Svidk let out a low growl from his throat. His dark gold fur stood on end, his limb muscles tensed, and his tail whipped behind him, leaving a blur in the air.
The surrounding air began to warp as an invisible pressure radiated from him.
Several tribal chiefs nearby instinctively leaned back.
"Is this the time for internal strife, with the Great Enemy before us?"
A raspy voice came from behind Svidk.
The serpent-like magical beast slowly slithered toward the round table. Its body, over ten meters long, moved gracefully between the chairs, the ink-colored patterns on its dark green scales flickering with every breath.
It raised its head to eye level with Svidk, its vertical pupils showing little emotion.
"Svidk, stand down."
Svidk stared at the serpent-like magical beast for several breaths. The growling in his throat gradually subsided, and his bristling fur slowly flattened. He retracted his front claw and took half a step back, though his amber eyes remained filled with resentment.
The serpent-like magical beast turned its head toward Orion.
"Orion, we are not here to interrogate you. But our people are indeed dying in massive numbers. You must give us an explanation."
Orion leaned back in his chair. "An explanation? I do not need to give you an explanation."
His tone was calm and measured. "You have seen the strength of those outsiders. Now is not the time to fret over the loss of a single city or territory; the survival of the entire Amons World is the top priority. I am well aware that your people are dying. But have you considered why those outsiders are only now deploying their King-level combat power?"
The hall fell silent for a moment.
Svidk's vertical pupils contracted slightly, and the serpent-like magical beast narrowed its eyes.
"They are testing our trump cards," Orion continued. "If we commit all our high-level combatants now, we will fall right into their trap. Once they have gauged our true strength, the rest of the war will be forfeit."
"Then what do you intend to do?" Svidk's voice still carried a trace of heat. "Just watch?"
"Wait." When Orion uttered this word, his tone was heavier than before. "We wait until they believe we have no more cards to play. We wait until their high-level combatants can no longer restrain themselves. Only then will we strike."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over all the Third-Tier lifeforms present.
"That will be the moment of the final, decisive battle."
Svidk did not speak again, though the expression on his beastly face was clearly still one of defiance.
The serpent-like magical beast nodded and slowly slithered to an open space at the edge of the hall, coiling its body.
The other magical beasts followed suit, finding their own spots to lie or crouch, though their eyes remained fixed on the battlefield images displayed in the crystal at the center of the hall.
Seeing this, a look of satisfaction appeared on Orion's face.
"Very good, very good. Just like that, just like that."
Ethan had just dodged a spear thrown by someone unknown and was about to strike down a group of disorganized Amons warriors when the Wizardry Tool in his right ear suddenly crackled to life.
"All combat units, take note. Orders from Command."
The voice was completely different from the previous announcements—it was cold and authoritative.
"Now, all Third-Tier Wizards, deploy."
Ethan froze for a second.
"Everyone, engage."
"All war machines, activate."
"The final battle has begun."
Ethan stood rooted to the spot.
Wait, seriously? We're going straight to the final battle already?
He only thought those words to himself.
Saying them out loud? Ethan wasn't that stupid.
He turned his gaze toward the War Fortress.
Following the order for the Third-Tier Wizards to deploy, the tallest towers atop the War Fortress lit up simultaneously.
Light shot out from the spires, weaving together into a blinding curtain of light in the sky.
Fourteen figures streaked out from the fortress.
The speed at which they soared into the sky was absurdly fast. Ethan only saw fourteen pillars of light erupt from the top of the fortress, piercing the clouds and vanishing beyond the horizon in the blink of an eye.
At the same time, there was movement from the Amons' side.
Dozens of pale green and dark gold pillars of light shot up from the horizon, rushing toward the high altitude at equally staggering speeds.
The number of those light pillars was more than double those of the Wizard world, and their colors were more varied—green, gold, brown, and silver—interweaving to form a kaleidoscopic curtain of light in mid-air.
The two groups of light pillars collided in the high heavens.
In that instant, the entire firmament shook violently.
Light exploded from the point of impact, spreading in all directions and dyeing the entire sky a piercing white.
The shockwave bore down from the heights, peeling back a thick layer of soil from the ground. Rubble, severed limbs, and broken timber were swept away by the air currents.
Ethan pressed himself against the ground, only climbing back up once the shockwave had passed.
When he looked up, the sky had returned to its normal color.
The pillars of light had vanished, and the figures were no longer visible. Only a few lingering clouds of energy slowly dissipated in the high atmosphere.
The battlefield for Third-Tier lifeforms was much higher up.
Neither side clearly wanted to completely destroy the battlefield below.
After all, their respective people and troops were still down there.
Ethan retracted his gaze, and the voice from Command echoed in his ear again.
"All combat units, take note. You are cleared for unrestricted engagement. Eliminate all enemies on the battlefield. The Battle Merit Ranking has officially begun. The top one hundred will receive significant rewards. Every contribution will be recorded by the War Fortress and can be redeemed at any time upon return."
As the voice faded, the concealment Wizardry Tool in his right ear transmitted a pulse of consciousness.
"Ethan Leo, current battle merit: 0. Rank: Not recorded."
Before Ethan could even react, the battlefield exploded with activity.
The Third-Tier Apprentices who had been holding back until now stopped pretending. They charged out from their formations, unleashing their full power.
A bald strongman in a deep red short robe slammed his hands onto the ground. The earth cracked open, and a Rock Giant covered in magma patterns crawled out from the fissure, standing at least seven or eight meters tall. The man leapt onto the giant's shoulder and charged toward the densest cluster of Amons, the ground being crushed into scorched pits wherever they stepped.
A female apprentice in a pale blue dress traced an arc with her hands. The moisture in the air condensed into countless tiny ice crystals, which spun rapidly to form an Ice Crystal Storm over a dozen meters in diameter. The storm tore into the Amons warriors; their three-meter-tall bodies were shredded by the ice, and the blood from their wounds froze before it could even flow, their skin turning a bruised purple at a visible rate.
A thin apprentice in gray robes stood still, but the shadow beneath his feet expanded rapidly. The shadow spread out like a black tide. Wherever it passed, the Amons warriors froze in place, their amber eyes losing their luster and their chests ceasing to heave.
A burly apprentice in dark gold leather armor gripped a short axe in each hand, their blades wreathed in golden arcs of electricity. He tore through the Amons ranks with incredible speed. Every time he moved, several Amons heads flew into the air, the blood from their severed necks charred by the electricity before it could spray.
Rate on N.U.
