Translator: AnubisTL
The center of the Royal City, Giant Spirit Realm.
Deep within this magnificent city, forged entirely of metal, stood the most towering mechanical temple.
Countless thick energy conduits clung to the temple's interior and exterior like veins, pulsing with a heart-stopping glow.
At this moment, beneath the core dome of the temple, atop the metal throne that symbolized supreme authority, space blurred and distorted. A colossal shadow, several times larger than any ordinary Giant Spirit Realm native, materialized from nothingness and slowly solidified.
This was Kog, the Lord of the World of the Giant Spirit Realm!
Its true form also possessed the semi-fluid characteristics of a slime, but it was far more solid, as if composed of molten obsidian.
Its surface was traced with countless intricate, natural patterns resembling circuit boards.
Three pairs of compound eyes, positioned at different locations like six cold stars, slowly scanned the desolate temple.
"An unknown... enemy?"
Kog's voice echoed through the temple, so calm it carried no ripple of emotion, nor did it leak any hint of its overwhelming power.
Yet, these very words, spoken so plainly, made a Giant Spirit Realm general prostrate beneath the throne feel as if an invisible mountain had crushed down upon him.
Even encased in advanced battle armor, the general felt his entire gelatinous body nearly collapse. Terror disrupted the very energy circulation within him.
Kog's three pairs of compound eyes focused simultaneously, like six searchlights locking onto his subordinate.
The invisible pressure threatened to crush the general's consciousness. "A battle of such horrific intensity has erupted. Our barriers are torn, our territory invaded. And you tell me you failed to capture even a shred of core information about the enemy?"
The subordinate's body trembled violently, but he forced out a broken mental transmission, laced with energy static:
"M-my lord, forgive me! All... all attempts to recover enemy corpses or prisoners... have... have utterly failed!"
"Both the corpses themselves and the units sent to retrieve them were... were completely erased from existence by some power the moment they succeeded! We... we only have the images and energy readings recorded during combat."
"However... we... we have already begun to decipher their language, though many key terms remain unanalyzable. We only... only know they call themselves—'Wizards'."
The general put all his strength into mimicking the precise pronunciation of the wizard civilization, which had been parsed from the fragmented battlefield communications.
"Wizards..." Kog repeated the word under his breath, a glint of interest flashing in all six of his compound eyes. "They came prepared, perhaps even knowing our 'absorption evolution' trait. This is no random encounter. It seems more like a conspiracy targeting the Giant Spirit Realm."
Sensing that the sovereign had not yet decreed his immediate destruction, the general's mind raced frantically, searching for any excuse to shift the blame and save his own life.
Suddenly, his spirit rallied. "my lord, please see the truth! The gods—those level 7 natives—have all lost contact as well. They must have been lured by those insignificant wizards into a trap set by their 'God of Wizards'!"
"Furthermore... my lord, you have just launched a new conquest of the Barren Bone Starfield, and these so-called wizards have appeared just in time, knowing so much about us... Your subordinate believes this could very well be a conspiracy by Hilla, or even the Fungal Lord!"
The Hilla and Fungal Lord he mentioned were the Lords of the World of the other two powerful civilizations in the Triangular Plane Cluster: the Mental Realm and the Propagation Realm.
"Judging by the battlefield footage, those wizards are commanding multiple races of various forms to fight in coordination. Theirs must also be a powerful civilization with territory spanning multiple worlds!"
Kog's massive body shifted slightly on the throne, producing a low sound like grinding metal:
"Hilla... with her penchant for playing mind games, she could indeed have done such a thing. Colluding with outsiders to divert trouble... Hmph!"
He let out a chilling snort, causing the surrounding metal walls to vibrate and hum.
"I'd like to see what kind of flowery excuses Hilla can cook up to deny her guilt after I personally capture those wizard leaders and pry open their memory cores!"
In truth, the three civilizations of the Triangular Plane Cluster had long realized the importance of sticking together in the endless void during their protracted competition and outward expansion.
Compared to other completely alien civilizations, although the three of them had constant friction, they had already formed a loose alliance, especially when facing a common external threat or interest.
Kog no longer dwelt on these matters. His compound eyes turned to his subordinate: "What is the status of the army's mobilization?"
Hearing this, the subordinate breathed a secret sigh of relief, knowing he had temporarily escaped disaster.
He hurriedly reported, "my lord! The native legions are rapidly assembling. A vast number of powerful warriors fighting on distant fronts have also received orders and are urgently returning via hyperspace routes! It is estimated that after ten Days of Descent, we will have a grand legion ready to crush all invaders!"
Kog nodded slightly in satisfaction. The Giant Spirit Realm's efficient war machine had already been activated, and its efficiency was second to none in any world.
"Very good. In the meantime, we cannot remain idle. Mobilize all intelligence networks, regardless of the cost, to quickly uncover more information about these 'wizards'! Their power system, civilization structure, weaknesses... I want to know everything! Based on this, formulate a specific annihilation plan!"
"Yes! my lord's orders will be obeyed!"
The subordinate, feeling as if he had been granted a great pardon, squirmed in fear, manipulating his armor to quickly exit the suffocating mechanical temple.
In the empty temple, Kog fell silent for a moment. His massive body slid from the throne, like a flowing mountain range, and moved to a secret chamber behind the divine hall filled with various precision instruments.
He first activated one of the uniquely shaped communicators.
The display screen lit up, but there was only a deep darkness on the other side. An ethereal voice, which seemed to act directly on the mind, transmitted:
"Kog? What's the matter this time? Is your new toy—the Barren Bone Starfield—causing trouble again?"
Kog didn't mince words. He demanded, "Hilla, is that so-called 'wizard' civilization that suddenly appeared in my territory your doing?"
On the other side of the screen, Hilla fell silent for a moment. Then her voice returned, laced with annoyance and severity: "Kog, watch your accusations. I know nothing about this."
"Deal with your own troubles and get rid of them quickly. Don't forget, the time for us to fulfill the 'contract' is fast approaching."
Although he had no concrete evidence, Kog's brow—if his writhing body could be said to have a brow—relaxed slightly.
He, Hilla, and the Fungal Lord were old rivals and old "friends."
They were all old monsters who had lived for countless ages, truly intelligent beings.
And most crucially, the three Lords of the World were currently collaborating with another, even more vast and terrifyingly powerful world—or rather, they had been "hired" by that world and were about to jointly execute a dangerous but lucrative mission.
With this crucial cooperative premise in place, the possibility of Hilla provoking an unknown, powerful civilization to interfere at this moment was indeed extremely low.
The earlier questioning had been more of a warning and a probe, a precaution against Hilla harboring any hidden agendas.
"It's best if that's the case," Kog replied in a low rumble, then terminated the communication.
Silence once again descended upon the secret chamber.
A calculating glint flickered in Kog's three pairs of compound eyes.
"Wizards... commanding a multi-racial army... highly targeted information suppression..." it murmured.
Although the possibility of Hilla directly stabbing them in the back had been largely ruled out, for the sake of absolute certainty, the Giant Spirit Realm needed to gather more intelligence on this suddenly emerged enemy.
It needed to take a more proactive and deeper approach to understand these beings who called themselves "Wizards."
Since no relevant information could be obtained on the battlefield, then...
Kog's massive, dense, semi-fluid body writhed restlessly in the empty secret chamber.
His three pairs of compound eyes were fixed on the other end of the room, where a colossal magical formation, constructed from countless rare metals and space crystal, stood.
The formation's lines were complex and ancient, emitting faint fluctuations that transcended dimensions.
Hesitation and struggle flickered across his featureless face.
Finally, he seemed to make a decision. With a look of profound reluctance, he slowly "unrolled" an object from the adjacent space.
It was a golden crystal about the size of a fist, its interior swirling with liquid light.
The moment it appeared, the entire secret chamber was filled with a pure and warm aura of soul energy, instantly invigorating the spirit.
The Thousand Souls Gold Crystal!
A soul treasure that could only be condensed over countless ages, consuming tens of billions of high-level souls!
Even for someone of Kog's status and accumulation, such a treasure was a precious resource that diminished with every use—his most cherished possession.
Kog's body rippled like waves, a physical manifestation of his heartache.
"Forget it. Hilla was right. With the contract imminent, I must crush all unforeseen variables in the cradle... I can only hope that civilization calling themselves wizards can scavenge enough resources to compensate for this loss!"
He carefully embedded the golden crystal into the perfectly fitting groove at the center of the magical formation.
Hummmm!
The moment the crystal was placed, the formation activated. Every line and rune lit up one by one, emitting intense spatial fluctuations and soul resonance.
Golden energy flowed from the crystal like blood, racing along the formation's patterns before constructing a blurred, ever-twisting gate of light above it.
After about fifteen minutes, the gate of light gradually stabilized.
A grand will, tinged with a hint of ethereal playfulness, slowly descended from an unfathomably distant void, filling the entire secret chamber.
(End of the Chapter)
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