Chapter 289: The First Piece of Meat

Chapter 289: The First Piece of Meat

November 20, 2024

After enduring multiple rounds of cannon fire rays, the energy field of the large Sorcerer Tower where Luk was located had long since dropped to below 80% durability.

So, when faced with the attack from the Pulse Cannon Mark III, it naturally collapsed with a single strike.

Su Nan was not surprised by this at all.

But Luk and the others thought otherwise.

The scene before them completely exceeded their understanding!

They had never seen the long-range striking power of any Sorcerer Tower that could destroy the energy field of a large Sorcerer Tower with a single hit!

The situation before them made them feel like they were in a ridiculous dream!

"What was that ray just now?"

"Was that a pulse ray? But why is it so powerful?"

"Damn it! What's going on?"

The crowd, now back to their senses, was suddenly in a state of panic.

Luk was also in a state of confusion, never expecting that the Star Alliance had such a hidden ace up their sleeve.

With the energy field now collapsed, if they were to endure another strike, wouldn't the Sorcerer Tower be destroyed?

As if to confirm Luk's thoughts, the top of the distant Starlight Sorcerer Tower lit up with dazzling radiance once more, and in the next instant, a thick pulse ray lashed out again!

Upon seeing this, Luk and the others' faces all turned pale.

Boom!

The pulse ray, as expected, pierced through the Sorcerer Tower, and the immense, violent energy that followed erupted, instantly destroying the entire tower's energy transmission pipelines. The Sorcerer Tower buzzed and fell downward, emitting a trail of blue smoke.

The Sorcerers and Wizard Apprentices inside the tower immediately scattered like birds and beasts, flying out of the tower.

Boom!

The Sorcerer Tower fell from the sky and crashed into the ground behind the Ulam City army, instantly killing numerous Automaton Puppets and Flame Scale Knights who didn't have time to dodge. A cloud of dust billowed into the air.

Looking at the damaged Sorcerer Tower, Luk felt as if his heart was bleeding.

This was his Sorcerer Tower!

Even if it could be repaired, the cost would be significant, given the extent of the damage! And the crucial point was that he probably wouldn't have the chance to repair the tower.

The intense energy particle fluctuations erupted once more.

Luk, with a horrified look, turned his gaze towards the distant Starlight Sorcerer Tower, from which another pulse ray shot out.

This time, the target was a medium-sized Sorcerer Tower.

The pulse ray almost effortlessly shattered the energy field and pierced through the tower's body.

In the blink of an eye, another damaged Sorcerer Tower appeared on the battlefield!

Since his promotion to Sorcerer, Luk had never seen such a fighting style.

When Sorcerers' Towers clashed, they would always unleash their firepower on each other, release their Puppet Legions to fight, and engage in prolonged battles until one side's energy was exhausted or the durability of their energy field reached zero, only then would the victor be decided.

Even in a battle between a large Sorcerer Tower and a small one, it was impossible to destroy the latter in just two strikes!

The firepower strength displayed by the Starlight Sorcerer Tower at this moment had completely exceeded Luk's imagination!

As the Star Alliance's War Construct took advantage of the situation and pressed forward, the surrounding Sorcerers and Sorcerer-level Puppets also began to surround them. Luk knew that the situation was hopeless.

His expression changed for a moment, and then he gritted his teeth and made a decision.

"Retreat!"

No matter what, they absolutely couldn't lose the remaining thirteen Sorcerer Towers here, or else they would be left with absolutely no power to resist.

The other Sorcerers naturally understood this logic as well, and although they felt extremely frustrated and reluctant, they still followed his orders.

Soon, the Sorcerers' Towers of the Blackthorn Tower began to retreat.

The Ulam City army on the ground also gradually withdrew.

They were actually planning to abandon Ulam City directly!

"These guys are quite decisive."

The straightforward retreat of the Blackthorn Tower surprised Su Nan a little.

He chuckled and, after the army symbolically chased them for a while, he ordered the troops to stand down.

After three shots from the pulse cannon, the Starlight Sorcerer Tower was no longer able to continue fighting.

Relying solely on the remaining War Constructs, even if they could hold onto the Ulam City's Sorcerer Towers, it would come at a great cost, which was not in the Star Alliance's interests.

After all, they had already established their advantage. Once the Starlight Sorcerer Tower was fully recharged, they could gradually erode the Blackthorn Tower's War Construct forces.

After the Sorcerer Towers and most of the ground forces withdrew, Ulam City quickly fell into the hands of the Star Alliance.

The Star Alliance army moved into Ulam City and began to hunt down the remaining enemy forces inside.

Looking down at the majestic city, everyone in the Star Alliance felt a bit dazed.

Was this how they won?

The speed at which the war ended left everyone a bit stunned.

"What was that just now? A pulse cannon?" Fleming's face still carried a look of shock.

Xie Man, Artur, Cole, and Targana also had similar expressions.

Those three pulse rays had not only shocked the Blackthorn Tower but had also startled them.

When Su Nan ordered the attack on Ulam City, they had been full of doubts about the purpose of this action, never expecting that the Starlight Sorcerer Tower would have such formidable firepower.

"It should be a new type of pulse cannon that the teacher has developed.

Xie Man thought for a moment and said, "The Starlight Wizard Tower's modifications are renowned within the Star Alliance, even surpassing large Sorcerer Towers in strength."

Everyone agreed, but they never imagined the modifications would be so bizarre.

Even though the energy field of the Sorcerer Tower they encountered earlier had already sustained some damage, it was still shocking to see it crumble with a single strike. The power was terrifying! And the energy consumption must have been astonishing. How did the Starlight Wizard Tower manage its energy consumption?

The more they thought about it, the more unbelievable it seemed, and their awe for Su Nan intensified.

Inside the Starlight Wizard Tower.

Su Nan and Li Ze looked down at the black city below.

Among the occupied towns, Frostwind City was indeed one of the largest, but compared to Ulana City, it paled in significance.

This majestic city, built by Sorcerers, surpassed Frostwind City in terms of both size and defensive systems.

Its geographical location was also advantageous, situated right at the center of the Ulam Plane on top of a ley line node.

With Ulana City as the center, they could radiate their influence to any part of the Ulam Plane, strategizing and commanding with ease.

"Let's relocate the command center here," Su Nan said, "and make Ulana City our new base."

Li Ze nodded slightly, "This is indeed an excellent location."

After a brief pause, she looked intently at Su Nan and asked, "Can we intensify our offensive now?"

Su Nan smiled and nodded, waving her hand. A holographic map of the entire Ulam Plane appeared before them.

Today's battle was undoubtedly a turning point in the war.

In the past, when the Star Alliance attacked towns, they had to consider the Sorcerer Towers and Blackthorn Colossi of the Blackthorn Tower. Their movements were restricted.

But from now on, the Star Alliance could confidently overpower the Ulam Plane's defense forces in terms of war constructs. They no longer had to hold back and could launch a full-scale assault on the native towns of the Ulam Plane.

Now, it was the enemy's Sorcerer Towers that dared not engage them directly.

If they appeared, they would face a head-on strike from the Starlight Wizard Tower!

"The two captured Sorcerer Towers should be repaired as soon as possible and added to the exchange list after the modifications are complete," Su Nan instructed.

Li Ze acknowledged.

The introduction of the 'Installment Plan' policy allowed many Sorcerers in the Star Alliance to afford Sorcerer Towers.

With the outbreak of war, Sorcerers had more opportunities to earn contribution points, and they had accumulated a substantial amount since the start of the war.

Currently, there were numerous Sorcerers in the Star Alliance eagerly waiting to exchange their contribution points for Sorcerer Towers. As soon as a Sorcerer Tower appeared on the exchange list, it would be claimed immediately, ensuring no worries about unsold inventory.

Once the two captured Sorcerer Towers were repaired and put into use, the Star Alliance would have sixteen Sorcerer Towers in the Ulam Plane, including three large ones.

The war construct strength would surge significantly.

In contrast, the Blackthorn Tower's Sorcerer Towers in the Ulam Plane had decreased to thirteen.

The balance of war construct strength between the two sides had suddenly reversed.

Even without considering the Starlight Wizard Tower, the Star Alliance, with fifteen Sorcerer Towers, over forty Star Fortresses, and countless Demon Ships, had a clear advantage in war construct strength over the Ulam garrison.

As time passed, this gap in strength would only widen.

Unless the Blackthorn Tower received new reinforcements in the Ulam Plane, it was inevitable that the Ulam garrison would be at a disadvantage.

However, Li Ze wasn't the least bit concerned about this.

The Star Alliance and the Thousand-headed Bird had been sharing intelligence, even during the most intense battles in the Ulam Plane, keeping a close eye on the other side.

With the Star Alliance tying down a portion of the Blackthorn Tower's forces, the Thousand-headed Bird was holding its own against them.

While they might not be able to gain the upper hand, they could prevent the Blackthorn Tower from diverting forces to support the Ulam Plane.

As for the other Black Sorcerer factions, they were also engaged in heated battles with the Codex of Wisdom's affiliated organizations, leaving them unable to spare any forces to aid the Blackthorn Tower.

Even if they could, Li Ze didn't believe that the self-serving Black Sorcerer factions would consider supporting their allies.

If there were any other unexpected factors, it would only be the Xig Plane and the Manro Plane.

If the Ulam Plane truly faced a life-or-death crisis, these two planes might be willing to pay any price to divert their forces to support the Ulam Plane.

However, if that happened, it might not be a bad thing for the Star Alliance.

If they could draw some of the forces from the Xig Plane and the Manro Plane into the quagmire of the Ulam Plane and defeat them, it would make future invasions of those planes much easier.

Li Ze couldn't help but sigh as she recalled that before attacking the Ulam Plane, Su Nan had expressed her intention to conquer it.

Although she had supported Su Nan's idea at the time, deep down, she still felt that Su Nan's optimism was a bit excessive.

Conquering the Ulam Plane was no easy feat, but it seemed that the Star Alliance had a real chance of achieving this goal.

As it turned out, Su Nan never disappointed.

The Simplified Elemental Forge could hold more energy, but the time required to fill it up also increased accordingly.

With over ninety percent of the energy deficit, it would take about half a month to replenish it.

Fortunately, the Ulam garrison was thoroughly frightened and would likely not dare to expose their Sorcerer Towers to the Star Alliance again for a while.

Back in the laboratory, Su Nan resumed his work with renewed dedication.

This war proved the might of the Pulse Cannon Mark III and also demonstrated the importance of Sorcerer Tower firepower on the front lines.

Su Nan initially planned to continue upgrading the facilities of the Starlight Sorcerer Tower, but he changed his mind.

Compared to ordinary Sorcerer Towers, the Starlight Sorcerer Tower was already overwhelmingly superior, and further upgrades to its facilities would not make a significant difference.

On the other hand, enhancing the combat power of the Star Alliance's other Sorcerer Towers would undoubtedly have an immediate effect on strengthening their War Construct's capabilities.

This approach was evidently more effective in seeing results in a shorter timeframe than the former.

As for upgrading the Starlight Sorcerer Tower, there was no rush; they could gradually work on it after the Sorcerer Civil War ended.

Furthermore, by the time the war ended, if Su Nan could advance to the rank of True Spirit Sorcerer, he would be able to start preparing to build his own Floating City.

After a moment's thought, Su Nan quickly made his decision.

"First, strengthen the other Sorcerer Towers of the Star Alliance!"

"Starting with the Elemental Reservoir, if we want to upgrade other facilities, we must first increase the energy supply."

"I can synthesize enhanced versions of various levels of Elemental Reservoirs and add them to the exchange list."

"Additionally, we'll include the Mystic Lock Protective Energy Field devices and various Cannon Mark II and III models."

After making his decision, Su Nan took immediate action.

The most basic facilities could be left to the Sorcerers below him to manufacture; he only needed to handle the synthesis.

As a result, the project progressed swiftly, and it wasn't long before the exchange list boasted a batch of upgraded Elemental Reservoirs, Mystic Lock Protective Energy Fields, and Cannons.

Most Sorcerers were reluctant to entrust their Sorcerer Towers to others, even those they had captured, as they preferred to modify them personally to ensure no backdoors were left behind.

However, facilities from their own allied Sorcerers were a different story, alleviating many of these concerns.

These upgraded facilities were instantly snapped up as soon as they became available.

Su Nan even took the time to personally upgrade Li Ze's Sorcerer Tower, which became the Star Alliance's second tower to surpass the Large-sized category, following the Starlight Sorcerer Tower.

Time flew by, and half a year passed in the blink of an eye.

With no more concerns about the Blackthorn Tower's Sorcerer Towers and Blackthorn Colossus, the ground troops' advancement speed increased significantly.

In just six months, the Star Alliance's occupied territory had expanded to more than double its original size.

During this period, the Blackthorn Tower's Sorcerer Towers did attempt to hinder their progress, but after two consecutive engagements, the Star Alliance captured another Large Sorcerer Tower and three Medium Sorcerer Towers, causing the Blackthorn Tower to retreat and remain hidden.

In 2273 of the Starlight Calendar, the Star Alliance launched a surprise attack on the capital of the North Empire, killing over a hundred royal family members, including the emperor, leading to the capital's fall.

By 2275, the Star Alliance controlled half of the Ulam Plane.

The Ulam garrison was no match for the increasingly powerful Star Alliance forces, and they suffered defeat in every engagement.

In 2276, when the Star Alliance attacked Amber City, one of the Ulam Plane's major towns, reinforcements from the Xig and Manro Planes arrived, comprising twelve Sorcerer Towers and forty-two Blackthorn Colossuses from the Blackthorn Tower.

Together with the Ulam garrison, they launched a pincer attack on the Star Alliance forces.

However, the upgraded Star Alliance Sorcerer Towers were now far more formidable than before.

After a fierce battle, the Overseer of the Ulam Plane, Luk, was killed, and the Ulam garrison's War Construct was completely annihilated.

The Xig and Manro Planes suffered a crushing defeat, with only five Sorcerer Towers managing to escape.

A great victory for the Star Alliance!

After this battle, the Star Alliance's offensive became unstoppable.

Wherever the Star Alliance army went, the native towns either surrendered without a fight or resisted desperately, only to have their gates blown open by the Sorcerer Towers. Often, it took less than a day for these towns to fall.

Almost every day, the Star Alliance expanded its occupied territory.

In 2278, the last town in the Ulam Plane fell into the hands of the Star Alliance, marking the complete conquest of the entire plane!

In just eight years of war, while numerous Sorcerer forces remained locked in stalemates, the Star Alliance broke through, capturing their first plane and dealing a heavy blow to the Blackthorn Tower.

The news spread like wildfire throughout the Sorcerer world, causing a significant stir!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end