Chapter 287: Let the Star Alliance Show Off for a While

Chapter 287: Let the Star Alliance Show Off for a While

November 19th, 2024

The atmosphere in the hall was tense.

The sorcerers were all filled with uncertainty and doubt.

Lukas' face was as dark as if he was about to drip with water.

Previously, the sorcerers who had returned from the Crystal Plane after a crushing defeat had mentioned that the Star Alliance had deployed an unusually large number of troops, indicating they might have a rapid troop transportation method.

Lukas hadn't taken it to heart at the time, but now he suddenly realized just how exaggerated the Star Alliance's rapid troop transportation capabilities were.

In less than half a day, they had transported at least six to seventy thousand automaton puppets.

Such capabilities, when applied to plane invasions, could catch any opponent off guard! Just like they were doing now.

Once the Star Alliance firmly established their foothold and captured enough territory as a forward base, it would be several times more difficult to repel them.

Lukas' face grew even darker as he thought of this.

Fortunately, he knew this wasn't the time to be angry. He took a deep breath to calm himself and issued orders in a solemn voice.

"Let's go!"

Buzz!

Amidst the dazzling spell radiance, numerous sorcerer towers and Blackthorn Colossus ships flew swiftly towards the horizon.

Frostwind City.

After capturing Frostwind City with lightning speed, the Star Alliance established it as their forward base.

Thousands of flying magic ships hovered above the city, casting giant shadows on the ground, causing unease in the hearts of onlookers.

The streets of the city were deserted, with residents hiding in their homes. Only fully armed Runesword Knights and automaton puppets patrolled the streets.

Above the former lord's manor of Frostwind City, thirteen sorcerer towers stood tall.

Inside the central Starlight Wizard Tower, the Star Alliance's top brass gathered, their faces filled with joy as they listened to the continuous stream of battle reports from below.

"Radiant City has been captured. Two Level One Wizards from the Blackthorn Tower have been killed, and over 3,000 puppets and 43,000 human troops have been eliminated."

"Iron Tower City has been captured. Three Level One Wizards from the Blackthorn Tower have been killed, and over 2,000 puppets and 35,000 human troops have been eliminated."

"A Blackthorn Colossus ship was discovered near Cloudy City and has been destroyed by the Third Flying Fleet."

"Excellent, remember to salvage the wreckage!"

Su Nan waved his hand, dismissing the reporting Runesword Knight, and turned to Li Ze.

"How many cities have we captured so far?"

"Twenty-five!" Li Ze calmly reported the progress.

"All the towns within a 600-kilometer radius of Frostwind City are now under our control."

"The Ulam Plane hasn't deployed its main forces yet, and our forces have a significant advantage over the local garrisons, so our casualties are negligible."

"So far, we have sent one Automaton Army Group, three Large Automaton Legions, and three Runesword Knight Regiments into the Ulam Plane. We expect to complete the transportation of the Automaton Legions and Runesword Knight Corps by the day after tomorrow, and it will take another two days to transport the entire Black Wolf Pack into the Ulam Plane."

"Not bad," Su Nan nodded in satisfaction.

The Star Alliance's top brass were all pleased.

Regardless of how the invasion war progressed, at least in the initial stage, the Star Alliance's invasion was going smoothly.

Now that they had established a foothold, the worst-case scenario would be a stalemate with the Ulam Plane, but their minimum goal of tying down the Ulam Plane's forces had been achieved.

"In half a day, we should be able to capture all the towns within a thousand kilometers of Frostwind City."

"The Star Eye Network and Teleportation Network are already being set up."

"Additionally, our scouts have discovered a large number of automaton puppets and human cavalry heading towards us. Unless something unexpected happens, they should be the Automaton Legion and Flame Scale Knight Corps guarding the Ulam Plane. In five hours at the latest, they will engage our forces."

"That's quite fast," Su Nan raised an eyebrow slightly.

To gather their forces in less than a day was already remarkably swift.

It seemed that, apart from the Teleportation Network, the Blackthorn Tower had also been making war preparations, allowing them to react so quickly.

Su Nan pondered, "With two main legions already deployed, the Blackthorn Tower's sorcerer towers and Blackthorn Colossus ships should also be on their way. We're in for a tough battle!"

The expressions of the Star Alliance's top brass became more solemn.

Just as Su Nan had predicted, an hour later, the scouts reported that a large number of sorcerer towers and Blackthorn Colossus ships were spotted 1,500 kilometers away from Frostwind City.

Su Nan immediately ordered their departure.

Thirteen sorcerer towers and over forty Star Fortresses, escorted by countless flying magic ships, flew towards the distant enemy.

By this time, the Star Alliance's occupied territory had expanded to over 800 kilometers beyond Frostwind City.

The Star Alliance forces that had just captured Scar City didn't have time to rest when they spotted a large number of sorcerer towers and Blackthorn Colossus ships in the distance. Before they knew it, these ships had arrived above the city.

The next second, countless incantation cannon rays descended from the sky, killing numerous legendary-level puppets and Runesword Knights.

Immediately after, a large number of puppets flew out from the sorcerer towers and Blackthorn Colossus ships, landing in the city to slaughter the Star Alliance troops.

When the Star Alliance's sorcerer towers arrived at Scar City, they witnessed the ruthless slaughter of their troops.

The Blackthorn Tower immediately noticed the arrival of the Star Alliance reinforcements, and with their hatred for the enemy, both sides launched an offensive against each other.

In an instant, countless cannon fire rays intertwined, forming a giant web of death in the sky!

The deafening roar and dazzling spell radiance almost covered the entire sky!

The Blackthorn Tower had a total of sixteen sorcerer towers, including two large sorcerer towers, five medium sorcerer towers, and nine small sorcerer towers.

The Star Alliance, on the other hand, had thirteen sorcerer towers, including two large sorcerer towers, four medium sorcerer towers, and seven small sorcerer towers.

In terms of sorcerer tower numbers, the Star Alliance was undoubtedly at a disadvantage.

However, the Star Alliance had more Star Fortresses than the Blackthorn Tower.

With the assistance of the flying fleet, their overall combat strength was not inferior to the Blackthorn Tower.

For a while, the battle was intense, with neither side gaining a clear advantage.

"As expected, it's difficult to gain the upper hand in terms of war constructs," Su Nan observed, his eyes flashing slightly.

The Starlight Wizard Tower's long-range firepower hadn't been fully upgraded yet, and it wasn't enough to dominate the battlefield. Su Nan didn't intend to let the Starlight Wizard Tower stand out too much at this point, to avoid alerting the enemy. So, they fought in a disciplined manner.

After half an hour of fierce fighting, both sides suffered losses, and the sorcerer towers' energy was nearly depleted. They both sounded the retreat.

Watching the Blackthorn Tower's sorcerer towers and Blackthorn Colossus ships gradually disappear into the distance, Li Ze looked at the devastated Scar City and said in a low voice, "We need to consolidate our gains from now on.

South Su nodded slightly.

The Blackthorn Tower had realized the situation, and with their war constructs unable to gain an advantage, their ground forces would undoubtedly face a slow advance.

However, it didn't matter; the Pulse Cannon was already in production, and within a year or two, they would be able to synthesize the more powerful Pulse Cannon Mark III, breaking the current stalemate.

"Next, I'll focus on improving the Pulse Cannon. You take charge of the battle command."

South Su transferred control of the Starlight Wizard Tower to Li Ze.

"There's no need to rush to expand our occupied area. Stability is key."

Li Ze, who had already known South Su's intentions, nodded solemnly in agreement.

"I understand. For now, we'll focus on consolidating our gains and improving the Star Eye Network and teleportation network in the occupied areas."

The Dark Dragon Plane.

At the headquarters of the Blackthorn Tower, tall towers and various buildings of different heights stood side by side, creating a sprawling complex that stretched for several kilometers.

From a distance, it looked like a giant black dragon coiled on the ground.

Wizards in long robes hurried between the buildings, their faces filled with a sense of impending crisis.

In the center, a towering black tower over a thousand meters high housed a spacious and bright council chamber where dozens of wizards gathered to discuss how to respond to the sudden war.

"I've been saying that we shouldn't have delayed against those guys. If we had started the war earlier, we wouldn't be in such a passive position now!"

"Easy for you to say. The Pale Masks and the Flame Guild are greedy, demanding a large portion of its profits. If we don't fight for our share, should we just hand it over to them?"

"Enough. The priority now is to find a way to engage the enemy!"

"What's the situation now?"

"The Thousand-Headed Bird and the Star Alliance have launched simultaneous attacks on twenty-two planes under our control. The enemy is fierce and hard to deal with."

"What's the word from the three elders?"

"Lord Leane and the others are in the Realm of Truth, held back by the Codex of Wisdom and True Spirit Sorcerers of the Thousand-Headed Bird. Among the opponents is Mysha Edwards, so it's unlikely they'll be able to break free in a short time."

As soon as the name Mysha Edwards was mentioned, the hall fell silent for a few seconds, and everyone frowned.

Although Mysha Edwards had only recently entered the ranks of True Spirit Sorcerers, she was technically still a newcomer, but her strength surpassed even some veteran True Spirit Sorcerers who had been promoted for thousands of years.

It was said that years ago, a True Spirit Sorcerer from the Dark Throne had forced her to flee the Starlight Continent in disarray. After ascending to the rank of True Spirit Sorcerer, she immediately sought revenge, severely injuring her opponent in a head-on confrontation and almost killing them.

After that battle, Mysha Edwards' reputation spread throughout the wizarding world, and her strength was recognized by many True Spirit Sorcerers. With her involvement in the containment, it would be difficult for the three elders to break free.

However, it was common knowledge that in conflicts between wizarding forces, the priority was to restrain True Spirit Sorcerers. The crowd wasn't too surprised, and after a brief frown, they continued the discussion.

"The urgent task is to concentrate our forces to counter the Thousand-Headed Bird. Among the nineteen planes they're attacking, including the Dark Dragon Plane, are several of our core planes. We must not allow any losses!"

"In my opinion, it's better to pick off the weaker ones first. After dealing with the Star Alliance, we can concentrate our full strength against the Thousand-Headed Bird!"

"No, the Star Alliance is not something we can deal with in a short time. What if, in the process, other planes can't withstand the Thousand-Headed Bird's offensive?"

"You're right. The defenses in the Xig, Manro, and Ulana Planes are more than enough to hold off the Star Alliance. We can concentrate our forces to deal with the Thousand-Headed Bird first. Compared to the Star Alliance, the Thousand-Headed Bird is the enemy we should be more concerned about!"

The crowd discussed animatedly, each with their own opinions.

Suddenly, a man sitting at the head of the table coughed lightly, and the hall fell silent.

Everyone turned to look at the man.

There were only a little over ten True Spirit Heirs in the Blackthorn Tower, with Elliot and Lucius as the leading figures.

After Elliot's death in the Crystal Plane, the True Spirit Heirs of the Blackthorn Tower were led by Lucius.

With the three True Spirit Sorcerers unable to break free from the Realm of Truth, Lucius naturally held the highest position and carried the most weight in the entire Blackthorn Tower.

Lucius slowly spoke after surveying the room.

"I've just received news that although the Star Alliance is attacking three planes simultaneously, their main target is the Ulana Plane. They've only sent a small number of troops to the other two planes."

Upon hearing this, everyone exchanged glances.

Someone hesitated, "What's the Star Alliance up to? Are they planning to conquer the Ulana Plane?"

In their expectations, the Star Alliance's primary role should have been to tie down some of the Blackthorn Tower's forces to relieve pressure from the Thousand-Headed Bird.

To achieve this, the Star Alliance should have balanced their invading forces across the three planes.

However, the current situation didn't seem to align with this strategy; instead, they were focusing on the Ulana Plane.

There was no other explanation except that they intended to conquer the Ulana Plane.

"The Star Alliance is being too ambitious. Where's their confidence coming from?"

"They're too arrogant!"

Lucius raised his hand to interrupt the discussion and said slowly,

"Lukas has reported to me that the Star Alliance has a means of rapidly transporting troops. In the early stages of the invasion, they caught Lukas off guard and occupied nearly 80,000 square kilometers in just three days."

Everyone was shocked.

No one had expected the Star Alliance to be this formidable.

A wizard spoke with uncertainty, "Then, the Ulana Plane..."

Lucius waved his hand to cut him off and said calmly, "Don't worry. The Star Alliance has only gained an advantage due to their surprise attack. Lukas has already gathered troops to curb their expansion, and although he can't expel them immediately, he won't let the Star Alliance expand further."

Hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as there was no risk of the Ulana Plane falling, it was fine.

Lucius spoke expressionlessly,

"We have to admit that the Star Alliance does have some strength, but that's all. It's not a significant concern."

"Our focus should still be on the Thousand-Headed Bird!"

"This is actually a good thing. We won't have to directly face the Codex of Wisdom, and dealing with just the Thousand-Headed Bird won't be too much pressure."

"If we can annex the Thousand-Headed Bird, we can also rise to the next level and further narrow the gap with the large wizarding forces!"

Hearing Lucius' words, everyone glanced at each other and didn't raise any further objections, nodding in agreement.

"Lord Lucius is right!"

"Then we'll focus on dealing with the Thousand-Headed Bird first!"

"Let the Star Alliance boast for a while longer."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end