
At the mention of the "Seven Stars," the murderous intent in Cindy's eyes gradually faded, and his grip on the battle axe loosened slightly.
The Seven Stars.
They were the seven most powerful mages who wielded the seven blue-white celestial stars after the goddess's descent.
In the entire world, aside from the Weave Goddess herself, these seven were the highest authorities!
Even though Cindy was not a mage but a Holy Knight, he still had to obey the commands of the Seven Stars!
He took a deep breath. Though his gaze remained icy, his tone softened considerably:
"Understood. I will follow the guidance of the Seven Stars..."
He cast one last look at the retreating wizard army and let out a cold snort:
"Next time, I will sever the heads of those wizards and present them as the most sincere and devout offering to our great goddess!"
In this world, the wizards of the City of Machines had established their stronghold.
As the war progressed, the wizard army's front lines continued to expand, dividing into multiple defensive and offensive zones. Each war zone was further subdivided into a complex network of battle lines.
Every battle line had its forward base both a tactical hub and a supply center on the battlefield.
Earl and Yude were part of the Eastern War Zone, in command of one such battle line.
At this moment, in a virtual strategy chamber, beams of light flickered, forming the figures of various commanders from different battle lines.
These figures represented the decision-makers of their respective fronts, each possessing at least the rank of a Level 3 Grand Wizard!
As the light shimmered, the virtual war meeting officially began.
The moment Earl and Yude's figures materialized, countless gazes locked onto them.
Some eyes carried schadenfreude, some were filled with scorn, while others harbored barely restrained fury.
After all, war was never a flawless endeavor; the wizard army could not win every battle. Occasional defeats were inevitable.
But…
A defeat as catastrophic as the one suffered by Earl and Yude had never occurred in the entire war!
Tens of thousands of wizard troops had been annihilated!
Such a shocking loss was nothing less than an unprecedented disgrace for the Eastern War Zone!
For a brief moment, silence filled the air then, a voice dripping with mockery rang out:
"The great Lord Yude, your battle record is truly unparalleled!"
The tone was filled with ridicule, the speaker barely suppressing laughter.
Yude's face darkened instantly!
Before he could retort, another voice one even more insidiously sarcastic cut in:
"Now, now, that's not quite right..."
The voice carried a casual, almost indifferent amusement as it continued:
"If not for Lord Yude's 'brave contributions,' how else would we have gained such an in-depth understanding of the threat posed by the Flame Knights? Thanks to this valuable lesson, it's a boon for everyone..."
At these words, sneers curled the lips of several wizards in the meeting.
"You!"
Yude clenched his fists, his entire being seething with rage, barely restraining himself from erupting on the spot.
But just then…
Boom!
A deep, oppressive force suddenly descended!
In the virtual space, all the Level 3 Grand Wizards fell silent instantly!
Their voices were completely suppressed, because…
A luminous figure, as brilliant as a celestial star, slowly emerged in the center of the strategy chamber!
It was a Level 4 Morning Star Wizard one of the highest-ranking decision-makers of the Eastern War Zone!
Under his immense pressure, everyone lowered their heads, not daring to utter another word.
There was no scolding.
No direct rebuke of Yude and Earl.
The Morning Star Wizard's gaze was ice-cold as he cut straight to strategic deployment.
He began marking the war zones on the virtual map, adjusting troop placements across the battle lines, and issuing tactical orders one by one.
"All front lines are to strengthen their defenses to avoid repeating the disaster of Yude's command."
His voice was utterly indifferent he didn't even bother to mention Yude or Earl's names, as if they were already discarded pawns.
Throughout the entire meeting, no one spoke in their defense.
No one mentioned them.
No one reprimanded them.
And no one even considered their front lines in the new tactical plans…
That silent disregard was the most damning of all.
Yet what made Yude and Earl's faces even more grim was the next announcement regarding military resource distribution!
The Morning Star Wizard swiftly and decisively allocated supplies, but…
The reinforcements for Yude and Earl's battle line were not just not increased they were drastically cut!
They had originally hoped that after the battle, additional resources would be provided to replenish their losses.
But now…
They were defeated, and not only did they receive no support, but they were strategically weakened!
Yude and Earl's faces had turned extremely grim, their fists clenched tightly.
But when it decided the Morning Star Wizard, they couldn't even get a word in, let alone argue.
In the end, as the starlight flickered, the virtual space slowly collapsed.
The figures of the Wizards gradually faded away, and the military meeting officially came to an end!
Inside the military fortress, a heavy atmosphere blanketed the entire command hall, as if even the air had frozen still.
Yude's face was so dark that it seemed like it could drip water. He slammed his fist onto the table, his furious voice echoing through the silent room.
"We've been completely abandoned!"
His eyes were filled with resentment and fury as he stared intently at the latest military supply allocation displayed before him.
"We were supposed to get at least fifty thousand in reinforcements. And now?"
Yude gritted his teeth, his voice trembling with rage. "Not even five thousand!"
And worse yet, those five thousand were mostly apprentice-level forces!
Included among them were Wizard apprentices, mental constructs, and mechanical constructs.
As for actual battle-ready official Wizards the forces that could truly impact the battlefield, the situation was even more dire.
They had only been assigned one Level 1 Wizard!
A man named Lynn.
Yude stared hard at the cold, emotionless list, his brows furrowed, his voice filled with anger.
"A single Level 1 Wizard, Lynn… A former researcher? What the hell is this? A useless token gesture?"
A Level 1 Wizard wasn't even qualified to stir up a ripple in a war of this scale.
And to make matters worse, this guy's records indicated that he used to be a researcher in some laboratory, not a battle Wizard!
The more he thought about it, the more suffocated Yude felt.
But the most frustrating part was that the Morning Star Wizard hadn't even given them a chance to defend themselves.
Even if he had the chance what could he possibly say?
The complete annihilation of hundreds of thousands of Wizard troops was an undeniable fact!
Throughout the entire Eastern Warzone, they had already become the embodiment of disgrace!
The fact that the Morning Star Wizard hadn't directly punished them was already a mercy choosing not to kick them while they were down.
At this moment, Earl let out a weary sigh, his voice deep and filled with helplessness.
"Our losses were too great."
"Rather than patching up our shattered front line, the high command of the Eastern Warzone prefers to reinforce the other battlefronts."
This was the brutal reality.
The world of Wizards did not believe in tears. War was an emotionless contest of strength.
To those in command of the grand strategy, their battlefront was already a lost cause.
Instead of wasting enormous resources trying to patch up an irreparable breach, it was far better to direct the limited reinforcements toward other fronts ensuring the overall stability of the war effort.
Earl looked at Yude with a complex expression and continued in a low voice:
"To them, our only value now is holding the line preventing a full collapse…"
"As long as we can barely hold out, they won't waste any more resources on us."
"Otherwise, we wouldn't have even gotten these five thousand reinforcements…"
The room fell into a heavy silence.
As harsh as those words were, they reflected the truth.
Yude took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing his raging emotions, before speaking in a cold voice:
"…Notify our men. Have that 'assigned' Lynn brought here."
"Find him a post guarding the fortress or something forget about sending him to maintain the purification devices."
With how scarce their forces were, even a researcher Wizard had to be repurposed for other duties.
Meanwhile, after enduring a long and disorienting teleportation process, Lynn finally arrived at Hunting Plan World No. 13.
The moment he set foot in this world, he immediately felt the unique pressure of an alien realm!
A heavy, omnipresent force weighed down on him, as though the entire world itself was imposing an invisible constraint upon his existence.
This was the World Repulsion Effect of an "Expedition World"!
Throughout the history of the Wizard Civilization's expansion, every being that stepped into a foreign world would be instinctively rejected by its natural laws.
Not even the Wizards were exempt.
However, Lynn remained completely unfazed.
He was once a researcher who participated in the "Divine Civilization Environmental Adaptation Research" project.
In environments like these, where the world's laws exerted repulsive suppression, he had far more experience than anyone else!
As a result, he took only a few minutes to swiftly adjust his body and synchronize with this world's suppressive laws.
By contrast, the other newly teleported Level 1 Wizards were not nearly as fortunate.
Many were still sluggish in their movements, their magical auras unstable some had even collapsed onto the ground, struggling to recover.
But none of that mattered.
Their assignments had already been finalized before their arrival.
Lynn had officially been assigned to the Eastern Warzone, under Grand Wizards Yude and Earl.
On the same day, he was sent directly to the frontline battle zone.
Inside an empty fortress, Lynn sat at the command seat, lazily lifting his eyelids, surveying the sorry state of his "troops."
There were only a handful of people present.
The entire defensive fortress had only one official Wizard himself.
The rest were either mechanical puppets or Wizard apprentices.
He had gathered all the Level 3 apprentices, and the total count came to a grand sum of…
Just thirty or so.
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