Translator: AnubisTL
In stark contrast to Augusta's thunderous might stood Horn.
This genius with an eighth-tier innate talent displayed breathtaking defensive and counterattack capabilities. He was like an unshakeable mountain, standing firm to guard every inch of territory he claimed.
"Hold your ground! They're coming!"
Wherever his squad went, they harnessed the surrounding earth element to their advantage.
Thick stone shields withstood the charge of heavy cavalry, while towering pillars of rock shattered the indigenous formations.
Horn himself was a mobile fortress, his hand coalescing into a massive stone fist. With a single blow, he pulverized entire groups of knights, armor and all, into fragments.
The indigenous forces once tried to lure him into an underground cave, intending to detonate the rock strata and bury him alive.
Yet Horn merely stomped his foot, forcibly calming the surging earth element beneath the surface. He stabilized the cave's structure with an earth element shield and even turned the subterranean tremors against his enemies, disorienting the indigenous ambushers.
Then, wielding his colossal stone fist, he unleashed a ground-shaking counterattack, crushing them all without mercy.
Augusta and Horn, like two razor-sharp blades, repeatedly sliced through the Indigenous Allied Forces' defenses.
Their legendary exploits spread rapidly among the apprentices. Each report of their "desperate counterattacks" sent a surge of morale through the ranks.
Gradually, the communication witchcraft devices ceased carrying desperate pleas for help and instead broadcasted the latest news of Augusta and Horn's breakthroughs.
"Miss Augusta has breached another indigenous blockade! She's too strong—she doesn't even seem like an apprentice!"
"Young Master Horn led his squad and crushed an entire indigenous knight order in a frontal assault! Those knights couldn't even scratch him!"
"With them here, these natives are nothing to fear!"
Unconsciously, the wizard apprentices' fear of the indigenous people transformed into a strange kind of "excitement."
They no longer saw the indigenous as life-threatening enemies but as a massive "target" to test their own strength and earn glory.
They began comparing Augusta and Horn's achievements with relish, speculating which genius would ultimately dominate this "trial" and emerge as the final victor of the expedition.
Greyrock Realm.
Inside the massive tent of the Indigenous Allied Forces' secret camp, the atmosphere was heavy with tension, yet tinged with the thrill of strategic planning.
A beast-hide map lay spread out, marked with the wizard apprentices' movements and the locations of the indigenous traps.
"Progress is proceeding smoothly," a young knight commander said in a low voice, his finger tracing across several areas marked "cleared" on the map. "These outlanders are falling for our traps more easily than we anticipated. Their overconfidence in their own power blinds them to our true strength."
"The space lockdown barrier has already begun to function, cutting off their escape routes," Priest Oswald said with an inhuman calm. "Once they're drawn into our designated battlefields, their spells will become mere expendable resources."
The other leaders nodded in agreement.
Through constant intelligence updates, they maintained precise control over the wizard apprentices' movements and dwindling reserves of power.
The apprentices who had survived the initial ambushes were like lambs herded into a pre-arranged slaughterhouse, each step bringing them closer to their doom.
The high-level spell artifacts that the wizard apprentices prided themselves on were rapidly depleting their energy reserves in the relentless combat. Their potion supplies dwindled, and their mental power struggled to sustain the high-intensity confrontations for extended periods.
They were like dwindling bonfires, appearing to blaze fiercely but slowly and inevitably burning out.
This was especially true for the apprentices who had distinguished themselves in recent battles: Augusta with her thunderous storms, Horn with his rock fortress, and other emerging "geniuses."
Their formidable power had forced the Indigenous Allied Forces to pay a heavy price, but it had also provided the allies with invaluable intelligence.
"The one skilled in lightning attacks... Augusta," a shaman rasped, a flicker of apprehension in his eyes. "Her thunder can shatter our Totem Arrays. She's too fast; our warriors struggle to even catch a glimpse of her."
"Horn, the earth manipulator, is equally troublesome," a knight commander added. "His defenses are impenetrable. Our physical attacks barely scratch him. We'll need advanced magic to breach his defenses."
"We must account for all of them..."
The beast-hide map was marked with special talismans indicating various locations. In addition to Augusta and Horn, there were several geniuses who had recently risen to prominence on the battlefield.
These talismans represented the geniuses' operational areas and combat styles.
The ordinary apprentices they had easily eliminated earlier were beneath their notice. Only by defeating these most brilliant geniuses could they truly strike at the "wizards'" core strength—this was the true "revenge"!
Yet within this sea of detailed intelligence, one region stood out as completely devoid of information.
In the northwest corner of the map, an area previously marked as "multiple ambushes deployed, high-level magical beasts present" had recently ceased transmitting any intelligence.
It was as if a black hole had swallowed all prying eyes.
This anomaly naturally sparked debate among the indigenous leaders.
"The scout team sent to that region... has lost contact."
"None of the assassination squads have returned either, despite explicit orders to split into two groups—one overt, one covert—for investigation."
"We've dispatched three vanguard battalions in succession, including thirty elite knights and two mid-tier shamans... all have gone silent! Not a single distress signal was sent!"
In the council hall, the atmosphere of control that had previously dominated the room shattered, replaced by unease and agitation.
"This was practically impossible! According to our plans, it was inconceivable that no intelligence would be transmitted back. Even if they encountered the strongest magical beast horde or were defeated by those two geniuses, at least someone should have escaped to report back!"
A young knight frowned, his brow furrowed. As the intelligence officer, this complete "silence" sent shivers down his spine.
"Based on the consistent reports, the battle traces in that area... are highly abnormal. This wasn't a typical magical beast skirmish, nor was it the kind of spell damage commonly seen from wizard apprentices. Every region has been reduced to scorched earth, as if plowed by endless flames. Even the remains of magical beasts and our own soldiers have been burned to ashes, making identification impossible."
(End of the Chapter)
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